Posted on 03/09/2015 1:20:26 PM PDT by Gamecock
We have said that you must preach the gospel every week–to edify and grow Christians and to convert non-Christians. But if that is the case, you cannot simply ‘instruct in Biblical principles.’ You have to ‘get to Jesus’ every week.
For example, look at the story of David and Goliath. What is the meaning of that narrative for us? Without reference to Christ, the story may be (usually is!) preached as: “The bigger they come, the harder they’ll fall, if you just go into your battles with faith in the Lord. You may not be real big and powerful in yourself, but with God on your side, you can overcome giants.” But as soon as we ask: “how is David foreshadowing the work of his greater Son"? We begin to see the same features of the story in a different light. The story is telling us that the Israelites can not go up against Goliath. They can’t do it. They need a substitute. When David goes in on their behalf, he is not a full-grown man, but a vulnerable and weak figure, a mere boy. He goes virtually as a sacrificial lamb. But God uses his apparent weakness as the means to destroy the giant, and David becomes Israel’s champion-redeemer, so that his victory will be imputed to them. They get all the fruit of having fought the battle themselves.
This is a fundamentally different meaning than the one that arises from the non-Christocentric reading. There is, in the end, only two ways to read the Bible: is it basically about me or basically about Jesus? In other words, is it basically about what I must do, or basically about what he has done? If I read David and Goliath as basically giving me an example, then the story is really about me. I must summons up the faith and courage to fight the giants in my life. But if I read David and Goliath as basically showing me salvation through Jesus, then the story is really about him. Until I see that Jesus fought the real giants (sin, law, death) for me, I will never have the courage to be able to fight ordinary giants in life (suffering, disappointment, failure, criticism, hardship). For example how can I ever fight the “giant” of failure, unless I have a deep security that God will not abandon me? If I see David as my example, the story will never help me fight the failure/giant. But if I see David/Jesus as my substitute, whose victory is imputed to me, then I can stand before the failure/giant. As another example, how can I ever fight the “giant” of persecution or criticism? Unless I can see him forgiving me on the cross, I won’t be able to forgive others. Unless I see him as forgiving me for falling asleep on him (Matt.27:45) I won’t be able to stay awake for him.
In the Old Testament we are continually told that our good works are not enough, that God has made a provision. This provision is pointed to at every place in the Old Testament. We see it in the clothes God makes Adam and Eve in Genesis, to the promises made to Abraham and the patriarchs, to the Tabernacle and the whole sacrificial system, to the innumerable references to a Messiah, a suffering servant, and so on. Therefore, to say that the Bible is about Christ is to say that the main theme of the Bible is the gospel–Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9).
So reading the Old Testament Christocentrically is not just a “additional” dimension. It is not something you can just tack on - to the end of a study and sermon. ("Oh, and by the way, this also points us to Christ".) Rather, the Christocentric reading provides a fundamentally different application and meaning to the text. Without relating it to Christ, the story of Abraham and Isaac means: “You must be willing to even kill your own son for him.” Without relating it to Christ, the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel means: “You have to wrestle with God, even when he is inexplicable-even when he is crippling you. You must never give up.” These ‘morals-of-the-story’ are crushing because they essentially are read as being about us and what we must do.
A BASIC OUTLINE FOR CHRIST-CENTERED, GOSPEL-MOTIVATED SERMONS
The following may actually be four points in a presentation, or they may be treated very quickly as the last point of a sermon. But more generally, this is a foundational outline for the basic moral reasoning and argument that lies at the heart of the application.
The Plot winds up: WHAT YOU MUST DO.
“This is what you have to do! Here is what the text/narrative tells us that we must do or what we must be.”
The Plot thickens: WHY YOU CAN’T DO IT.
“But you can’t do it! Here are all the reasons that you will never become like this just by trying very hard.”
The Plot resolves: HOW HE DID IT.
“But there’s One who did. Perfectly. Wholly. Jesus the—. He has done this for us, in our place.”
The Plot winds down: HOW, THROUGH HIM, YOU CAN DO IT.
“Our failure to do it is due to our functional rejection of what he did. Remembering him frees our heart so we can change like this…”
a) In every text of the Scripture there is somehow a moral principle. It may grow out of because of what it shows us about the character of God or Christ, or out of either the good or bad example of characters in the text, or because of explicit commands, promises, and warnings. This moral principle must be distilled clearly. b) But then a crisis is created in the hearers as the preacher shows that his moral principle creates insurmountable problems. The sermon shows how this practical and moral obligation is impossible to meet. The hearers are led to a seemingly dead end. c) Then a hidden door opens and light comes in. The sermon moves both into worship and into Christ-application when it shows how only Jesus Christ has fulfilled this. If the text is a narrative, you can show how Christ is the ultimate example of a particular character. If the text is didactic, you can show how Christ is the ultimate embodiment of the principle. d) Finally, we show how our inability to live as we ought stems from our rejection of Christ as the Way, Truth, and Life (or whatever the theme is). The sermon points out how to repent and rejoice in Christ in such a way that we can live as we ought.
Nice post. Monergism.com is a great site.
Thanks!
Hoss
Each sermon in the series went through a familiar (or not) Old Testament story and showed Christ through each of them....
Another great message from Tim Keller.
Thanks.
Not sure, wasn’t noted on the website.
I suspect Tchividjian was influenced by Keller.
Also this is the type I message I have come to expect and am finding it more and more commonly delivered in Reformed circles.
Yes, he was.
I have not seen it much but I do not know a lot of the web sites...you likely know more about that than I do.
I do know there has been a lot of strain in the community regarding sanctification and what is called "radical grace" theology.
The copyright notice on the page at the link is 2013, so it looks like it would preceed TT’s sermons.
I’ll have to say that I’m not a particular fan of either Keller or TT. I’m more inclined toward Sinclair Ferguson/Ligon Duncan/Richard Pratt.
I have been in the pew for both Keller and Ferguson. I find them both outstanding, in different ways of course.
Thanks for posting this.
It’s very timely.
Thank you for posting this my friend. It was a marvelous day for me when the Lord opened my eyes to this truth.
I like the “basic outline”. I teach a weekly bible study to a group of about 25 adults with special needs, who are indeed special in the Lord’s eyes. Although there is a lot of curriculum out there, very little of it is Christ centered. In the materials, after the bible story, the focus then turns to teaching them the moralism “lesson”. This just drives me crazy, so I have to adapt and change the lesson, even though the activities and papers they do often deal more with the the moralism than Christ.
I have this big arrow that I pull out and they all know that it means that the entire bible points to Jesus and I try to make the application for that evening’s bible lesson Christ-centered application to their life and NOT the moralistic one. Sometimes that is hard to do for their level of understanding. (Mental, not spiritual). That outline will greatly help me to point them to their constant need for Christ in a more effective way than I think I have been doing.
Bless you for doing this Sister!
Although there is a lot of curriculum out there, very little of it is Christ centered. In the materials, after the bible story, the focus then turns to teaching them the moralism “lesson”.
Same is true with Sunday School curriculum for our children. "Teach them to be good." Problem is "good" people go to Hell.
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