Theological term
Christological Hermeneutic
3 sermons · All terms
The Holy, Harmless, and Undefiled Man
Psalm 1 describes not merely the character of the generic godly man, but the Lord Jesus Christ himself — the one perfectly holy, harmless, and undefiled man whose obedience alone secures the blessedness the psalm pronounces. The hermeneutic is not moralistic prescription ('do this and live') but christological proclamation: because the blessed man of verse 1 fulfilled what verses 1–2 demand, all who trust in him receive both forgiveness of sins and the imputation of his righteousness. The sermon then moves to application in a gospel-ordered framework, showing that sanctification flows consequent to justification — the redeemed follow the Lamb not in order to obtain blessing, but because they have already received it in Christ.
The Gospel of Christ in the Valley of Elah
David's victory over Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 is not merely an episode in Israelite history but a Christological shadow pointing forward to the greater conquest of Christ over Satan at Golgotha. This sermon works through twelve points of typological correspondence between David and Christ — from Bethlehem's birthplace, to the shepherd-king, to vicarious representation, to the skull motif of Genesis 3:15 — demonstrating that the whole of Scripture is organically unified around the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The exposition serves as a Lord's Supper meditation, calling believers to rejoice in their conquering substitute and urging the unconverted to flee to the champion who uses death itself to destroy death.
The Application of Psalm 16 to Jesus Christ
Peter's sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2:24–32 hinges on a single exegetical claim: Psalm 16 is not about David but about the Messiah, and the Messiah is Jesus of Nazareth. The sermon works through Peter's two-part argument — the declaration of the resurrection in verse 24 and the prophetic proof from Psalm 16 in verses 25–32 — showing that it was impossible for death to hold Christ because the Father had sworn otherwise in the Davidic covenant. Believers are urged to pray Psalm 16 as their own, trusting that the same God who raised Christ from the grave is their preserver, their joy, and their confident hope through death and into resurrection.