On this episode of Preaching the Text, Steve Paulson and John Hoyum discuss the rewards of the law and the rewards of gospel. Christ contrasts the reward of a prophet and the reward of a righteous person. The reward of the prophet is that those who receive, or hear, the gospel also receive Jesus Christ – and therefore eternal life. However, this means that the rewards Christ gives go above and beyond the law, which upsets even the most basic aspects of human life, including our most basic familial relationships.

Show Notes:

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What's New from 1517:

• The New Quest for Paul and His Reading of the Old Testament by Timo Laato

• Finding God in the Darkness: Hopeful Reflections from the Pits of Depression, Despair, and Disappointment by Bradley Gray

More from the hosts:

• John Hoyum

• Steven Paulson

On this episode of Preaching the Text, John Hoyum and Steve Paulson discuss the sending of the disciples to preach. We learn about the authority of the preacher to give the gospel and the natural response of rejection with which it is met. Christ teaches us not only what the gospel is, but what its effect is, which is to disrupt life under the law.

• Support the Podcast Network Fundraiser

• 1517 Podcasts

• The 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts

• 1517 on Youtube

What's New from 1517:

• The New Quest for Paul and His Reading of the Old Testament by Timo Laato

• Finding God in the Darkness: Hopeful Reflections from the Pits of Depression, Despair, and Disappointment by Bradley Gray

More from the hosts:

• John Hoyum

• Steven Paulson

In this episode of Preaching the Text, John Hoyum and Steve Paulson discuss the sending of the disciples to preach. Christ sends laborers into the harvest, which is what preaching is all about. God plants the seed, and the preacher harvests it. Though we often think of preaching as sowing seed or putting people in touch with their inner light, we learn from Christ that preaching gets all its power from God alone.

Preaching the Text:

• Support the Podcast Network Fundraiser

• 1517 Podcasts

• The 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts

• 1517 on Youtube

What's New from 1517:

• The New Quest for Paul and His Reading of the Old Testament by Timo Laato

• Finding God in the Darkness: Hopeful Reflections from the Pits of Depression, Despair, and Disappointment by Bradley Gray

More from the hosts:

• John Hoyum

• Steven Paulson

On this episode of Preaching the Text, John Hoyum and Steve Paulson discuss the so-called "Call of Matthew" the tax collector into discipleship of Jesus. We learn how Christ desires mercy, not sacrifice. And he comes to call sinners instead of righteous people. In connection to Paul's teaching in Romans, we learn how God doesn't run away from sinners, but runs toward them. Christ does something more than just reverse the values of the law: he gives a promise of eternal life outside the law altogether.

Show Notes

Support the Show

1517 Podcasts

The 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts

1517 on Youtube

More from the hosts

John Hoyum

Steven Paulson

On this episode of Preaching the Text, John Hoyum and Steven Paulson discuss the so-called Great Commission at the conclusion of Matthew's gospel. They correct some of the abuses of this text, which often make Christ's words into a program for missional theology or discipleship programs. They show how to teach the Trinity from baptism, where the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is given to sinners.

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Craft of Preaching

On this episode of Preaching the Text, John Hoyum and Steve Paulson discuss the texts for Pentecost. On Pentecost, the church receives the gift of the Holy Spirit with tongues of fire, enabling the apostles to preach in many languages. Though many interpreters focus on the way in which Pentecost connects to the giving of the law at Sinai, or the reversal of Babel's confusion of tongues, this episode emphasizes how Pentecost marks a transition. Before, the coming of Christ was always future-tense: he's coming. But at Pentecost, the word changes: now Christ is here. At Pentecost we receive a present Christ, not an absent one.

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Craft of Preaching

On this episode of Preaching the Text, John Hoyum and Steve Paulson discuss church unity. In John 17, Jesus prays to the Father that his saints would be one. Normally, this text is used as evidence for the ecumenical idea that church unity is something we must achieve through mutual reconciliation between divided churches. But as we learn today, this prayer of Christ to the Father pledges that the church will be one according to the promise and work of Christ who gathers his church through the word of forgiveness. The unity of the church isn't a fact of the visible church, but a promise held in faith.

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Craft of Preaching

On this episode of Preaching the Text, John Hoyum and Steve Paulson examine Christ's teaching in John 14 that if someone loves him, that person will keep Christ's commandments. Though usually heard as a warning to keep the commandments of Christ, lest one fall from grace, in this episode we reverse the order of things. Christ gives his love to us, and that love gives us obedience to his commandments as a gift.

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Craft of Preaching

In this episode of Preaching the Text, John Hoyum and Steve Paulson discuss an important story from the gospel of John that is often used for funerals. John 14 is sometimes called a farewell discourse, but this episode explores how Christ gives and bestows peace to his hearers. Christ isn't just an example to us, but is a sacrament – meaning he delivers salvation and the hope of eternal life. Therefore, Christ isn't absent from us, but very much present for us.

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Craft of Preaching

On this episode of Preaching the Text, John Hoyum and Steve Paulson discuss the conversation of Jesus with the Pharisees in which Jesus identifies himself as the shepherd of the sheep. In contrast, he identifies the Pharisees as wolves who attack the sheep. Since there is no word of gospel in this text, we show the difference between a parable and a promise: a parable will kill you, but a promise will give you life.

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Craft of Preaching