Carll F. Ochoa Homiletics Professor: Dr.

Mel Go December 23,2021

Reading Notes

BOOK 1: BETWEEN TWO WORLDS BY JOHN STOTT

I. JESUS, THE APOSTLES AND THE FATHERS

Jesus - the founder of Christianity was himself the first of its preachers. He is the Messiah who

proclaims the good news to the poor.

The apostles - gave priority to the ministry of preaching is specifically stated in Acts 6. They

resisted the temptation to get involved in other forms of service, to devote themselves ‘to prayer

and the ministry of the word’ (v.4). For it was to this that Jesus had primarily called them.

Paul - ‘preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ quite openly and

unhindered’ (Acts 28:31). Christ had sent him to preach the gospel (1 Cor. 1:17; 9;16; Rom. 10:14,

15).

Timothy - In the presence of God, and in anticipation of the return of Christ to judge and to reign,

he solemnly charged him, ‘Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince,

rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and teaching.’ (2 Tim. 4:1, 2)

Early Church Fathers - gave an account of Christian’s weekly worship. In their writings, it is

notable both for the prominence given to the reading and preaching of the Scriptures.

John Chrysostom – (patristic period) preached for twelve years in the Cathedral in Antioch before

becoming Bishop of Constantinople in A.D. 398.

The Friars and the Reformers

Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) - was a man more of compassionate service than of learning, and

insisted that ‘our acting and teaching must go together, he was nevertheless ‘as committed to

preaching as to poverty.

Dominic (1170-1221) - laid even greater emphasis on preaching. Combining personal austerity

with evangelistic zeal, he traveled widely in the cause of the gospel, especially in Italy, France,

and Spain.

Humbert de Romans (died 1277) - one of the finest of Dominican Ministers General, said: ‘Christ

only once heard Mass ... but he laid great stress on prayer and preaching, especially on preaching.

St Bernardino of Siena (1380-1444) - the great Franciscan preacher who states: ‘If of these two

things you can do only one - either hear the mass or hear the sermon - you should let the mass go,

rather than the sermon... There is less peril for your soul in not hearing mass than in not hearing

the sermon.’

John Wycliffe (1329-1384) - Associated all his life with Oxford University, and a prolific writer,

his keen intellect gradually broke away from medieval scholasticism, and he proclaimed Holy

Scripture as the supreme authority in faith and life.

Martin Luther - held that salvation is through the Word, and without the Word, the elements are

devoid of sacramental quality, but the Word is sterile unless it is spoken. In all his writings Luther

lost no opportunity to magnify the liberating and sustaining power of the Word of God.
John Calvin - wrote his Institutes in the comparative peace of Geneva, he too exalted the Word of

God. In particular, he emphasized that the first and major mark of a true Church was the faithful

preaching of the Word. The English Reformers were strongly influenced by Calvin.

Hugh Latimer (b 1485) - the popular preacher of the English Reformation. His great burden was

that the people of England were still lost in spiritual darkness and that the clergy were to blame for

this because they neglected the ministry of the Word.

The Puritans and Evangelicals

Richard Baxter- seventeenth-century Puritan and author of The Reformed Pastor (1656), stands

out as consistently exemplifying the ideals which the Puritan tradition and his book set forth.

John Wesley - influenced by his reading of Richard Baxter, he encouraged a house-to-house

ministry and a catechizing of converts. But preaching was his characteristic ministry.

George Whitefield - was almost certainly the more powerful preacher. In Britain and America

(which he visited seven times), indoors and out of doors, he averaged about twenty sermons a

week for thirty-four years. Eloquent, zealous, dogmatic, passionate, he enlivened his preaching

with vivid metaphors, homely illustrations, and dramatic gestures.

The Nineteenth Century

Throughout the nineteenth century, despite the assaults of the higher criticism on the Bible

(associated with the name of Julius Wellhausen, his contemporaries and successors), and despite

the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin, the pulpit maintained its prestige in England.

People flocked to hear the great preachers of the day and read their printed sermons with eagerness.

There was John Henry Newman (1801-1890) at the University Church in Oxford, Canon H. P.
Liddon (1829-1890) at St. Paul’s Cathedral, F. W. Robertson (1816-1853) in Brighton, and, most

eminent of all, Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) in his Metropolitan Tabernacle in London.

The Twentieth Century

The optimism of the century’s early years was shattered first by the outbreak of World War I and

then by the horrors of mud and blood in the trenches. Europe emerged from those four years in a

chastened mood, which was soon made worse by the years of economic depression. The utterances

of churchmen became soberer. Yet confidence in the privilege and power of the pulpit ministry

survived. Perceptive theologians expressed their conviction that preaching had gained even greater

importance than before.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones - from 1938 to 1968 exercised an extremely influential ministry at

Westminster Chapel in London. His medical training and early practice as a physician, his

unshakeable commitment to the authority of Scripture and the Christ of Scripture, his keen

analytical mind, his penetrating insight into the human heart, and his passionate Welsh fire,

combined to make him the most powerful British preacher of the fifties and sixties.

The Christian consensus down the centuries has been to magnify the importance of preaching and

to resort to the same arguments and vocabulary to do so. We can hardly fail to be inspired by this

common testimony.

II. CONTEMPORARY OBJECTIONS TO PREACHING

The Anti-authority Mood

It would be very insensitive to react to the whole current rebellion negatively or to give it a blanket

condemnation as devilish. For some of it is responsible, mature, and in the fullest sense Christian.
It arises from the Christian doctrine of mankind made in the image of God and therefore protests

against all forms of dehumanization.

(Trollope) antipathy to sermons was not just that they induced boredom, but that they seemed to

him an improper exercise of authority, especially when the preacher was young.

Relativism is also one of the factors for the anti-authority mood.

Christian Response

First, we need to remember the nature of human beings in Christian understanding.

o Christians know from both Scripture and experience that human fulfillment is impossible

outside some context of authority. Freedom unlimited is an illusion.

o The mind is free only under the authority of truth, and the will under the authority of

righteousness.

Secondly, we need to remember the doctrine of revelation.

o It is a basic tenet of the Christian religion that we believe what we believe not because

human beings have invented it but because God has revealed it.

o This conviction enables us to proclaim the gospel with quiet confidence as good news from

God.

Thirdly, we need to remember the locus of authority.

o Authority resides only in the God who made them, and not at all in us who quote them

today.

o There is something inherently horrid about human beings who claim and attempt to wield

a personal authority they do not possess.

Fourthly, we need to remember the relevance of the gospel.

o A major reason for the contemptuous dismissal of some sermons is that people perceive

them to be unrelated to real life as they know it. The fact that they are preached with

authority makes them all the more distasteful.

o But when the preached message rings true and is seen to relate to human reality, it carries

its authority and authenticates itself.

Fifthly, we need to remember the dialogical character of preaching.

o It refers to the silent dialogue which should be developing between the preacher and his

hearers. What he says provokes questions in their minds which he then proceeds to answer.

His answer raises further questions, to which again he replies.

o One of the greatest gifts a preacher needs is such a sensitive understanding of people and

their problems that he can anticipate their reactions to each part of his sermon and respond

to them.

o We have no wish to encourage passivity in the congregation. We want to provoke people

to think, to answer us, and argue with us in their minds, and we should maintain such a

lively (though silent) dialogue with them that they find it impossible to fall asleep.

Importance of Preaching in the age of Computer Revolution

o It refers to the silent dialogue which should be developing between the preacher and his

hearers. What he says provokes questions in their minds which he then proceeds to answer.

His answer raises further questions, to which again he replies.

 o One of the greatest gifts a preacher needs is such a sensitive understanding of people and

their problems that he can anticipate their reactions to each part of his sermon and respond

to them.

o We have no wish to encourage passivity in the congregation. We want to provoke people

to think, to answer us, and argue with us in their minds, and we should maintain such a

lively (though silent) dialogue with them that they find it impossible to fall asleep.

The Effect of Television (social media) in Preaching

Television makes it harder for people to listen attentively and responsively, and therefore for

preachers to hold a congregation’s attention, let alone secure an appropriate response.

1. It tends to make people physically lazy.

o It offers them home-based entertainment at the turn of a knob.

2. It tends to make people intellectually uncritical.

o Many people flop down before the box precisely because after a hard day’s work they

want to be entertained, not to be made to participate, least of all to think.

3. It tends to make people emotionally insensitive.

o It has had the welcome effect of bringing visually into our homes and on to our

consciences scenes which otherwise we could never have witnessed.

o After a while, when the burden becomes too heavy, we either cross the room to turn to

another channel or switch off the set, or we continue to watch without feeling, having

switched off our emotions inside. We become skilled in emotional self-defense.

4. It tends to make people psychologically confused.

o For television belongs to the realm of the artificial and the contrived. Most of the

programs we see on the screen were not filmed in real life, but a studio..
 5. It tends to make people morally disordered.

o What happens to all of us is that our understanding of what is ‛normal’ begins to be

modified. Under the impression that ‘everybody does it, and that nobody nowadays

believes much in God or absolutes of truth and goodness, our defenses are lowered and

our values imperceptibly altered.

o The most vulnerable members of the population, of course, are children. Yet they are

the greatest TV addicts.

