Sweeter than honey : preaching the Old Testament /
Christopher J.H. Wright.
- 266 pages ; 23 cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
Part 1 -- Why should we preach from the Old Testament?; 1 -- God Has Spoken; 1. The Old Testament comes to us from God; 2. The Old Testament lays foundations for our faith; 3. The Old Testament was the Bible of Jesus; 2 -- The Story and the Promise; 1. The destination of the journey; 2. The purpose of the journey; 3. The story in symbols; 4. Preaching within the story; 3 -- Understanding Jesus Through the Old Testament; 1. Who did Jesus think he was?; 2. What did Jesus come to do?; 3. Is your gospel big enough?; 4 -- Don't Just Give Me Jesus. 1. The danger of ignoring the original meaning of the text2. The danger of fanciful interpretations; 3. The danger of overlooking other big things that God teaches; 4. The danger of flattening the Bible story and removing the uniqueness of the incarnation; 5. The danger that all your preaching may sound the same; 5 -- Connecting with Christ; 1. Making links with Christ through the story; 2. Making links with Christ through the promises; 3. Making links with Christ through similarities; 4. Making links with Christ through contrasts. 5. Making links with Christ through the response the text calls for6. Making links with Christ through the gospel of grace; Part 2 -- How can we preach from the Old Testament?; 6 -- God's Story and Our Stories; 1. The story God has given us; 2. A world of stories; 7 -- Five Questions to Ask When Preaching Old Testament Stories; 1. When and where? The setting; 2. What and how? The plot; 3. Who? The characters; 4. Why? The narrator; 5. So what? The reader; 8 -- Seven Dangers to Avoid When Preaching Old Testament Stories; 1. Don't turn the story into a few moral principles. 2. Don't turn the story into a few spiritual truths3. Don't look for fanciful hidden meanings in the story; 4. Don't flatten the story into doctrinal sermon points; 5. Don't get bogged down in difficulties and details; 6. Don't create wrong expectations; 7. Don't subvert the gospel; Specimen sermon outline; Walking with Abraham through Testing Genesis 22:1-19; 9 -- Understanding Old Testament Law; 1. Old Testament law was praised as the gift of God; 2. Old Testament law was given to people who had experienced the grace of God. 3. Old Testament law was given to shape God's people for the mission of God4. Old Testament law reflected the character of God; 5. Old Testament law expected the judgment of God; Specimen sermon outlines; Announcing God's Mission Agenda Genesis 18:19-21; Who Are We, and What Are We Here For? Exodus 19:1-6; 10 -- Preaching from Old Testament law; 1. The law of Israel was meant to be a model for the nations; 2. The law was given for human benefit; 3. The scale of values in Old Testament law; 4. Building a bridge from Old Testament law to the world of today; Specimen sermon outline.
Many preachers ignore preaching from the Old Testament because they feel it is outdated in light of the New Testament and difficult to expound. On the other hand some preachers will preach from the Old Testament frequently but fail to 'handle' it correctly, turning it into mor- alistic rules or symbolic lessons for our spiritual life. In this book, Christopher J.H. Wright proclaims that preachers must not ignore the Old Testament. It is the Word of God The Old Testament lays the foundation for our faith and it was the Bible that Jesus read and used. Looking first at why we should preach from the Old Testament, the author moves on to show the reader how they can preach from it. Covering the History, Law, Prophets, Psalms and Wisdom Literature, interspersed with practical checklists, exercises and sermons, the reader is provided with an essential guide on how to handle from the Old Testament correctly.