PREACHING AND TEACHING

IV.

Preaching
 

 

A.

Introduction
 
Homiletics is the science and art of preaching. A homily is a sermon. Preachers are to proclaim the Gospel—the Good News of Jesus Christ. Those who deliver messages not found in the Bible are not preaching the Gospel. Those who deliver sermons that distort the Bible are not preaching the Gospel. Faithful preachers follow the Holy Spirit in proclaiming the truth of Scripture.

Pastors do most of the preaching . If you are a pastor, you are the shepherd of a flock—the congregation in a local church. You communicate not only the words of sermons; you communicate who you are. You have a special relationship with those in a local church. You and the congregation are all members of the body of Christ. But members of the congregation look to you for words of guidance and comfort—words inspired by God. They look to you as a role model. Christ is the ultimate role model. But sheep follow a shepherd, and a congregation follows a pastor. A congregation is concerned about how much you know, but they are more concerned with how much you care. They want to know that you care for them. After all, the two greatest commandments are about love—love for God and for people. Most preaching is done in the context of an on-going relationship between the preacher and the listeners.

Preachers speak at a certain time in history, to a certain people, in a certain place. The truth of Scripture does not change, but the language in which the truth is presented changes with time and from culture to culture. So a preacher needs to speak in the heart language of the listener. One’s heart language is one’s language of choice—the language spoken in one’s own home.

When you preach, you should preach from your heart in the power of the Holy Spirit. Listeners want to know that you believe what you preach.

As you preach, it is helpful to direct your words to individuals, not merely to the congregation at large. That is, preach as if you were having a conversation with individuals. Look at people, not at a wall or at the floor. Sermons should not single out individuals, but the preacher should communicate with individuals. The words of a sermon are not directed only to one person. Instead, the words of a sermon are directed to the congregation. The preacher speaks as if he were talking with an individual, and the whole congregation listens. Of course, the preacher may preach louder than if he were speaking only to one person. The preacher may vary the tone more than if he were speaking only to an individual. But he still preaches while looking at one person, then another individual, and then a third individual, and so on.

In preparing sermons, it is helpful to discuss the proposed sermons with other people familiar with Scripture prior to preaching to a congregation. Other Christians have insights and may make you aware of errors prior to your speaking to a congregation. Pastors may get together for fellowship and sermon preparation. A preacher may learn from other pastors, but a preacher should not copy sermons from others.

30 "Therefore," declares the LORD, "I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 31 Yes," declares the LORD, "I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, 'The LORD declares.' 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams," declares the LORD. "They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least," declares the LORD . (Jeremiah 23:30-32)  

If God has called you to preach, he will give you the words to say. The way that you speak will be different from others because you are unique. God spoke through the prophets of the Bible, and each of them had their own style of speaking and writing. God speaks through preachers today, and each preacher has a particular style.  

In preaching, as in the Christian life in general, we should be humble. When asked theological questions that we don’t have the answers to, we aren’t afraid to say, “I don’t know.” If we make an error in a sermon, we say we made an error. A good way to speak in regard to difficult theological questions is, “My understanding is this . . ..” And it is a good policy not to preach on matters that we have little knowledge about.
 

 

B.

Choosing Sermons
 
Preachers should follow the Holy Spirit in choosing sermons. The Lord may place ideas in a preacher’s mind that leads the preacher to preach on a particular subject. In following the Spirit to decide upon a sermon, consider the needs of your congregation. Does the congregation need comfort, admonition, or guidance on some theological issue? Consider your own concerns, joys, or special insights. What is the Lord placing on your heart? Pray that the Lord will give you the words to speak.

Once you decide on a sermon or a series of planned sermons, choose the type of sermon: expository, topical, or a character study. In an expository sermon, the preacher expounds on the truths found a Biblical text. In a topical sermon, the preacher selects a topic and then presents truths found throughout the Bible in relation to that topic. In a character study, the preacher chooses a Biblical character and tells about that character.
 

 

C.

Expository Sermons
 
Expository Sermons have an advantage in presenting a wider range of Scriptural truths than topical sermons or character studies. As a speaker preaches through the Bible, many truths are covered, not just truths on selected topics.
 

 

 

1.

Choosing a Text
 
As you read through Scripture in your personal study, certain passages of Scripture may make a special impression on you. You may feel that you need to proclaim such texts to others. This is one way in which you choose a text.

