Biblical Preaching

The second stage of passage study is all about interpreting the details in the passage. This stage is not complete until you get to the idea, which is actually stage 4. In order to distinguish the stages somewhat, I tend to view stage 2 as determining the flow or outline of the text’s content. This third stage focuses our attention beyond content alone. As you study the passage, you are studying not only the author’s content, but also his intent. Why did he write this passage and what was he trying to achieve? It is the understanding of both content (stage 2) and intent (stage 3) that leads to a full understanding of the passage, its idea (stage 4).

Previously – There have been several posts addressing the issue of authorial intent or passage purpose. Why was the text written as well as purpose and preaching, both touch on this stage significantly. Two posts on preaching help to clarify that the author’s purpose may differ from ours, but we must be careful not to bend the text too far to achieve our own purposes.

To see a full list of all posts that relate to stage 3, please click on the menu to the right.

This is a series overviewing the 8-stage process of developing a sermon. Remember that for all related posts, you can click on the “Stage 2 – Passage Study” button in the menu to the right.

Stage 2 – Passage Study

Once you have selected your passage or passages for the message, the next task is to study, study, study. A lot of elements come into the equation here, but basically your goal is to study the details of the passage in its context using good hermeneutical principles in order to arrive at the author’s idea in the passage. This stage is strengthened by awareness of how individual genres work, and any Bible study skills you have. I would suggest you do the initial work in the text without reference to commentaries and other experts, but these resources are important once you have soaked yourself in the text first.

Keeping the goal in mind is very important during Bible study. You want to discover the author’s idea in this unit of thought. This will be a distillation of the coherent thought written in the passage. It will take into account all the details, but will be stated in one complete sentence. Keeping this in mind will help you avoid being overwhelmed by endless bunny trails in your study (such as endless cross-referencing, excessive study of minor details and so on).

Previously – There have been numerous posts written that address this stage of the process. The fundamental conviction required concerns whether the text is boss of the message. When it comes to studying the details, not every detail is equal. The process can be described as a wrestling with the flow of the text, or as a journey. It is important not to impose points on a text, but to be sure to enjoy your study!

There have been various posts on the biblical genres too. For narrative passages it is good to review the basics, and to get to grips with them in this post, and in this one. Remember that poetry is different.

A little milestone was reached yesterday as the hit counter passed 100k. So I thought I’d take some days to offer a brief summary of the 8 steps of sermon preparation, suggesting some links back to posts that are particularly relevant to each step. Remember, you can see all the posts related to stage 1 by clicking on the “Stage 1 - Passage Selection” button in the menu. Thanks for visiting this site!

Step 1 - Passage Selection

Before you can design a message, you need to have studied at least one passage on which to base the message. Before you can study, you have to select the passage. There are two issues to bear in mind at this step:

Issue 1 - Which passage will you preach? If you are mid-series, then the next passage is already chosen. If you are preaching a stand-alone message, then you have to pick a passage to preach on (perhaps influenced by the occasion, the needs of the congregation or even your personal motivation). So sometimes selecting a passage is not an issue at all, but issue 2 always matters . . .

Issue 2 - Are you studying a complete unit of thought? This is always important to double check. Once you have you passage, you need to make sure it is a complete unit of thought. It is often possible to study and preach two or more units of thought that stand together (for example, two gospel stories presented together, or multiple paragraphs in an epistle), but it is very risky to try and study or preach half a unit (half a psalm, half a proverb, half a speech, half a story, half a paragraph . . . half a thought!) So for each passage you decide to study and preach, be sure to give thought to the true beginning and end of the unit of thought.

Previously - Concerning the first issue, selecting a passage, here’s some advice on how to select a passage, and another one. This post suggests preaching series, and in some churches there’s the practical issue of multi-speaker series, see also part 2.

Now concerning issue 2, the complete unit of thought. Here’s a post in which I point out that we can’t simply rely on the chapter and verse divisions, we have to select our passage personally. There is some helpful advice here in a post on longer narratives. And the issue of preaching several passage is addressed in this post on topical preaching. Finally, two posts on why I suggest generally sticking in one passage: A low fence and part 2.

Once you have your message mostly prepared and you begin to focus on your beginning, craft carefully.  It is worth setting off with strength into your message, it is worth beginning with a bang.  That first sentence should command attention and usually set the direction of the message.

Too many of us ease into a message.  It is tempting to take time with introductory humor or nice opening remarks.  “Nice” is not a great compliment, more a vanilla description.  Inexperienced speakers, in any context, tend to begin with a variation on “thank you for this opportunity” or “it gives me pleasure to address . . . ” or similar.  Dull.  Wasteful of these key moments.  Don’t.

I would make two suggestions, depending on context:

If you are in your own culture, begin with a bang. If you have some type of compliment or praise for the listeners, interject it later in the message where it will feel genuine rather than trite.  Give the impression that you intend to waste no time, but rather have something important to share.

