Homiletics

The Art of PreachingFrom A Non-Expert!

Goals and Credits… To help each one of us do a better job

in our presentations of the Scripture Two parts today – some definitions,

and principles, and some “how to” pointers

Acknowledgement – Some of the material is condensed from a graduate level class presented by Dr. Frank Longino – Liberty Theology Seminary

What is Preaching?

“The art of moving men from a lower life to a higher life.” – Beecher

“The communication of truth through personality.” – Anonymous

“Preaching is divine truth voiced by a chosen personality to meet human need.” A. W. Blackwood

The clothing of ideas in words - Longino

What is Preaching? Declaring God’s Word as recorded

in the Bible It is not about man’s ideas of God,

but what God has done for man. The uniqueness of a Biblical

sermon (as opposed to a speech) is due to the subject matter, the material used, and the results promised!

The Bible The whole counsel of God is revealed

through history The Old Testament focus is on God’s

dealing with His people and a forward look to the coming Messiah

The New Testament centers in the New Covenant established by God’s redemptive act in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

What Should We Preach? Christian preaching

should center in God’s redeeming action set forth in both Testaments, climaxing in Jesus death and resurrection!

It is all about Him, not us, our style, our self-worth, value, acceptance, at-a-boys, education, but about Jesus Christ!

3 Primary Words Used For Preaching

Euanggellizo – evangelize, Gospel Kerusso or kerygma – herald Katanggello – to proclaim publicly What we proclaim is life-changing,

sin correcting, faith building and eternal!

The foolishness of preaching Rom. 1:15-16, 1 Corinthians. 1:21 2 Tim. 4:1-2

What Obstacles Do We Face? Over communication – email, instant

messages, text messaging, chat rooms, junk mail, newscasts, fast paced everything, ADD

Our enemy is preaching constantly against the truth – movies, educational system (anti-Christ profs), false gospels, etc

Football forum example – the perception of Christians is not good – Right wing extremist nuts no different from any other nuts…

A Short History… OT prophets were the first preachers –

boldly proclaiming the Word of the Lord Then men like Ezra, Nehemiah, etc. Early Church followed the synagogue

style Early Church Fathers – extensive

writers/preachers Reformation – prolific writers/proclaimers 17th – 18th centuries ushered in higher

criticism, scholarism, etc.

Criticism Defined… Higher Criticism – attempts to investigate

the origins of a text, especially the text of the Bible. Higher criticism, in particular, focuses on the sources of a document and tries to determine the authorship, date and place of composition of the text.

Lower Criticism, known as textual criticism, which is the endeavor to establish the original version of a text.

History Continued 19th and 20th Centuries ushered in

modernism, and new technology 21st Centuries expanded technology and

attention deficit - boredom A move towards “Seeker Friendly” as

opposed to “Believer” centered A tendency to be relevant to our society

through being a sub-culture against being a counter-culture

What will history say about this season in church pulpits?

Martin Luther - “Table Talk”

– “A preacher should have these virtues; First, to teach systematically; secondly, he should have a ready wit; thirdly, he should be eloquent; fourthly, he should have a good voice; fifthly a good memory; sixthly, he should know when to make an end; seventhly, he should be sure of his doctrine; eighthly, he should venture and engage body and blood, wealth and honor, in the Word; ninthly, he should suffer himself to me mocked and jeered by every one.”

Principles of Rhetoric

Rhetoric – “Discourse that aims to influence men.” “The art of speaking or writing effectively.”

Inventio – subject matter A. Ethos – Character of the speaker –

the importance of perception B. Pathos – Ability of the audience to

identify with the speaker

Rhetoric…

Dispositio – Arrangement of material Progression of thought, order of ideas,

establishing cause and effect, logical climax

Elocutio – Style Depends on the setting – formal,

informal, classroom, home, open air, pulpit, audience type

Rhetoric

Pronuntiatio – Delivery Includes, cadence, meter, poetic,

gestures, posture, etc. Memoria – memory, the ability to call

upon other resources from the brain Spiritu Sanctu – The anointing of the

Spirit – His promise to bless His Word

On To Practical Matters…

The first main point is…any guesses? RELAX Fear, shortness of breath, confusion,

reading all hinder the presentation Put away all distracting props –

clicking pen, glasses on and off, on and off, etc.

