The
Emmaus
Project


Week
9
–
Meaning
and
Application



I. Historical
Audience



The
people
involved
in
the
story.
God’s

intention
to
the
first
audience.




In
the
Gospels,
usually
Jesus,
disciples,
Jews,

Pharisees/Religious
leaders,
etc.



What
does
Jesus’
words
mean
to
the
historical

audience?



II. Reading
Audience



The
people
the
story
is
written
to/for.
God’s
intention
to
the
people
reading

the
story.



In
the
Gospels,
this
varies.



Matthew
–
Church
in
Antioch
(Jewish/Gentile
mix)

Mark
–
Gentiles,
possibly
church
in
Rome.

Luke
–
Theophilus


John
–
Church
in
Ephesus

(Diaspora
Jews)



III. Modern
Audience



The
people
we
are
teaching
the
story
to.
God’s
intention
for
us.





So,
members
at
FPC…people
living
in
Rome,
GA
in
2010…etc.



IV. Examples




 Read
Luke
9:23…what
would
this
mean
to
the
historical,
reading,
and


 modern
audiences?





 Read
John
9:22‐23…what
would
this
mean
to
the
historical,
reading,
and


 modern
audiences?




 Read
John
2:19‐22…what
would
this
mean
to
the
historical,
reading,
and


 modern
audiences?




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V. Application



“Application
fulfills
the
obligations
of
exposition.
Application
is
the
present,

personal
consequences
of
scriptural
truth.
Without
application,
a
preacher

has
no
reason
to
preach,
because
truth
without
actual
or
potential

application
fulfills
no
redemptive
purpose.
This
means
that
at
its
heart

preaching
is
not
merely
the
proclamation
of
truth
but
truth
applied.
“1



Westminster
Shorter
Catechism,
question
3



Q
‐

“What
do
the
Scriptures
principally
teach?”



A
–
“What
man
is
to
believe
concerning
God
and
what
duty
God
requires
of


 man.”




 



















VI. Examples




 Mark
1:21‐28




 What
is
the
application?




 John
10:7‐10




 What
is
the
application?



VII. Conclusion


 

“If
you
give
people
tools,
[and
they
use]
their
natural
ability
and
their
curiosity,

they
will
develop
things
in
ways
that
will
surprise
you
very
much
beyond
what

you
might
have
expected.”

‐ Bill
Gates


























































1
Bryan
Chapell,
Christ­Centered
Preaching,
210.


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