If you are visiting another culture, provide a purposeful adjustment phase. I find it is helpful when speaking in a foreign context to begin with a few brief comments expressing my appreciation of their welcome, the heat in comparison to my cold country, or whatever.  I don’t want to undermine my message by beginning with excessive power that might suggest a foreign arrogance.  Neither do I want them to miss the important opening statements as they adjust to my accent.  This introductory phase is limited, purposeful and carefully designed.

The opening sentence of a sermon is critical.  Prepare it carefully, polish it purposefully and practice it repeatedly.

The first moments of a spoken message are critical.  In the first moments your listeners will make a lot of sub-conscious and conscious evaluations of you as a speaker, your apparent integrity, likeability, authority, etc.  One small but effective piece of advice is don’t jump right in.  Before you begin, take some time in a commanding pause where you stand before your listeners and make eye contact with them.  If you are leading the service, pause before preaching.  If you are introduced, then walk purposefully to the stage, put anything on the podium (Bible, notes, watch or whatever), then begin your “eye-contactful purposeful pause.”

This is not a hard and fast rule, but it is good advice.  I remember hearing Luis Palau speaking at a missions conference some years ago.  He was already preaching before he got to the steps up to the stage!  If you trust the sound crew to have your mic working, and if you have both boundless enthusiasm and a super-engaging dynamic persona, then feel free to do this too.  Otherwise, probably better to get set and pause.

One way of ensuring this pause is not rushed is to slowly internally state your opening sentence before you verbally state it.  It may feel strange, but if you begin this way with a calm confidence, listeners will be intently listening when you begin.  If you start like a runner at the gun, eyes down, still putting your notes down, etc., then it will take some time before everyone is listening (and perhaps some never will!)  The first moments of the message matter very much, so make sure nobody misses them.  Begin in a commanding and purposeful manner, don’t jump right in.

We’ve probably all heard about evangelistic preaching that has somehow manipulated the crowd.  I remember sitting in the back row of a meeting with a very famous preacher.  When it came to the evangelistic part of the evening, he presented the gospel.  Then when it was time for the altar call, somehow the gospel message morphed into “if you have done this before but still struggle with sin, come forward…”  Naturally the numbers swelled significantly!  It may look great on reports, but it is manipulative and dishonest if these people are counted as converts.

I’m not in any way suggesting altar calls are inappropriate.  In some situations they are highly appropriate.  But manipulation and dishonesty in preaching is always inappropriate.  The end does not justify the means.  Let’s be sure to preach the gospel and pray for thousands to respond, but rather than get clever with the call, let’s praise God for solid solitary converts!

This is a simple concept - a blog for discussing anything related to preaching. We hope to generate discussion of how to preach specific Biblical passages, aspects of delivery, preaching theory and also book reviews. The goal is to stimulate better Biblical preaching. Let’s see where this goes . . .

Stumble It!

This year I was in the States when the Wimbledon tennis championships were taking place.  So I missed the annual spectacle.  I’ve watched it many times.  Not just the tennis on TV, but the resulting tennis in the local courts.  People watch their heroes on TV, the best tennis players in the world.  Then they are inspired to go to the local courts and have a go themselves.  Courts that sit empty for most of the year are always busy the first week of July!  Why?  Because the best make it look easy.  It’s true in tennis, in football, in every sport.

In some ways that is our challenge as preachers.  We have to be the best that we can be.  We have to study exegetical stuff that would never be a bestseller.  We have to wrestle with the complexities of current trends and the complex motivations that move people to think in certain ways.  We have to somehow interact with all levels of social, religious, spiritual and fashionable trends, sometimes at very high levels.  Yet in it all, we have to be careful not to come across as high academics.  It’s tempting to do that.  After all, it’s easier to not translate from erudite verbosity to normal speech.  It’s better for the ego to dazzle and impress our listeners.  But remember the great tennis players.  They make something immensely complex look so easy.

Let’s strive to do the same.  Replace the twelve letter word with a five letter word or a couple of them.  Speak like a compelling communicator rather than a dull lecturing “expert.”  Let’s do the extra work and put aside our egos in order to communicate effectively.  Perhaps then the gospel will be free to access lives with all practicality.  Perhaps then people will rush out to the tennis courts of their lives and apply God’s word for themselves!

We all know that truth is taking a bashing on many fronts.  The notion of truth is questioned like never before by philosophers as well as the countless pseudo-philosophers excited by a couple of books they have read recently.  The representatives of truth are under scrutiny due to numerous news stories of ship-wrecked integrity.  The security of truth is generally jettisoned as people find their personal security in personal shaped worlds of their own making.  The reliability of truth is continually undermined by “progress” that shows previous pronouncements from scientists and social commentators alike to have been premature at best.  The availability of truth is shaky in a world where access to information is greater than ever, but in-depth study looks much like infomercials or virtual investment scams.

Truth is under attack.  But truth is still true.  You know your audience when you preach next time.  You know how much “apologetic” is needed for the truth that you will preach.  You know what approach will work best for those people at this time in their lives.  But remember this, truth is still true.  When you have studied God’s Word and have a central concept, a main idea, a biblical truth to proclaim, then proclaim it.  State it.  Say it.  Preach it.  Whether or not you choose to tune the apologetic element of the sermon to a high pitch, make sure you state the truth.  In a world of false and flawed claims, truth carries an uncanny attraction.  In a world of false teaching, God desires for the truth to be known.  If you have something true to preach, preach it.  Truth is still true.

