IMMANUEL BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE

HOMILETICS

INTRODUCTION

[1] What is Preaching?

In the churches today we appear to have many speakers but oh so few preachers!
It has been said that television has spoilt the art of preaching. As most of us are used to watching and hearing a talking head with little or no movement because the head only talks for a minute or two before some picture takes its place e.g. the news programmes and documentaries.
The preacher however has only himself and his audience. Unless he uses an overhead projector there is nothing to been seen but the person. In some churches sermons are quite short say 12 minutes, but in others they can be as long as an hour. I heard of a Black church where the service started at 10 a.m. and the preacher seldom got on his feet until 1 p.m. and was still going strong at 3 p.m!

Let's think about a 30 minute sermon. For a preacher who is determined to preach the Bible the Word of God - where does he start? How can we keep the attention of the audience in today's multi-media society? There are those who say preaching is now out of date and we should communicate the GOSPEL in some other way. But is the Bible out of date? Is God's Word ineffective? Definitely not. Let's start by looking at what preaching is NOT:-

• Preaching is not lecturing - giving a classroom study like in a Bible class or mid-week meeting.
• Preaching is not airing our personal opinions - we would turn to politics for that.
• Preaching is not giving a few `off the cuff' thoughts that occur to you on the spur of the moment.
• Preaching is not a display of oratory or intellectual ability - a showing off to the audience so they will applaud you but never hear your message.

PREACHING IS:- Prophesying. The English dictionary definition of Prophecy is "inspired or prophetic utterance; prediction; public interpretation of Scripture; or preaching" The New Testament Greek work is PROPHETEIA

[2] The Importance of Preaching

God uses many different ways to speak to people - personal witness, tracts, Bible reading, dreams, visions but God's prime instrument is PROPHECY (Preaching) 1 Corinthians 1:17-18. We are to covet the gift 1 Corinthians 14:1. First comes Love then Prophecy. This pleased God 1 Corinthians 1:21 "God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe."

• It is by preaching that men and women are saved Mark 16:15 "Go and preach".
• By preaching (and teaching) the church is built up 1 Corinthians 14:4. Preaching should edify Ephesians 4:10-14.
• By preaching God's truth and power are made known to people Titus 1:3; Hebrews 4:12-13; Joel 2:25-31.

[3] The Essential requirements of Effective Preaching

1. Commission.
2. Revelation, spiritual preparation. God must give the message. "The preacher who is the messenger of God is the real master of society" (Sylvester Horne)
3. Intellectual and practical preparation.
4. Fellowship (Peter was with others at Pentecost)
5. Personal experience of the truth preached.

[4] The preparation of the Sermon

Dr. Pentecost "No real sermon can be preached without preparation"

1) The preacher must be prepared.

1. A man who listens to God will preach what God tells him, be first wrapped in the mantle and then preach - 2 Kings 1:13.
2. A man who daily reads and studies the Bible will feed his own soul. God's word is like a garden we must live and feed in it. The sermon comes out of this act.
3. A man with whom God deals.
4. A man whose mind has been disciplined and trained.
5. A man who learns to speak clearly, fluently, concisely, pleasantly, naturally.
6. A man of prayer.

2) The sermon needs to be prepared.

"Prepare your sermon as though it all depended on you, preach your sermon as though it all depended on God." (anon)

• Begin with something that speaks to you (keep a sermon seed book)
• Proceed to construct the sermon. This could be:-
1. The plain dissecting of a text from the Bible, simply explaining what the text means.
2. Exploration of a theme or topic, gather your material (use good commentaries)
   be constructive, enlightening, lead to a climax.
3. Exposition of a passage, carefully study the passage and its context, what does the passage really mean?
4. Application of a truth or a principle.

3) Governing Principles.

1. What does the text or passage say?
2. What is the abiding spiritual meaning, when was it written, by whom, to whom, what is its setting, does it still apply today?
3. What is the impact upon the conscience and the heart now?

Things to think about

1. "The average congregation would not recognise good preaching even if they heard it" (Don Hinchlciffe)
   Do you think this is true, if so why?
2. How does God call a man to be a preacher?
3. Can you preach truth that you have not yet experienced?
4. How long is preparation for say a 30 minute sermon?
5. Do you believe 1 Corinthians 1:21? In other words how committed are you to real preaching?
6. Is there a difference between preaching and speaking?

EVANGELISTIC SERMONS

For the budding preacher this is the place to start. It is unusual though not unknown for a young Christian to be teaching the deeper truths of God before he can effectively preach the gospel and gather some to Christ.