Physical laziness, intellectual flabbiness, emotional exhaustion, psychological confusion, and

moral disorientation: all these are increased by lengthy exposure to television. And children are

the ones who suffer the most harm.

Needed Christian Response

1. Christian parents need to exert greater discipline over their children’s access to the tv

(social media).

2. Christians should seek to penetrate the world of the mass media, and equip themselves as

television scriptwriters, producers, and performers.

3. Thirdly, preachers have to reckon with a tv-conditioned congregation. We have a colossal

task on our hands if we hope to counteract the baneful tendencies of much modern

television.

Further Considerations for Preachers

Whatever is dull, drab, dowdy, slow, or monotonous cannot compete in the television age.

Television challenges preachers to make our presentation of the truth attractive through variety,
color, illustration, humor, and fast-flowing movement. And in addition, although nothing can

supplant preaching, it needs to be supplemented.

Word and Worship

The Word and worship belong indissolubly to each other. All worship is an intelligent and loving

response to the revelation of God because it is the adoration of his Name.

The Church’s Loss of Confidence in the Gospel

Things contributed to this Problem

• Relativity has been applied to doctrine and ethics, and absolutes have disappeared.

• Darwin has convinced many that religion is an evolutionary phase, Marx that it is a

sociological phenomenon and Freud that it is a neurosis.

• The biblical authority has for many been undermined by biblical criticism.

• The comparative study of religions has tended to downgrade Christianity to one religion

among many and has encouraged the growth of syncretism.

• Existentialism severs our historical roots, insisting that nothing matters but the encounter

and decision of the moment.

• Then there are the blatant denials of radical or secular theology, denials of the infinite,

loving personality of God and the essential deity of Jesus.

III. THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR PREACHING

The technique can only make us orators; if we want to be preachers, theology is what we need. If

our theology is right, then we have all the basic insights we need into what we ought to be doing,

and all the incentives we need to induce us to do it faithfully.

Five Theological Arguments Undergirding the Practice of Preaching

A Conviction about God

a) God is light – He contains no darkness means that he is open and not secretive and that he

delights to make himself known. We may say then that just as it is the nature of light to

shine, so it is the nature of God to reveal himself.

b) God has acted - So the God of the Bible is a God of liberating activity, who came to the

rescue of oppressed mankind, and who thus revealed himself as the God of grace or

generosity.

c) God has spoken - He is not only communicative by nature but has communicated with his

people by speech. Scripture affirms that God has spoken both through historical deeds and

through explanatory words and that the two belong indissolubly together.

A Conviction about Scripture

a) Scripture is God’s Word written- Instead he put his Word into human minds and human

mouths in such a way that the thoughts they conceived and the words they spoke were

simultaneously and completely theirs as well as his (inspiration).

o Since God’s final deed and Word through Jesus were intended for all people of all

ages, he inevitably made provision for a reliable record of them to be written and

preserved. Without this, he would have defeated his purpose.

o As a result, today, although nearly 2000 years separate us from that deed and Word,

Jesus Christ is accessible to us. We can reach him and know him.

o But he is accessible only through the Bible, as the Holy Spirit brings to life his

witness to him in its pages.

 b) God still speaks through what he has spoken – God’s Word is a living word to living people

from the living God, a contemporary message for the contemporary world.

c) God’s Word is powerful - His Word does more than explain his action; it is active in itself.

God accomplishes his purpose by his Word; it ‘prospers’ in whatever he sends it forth to

do. (Is. 55:11)

A Conviction about the Church

o The Church is God’s creation by His Word, dependent upon His Word, maintains and

sustains it, directs and sanctifies it, reforms and renews it through the same Word.

A Conviction about the Pastorate

It is urgent to reassert the New Testament teaching that Jesus Christ still gives overseers to his

Church and intends them to be a permanent feature of the Church’s structure. ‘It is a trustworthy

statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.’ (1 Tim.

3:1) Although elder and priest are commonly used as synonymous with the pastor, the pastor is a

more accurate term for its specificity.

A Conviction about Preaching

To expound Scripture is to bring out of the text what is there and expose it to view. The size of the

text is immaterial, so long as it is biblical. What matters is what we do with it. Whether it is long

or short, our responsibility as expositors is to open it up in such a way that it speaks its message,

accurately, relevantly, without addition, subtraction or falsification.

Principal Benefits of Expository Preaching

 a) Exposition sets us limits - It restricts us to the scriptural text since expository preaching is

biblical preaching. We are not expounding a passage from either secular literature or a

political speech or even a religious book, let alone our own opinions.

b) Exposition demands integrity – we should devote ourselves to a faithful interpretation of

the text, respecting its context, and not imposing our own opinion on it.

c) Exposition identifies the pitfalls we must at all costs avoid --- that is losing sight of the text

by going off at a tangent and following our fancy. And seemingly remaining with the text

but stretches it into something different from its original and natural meaning.

d) Exposition gives us the confidence to preach - If we were expatiating upon our views or

those of some fallible fellow human being, we would be bound to do so diffidently. But if

we are expounding God’s Word with integrity and honesty, we can be very bold. Whoever

speaks, wrote Peter, should do so ‘as one who utters oracles of God’. (1 Pet. 4:11)

IV. PREACHING AS BRIDGE-BUILDING

The Bible itself uses a variety of images to illustrate what a Christian preacher is:

a) Herald or town crier (kēryx) - who has been given a message of good news and been told

to proclaim it.

b) Sower (speirōn) - who has been given a message of good news and been told to proclaim

it (cf. Luke 8:4ff.)

c) Ambassador (presbus) - has been commissioned to serve as an envoy in a foreign - even

hostile - land. In it, he has the responsibility of representing his sovereign or government,

whose cause he is proud to plead.

d) Steward or housekeeper (oikonomos) - It is his privilege to have been put in charge of

God’s household and entrusted with the provisions they need.

 e) shepherd (poimēn) - who are charged to protect them from wolves (false teachers) and lead

them to pasture (sound teaching).

f) ‘one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed’ - emphasizes the need for such

loyalty and simplicity in our exposition that our hearers understand and follow it with ease.

Crossing the Cultural Gulf

o Bridge-building can be another metaphor for preaching. Our task is to enable God’s

revealed truth to flow out of the Scriptures into the lives of the men and women of today.

o However, there is also peril in the clamant demand for relevance. To avoid the snare of

being a ‘populist’ or a modern false prophet, the type of bridge to be built must be

determined more by the biblical revelation. The Church’s calling is to challenge

secularism, not to surrender to it.

o Although we must not overestimate our congregation’s intellectual capacity, we must not

underestimate it either. We treat them as real people with real questions; that we grapple

in our sermons with real issues; and that we build bridges into the real world in which they

live and love, work and play, laugh and weep, struggle and suffer, grow old and die.

Jesus to the Contemporary World

The One we preach is not Christ-in-a-vacuum, nor a mystical Christ unrelated to the real world,

nor even only the Jesus of ancient history, but rather the contemporary Christ who once lived and

died, and now lives to meet human need in all its variety today.

Ethics for Christians

When we proclaim the gospel, we must go on to unfold its ethical implications, and when we teach

Christian behavior, we must lay its gospel foundations. Christians need to grasp both that their
faith in Christ has practical consequences and that the main incentive to good works is to be found

in the gospel. God’s saving grace in Christ is personified as our moral teacher, ‘training us to

renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright and godly lives in this world’.

(Titus 2:11, 12)

Social and Political Issues

o It is the preacher’s responsibility to open up the biblical principles which relate to the

problems of contemporary society, in such a way as to help everybody to develop a

Christian judgment about them, and to inspire and encourage the opinion-formers and

policy-makers in the congregation, who occupy influential positions in public life, to apply

these biblical principles to their professional life.

o There may be politicians in the congregation, or lawyers, teachers, doctors, industrialists,

business people, novelists, journalists, actors, radio and television producers, and

scriptwriters.

o The pulpit should help them to develop their Christian thinking and so to penetrate their

segment of the human community more deeply for Christ.

Handling Controversial Questions

A way we can handle controversial topics in the pulpit is to help Christians to develop a mind

which has absorbed biblical truths and Christian presuppositions so thoroughly that it can view

every issue from a Christian perspective and so reach a Christian judgment about it.

How can we help church members to think Christianly about a particular topic of debate?

1. We must expound with courage, clarity, and conviction the biblical principle or principles

which are involved, and those aspects of the subject on which God has revealed his will.
 2. We should seek to summarize fairly the alternative applications which biblical Christians

have made, and the arguments they have used to buttress their conclusions.

3. We should feel free, if we judge it wise, to indicate which position we hold and why.

4. We should leave the congregation free, after grasping the principles we have taught and

weighing the issues we have sketched, to make up their minds.

It is our responsibility to teach them with clarity and conviction the plain truths of Scripture, to

help them develop a Christian mind, and to encourage them to think with it about the great

problems of the day, and so to grow into maturity in Christ.

The Christian Way to Maturity

o We help Christians to develop their powers of intellectual and moral criticism, that is, their

ability to distinguish between truth and error, good and evil.

o We should encourage an attitude of humble submission to Scripture, but at the same time

make it clear that we claim no infallibility for our interpretations of Scripture.

o We should urge our hearers to ‘test’ and ‘evaluate’ our teaching. We should welcome

questions, not resent them. We should not want people to be moonstruck by our preaching,

to hang spellbound on our words, and to soak them up like sponges.