It is so easy to get things turned around.  Sunday is rapidly approaching and you are not yet ready to preach.  You have to preach, your name is on the bulletin.  You probably have to preach a specific passage too, that’s on the bulletin as well.  But time marches on, life happens and you’re not ready.  It’s easy to forget who the boss is for this sermon.

It is tempting to take charge.  After all, you are the one who has to stand and deliver.  You are the one people will critique over their Sunday lunch.  You are the one people might be paying to preach.  So it is tempting to take charge, to make the text fit the sermon shape or idea you have in mind.  It is tempting to make the text your servant, looking in it for interesting points from which you can jump off and preach something or other.

Remember who is in charge. Preaching is God’s work.  They are His people.  This is His church.  You are empowered by His Spirit.  You are preaching His book.  So, no matter how tight the schedule may be.  No matter how distracted or tired you may feel.  No matter how daunting the text may be.  Prayerfully wrestle with the text.  According to most good definitions of expository preaching, the text is necessarily boss over the central concept, the main idea of the sermon.

As you pray your dependence to God and submit your urgings to take over to the superior inspiration of His Word, you will remain an expository preacher.  You may not be the best ever.  You may not have taken enough time to craft a masterpiece.  But if the meaning of the text is in charge and you prayerfully strive for relevance, you will be an expository preacher.  The church needs that.  Not necessarily the best or the brightest, but just little old me and you, presenting the best and the brightest Word of God to those He chooses to put before us.

If there were some technology that would help our preaching, surely we should consider it, right?  Sure.  I’d consider anything.  But some shortcuts are not worth the time they save.  I was contacted by a company that sells a technology for public speakers.  The technology is supposed to cut preparation by 90%, both the work and the stress.  I look past the hype and see a technology that I might support for business presenters and sales people, but not for preachers.  Why?

Because preparation is important.  Our process is as important, maybe more important, than our end “product.”  The technology in question allows a pre-recorded message to play into the ear of the speaker who then repeats what is heard.  Supposedly it creates a more natural presentation than a teleprompter.  I’m sure it would.  But more natural than genuinely natural?  I don’t think so.

Genuine Preparation Matters - The time we spend wrestling with the text, exegeting to the best of our ability, prayerfully developing, growing and crafting a sermon is good time.  It’s time with God.  It’s time for Him to work on us and in us so that when we preach it is not information transfer, but genuine preaching.  I’m glad I don’t have to spend hours turning pages in concordances, lexicons and commentaries.  Technology has allowed more time for genuine preparation, prayerful thought and wrestling with the text and sermon.  But I don’t want to cut preparation by 90% because when it comes to preaching God’s Word, genuine preparation matters.

Genuine Delivery Matters - Speaking with your head in your notes is not the most effective way to preach.  It is disconnected and can seem like a canned presentation lacking in the authenticity people crave.  But the solution is not to fake a natural delivery.  Pretending to speak naturally by some trick of memorization, the skill of an actor learning a monologue, painting eyes on your glasses that allow you to “look up” while really looking down at notes, or hidden technology . . . it’s all somehow a pretense.  If integrity matters anywhere, it matters in preaching.  Natural is good, but genuine is critical.  Get as natural as you can, but don’t compromise your integrity.  When it comes to preaching, genuine delivery matters.

So, my apologies to the company involved.  I wish them well in their business.  But for preaching, sometimes I feel the need to reject a shortcut.

When I teach preaching I make only a passing reference to personal presentation. What you wear, how you look, it matters, but it’s kind of a simple issue for me. For one, I don’t think it is an issue worth fighting over or dying for. If a church expects me to wear a tie, I’ll do it. If they prefer casual presentation, I’ll do it. Some may choose to fight for change (usually in the casual direction), I’d rather fight for other issues in pulpit ministry!

Here’s my simple summary of what matters:

Don’t let how you look distract your listeners. Your clothes should match. They should be appropriate for the setting (a tuxedo can be as distracting as shorts in the wrong context!) Be appropriately well-groomed. Don’t wear a dark shirt if you raise your arms while preaching and are likely to sweat. If you happen to be attractive to the opposite gender, don’t dress in a way that might be considered provocative!

Don’t let how you look undermine your credibility. Sloppy clothes or grooming don’t convey a sense of credibility. As much as it depends on you, demonstrate some discipline in regards to what is inside your clothing too.

(Oh, and since we’re getting a bit personal, I try to have breath mints in my pocket too, for the sake of those I chat with afterwards!)

Any tips to add?

I’m scheduled to preach on of those tricky ones.  You know, one of the crux interpretum of the New Testament.  There’s the end of 1st Timothy 2, the end of 1st Peter 3, the end of James, the end of 1st John, Hebrews 6, etc.  A passage that begs every exegetical skill you possess, or if you’re rushing, a passage that just checking two or three commentaries doesn’t resolve.

