Homiletics

ISAF GUTA

Ambo, Ethiopia

2020
Introduction to Homiletics
1. What is the definition of the word “Homiletics”?
The English word ―homiletics‖ is most often defined as the ―science or art of preaching.‖
―The branch of rhetoric that treats the composition and delivery of sermons‖ --Funk & Wagnalls
―The art of preaching, so far as this is an art; sacred eloquence; the method of addressing an audience on the
highest subjects which, with the Divine blessing, is most likely to affect the consciences, the hearts and the
intellect of the hearers.‖--The New International Dictionary, 1901
―Homiletics is the study of the composition and delivery of a sermon or other religious discourse. It includes all
forms of preaching, viz., the sermon, homily and catechetical instruction.‖ --
Wikipedia
A. The Greek word from which the English word is derived sheds additional light on the meaning.
1. There are three Greek words that form a basis of our English word ―homiletics.‖
a. Homiletikos (from Homileo) which means ―to be in company with, to impart insights through sharing
common time together.‖
b. Homilia which means ―communion and conversation‖.
c. Homilos which is composed of homos meaning ―same‖ and ilos meaning ―crowd.‖
2. These three Greek words can be summarized to define Homiletics as ―sharing insights through conversation
with a crowd.‖
Discussion Question: Why is it different speaking to a crowd as opposed to speaking to an individual one on
one?
―Preaching is personal counseling on a group basis.‖ –Harry Emerson Fosdick, 1878-1969
II. What are some notable quotes regarding the subject of homiletics or preaching?
―Preaching is, in one regard, like bringing up children; we know all about it until we have to do it; then we
know nothing.‖ --George Buttrich, Jesus Came Preaching
Illustration: Teaching on Child Rearing moving from commandments, to tips, to suggestions to abandoning
teaching altogether. ―To the end of time, preaching can only be an embarrassed stammering. Do not call it
difficult, therefore; call it impossible.‖--A.C. Craig, Preaching in a Scientific Age, 1954
Ask Class: What do you think that A.C. Craig was trying to communicate? ―Preaching is an art, and in this, as in
all other arts, the bad performers far outnumber the good.‖ --Aldous Huxley, The Devils of London, 1952
―True Christian preaching is…a proclamation which claims to be the call of God through the mouth of man and,
as the word of authority, demands belief.‖--Rudolph Bultmann, Religion and Culture, 1959
―Among all the duties of the pastor after justice and life, holy preaching is the most praised.‖ --John Wycliff,
The Pastoral Office, 1378
―It is our duty to bark in the house of the Lord.‖ --A medieval preacher‘s saying
III. Why should we study the subject of homiletics?
B. Because preaching is God’s means of bringing the world to Christ (I Cor. 1:18-25).
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 20 Where i s the
wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since , in
the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preach ed
to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to th e
Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks, foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of
God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
21 Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in us ing
what the world considered dumb--preaching, of all things!--to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation. –Msg
B. Because preaching is God’s means of inspiring faith (Rom. 10:14-17; 16:25; Tit.1:1-3).
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall
they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach
the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed
our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:14-17
Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords
with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His word through
preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior… Titus 1:1-3
3 and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior… --NIV
C. Because good preaching is a science and an art (II Tim. 2:15).
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth .
1. Our goal in preaching is to be effective communicators for God.
Apollos is a great model for us in this area of preaching (Acts 18:24-28).
Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This m an
had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though
he knew only the baptism of John.
26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to hi m the
way of God more accurately. 27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him;
and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; 28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing
from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
a. He was humble and wanted all that God had to give him (Acts 18:26).
Even though he had been preaching his message for twenty years or more he was still open to receive from
others, including a woman and a tentmaker.
b. He was fervent in spirit (Acts 18:25).
The word ―fervent‖ here means ―to be zealous, hot or boiling.‖
c. He was mighty in the scriptures (Acts 18:24).
You do not become mighty in the scriptures without giving yourself to the scriptures.
d. He was eloquent in speech (Acts 18:24)
He was someone who understood the importance of his message and was willing to hone his skills to make
himself more effective at what he was called to do.
e. He was accurate in ministry (Acts 18:25).
He understood how important accuracy and diligence was in the ministry of the word. It is the truth that sets free
not our interpretation of the truth.
f. He was bold in speaking (Acts 18:26).
He was carrying words of life. There is no reason to be timid or apologetic when it comes to the message of the
Gospel.
g. He was a great help (Acts 18:27).
Some people are a help when they are around. Others are a great help.
