Preaching Matthew, Using Commentaries Well and Collaborative Preparation

[00:00:00] I love Matthew's gospel because to me it feels like a manual for discipleship and with all the blocks of teaching scattered throughout as Matthew seems to have intentionally scattered those and five big blocks has got other teaching in little pieces but five big

[00:00:13] blocks of teaching particularly you have the well known sermon on the Mount which is like this you know, compendium it seems like almost Jesus greatest hits right and it's it is a manual for discipleship and I love it for that. It just helps us learn who Jesus is

[00:00:29] what he's about, what his vision values our first kingdom and then how we can follow him as his disciples. Hey welcome to the Expositors Collective podcast episode three hundred and thirty three

[00:00:42] I'm your host Mike Neglia and the voice that you heard is our one of our guests for this week a doctor John Whittaker, it's John Whittaker, Nick Katie and myself having a three way

[00:00:56] conversation now the three of us have some things in common number one we make up three fifths of the Expositors Collective Leadership Team but something else that we also have in common

[00:01:09] is the three of us are all teaching through the gospel of Matthew in our own different context so I thought it would make a fascinating conversation to talk about what we've learned about the gospel of Matthew how we're teaching it and what are some collaborative opportunities

[00:01:28] and then also what are the books and the resources that we've been learning from and this gives us a chance to learn more about John Whittaker's amazing project the listeners of Bible commentary

[00:01:42] and you'll be able to find a link to that in the show notes so we are actually recording this we took a break from our main reason why we were to all together in Twin Peaks California

[00:01:55] back in January of 2024 we are filming like an online teaching series course going through our expositors collective content this is content that we've done I think 14 times and 14 cities across in North America and Europe were coming to Africa soon but what we've done is we want to take

[00:02:21] that content and make it in an easy to digest video course many people have said to me at the conclusion of one of our training events this was excellent man I have four guys back home that I wish I could

[00:02:36] have brought along to this this is designed so that a group can go through this content together that's going to be discussion guides and opportunities to take this content in a group setting or also for personal use to help you grow in your personal study and public

[00:02:54] proclamation of God's Word it's not available yet but it will be out very soon make sure that you check our website expositors collective.com our social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and we'll let you know once it's available this is something that can really benefit

[00:03:11] local churches to raise up exposatory Bible teachers within your own congregations all right here's a really fun conversation about how three different Bible teachers are approaching the book of Matthew and how we're trying to grow and improve and to faithfully communicate it whether you're teaching

[00:03:34] Gospel of Matthew or not I know you're going to benefit from this conversation. Hey welcome to the expositors collective podcast I'm Mike Neglia I'm with John Whittaker and Nick Katie good morning guys

[00:03:50] good morning how are you? Hey we are like this is our third recording session and it's like it's 9 20 a.m and we've already knocked out two recordings we're incredibly productive right here

[00:04:00] we are it's been a busy morning yeah a busy morning after busy day yeah so we've yesterday we recorded the vast majority of our upcoming online video course on how to prepare and deliver Christ

[00:04:15] Center to expose the rest of you yeah yeah and it was a full day but it was a good day yeah yeah so it was a good time as a leadership team to get together to think about our values,

[00:04:26] mission and vision for the first half of the day and then just crank out content all days been wonderful and there'll be a link in the description for how you can pre-order or how you can find

[00:04:37] this video content I'm proud of it yeah it'll be good and hopefully it'll be really really valuable and helpful to people preaching effective Christ centered sermons that's right hey speaking of Christ let's talk about the the Garth's bowl yeah is that your transition yeah it was hard yes

[00:04:55] we have a thing on teaching how to do transition maybe we should talk about transitions one of these days yes yeah I think that'd be a great episode yeah yeah um that a good transition reviews what you just

[00:05:06] discussed and then previews what is coming yeah but I do transitions here we go so each of us in our own ways and our own context has been studying and teaching the gospel of Matthew I in my

[00:05:23] church in cork Ireland you and your church in Longmont, Colorado and then you on the listeners Bible commentary yeah in your basement yeah yeah my in bedroom in my house this is correct yeah

[00:05:36] and strangely reaching more people than they and I are in our in our churches but um I'd love to talk yeah all of us have been spending time in the first gospel you know the first canonical

