1. Tell the Story
2. Make the Main Idea Clear
3. Apply the Main Idea

In a bit more detail, here’s my suggested “default” starter outline:

Introduction – whatever is needed to make people want to listen to you and to the passage and message.

1. Tell the story – tell the story so people can imagine it happening.  Tell it accurately, tell it engagingly, tell it with energy.
2. Main Idea – make it clear what we are supposed to learn from this story. What is the main point the author is trying to communicate?
3. Application – take some time to describe the difference this idea could make, should make, to our lives.  Be specific.

Conclusion – review the main point, encourage application, stop.

So here’s a question from Philip on this site the other day: What differences should their be when preaching narrative passages to an audience of children as opposed to an audience of adults?  Will the differences be in the manner the story is told or taught?  Or only in the truths the story teaches?

Difference in Manner?  I would say not especially.  While we might feel the need to be more exaggerated and “hyped” to keep the attention of children, I suspect they can be gripped by a well told story minus excessive clowning from us.  On the other hand, perhaps we need to utilize more energy and motion in our story telling to adults!?

Difference in Truth?  I would say not especially.  We might state the truth more simply to children, but a story has one main idea.  That is the main idea whoever the audience.  A story isn’t theologically loaded for adults, but a simple moral instruction for children.  What changes is how we present and apply that specific truth.

Difference in Application?  Yes, this would be different.  We don’t need to help children imagine trusting God’s goodness in the face of employment challenges.  But the same truth is needed in their school and home experiences.

Difference in Awareness?  Yes, this is the main thing that comes to my mind.  Children don’t have the same historical and geographical/spatial awareness that adults tend to have.  We need to beware of assuming too much knowledge with adults too (in an increasingly biblically illiterate society), but I think details in a text that may be fascinating to adults can be confusing to children.

Same passage, same truth, but differing levels of detail, and differing specifics of application.

What do you think?

1. Be sure to grasp and preach the main point.  A story does not consist of details collected together to offer you numerous launch points for vaguely connected ideas and insights.  The story consists of details deliberately chosen to help make the story work, to make the main point effective.  Be sure to grapple with the main point more than you hunt for “preaching points.”

2. Be careful to honour the form as well as the content.  Why chop it up and preach it as discourse when God made it a story?  This means that the bulk of your message should involve the best retelling of the story that you can manage.  Speaking of which, two critical elements of powerful story preaching:

3. Put your energy into effective description.  Study hard so you can describe well.  Build your sensory descriptive vocabulary so you can describe effectively.  Read C.S.Lewis or another great fiction writer to get a taste of compelling description.  Turn on your imagination again, because if you can see it, they will see it.  Take enough time for your descriptions to form on the screens in the listeners’ minds.  And pour similar energy into describing the application of your message too.  Speaking of energy…

4. Present with energy through engaging dynamism.  To be blunt, people don’t listen to dull stories.  To be honest, we rarely tell dull stories in normal life.  Ask me about my littlest girl’s birth last week and I’ll be engagingly dynamic.  I need to let that version of me show when I preach a Bible story.  When you preach a Bible story, remember that if you really care so it shows, they will care too.

I think these four suggestions are the very essence of powerfully preaching a Bible story.  What would you add?

I’ve been trying to get hold of a commentary series on the books of Samuel that does a stunning job of demonstrating the interconnectedness of the individual stories (a rarity in commentaries on narrative books!)

I’ve been pondering how the gospel writers wove together events and parables in a way that honoured their historicity, yet communicated their own theological emphases under the inspiration of God.  The gospels are not simply four perspectives on a car accident, it’s much richer than that!

So as we engage a story, we must break open the blinkers of the section headings and get a sense of what is going on around our focus text.  The context almost always sheds light on the point of our focus.

What is true on a local level, is also true on a macro level.  To be effective preachers, we need to be whole Bible people.  That is, we need to have a sense of how the whole fits together, not just historically, but as a greater plot.

The tension underlying every narrative is the fall of Genesis 3.  The characters in every plot are people responding to God as they hear His Word.  The resolution to the problem of Genesis 3 can never be the moral successes of particular characters, but rather the amazing intervention of God’s grace incarnated.

While we don’t need to always finish the macro story, we must always be aware of how our particular text fits into that larger narrative.  Only then can we be sure to avoid the simplistic little niceties of sharing tips for successful living through ancient tales with moral morals.  For whether we realize it or not, how we live this Thursday is part of the great narrative of God’s grace being spurned or celebrated in the epic of history and the annals of eternity.

So on a book by book level, on a canon-wide level, and on a history as a whole level, we must see individual plots as part of the bigger plot of God’s great story.  As preachers we have the privilege of shining light both in narrow focus, and in broad illumination.

Undoubtedly, a recycled sermon takes less preparation time than a sermon from scratch on a passage previously never preached.  But my suggestion, if you are preparing to re-preach an old sermon, would be to follow a process along these lines:

1. Prayerfully consider the text itself before looking at the old notes or outline.  Even if you only have time for a brief engagement with the text, there needs to be a freshness about your approach to it, even if the end result remains the same in terms of message outline and details (since the passage does communicate something specific, and that, at one level, does not change).  Be sure to feel the impact of the text on your heart as you pray through it.