(The following points 1 to 5 are from notes by Dr. David Clifford and Mr. Don Hinchcliffe with modifications)

[1] Some rules of interpretation.

The message must be an accurate interpretation and presentation of Scripture.

• Absolute honesty, not twisted to suit our viewpoint.
• In the light of its context or setting.
• In the light of the original language - use a concordance.
• In the light of Biblical manners, geography, customs and history - use a Bible dictionary
• The text must be in the light of the general teaching of God's Word. No doctrine rests upon an isolated text but has the support of all the texts on that subject.

[2] Use of language.

The passage to be preached should be closely examined, carefully analysed, explained and illustrated in an orderly and intelligent way. Three things are here included:-

• Rhetoric - the art of effective speaking.
• Grammar - the correct use of the English language.
• Logic - the use of sensible arguments.

[3] The main emphasis of a Gospel Sermon.

1. Declaration of God - Acts 17:23
2. Diagnosis of Man - Romans 1 - 3
3. Direction to Christ - John 1:29
4. Decision for Christ - Acts 16:31
5. Discipleship from conversion - Luke 14:25

[4] A good evangelistic sermon should contain all of these six "R's"

1. RUIN of man.
2. REDEMPTION through the cross of Christ.
3. RESURRECTION of Christ.
4. REPENTANCE toward God.
5. REGENERATION by the Holy Spirit.
6. RETURN of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[5] The Order of the Sermon

1. Introduction - this should be arresting, interesting, leading into the main body of the sermon. This could be an illustration, poem, pithy saying, comment from radio or TV or a newspaper or magazine or a personal happening. But it must be relevant.
2. Main Body - This should have 3 or 4 sections with sub-sections if necessary

Layout of the sermon

Text.............................

Lesson........................

Theme............................

Introduction.....................

Section 1........................

Section 2........................

Section 3........................

I realize that the words above might mean different things to different people, depending on your church background. The text is the Scripture reference. In a simple gospel message preaching from one verse of scripture is a good place to begin. Theme is the general emphasis of the message e.g. Salvation; Faith; the Cross etc.

The Lesson is what you want to say to the congregation. Warren Wiersbe says "You should be able to stop the preacher before he enters the pulpit and ask `what is your message about?' In one sentence he should be able to answer."

Introduction is what you say as you start your message - the thing that gives the congregation the desire to keep on listening "This man has something to say and I want to hear it!" Sections are the headings of the message (see lesson 3)

1. Conclusion - A summary of the points of the sermon, an application of the message, an appeal to the heart and will to accept the message.

[6] Types of Sermons

1. Typical - taking a TYPE in the Old Testament to illustrate a New Testament truth. The Lord used this method in Matthew 12:40. The book of Hebrews is full of typology.
2. Topical - the preaching of a Bible topic such as Peace, Forgiveness etc.
3. Textual - taking the whole sermon from a single text.
4. Text with context - preaching the text but using the context for your headings.
5. Exposition - using a passage of scripture and expounding it.
6. Character - using the life of a Bible character to speak to the congregation.
7. Axiomatic - preaching from a Bible principle.

Things to think about and do:-

1. Make up a gospel sentence of your own including all the six R's.
2. Write an illustration to illustrate a textual message on John 1:29.
3. Choose an Old Testament character whose life would make a good gospel sermon.
4. Why is topical preaching popular?
5. How do you think you can appeal to the heart and will?

[1] Typical

This method opens up a great store of material as the Old Testament is full of types. Hebrews 8:5 speaks of "a copy and shadow of what is in heaven." The Bible is full of stories rich in gospel truths. In the Old Testament we have the Type e.g. Noah's Ark, in the New Testament we the antitype e.g. Christ.

If we examine Matthew 12:40 you will see the two key words that always must be present in a Typical sermon - "As" and "So". Hence we read "as Jonah" then we read that Jonah did something. Next "so the Son of Man" and it follows that Jesus would do something. Each heading in the message should contain the words As and So.

The introduction to a typical sermon would be the brief telling of the story - followed by the main points looking at part of the type in the Old Testament and showing the fulfilment of the antitype in the New Testament. The conclusion being a summary of the points and the appeal. An example of a typical sermon outline would look like this. I have chosen the character of Joseph from Genesis chapters 37 to 46

Genesis 37 As Joseph was rejected by his own - So was Christ.
Genesis 39 As Joseph was falsly accused of sin - So was Christ.
Genesis 41 As Joseph saved his people - So does Christ.