[00:05:48] gospel the order um guys what's so great about Matthew's gospel? okay i'll tell you it's my favorite gospel yeah and I can't wait to tell you why um the reason is because Matthew is so important

[00:05:59] as a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament right he uses that phrase this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet he says that somewhere around I think it's 50 something times

[00:06:10] or he well he quotes Old Testament prophets like John will tell you exactly I don't really exactly number actually but then no it's a lot you're right and yeah maybe not that phrase that

[00:06:18] many times but he quotes from the Old Testament so much and one of my favorite I loved to teach the Old Testament and it worked out for us really well because we were teaching the servant songs

[00:06:30] in Isaiah and I'd been wanting to do a gospel and it was just like well this is like so such a clear progression right from the servant songs to what Matthew says in the passage is he quotes

[00:06:43] that it was great so I want to show people Jesus but I want to show him I want to show them how the whole Bible together is the story of Jesus that's awesome that's good yeah yeah um what's

[00:06:56] so great about Matthew's gospel yeah yeah I mean obviously what Nick just said is is really important and really good I love Matthew's gospel because to me it feels like a manual for discipleship okay and with all the blocks of teaching scattered throughout as Matthew seems to have

[00:07:11] intentionally scattered those and five big blocks has got other teaching in little pieces but five big blocks of teaching particularly have the well known sermon on the mount which is like this

[00:07:19] you know compendium it seems like almost of Jesus greatest hits right and it's it is a manual for discipleship and I love it for that that it just it helps us learn who Jesus is what he's about

[00:07:33] what is vision values our first kingdom and then how we can follow him as his disciples why do you teach it right well because Christmas coming up and I needed to have you know a Christmas

[00:07:43] series and so I thought oh about Matthew one and two and then I thought this is actually so great and then I'll be honest and then I thought well you know the listeners Bible commentary

[00:07:52] is doing a series in Matthew this would be a great thing and then my friend and colleague Nick Katie is teaching through Matthew wouldn't it be fun to kind of like trail along and then pick up their crumbs

[00:08:04] like handsling brittle so that's one of the reasons that's not all of the reasons but that is some real practical reasons that led you to it like okay honestly it was like okay we need to do

[00:08:14] an advent series so Matthew would do great for that and then deciding to spend you know what will be the bulk of 2024 going through it and those were factors that were there as well also

[00:08:25] in discussion with the elders about what our recent teaching has been for the past a couple of years and there's actually been a while since we've had an extended time through a long book we've

[00:08:37] done sections through other books we've done short books and in 2023 we did kind of more topical series than we usually do and so I was encouraged by the elders to do a very long series

[00:08:47] through a very long book and that that can I ask you both a question jerk you're the host but if I can jump in touch you're both preaching this long series in judges I think this is really

[00:08:56] some worthwhile to think about how do you go about planning and preparing a long series through a book like Matthew that will take a long bit of a year how did you guys go about planning that whole

[00:09:07] series out yeah so what we are doing is we have one series that we're going to put in the middle of it when there's a natural break we planned out through Easter we were actually thinking about doing

[00:09:17] we've often done like an Easter either before Easter or coming out of Easter but for us that's going to line up with the sermon on the mount and just culturally we know that the sermon on

[00:09:27] the mount is something that a lot of people like and associate with and want to hear taught it's also one that I think many people assume that they they understand but they perhaps don't really

[00:09:37] fully understand it and so we thought wow it would actually be great to teach us a sermon on the mount around that time so we're just going to keep going but probably somewhere around the summer

[00:09:47] we're going to stop do another series for several weeks to let people kind of catch their breath and and then re-engage in a two-math ball okay so you but you lined out pretty much all

[00:10:00] broke Matthew down into preaching or teaching chunks yes and then put them on the calendar up through the end of May or beginning of June to work there yeah yeah very cool same for you not really

[00:10:13] sometimes you're on I'm incredibly organized and sometimes sometimes I'm not so I plan 20 23 so so well and then my planning kind of like ran out and then like December was just manic for us

[00:10:25] January is kind of manic so I'm kind of like flying by the seat of my pants yeah and that's guys you should be more like Nick and less like less like it's good to hear that yeah for people