Begin slowly and breath

Vary Your Voice Pitch – tone, inflection Pace – speed, too fast or two

slow aim for about 100 words a minute – Unity Service…

Volume – emphasis lowering can be as effective as screaming

God’s Word is still the focus not the instrument – “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” was read in a monotone voice

The Attitude of the Preacher Reverence of the Scripture, read

carefully and with honor Humility – we do not have all the

answers, nor have we arrived We are simply God’s ambassador Mannerisms – beware – ask others to

honestly critique you – zipper, fill words

Preaching and life should be one

Three Main Sermon Types Topical – love, joy, sin, almost

anything – guided by subject matter Easiest to keep unity of message Easily grasped by the average

audience today Allows great latitude Allows for a Biblically

comprehensive treatment of a topic

Some Disadvantages Easy to get into rut – baptism, family, $ Easy to only preach on what interests the

speaker and not necessarily what is needed by his hearers

If a hammer is your only tool, all is a nail Easier to get into error since context can

be ignored “Text without context becomes pretext” Lev. 25:44 God wants us to have slaves

Textual Sermon A short unit of verses (4 or less) and

the topic and subjects flow from the text

Romans 1:16 – 1. The Gospel is the power of God 2. It is the power of God unto

salvation 3. It is the power of God unto

salvation to those who believe

Advantages/Disadvantages

Basically same as topical Easy to grasp by most audiences NIV grammar is excellent for this Still easy to pick only texts you like Still easy to avoid context Isogesis (to put the meaning in) vs.

exegesis (to draw the meaning out)

Prince of Sermons Expository – An entire

book, a chapter, etc Forces the teacher to

deal with topics not normally addressed

Helps keep verses in their context

What does it say and what does it mean?

Helps limit “proof texting”

Disadvantages…

Lose focus of what you are trying to communicate

Not applicable to your audience Can limit ability to deal with

current issues Get lost in detail and rabbit trails Attention span of modern listeners

Many Types of Sermons

Points – a progressive line of thought Twin – two conflicting or contrasting

– positive vs. negative Interrogative – Journalist questions –

who, what, where, why, when, and how

Ladder – point to point like a lawyer or as in a debate

Sermons Jewel – turning a verse round and round

like a gem (as opposed to cinnamon roll) Hegelian – Thesis, antithesis, and

synthesis Thematic – “High Cost of Low Living” or

“It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming” Rebuttal – to correct false teaching Life-situation – problem solving

Which One Is Right? How long should a piece of rope be? Depends on the need doesn’t it? It’s not a matter of right and wrong,

but right and left I prefer topical or expository of large

sections of Scripture Easier to stay closer to the context

and get the full picture

Sermon Preparation Begins With A Prepared Preacher!

We must be in right relationship with God

We must have a valid idea to preach! - Battles are fought on the field of ideas

Where do I get one? Bible must be the ultimate

source Needs of the hearers –

instruction, correction, edification, vision, etc

Flash of inspiration – God is the God who still speaks, we often fail to listen!

Valid Idea…

Personal experiences – victory or defeat

A planned program – a book, whole Bible, Homiletics, parenting etc

Next, is the task of correlation A scripture must be secured

immediately for any idea no matter where it comes from!

Four Basic Uses of Scripture Text – what does it say, what does it

mean Context – helps define what the text is

saying Illustration – other texts using the same

word, principle or idea Support – doctrine is made by multiple

text (not one!) Can you think of any doctrines based on 1 verse?

Planned Rabbit Trail…

How do we know if a doctrine is central, critical, one to be used as a basis of fellowship?

It should surface in multiple places …Gospels, Paul, Peter, James, John,

Beware of limited texts as the basis of doctrines…

Proper Interpretation is a Must Crash course on Hermeneutics Factors involved in proper interpretation The historical setting – not written to us

– what did it mean to the original hearers/recipients?