V. THE CALL TO STUDY

There is no doubt that the best teachers in any field of knowledge are those who remain, students,

all their lives. It is particularly true of the ministry of the Word.

Bible Study

Since the Christian pastor is primarily called to the ministry of the Word, the study of Scripture is

one of his foremost responsibilities, to which he commits himself at his ordination.

Three characteristics our Bible Study should have:

1. It must be comprehensive - If we hope to help our congregation to develop a Christian

mind, we have to develop one ourselves. And the only way to do this is to soak our minds

in the Scriptures.

2. It must be open-minded - we must genuinely desire through our Bible reading to hear and

heed God’s Word, without distorting its meaning or avoiding its challenge. To begin with,

we have to transport ourselves back, by the use of both our knowledge and our imagination,

into the biblical writer’s context, until we begin to think what he thought and feel what he

felt.

3. It needs to be expectant - we must not give in to spiritual staleness as if it were normal or

even tolerable but must pray for the refreshment of the Holy Spirit so that, if our appetite

is blunt, he will sharpen it, and if our heart is cold, he will rekindle within us the fires of

expectancy.

The Modern World

o We need to listen to representatives of different generations as well as of different cultures,

especially of the younger generation. The married pastor who has teenage children has no

excuse not to be earthed in reality. Humble listening is indispensable to relevant preaching.

o We must read a daily or weekly newspaper, watch some television, and peruse the secular

book reviews to discover the most influential contemporary books to get and read. It seems

clear that we shall also find it necessary to see some of the most notable films and plays

since nothing mirrors contemporary society more faithfully than the stage and the screen.

o To study contemporary trends is not to be conformed to the world, but rather gather an

understanding of it to confront it with a relevant word from God.

Reading and Resource Groups

o Reading and Resource Groups help preachers to increase their understanding of the modern

world. With their knowledge and gifts about a particular topic or their field, we learn and

thus we know how these learnings or issues can be dealt with by God’s Word.

o It is not just that the laity asks the questions and we answer them since we too have to ask

our questions for them to answer. It is rather that, by asking each other questions, we from

the biblical perspective and they from the contemporary, we may together discern what

answers should be given if the Word is to be contextualized in the world.

Habits of Study

By doing such a study that is demanded by our responsibility, we need to be realistic in our

approach in our study. We can plan and make priorities, to refuse to get involved in some activities

that are beyond our capacity or schedule. We should also give a regular day for solitude, prayer,

and rest.

Hindrances to Study

o There is always a time for a Pastor to study. It is important to note that pastors are not

independent but needs the support of the church, gifted by God for the growth of the church.

The pastor is not the only minister for the church but every member of it. In this regard, we

must help others to determine their gifts and to delegate the task appropriately according

to their gifts. This keeps pastors from doing everything and thus, give them time to study.

The only thing that can hinder them to study, therefore, is laziness.

o We ought to constantly repent, and renew our resolve to discipline our lives and our

schedule. Only a constantly fresh vision of Christ and his commission can rescue us from
 idleness, and keep our priorities correctly adjusted. Then we shall make time to read and

think, and, as the fruit of our conscientious studies, our preaching will be fresh, faithful,

and relevant, yet also simple enough for people to understand.

VII. SINCERITY AND EARNESTNESS

o Nothing is more nauseating to contemporary youth than hypocrisy, and nothing more

attractive than sincerity. In this, moreover, they reflect the mind of Christ, who reserved

his most scathing denunciations for hypocrites.

o Preachers are not lecturers, who may discourse on topics remote from their own

experience, concern, and belief, but are personally committed to their message. So,

preachers must of all people be sincere.

o The sincerity of a preacher has two aspects: he means what he says when in the pulpit, and

he practices what he preaches when out of it.

Model of Humility and Truth

o On the one hand, to turn the pulpit into a confessional would be inappropriate, unseemly,

and helpful to nobody. Yet, on the other, to masquerade as perfect would be both dishonest

in us and discouraging to the congregation.

o So certainly, we should admit the truth that like them we are human beings of human frailty

and fallenness, vulnerable to temptation and suffering, struggling with doubt, fear and sin,

and needing continuously to depend on God’s forgiving and liberating grace. In this way

the preacher can remain a model - but a model of humility and truth.
The Preacher as a Person

The practice of preaching cannot be divorced from the person of the preacher. Thus, our prior

responsibility is to ourselves, to guard our walk with God and our loyalty to him. Nobody can be

a good pastor or teacher of others who is not first a good servant of Jesus Christ.

Argument for Sincerity

It warns us of the dangers inherent in being a teacher - For teachers who instruct others cannot

plead ignorance of their curriculum.

hypocrisy causes great offense – hypocrisy removes our message’s credibility.

Being a real person has its positive influence - Such believers of sincerity attract unbelievers.

Important Considerations in Practical Matters

o If you look at yourself in the mirror, and listen to yourself on tape, or do both

simultaneously on videotape, you may find that you continue to look at yourself and listen

to yourself when you are in the pulpit.

o In that case, you will condemn yourself to the cramping bondage of preoccupation with

yourself just at the time when, in the pulpit, it is essential to cultivate self-forgetfulness

through a growing awareness of the God for whom and the people to whom you are

speaking.

o It may be more valuable to ask a friend to be candid with you about your voice and

mannerisms, especially if they need correction. An Indian proverb says ‘he who has a good

friend needs no mirror.’ Then you can be yourself and forget yourself.
Earnestness

• To be earnest is to feel what we say. Earnestness is a deep feeling and is indispensable to

preachers. Every serious attempt to communicate requires us to put feeling into it.

• Earnestness is a quality of Christians who care about:

o God

o The Glory of God and Christ

o People and their lostness

Mind and Heart

Our preaching should not only be faithful to God’s Word but characterized with warmth or genuine

passion. Fire in preaching depends on fire in the preacher, and this, in turn, comes from the Holy

Spirit. Our sermons will never catch fire unless the fire of the Holy Spirit burns in our hearts and

we are ourselves ‘aglow with the Spirit’. (Rom. 12:11)

Humor in the Pulpit

Humor is not wrong in preaching it says that Jesus’ teaching has its humorous element. However,

humor in Jesus’ teaching is not to hurt but to clarify and increase understanding. Moreover, we

need to be discerning in using humor in our preaching.

Length of Sermon

No hard and fast rules can be laid down about the length of sermons, except perhaps that ten

minutes are too short and forty minutes too long. It has been wisely said that every sermon should

‘seem like twenty minutes, even if it is longer.

VIII. COURAGE AND HUMILITY

Courage

o We are called to the sacred task of biblical exposition and commissioned to proclaim what

God has said, not what human beings want to hear.

o Truly, ‘the fear of man lays a snare’ (Prov. 29:25), and many preachers get caught in it.

But once ensnared, we are no longer free; we have become the obsequious servants of

public opinion.

The tradition of Courageous Preaching

The Christian preacher who seeks God’s grace to be faithful today can derive much inspiration

from a long tradition of predecessors, beginning even in Old Testament times.

Moses - the first prophet who heard, believed, obeyed, and taught the Word of God, despite

opposition and consequent loneliness.

Elijah - he courageously opposed the whole national establishment, in the double cause of religious

truth and social justice. He challenged the prophets of Baal to a public show-down and condemned

the king and queen for murdering Naboth and seizing his vineyard.

Jeremiah - his courageous and solitary stand wins our profound respect. He was a true patriot,

knowing that only heartfelt repentance could save the nation; yet he was called to announce God’s

judgment through the Babylonians, and in consequence, was accused of hating his own country

and even of deserting to the enemy.

John the Baptist - was the new Elijah, in whose ministry the same two strands of witness - religious

and social - reappeared, as he both announced the arrival of God’s reign and denounced the

adultery of the king. His courage cost him his life.

Jesus - gained a reputation for fearless and uncompromising speech. Towards the end of his life

the Pharisees sent a deputation to him, who said, ‘Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach

the way of God truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men.’ (Matt.

22:16)

Apostles & other Christian Martyrs – who were arrested and imprisoned, others were martyred,

and then Paul suffered all manner of indignities at the hands of the opponents of the gospel.

John Chrysostom - preached with great eloquence and courage first in Antioch, and then as

Archbishop of Constantinople for six years, until he offended the Empress and was deposed and

banished.

John Wycliffe - opposed the ecclesiastical establishment almost single-handed with his forthright

criticisms. He attacked the worldliness of the clergy, the corruptions of the papacy, and the errors

of transubstantiation. Several times he was brought to trial, but his friends defended him and he

escaped condemnation.

Martin Luther - attacked the sale of indulgences or defying the authority of the Pope and took his

stand on the Word of God, with phenomenal courage. Open his published works at random, and

on almost every page may be found examples of uncompromising outspokenness.

John Knox - After his return to Scotland in 1559 from his exile in Geneva, his audacious biblical

preaching put new heart into the Scots who longed for deliverance from the Catholic French and

for a reformed kirk.

To Comfort and Disturb

Somehow, we have to strike the balance and need to pray for sensitivity if we are to succeed in

doing it.

