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Randal Pelton, Ph.D., D.Min., Th.M.

Senior Pastor, Professor

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Reasons why I don’t summarize my sermon in the conclusion

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One of my favorite definitions (or maybe description) of a sermon conclusion is by the late E. K. Bailey, long-time pastor of what is now called Concord Church in Dallas, TX. Bailey once said that “a great conclusion, like fine gravy, is made up of the same essence as the meat.” The description moves us away from the urge to insert new information in the conclusion. It does assume, however, that a conclusion involves a summarization. I agree that it’s not best to use the closing minutes of the sermon for new theology. I disagree with the thought of needing to summarize much of what has been said. Maybe you want to summarize or restate your main idea. But that’s all. Here’s my reasoning:

  • If they didn’t understand your main points in the message, they probably won’t gain a better understanding because you summarized them (and they may be too fatigued to be able to take in more explanation).
  • You’ve already given them enough to respond as an act of worship.
  • Sermon time is too precious to summarize at the end.
  • Land the sermon as another call to worship (meaning show them how their relationship with Christ causes them to be and/or do what the preaching portion says they should be and/or do).

Rather than spending precious minutes in reviewing the sermon details, help your congregants see how they can respond to the revelation of God through faith in Christ and the power of the Spirit. Some homileticians point out that the conclusion is a neglected part of sermon preparation. However, if the conclusion is one of the key times to apply our lives to the Bible, then I need to spend some time planning those meaning-full minutes.

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Preaching Two Kinds of Faith

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Recently, I was preaching on Psalm 112 and emphasizing the aspect of fearlessness in verses 7-8, “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid.” In my search for images for that Sunday’s slides, I came across this saying:

 

“Let you faith be bigger than your fear.”

 

After thinking about this for a moment or two, I realized that this kind of thinking betrays a lack of understanding of biblical faith. What struck me harder was the fact that the saying seemed to preach so well. I could hear myself saying something like this in an attempt to apply our lives to this Psalm.

At the risk of nit-picking, let me suggest that genuine faith in Christ is, by nature, stronger than fear. To tell someone to let their faith be bigger than their fear is actually telling them to exchange less-than-saving/sanctifying faith for genuine faith. So, it’s actually not about letting faith be bigger; it’s about explaining how faith in Christ conquers fear. That exercise in theological exegesis will help our congregants be the kind of person described in Psalm 112, which is what the Psalm is intended to do.

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Preaching the Synonyms of Faith (part 2)

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Preaching through the Gospel of Luke provides an excellent opportunity for us to repeatedly teach the nature of saving faith. You may have realized that many professing Christians are unclear about what faith is and how it works. In Luke 7:40-50 Jesus’ visit with a religious leader, Simon, is interrupted by a visit from “a woman of the city.” In v. 47 Jesus says, “…her sins, which are many, are forgiven–for she loved much.” But, then Jesus says to the woman in v. 50, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Jesus teaches us that her faith saved her, but also that had there been no love, there would’ve been no forgiveness. Functioning as theologians for our faith-families means explaining the relationship between loving Jesus and believing Him. It was Jonathan Edwards who said that love was the main thing in saving faith. As I said in a previous post, look for opportunities to teach the synonyms and antonyms of faith. This will broaden the theological understanding of our congregants and also create a solid foundation for working out their own salvation.

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Preaching the Synonyms and Antonyms for Faith

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In Luke 7:18-35 Jesus responds to a question posed by John the Baptizer. In Jesus’ answer, He says in v. 23, “…blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” This is an example of using antonyms to define saving and sanctifying faith. Usually, we’ll spend a moment in the sermon explaining this statement. Our explanations will, no doubt, include synonyms such as being turned off by Him. However, this is a great opportunity to explain what faith is. The opposite of being offended by Jesus is embracing Him and His teachings. In this context, those who were not offended by Jesus were responding well to John and his baptism. They acknowledge their need to be cleansed from their sin. Another example of this is in verse 30: “but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves.” Here’s another opportunity to explain faith. Synonyms will explain their unbelief; antonyms will explain the proper response intended for Believers who hear this narrative. See if your preaching portion for Sunday contains any synonyms or antonyms for faith.