You cannot be a great help unless you place a high value on others and have the true spirit of a servant.
h. He was vigorous in all that he did (Acts 18:28).
The word ―vigorously‖ in this passage literally means ―at full stretch.‖
The only other place this word is used in the New Testament refers to the way in which the Jewish leaders
opposed Jesus (Luke 23:10). You cannot defeat an enemy that is raging with half measures. We must run at full
stretch.
2. Our specific goals in this course are five-fold:
a. To introduce you to helpful preaching materials.
b. To expose you to a variety of preaching methods.
c. To help you in the organization and delivery of sermons.
d. To help you to overcome the fear of preaching.
e. To challenge you to discover your specific talents and gifting.
D. Because good preaching is hard work (II Tim. 2:15).
Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly
explains the word of truth. –NLT
A preacher is considered a worker. In other words preaching is work (We will come back to this verse in a later
class).
Jay Adams states that true instruction in homiletics ought to teach the following three things (Preaching with
Purpose).
1. How to remove all obstacles to preaching the truth.
2. How to make the message as clear as possible.
3. How to point the listener to Christ alone as the foundation for his belief and actions.
―He was a preacher, too... and never charged nothing for his preaching, and it was worth it, too.‖ –Mark Twain
The Goal of the Preacher Concerning the People
A. It is to see the people transformed into the image of Christ.
The Lord‘s glory should be included in every message.
II Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into
the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
B. It is so the people can obtain wisdom to be presented perfect (complete) at the Judgement Seat of
Christ.
Colossians 1:28, “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may
present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:”
Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get
understanding.”
What is wisdom?
a. To know.
b. To understand. (Illumination—when the light goes on.)
c. To apply. (Know how to use it in life.)
d. To practice. (Putting it into our lives)
Knowledge is not wisdom. You can know drugs are bad for you and still use them.
Wisdom is knowing and acting. Wisdom is acting on knowledge. (Applying it when needed in life)
C. To lead your people
Mark 6:34, “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them,
because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”
1. Jesus said the people need a shepherd.
2. Sheep are dull-witted animals that need guidance.
Preaching is one way to guide them.
D. To save sinners from hell
I Corinthians 9:16, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me;
yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”
Seven Pauline Injunctions on Preaching the Gospel
I. Preach the Divine Origin of the Gospel (Gal 1:11,12)
II. Preach the Centrality of the Gospel (1 Cor 2:1,2)
III. Preach the Essentials of the Gospel (1 Cor 15:1-4)
IV. Preach the Exclusiveness of the Gospel (Gal 1:8)
V. Preach the Urgency of the Gospel (2 Tim 4:2)
VI. Preach the Imperative of the Gospel (1 Cor 9:16,17)
VII. Preach the Pioneering Spirit of the Gospel (Rom 15:20,21)
 I. Textual Sermons
A. The textual sermon is similar to the expository sermon but it is based on one abbreviated passage.
B. In the textual sermon the outline comes from the text itself.
C. The textual sermon usually involves a shorter passage and a more detailed analysis.
The textual sermon can be based on a passage as short as one verse or as long as a book of the Bible (a short
book). Most often it will be a passage of 1-10 verses.
This will be the primary text and very little supporting texts will be referenced.
Short text, provides its own divisions
1) Find a specific subject.
2) Seek for exact divisions.
3) Follow best order (not necessarily natural order).
4) Need not use all of text.
Example
1. “Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Rom 13:11)
In what sense? In ―the redemption of our body‖ (Rom 8:23). Our souls are saved when we have trusted the
Saviour with all our heart, but our body, going through this earthly pilgrimage, must still encounter sickness, the
frailties of old age and finally death. ―For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain
together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body‖ (Rom
8:22-23).
One happy aspect of the ―redemption of our body‖ is that we will not go through death, but we will be raptured!
―Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality‖. (1
Cor 15:51-53). This joyous transformation occurs at the Second Coming of Christ which is
further expounded by Paul in 1 Thess 4:13-18.
Our Lord is coming and nearer than you think. Why make such long-term plans for your life? The signs leading
to His Coming are listed in Matthew 24.
1. Turmoil in Geology: Earthqakes. Studies have shown intensification during the last decade. In the first three
months of 1998 there have occurred 3 earthquakes in the Afghanistan-Pakistan area. The first one destroyed
4,500 lives.
As we go to press another quake of 6.5 on the Richter scale has hit the West Coast of Sumatra. By God‘s
mercies, we in Singapore have been spared.
