Preaching Methodist theology and biblical truth : classic sermons of C.K. Barrett

2017·1.7 MB·English

by  C. K. Barrett, Ben Witherington

Praise for
Preaching Methodist Theology and Biblical Truth:
Classic Sermons of C. K. Barrett
“At a time when a great gulf exists between serious biblical scholarship and
most preaching, the sermons of C. K. Barrett—arguably the most significant
New Testament scholar of the twentieth century—offer an instructive and
rewarding corrective. Barrett had a gift for drawing out the theological signif-
icance of passages so as to stimulate the intellect of the most sophisticated
thinkers and at the same time make the biblical truths interesting, under-
standable, and relevant to ordinary Christians. These sermons are pure gold.”
— David Bauer, Ralph Waldo Beeson Professor of
Inductive Bible Study, Asbury Theological Seminary
“Like many others, I first encountered C. K. Barrett as a great New Testament
scholar. But the sermons published here reveal another Barrett—Barrett the
preacher. He was a preacher who knew how to unravel a biblical text and
put it back together again, a preacher whose sermons sounded like a sum-
mons from the God of eternity. It is wonderful to have this treasury of Bar-
rett’s pulpit work to inspire a new generation of Christ’s heralds today.”
— Timothy George is the founding dean of
Beeson Divinity School of Samford University
and general editor of the Reformation
Commentary on Scripture

PREACHING
METHODIST THEOLOGY
& BIBLICAL TRUTH
CLASSIC SERMONS OF
C. K. BARRETT
EDITED BY
BEN WITHERINGTON III
Preaching Methodist Theology and Biblical Truth: Classic Sermons of
C. K. Barrett
The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry leads and serves The United
Methodist Church in the recruitment, preparation, nurture, education, and support of
Christian leaders—lay and clergy—for the work of making disciples of Jesus Christ for
the transformation of the world. The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
of The United Methodist Church serves as an advocate for the intellectual life of the
church. The Board’s mission embodies the Wesleyan tradition of commitment to the
education of laypersons and ordained persons by providing access to higher educa-
tion for all persons.
Wesley’s Foundery Books is named for the abandoned foundery that early followers
of John Wesley transformed into a church, which became the cradle of London’s
Methodist movement.
Preaching Methodist Theology and Biblical Truth: Classic Sermons of
C. K. Barrett
Copyright 2017 by Wesley’s Foundery Books
Sermon text copyright Ben Witherington III
Wesley’s Foundery Books is an imprint of the General Board of Higher Education and
Ministry, The United Methodist Church. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, print or electronic,
without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in criti-
cal articles or reviews. For information regarding rights and permissions, contact the
Publisher, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, PO Box 340007, Nashville,
TN 37203-0007; phone [phone]; fax [phone]. Visit our website at www
.gbhem.org.
Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of
the Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of
the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
C. K. Barrett’s sermons in their original form were donated by Penelope Barrett Hyslop
to B. L. Fisher Library, Asbury Seminary, through the efforts of the rights holder, Ben
Witherington III.
The sermons are in their original form with minor editorial updates.
Biblical translations are C. K. Barrett’s own, primarily based on his translation of the
Greek New Testament.
All web addresses were correct and operational at the time of publication.
ISBN: 978-0-938162-32-2
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Manufactured in the United States of America
For Penelope, without whom none of these
sermon volumes would have seen the light of day.

CONTENTS
xi Introduction
Old Testament Sermons
3 Covenant—Exod. 24:7; Jer. 31:31-34; Mark 14:24f.
8 The Great Inheritance—Josh. 17:14-18
14 Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve—Josh. 24:13-25
19 Faith—2 Kings 6:16-17
24 Light in Darkness—Isa. 9:2
30 Mighty God, Prince of Peace—Isa. 9:6
37 Sold for Nothing—Isa. 52:3
42 A New Covenant—Jer. 50:5
New Testament Sermons
The Gospels and Acts
49 Come unto Me—Matt. 11:28
51 God Is Not Business-like—Matt 20:1-16
56 Watchnight Service—Matt. 25:14-30
59 Suffering and God—Mark 2:1-5
63 Follow Me—Mark 2:14
68 Following Jesus in the Gospels—Mark 2:17
73 The Seed Growing Secretly—Mark 4:26-29
78 Faith—Mark 5:25-34
83 One Thing You Lack—Mark 10:21
88 Love Thy Neighbor—Mark 12:31; Rom. 13:9
90 Gethsemane—Mark 14:32-42
vii
viii | Contents
96 No Room in the Church?—Luke 2:7
101 The Anticlimax of Christmas—Luke 2:10-12
104 Savior, Christ, and Lord—Luke 2:11
108 Let Us Go to Bethlehem—Luke 2:15
112 Pondering over Christmas—Luke 2:19
116 The Parable of the Feast—Luke 14:15-24
120 The End in Time—John 1:14
125 One Thing I Know—John 9:25
130 The Way the Truth and the Life—John 14:6
135 St. Philip and St. James—John 14:8-9
140 To Us Not to the World—John 14:22-23
145 Grief, Joy, and a Little While—John 16:19-22
151 The Fellowship of His Sufferings—John 17:19
The Epistles and Revelation
153 Ashamed of the Gospel—Rom. 1:16
159 The Law Established by Faith—Rom. 3:31
163 Our Reasonable Service—Rom. 12:1-2
168 Gifts and Graces—The Ministry—Rom. 12:6-7
174 The Meaning of Work and Religion—Rom. 12:6-16
177 Receive One Another—Rom. 15:5-7
181 Ordination—1 Cor. 2:2
186 God’s Remedy for Sin—1 Cor. 6:9-11
191 You Are Not Your Own—1 Cor. 6:19-20
197 Christian Marriage—1 Cor. 7:16
199 Communion with What?—1 Cor. 10:16-21
203 Proclaiming the Lord’s Death—1 Cor. 11:26
208 Victory over Sin, Law, and Death—1 Cor. 15:57
210 Victory and Endurance—1 Cor. 15:57-58
212 Despair and Faith—2 Cor. 1:9-10
217 How Can I Receive God’s Guidance?—2 Cor. 1:17; 1 Cor. 7:25
222 Christian Hope and Its Foundations—2 Cor. 1:20-22
228 Things Not Seen—2 Cor. 4:13 and John 14:8, 9
Contents | ix
232 The Congregation’s Responsibilities—2 Cor. 13:5ff
236 Conversion of St. Paul—Gal. 2:19-20
241 Living by Faith—Gal. 2:20
246 God Sent Forth His Son—Gal. 4:4
248 That He Might Redeem—Gal. 4:5
250 No More as a Slave but a Son—Gal 4:6 and 5:22
252 Freedom and the Flesh—Gal. 5:13
257 Glorying in the Cross—Gal. 6:14
262 The Difference that Christ Makes—Eph. 2:12-13
267 The Meaning of Love—Eph. 3; John 15
270 I Believe in Jesus the Redeemer—Phil. 2:6-11
275 St. Paul’s Conversion—Phil. 3:7
281 Our Citizenship Is in Heaven—Phil. 3:20
285 Saints in Caesar’s Household—Phil. 4:22
290 Turning from Idols to God—1 Thess. 1: 9-10
296 The Glory of God—1 Tim. 1:11
301 The Spirit of Power, Love and Discipline—2 Tim. 1:7
307 The Prophets—1 Pet. 1:10-12
309 Of the Sanctification—1 Pet. 2:9-10
314 The Victory of the Saints—Rev. 7:9-10
320 The Lord Reigns—Rev. 19:6