2. Prayerfully consider the specifics of this occasion before looking at the old notes or outline.  It is good to get a clear image of who the message will be preached to on this occasion.  What are their circumstances, what are their needs?

3. Prayerfully walk through the whole passage preparation process as you reconsider the previously preached sermon (or ideally, your old exegetical notes).  Why are you selecting this text?  What are the pertinent elements of exegesis that should drive your understanding of this text?  What do you now think was the author’s purpose in writing this text?  Is that main idea still the best summary you can make of this text?  You may find that your interim growth and biblical studies have changed your level of understanding so that you start tweaking your old passage or study notes.  If you only look at the end product (outline, notes, etc.) then you are preaching without the richness of the exegesis that didn’t make it into the notes, but was fresh on your heart.

4. Prayerfully walk through the message preparation process as you reconsider the old sermon.  What is your message purpose this time, this congregation, this occasion?  Can you improve the message idea to fit this particular preaching event, or to better reflect the text’s idea?  Is your old outline the most effective idea delivery strategy?  Do the details of introduction, conclusion and “illustrative materials” fit?  You may well find that the message also changes in some ways.

5. If at all possible, prayerfully preach it through out loud.  Listeners can spot a stale notes-dependent presentation.  Just because it looks ok on paper, does not mean it can be preached with freshness from your heart and mouth.  Run through it and prayerfully “own it” again.

This may seem like a lot of work, but actually I could do this process in less than a couple of hours (plus the run through of step 5).  This is a lot less time than a full sermon from scratch, and as we’ll see tomorrow, time saving is not the only benefit.

Part 1 is here

Part 2 is here

(I can’t get the media player to work on Safari, but it will on Firefox.  I know others have had issues.  I had to install Quicktime plugin on Firefox on a PC.  Anyway, hopefully you can get it to work, here’s the page for the show.)

Actually, when it comes to biblical preaching there aren’t as many rules as people tend to think.  The preacher has all sorts of freedom that should be instructed through experience of what works effectively, what achieves communication goals, etc.  But there are not as many rules as people tend to think.  As I wrote on here some time back:

Some like to impose significant amounts of structure on the preaching event, but in reality there are few limits involved.  There may be some limits imposed by the culture and heritage of a church – congregational traditions – and it is wise to think carefully before smashing through those expectations in an attempt to be creative.  However, these limits vary from place to place and it is possible, once trust is established, to carefully adjust such expectations.

So is there any constraint, or is it all freedom?  And how is it people (in this age of freedom!) tend to choose to wear a strait jacket?  And the one they choose to wear is the one that could well be cast aside? Here are the two strait jackets:

Wear This One – “To have integrity as a biblical preacher, I must be constrained by the true meaning of the passage I am preaching.” Each passage is saying something.  When we preach, we need to say the something the passage is saying.  We cannot say anything from anywhere in the Bible.  While we can tailor and target and re-order and re-emphasize, we cannot say whatever we want from a passage.  Some people, in the pursuit of “interesting” and “relevant” and especially “original,” will undermine the exegetical integrity of their preaching by saying what the text simply isn’t saying.  Be constrained by the text you preach.

Don’t Wear This One - “To be considered a preacher, I must preach in a certain manner, using a certain form that qualifies as a real sermon.”  While the first strait jacket guarantees our integrity as Bible handlers, this second jacket can sometimes undermine our effectiveness as biblical preachers.  What shape should a sermon take?  What style of delivery should be used?  Matters of form are matters of freedom for the preacher to evaluate strategically.  Different texts, different circumstances, different occasions, different strengths as a preacher, different personalities, different listeners, can all prompt different sermon shape and delivery style.  At this level our goal is effectiveness in communication.  We do not need unnecessary limits in place to hinder our effectiveness.

Sadly too many preachers settle into a predictable pattern where actually there could be considerable freedom – in matters of form and delivery.  And too many show a wild freedom where there is a limit – in the meaning of the text.  Let’s be sure to wear the right strait jacket, but throw away the other!

This is where the big idea approach to preaching is so on target.  If the big idea of the text is the control mechanism during message formation, then the text should be coming through.  Sadly though, too many preach generic messages that essentially disconnect from the text itself.

I suppose preaching is essentially very easy for some folks.  A thirty-five minute message is really only a couple of minutes of “worked material” that builds tenuous links between the text and the message.  Once the text is tied in somehow, the standard message content can flow freely without hindrance.  Easy.

Some people do this by leaving the text behind.  It is read, a couple of comments are made, and then the message moves on from the text into generic sermon zone.

Others do this by pulling from the text the three things they want to find there.  Perhaps something pointing to human sin, and something to do with God, and maybe something along the lines of consequences, or perhaps a vague segue to Calvary, or whatever.  Thus the narrative is plundered for intro links to the message the preacher intended to preach.

