Expository preaching.
Preacher need to learn to speak the way people listen, to develop sermon logically and psychologically.
Preparing the sermon.
- Familiarity – to copy the text in long hand or on a computer (this helps to sort out the primary idea and the subordinate ones)
- Interpretation – your goal is to understand what the author of the text intended when it was read to the original congregation.
- The Exegetical Idea & Outline.
1) Subject: What is being discussed
2) Compliment: What is being said about what is being discussed?
- Functional questions & Purpose statement
(To put myself on the position of biblical author who is writing to biblical audience)
1) Do they understand the idea?
2) Do they believe the idea?
3) What difference does the idea made in the way they live life?
The purpous becomes obvious.
It is important to complete the exegetical process one or two weeks before the homiletical process is initiated.
Homiletic process puts the same questions as exegetical but to preacher’s audience.
(Держать в уме конкретных индивидуальностей и спрашивать себя: Что они думают? Как они к этому относятся?)
(To keep in mind certain personalitys and ask myself: What do they think about it? What changes will they make?)
Introduction & Conclusion
To create a need to listen further. This is accomplished by creating tension in mind of listeners. Raising felt needs or making unfelt needs felt without providing solution, creates tension!!!
Write a manuscript. Writing focuses you to work on wording.
Preach the sermon out loud at least two or three times. Those words, phrases & illustrations. That can not be remembered were developed illogically.
Preparing the Preacher.
“I go to the empty worship center. I thank God for it, for people; for the privilege to preach. Then I go and sit in the pews of
- widows
- young man (14 years old)
I try to imagine what do they think. It changes me.
Self-questioning.
- Have you bought you are selling?
- Can you do without it?
If you can do anything else, do that.
- Is the main thing the main thing?
“They had a message which consumed them (Apostles) like a flame.”
- Are you real?
Say to your people “I can not be all I preach”.
- Who is in Charge of your career?
Tell the Heavenly Father your dreams, desires & goals. Please God but not people.
Alternative Models of Sermons.
1. Tree Phase Models
1) To introduce a problem & establish its seriousness
2) To propose a solution & prove it is biblical
3) To provide the evidence that our solution works, or to demonstrate the result of employing it.
2. Single-Phase Model
Broadcast sermon (constantly keeps attention of listener)
Outlining the Sermon
(Inductive)
Start with the experience of the people & then move them to the text.
“In an inductive approach we do not know who the killer is. We are involved in the search to discover who he is.”
This approach is valuable in preaching for those who are unbelievers.
Outline
- Gods story.
- Preachers story.
- Their story (how it works for them)
- Keep point statements brief & simple.
- Each point should be a statement, not a question.
- Enjoy the creative possibilities of outlining. Good outlining leak to effective preaching.
Illustrating
1) “The art of writing is the art of observation”.
- Ask God to make you sensitive, ask God to make you an observer, what people say, think and do.
- Preacher can not comment on the human race as an outsider
2) The preacher who does not read is going to be in serious trouble.
3) Television & radio.
4) The best resource is – the people to whom you preach. (Ask them for help with illustrations)
The Visual in Preaching
“I see what you are saying!”
- Clothing / General Appearance
- Sitting / Standing
- Walking / Posture
- Looking
- Gesturing
1) Horizontal
2) Vertical
- Facial Expressions
- Eye contact
Visual tools
- TV/ Projector
- Using Objects
- Pulpit design
- Light
Preaching & Worship
The entire liturgical act should prepare a spirit of receptivity in the worshipers, so that the preacher does not have to struggle to male emotional contact with them.
\ Even well known comedians wait to come on to the stage until lesser-known personalities have wormwood up the crowd.
Preaching & Pastoral Care
The Sermon as a stimulus for seeking counseling.
“That of you who are felt led to do so, meet me at certain time to discuss issues that the sermon raised in your minds.”
The invitation should be an instrument of pastoral care and not just a ritual for recruitment of new members.
Life-situation preaching
Charles Kemps criterias:
- Is the problem common to all people?
- Would it lead people to go to the one who preached the sermon for personal guidance & help?
- Does the sermon grow out of human experience?
“Pastoral care has its beginning in the pulpit before it took root in hospital visitation of the sick.”
Preaching & Administration.
Mission: Why do we exist as a church?
Vision: What we will do then? (Vision details particular strategy).
George Barna: Vision – a clear mental image of preferable future, imparted by God to his chosen servants, based upon an accurate understanding of God, self and circumstances.
A church Vision involves how that church will fulfill its mission:
- Who will church reach?
- How will this church be distinct from other churches?
- Where is our mission taking us?
Values
- What is considered important?
- Where do those Values come from?
- Why thoseValues held by the church?
Strategy (how to make changes possible)
- Motivate.
Give information:
“Why we do what we do the way we do it?”
Positive Attitude.
If the preaching style is negative, members become more comfortable and familiar with knowing what they are “against” than what they are for.
|
Low Growth |
75% Negative |
|
Medium Growth |
81% Positive |
|
High Growth |
97% Positive |
! Reread this chapter once a month.
Preaching and Education
Tools of Learning.
- Illustrations.
From real life is better. “The more people can identify with the illustration used, the more readily they can apply its point.”