[2] Topical

Generally the topic chosen would be a scriptural topic but not necessarily so. Verses that throw light on the topic would be used. It is essential to be well grounded in Scripture to use this method effectively. One disadvantage is that the range is limited and the preacher may soon run out of good topics. The way a topical sermon is prepared is by asking questions that would result in a logical and orderly outline. Each heading would contain one of the following questions

• What? - This will define the topic.
• Why? - This will answer the necessity or reason for the topic.
• How? - This will answer the conditions needed and met.
• Who? - The personal element is here involved.
• Where?- This will describe the source from where the topic originates. or may be received or experienced.
• When? - This takes care of the time element.
• What then? This gives the topic room for application.

"I have seven faithful serving men,
Who taught me all I know,
Their names are What, Why, How and Who,
And Where, When and What then."

The introduction would highlight the topic and lead naturally into the first point. The conclusion and application would be a roundup of the points and an appeal. This method of preaching can have many points.

An example of a Topical sermon outline on Power:-

Why do we need Power?
Where can we get Power?
How can we get Power?

[3] Textual

This is the basis of expository preaching. Expounding and explaining scripture. This is the richest and most rewarding method. The exposition of texts was the principle way used by Charles Spurgeon. One can chose a whole text or just a part.

Things to note:

• Must be in accord with scripture as a whole and with the context.

" A text out of context is a pretext"

• Words of the text must have their right meaning. One must look for real truth - ask "what does the text say?"
• In this method all the readings come from the text

Text Analysis

When preaching from a text you discuss the theme of the text, this theme is brought into each heading.

• First - Find the theme
• Second - Find your headings by ringing the key words of the text as follows:

Suggested text Acts 16:31 (first part)

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."

The theme is Salvation - the four headings emerge from ringing the key words in the text (In our case the four key words are in brackets)

"(Believe) in the(Lord Jesus), and(you) (will) be saved."

Headings

The promise of salvation. (will)
Salvation is personal. (you)
The only person in whom salvation is found. (Lord Jesus)
The requirement of salvation. (believe)

It may be necessary to change the order of the headings to suit the preaching of the gospel and to make the message flow

Some points on choosing a text (Dr. D. L. Clifford)

• Pray and wait on the Lord to direct your mind.
• Read a chapter over and over, one verse will stand out - or part of a verse.
• In choosing do not consider the hearers whims but do consider their vices.
• The main difficulty in choosing is only because there are so many texts.
• The right text will come like a flash of inspiration. It will warm your own soul. It will easily divide into headings. It will grow while you watch it (but you must keep watching.) It will make you restless until you have preached the message it conveys.

Things to think about and do

1. Outline a typical gospel sermon on John 3:14.
2. Outline a gospel sermon on the topic - Peace.
3. Outline a textual gospel sermon on John 10:10.

[4] Text with context

Here the idea is to preach the theme of the text whilst finding your headings from the context. You do not analyse the text but you do preach it. The context may be a chapter or part of a chapter. The rules are the same as for preaching a text. It must agree with its context, must be in keeping with the whole of Scripture. e.g.Psalm 146:5a is the text "They will speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty." Headings could be verses 6a; 6b; 7b; 8a. etc.

6a. They will tell of the power of your awesome works.
6b. I will proclaim your great deeds.
7b. Joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8a. The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

These headings could then be moved into a different order to help the flow of the message.

[5] Exposition of a passage

This is without doubt the best form for systematic preaching. The late Alexander McClaren and the late Martin Lloyd-Jones were famous for this type of preaching, working through a book of the Bible. It does not have to be a chapter per sermon, it could be part of a chapter or more than one chapter. But such a passage should be complete in structure and idea. We must expound what the passage says. The passage would be broken down into reasonable segments and each given a heading that would tell the congregation what the segment says.
e.g. 1 John 1:1-4,

This Life is Revealed.
This Life is Experienced.
This Life is Shared.

(from Warren Wiersbe)

[6] Character or Biographical Sermons

The value of this type of preaching is that it is simple. Profound truth can be got over in a simple manner. It is interesting, fascinating material. It is true to life, the Bible never distorts, we see most of the great characters of the Bible presented "warts and all." There is little or no need for illustrations as the story of the character is one long illustration. The idea is to illustrate spiritual principles.

A word of caution

1. Study the background in an Eastern setting, read around the character.Beware of overstressing type, get hold of the spiritual meaning.Beware of leaving the principles in the Bible, the aim is to apply them.

e.g.
When Joseph (Genesis 39) stood his ground against Potipher's wife and would not sin, we have to apply that to situations today.