It is important not to avoid the complexity as we preach.  If your listeners can see the verses, but are confused by them.  Just avoiding them in your sermon is not the solution (tempting as it may be!)  You have to address them if you’re preaching through the book, or if they’re in your preaching passage.

It is helpful to acknowledge the difficulty. Just giving a simplistic explanation may satisfy a few, but many will be left wondering what the passage really means (and they will be left with less respect for your ability to handle and explain the Word to them!)  If it is hard to interpret, don’t pretend otherwise.  Nobody should expect you to find everything super simple.

It is important not to let the complexity overwhelm the main idea. Often the main idea of a passage is still clear, even with the complicated element present.  Be sure that your main idea is clear so that the sermon is a preaching of the text with applied relevance, rather than a pulpit lecture in theological method (a lived out excursus in the pulpit section of daily life).

Pray for me as I preach one of these tricky passages.  Pray not that I’ll stun people with my brilliance, but that I’ll handle the Word well and be sure to preach the Word, not merely lecture or present an exegetical curio for their passing interest.  Let’s pray for each other to always preach the Word with accuracy and applied relevance.

Who’s the best preacher you’ve ever heard?  What was the best sermon you ever listened to?  A few months back I sat in Westminster Chapel for a day conference on the resurrection.  During the breaks I imagined what others have raved about - the ministry of Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.  I was about 35 years too late.  But even so, I’ve heard some good preaching in the last 20 years.

What was it about that preacher that so impressed you?  I think back to composure, the natural style and the command of Scripture I saw in Joe Stowell when he visited England in the mid-nineties.  I think back to the obviously captured heart of David Needham as I sat under his teaching at Multnomah.  What impressed you in a preacher or teacher you’ve heard?

What was it about that sermon that resonated so deeply?  I think back to the sermon on heaven that stirred my heart heaven-ward and my life world-ward that evening in Minehead.  I think back to the overwhelming power of the cross at that Saturday afternoon service where the missionary to the Muslims shared so simply.  I think back to how my God seemed so big and my heart was stirred to worship by the little Chinese preacher with the presence of a lion.  I think back to how my life was provoked to pro-active faith action in a world of lost people by that weak missionary speaker in a bizarre jacket.

Take some time to reminisce the best preachers and the best sermons.  The ones you remember without effort, even though hundreds or thousands of sermons have come and gone since.  Thank God for that speaker, for that sermon.  Prayerfully re-live the impact as you reminisce.  It’s amazing how biblical preaching can resonate so deeply that it rings loud and clear years after the sound waves have dissipated.

Since many who read this site are in the USA, I’ll take this opportunity to raise the issue of patriotism in the pulpit (4th of July weekend, etc.)  Now I recognize the potential irony since I am writing as an English man on the day when Americans celebrate one of our only military defeats in a long history!  But actually I raise this issue for preachers in every culture.

Some church cultures espouse a very strong patriotism, while others seek to eliminate almost every reference to the country in which they are located.  I don’t want to suggest that there is a right approach.  I do suggest it is an issue worth thinking about (I suppose I’m saying be patriotic on purpose, just like I say use Powerpoint on purpose or cross-reference only if there is a real purpose in doing so, etc.)

When the listeners are thinking about patriotic issues - such as on a holiday weekend, or a day given to remembering those who gave their lives in war, etc. - it makes no sense to pretend otherwise at church.  Hopefully we would refer to a major news incident, so why not a major holiday?  God does not call us to despise our nationality or be unpatriotic.  Yet at the same time He does call us and give us a new citizenship.  During the Olympics I’m definitely British, but in all of life I am Christ’s first and foremost.  I am Christ’s more than I am British or English.  I bring my ethnicity to the unity so wonderfully created in Christ, but I never confuse my ethnicity or nationality with my faith and identity in Christ.

It’s an issue worth thinking about.  Some people think their religion is determined by their passport.  We want to be careful not to encourage such thinking in any visitors to our church on a patriotic day.  Some people may overly esteem their nationality, so that it is held on a par with their faith.  We wouldn’t want to encourage that.  Some people may despise their ethnicity or nationality for various reasons.  Again, let’s not encourage that either.  Somehow we have to be sensitive to the patriotic and the disillusioned, the elderly who fought for our freedom and those that have somehow been hurt or marginalized by that same society.  We have to be sensitive to those with a clear understanding of their true citizenship, and even more to those confused about where home really is.  We want to honor both the diversity in the church and the unity of the church.

I’m patriotic, probably more patriotic than many English people these days.  I’m married to an American and have no problem enjoying their Independence Day (although I have a few one-liners ready if I need them!)  I appreciate good-natured patriotism from any nationality (including the Scottish!)  I just think we need to think through how we approach patriotism in the pulpit.  What do you think?