Some preachers are great comforters. Their every sermon soothes. But they have omitted first to

disturb those whom they are so busy comforting. Others make the opposite mistake. They are great

disturbers of the congregation’s peace, as they preach on human sin and divine holiness, but they

forget to go on to comfort those whom they have so effectively disturbed.

However, we are to be balanced in our approach in preaching, we are both to comfort the disturbed

and disturb the comfortable. As John Newton used to say, the point in all his preaching was “to

break a hard heart and to heal a broken heart.”

Systematic Exposition

For the health of the Church (which lives and flourishes by the Word of God) and for the help of

the preacher (who needs this discipline), it is urgent to return to systematic exposition. Systematic

Exposition means working steadily through a book of the Bible or a section of a book, either verse

by verse or paragraph by paragraph.

Benefits of Systematic Exposition

o It forces us to take passages that we might otherwise have overlooked, or even deliberately

avoided.

o People’s curiosity is not aroused as to why we take a particular text on a particular Sunday.

(e.g., If the preacher suddenly, out of the blue, had preached on divorce, church members

would inevitably have wondered why.)

 o It broadens people’s horizons, introduces them to some of the Bible’s major themes, and

shows them how to interpret Scripture by Scripture.

• However, we shall need to take due account of the characteristics of our age, and not ape

our forebears with unimaginative literalism.

• If we make due allowances for contemporary people, and take a paragraph rather than a

verse as our text, and continue the consecutive exposition for a few months rather than a

few years, modern congregations will accept eagerly.

• It will also help us, preachers, to grow in the courage we need to unfold the whole counsel

of God.

Humility

The Character of Preacher’s Humility

The Word of God

o We need the humility to submit to the Word of God. That is, we must resist the temptation

to avoid the unfashionable truths of Scripture and to ventilate our own trendier opinions

instead.

o The preacher with a humble mind will avoid omissions as much as additions. He must

refuse to manipulate the biblical text to make it more acceptable to our contemporaries.

The attempt to make ‘it’ more acceptable means to make ‘ourselves’ more acceptable and

this is the lust for popularity.

The Glory of Christ

o The humility of mind is to be accompanied by the humility of motive. And the main

objective of preaching is to expound Scripture so faithfully and relevantly that Jesus Christ

is perceived in all his adequacy to meet human needs.

o The true preacher is a witness; he is incessantly testifying to Christ. But without humility,

he neither can nor wants to do so.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

o Only Jesus Christ by his Holy Spirit can open blind eyes and deaf ears, make the lame walk

and the dumb speak, prick the conscience, enlighten the mind, fire the heart, move the will,

give life to the dead, and rescue slaves from Satanic bondage. And all this he can and does,

as the preacher should know from his own experience.

o Therefore, our greatest need as preachers is to be ‘clothed with power from on high (Luke

24:49), so that, like the apostles, we may ‘preach the gospel... by the Holy Spirit sent down

from heaven (1 Pet. 1:12), and the gospel may come to people through our preaching ‘not

only in word but also in power and the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.’ (1 Thess. 1:5)
 BOOK 2: BIBLICAL PREACHING BY HADDON ROBINSON

I. THE CASE FOR PREACHING

Preaching in the bible is integral to the salvation of men. Through the preaching of the gospel and

by the power of the Holy Spirit, people come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Need for Expository Preaching

Preaching is important for it is God’s way of communicating His will and addressing people today.

Preaching is not merely telling history or what happened then. But we believe that God speaks to

us through the bible communicated through the preaching of it. And it says that expository

preaching, although not all would agree, best carries the force of divine authority.

The definition of Expository Preaching

Expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted

through a historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context, which the Holy

Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through the preacher,

applies to the hearers.

The Passage Govern the Sermon

Preachers’ sermon does dictate the meaning of the passage, but the passage governs the sermon.

The preacher ought to submit their presuppositions to what the bible teaches. Thus, studying

carefully the passage is integral to the task of preaching.

The Expositor Communicates a Concept

In our approach to the Bible, we are primarily concerned not with what individual words mean,

but with what the biblical writers mean through their use of words.
The Concepts Comes from the Text

Since the souls of listeners depend upon it, we must offer our hearers sufficient information so that

they can decide for themselves if what they are hearing is indeed what the Bible says. The concept

does not come from the preacher but from the text itself. Therefore, it is important that we, as

preachers, must study carefully the text and provide sufficient information about the text in our

preaching, so that the congregation will also struggle with the text and check if the concept we are

stating is really what the text is teaching.

The Concept is Applied to the Expositor

A commitment to expository preaching should develop the preacher into a mature Christian. As

we study our Bible, the Holy Spirit studies us. As we prepare expository sermons, God prepares

us. Preachers affect their message. As Phillip Brooks asserts, “truth poured through personality.”

“True preaching comes when the loving heart and the disciplined mind are laid at the disposal of

the Holy Spirit.” – William Barclay

The Concept is Applied to the Hearers

Expositors think in three areas. First, as exegetes, we struggle with the meanings of the biblical

writer. Then, as people of God, we wrestle with how God wants to change us. Finally, as preachers,

we ponder what God wants to say to the congregation through us. Application is vital in expository

preaching. We must know the people as well as the message, and to acquire that knowledge, we

exegete both the Scripture and the congregation.

 II. WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?

The Big Idea of the sermon is the single dominant idea or theme drawn from the passage or several

passages of the scriptures.

The Importance of a Single Idea

Homileticians, with the experts of communication, insist that a sermon, like any good speech,

embodies a single, all-encompassing concept. To ignore the principle that a central, unifying idea

must be at the heart of an effective sermon is to push aside what experts in both communication

theory and preaching have to tell us.

The Formation of An Idea

In formulating an idea, it is critical to know how an idea is formed. It demands a knowledge of its

essential elements: The Subject and Complement. The “Subject” is the topic that is going to talk

about in the sermon. It is the complete, definite answer to the question, “What am I talking about?”

Unlike a grammatical subject, the subject of the idea can never be only one word. The

“Complement” is what we are going to say about the subject. It “completes” the subject by

answering, “What am I saying about what I am talking about?”

Example of Forming an idea

Psalm 117

1
Praise the Lord, all you nations;

extol him, all you peoples.

2
For great is his love toward us,
 and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Reading the psalm carefully, we can assert that the psalm is talking about the praise of the Lord.

However, the “praise of the Lord” as the subject seems broad and needs to be narrowed. Thus, we

can limit the subject to “Why should all people praise the Lord?” There are two reasons why all

people should praise the Lord that serve as complements: because “great is his love towards us”

and his “faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.” Therefore, the Idea is, “All people should praise

the Lord because of His great love and everlasting faithfulness.”

III. TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Good expositors have methods for their study. And there are stages in the preparation of the

expository sermon:

Stage 1: Choose the passage to be preached.

It is helpful to plan what to preach for the entire year. A preaching calendar can also be a helpful

tool for this step.

Thought Units

In planning our preaching, we should select the passages based on the natural literary divisions of

the material. As expositors, we will usually choose one or more of these paragraphs to expound,

depending on how they relate to one another and thus to one of the author’s major ideas.

Topical Exposition

In the topical exposition, we begin with a subject or a problem and then look for a passage or

passages that relate to it. The bible concordance is helpful we do not have a broad knowledge of
the Scriptures. It is important to know the context of every passage so that the text will not serve

as proof text for our topic.

Sermon Length

Another factor we must consider in choosing what to preach is time. We must preach our sermons

in a limited number of minutes. Time must be considered when we are selecting a passage.

Stage 2: Study your passage and gather your notes.

The Context

Having our passage, it is important to determine its context. It is important to study our passage

and determine its immediate and broader context, and historical and cultural context. Form-based

and meaning-based translations are helpful for our study of the text. However, studying the bible

in its original language is an advantage and gives us deeper nuance of the words.

Lexicon

A lexicon serves as a kind of dictionary for the original languages. Through using a lexicon we

can find definitions of a word as it is used in Hebrew or Greek. Moreover, it gives us root meanings,

identification of some grammatical forms, a list of passages where the word occurs, classification

of its uses in its various contexts, and some illustrations that help give color to the word.

Concordance

It is essential to study a word in the passages where it occurs. To determine the meaning of words

through usage, we use concordance.

Grammar

Words must be understood as they are used in phrases, clauses, sentences, and paragraphs. A study

of syntax examines how words combine to render meaning, and grammars assist us in that study.

Word-study Books

Word-study books provide us with insights into words used throughout the Old and New

Testaments and deal with their grammatical use when appropriate.

Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

They give us brief discussions of people, events, and backgrounds of the biblical material. It deals

with the questions about when or where a book was written, its readers, and its author will be

answered by a good Bible dictionary or encyclopedia.

Commentaries

It is preferred to choose commentaries written by authors who work from the original languages.

Books and sermons preached by well-known preachers are available. Although these may give

you some ideas of how to approach or apply your sermon, they should not be used early in your

preparation. You will be tempted to rely too heavily on them and therefore short-circuit your own

study of the text.

Bibliographies

They help us to select the best-recommended reference books and articles for our library. It helps

us to know what resources we should have in our library.

Stage 3: As you study the passage, relate the parts to each other to determine the exegetical

idea and its development.