[00:10:38] realized they want to be honest yeah yeah we're we're not perfect yeah yeah we're still we're still you know thanks happen I've had ministry happens right yeah this this time last year like January of

[00:10:48] 2023 it was like calendars it was planning you know I planned out every series for for the coming year and it was it was this wonderful thing and I haven't been able to to duplicate that or

[00:10:59] look at that due to travels and commitments and other issues and drama like I just haven't gotten too but I hope to and yeah but long range panel like that really helps the summer's been more

[00:11:08] effective yeah it actually gives you more flexibility and freedom yeah yeah and all that so it's worthwhile so yeah I'm feeling the lack of it actually yeah so I can say having having previously done that

[00:11:17] and then now I'm not yeah I wish that I had prioritized it on it that's good I think it's important well why are you teaching Matthew my my situation is a little different so I'm creating this audio

[00:11:31] commentary on the new tests yeah called the looser's commentary and I've got 21 new tests when books done and there's six more to go one of those as Matthew and so I've got Matthew

[00:11:44] I've got the gospel of John and I've got the letters of John and revelation yeah so it's like well might as well do Matthew and then they'll just do all the John's writing and then I'll have

[00:11:50] the whole new testament done on this computer so that's that's literally the motivating fact okay but are you aware that when you choose these things you play a small role in setting the pre-team schedule of a little church in Ireland you know I mean particularly in Ireland

[00:12:06] only in the last handful of months have I become aware of how many preachers are using the listeners commentary to help prepare their sermon yeah that wasn't when I started the listeners

[00:12:14] commentary I didn't even really I thought yeah yeah but I didn't really think in those terms I was saying just people who want to study the Bible yeah but I've gotten emails from um or it's I mean

[00:12:24] even at the past or my own church we're going through a Hebrews because there's a listeners commentary on Hebrews and he end on Hebrews in a while he's like that's perfect and so I'm starting

[00:12:32] to realize oh it's becoming a motivating fact of you which is fascinating it's a part of my process join us into it every week yeah well that's super encouraging yeah and I'm glad it's helpful

[00:12:40] we're here to make you blush so so I'll I'll ask you this Nick and promise don't ask it back to me but but what what's your goal in preaching in preaching Matthew what is like what's a

[00:12:55] successful series um at if you achieve what you want to with Matthew what's what's the result yeah I think my end result would be that people really understand who Jesus is what he taught

[00:13:08] and that they become like him that they become disciples of him who share his heart his mentality and who are then sent out by him in the end are you doing anything along with the preaching series

[00:13:20] through Matthew that can both foster and facilitate that becoming good disciples who are becoming like Jesus and maybe even to assess and measure some of that are you doing anything

[00:13:29] along with the series no but I want to know how so tell me I just was a thought as you're saying that because oftentimes we put all our eggs in the basket of preaching and if we're going to be

[00:13:38] honest as preachers we we have to admit preaching is necessary but it's not sufficient for the full transformation of God's people so we do community groups that kind of like help us you know

[00:13:48] go deeper into these things so they're going to be followed there's sermon based yeah we do sermon based small groups and so we're going through those and you know I find that to be really

[00:13:57] helpful and kind of internalizing getting people to talk about these things but is there something else I could be doing well no I mean even I mean just a thought on the sermon based small groups

[00:14:07] I mean obviously you're gonna have your groups doing it but I think it would be regularly helpful to dialogue with the leaders of the small groups for collecting stories what are people learning

[00:14:18] what are people hearing how are people being challenged you have specific stories of ways people have changed their their rhythms or their life so that you can begin to collect some of the

[00:14:26] some anecdotal data about the sermon series and how people are trying to embody plus it also encourages your leaders in those small groups to to be thinking in terms of we're not just having a

[00:14:37] Bible study here our goal is to together as the you know in a smaller group we're a discipleship group like the 12 around Jesus now we're 12 13 in a home and we're trying to figure out how to follow

[00:14:48] things together if you can paint that vision to those leaders and then ask those kind of questions bring force that collects some of those stories I think that could help that's great yeah I'm gonna do that yeah me too well that's excellent so