[7] Axiomatic

An axiom is a self evident truth, a universally received principle. This type of preaching takes Bible principles and expounds them. One of the main ways is to find the principle in the New Testament and use Old Testament situations as illustrations e.g. God is Good - the book of Daniel could be used for this message.

The use of notes in preaching

There are those who say notes are not necessary, we should rely on God's Holy Spirit. True we must always rely on the Holy Spirit as we preach. But I would say for a new preacher notes are essential. They need not be long and detailed. There are very few preachers who can read a whole sermon effectively.

Notes save us from the following:

• Being unstructured
• Giving a general `waffle'. As Dr. Clifford used to say "they go for a romp around
  the hills of salvation."
• Becoming flat and boring.
• Because the speaker does not really know what is coming next `errs' and `hms' creep into the speech,
  thus convincing the congregation this man does not know what he is saying.
• The hearers come for bread (God's speaking gospel) do not give them a stone.
• Easy to wander from your theme and message.
• "You must not for ever hover around the mere angles of the truth" C.H. Spurgeon.

A good idea for beginners is to write out the sermon in full and then condense it to note form

Things to think about and do

1. Write an outline of a gospel sermon text with context Psalm 16:18. Context is the whole psalm
2. Write out an outline expounding Isaiah 53.
3. Plan a gospel sermon on the character of Samson.
4. Write out a gospel sermon on the axiom "God is Light."

Construction of the sermon

"Prepare your sermon as though it all depended on you, preach your sermon as though it all depended on God." (Anon)

[1] Introduction of the sermon

During the introduction an audience gains an impression of the speaker that often determines whether or not they will accept what he says. The speaker can appear nervous, hostile, unprepared - so the audience may reject him. If he is alert, friendly, interesting they will want to listen. A good introduction introduces the congregation to the idea and its development. What dictates the opening?

• Audience.
• Type of Message.

The difference between a young people's group and a congregation at a funeral is self evident but the speaker would give careful though to his introduction to both.

Commanding Attention

When the preacher steps into the pulpit he dare not assume his audience are sitting on the edge of their seats waiting. A Russian proverb says "It is the same with men as with donkeys, whoever would hold them fast must get a very good grip on their ears."

The opening words need not be dramatic, nor plain but must force the hearer to listen. Tip - Memorise your opening 6 words, rehearse them. Once you are speaking you are into your introduction, but those opening 6 words are important.

Types of Opening

1. Paradox.
2. Familiar thought.
3. Rhetorical question.
4. Startling fact or statistic.
5. Provocative comment.
6. Humour.
7. Comment on the Scripture passage.
8. A story.
9. Direct into the subject.

Make the most of your opening. An ear-grabbing opening promises that what follows may be worth 30 minutes of everyone's time.

Surface Needs

A preacher may turn involuntary attention into voluntary attention. People listen not because they ought but because they want to.
"Always grab the reader by the throat in the first paragraph, sink your thumbs into his windpipe in the second and hold him against the wall until the tag line" (O'Neils Law).
Arthur R. Cohen concludes "When an audience receive information that meets need two things happen - More learning takes place. And opinions change faster and more permanently."

This is the point of contact with the congregation. Why bring this up? Why do I need to listen? Because need can be touched quickly. What about this for an opening remark to your subject - "Can a woman who works be a good mother?"
Need takes many shapes and forms. Christian believers differ from unbelievers, not in their needs, but in the way their needs are met.

Basic Needs - Food, Drink, Recreation, Sexual expression. etc. - if they are not met they dominate the thought life. We all have needs if we live with others.

People also need to know and understand. Curiosity is a strong motivation. Curiosity may catch attention at the beginning of the sermon, but it will not cause people to respond at the same depth as when they understand how God meets their longing for self esteem etc. Early in the sermon the people should realise the preacher is talking to them about them.

• This raises a question.
• Probes a problem.
• Identifies a need.
• Opens a vital issue on which the passage speaks.

Things to think about and do

1. Write out an introduction for a biographical sermon on Ezekiel.
2. Write an introduction for an expository sermon on Titus chapter 2.
3. Write an introduction for a sermon on Sanctification.

