Tag Archives: actualizing the sermon

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“Application is the Preacher’s chief Work”: What I’m Learning from Reading Jonathan Edwards’ Early Sermons

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When you read Jonathan Edwards’ early sermons you quickly realize that someone taught him about the importance of applying Scripture. That someone included John Edwards (The Preacher, 1705). John, not Jonathan, wrote:

“Application is the Preacher’s chief Work, and it is the Hardest too: but it is the most Useful and Necessary….the Word of God, must be set to the Breast and Heart of every particular Person. And this Close Application will be most effectual to a Holy Life, because it will stick by them, tho’ the rest of the Discourse should be forgot. And in a world, the Application will be found to be the Best part of the Sermon.” (Kimnach, p. 18).

First, which part of the sermon do you think your listeners remember the most? Yes, that’s what I thought too: illustrations. We’ve come a long way since the 1700’s. That might say more about the quality of my application than it does about the quality of their listening. Ouch.

Second, if John E. is correct, than I must work harder at application than exegesis (I realize much of what’s wrong with that statement). But, if application is the “Hardest” and “most Useful and Necessary” then it demands more work.

I loved Edwards’ phrase, “Close Application” (caps and all) that drives the Word deep into “the Breast and Heart” (caps and all).

I do believe application is “the Best part of the Sermon.”

And, if I do, then I will spend time before Sunday thinking about the Use of my selected Scripture. I will not allow exegesis to consume all my sermon prep time this week. It certainly didn’t consume all of Edwards’. As we’ll see in future posts, his application sections, sometimes called “USE,” are extensive.

Mine could use some work. And God will receive more glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Making Sermons and Making Disciples

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A prominent Christian counselor/author–sorry but I can’t remember who–once wrote that counseling was accelerated disciple-making. That is also an appropriate way to think about our preaching.

Preaching is accelerated, corporate disciple-making.

I’ve been enjoying the insights provide by Carrell’s book, Preaching That matters: Reflective Practices for Transforming Sermons. Especially helpful is the feedback from pastors who were in training sessions with Carrell.

Take, for instance, this response:

“you asked me how I determine the spiritual growth goals for my sermons. I didn’t have an answer.” (p. 29)

Here’s my answer:

  1. Pay as much attention to the purpose or intention of your preaching portion as you do its meaning. In other words, from minute one in your study, begin to identify how God’s Word functions for the church. What is it intending to do to the listeners?
  2. Whether or not you announce this, try this at the very beginning of your sermon notes or actual sermon: “We worship this morning by _______________.” You fill in the blank with the intended response to that morning’s revelation of God (my concise definition of worship).
  3. My dear DTS preaching professor, Dr. John Reed used to urge us to write out what we wanted our listeners to think, feel, and do as a result of hearing the sermon. Those are good, broad categories for applying life to the Bible. Depending on your selected Text, you may be able to add specificity to your sermon application.
  4. Another angle on application is our attempt to usher our listeners into the particular slice of the Kingdom of God that is described in the Text (common options are commands or principles to put into practice and “go and do likewise” or “go and do otherwise” exemplars, interpreted, of course, within a redemptive-historical context).

Before Resurrection Sunday, identify your sermon’s spiritual growth goals so God receives glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Why Gaining Attention and Interest Isn’t Enough in Our Introductions

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I just completed a very satisfying week of teaching Doctor of Ministry students at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. That’s my excuse for not creating a blog post last week. The track is called, Preaching the Literary Forms of the Bible. Pastors and professors from all over the world made up the class and, as always, the final day or so is devoted to hearing them preach.

I was amazed at how many, regardless of where they were from or who trained them, chose to begin their sermon with some kind of attention-getting device. And in all cases, their opening stories or illustrations were effective in gaining attention and initial interest. But that’s not enough.

Over and over throughout the day I repeated and restated the same thing:

“Try telling us why we need to hear your sermon. How does this Scripture function for the Church?”

Homileticians sometimes refer to this as surfacing need in the introduction and I believe in the practice for the following reasons:

  • it shows our listeners in the opening minutes that the exposition of Scripture is relevant. This is critical because there are expositors who will begin their sermon and preach several minutes without ever telling their listeners that this affects their lives.
  • it’s an opportunity to clearly state how we will worship God as a result of hearing the exposition of Scripture. This keeps expository preaching from being a history lesson about the Text. This reminds us that preaching is an act of worship when we respond to the revelation of God.
  • it allows us to begin the process of application in the introduction instead of waiting till the end of the sermon or near the end of major points in our outline.

So, before Sunday, start with the “why?”, and not just the “what?” of your sermon so our Lord receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. Some of you might be thinking that starting with “why” is giving too much information in the introduction. Some practice a much more inductive approach. My answer is that I want my listeners to know why this information/exhortation is being given from the start so that they can remember the purpose for our being together throughout the sermon.

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How To Get Excited About Every Sermon

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Spoiler alert: I wish I knew the secret of getting excited about every sermon.

I felt the need to say that because the title of this post borders on click bait (a new phrase I learned earlier today).

I completed Richard Cox’s book, Rewiring your Preaching: How the Brain Processes Sermons.

Some highlights of the book might follow later, but for now here’s a question he asks at the end in: Checklist for Sermon Preparation.

Does this sermon excite me…?

An interesting place to start.

For years I’ve said that great expository sermons require great Texts, but not all pastors and parishioners consider every Text a great Text. It’s one of the tough realities of preaching through books of the Bible.

So, what can we do to “get excited” about our Preaching Portion for Sunday, especially if it doesn’t grab us right from the first read? Here are some thoughts:

  • Remember that the corporate nature of our Sunday gatherings means that virtually every sermon sounds more exciting to some than all. I can get excited about the fact that someone will be excited about this Text. Or, you might prefer it worded this way: I can get excited about the fact that God will speak to someone from this Text.
  • Give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to excite you from this Text. Ask God to speak to you in the study before you speak to them in the service. We should be doing this every week anyway, right?
  • Place the sermon in the larger context of the worship service. Worshiping God should excite us (exclamation point). I’m guilty of forgetting that all kinds of worship is taking place before I get up to teach the Word. Sunday morning is an exciting time for our faith-family.

Before Sunday, ask if the sermon you are developing excites you so that God receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Two Ways to Cultivate Good Soil with Each Sermon

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Luke 8:4-15 contains Jesus’ parable of the four soils. It explains what happens every Sunday during the teaching time. Every congregant, including us pastors, are represented by one of the parable’s four scenarios. You know that the parable is designed to move us all in the direction of being the good soil. Here are two ways to do that.

First, attack the second and third scenarios head-on. In the second scenario in v. 13, “they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.” Each Sunday we’re preaching to parishioners experiencing trying times. We serve them well by urging them to continue to believe. In the third scenario, “as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature” (v. 14). We serve them well by urging them away from these dreadful distractions. In each case we’re attempting to preserve faith which, in turn, buys time for fruit to emerge and grow.

Second, each sermon is an opportunity to encourage everyone to find themselves in the good soil depicted in v. 15, “those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” Notice, again, the time element involved. Over time, due to ongoing faith and obedience, fruit appears. You may have realized that there is never a time in this life when any listener ever escapes the temptations of the second and third scenario. That means no listeners, ourselves included, can ever say, “I’ve moved into the category of the good soil for good.” No, that will depend on how we hear and respond to God’s Word each Sunday. 

Since preaching this parable last month, I have been more aware of it being played out each Sunday. This, in turn, guides me in the study and during the sermon.