[00:15:05] there's been a brief few weeks when Nick you and I we've been overlapping who have had the same pericapies and we've taught them on the same on the same Sundays and it's been kind of a wonderful

[00:15:17] thing to be you know texting back and forth and then even sharing drafts so then rough drafts and finished drafts of messages back and forth I'm question have you read done that before and then

[00:15:28] how are you enjoying that experience I haven't done it before yeah and I am enjoying it I've really like I have done it before and I'm not enjoying it. No no I am enjoying it we

[00:15:39] got a little bit we're not in sync at the moment but I think that you're gonna catch up to me because I'm going I think maybe a little slower than you're planning to go that's right yeah and we

[00:15:47] pause it for a little mini series in Revelation 4 and 5 for the start of the year and then I'll pick up back again but I'm planning on picking up the pace later on two catch-up to you yeah so some of

[00:15:57] the things I liked about it that you know we were sharing quotes and things like that throughout the week there was one particularly that I had stumbled on and sent it to you and we both ended

[00:16:06] up using that same quote yeah I think was from Matthew chapter one that's right it was about Jesus' genealogy. That's right and Sam Albrek quote yeah there was another time where

[00:16:18] you had done some you had commented on the background of Matthew and who he was and you know his his skills in writing as a tax collector and how that might have affected the way that he did

[00:16:30] do a lot of lists and things like that yeah and I remembered that I had heard something like that or read something like that and so I used it in my next sermon so I'm like oh that was that was a good

[00:16:40] insight and so it was it was mutually beneficial I hope yeah certainly yeah and I mean to yes I benefited from from you there was one thing where you had like a funny quip or a joke in your in

[00:16:53] your notes and I thought that's a funny quip and then I tried it didn't really land. I didn't work in iron I quite like a didn't call or auto yeah it didn't so I guess that's the

[00:17:03] the opportunity but I just I even love just the sense of whether it works out to like quote so references or links to this or that being send back in forth even just kind of like the

[00:17:14] camaraderie of it you know but I like you and like the more chances to kind of like overlap and collaborate I think is is nice there is a the way that some people prepare a sermon it's like it's all

[00:17:24] the nice elation it can be very solitude based thing and it's just nice to know like well you know across the world my friend Nick he's working on the same passage on the same week that's

[00:17:34] that's cool. One thing I found interesting is that I know there was at least one time where we took very different attacks with talking I think is a wise man who knows okay we're very

[00:17:46] different focus maybe even some different conclusions like about who they were and what this means for us yeah I found that interesting yeah you know so yeah and somehow our friendship survived yeah and I think it's an important illustration that you know we as preachers

[00:18:03] we don't I mean even if we come to similar conclusions on the text we might preach that text very different because of our context our personality or audience you know our aim right and so

[00:18:11] same text slightly different sermon you know and and that's okay and that's good I think that's good for people to know yeah and I something kind of reflecty on this thus far I'm actually kind of glad

[00:18:22] that I have not stolen your your out of you know and and then vice versa that as I listen to your teaching and you listen to them they're they're so different but we are starting from that

[00:18:34] same location even looking at a few of the same different commentaries and then taking it and then running with it yeah so people should not get the impression that this is like a collaboration or that we're creating some project together we're working independently but parallel yeah and

[00:18:53] I think that Christmas and Easter are great opportunities for that and oftentimes I have kind of looped people in to be like hey what if we do the same things share the same resources

[00:19:02] encouraging pray for each other as we're doing it yeah that's great well John I just as a comment I really liked your introduction to Matthew it was actually like one of my favorite things that

[00:19:13] I read I heard from you on the listeners commentary maybe you could comment on that because I thought the structure of Matthew and what Matthew does like you talked about Matthew his teaching

[00:19:23] blocks and things like that and then could we talk about how Matthew's gospel kind of shows Jesus as like the true and better Israel perhaps like the fulfillment of Moses these types of things yeah

[00:19:36] so as far as just like the structure the two things I point out in that background you know back story to Matthew episode was the the geographical progression Matthew seems very intentionally have almost no Judea in the first like 16 chapters right it's all in Galilee and around Galilee