2. Turmoil in Ecology: Pestilence. Those that befall animals – mad British cows, so hundreds of thousands were
slaughtered. ―Mad‖ Taiwan pigs and millions of Hong Kong ―flu‖ chicken. The earth: 1,000 fires now raging in
Kalimantan and haze returning to Singapore. Again the Lord has spared us.
3. Turmoil in Economy. The toppling of currencies in South East Asia resulting in rioting in Indonesia, and
influx of illegal immigrants to Malaysia and Singapore because of a battered livelihood. Singapore is now
appealing for $5 million to feed Indonesia‘s poor. Is this not famine?
4. Turmoil in Ecclesiology: False Christ and false prophets, such as Benny Hinn, slaying in the spirit. Benny
Hinn collected $50 million in 1996.
5. Turmoil in Diplomacy. WWIII is building up in the Euphrates region, which is Iraq (Rev 9:14-15). Saddam is
alive and kicking and Clinton is being wagged by his tail. WWIII will erupt from the Euphrates, which is Iraq
(Rev 16).
6. Turmoil in ―Computerology‖. This can come under Pestilence. When the Millennium Bug bites hard in less
than 13 months, the disasters that will trigger from it has scared computer experts.
One Hong Kong newspaper paints the scenario of two planes colliding in the sky. Don‘t fly, I advise for January
2000. Pray, hugging Mother Earth! It will cost one million million US$ according to latest estimates to make
computers compliant. Millions worldwide will be thrown out of job. The Indonesian crisis now is but a faint
foreshadowing of sinister hordes of things to come. (In so far as I am concerned, I own no computer
and know nothing about computers. So I will be all right!)
You’ve all heard about the Millennium Bug,
Also known as the Y2K problem.
There are only thirteen months before It strikes,
Even earlier by ’99 September.
Tangled with the Computers are the Chips.
Billions upon billions scattered worldwide.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Are not able to save us when they bite.
I have no computer. I don’t care what
Will come by this Monster Millennium Bug.
All that I care is Christ’s coming is near.
He’ll snatch me away from It’s grisly hug.
Christ is all set to come within our lifetime, I believe, but the Church is soundly slumbering. Repent, ―awake out
of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us
therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light‖ (Rom 13:11-12).
Put on the armour of light in holy living. (Eph 6:12-18) And put on the armour of light in holy warfare!
Evangelise! Tell it to all nations the Saviour cometh. ―And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all
the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come‖. (Matt 24:14). Even so, come Lord Jesus,
Amen.
2. “Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of earth, For I am God and there is none else.” (Isa 45:22)
Using the Chinese character come, which depicts two small men and a big Man, the two thieves and Jesus on
the cross, we can preach a powerful message especially to Chinese listeners. Yet it was equally effective when I
used this message for Palestinian students studying at a Mennonite school in Bethlehem.
LOOK
The Good Thief The Bad Thief
Looks To Jesus Looks away From Jesus
Look To GOD Look not To Buddha
COME
3. “For the love of Christ constraineth us” (2 Cor 5:14a)
Intro. : The Lord requires of us to serve Him under all kinds of conditions
Transit : What wins in the Marathon of Christian fulltime service
NOT : 1. DUTY (Give ye them to eat, Matt 14:16)
2. SCARCITY (The Labourers are few, Matt 9:37)
3. OPPORTUNITY (An open door, Rev 3:8)
4. URGENCY (White already to harvest, John 4:35)
5. PITY (To feed the poor, 1 Cor 13:3)
But by LOVE CONSTRAINED, i.e.,
The CHARITY of 1 Cor 13.
 II. Topical Sermons
Here the preacher aims to present a specific topic to his congregation.
For example, he may take the subject of "justification." His aim would be, firstly, to
discover everything the Bible has to say on this enthralling subject. He would then arrange all the Scripture
references and thoughts he gets into an orderly format. He then develops his theme as fully and faithfully as
possible. His objective is to tell his audience everything they should know on this important subject.
Of course, he may not be able to do this in one teaching session; so he will then prepare a series of messages or
teachings on that same subject. This ensures a much fuller treatment of the topic.
The Topical Concordance in The Shepherd's Staff is of immense value when preparing such a message. There,
one can quickly find every scripture reference relating to the topic concerned. A good reference Bible is also
helpful. This will also enable you to follow a given theme throughout the Scriptures.