Our closer study of the details of the text should lead us to a clearer understanding of the passage

as a whole. We examine how the details lead us or give us the single idea that the passage truly

teaches. The following are helpful guide questions:

• Does the subject fit all the parts?

• Is it too broad? How would you narrow it?

• Is it too narrow? Is there a larger subject that accounts for all the parts?

• Is your subject an exact description of what the passage is talking about?

IV. THE ROAD from Text to Sermon

The ideas of Scripture must be related to life. To preach effectively, therefore, expositors must be

involved in three different worlds: the world of the Bible, the modern world, and the particular

world in which we are called to preach.

Stage 4: Submit your exegetical idea to three developmental questions.

When we make any declarative statement, we can do only four things with it: we can restate it,

explain it, prove it, or apply it. However, restatement, although it emphasizes a particular

statement, it does not develop a thought. But the explanation, proof, and application do.

What does it mean?

This developmental question can be directed toward the bible. The explanation of a statement can

be drawn from the given explanation of the author. But it can also probe the audience. There are

times when we need to explain what seems not elaborated by the author in the text such as cultural
background or historical context that is needed by our listeners. This developmental question

requires us to be clear.

Is it True?

To validate an idea, it is important to test it by the common experience and the scriptures. A

congregation has the right to expect that we are at least aware of the problems before we offer

solutions. Work your way through the ideas in the exegetical outline and deal honestly with the

question, “Would my audience accept that statement as true? If not, why not?” Write down the

specific questions that come and, if possible, the direction of some of the answers. Before long

you will discover much that you and your hearers have to think about as the sermon develops.

What Difference Does It Make?

While you must explain the truth of a passage, your task is not finished until you relate that passage

to the experience of your hearers. However, it is important to determine how the passage applies

in their time before we make a relevant application from it into our day. The right application

demands the right interpretation of the passage. Moreover, to apply a passage, you need to see

what your passage reveals about God and the way people responded and lived before God.

V. THE ARROW and the Target

Stage 5: In light of the audience’s knowledge and experience, think through your exegetical

idea and state it in the most exact, memorable sentence possible.

State the essence of your exegetical idea in a sentence that communicates to your listeners. This

sentence is your homiletical idea. This statement should be in fresh, vital, contemporary language.
Stage 6: Determine the purpose of this sermon.

The purpose states what you expect to happen in your hearers as a result of preaching your sermon.

The purpose of our sermon is discovered in the purpose behind the passage you are preaching.

That is, the author’s intended purpose explicit in the text. You must first figure out why a particular

passage was included in the Bible, and with this in mind decide what God desires to accomplish

through your sermon in your hearers today.

VI. THE SHAPES Sermons Take

Stage 7 Thinking about the homiletical idea, ask yourself how this idea should be handled to

accomplish your purpose.

Comparison of the different shapes sermons may take:

Stage 8 Having decided how the idea must be developed to accomplish your purpose, outline

the sermon.

The outline is for your benefit. Congregations do not hear outlines. They hear a preacher speaking.

Your outline, therefore, serves you in at least four ways. First, you view your sermon as a whole,

and therefore, you heighten your sense of unity. Second, the outline clarifies in your eye and mind

the relationships between the parts of your sermon. Third, your outline also crystallizes the order

of ideas so that you will give them to your listeners in the appropriate sequence. Finally, you will

recognize the places in your sermon that require additional supporting material that must be used

to develop your points.

Deductive arrangement—the idea appears as part of the introduction, and the body explains,

proves, or applies it.

The idea explained—the idea is presented in the introduction, and the points of the sermon are

steps in the explanation of the idea.

Inductive arrangement—the introduction introduces only the first point in the sermon, then with a

strong transition, each new point links to the previous point until the idea emerges in the

conclusion.

Outline—shows the speaker the relationship between the ideas of the sermon. You can tell at a

glance which ideas are superior, subordinate, and coordinated.

The principle applied—the idea is stated in the introduction or first point as a principle of faith or

life. The remainder of the sermon applies that principle to daily experience.

Proposition proved—the idea is stated in the introduction like the proposition of a debate. The

points are proofs of that proposition.

The story told—a story of Scripture is narrated in such a way that the idea is developed directly or

by implication.

Subject completed—the subject of the sermon appears in the introduction. The main points of the

sermon are complements of that subject.

Transition—notifies the audience that the preacher is moving on by stating (or occasionally by

implying) the logical or psychological connection between the introduction and the body, the

points within the body, and the body and the conclusion.

VII. MAKING Dry Bones Live

Stage 9 Fill in the outline with supporting materials that explain, prove, apply, or amplify

the points.
Restatement

Restatement can help instill in our listeners an idea we are conveying to them. It can also help an

idea to be understood by restating it.

Definition and Explanation

Definition establishes what must be included and excluded by a term or statement. Explanation

sets boundaries by amplifying the relation of one idea to another or what an idea implies.

Factual Information

It is helpful to be factual in our information. However, we must simplify it if possible to be easily

grasped by the listeners. (e.g., round off a large number)

Quotation

We introduce quotations to support or expand a point for two reasons: impressiveness and

authority. When we discover that someone else has stated the idea more effectively than we can,

we use the other person’s words. The quotation must be brief.

Narration

Narration means communicating with imagination, and imagination reflects the insights of faith.

Imagination is related to interpretation because both relate to the text. In interpretation, we

determine what the passage means from what the passage says. In the same way, imagination goes

one step beyond biblical facts and yet stays tied to them.
Illustration

An Illustration somehow restates an idea more imaginatively. However, our illustration ought to

be related to what we want to illustrate and our illustration should be understandable. An

illustration is not needed to be explained. Illustrations serve you and your congregation in other

ways. They aid memory, stir emotion, create a need, hold attention, and establish rapport between

speaker and hearer.

General rules in using illustrations

1. It must be true or state what happened.

2. It must be modest. Illustrations should not be an avenue of pride.

 3. It must not violate a confidence. Be discerning in using the experiences of other people in

your sermon, even if it is a commendable experience on their part. Always ask permission

and use it wisely and sensitively.

It is also helpful to have a filing system for your illustrations.

VIII. START WITH A BANG and Quit All Over

Introduction

Not only does an introduction introduce you to the audience, but your introduction should

introduce your audience to the subject of your sermon idea, to your central idea, or in the case of

an inductive sermon, to your first major point. The characteristics of effective introductions grow

out of that purpose. However you begin, make the most of your first twenty-five or thirty words to

seize attention. An ear-grabbing opening is a clue that what follows may be worth thirty minutes

of everyone’s time. Keep your introduction short.

• An effective introduction commands attention.

• An effective introduction should also uncover needs. (it must relate to the audience’s

concern or curiosity)

• Introductions should orient the congregation to the body of the sermon and its

development.

• Strong introduction will usually be personal. But always be sensitive.

Summary

In many conclusions, preachers look back over the terrain and restate the major points covered

along the way. When you do this, however, review the important assertions so that you can bind
them into the major idea of the sermon. A good summary ties loose ends together. It should not be

the second preaching of the sermon.

We can use brief Illustrations and quotations. We can ask appropriate questions and end our

sermon with a prayer. Visualization can also serve as a conclusion. This helps the congregation to

imagine or envision themselves in a future situation.

IX. THE DRESS of Thought

A sermon is not an essay on its hind legs because what you write serves only as a broad preparation

for what you will say. Your manuscript is not your final product. Your sermon should not be read

to a congregation. Reading usually kills a lively sense of communication. Neither should you try

to memorize your manuscript. Not only does memorization place a hefty burden on you if you

speak several times a week, but an audience sense when you are reading words off the wall of your

mind. Moreover, Listeners sit at the mercy of the preacher. Speakers must make themselves

understood instantly.

Strong Transitions

Strong transitions will usually review the major points already covered and show the listener how

the points relate to the major idea and each other, and then they introduce the next point. As a

result, major transitions can take up to a paragraph or more in the sermon manuscript.

A Clear Style

A sermon is not deep because it is muddy. Whatever has been thought through can be stated simply

and clearly. Poincaré, the brilliant French mathematician, insisted, “No man knows anything about

higher mathematics until he can explain it clearly to the man on the street.” Similarly, we do not
understand a passage from the Bible or a point of theology unless we can express it clearly to the

men and women sitting before us. For preachers, clarity is a moral matter. It is not merely a

question of rhetoric, but a matter of life and death.

A Clear Outline

Zigzag thinking can be straightened out only by outlining your overall thought before working on

the details. Laboring over an individual paragraph or sentence is pointless unless you know the

broad sweep of thought in your sermon. Clear manuscripts and clear sermons develop from clear

outlines.

Short Sentences

In your sermon manuscript, short sentences keep your thought from tangling and therefore are

easier for you to remember. Short sentences in your manuscript serve your mind; they have little

to do with your delivery.

Simple Sentence Structure

Keep sentence structures simple. A clearer, more energetic style emerges when you follow the

thinking sequence: main subject, main verb, and (where needed) main object.

Simple Words

Simple words also contribute to a clear style. Beware of jargon. Specialized vocabulary helps

professionals within a discipline to communicate. But it becomes jargon when it is used

unnecessarily or with people who do not understand it. Use a short word unless you find it

necessary to use a longer word.