Another way to choose a text is to memorize Scripture, and read daily in Scripture; then let the Lord bring Scripture to memory. Then as the Holy Spirit guides you to speak on certain subjects, he will remind you of Scripture related to such subjects. If you don’t remember the Scripture reference, but you remember a few words from a verse, you can search for the verse online. Or you can consult a concordance or topical Bible.

A third way of choosing a text is to use a topical Bible or a concordance to look up passages related to a certain theme. An abbreviated concordance and topical index may be found at the back of some study Bibles. Or you may go online to find a more extensive concordance and topical index.
 
 

http://www.biblegateway.com/
 

 
The concordance and topical index can lead you to Biblical texts. And you can then choose the appropriate text from which to preach.

Once you decide on a text, you should determine the beginning and ending of the pericope. If the beginning word of a pericope is a word like “therefore,” the pericope is a conclusion to prior Scripture. So you will need to introduce the pericope to a congregation by giving a brief summary of the prior Scripture.  

Even though you are preaching on a particular pericope, you may sometimes need to bring additional Scripture into the sermon. Sometimes you may preach on more than one pericope. But you will want to focus on only one theme—one central idea—in a sermon.
 

 

 

2.

Developing an Outline and Text
 
You may often find that you have less time than you want to properly prepare sermons. It is important to set aside sufficient time to study and meditate on Scripture. People give of their time in order to come to hear a sermon. The sermon is a time in which you have the attention of a group of people or a crowd of people. Your words at this time are important. While you want to carefully research sermons, sometimes you do not have time. Perhaps you had to conduct some funerals or be with seriously ill members of the congregation. It is good to prepare a couple of sermons in advance, and keep them for occasions when you don’t have time to prepare a sermon. There are also occasions in which you must deliver a sermon with short notice. One of the fastest ways to develop an expository sermon follows.
 
 

a.

 Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
 
 

b.

 Consider the occasion and the congregation. Ask, “What should be preached at this time?”
 
 

c.

 If you have little time to prepare, choose an appropriate pericope that you are already familiar with.
 
 

d.

 Identify the context. What Book is this pericope in? Who wrote the Book? What are the themes and purposes of the Book? When was the Book written? To whom was the Book written? Where was the Book written? Paul, for example, wrote the Epistle to the Philippians from prison. Knowing this gives additional meaning to his words, “Rejoice in the Lord always . . . ” (Philippians 4:4 NIV). Like a news reporter, ask yourself questions about the pericope: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
 
 

e.

 If you have the time and resources, read the pericope in more than one Biblical translation. Notice any differences between translations.
 
 

f.

 Develop an outline for the sermon. The outline will look somewhat like the contents page given at the beginning of this module. Identify the main points of the pericope. Generally sermons in western cultures have about three main points, but the sermon may have more or less than this, depending upon the ideas found in a pericope. A sermon in a western culture typically lasts from 15 to 30 minutes.

Identify those verses that are associated with each of the main points. When delivering the sermon, you may wish to read a portion or all of the verses. If the pericope is short, you may read it prior to the sermon. Or you may read appropriate verses each time you address one of the major points of the sermon.
 
 

g.

 Determine the overall theme of the pericope. Write it out. You will want to emphasize this theme. When you deliver the sermon, you may wish to repeat the theme, perhaps using the same words for emphasis, or perhaps restating the theme in different words.
 
 

h.

 Identify the subordinate points under each main point.
 
 

i.

 If you have questions regarding the meaning of the text, consult various resources (such as commentaries) listed above.
 
 

j.

 Think of illustrations for each point. Usually one illustration for each point is sufficient. Illustrations make the sermon interesting to the listener. Illustrations should be things that a particular congregation understands. Illustrations form a bridge from the Biblical text to the lives of the listeners. So put yourself in the place of your listeners, and choose illustrations they will understand.

As much as possible, the language used in the sermon should be concrete images, not abstract language. People understand and remember concrete imagery. The word “love” is abstract. Describing a mother kissing her baby is a concrete picture of love. So appeal to people’s natural senses. In communicating a point, ask yourself, “What does this look like?” “What does it taste like?” “How does it feel?” “What does it sound like?” “How does it smell?”
 
 

k.

 Develop an introduction to the sermon. You generally have some time in advance to think about the background and context of a pericope. Remember that the congregation has not had this time. So you need to give a brief introduction to prepare them for listening to the message.
 
 

l.

 Early in the sermon, you must communicate what the sermon is about. The congregation must know the theme. It is frustrating to listen for more than a few minutes without understanding what a speaker is talking about. So early in the sermon, introduce the theme.
 
 

m.

 This is an expository sermon, so the sermon may be organized in one of the following two ways.
 