I just started John Piper’s response to N.T. Wright, The Future of Justification. It seems to be a very courteous and carefully written challenge of Wright’s presentation of justification.  Piper is careful to note that he is past the stage in life where he needs to score points in academic debates, yet he is writing a critique of Wright’s work.  Why?  Because, he says, people don’t bring him books written by other New Perspective scholars like Dunn or Sanders, but they do bring him the popular works of Wright.  Here is the scholar Piper writing as the pastor Piper in order to seek to protect others from an emphasis or understanding that is perceived to be harmful.

I haven’t read the book yet, so I won’t comment on the issues being addressed (although I could from my own study).  But one quote on pages 28-29 really caught my attention and resonated deeply.  It comes early on in an introductory section entitled On Controversy.  It addresses the issue of whether we should contend at all, or whether it is better to simply be positive, without pointing out error in others. It comes from a 1932 speech by J. Gresham Machen delivered in London:

Men tell us that our reaching should be positive and not negative, that we can preach the truth without attacking error.  But if we follow that advice we shall have to close our Bible and desert its teachings.  The New Testament is a polemic book almost from beginning to end.

He goes on to tell of a time when he heard a theology prof urge his listeners away from the unfortunate controversies in Paul’s writings and give their attention to the inspiring hymn to Christian love found in 1st Corinthians 13.  Machen continues:

In reply, I am bound to say that the example was singularly ill-chosen.  That hymn to Christian love is in the midst of a great polemic passage; it would never have been written if Paul had been opposed to controversy with error in the Church.  It was because his soul was stirred within him by a wrong use of the spiritual gifts that he was able to write that glorious hymn.  So it is always in the Church.  Every really great Christian utterance, it may almost be said, is born in controversy.  It is when men have felt compelled to take a stand against error that they have risen to the really great heights in the celebration of truth.

Steven Lawson is a pastor who works closely with John MacArthur at the Expositor’s Institute.  He was trained at Dallas and Reformed Theological Seminaries.  This book is the first in a series of Long Line of Godly Men Profiles published by Reformation Trust of Ligonier Ministries.

This is an attractively presented little hardback (133pp).  In it Lawson seeks to present the qualities and distinctives of John Calvin.  Not Calvin the theologian who wrote the famous Institutes, nor Calvin the commentator whose exegesis is still referenced by serious scholars, nor Calvin the statesman who served as a Reformation leader in Geneva with influence spreading much farther, nor Calvin the shaper of both church and western culture, but Calvin the pastor, Calvin the preacher.  For all his accomplishments, Calvin’s priority was his pulpit ministry to real ordinary needy folk in Geneva.

The first chapter of the book presents a brief summary of Calvin’s life and legacy.  In the subsequent seven chapters, Lawson deals with various aspects of the preaching of Calvin, delineating 32 distinctives recognizable in Calvin’s preaching ministry.  Throughout the book, Lawson’s observations are supported diligently by sermon sound-bites and quotations from other scholars like Alister McGrath, James M. Boice, T.H.L. Parker, etc.  Although the support material is sufficient, it is by no means overwhelming and it does not turn this engaging little book into a dry academic research tome.

Chapters two and three address Calvin’s attitude toward the pulpit and personal preparation.  It is no surprise to read of his diligent mind, devoted heart and relentless will, but challenging nonetheless.  Then Lawson considers how Calvin would launch a sermon, along with reference to delivery (no notes, I’m glad to report!)  The most substantial chapters deal with expounding the text and crafting delivery.  The last two chapters look at application of the truth and sermon conclusion.  A couple of brief appendices are given to support details in the book (sermon text verse divisions for several series and an outline from a sermon on Job 21).

I have studied church history, even the Reformation, but I am no church historian.  Does this book deserve great respect as an accurate and insightful piece of historical research?  I don’t know.  Perhaps Calvin scholars would disagree with details or emphases.  Perhaps they would applaud loudly.  Certainly Calvin the preacher and pastor is often lost in the focus on his Institutes (written as an introduction to his commentaries!), or in the controversies over his politics and leadership.  Calvin the preacher is worthy of our attention.  This little book is a quick read, but thought provoking in its clarity.  Thought provoking on a historical level, perhaps, but especially as we consider our own preaching ministry today.  I would not suggest we affirm every distinctive and emulate without thought for our own times and contexts, but I’m sure any preacher would find their own ministry poked and encouraged by this book.  I look forward to subsequent volumes in the series.

I realize that many people who read this blog are not preaching three times every Sunday.  Many preach periodically, or maybe not at all.  So for those that get to listen to sermons as well as preach them, I thought I’d mention something obvious but important.  Be thankful.

It’s easy to criticize.  Roast preacher is a delicacy we’re all very capable of serving up for Sunday lunch.  It’s easy to spot holes, disagree with details or nitpick the niceties of a sermon.  There is a place for evaluation, and even a place for appropriate criticism.  But remember to recognize that a dull sermon does not equate to heresy, a sermon that didn’t fire your imagination does not equate to a dud.  We should be discerning.  We should be testing everything against Scripture.  We should be careful not to be lead astray.  But we should also be thankful.