A Direct and Personal Style

A second major characteristic of the spoken style is that it must be direct and personal. A sermon

should not sound like a thesis read to a congregation. It sounds like a lively conversation where

the speaker is thinking in the act of speaking. The feeling of good preaching is that you are talking

to and with your hearers. You are thinking about ideas the instant that you utter them. Both speaker

and listener are in touch with each other.

However, Personal, direct speech does not call for careless use of language or inappropriate or

undignified English. The language of effective preaching should be the language of stimulating

conversation between thoughtful people.

A Vivid Style

Vividness is the third characteristic of an effective style. You stimulate the senses indirectly

through your use of words. Language helps listeners recall impressions of past experiences and, to

some degree, they respond to the words as they did to the events. Your vividness increases when

you use specific, concrete details and plenty of them. We label a phrase specific when it is explicit

and exact, and concrete if it paints a picture on the mind.

Your speech will become more vivid if you let nouns and verbs carry your meaning, as well as we

employ fresh figures of speech.

Ways to improve our Style (choice of words)

• Pay attention to your use of language.

• Study how others use language.

• Read aloud.
 X. HOW TO PREACH SO PEOPLE WILL LISTEN

The effectiveness of our sermons depends on two factors: what we say and how we say it. Apart

from life-related, biblical content, we have nothing worth communicating; but without skillful

delivery, we will not get that content across to a congregation.

Considerations in Effective Delivery

First, our nonverbal language has strategic importance in public speaking. When we address a

congregation, three different communication networks operate at the same time: our words, our

intonation, and our gestures. All three communicate ideas.

Second, both research and experience agree that if nonverbal messages contradict the verbal,

listeners will more likely believe the silent language. It seems more difficult to lie with the whole

body than with the lips alone.

The third observation about effective delivery is that it begins with desires. Having something to

say to a congregation that you want them to understand and live by provides an essential stimulus

for effective delivery. It produces the emotional “set” for speaking. We are not merely reciting a

script. We are communicating ideas that matter to us.

Grooming and Dress

Because grooming and dress make a difference in how listeners respond to us, they should make

a difference to us as well. A fundamental rule of grooming and dress is that they should fit the

audience, the situation, and the speaker. In most cases, people will expect that our hair will be

combed and our shoes will be shined. Clothing, whatever its style, should be neat.
Gestures

Spontaneous Gestures

Gesture but don’t “make gestures.” Your gestures should develop from within you as the

outgrowth of conviction and feeling. If in preaching the sermon you use gestures that don’t come

naturally, let them go.

Definite Gestures

When you make a gesture, make it. A halfhearted gesture communicates nothing positive. Put your

body behind it. If your gesture appears awkward, it is usually because your entire body doesn’t

support it.

Varied Gestures

Your gestures should be varied. Repetition of a single gesture, even a spontaneous and forceful

one, calls attention to itself and irritates the audience. Experiment with your arms, head, eyes, and

face. When you get into the pulpit, your practice will be reflected in better gestures.

Properly Timed Gestures

Your gestures should be properly timed. A good gesture either accompanies or precedes the word

or phrase that carries most of your meaning. Poorly timed gestures usually reflect a lack of

spontaneity and proper motivation.

Eye Contact

• As you stand to speak, pause and establish personal contact with your listeners. Move your

eyes over the congregation, and let them rest for an instant on several different people.
 • Throughout the sermon, continue making eye contact. Talk with one listener at a time for

a second or two. Look that person in the eye, then look at someone else.

• Choose listeners in every section of the sanctuary, and keep eye contact long enough so

that they know that you have singled them out for an instant and are speaking to them.

• If your congregation is very large, then select a small group in one area and look at them

for a moment or two, then shift to another group and continue to do that throughout your

sermon.

• Be sure not only to look at your listeners but to talk with them. Concentrate on

communicating with each one the message you want the entire group to understand.

Vocal Delivery

Speakers emphasize what they say in only four ways—by a variety in pitch, punch, progress, and

pause. The use of these or a combination of them becomes the punctuation of speech. It is a variety

of these elements that makes delivery interesting.

Pitch- Pitch involves the movement of the voice up and down the scale, in different registers, with

various inflections.

Punch - Variations in punch or loudness can achieve both interest and emphasis. A volume change

communicates the relative importance of ideas.

Progress – pertains to the rate of your delivery. You ought to give appropriate rate to what we

deliver:

• As you recite a story, give out facts, or summarize a passage, you usually do so at a lively

pace.
 • Then when you come to a key statement or a major point, you slow down so that the

congregation will appreciate its importance.

• Your words may also be emphasized by speaking slowly and then speeding up your

delivery. But the emphasis is more often accomplished by slowing down rather than

increasing the rate.

Pause - Skilled speakers recognize that pauses serve as commas, semicolons, periods, and

exclamation points.

• A pause before the climax of a story increases suspense, and a dramatic pause introduced

when a speaker feels deep emotion can communicate feelings more effectively than words.

• Pauses not motivated by thought or feeling, however, confuse listeners just as random

punctuation bewilders a reader.

• The pause should be long enough to call attention to the thought, but not so long that the

silence calls attention to the pause.

Rehearsal

Rehearse your sermon before you deliver it. Put aside your notes and go through them from

memory. It improves:

Style. As you practice, you may find a phrase that presents an idea in a particularly effective way.

Don’t rehearse to memorize the sermon.

Delivery. Effective delivery must be practiced because you cannot think about delivery much as

you speak. The good habits acquired in your preparation will come more easily in the pulpit.
 • Beginners profit from rehearsing with a full voice while standing before a mirror or using

a tape recorder.

• More experienced speakers may settle for a sotto voce as they mumble through their

sermons.

• For a few, sitting and thinking through their sermons, animated in their imagination by a

picture of themselves before their congregations, will be enough.

Feedback

Effective speakers look for feedback. They will listen to audio-tapes of their sermons, or better

still, watch videotapes. We can also ask for some feedback from the congregation who hear us or

other people who can help us to improve our sermon delivery.

Preaching is ultimately the Holy Spirit’s work

Only Jesus Christ through His Spirit can feed the multitude. You must give your sermon to Him.

Preaching is ultimately His work. It’s astonishing, sometimes, how He not only multiplies our

effort but also creates in listeners a hunger for what we offer them.

Of course, we will not give God that which costs us nothing. We will give Him our best. Yet, in

the final analysis, there are no great preachers. There’s only a great Christ who does startling things

when we place ourselves and our preaching in His hands. – Haddon Robinson
 BOOK 3: HOW TO PREPARE BIBLE MESSAGES BY JAMES BRAGA

CHAPTER I – TOPICAL SERMON

A topical sermon is one in which the main divisions are derived from the topic, independently of

a text.

Choices of Topics

We discern the Holy Spirit's leading as we meditate and pray for our topic. Many factors can affect

our choice (e.g., perhaps, a topic is already given to us as a guest speaker). Although the topical

sermon is not based directly on a scripture text, the scripture can be the starting point for the idea

of a topical outline.

Basic Principles for Preparing Topical Outlines

1. The main divisions should be in logical or chronological order.

2. The main divisions can be an analysis of the topic. ( e.g., an analysis of the topic salvation)

3. The main divisions can present various proofs of a topic.

4. The main divisions can treat a subject by analogy or contrast with something else in

Scripture. (e.g., the metaphor of salt can compare to effective testimony)

5. The main divisions can be expressed by a word or phrase of Scripture repeated throughout

the outline. ( e.g. God is able can be used as common for each division discussing the

ability of God)

6. The main divisions can be supported by an identical word or phrase of Scripture throughout

the outline. (e.g., the word rejoice in the whole Philippian epistle discussing the reason for

rejoicing)
 7. The main divisions can consist of a word study showing the various meanings of a certain

word or words in the Scriptures. (e.g. the word forgiveness in the bible)

8. The main divisions should not be supported by proof texts wrested out of context (it is

important to know the context of each text if it supports the topic)

Doctrinal Sermons can be compatible with the topical sermon. We can limit the topic to a single

doctrine then choose passages or verses that speak about that particular doctrine.

CHAPTER II- TEXTUAL SERMON

A textual sermon is one in which the main divisions are derived from a brief portion of Scripture.

Each of these divisions is then used as a line of suggestion, and the text provides the theme of the

sermon.

The text may be only one line of a verse of Scripture, or it may be an entire verse or even two or

three verses.

Basic Principles for Preparing Topical Outlines

1. The textual outline should center on one main thought in the text, and the main divisions

must be derived from the text to develop that thought. (It is vital to study the text to get the

dominant idea and to rightly derive the main idea from the text)

2. The main divisions can consist of the truths suggested by the text. (not necessary an

analysis of the text)

3. It may be possible to find more than one dominant thought in a text (depending upon the

point of view from which we observe the text), but only one subject should be developed

in an outline.
 4. The main divisions should be in logical or chronological sequence. (It is not always

necessary to follow the order of the words in the text, but the main divisions should indicate

a progressive development of thought.)