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Preaching the Miracles of Jesus to Christians

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One of the more difficult preaching portions in the Gospels involve the miracles of Jesus. The tendency is to aim at conversions by saying that the miracles are intended to create faith (or at least, help create faith). However, remember that the miracle narratives are found within a context of Jesus’ teachings. This means we should interpret the miracles in light of Jesus’ teaching to His disciples. So, take the two miracles in Luke 7:1-17 where Jesus heals the centurion’s servant and a widow’s son. All these miracles are displays of the presence of the kingdom of God. Miracle by miracle Jesus brings a wholeness back to creation that was disrupted by the rebellion. But, what do they say to the Saints? They tell us why we should believe Jesus’ teachings and do them. Both the chapters before (cf. 6:46-49) and after (cf. 8:4-18) stress the importance of hearing, believing, and doing. Miracles display the power of Christ with the intention of urging Believers to believe His Word. The miracles are for us.

Have you discovered other ways to apply miracle stories?

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Application As Implementation

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I have been playing the cello since March, 2013. My problem is not understanding what my teacher is telling me; my problem is implementing or executing properly. God and my family know I’m trying. My teacher isn’t satisfied with my understanding what to do; my teacher wants to know if I can play the piece, if I can execute properly. Our Teacher feels the same way. In Luke 6:46 Jesus says to His disciples, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” Jesus’ sermon on the level place ends with a strong call to hearing His words and doing them (cf. Luke 6:46-49). That reminds me that sermons must urge people to implement God’s Word. In David Wenham’s chapter, Preaching the Sermon on the Mount, he writes, “we must not preach generalizations but need to preach practically” (p. 84 in Preaching the New Testament). Years ago, my dear preaching professor at DTS, John Reed, taught us to apply the Bible at three levels: What do I want them to know (the one expositors are usually best at)? What do I want them to feel (the one I’m worst at!)? What do I want them to do? (the one I want to get better at). Many of our Sunday preaching portions afford an opportunity for us to graciously urge parishioners to do the things Jesus says to do.

P.S. This blog was intended to go out back in July, but got lost in the draft folder. I’m still learning how to execute WordPress!

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“You hypocrite”: When Sermons Include Name-Calling

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Jesus’ sermon on the level place in Luke’s Gospel includes one of the most misunderstood and, therefore, misapplied command. Luke 6:37 reads, “Judge not, and you will not be judged.” How many times have you heard this verse misused? Notice, what begins looking like sin going unaddressed (v. 37) ends up with sins corrected (v. 42 logs and specks removed). However, Jesus hits us hard by calling some of us, hypocrites. Jesus knew who taught His disciples before He arrived. He knows the default setting of our hearts. I’m a hypocrite whenever I fail to be transformed by God and, yet, try hard to clean up others. Our ability to make disciples hinges on our not being hypocrites. Rather than be offended by Jesus’ name-calling, we need to be upended. Our faith-families must contain a core of people who allow the Holy Spirit to conquer their sins so they, in turn, can help others conquer their sins. The worse thing I can do is attempt to soften Jesus’ approach (especially in this politically correct environment). Better, probably, to allow the sting to hurt enough so we take off our self-righteous masks.

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Purpose: the Forgotten Aspect of Exposition

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In order for exposition to occur, it’s not enough to have purpose. I must make sure the purpose of my sermon matches the purpose of the preaching portion. In an earlier post I mentioned reading, Saving Eutychus, while on vacation. One excellent part of the book is the discussion of what it takes to preach to the heart. The author’s answer: “Where God is explaining something, we need to help people understand. Where God is warning us, we need to help people feel the urgency and weight of that. Where God is wooing us, we need to help people feel the pull of his love. Where God is correcting us, we need to show people that they are going the wrong way and to help them get back on track. Where God is comforting his people, we want people to feel the security and warmth of his comfort. And that, in a nutshell, is expository preaching.” (pp. 30-31).

Normally, when we think about expository preaching we often focus on the content of the sermon. Let’s also be sure the purpose of our sermon matches the purpose of the Scripture. This means asking and answering: How does your upcoming, Sunday preaching portion function for the Church?

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Doing Our Part To Keep Worshipers Awake

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During our family’s recent vacation I was able to read a little paperback, Saving Eutychus: How to preach God’s Word and keep people awake. Millar and Campbell struck a balance between being biblical and interesting. I highly recommend the book. In the introduction Campbell flat out says: “It’s our job to keep people awake, and we’ll take the blame if they fall out the window” (p. 14). Well, yes and no. It would be interesting to list the sleep-inducers that are not in our control. However, one thing I noticed after listening to about 30 sermons over the past two months is this: biblical preachers often struggle maintaining adequate pace. If this might describe you–it does me–you will profit from the section, Agile Delivery (pp. 107ff.). The authors will force you to think about where to place emphasis in the sermon. They’ll help you think about not letting the sermon bog down. They’ll help you save your sleepy saint on Sunday morning.