Thankful for the work put in.  Thankful for a preacher who at least tries to handle the Bible with some degree of skill.  Thankful for effort in the arena of application.  Thankful for a pastor who cares about his listeners even if the sharpness in sermon delivery is lacking a little something.  Very very few get to listen to stunning sermons week in and week out.  But let’s all be thankful for what we do get.  (And if there are genuine issues of concern, pray for wisdom and courage to know the best path forward, rather than taking the simple option of roast preacher with a gravy of gossip!)

One more post in this series.  Again, I affirm first-person preaching as a powerful tool in the preacher’s repertoire, but I don’t affirm poor first-person preaching!  Hence this list of dangers to be aware of when venturing into this realm of preaching.

Danger 6 – Excessive humor or frivolity.  First-person preaching provides many more opportunities than regular preaching for humorous and even frivolous comments.  Sometimes humor is helpful.  Sometimes humor can help to cover a potentially distracting moment.  Sometimes it can provide relief from tension.  Sometimes it helps, but only if it is sometimes.  I don’t see any court jesters in the Bible, so there’s no need to preach like one.  First-person preaching inherently carries the risk of being seen as more entertainment than preaching.  Don’t exacerbate that through excessive humor or frivolity.

Danger 7 – Inadequate or strained relevance. This form has inherent strengths in terms of being engaging and disarming.  It also has the inherent weakness of struggling to be relevant.  If the audience are invited to listen “back then,” applications can only be timelessly conceptual, i.e. vague.  If the character has traveled through time then they have to portray a convincing understanding of contemporary culture and issues if they are to make any attempt at relevance.  While it is certainly possible to preach the entire sermon in character, it is also possible to step out of character for specific and concrete application.  Whenever you preach in first-person, pay careful attention to the need for relevant application.

Danger 8 – Not being appropriate to your audience.  This covers a lot of what has been stated already.  But I would go further.  Analyze the congregation to decide how much first-person preaching they will truly value.  Some congregations love it and beg for more. Others can gain a lot from it once in a while.  Some are so rigid they cannot hear the message because the form is a potentially offensive distraction.  As always in good preaching, we have to know not only the text, but also the listeners.

Please preach first-person when it is the best strategy available, but please always do it with as much excellence as you can muster!

In part 1 we saw three potential dangers in first-person preaching. Today I share some more. I share them not to warn you away from first-person preaching, but to encourage excellent first-person preaching!

Danger 4 – Distractingly amateurish dramatics. Even people who enjoy the amateur dramatic scene do not appreciate amateurish dramatics. Unless it’s someone you love, you probably wouldn’t want to spend the time cringing at a poor dramatic production. How much less poor dramatic preaching? This means that if costume is used, it should reflect the same quality as the sermon (leave the curtains and towels to children’s nativity plays, then maybe eliminate them there too!) It means striving for real consistency in content (Would the character know that? Is the speaker’s personal culture shaping content too much?)

Danger 5 – Losing sight of natural delivery. This may seem strange, since first-person by definition is about preaching as someone other than yourself. But this one actually follows from the previous danger. The goal in delivery is to be both effective and natural. (Isn’t it true that the best actors seem to be natural?) The natural element here is often lost due to dramatic excess. Sometimes the problem is “too much.” For instance, thirty minutes of excessive shouting and gesturing simply because the biblical character is seen as somewhat feisty is probably too much! Even feisty, strong-willed people don’t shout and gesture incessantly! While larger audiences require larger gestures, the goal is to communicate naturally!

Tomorrow I’ll finish the list, although feel free to add more!

When you have an idea and a purpose for your sermon, you then choose the strategy that will best allow the idea to hit home.  Once you realize the potential in first-person sermons, this form will regularly suggest itself.  First-person preaching done well can be immensely powerful and profoundly effective.  But there are also a few dangers.  I’ll gently share a few, perhaps you can suggest others.  This is not to dissuade preaching in the first-person, but to encourage careful planning so that it is maximally effective.

Danger 1 – Don’t leaning on the form to do the work. Just because first person preaching has an inherent interest factor, you cannot rely on that to carry you through.  The form is a strategy chosen to serve the main idea, not a master that defines your content.  It is easy to pour energy into the “first-person” part of the sermon and fail to put the effort into the “sermon” part of the first-person.  The form may help, or it may utterly hinder your task of preaching the Word!

Danger 2 – Preaching event rather than text. It is enlightening to bring good first-person perspective to a Bible story or message, but remember that it is the text that was inspired, not the event itself. Don’t just bounce off the text to preach an event, but rather study the text and be sure to preach its message. 

Danger 3 – Not doing the extra work necessary. There are no two-ways about it, first-person preaching is extra work.  You have to do all the same work as any other sermon in terms of studying the text and the audience, formulating main idea and so on.  Plus you have to study extra historical, geographical, social, and cultural background.  Furthermore you are adding a dramatic element that takes extra work (just as a powerpoint is extra work and can easily suck away preparation time if you don’t recognize that!)

In part 2 I’ll add some more dangers to be aware of, but feel free to add any you like by commenting at any time.

So far we’ve seen the principles of simplicity, unexpectedness and concreteness.  Here are the last three principles from Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.

