Posted in Audience Analysis, Christianity, Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 8 - Message Detail on March 17, 2010 | 7 Comments »
I was just reading a post by Bill Mounce on the Koinonia blog (to see it click here.) He offers a simple and graciously toned introduction to textual criticism set in the context of a natural question raised by folks in the church . . . “why is verse 4 missing in my Bible?” Some [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 3 - Passage Purpose, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 7 - Message Outline, Stage 8 - Message Detail on March 8, 2010 | 2 Comments »
In a lot of preaching situations it is easier to simply present the text and press home the imperatives. Whether or not there is technically an imperative in the grammar, we can easily turn a passage into an instruction and press for change through our words. I wonder how often we miss the opportunity to [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Delivery, Genre, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 8 - Message Detail, tagged Expository Preaching, Preaching Epistles on February 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
This is where we sometimes struggle the most. When preaching the epistles (less so the speeches of Joshua, Jesus, etc.), we can easily fall into logical information transfer and presentation of facts. But the fact is that all discourse is set in a narrative context. How do we make sure listeners feel the force of [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 7 - Message Outline, Stage 8 - Message Detail, tagged Expository Preaching, Preaching narrative on February 18, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Yesterday we touched briefly on poetry and noted how easy it is to preach without conveying the force of the text. Today let’s have a brief reminder regarding narrative. If the “force” of poetry lies in often emotive imagery, the “force” of narrative rests in the lack of rest, the tension necessary for a story [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Specific text, Stage 1 - Passage Selection, tagged Expository Preaching, Preaching Series on January 27, 2010 | 1 Comment »
What criteria can you use when planning a series in a longer book that you don’t want to last for years? Obviously we’re not obligated to cover complete books in a series, but how might you do that selectively rather than comprehensively? Here are some pointers: Foundation – Know the message, flow and structure of [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Genre, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Old Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 1 - Passage Selection, tagged Christmas Preaching on December 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
It would be easy to push through this season and then leave Christmas sermons until next year. It would be a wasted opportunity. Just as it can save money to buy next year’s cards right after this year’s Christmas, so it can save time to give some thought to next year’s sermons now. Perhaps you [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Genre, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Specific text, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 8 - Message Detail, tagged Biblical Narratives, Expository Preaching, Luke 1, Matthew 1, Narrative Preaching, Preaching Bible Story, Theocentric Preaching on December 9, 2009 | 2 Comments »
There are many stories in the Bible, and this is one season in the year when most of us are preaching stories. In some ways Bible stories give the preacher an advantage. For example, stories offer a flow, a plot, a progression, that can be replicated in the message (although it amazes me how many [...]
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Posted in Audience Analysis, Christianity, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching, Religion, Stage 3 - Passage Purpose, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 8 - Message Detail, tagged Expository Preaching, Matthew 1 on December 8, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Yesterday I pondered why a message might be considered a new take or somehow different from what was expected. On this particular occasion I preached Matthew 1. I wonder if there’s another element to add to yesterday’s list of thoughts: 4. Not overemphasizing the theologically rich element in the text. In this passage there is [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Genre, Homiletics, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 8 - Message Detail, tagged Christmas Preaching, Matthew 1 on December 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I was pondering the passage I preached yesterday. It was Matthew 1 – the genealogy and Joseph’s dream. I engaged with the text, tried to preach it with it’s own emphasis, and emphasised the relevance to us today. A couple of comments afterwards referred to the new or different angle or take on the story. [...]
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In our zeal to do our best, sometimes we might over deliver in a sermon. For example, we might over deliver on the content of the passage so that listeners get the sense that they have no exhausted that passage and so have no need to return to it. We might over deliver on the [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Genre, Homiletics, New Testament, Old Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, tagged Biblical Narrative, Daniel Goepfrich, Expository Preaching, Literary Structure, Topical Preaching on August 7, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Daniel Goepfrich wrote a substantial interaction with this blog over on his site – here – this post is specifically addressing this sentence in paragraph 8: Most of the Scriptures were not written as sermons or messages to be taught straight through. Sure, some of the letters in the New Testament are designed that way and [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Genre, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Old Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 3 - Passage Purpose, tagged Biblical Genre, Expository Preaching on July 30, 2009 | 1 Comment »
The traditional approach to preaching a Bible passage is that it is a collection of data, probably in an antiquated form. So for many preachers, coming to the text is coming in search of sermon content – data to be transmitted, information to be mined and presented. In recent years awareness has increased significantly in [...]
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Posted in Audience Analysis, Christianity, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Specific text, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, tagged Apologetics, Bibliology, Expository Preaching, Gospels, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, Peter Williams, Richard Bauckham, Tyndale House on July 24, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Sometimes in preaching we will cover details that have apologetic value. This will probably not be the main thrust of the passage, but if time allows, why not note the inference that can be made so that our listeners are strengthened in their view of the accuracy of the Bible? Our churches would be stronger [...]