A. The topical sermon deals with a specific biblical theme or an issue of importance or concern.
Divisions derived from the subject
Advantages: Better insures unity
Trains mind in logic
More convincing and pleasing
Fits occasions
Dangers: Tend to emphasize subjects not emphasized in Bible
Good oration unduly important
Preacher‘s personal interest
B. There are many variations of the topical sermon.
1. Doctrinal Sermons
Some examples of this type of sermon might include:
The Attributes of God
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The Atonement
The Authority of the Believer
The Church
2. Ethical Discourse
The ethical discourse draws from principles in the Scripture and applies them to issues that may not be
directly addressed in the Bible.
Some examples of this type of sermon might include:
Social Issues
Abortion
Prejudice
Suicide
3. Word Study
A word study usually focuses on one word or one concept (a few relatedwords) and brings a biblical
challenge regarding that topic.
Some examples of this type of sermon might include:
Faith
Love
Obedience
Prayer
Holiness
Example of Topical sermon
1. Heaven and Hell (Luke 16) (By Dr. John Sung)
This afternoon I would like to speak on heaven and hell. This is a most important subject, but there are many
who do not believe in heaven or in hell. Before I was born again, this was a perplexing question to me.
When I was nine years old, I saw a small black thing placed in front of our door. I asked Mother what it was and
she said it was a coffin for my three-year old sister to sleep in. Mystery of mysteries! I only knew how lovable
little sister was, but Mother was referring to her death. I entered the room. I saw her lovable face now pale and
white. Her hands and feet were ice-cold. I did not realise I had seen death.
I called to her, but she did not reply. She cared not for me. I came out and saw Mother‘s eyes brimming with
tears. I didn‘t know what to do. I did not know how sister died. How was it that I who was older than her had
not died? Just then, I saw someone lift little sister into the coffin. I called out to Mother, ―Why don‘t let sister
sleep in the bed, but put her in the coffin?‖ Mother did not listen nor did anybody else, but carried the coffin out.
I asked Mother where they took sister, whether she would return. Mother said they had taken her
to the lonely countryside and she would not return. Hearing this I burst into tears and wailing.
I asked Mother whether I would become like little sister and Mother said yes. I grew more gloomy. That night I
dreamt that I died like little sister, and was put into a coffin. I was afraid and I cried to Daddy and Mummy, ―I
won‘t die, I want to stay with you.‖ I woke myself up with a loud sobbing which brought also Father and
Mother out of bed to inquire after me. I said, ―I dreamt that I died. I was afraid. I do not want to die. Death is so
fearful. It takes me to the lonely countryside. No, I won‘t die! I want to live with Daddy and
Mummy forever.‖
Beloved brothers and sisters, are you afraid of death? Now I‘m not afraid, not a bit. For man has to die. No one
can ever escape this check-point. What is fearful is where you end up after death. This subject is worthy of our
careful consideration. This afternoon is devoted to the discussion of this subject, that we may know where to
go after death.
V. 19. ―There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every
day.‖ This rich man is what you would call a capitalist, even such a one as is found in Amoy today. He has
made a great name for himself on earth but in heaven his name is not found. He cared only for the outward and
not for the inside. He lived sumptuously every day, in wine and women.
Now the Bible records no other sin of this rich man save his luxurious living. Imagine for yourself: Did he ever
look upwards to heaven or did he look on the things of earth? Yea, he only looked on earth, on the present. So
did Emperor Yuan Shih Kai turn his eyes on the present world. He did not believe in heaven or in hell. He
thought once a man died everything was over. But remember, this rich man was a worshipper of God, a son of
Abraham, of the elect. May be he was an elder or deacon in his church. As a matter of fact he did not
trust God. He was a nominal believer by his reckless godless behaviour.
V. 20. ―And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores.‖
There was another man called Lazarus. He was nobody on earth but his name was found in heaven. This man
was sick with sores all over his body. He carried the cross daily as a beggar, not that he won‘t work but because
of his disabled limbs and sick body. In our church today there are many like Lazarus but nobody ever cares, like
the rich man in this Bible story. These care only after their own comforts. This is wrong, for we should take care
of one another which is our God-appointed duty.
Lazarus, though in such a sad plight, never thought of doing evil. For he believed there was a heaven and there
was a hell. He was afraid of the retribution after this life. Many robbers and warlords there are who rob and kill,
massacre and plunder, and many capitalists there are who exploit and profiteeer -- because they do not
believe in heaven or hell. Lazarus looked up to heaven. He looked to the future. In contrast, the rich man looked
down to earth. He cared for the present. Lazarus, like Jesus, dared not seek for unrighteous
mammon. When Jesus was on earth, he possessed not a thing, not even a place to pillow his head. Lazarus was
the same. Lazarus carried the bitter cross daily. In Lazarus we see a type of Christ.