[00:19:54] and then you get his movement towards Judea Jerusalem and Judea and like I think it's like 16 through 19 or somewhere in there and then the rest of it is all in Jerusalem leading up to a crucifixion

[00:20:06] resurrection and that so there's this very clear it seems Matthew's organs with his geographical structure but then the other piece that Matthew seems very intentional about is these five teaching blocks where you get the sermon on the mound and then you get another teaching block in chapter 10

[00:20:21] you kind of commissioning the disciples and then kingdom parables in chapter 13 and then seems like some stuff related just specifically to the 12 on how do you live together as disciples in chapter 18 and then you get the final culminating one in chapter 23 through 25 and so five big

[00:20:36] teaching blocks which some seeds maybe parallel like you know the five books of Moses or something like that possible it's hard to know if you know it was Matthew really doing that we don't

[00:20:47] know for sure but maybe he's doing that you know certainly would make sense as a Jew writing to Jews maybe showing Jesus as the true teacher of the Torah and interpret the Torah on some of that so

[00:20:56] that structure I think is is interesting helpful to at least know how Matthew's put it together so then he intervenes narrative to teaching block and then coming out of the teaching block to get

[00:21:05] some more narrative you're like so come out of the sermon on the mound and there are amazing teachings with authority then you get two chapters showing Jesus authority and actions he did with

[00:21:13] snap shumption of his life and so on and so forth and so it helps you at least track kind of have a map for how the books put together. The Israel thing has been interesting to me you know like um how

[00:21:23] Jesus essentially is the representative of Israel as a Messiah and bodies the whole nation in himself. Yeah out of Egypt I call my son so there's this whole going down into Egypt coming back

[00:21:34] out of Egypt entering the waters of baptism which like first Corinthians 10 tells us it's not like we're just making this up right the baptism being a picture of the Red Sea then he goes into the

[00:21:44] wilderness maybe against a tea I mean it's really interesting you know I mean that's not just Matthew that's like actually like God like right right. Providentially orchestrating all that every changing all that and Jesus I think being mindful of his vocation is calling as Messiah

[00:22:00] thus everything Israel supposed to be but failed to be he's going to be for the sake of not only Israel but for the sake of the whole world and so you know why does he go into the wilderness

[00:22:10] and fast for 40 days well he knows who he is and Israel was in the wilderness for 40 years and they failed the test but in the wilderness he passes the test and you know he's conscious of it

[00:22:21] why because he's quoting from Deuteronomy 6 and Deuteronomy 8 which is all about Israel on the wilderness so he's conscious that he's embodying the vocation of Israel and there's so yeah that the Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel like Israel failed he is the true Israelite and thus the true

[00:22:36] seat of Abraham who who does for Israel and the world what was always meant to be done but Israel failed to do so he it's it's impressive how Matthew's put that together and how God through

[00:22:48] his spirit you know helped Matthew arrange all that yeah wow well great question great answer thank you yeah I'm glad I'm glad that you can remember that off the top of the hat you know that it's not like

[00:22:58] well I recorded it two months ago go go find it but that's living in your active recent memory yeah yeah I think that's important I think that's important for all of us as Bible teachers I

[00:23:09] that's one of the reasons why I encourage when I would teach preaching to teach with little aren't in notes yeah like if someone came to me and asked me about my grandkids I wouldn't have to say well

[00:23:17] let me find my notes on that yeah I know them they're part of my life right and I want these text be a part of me you know I know that's come I'm realistic for the whole thing but for things

[00:23:27] that were really deeply passionate about studying we should we should internalize those as much as possible if you ever preach without notes and just bombed because I have I have that's actually why I

[00:23:37] started manuscript really because I was like you know what I'm gonna do this yeah then I did it and it was the worst so I am before anyone ever told me to I always preach with just a few

[00:23:51] notes like a half page yeah in my Bible and then I went to sticky notes in my Bible well then I studied with Hadden and he hadn't forced you in class no notes so the buddy I was doing my

[00:24:01] doctor with was a full manuscript preacher I mean he would take you know 14 pages on stage with him and then all that and this first sermon before Hadden rounds and no notes he tried to put sticky notes

[00:24:10] had in so I was thinking I was saying not take them out and you know there's a reason hadn't does that and you know once you know you go through the experience but what taught me is there