5. The very words of the text can form the main divisions of the outline, provided that these

divisions focus on one main theme. (e.g., Luke 19:10 can use as two main points answering

why Jesus came)

6. The context of the text must be studied carefully and related to the text (this is vital to study

the text within its context for it will determine your main divisions)

7. Some texts contain comparisons or contrasts that can be treated best by pointing out their

purposeful similarities or differences. (e.g., Psalm 1:1-2)

8. Two or three verses, each taken from different parts of Scripture, can be put together and

treated as one text. (e.g., text from different accounts/epistles about the ministry of the

Apostle Paul)

Although we have one or two texts as the basis of the textual outline, several scripture texts from

other accounts can be used as the basis of each division.

CHAPTER III – EXPOSITORY SERMON

An expository sermon is one in which a more or less extended portion of Scripture is interpreted

about one theme or subject. The bulk of the material for the sermon is drawn directly from the

passage, and the outline consists of a series of progressive ideas centered on that main idea.
What is not an expository sermon?

Biblical Homily - a running commentary on a passage of Scripture, long or short, explained and

applied verse by verse or phrase by phrase without any structure and interrelation with each point

or idea.

Exegetical lecture - An exegetical lecture is a detailed commentary on the meaning of a text, with

or without logical order or practical application.

Basic Principles for Preparing Expository Outlines

1. Any passage chosen as the basis for a sermon should be carefully studied to understand its

meaning and to find the subject of the text.

2. Significant words or phrases in the text can indicate or become the main divisions of the

outline (e.g., the praise to/for the praise of His glory in Ephesians 1:3-14)

3. The outline can be drawn from the expository unit in an order different from that of the

text. (Can be in logical order)

4. The important truths suggested by the passage can become the main divisions of the

outline. (e.g., Character of God in the story of Joseph)

5. Two or three passages from various parts of Scripture can be put together to form the basis

of an expository outline. (e.g., the life of Rahab based on various texts)

6. We can approach a passage of Scripture in various ways and have two or more entirely

different outlines on the same portion. (e.g., in Matt 6:25-34 could be either about reasons

why we should not worry or how God cares for his people)

7. Note the context of an expository unit.

8. Examine the historical and cultural background of the passage whenever possible.
 9. The details of the text should be treated properly, but not exhaustively.

10. The truths contained in the text must be related to the present day.

The expository method is in one sense the simplest way to preach. All the basic materials for the

sermon are contained in the passage to be expounded, and generally, the preacher has only to

follow the order of the text.

CHAPTER IV – HOMILETICAL STRUCTURE

Format of a Sermon Outline

The preceding chapters have indicated some of the main features of a homiletic outline, but we

present here a complete picture of the proper format for a sermon outline:

Title:_________________________________

Text:_________________________________

Introduction

1.____________________________________

2.____________________________________

Proposition:____________________________

Interrogative sentence:___________________

Transitional sentence:____________________

1. First main division:____________________

a. First subdivision:____________________

Discussion

b. Second subdivision:__________________

Discussion
Transition:____________________________

2. Second main division:_________________

a. First subdivision:_____________________

Discussion

b. Second subdivision:___________________

Discussion

c. Third subdivision:_____________________

Discussion

Transition:_____________________________

Conclusion

1.____________________________________

2.____________________________________

3.____________________________________

• A clear outline is an invaluable aid to a preacher because it serves as a visual aid, enabling

him to see his entire message at a glance. Moreover, an outline should be concise. We can

compress or use abbreviations.

• Of course, the Lord is not restricted to any rules of rhetoric or homiletics. At times, we may

have a message from the Word that lacks an apparent plan or unity of thought. It is not

necessary, therefore, that a preacher feel bound to the principles of homiletics.

• However, we ought to apply ourselves to the rules while we are learning homiletics until

we get used to it. As we gain more experience, we can modify these rules learned to leave

room for passionate appeal.

CHAPTER V – THE TITLE

The title is an expression of the specific feature to be presented in the sermon, stated in a manner

suitable for advertising the sermon.

Principles for Preparing Sermon Titles

1. The title should be pertinent to the text or the message. (Either connected to the text or the

sermon)

2. The title should be interesting. (Of vital interest to the people---about life situation and

needs)

3. The title should be in keeping with the dignity of the pulpit. (We should never use a title

that borders on the frivolous or the vulgar)

4. The title should generally be brief. (but not sacrificing its clarity)

5. The title can be stated as an affirmation, interrogation, or exclamation.

CHAPTER VI – THE INTRODUCTION

The introduction is the process by which a preacher endeavors to prepare the minds and secure the

interest of his hearers in the message he is about to deliver.

Two Basic Objectives of Introduction

1. To secure the goodwill of the hearers

2. To arouse interest in the theme

The purpose of the introduction is to arouse the attention of the people and to challenge their

thinking to such an extent that they become engaged in the subject.

Principles for Preparing the Introduction

1. The introduction should be brief. (get into the main part of the message as quickly as

possible)

2. The introduction should be interesting. (arouse curiosity, use variety, state the title of the

sermon or quote the Scripture passage, relate the sermon to life situations)

3. The introduction should lead to the dominant idea or main thrust of the message.

4. The introduction should be stated in the outline in a few brief sentences or phrases, with

each successive idea on a different line.

CHAPTER VII – THE PROPOSITION

The proposition is a simple declaration of the subject a preacher intends to discuss, develop, prove,

or explain in the sermon. It is a statement of the sermon’s main spiritual lesson or timeless truth

reduced to one declarative sentence.

The Importance of the Proposition

1. The proposition is the foundation of the entire sermon.

2. The proposition indicates to the congregation the course of the sermon.

Developing the Proposition

1. A thorough exegetical study of the passage.

2. Statement of the exegetical idea of the passage. (a statement in a single sentence of what

the text says)

3. The discovery of the one main truth the passage intends to convey. (The main spiritual

truth the passage intends to convey)

4. Statement of the proposition in a succinct and forceful sentence.

Principles for Formulating the Proposition

1. The proposition should be a statement expressing in a complete sentence the one main idea

of the sermon.

2. The proposition should be a declarative sentence.

3. The proposition should be a timeless truth stated in the present tense.

4. The proposition should be stated simply and clearly.

5. The proposition should be the assertion of a vital truth.

6. The proposition should be specific.

7. The proposition should be stated as concisely as possible without sacrificing clarity.

• We relate the proposition to the main division by making an interrogative sentence (that

will be answered by the main division about the proposition) and a transitional sentence.

• To smoothen the transition, we ought to use keywords (e.g., reasons, qualities, marks, etc.).

We position the proposition immediately after the introduction.

CHAPTER VIII – THE DIVISIONS

The divisions are the main sections of an orderly sermon.

The Value of Divisions to the Preacher

1. Divisions promote clarity of thought

2. Divisions promote the unity of thought.

3. Divisions assist the preacher in the proper treatment of a subject.

4. Divisions enable the preacher to remember the main points of his sermon.

The Value of Divisions to the Congregation

1. Divisions make the main points of the sermon clear.

2. Divisions assist the memory in recalling the main features of the sermon.
Principles for Preparing the Main Divisions

1. The main divisions should grow out of the proposition, with each division contributing to

its development.

2. The main divisions should be distinct from one another.

3. Main divisions should be arranged in some form of progression.

4. When the proposition is a statement that requires validation or proof, the main divisions

should adequately defend the thesis.

5. Each main division should contain a single basic idea.

6. The main divisions should be stated clearly, with each division related to the interrogative

and transitional sentences in such a way that they express a complete idea.

7. There should be as few main divisions as possible.

8. The sermon plan should vary from week to week. (Not always 3 points but depends on the

content)

9. The main divisions should have a parallel structure. (There is symmetry among the

divisions)

Transition

Transition is a statement of a brief paragraph connecting the divisions. A good transition permits

easy movement from one part of the sermon to the next. Abrupt changes of thought tend to distract

or confuse; a good transition improves the way for the communication of successive units of

thought.
Principles for Preparing Subdivisions

• The subdivisions are derived from their respective main divisions and should be a logical

development of them.

• The subdivisions should have a parallel structure. (i.e., there is symmetry)

• The subdivisions should be limited in number. (Not more than three subdivisions)

• Like the main divisions, the subdivisions do not have to be in the order of the text.

CHAPTER IX – THE DISCUSSION

The discussion is the proper unfolding of the ideas contained in the divisions.

Qualities of the Discussion

Unity - Everything discussed under the subdivisions should amplify the idea expressed in the main

division, with no digressions or irrelevant features. Sometimes, however, material that may be

irrelevant to one division may be necessary to complete the discussion in another part of the

sermon.

Proportion - The preacher should remember that each main division must contribute to the whole

sermon and, as a general rule, he should balance the main divisions to present a well-rounded

message.

Progression - Every explanation, illustration, application, argument, or quotation should be in just

the right place to advance the thought of the sermon. Progression will thus produce a cumulative

impact on the hearers and help create a vital interest in the message.
Brevity - Even though each division should be developed to give the subject matter its due

expression, a preacher who wants to avoid the pitfall of an overly long sermon should train himself

to speak concisely.

Clarity - The primary purpose of the discussion is to clarify the meaning of the ideas in the

divisions. It is therefore of vital importance that the material in the discussion illumine the truths

of Scripture under each division. A preacher should bring into play every means at his disposal to

achieve this end while retaining unity and brevity.

