Oct 30, 2021

Tyndale Bulletin: Open Access

The Tyndale Bulletin is going open access. Articles will initially be released on a rolling basis. You can access the first free article here. I wish that more journals would follow suit.

Oct 29, 2021

Creating Sermon Conclusions

Here are some thoughts on creating sermon conclusions.

  1. Be in prayer about it.
  2. Create your conclusion with real people in mind.
  3. Make sure you have the message nailed down and then bring your conclusion in alignment with it.
  4. Know yourself, be yourself, but be open to stretching yourself.
  5. Understand that conclusions also involve non-verbal communication.
  6. Keep it brief and tight and convey the appropriate tone.
  7. Write it down and talk it through.
  8. Write, rewrite, and rewrite again.
  9. If possible, preview it with a spouse, friend, fellow preacher, etc.
  10. Nail it down (if short enough, memorize it).
  11. Wait until you are well into the sermon writing process before you do your conclusion.
  12. Make sure to address both believers and unbelievers.

Oct 28, 2021

Abraham's Purchase of a Burial Cave

Diana Edelman has a nice article here on Abraham's purchase of the burial cave of Machpelah (Gen 23:3-20). I enjoyed the whole article but liked this last bit the best.

R. Yuden son of R. Simon said: “This is one of three places that the nations of the world cannot charge Israel and say to them ‘this is stolen [land] in your hands.’ They are: the cave of Machpelah, the Temple mount, and the burial plot of Joseph. The cave of Machpelah ‘Abraham paid Ephron’ (Genesis 23:16); the Temple mount ‘David gave Arnon’ (1 Chronicles 21:25), the burial plot of Joseph ‘And he bought the field’ (Genesis 33:19).” [Genesis Rabbah (§79)]

Here the rabbis are picking up on an important theme in this chapter, which emphasizes the legal nature of this purchase. Thus, the long story of Abraham purchasing a burial plot for Sarah from the local Sons of Heth represents the first step towards fulfilling the divine promise.

Oct 27, 2021

Preaching and Genesis 22:8

Claude Marriottini has a good reminder here of how preachers can go astray with faulty interpretations. His three lessons are the same ones that I have reiterated myself on a number of occasions.

Oct 26, 2021

The Samaritans

This is a pretty good article on the Samaritans focusing mostly on the present day

Oct 25, 2021

Photo Companion to the Bible: Paul's Epistles

BiblePlaces has just released its Paul's Epistles volume in the fantastic Photo Companion to the Bible series. As a teacher and preacher, I regularly use the materials in this series. This collection covers all thirteen of Paul's letters and includes by my count over 8,000 photos in a helpful and user-friendly PowerPoint format. The presentations also include helpful descriptions that make these volumes more like pictorial encyclopedias.

And even better, this collection of all thirteen epistles is on sale today for $129, using the coupon code EPISTLES. This is like buying two of the individual volumes and getting the other eleven for free!  Upgrade pricing is available for those who previously purchased Romans and/or 1-2 Corinthians (email us for the upgrade option). Purchase the set today as a DVD+download or as download-only. Check it out.

Oct 24, 2021

Top 1–2 Chronicles Commentaries

Bill Schniedewind lists and annotates his top six 1–2 Chronicles commentaries on Nijay Gupta's blog here.It is a good listing but I would try and sneak in Eugene Merrill's Kregel volume in.