[00:24:21] there's a way of preparation and processing the message that you have to employ in order to be able to teach with little or no notes and if you're used to manuscript writing it it's going to

[00:24:32] take a while to figure that out here's an interesting story I completely off-mathic it's going but maybe it's not interesting but I think it's interesting well let's find out if it's interesting okay so

[00:24:43] so when I passed through in Hungary I passed through two churches about so a few years into our church plant we plant today a daughter church sister church in another town but it's very different

[00:24:52] demographically right so uh the first town I was in in Eger very much like a middle class very you know Hungarians are highly educated people and so that was the demographic you know mostly educated

[00:25:05] middle class Hungarian people who live in the city and then we planted a second church and it was in a very poor community and most of the people there ethnically Roma many of them didn't know how to read

[00:25:17] and and so when we would end it the where the church met was in this space that didn't have any chairs so literally everybody stood the entire service and I realized once when I was preaching

[00:25:30] from my manuscript to those people I was preaching in Hungarian that there was a major disconnect right I'm losing them yeah in Eger with the educated crowd um that worked really well yeah and they

[00:25:44] they were used to that kind of thing I realized when I went to egg out the other town's called Havish I would teach the same message but no notes just take my Bible and speak to them look in their eyes and

[00:25:56] talk to them and you know it wasn't as polished but it was much more effective yeah and I think that's that's the reason I you know had an encourages that that's the reason I encourage my students is when

[00:26:08] you can just look at people you know this you've all of the message the message is going you and I can just talk to people about it it isn't always as polished you likely you're gonna forget

[00:26:17] 15 to 20% of what you prepared but you're gonna make more of an impact and people are going to in fact hadn't for his doctoral project did all this study on this that people tend to remember

[00:26:27] about 75 to 80% more of what you say when you preach with little to no notes well and that's that's the motivation behind it so anyhow we got off track on Matthew but I do think

[00:26:35] that's important to talk about it yeah absolutely yeah thank you so we'll take whatever we can get I'd love to can't have as we we wrap up is asked like we be two questions about commentaries

[00:26:48] the first one is having to do with what commentaries have you have we found helpful in Matthew and then I'd like to ask the final question to you of like how should we use commentaries yeah yeah

[00:27:01] so what's the best Matthew commentaries you've read in addition to yours John I like the 10-day'll Bible commentary series in general I like it on Matthew and I like this other one called the Holman Christian Bible commentary I've enjoyed those two very good obviously my what

[00:27:18] I'm working on is a little bit different than preaching but I have you's printers I'll let you talk about that yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah I've actually been using one that's been helpful I wish

[00:27:32] there was more to it and it's from a new commentary series called the teachers commentaries seriously believe it's actually by a young named Janine Brown okay and I like it because she just gives just a handful of kind of historical or exogetical nuggets that are key to whatever

[00:27:47] paragraph or text and then she gives some theological themes and then she gives some suggestions for teaching the text yeah really yeah so it's pretty interesting little series and she's I've appreciated her in some of her insights ironically there's a commentary by a well-known

[00:28:01] scholar well mentioned his name really big commentary I spent over 50 bucks on it and it has not been that helpful it's a scholar talking to scholar about scholar things rather than you know

[00:28:11] helping us understand the text for the sake of following Jesus so but I like Janine Brown's there's the pillar commentary series I I like that for most books and I've been using that on Matthew as well

[00:28:21] I like this on of a Bible background I always use that I find that helpful yeah pillars good who wrote the pillar one god I knew you're gonna ask that and I knew I would remember

[00:28:30] I don't remember we'll have the link in the show notes and yeah and I hear my her will get the credit that they deserve yeah I apologize I should have been prepared for

[00:28:38] this moment but no I was not so happens when you don't have notes jump yeah yeah the 15% that you needed it was gone right there well for me yeah predictably I am I'm a huge Frederick Dale

[00:28:50] Bruno fan his commentary is just just beautiful worshipful historical excellent he is it's not a classic commentary he is using Matthew to teach systematic theology and so he'll have kind of a long excursious on the theology of man and anthropology he'll talk about that as he talks about