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Posted in Audience Analysis, Christianity, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Specific text, Stage 2 - Passage Study, tagged Apologetics, Bibliology, Cambridge University, Expository Preaching, Peter J. Williams, Peter Williams, Textual Apologetics, Tyndale House, Word Perfect Quotations on July 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
When you are studying a text and preparing to preach it, make sure you notice the details. No word is there by accident. As I sometimes say, the writers of the Bible were neither drunk nor wasteful. Not drunk means that they were coherent and deliberate in what they wrote. Not wasteful means that papyrus [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 3 - Passage Purpose, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, tagged Ephesians, Expository Preaching, Mark, Romans on July 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
As a preacher it is important to know the big shape of the book you are preaching. It is also important to communicate it. Too many Christians see the books of the Bible as a random assortment of random chunks. Our preaching should not exacerbate that lack of macro awareness. While preaching a passage it [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Genre, Homiletics, New Testament, Old Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 1 - Passage Selection, Stage 2 - Passage Study, tagged Apocalyptic, Biblical Genre, Biblical Poetry, Expository Preaching, Genre, Prophecy, Wisdom Literature on July 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday we looked at just some of the challenges that come with preaching epistles, gospels and historical narrative. Now for the other four genre. Which do you find the hardest? Poetry – Psalms and songs are readily leaned on in times of personal trial, but preaching them well is not so easy. The imagery is [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Genre, Homiletics, New Testament, Old Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, tagged Biblical Genre, Expository Preaching, Genre on July 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
What is the hardest genre to preach well? Every genre has its own challenges. Here’s a list of biblical genre with some brief points on why each can be hard to preach well. I’ll tell you what I find the toughest, but your top three toughies might be different. Let’s not avoid the ones we [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Genre, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Old Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 7 - Message Outline, tagged Expository Preaching, Preaching narrative on July 7, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Most people have. Let me share the three reasons people gave at the seminar last weekend for having done this, then I’ll make my point clear: 1. It’s like children wanting the same story told over and over – it gives a sense of security. 2. You catch details you didn’t see first time through. [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 4 - Passage Idea, tagged Expository Preaching, Textual Outline on May 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Observation does not work in haste. It takes time to keep looking at something and really see it. I’m told that you cannot get the best out of an art gallery by rushing around and taking mental snapshots (my default approach). I know that neither can you get the best out of a Bible passage [...]
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Posted in Audience Analysis, Christianity, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching, Religion, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 8 - Message Detail, tagged David Wenham, Forsyth, Homilies, Liturgical Church, Liturgical Preaching, Liturgy, Mainstream Churches, P.T.Forsyth on March 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Here’s a quote worth pondering, wherever you sit theologically. It is quoted in a book that is more mainstream and liturgical in orientation than the more evangelical books I tend to quote from. It is a quote by P.T.Forsyth in reference to the Roman Catholic church. I’m sure this post could stir response on numerous [...]
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Posted in Homiletics, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, tagged Expository Preaching, Martin Luther, Michael Pasquarello III, Pasquarello, Preaching Easter on March 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
What is your aim as you preach this Easter? In his book, Sacred Rhetoric (p119-120), Michael Pasquarello makes the following comment about Martin Luther: Luther’s homiletic aim was to demonstrate, by means of the Gospel, that the resurrection is more than an idle tale or a painted picture that evokes admiration and religious sentiment. . [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching, Religion, Stage 8 - Message Detail, tagged Greg Haslam, Preach the Word, Westminster Chapel on February 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Continuing the list of ten characteristics of Jesus’ preaching, as observed by a chapter in Preach the Word: (6) Visual in its Appeal – Jesus painted word pictures. He didn’t speak in abstractions, but he helped his teaching to form in the minds of the listeners (whether they were intended to really understand that picture [...]
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Posted in Audience Analysis, Christianity, Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching, Religion, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 8 - Message Detail, tagged Expository Preaching, Greg Haslam, Preach the Word, Westminster Chapel on February 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Haslam’s book, Preach the Word, has a chapter entitled “Learning from Jesus.” To some it is obvious that we should look to Jesus, who was, after all, the finest of preachers. But I suppose some would overlook Jesus as a model of preaching since, well, we’re not Jesus. In this chapter, the writer points out [...]
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Posted in Audience Analysis, Christianity, Delivery, Genre, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 6 - Message Idea, tagged Calvary, Easter, Evangelical Theology, Expository Preaching, Genre, Martin Luther, Passion Narratives on January 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I know Easter is still a couple of months away, but as a preacher it is never too early to think about Easter. In fact, there is a sense in which commemoration of Easter is never more than six days away – the Lord’s Day is a weekly gathering because of His resurrection. So here’s [...]
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Posted in Christianity, Genre, Homiletics, New Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, tagged Acts, Acts of the Apostles, Luke-Acts, Normative on January 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Unlike the Old Testament narratives, and in some senses, even unlike the gospel narratives, the Acts narratives should be easier to interpret and preach. After all, this is now church history, not ancient Israel history. But there is a challenge: The challenge of “normativeness” – how are we to understand and apply descriptions of a [...]
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