Principle 4 – Credibility. An idea must carry it’s own credentials, thereby having internal credibility.  The Heath’s suggest this comes from concreteness, as opposed to vague, statistical or abstract statement.  However, influencing an audience with an idea involves the support materials chosen as well as the statement of the idea itself.  Using real people in support material (eg stories of real people) adds credibility to an idea (more so than quotes from experts or celebrities, although those have a place).

Principle 5 – Emotional. The best way to make people care about an idea is to help them feel something.  Again, concreteness matters, for we are wired to feel things for people, not for abstractions.  Excess may paralyze (for instance, the overwhelming need of the masses), but an individual will stir the heart.

Principle 6 – Stories.  Stories are like flight simulators for the brain, according to the book.  As preachers we may be preaching a story anyway, but even if not, it might be worth considering how to use the power of story to simulate action in response to the idea.

The summary of the book is certainly worth pondering for preachers wrestling with ideas.  According to the Heaths, for an idea to stick it has to be useful and lasting.  A “sticky” idea makes the audience pay attention, understand, remember, agree/believe, care, and be able to act on it.  This list translates into unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, story-related ideas communicated with succinct clarity that has the simplicity and profundity of a proverb.

They were talking business.  But ideas are ideas, and if we handle the Bible well, then the ideas we are handling and presenting should be worth more effort than any name brand!

So a “sticky” idea is simple, that is both stripped to its core essence and yet profound.  In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath share further principles that can bridge the gap from the business world to homiletics.  How can we craft main ideas that will stick?

Principle 2 – Unexpectedness.  Surprise increases alertness and focus, it grabs attention.  Consequently, when an idea can incorporate an element of unpredictability, it can generate both interest and curiosity.  This is not to suggest that an idea needs a gimmicky element.  The profound nature of a proverb resists the tacky nature of a gimmick.

Principle 3 – Concreteness. The authors again draw on the concept of a proverb (in their case, they are using proverbs such as “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” rather than Solomonic statements).  Concreteness suggests that profound truth be communicated in terms of human actions, sensory information, concrete language.  In our circles we might refer to communicating as low on the ladder of abstraction as possible.  After all, life is not abstract, so relevant truth need not be presented only in the abstract.  Some might take this to mean putting the cookies on the lower shelf, but that may miss the point and merely dumb down an idea.  It’s more about presenting an idea concretely – cookies and shelves, rather than taking a feast of biblical truth and turning it into a quick sugary snack.

In part 3 we will finish the list.

In our approach to preaching (sometimes labeled the Big Idea approach), the main idea of the sermon is critical.  The idea is the core essence of a sermon that acts as boss over every other detail.  The main idea is like an arrow that is fired toward the target, and you want it to stick.  Consequently, anything I find about shaping a good idea is interesting to me.

Consider, for instance, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Chip and Dan Heath.  It’s not about preaching.  It’s about business.  One of the authors is a prof of organizational behavior and the other is a business consultant.  The focus is on business ideas, but they make some good points for us as preachers too.  After all, wouldn’t we love for the ideas we work so hard to craft as we study the Bible to be preaching ideas that “catch on” because they are memorable and clear?

In the next few posts I’ll share and apply the main principles from Made to Stick.

Principle 1 – Be Simple. The main idea in a sermon does not need to be dumbed down, but it does need to be stripped to the core of the idea, its critical essence.  The Heath’s do not simply teach that shorter is better.  A sound-bite is not the ideal.  According to the Heath’s, what is the ideal?  A proverb.  That which is both simple and profound.  We should be looking for the same.  Our initial attempts at stating the idea of a passage are usually both inaccurate and excessively long.  We must work to make the idea accurate and simplify it in order to get at the core essence.  Perhaps we would do well to aim for proverbial-like main ideas.  What do you think?

I’ll share more principles in part 2.

So I think it best to start with the shape of the text as the default shape for the sermon. But that may be adjusted due to the needs, nature and situation of the audience. One other factor should be mentioned too:

Factor 3 – The strengths of the preacher. Another factor to consider is you. Are you able to effectively keep attention and hold the tension of an inductive sermon? If not, it may be better not to try, fail and lose your listeners. Equally, we do need to try and fail in order to learn. It is worth considering your own ability as a preacher, but please don’t let this be an excuse to always preach the same shape!

Every time you preach you choose which sermon form to use. Start with the text shape as your default, but feel free to change your strategy in light of your listeners and yourself.

Yesterday I suggested it is best to start with the assumption that the sermon will be shaped according to the shape of the text itself. However, there may be reasons to choose an alternate sermon shape. Why? Because there is not one factor only in this decision, but at least three. Let’s consider factor number 2:

Factor 2 - The nature of the audience. Every sermon is a unique event because while the text may remain the same (i.e. preach the same text twice), the audience changes. Different people, or the same people at a different time. Consequently, they may respond better to one sermon form over another. For example, your Psalm may be chiastic, but what if a chiastic structure is too foreign to your listeners? You can choose to educate them in Hebraic poetic form, but you can also restructure the sermon into a deductive or inductive arrangement. Or maybe the idea is threatening to your listeners, then an inductive sermon would make good sense. Since preaching is about both the text and the listeners, let both be factors in choosing your sermon form.