ILLUSTRATING THE SERMON

Introduction

"A funny things happened to me on the way to the theatre." The old radio comedians used to say as hey began their act.
They knew how important it was to get the attention of their audience - whether seen or unseen. A Christian preacher is no exception. A 30 minute sermon without any illustrations can be very tiresome and even boring.
We need some "windows to the soul" as Dr W. Sangster used to say. In this lesson we will see the importance of illustration, how to find them and where we should place them in the sermon so they are effective.

1] WHY USE ILLUSTRATIONS?

a) Because the Lord used them in his preaching. "A sower went out to sow." Immediately your mind is with the old type of farmer with his basket of seed scattering it on the ground. Look in Matthew chapter 13 a very important chapter in the gospel. In verse 25 there is another illustration - or parable as they are called here - about the Wheat and the Weeds. Then in verse 31 we have a Mustard Seed. Verse 33 Yeast. Verse 44 Treasure in a field. Verse 45 Fine Pearls, and verse 47 the Fishing net. These we could call mini illustrations in these cases just one or two words - yet they illumine what Jesus is saying. In others part of the gospels we have longer stories. Perhaps the most famous being the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37 and the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) Each of the parables of Jesus whether long or short is meant to illustrate one point - to help the people understand what he is saying.

b) Because they arouse interest. The concentration span of most people has got shorter and shorter over the last 50 years. The main contributory factor to this is said to be Television and to a lesser extent Radio although both media now offer things in short `sound bites' Have you noticed especially the programmes for the young how everything is in short pieces. The screen switching from one thing to another - sometimes so fast it is hard to know what is happening. This is all designed to keep your attention. So the preacher uses illustrations to get people's attention and bring them back to listening, as everyone is prone to wander in their thoughts.

c) Because they illuminate. It can be sometimes difficult to get over a point in a sermon without long and complicated theological words but an illustration can help people to see what you are saying far easier than often going into great detail.

2] ILLUSTRATION CAN BE

Generally either a:-

• a story - fact or fiction, from any source - serious or humerous.
• a saying - generally from someone else, do remember to acknowledge the source.
• a poem.
• a pithy saying.
• a comment from radio, television, newspaper or magazine.
• or a personal happening

3] WHERE TO FIND ILLUSTRATIONS

a) In the Bible. The Bible abounds with stories both long and short, particularly the Old Testament. If you are preaching on Faith then to say "Think of Abraham having to sacrifice his son Isaac" opens up in the minds of the hearing a thought of Abraham and Isaac journeying, building the alter, etc.

b) Everyday Life. Things are happening to us all the time. Someone might say something to you that is amusing or relevant to some point in a message. You might see something happen. There are literally thousands of things from every day life and that can be used as illustrations. They do not need to be personal although most people like to hear personal things that have happened to a preacher (More about the personal side later)

c)Secular Literature. This is a great source of illustration. Again it can be a story or just a short saying. To include So and So said is in a way illustration as you are re-inforcing a point. I find the Readers Digest a great source of illustration.

d) Illustration Books. There are many on the market some good some not so good. They are useful in that they are often categorised and you can look up either by subject or by scripture.

4] THEIR PLACE IN THE SERMON

It is a good idea to ration illustrations and not to have too many. They can push out the Word and after all it is the Word of God that does the work - the Holy Spirit can take an illustration and illumine someone but it is the Word of God that the Spirit takes to convert a soul - not an illustration. It is good to have:-

• An opening illustration. This gets people's attention immediately. The illustration should lead into the subject of the message and be relevant.
• An illustration in each of the points of the sermon. Where it comes is not so important, it is good to vary them at the beginning of the point, in the middle or at the end.
• A closing illustration. Either before or after summarising your points put in an illustration, this helps the people remember what your final appeal is. To conversion, commitment, service, prayer or whatever has been the subject of the message.

DANGERS

• The greatest danger is that the sermon is nothing else but illustrations, with a little bit of scripture in between. This might greatly interest the but I doubt it will be of any lasting benefit.
• Another danger is that all the illustrations are personal and can glorify the preacher and not the Lord Jesus Christ. It is our task to point people to Him - not to let them know how clever we are.
• A third danger is the telling of jokes. I like amusing illustrations but I limited them. I have heard preachers who have the congregation falling about with laugher (an now it would seem applause - as if they are at the theatre) Here again the people might remember the preacher but not the message. The Apostle Paul speaks of people going after preachers they like to hear what they want to hear and not necessarily the truth (2 Timothy 4v3)
• The fourth danger is building the sermon round an illustration. I have fallen into this trap. Finding a subperb illustration and then making it into a message. Our sermons should be soundly based on the Word of God and not on any illustration.