"Blessed is the congregation whose pastor can preach Old Testament narrative without allegorizing or moralizing! If you want to mine the riches of the Old Testament and share that treasure with your people, this book will show you how. Younger preachers and seasoned pulpiteers will both benefit by reading Steve Mathewson's book carefully and putting its wise scholarship into practice."--Warren W. Wiersbe, author and conference speaker"What makes this book helpful? Steve Mathewson has a passion for the Old Testament, a passion for the craft of preaching, and a passion for the art of story. This volume doesn't just call the preacher to greater effectiveness, it helps her or him achieve it."--John Ortberg, author and Teaching Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church"The Old Testament houses a wealth of powerful preaching material for those who know how to mine its depths and communicate its truth in an effective, relevant way. Steven D. Mathewson has provided the serious preacher and teacher of Old Testament narrative literature with an awesome guide in how to communicate the truths from the Old Testament to our contemporary generation.
"--Tony Evans, President of the Urban Alternative"This is a great book for preachers who want to take seriously our obligation to preach 'the whole counsel of God,' including the wisdom of the Old Testament. Working at the task of preaching from the narratives in the Hebrew Scriptures, Steve Mathewson considers the task from a number of different angles, warning us of the pitfalls and encouraging us in the possibilities. His book is a great resource for biblical preaching from some of the most challenging and revealing parts of Scripture."--William H. Willimon, Duke Divinity School"Too often our narrative sermons consist of 'telling the story' and then offering 'some practical applications' at the end. Unfortunately these applications are usually both disconnected from each other and unrelated to the writer's true intent. Steve Mathewson shows how to discern the specific theological truth of a biblical story, and then how to apply it to contemporary life in a penetrating way."--Donald R.
Sunukjian, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University"Steve Mathewson knows why we don't preach Old Testament narratives; he tells us why we should; and he describes how we can. His method is clear and inviting. He displays the highest standards of Biblical scholarship without a hint of smugness. Steve pastors a rural church bursting at the seams and short on staff, yet he refuses to skimp on sermon preparation--which may be precisely why his church is bursting at the seams."--David Hansen, Senior Pastor of Kenwood Baptist Church, author of The Art of Pastoring"Steve Mathewson's book is one of the clearest presentations I have read on how to get at the 'big idea' of a text and how to move from the exegetical thrust to the homiletical thrust. With the rare skills of a Hebrew exegete, he has the passion of an 'out in the trenches' pastor who is doing it every Sunday. He makes the Old Testament stories live for the 21st century. But more importantly, he helps us as pastors and teachers to make them live for our congregations.
"--David Wyrtzen, senior pastor of Midlothian Bible Church"A writer who aims to teach how to communicate should write in a way that communicates. Mathewson does, showing he knows his stuff. My mind and soul feasted on this book as though it were my favorite pasta with four cheese red sauce. I read every word. I read because I wanted to, not because I ought. I learned much from it. Frequent sermon examples from heavy lifters like Haddon Robinson and Paul Borden are some of the book's bulging muscles. Mathewson shows how to preach stories--and more.
"--Craig Brian Larson, editor of PreachingToday.com and Preaching Today audio.