 

 
  • Introduction
  • Exposition
  • Application
  • Conclusion 
  • Introduction
  • Exposition: Point 1
  • Application: Point 1
  • Exposition: Point 2
  • Application: Point 2
  • Exposition: Point 3
  • Application: Point 3
  • Conclusion
 

n.

 When planning the sermon, always ask the question, “So What?” “So what difference will it make if I preach this message?” Write out your answer. If it will make no difference to preach the sermon, you are wasting your time. You may need to modify the sermon or choose another text.
 
 

o.

 Design the sermon to bring listeners to a decision. As a result of the message, what do you want listeners to do or think or be? If the sermon is meant to evangelize, then listeners should be asked to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. If the sermon is meant to encourage giving to the poor, then the listener should be asked to give.
 
 

p.

 Be persuasive. Appeal to the motives of listeners. A hierarchy of needs motivates people: they want food, clothing, and shelter; and when these basic needs are met, then they may want wealth, or recognition, or power, or self-esteem2. Understand what motivates your particular congregation. Some motives are good and some are bad. The Bible teaches that we are not to run after wealth and power, but to seek the Kingdom of God, and our needs will be met. So we can appeal to the motives of people, or persuade them to redirect their motives.
 
 

q.

 Be thorough when developing the application. See the acrostic "SPACE plus T" above in Application of Scripture. A preacher primarily teaches people the Scripture during the exposition, and a preacher primarily preaches during the application . If you are a preacher, don’t forget to be thorough in the application of Scripture.
 
 

r.

 Save the sermon outline. You may wish to use it again at another time or place. You may also need to preach on a similar theme to the same congregation. Someone said that a preacher must preach an idea seven times for a congregation to adopt and apply the idea. Certainly it is true that not everyone in a congregation will remember and apply everything that a preacher says the first time.
 
 

s.

 Preach in a way that is easy to remember. Organize your thoughts so that you can remember them with few or no notes. If you can’t remember a sermon, it may be difficult for the listener to remember what you preach.

Stories are easy for you and for the listener to remember. Jesus spoke in parables. Many cultures rely primarily on stories to educate their children. Stories are organized in time sequence—the action follows a time line.

You may choose words or simple phrases to remember the main points of your sermon. For example, the main points of a sermon might be “crawl, walk, run,” or “prayer, power, preach.”

Use phrases that people in a particular culture are likely to remember. In America, a popular detective show on television repeatedly used the phrase, “Just the facts, Mam.” Decades after the show no longer was aired, many people still remember the phrase, “Just the facts, Mam.”
 
 

t.

 The conclusion or last section of the sermon is one of the most important sections. In this section, you may wish to briefly summarize what was said earlier, emphasizing the main idea or theme. Then make an appeal for the congregation to reach a decision.
 
 

u.

 If you are not an experienced preacher, it is helpful to write out the entire text of a sermon in advance. This helps to reduce grammatical errors, and to arrive at better choices of wording. You can review the sermon and make improvements. It helps you organize your thinking.

Although there have been some effective preachers in some cultures that delivered their sermons by reading them to a congregation, it is generally better not to read them. Some preachers may highlight certain points within a written text, and use the highlighted text as a guide when preaching. It is generally better to preach from a brief outline or to preach without notes. Preaching with minimal notes allows the preacher to move around while speaking. It allows the preacher to have better eye contact with listeners. If you use an outline, you may insert the outline in your Bible, so you can follow the outline and also read Scripture from the Bible.
 
 

v.

 The length of sermons varies from one culture to another. Don’t exceed the time that your congregation will listen. When a congregation stops listening, you are wasting your time and theirs.
 
 

w.

 Another type of expository sermon is a verse-by-verse exposition. This type of sermon may involve less preparation than any other type of sermon. This method is useful in delivering a short sermon (sermonette), and when there is little or no time to prepare the sermon. The preacher reads a verse, expounds the verse, and applies the verse. Then the preacher reads another verse, and may expound and/or apply that verse, as the Holy Spirit leads him. The text and the Holy Spirit guide the speaker. Certain texts lend themselves to this type of exposition. Texts with ideas that stand alone in a verse or two are best for this. Examples include 1 Corinthians 13 or Matthew 5:1-16.
 

 

 

3.

