So, I just didn't really finish strong on Psalm PSeptember 2024 with additional sermon information. You know what they say: you can't win them all. And I'm a Razorback fan, so sometimes not only can I not win them, I can't close out good starts well, either.
We're going to move forward, though, instead of dwelling on past mistakes, let's go make some new mistakes!
Our next two months of sermons will come from the Letters of John in the New Testament. These three books, labeled I John, II John, and III John (or 1, 2, and 3 John, depending on your Bible printer!) are traditionally ascribed to John the Apostle, but there will be some discussion of that later.
Instead, what I want to do here is give you some resources to look at, partly as a glimpse toward sermon production. I know I've covered some those ideas before on this blog, but let's face it: it's been a while and you probably didn't read those posts anyway.
The first resource for a sermon is the only one that is absolutely critical: you've got to have a Bible. You can't preach without a Bible. And preferably a Bible in your own language, because that's the language you will preach in and your hearers will listen in! Fortunately, gone are the days, at least in most Christian traditions, where the Scripture was read in Latin, the sermon (or homily) was delivered in Latin, and the non-Latin speaking churchgoers just had to hope it was okay.
On Bibles, I like using a more "formal" type of translation. For years, I used the New American Standard Bible translation, the 1995 Update. Then I decided to be a good Southern Baptist and use the very nice Christian Standard Bible translation (2013 version) that Lifeway gave me. Both the NASB95 and the CSB are good translations. The CSB is a little less "formal" than the NASB, and what that means is the English is more like how we talk and a little less like the Greek odd structures.
These days, I use the NET Bible translation, the most recent print version in their "Full Notes Edition." I like the methodology and such.
That's always the first thing for a sermon: Bible. If you don't have one handy, preach only what you have correctly memorized. If you're not sure you have the verse right, don't preach it.
Second resource: I'm using my Tyndale House Greek New Testament. I'm happy to be back preaching in the New Testament because I can do some of my own language work. I won't preach "my translation" because I am not good enough with Greek to correct Bible translators, but I am good enough that it helps me understand better. And I can see what is going on underneath the English. This resource couples with the Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek (GE for quick reference) and the third edition of A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature (BDAG for short). Along with the occasional glance at a reference grammar like Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics.
(This helps me understand some of the differences in 1 John 1:1 between translations. More on that, probably next week.)
Third resource stack is the commentary stack. Commentaries come in several "profiles," from technical to devotional. The technical ones do a lot with grammar and historical studies; the devotional ones do a lot with "what it means for us now." Most commentaries do all of the above, but the mix is what defines the profile.
Commentaries also come with different assumptions. Some, like the New American Commentary/Christian Standard Commentary series assume most of the traditional understandings of the text, like John the Apostle being the author, etc., are true and should only be abandoned if there is an abundance of indisputable evidence. Others, like the Word Biblical Commentary Series, tend to go the other way: assume the tradition is not valid unless you can prove it.
There are others that note specific aspects of the text. These look at ideas like "socio-rhetorical" issues or "discourse analysis" issues. Either one helps you look at the text a little differently than just as normal English writing on a page. After all, the original was not mass-printed English writing in a book.
It was hand-written by a person in a culture, place, time, and situation. The more we learn about those, the better we might understand what was meant in the writing!
Commentaries that I will use for 1-3 John sermons? Here's a list:
I, II, III John: A Handbook on the Greek Text (Baylor Handbook on the Greek New Testament) by Martin M. Culy.
1-3 John (Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament) by Robert Plummer and E. Roderick Elledge.
1, 2, 3 John: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (vol. 38, New American Commentary) by Daniel L. Akin.
An Exegetical Summary of 1, 2, and 3 John by John L. Anderson.
Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Titus, 1-2 Timothy and 1-3 John by Ben Witherington.
1, 2, and 3 John (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) by Karen H. Jobes.
There will be others--I'll consult with my Ancient Christian Commentary volume that covers these books as well as a few other options, but those ar the starting points.
That is how the sermon series starts: a lot of background learning as well as consulting with others who God has blessed us with, others who can help me understand the text of the Word of God.