Let me encourage you to make the preaching text more than an introduction for the message, or an introduction for the points.  Allow the text to be master over the sermon.  

Seek to preach so that God’s Word is communicated and God’s voice is heard.  Seek to preach so that listeners can clearly hear the text and its influence on the entire message.  Seek to genuinely preach the Word.

Preacher, where do your sermons sit?

Cheaper than a fig – This is preaching that is simple because it is shallow.  The preacher hasn’t wrestled with the text, hasn’t entered into the complexity of the passage, it’s theology, the interface between ancient text and contemporary listener, etc.  The preacher is just demonstrating shallow incompetence.  Technical commentaries have been ignored.  The text has received only scant attention.  The sermon is simple because it is simplistic.  It doesn’t engage listeners.  It doesn’t shed light.  It doesn’t stir hearts.  It has the nutritional value of a burger bun.

Complexity – This is preaching that has gone beyond the fig stage.  The preacher has started to wrestle with the text.  The preacher may have engaged in dialogue with some technical commentaries.  The preacher has mapped out some or all of the complexities of the theology and its interface with contemporary life.  It may be complex because the preacher hasn’t cut out unnecessary detail.  Or it may be complex because the preacher hasn’t really got to grips with the details.  Or it may be complex because the preacher is trying to impress.  Whatever the cause, it is complex.  Hard to listen to.  The listener has to really work to benefit.  Much nutrition, but as hard to digest as day-old steak.

Costly as a right arm – This is the goal.  The preacher has gone beyond the shallow into the depths.  The preacher has studied, and wrestled, and prayed, and thought themselves through to a place of clarity.  This isn’t simplistic, this is profound, yet accessible, relevant, clear, engaging.  They often say that the very best sportsmen and women make hitting the ball, shooting for goal, playing the game look so easy.  It isn’t because they are just natural at it.  It is because they have endured the work necessary to get to the other side of complexity.  That’s why we pay so much to watch them.  Too many preachers are worth less than a fig because they are simplistic, or so complex that the gold seems hard to mine.  If only more preachers were right arm types – having thought themselves through to a level of clarity that is blessing to all who hear.

6. How sensitive am I to the tone of the author?  Do I treat the text as an ancient data dump, or have I tapped into the actual tone of the author?  Am I sensitive to his mood, his intent, his heart beating in the words that he wrote?

7. How appropriately do I point to the weightier details of the passage?  Every passage consists of details, and some are weightier than others.  Do I spend my time where it matters, or do I get bogged down with subsidiary details?

8. How aware am I of the earlier texts that feed into this passage?  If a passage is quoted, am I aware of that passage?  If a passage is alluded to or influential on the writer, do I seem aware of that?

9. How well do I place this passage in the full panorama of Scripture?  This differs from question 8 because that was only looking at what had come before.  This question is asking about the whole canon, all of it.  Am I alert to where this passage fits in the progress of revelation?  Do I make sure that this passage is preached appropriately for today?

10. How good is my summary of the passage, really?  I suppose we should ask if there was a summary statement of the passage . . . but assuming there is, how is it?  Does it reflect the nuances and uniquenesses of the passage, or is it too generic?  Does it capture the heart of the passage?  Would it get a knowing nod from the author as an accurate summary of his intended meaning?

Finding people who could give you feedback on these ten questions could make the difference between you being self-aware and being self-deceived.  Don’t be naive.  Try to find out how well you are handling the Bible, honestly.  Then let’s all grow more and more as preachers of the Word!

Well you can take courses from trustworthy instructors and see their feedback on your Bible handling.  Or more immediately, you can ask someone who knows what they are talking about for feedback.  (The only problem with this is that if you don’t what you don’t know, how do you know if they know . . . still, worth getting feedback, probably from multiple evaluators.)  Some probing questions to ask them:

1. How diligently do I observe the text?  Am I really careful to see exactly what it does say?  Do I notice the key details?  Do I represent what is actually said in the text precisely?  To put it another way, am I diligent to preach this text and not jump from it to say what I want to say?

2. How effectively do I interpret the text in context?  Am I obviously alert to, and influenced by, the context in which the passage sits?  Do I seem to be genuinely familiar with the book as a whole?  Do I show how the details of this passage make sense in light of the flow of the broader section in which it sits?

3. How familiar am I with the relevant historical and cultural background to the text?  Am I preaching the text demonstrating a natural familiarity with the historical background, the cultural background, the geography, the “world” of the text?  Or am I preaching the text at very long arms length with all the presuppositions of our individualistic, affluent, democratic, freedom obsessed culture firmly in place?

4. How alert am I to the author’s flow of thought?  Does the sermon feel staccato and bitty, or do I show the flow of thought?  Does it feel like separate thoughts bound together by a title, or does it feel coherent?

5. How accurately do I interpret the details in the text?  The words, the names, the grammar, the dialogue, the details.  Do I show a good level of precision when it comes to the analysis and close work in the text?

I’ll add another five tomorrow…