- Notepads
Let people think of applications of the sermon and write it down applications.
Preaching and Church Growth.
“For a preacher to remain productive, he must grow personally.
Growth
- Personal
- Spiritual
- Intellectual
Most congregations admire a minister who exercises self-discipline in his personal spiritual life.
Charley “Tremendous” Jones: “You are the same today as you will be in five years except for two, the people you meet and the book you read.”
A minister cannot remain static personally and be fresh in pulpit.
Christopher Morly: “The real purpose of books is to trap the mind into doing its own thinking.
Members will not follow a person spiritually they cannot respect intellectually.
There should be no “off” switch on a minister’s homiletical mindset. (Keep a notebook everywhere and write down all the thoughts)
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Preaching´to the Needs of People.
Family.
- To see the reality (93 % of families are not normal).
- Children are significant, they are gifts of God, and they are deserving of our time and investment.
Preaching & World of Work
Ill: King of Bavaria Henry the Third.
Prior: ”Go back to your throne and serve in the place God has put you”.
(1 Cor 10:31)
When our people are persuaded that they are servants of God regardless of their work, the working world and our churches will be transformed.
Preaching & Social Concerns.
Preacher should ask:
- What is happening in the world as this sermon is being prepared?
- What news report are we talking about most?
- What is the general mood of life in our community as this sermon is preached?
- What forces of evil in the world do we specifically identify as needing to be addressed by preaching?
Evangelism.
(Lk 14:23) “Compel them to come in, not invite!”
(2 Cor 5:20) “We beg (not say or ask) you, be reconciled to God!”
Persuasion evangelism goes a step beyond proclamation evangelism!
Preaching to Create a Climate for Evangelism.
- Evangelistic Atmosphere (the members must believe in priority of evangelism)
- Spirit of Love
- Spirit of excitement and expectancy
- Sense of Urgency
- Awareness of the supernatural work
- Team spirit
- Pastor sets a pace (shows an example)
It makes little sense to preach a powerful evangelistic sermon without first preparing the church.
Prayer meetings should be scheduled where the lost are prayed for by name.
Preaching & Conflict
Human nature is fallen, and people have latent hostilities just waiting to break out.
1) Start with personal self-examination.
2) Be focused on the will of God, not personal desires.
- God is not wanting anyone to perish (2 Pet 3:9)
- It is God’s will that you should be sanctified (1 Thess 4:3-5)
- God wants the body of Christ united, not divided (Ps 133:1)
3) Put Issues in Eternal perspective.
Preaching & Human Crises.
- Be aware of Personal Crises.
- Be aware of death in many forms.
- Deal with “Why questions”. (Rom 8:28)
Not everything is good or of God, but if we turn on to God, He will work with us to bring good out of it.
Preachers do not know why people suffer, but they can help them know what to do with their pain and where to turn with the crises of their lives.
! Made an inventory of the crises, which the people in my congregation had to deal with during the past year. It will remind me (the preacher) of what is happening in the lives of those who are listening.
! The pulpit reassurance that Cod will not abandon His children in the times of their trouble needs to be fleshed out in the church’s love and prayers
Strike up lie that good Christian is never suffering.
Funeral sermons
- Learning to Turn Loose. (2 Sam 12:15-23)
- Grief that immobilizes. (2 Sam 18:31)
- Living with a Dream Postponed (2 Sam 7:1-14)
Be a comforter!
Ethics in Preaching.
Preaching cannot be separated from the personal and professional life of the preacher.
Poor Preaching & Faulty Exegesis.
- Inspiration should be supported by investigation.
- Taking Scriptures out of context.
- Outreach lie for the sake of own denomination.
- Allegorical interpretation of Scriptures.
- Loaded language and Name-calling.
- Misrepresentation and Partial Truth.
Creating in Preaching.
“A sermon grows as an apple grows, and what it need is sun and time. You may pick it green if you are in hurry and if you do it will set your people’s teeth on edge. You may pick it half ripe and lose something of the flavor, or you may wait…”
Sermon Preparation.
“The farmer who hopes to deliver a fresh crop to market each week must plan for sequential harvesting. Subconscious self can be a supporting resource (when it is given a time). (Mk 4:26-29)
While sowing and harvesting belong to us, all that lies between belongs to God.
The Creative Cycle.
- Informing
- Exploring
- Withdrawing
- Discovering
- Verifying (week before delivering)
Long-range Design.
Spend 4-5 days preplanning all your series for year ahead.
The contemporary world and the Preaching Task.
“Great preaching is relevant preaching.”
“In order to be relevant, the message has to be, not timeless, but timely!”
Shaping Relevant Sermon
- Set the contemporary era in a spacious context of past and future.
- Within the present generation, look for studies that probe the underlying meaning of social change rather than merely chronicle the most prominent current events.
- In addition to tracking the time-line of the present era, give equal attention to the meaning of place.
- In approaching the culture of a particular time and place, be sure to look for the level where most of the people live to whom you are preaching.
- Look for integrative studies that approach significant change from a synoptic viewpoint.
- Look for recurring patterns by which the present is illuminated by historical parallels.
“People come to respect preaching shows that the preacher does know where they really live.”
-a brief sumary of the book "Contemporary preaching" M. Duduit