[00:29:12] some even the genealogy you see kind of like uses that to then have a a page or so on the doctrine of man as fallen yet redeemed and and then you know the virgin birth then goes into a big

[00:29:24] longer thing on that I just enjoy it he's just a wonderful warm man at the honor of meeting him in person and so he's always gonna be take part in place and that and then I'm using Leon Morris's

[00:29:36] I've been enjoying that and but as I kind of said I'm kind of behind the April I'm scrambling I'm actually probably gonna buy a few more and I'm probably gonna buy those ones that you said okay

[00:29:48] Okay last question so John how should we be using these commentaries maybe specifically yours but then just like in general what's the what's the way that a commentary ought to be used yeah

[00:29:59] I think of commentaries as like consultation so you do your Bible study but that's consult with an expert Make sure I didn't miss anything see what insights they have that maybe I did know in my research So I view commentaries as that they're consulting with experts and so

[00:30:15] They supplement my study the text and so that's commentary's in general thank you in this consultant with the expert my listeners commentary is different in the sense it's an audio commentary Yeah, right so it's not print

[00:30:27] One of the things is really important when you're putting together your sermon series and preaching your Sermons is a commentary may break down the book differently than you're gonna break it down for preaching

[00:30:38] and I do that with my own and you know my my listeners commentary it's broken down for the sake of The commentary right and it's just different than preaching and so

[00:30:48] You you have to recognize that you need to break down the book in a way that respects the preaching units The calendar of the church and all those things the commentary may not necessarily fit that

[00:30:58] So you may have to read two or three units for one preaching and already may have to read half a unit for one preaching unit

[00:31:04] Right, you're gonna right it just depends on how you've broken it down. I think you have to respect that and then the other thing is when you're preaching Commentaries are you don't preach a commentary a commentary a commentary is aimed to help you understand

[00:31:15] Maybe the historical background the cultural context the meaning of words But that's not a sermon. Yeah, that's an educational resource and even my listeners commentary which is I try to be less a scholar talking to scholars or more a scholar for the sake of the people right

[00:31:30] Blue jeans theologies are like the cause right and so it's more aimed at that, but it's not a sermon And so it can be a resource that can help you put together a sermon

[00:31:39] But don't just try to preach my listeners commentary use it to help you think through the text

[00:31:44] Thank you through what's going on in the text and how to understand the text and then step back from that and do all the other stuff about putting together a sermon from there Yeah, yeah, hey, thanks Nick, how do you use

[00:31:55] John's commentary one of the things I like about John's commentaries. This is not a sermon and I think that I'll tell you this I had a long drive with a friend and colleague and we listened to John not for sermon preparation

[00:32:09] Just for pure enjoyment and I really it was great yeah, and So how do I use it? Yeah, I don't take every insight and I often break up the passages differently Mostly because of preaching you know, I for example I taught John Matthew three

[00:32:25] Which is about John the Baptist. I stopped at verse 10 in my first sermon because that way I have you know a balanced portion for part one and part two and it also ends on a note that's really good as like a

[00:32:39] Alast thing to finish the sermon on right so yeah, yeah, I use it for that You know as much as I enjoyed your background in Matthew

[00:32:47] I haven't used much of it in my sermons, but it's there in the back of my mind and I know that it's impacting and influencing Maybe not just my preaching, but even as I talk to people throughout the week. All right good yeah

[00:32:59] It's cool to have an audio of something that is not a sermon you know because a sermon is then It's got as someone else's finished product and then even to a different people yeah And and of course yours is is a finished product to people as well

[00:33:14] But it's it's some it's different. It's kind of kind of meandering through the text It's thinking through things you might have a thought or a comment, you know about even Even the dream that Joseph was warned in and then he got Mary and Joseph

[00:33:26] So Mary and Jesus out of that city Bethlehem And then talk about God's providence and then kind of double-sided The level edge of that. You know, we're kind of like meander that you didn't even turn it into like a little preachy sermon

[00:33:39] You know, and this is what you know, it's kind of said this is hard This is hard to understand and this this opens up questions right and then you didn't even really like

[00:33:47] What to think I just left you there. Yeah, yeah, and I think that that might not be even the best thing to do in a sermon Right, but it's a good thing to to think through and then to kind of prime the pump. Yeah. Yeah good now

