Monthly Archives: June 2007

by | June 30, 2007

Luke 18:9-14 – Contemporizing a Parable

Timothy Reynolds commented on my post regarding the preaching of parables. I’d like to elevate that comment to a post, along with my response, so that perhaps others might want to have a go at a modern retelling of Luke … Continue reading →

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Filed under Genre, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Specific text, Stage 8 - Message Detail

by | June 29, 2007

Preaching Familiar Texts

What should we do with stories that are very familiar to our listeners?  For example, a friend of mine recently preached the crucifixion account in Matthew 27.  How should he approach a passage that is so familiar and is a … Continue reading →

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Filed under Delivery, Homiletics, New Testament, Preaching, Specific text

by | June 28, 2007

Explaining the Stages

I recently added a 7-stage process to the categories on the site.  This is simply to give another way to find posts on the site.  Instead of using Robinson’s 10-stage process, I decided to use the slightly shorter 7-stage process … Continue reading →

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Filed under Homiletics, Preaching

by | June 28, 2007

Reflections on a six-sermon weekend

Last weekend I spoke six times in two days at a Bible retreat. The texts for the retreat were Nahum and Habakkuk. Four reflections: 1. First-person preaching is not used in many churches. The majority of people present had never … Continue reading →

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Filed under Delivery, Preaching, Stage 7 - Message Outline

by | June 27, 2007

Sermon Subtleties

Basics matter most. However, subtleties can add to the credibility and reinforce the unity and progress of a message. An intriguing title subtly stated at a key moment in the sermon. The opening phrase of the message repeated later, perhaps … Continue reading →

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Filed under Delivery, Homiletics, Preaching, Stage 8 - Message Detail

by | June 26, 2007

Clever Wording is Not Always Clever

Listeners do not want to feel like the preacher is unprepared and making it up as they go along. This undermines credibility. At the other extreme, today’s listeners are often unimpressed by excessively crafted wording. Gone are the days when … Continue reading →

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Filed under Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Stage 8 - Message Detail

by | June 25, 2007

Absent Illustrations Perceived Present

The term “illustration” is very broad, but I’m referring to those moments in a sermon when the thinking work of explanation, support or application of the text is interrupted by the color and life of something apparently more relevant to … Continue reading →

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Filed under Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Stage 8 - Message Detail

by | June 23, 2007

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

Have you ever found in the middle of writing a sermon that you have ten minutes of preaching material that has nothing to do with your main idea? This is easy to do. Some possible factors…an unclear main idea, too … Continue reading →

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Filed under Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preaching, Specific text, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 6 - Message Idea

by | June 22, 2007

What do they remember?

In my previous post I questioned the emphasis on having people remember the sermon’s outline. It is much more important that lives are transformed in the preaching of the sermon, than that listeners remember content (although sermonic content is critical). … Continue reading →

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Filed under Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Stage 8 - Message Detail

by | June 21, 2007

What do you want them to remember – the outline?

Before preaching, it is important to have the end in sight. Is our goal really to have people remember the details of the sermon? It seems that both preachers and listeners alike assume that the listener is supposed to remember … Continue reading →

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Filed under Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Stage 7 - Message Outline