Vitality - For the discussion to engage the hearers, it must enable them to see how the truth is

relevant to them. The words of Scripture must be made meaningful to their life situations.

Examples from Scripture must be set before them in such a way that they can see their own

circumstances, temptations, and failures in the experiences of the men and women in the Bible.

Variety - A preacher who wants to infuse his sermons with freshness and vigor must also see to it

that his discussion contains variety. He will take pains to gather his material from every available

source, new and old, and use them wherever they may be effectively applied. While he must aim

for variety, at the same time a preacher must make sure that the material he uses holds human

interest.

Sources of Material for the Discussion

• Bible

• Other forms of Literature

• Experience

• Observation of the world around us

 • Imagination

Rhetorical Processes for Developing the Sermon Outline

Explanation

Whenever a message is based upon Scripture, the biblical passage should be explained clearly and

accurately.

Explaining the Text

The Context - Observing the context often helps the hearer, as well as the preacher, recognize the

limitations in the meaning of a word or statement and prevents misconstruing the meaning of the

text.

Cross Reference - A preacher should make frequent use of parallel passages, comparing the text

he seeks to explain with other portions of Scripture.

Application of the Laws of Language - it is often helpful to quote from other translations. Use

caution when quoting from a paraphrase of Scripture, for while a translation is an attempt to put

into another language an accurate representation of the original text, a paraphrase conveys the

original more freely. Furthermore, the writings of many learned and devout scholars contain

spiritual treasures helpful in the preparation of sermons. A preacher should therefore make use of

standard exegetical, expository, and devotional commentaries in his study. Should he find a a

particularly applicable statement, he can quote it verbatim in the delivery of his sermon.

Historical and Cultural Background - The historical and cultural background of the text and the

geographical information mentioned in the passage will also have an important bearing on the

meaning. The use of a good Bible encyclopedia, Bible introduction, or Bible handbook will help
with the historical and cultural background of a text, and a Bible atlas will provide significant

geographical data.

Argumentation

Value of Argumentation - Argumentation is given an important place in Scripture, and since it

often carries much weight in a sermon. Argumentation is also a forceful means of expanding a

sermon outline, and in some sermons citing valid evidence is essential. Methodical reasoning

meets the demand of the human intellect for sound bases of belief, and a statement that is supported

by positive proof is deemed authoritative.

Method of Argumentation - The servant of the Lord can verify the truth in the minds of his

congregation in various ways:

Use of Scripture - In the Preacher’s effort to persuade, the minister should use the Scriptures

intelligently and appropriately. Prooftexts should not be wrested out of context, and interpretation

should always disclose the meaning the sacred writers intended.

Logical Reasoning - Another method of argumentation is reasoning, the use of logical processes

to conclude or to convince people. Arguments from analogy, from cause to effect, from effect to

cause, from induction and deduction, and cumulative evidence are all forms of persuasive rhetoric.

Testimony - The value of testimony depends upon its validity. Since this is the case, we should

note the factors involved in establishing the truthfulness of a testimony. One of these is the number

of witnesses. The greater the number, the stronger the evidence, provided of course that the facts

are substantiated.

Logical Sequence in a Sermon Outline - The arrangement of a sermon outline in a logical sequence

can also be a means of persuasion, particularly when the outline is designed to prove a point.
Caution in the use of argument

A man of God must not only avoid a critical or belligerent attitude in his preaching, but also be

careful not to provoke his hearers by ridicule or bitter sarcasm. Biblical polemics may sometimes

demand, but, as a general rule, it is best for a preacher to adhere to sound and logical argument.

Quotations

A preacher should, by all means, make use of quotations, but he must be on guard not to use them

extensively. Quotations can be from the Scripture text itself, brief sayings, the statement from

authoritative sources, or poetry.

How to Develop Sermon Notes

He should make every statement in the outline as concise as possible while maintaining readability.

Use brief phrases instead of complete sentences. Lengthy words can often be abbreviated.

CHAPTER X - THE ILLUSTRATION

An illustration is a means of throwing light upon a sermon by the use of an example.

An illustration may take any one of several forms—a parable, an analogy, an allegory, a story

(including an anecdote or fable), an account of a personal experience, an event in history, or an

incident from a biography, or be the product of a person’s imagination.

The Value of Illustrations

• They give clarity to the sermon.

• They make the sermon interesting.

• They make a truth vivid.

• They emphasize a truth.

Principles to Observe in the Use of Illustrations

• An illustration must make a point clear. If it does not lead to a better understanding of the

truth being discussed, or if the meaning of the illustration is not obvious, it would be better

to omit it.

• Use credible illustrations. Even if it is true, a preacher should not use it in his sermon if for

some reason it does not sound credible. For an illustration to be suitable for use, it must be

true to life. It must bear all the earmarks of truth and authenticity.

• When you use an illustration, make sure you know the details well enough to state them

accurately. As a general rule, it should not be read.

• The main purpose of an illustration is just to clarify, and most word pictures are more

effective when they are told concisely.

• Exercise care with regard not only to the character of illustrations, but also to the number.

If a preacher’s main objective is to preach the Word, he will introduce illustrations only

when he believes they will make the text more intelligible and give his people a better

appreciation of the truth.

CHAPTER XI – THE APPLICATION

Application is the rhetorical process by which truth is brought to bear directly and personally upon

people to persuade them to respond properly to it.

When to Make the Application

As a general rule, the application is made as each spiritual truth is discussed. This means that the

appeal is woven into the fabric of the sermon and that the truths are applied as the discussion

progresses. In some sermons, it might be best to omit the appeal from the body of the sermon and
reserve it for the end. Sometimes the lessons drawn from Scripture are so obvious that formal

application is unnecessary.

Prerequisites to Effective Application

• To apply the truth effectively, a preacher must live close to God.

• To apply the truth effectively, a preacher must be well educated.

• To apply the truth effectively, a preacher must understand human nature.

• To apply the truth effectively, a preacher must know his people’s circumstances and

concerns.

• To apply the truth effectively, a preacher should speak naturally.

• To apply the truth effectively, a preacher must be dependent upon the Holy Spirit.

Principles for Making the Truth Relevant

• In communicating the Word of God, it is necessary not only to have a sensitive

understanding of basic human problems and needs but also to relate the sermon to the

perplexities and temptations that plague the people in the pews. We must find how the text

applies to the conditions of the people we are addressing.

• Use your imagination to make the scenes and characters of the Bible come alive today.

• Use illustrations that show how the truth can be applied in the workaday world.

• Draw from the text universal principles that are applicable for all times.

• Make sure that every application is in line with the truth of the passage.

• As a general rule, make the application-specific or definite.

 • If a preacher has directed the sermon to the problems and needs of his hearers so that they

sense how the truth relates directly to them, it is then natural for him to point them to a

solution to their need.

• A preacher who seeks to shine the light of the Scriptures upon current world affairs must

therefore be a wise and discerning man. Not only should he stay clear of political issues,

but he should also be able to discriminate between truth and falsehood, and he must warn

his people of religious movements or doctrinal errors that imperil the purity and orthodoxy

of the church.

Vital Themes of the Interpretive Preacher

• The Gospel - The messenger of the gospel should therefore use every opportunity to

proclaim with no uncertain sound the glorious news that Jesus saves.

• Evangelism - Another relevant theme is evangelism. Not only should a preacher proclaim

the gospel, but he should also encourage his people in every way possible to share the good

news with others.

• Prophecy - Sermons on prophecy will warn the ungodly of their danger, arouse the church

to her responsibility, and enliven the saints with the blessed hope of the return of the Lord

Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER XII – THE CONCLUSION

The conclusion is the climax of the entire sermon, in which the preacher’s one constant aim reaches

its goal in a forceful impression.

Forms of the Conclusion

Recapitulation - a restatement of the sermon’s key points that emphasizes the focal point of the

one main truth. The wise preacher will generally not state this summary in the exact words of the

main divisions but will use concise, pointed statements to express each of the main ideas.

Illustration - An illustration of this kind makes it unnecessary for the preacher to add many more

words, if any, to the conclusion. The illustration, forceful and meaningful in itself, is generally

sufficient.

Application or appeal - the preacher should end many of his sermons with a direct appeal in which

he calls for a response to the truths in the message. Sometimes the most effective application is

summing up the gist of the sermon by repeating the proposition or homiletic idea, or the preacher

could highlight two or three principles from the passage he has expounded to bring the message to

a close.

Motivation – the preacher ought to provide the people with an incentive to respond to the challenge

presented. He should aim to persuade the people to respond affirmatively to God’s claims upon

them.

Principles for Preparing the Conclusion

• The conclusion does not have to belong. You should allow yourself sufficient time to tie

up the ideas of the message and bring them forcibly to a close.

• A simple, plain, positive language that is penetrating and vigorous is far more effective

than high-sounding speech. The important thing is to speak with such clarity.
• The conclusion should impress the congregation with the entire subject just discussed or

underscore the importance or urgency of the message. To accomplish these objectives, the

final words may consist of:

• A vivid reproduction of the leading thought of the sermon.

• A quotation of the text itself or any appropriate passage of Scripture.

• A forceful challenge or Appeal

• The conclusion should be stated as briefly as possible, with each point or idea written on a

separate line.