[00:33:58] I'm it's encouraging that people are finding a valuable and using it and I do think it's helpful to have something audio So what a lot of preachers tell me that while they're driving around or while they're at the gym working out or while they're on a walk

[00:34:08] They just listen to it and it helps them be thinking about the text and kind of thinking about their sermon But they're doing other things. Yeah, I think that that's convenient. Yeah. Yeah. Well, all right

[00:34:17] Well if you're at the gym right now listening to this if you are Walking around I listen into this this podcast that yeah, we hope that this conversation and all the way to what expositors

[00:34:27] Collective helps you to grow in your personal study and public proclamation of God's word. Thanks guys All right well, thanks for listening to this all the way to the end

[00:34:38] This is you know somewhat of a a teaser or a trailer for the type of content that you're going to see Once our video course is finalized and is released If you've been watching this on YouTube you see the the high quality professional

[00:34:57] Vityography that's there and it's something for you to look forward to I hope it benefits you And people within your church or your ministry Well the expositors collective podcast we've just reached a bit of a milestone

[00:35:13] Last week marked the six year anniversary or maybe the the six year birthday of this podcast We're episode 333 and so that means that we've been doing this I've been doing this Every Tuesday for six years

[00:35:34] Haven't missed a week. I think there was one time when we were one day late But this has been a really fun project. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to speak with scholars and Professors and authors and then also just like ordinary pastors like myself

[00:35:54] It's been a real joy for me to be able to do this Thank you so much for those that have listened occasionally or Faithfully or even if this is your first episode you're in for a treat

[00:36:07] There's 332 other ones back there that are designed to help you grow in your personal study and Public proclamation of God's word Here's here's like two requests number one if this is helpful to you Why don't you send this to like another pastor in your life?

[00:36:25] Maybe there's somebody who's teaching the book of Matthew right now Well, don't greedily keep this to yourself But but send them this Specific episode maybe there's somebody who's considering whether they should teach Matthew or not well Pass this along and then here's the second request

[00:36:43] And guys it's financial I want your money and here's why I want your money Because I'm going to Uganda Africa in September and we're putting on a three-day version of Our training events. We want to to help and encourage Bible teachers to faithfully preach Expository Christ centered sermons

[00:37:06] You've gone to needs this content and so I'm going there I'm joined with the team of other Bible teachers. I'm partnering with local pastors to really invest into this generation of Bible teachers and ministry leaders and We are not charging for this event so oftentimes in our events

[00:37:28] You know the costs that we have associated with travel for myself and for other team members and accommodation is Covered by the fee that we charge for the event and guys it's not a lucrative ministry I mean hardly any ministry we do this is lucrative guys, right?

[00:37:46] But but this one particularly so this is It feels like a bit of a a-vmissions trip where we are not going to break even We're going to provide Three days of on the ground training practical experience that's gonna benefit

[00:38:03] You've gone in churches and would you like to help out with that? Would you like to sponsor an expositor? So we've worked it out where we think that it's about a hundred and ten U.S. dollars That it's gonna cost for each person to attend the training event

[00:38:20] So if you have room in your mission budget, if you have room in your personal generosity account And if you want to make it so that one preacher one local you've gone in preacher Is able to attend this if you could spare a hundred and ten bucks

[00:38:38] That would make a difference in one preacher's life and then also impact all who will hear that Bible teaching for the rest of a lifetime If you want to give more if you want to give less man it would all help

[00:38:50] There's gonna be a link in the show notes to our like cgin Website budget allocated for this and I would really appreciate that if you have questions or comments If you want to see like the expenses about where the money is actually gonna go

[00:39:04] Feel free to reach out. You can message me on Instagram or direct message me on Twitter You can email expositors at kavichapel.com And I would love to talk with you partner with you about how what we're doing in September Can be an extension of what you're giving

[00:39:24] Even even now so happy birthday to the podcast Give me some money Because I want to go to Uganda and I want to help Bible teachers there to grow in that personal study and Public proclamation of God's word

[00:39:39] This podcast is a part of cgin media podcast network the points to Christ We're supported by listeners like you to help us create more great shows visit cginmedia.org slash support