In my mind these two factors are critical. The shape of the text and the need of the audience. But there is a third that should be kept in mind too. You won’t be surprised by it, but it’s coming tomorrow!

Last week I posted on the subject of sermon form. Now I’d like to expand on the factors that go into selecting a sermon form. Some people are committed to one sermon form. They think that true expository preaching is always done their way. It’s as if the sermon shape came down from the mount along with the two stone tablets and a blueprint for a uniquely special tent. But on this site we hold to the notion that expository preaching is not a form of preaching, but a philosophy of preaching. So, since there is great freedom, why do we choose the sermon form we choose? I see three main factors to take into account, today let’s consider the first:

Factor 1 – The form of the text. Every biblical text has a shape. It may be inductive or deductive. It may be a narrative, or a narrative introduced with a narrator’s statement of the idea or purpose. It may be chiastic. Text’s come in a certain type and a certain shape. For me, this is the starting point.

Not only does the text say something, but it says it in a certain way, and in doing so it does something. We would be wise to consider how our sermon can do what the text was written to do (not in every case, but often). And one way to make the sermon do what the text was written to do is to shape the sermon according to the shape of the text.

This is my default. My starting point is the shape of the text. I start with the shape of the text and then choose to change the shape of the sermon if there is good reason to do so. Why might there be good reason? In part 2, tomorrow, we’ll see!

I like the eight-stage approach to sermon preparation we use on this site.  It makes sense.  It works.  Sometimes I’m tempted to add a stage, but I think I’ll stick with eight.  Yet if I were to add a stage, what would it be?

It could be something to do with the invitation to preach that comes before the eight-stages.  Perhaps I’ll develop that thought in the days ahead.  I suppose you could make a case for adding delivery as a stage.  After all, delivery of the sermon is critical.  But then again, if these are the stages of preparation, then really it would need to be something about preparing to deliver, rather than the actual delivery.  Perhaps I’ll develop that thought too.

At this point in time, if I were to add a stage, it would come between stages 4 and 5.  After grasping the idea of the passage, before attempting to develop a message, it’s time for audience analysis.  This is critical.  The very definition of expository preaching I teach incorporates the notion of relevance to specific listeners.  How is relevance possible without consideration of the audience?  It may be the first time you preach to them, or the thousandth, but it is worth considering them and the timing of the sermon to them during each preparation.

I haven’t added it as a stage.  I still use and teach eight stages.  But I have added it as a category.  So if you click on Audience Analysis on the menu to the right, you will find previous posts on this important issue.

My post last Sunday concerned preaching like it is your first message and your last.  I meant something specific under both of these points, and was not referring to the negative elements of each.  In reality your last sermon might be foggy with deteriorated thinking faculties, bitter with built up hurts, disconnected through losing touch, etc.  Your first sermon might have been messy through lack of training, stumbling through excessive nerves, etc.  But one of the comments on last Sunday’s post makes a very worthy point.

Most of us, in our first sermon, tried to say too much.  We tried to cram in all we knew on that subject.  We tried to miss nothing, preached dense and probably missed everyone listening.  Keep that in mind today.  Don’t try and say so much that you end up effectively saying nothing.  Don’t feel the need to prove how many hours of exegetical work you put in, or what exegetical bunny trails you pursued to no avail.  Say one thing, and say it well.  Say it clear.  Say it more than once.  But don’t say too much!

It’s easy to be overwhelmed as a preacher.  So many things to keep in mind.  The different aspects of delivery, built on the different elements of a sermon, not to mention the multiple facets of biblical study.  You pour in whatever hours you can find in order to try to understand the passage, then to shape a sermon that will accurately and effectively communicate the meaning of that passage to your listeners with some degree of relevance to their lives.  And maybe the many details feel overwhelming.

It’s easy to get caught up in the introduction, the conclusion, the illustrations, the support materials, the elements of style, effective delivery and so on.  These all matter.  These are all important, but they are all details.  The best delivery you can conjure is hypocrisy without a solid message to preach.  The best message flesh in the world doesn’t look good unless it is on a well-formed skeleton.  And the best bones in the world only make sense as an outline when there is a master design involved.  And that master notion needs to be worthy of all the work.

Delivery makes the most of a good sermon.  The flesh of the sermon makes a skeleton of an outline into an attractive and compelling being. But the skeleton only makes sense if it is serving the main idea of the message – each bone supporting the unity of the message, each detail moving the message forward toward a goal.

I’m not undermining the importance of any sermonic detail.  Details of the sermon and details of delivery, are important, but they are details.  Unless there is a core concept, a big idea, a central proposition, whatever you want to call it.  Unless there is that main idea derived from effective study of the passage to the best of your ability, all pursued in dependence on the Spirit of God.  Unless there is that, there are only details.  Random details.  Remember the main thing.  The main idea is your goal in Bible study.  Then that main idea is boss of the message.  The main idea is the main thing.  Let’s remember that.