Practicing Delivery
 
After preparing the sermon outline and text, it is important to practice delivering the sermon. You may talk through it with a friend. Ask the person if they understand each point. Ask the friend for suggested improvements in content or delivery. You may preach the sermon to a mirror. Early in his career, one preacher used to preach to trees in a forest. If you have access to a video camera or a tape recorder, it is helpful to record your message, and then review it. Practice it to the point that you can deliver it with minimal notes. But don’t try to memorize the whole sermon. This will reduce your freedom in delivering the message. It will make the sermon sound stilted rather than coming from your heart. Memorize only the main points. It is better to overlook some minor points in the delivery than it is to present everything in a rigid, stilted manner. Leave room for the Holy Spirit to bring some new information to the sermon when it is presented. It is helpful to have some spontaneity.

Many people fear public speaking. Some things that help in overcoming such fear are as follows.
 
  • Be prepared. Know the sermon material. Practice delivery.
 
  • Be humble, but bold. Understand that God has called you to preach, and he will give you everything that you need to obey that calling.
 
  • Be yourself. Speak from your heart. You may use some techniques from other effective speakers, but you are not a duplicate of another speaker.
 
  • Use interesting illustrations and concrete language throughout your sermons. When listeners pay attention to your sermon, you will have more confidence in your delivery.

 

 

4.

Delivery and Feedback
 
When presenting your message to a congregation, speak loud enough so that those in the back can hear. One way to assure this is to look at someone in the back, and speak as if you were having a conversation with that person. Vary the volume and speed of your speech, emphasizing your main points. Pause at appropriate times and allow people to think about key ideas. When you pause, continue to have eye contact with listeners, expecting them to think about what you have said.

Be excited about what you are saying! If you are enthusiastic, your listeners may be enthusiastic. Use animation. Move your hands and arms as appropriate.

Show respect and love for your congregation. Expect the best from them. Express this love in your speech and facial expressions. Generally begin sermons with a smile.

There are times when you must admonish a congregation to turn from sin or error. There are also times in which you need to encourage those who are hurting. A familiar saying is that a preacher “afflicts the comfortable, and comforts the afflicted.”

Use visual aids as appropriate. Sometimes prophets in the Bible illustrated their point by acting out something or by using some object to illustrate their message. This method is particularly effective in speaking with children.

Get feedback. You may choose a few trusted and knowledgeable people to meet with you soon after you deliver sermons to express what they feel were the strong and weak parts of sermons. If you are married, your spouse may give feedback.
 

 

D.

Topical Sermon
 
An expositional sermon addresses various truths found in a Biblical text, whereas a topical sermon addresses a particular topic. The steps involved in preparing a topical sermon are as follows.
 
 

1.

 Prayerfully select a topic.
 

2.

 Consult a topical Bible or topical index and a concordance to find the texts associated with the topic.
 

3.

 If there are too many references to the topic, you may narrow your topic. For example, instead of preaching on the general topic of sin, you might want to narrow your topic to say, “sin against the Holy Spirit.” The online topical Bible referenced above can help you to quickly narrow your search.
 

4.

 Read through the references to your topic, considering them in their context.
 

5.

 Group the references under a few main points that you wish to emphasize in your sermon.
 

6.

 From the truths to be presented, decide what the theme of your sermon will be.
 

7.

 Develop the rest of the sermon as you would develop an expository sermon. Prepare an introduction, subordinate points, illustrations, conclusion, etc.
 

8.

 To minimize errors, get feedback from knowledgeable Christians prior to delivering the sermon.
 

 

E.

Character Study
 
A character study or biographical sermon is an exposition of the life of some Biblical character. The steps involved in preparing this sermon follow.
 
 

1.

 Prayerfully choose a Biblical character.
 

2.

 Using a topical Bible and concordance, find all the references to that character. Organize these in time sequence.
 

3.

 Read the Scripture references in their context.
 

4.

 Consult a Bible encyclopedia, Bible dictionary, or a Bible Commentary for additional information on the Bible character. Online resources are given above.
 

5.

 List the main events of the character’s life.
 

6.

 List the lessons taught by the character’s life.
 

7.

 You may wish to present the character in the first person. That is, you may wish to speak as if you are Abraham, or Mary (the mother of Jesus), or some other character.
 

8.

 You may prefer to present the character in the third person.
 

9.

 Following the life of a character in time sequence makes it easier to remember the main points of the sermon.
 

10.

 Remember to present the character in such as way that listeners will learn and apply spiritual truths. For example, a Biblical character may be presented as being happy that he obeyed God or sad that he disobeyed God.
 
2To see Abraham Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs
 
3Kenson Kuba, “Free Discipleship Study Books,” Discipleship Study Book 3, page 21 at the
link. http://biblestudycd.com/books/book3.pdf
 

 

 


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