Grammatical structure Meaning of all major words Scriptural cross-references

Proper Interpretation

Context is important – paragraph, chapter, book, Testament

What type of literature am I reading? Meaning cannot conflict other

passages OT must be viewed through NT We will speak confidently about what

we know well

Steps to Proper Interpretation Read text in several translations Look up every word in original language Restate in your own words Consult commentaries – several and

know who wrote them and what they believe!

Read other places the words are used What did it mean to the folks to whom it

was first written?

Assuming We Have Something To Share, Then What? Get your thoughts organized and outlined All points should connect and make sense Sub points should divide main points Explain, define, present arguments for or

against, illustrate, and a key pet peeve is… MAKE APPLICATION Allow for invitation to respond

Illustrations Illustrations – the

good, the bad, and the ugly

Can and should be used to clarify, persuade, impress a point, and to aid in repetition and argument

Many types including – verbal, physical, personal (I don’t recommend using wife or children)

Illustrations… Parables, analogy, biographical,

historical, simile or metaphor…all great

The Bad – Shouldn’t be told for the sake of telling – lady in the balcony

Overused, undignified or of course, unrelated

If you have to explain, avoid Circumcision story…

Some More Practical Ideas “There is not a lack of

revelation, but a lack of preservation of revelation.”

How do we capture the ideas, concepts, thoughts, verses etc. that God gives us?

Filing systems, computer, I use “sermon garden”

Write it down!

How To Begin… Remember - this is the task of the

preacher – the clothing of ideas in words. Step 1 – Choose your passage Prayer, thinking, being requested to speak

Length of text and length of time and

your audience Type of message – topical, textual, or

expository

Step 2 Study your passage (s) Read as many translations as possible –why? Consult resource materials – Lexicons,

Dictionaries, Concordances, Word Studies Commentaries – use a variety and know

what is behind their comments – Calvinist, Armenian, anti-pope, liberal, non-miracles, etc. Each one will have an underlying view

Step 3

Begin to develop the theme Ask “what is he talking about here?” “What is he saying about what he is

talking about?” Ask the journalist questions What type of text is it – parable,

poetry, proverb, historical narrative, command?

An Effective Preacher Must…

Have passion BG – “That’s why I’m

so giddy.” Be involved in three

different worlds The world of the Bible The present world

scene The world of that of his

immediate listeners

Step 4 Restatement – Use your own words

to see if you understand what is being stated

Explanation – What does it mean Proof – Is it true (Jotham -2 Chron

27) Application – What difference does it

make? Make it personal to those listening

Ask, “What is the purpose of this sermon?” It should seek to change lives in

some specific way What do you expect to happen as a

result of your efforts? For example: A Proposition to be proved – Jesus is

the Christ A Principle to be applied – let

hearers also be doers of the Word

What We Expect…

A Subject to be contemplated – Do not forsake your gathering together…Why?

A Story to be told – people remember stories…A certain man went down to Jerusalem…mountain top vacation

Our goal is to be used of God in the presentation of truth to affect change

General Outline…

Introduction – something to grab attention or set the focus

Body of the messages, points, sub-points, illustrations,

Application – Why did I preach this? Conclusion – the purpose of a

conclusion is to conclude not just end

How To Improve…

Read good sermons – classics Listen to others and critique Listen to your own and critique Listen to those who love you Take some classes – Olford Institute Read books on how to preach Practice, practice, practice…

Some Summary Comments

We have the honor of sharing God’s very words with others

We must take it seriously and apply ourselves to the pursuit of excellence

It is better to leave your listeners longing for more than to have them wishing you were finished…

Summary… 2 Timothy 2:15 – “Do your best

to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

Studying is not quenching the Spirit

God can and does anoint your preparation

Summary…

“I don’t use notes,” the preacher boldly declares, and we all say, “we can tell!”

Spontaneous most times means unprepared!

Go over your teaching several times Practice it out loud Boil it down to one sentence

Finally… God is the one responsible for the results We pray, prepare and do our best; God is

the one who promises that His Word will not return void…it will accomplish what He desires – Isaiah 55…

Don’t quit if it doesn’t go as well as you think it should have…you are not objective at this point…

Be strong, be men of the Word! Stick close to the Scripture, it is excellent material!