Lazarus said, ―I have no desires of this world. I want to go to heaven. Heaven is my home.‖ Many have asked
me, ―So many in China have neither food nor clothing, and are dying of hunger and cold in extremest misery.
Who will believe your talk on heaven and hell? If they don‘t take care of the present, how will they give
attention to the future?‖ But I say to you, ―If you believe in Jesus, then you won‘t worry not having food and
clothing. For, in God‘s Kingdom, there is the rule of love among us. We take care of one another. When we
love God, we logically love His children, who are now our brethren in the same kingdom. How can we see our
brethren suffer in hunger and cold?‖
V. 21. ―And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man‘s table: moreover the dogs came
and licked his sores.‖
Lazarus sat daily at the rich man‘s doorway waiting to feed on the tit-bits that fell off his table. Nobody loved
Lazarus. For, he was a decrepit, he could not work. Dogs were his friends, who comforted him. When Christ
was on earth neither did the people love Him nor receive Him. He was assailed wherever He went. He found his
friends among the tax collectors and sinners, the despised of society.
These loved Jesus, who were poor and sinful, and a few others. Now Lazarus‘ eyes were lifted to heaven and the
rich man‘s eyes were fixed on the earth in abandonment.
V. 22. ―And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham‘s bosom: the rich
man also died and was buried.‖ Whom would you choose to be of the two? Who would like to be the rich man
and who Lazarus? True, Lazarus died first, since he was a poor sick man with no one to care for him. But he
was not afraid to die. He was very happy in fact. He knelt and prayed to Jesus, ―Lord, I am coming home!‖ Was
Lazarus‘ death the end of everything? No, He was carried by angels to his father Abraham‘s bosom, in paradise,
which is heaven. This is evidence that heaven is real. When I go to the villages to preach and meet with some
old, zealous church member‘s death, it is one in which angels have come to receive the departed. Now Lazarus
could not afford a burial. His body being discarded in the wilderness was eaten by dogs. What a
contrast with some member‘s death in which they make such a big show and celebration, and drum up with a
procession. A funeral looks more like a religious festival to welcome the gods. Beloved brothers and sisters. See
what luxury must also be lavished on a dead man, and all this for what? Was such a celebration made for Jesus‘
death? But Jesus did not bequeath to this earth even one of his bones.
Sakyamuni, Confucius, Laotse, Mohammed, died and left behind their bones. Only Jesus did not. Now, you
spend such a lot on a dead body and what do you get? Look! This rich man has a five-storey mansion, a house
full of wives and concubines, attired in velvet and eating the fat. But now he is down with illness. Around him
are gathered his wife and secondary wives up to No. 7. These are trembling and at a loss what medicine the
doctor should give to the rich man. The rich man, afraid to die, gives in to a whirl of dreadful dreams and
visions. Could he now enjoy all the good things of life? He couldn‘t even know anything about these things. All
he worries about is death. Why? There is the pain of judgment after death!
Could he know after his death the best of coffins they put him in and the best of clothes they put on him? Could
he see the farce they make for him and the noise of celebration that excel even a festival of the gods? Those who
come for the funeral and all the on-lookers make a festive noise. Does he know? How many fat members of the
church, fat deacons, fat elders and fat pastors when they die make such a show-off in their funerals, no different
from what was done for this rich man! Their merry-making is to celebrate his home-going to
heaven? What does the Bible say? Where did all his luxury go once he died and was buried? And the burial
ended everything? The material and the spiritual parts of the man had now come to an end? No! When I was
preaching in Shantung, a college student from Tsinan came to see me. I asked him his philosophy of life. To
which he answered, ―Enjoy-myself philosophy.‖ When I asked him what would happen to him when he died, he
said death ended all things for him. I asked him if that was the case, why should he pursue his education and go
to the university? Would it not be better to spend that money on self-enjoyment? He was dumb-founded.
Beloved, let me tell you what comes to end after death. The body is finished, but not the soul!
V. 23. ―And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his
bosom.‖ How is it after death now? The rich man ends up in hades, in hell, to suffer in the fire that is not
quenched and to be bitten by worms that dieth not.
This proves hell is real. So death does not end all. Should you ask me where heaven and hell are, astronomers
have observed a place in space where there are no stars, wide and empty in the heavens, surrounded on its
borders by galaxies of stars. This region is in the north. This is heaven since in Isaiah it is said God‘s throne is
―in the sides of the north.‖ Where is hell? In science you have studied that there is fire in the heart of the earth,
fire that is of extreme heat.
Where did the rich man go? Is it to the fire inside the centre of the earth? I say hell is right there! Now there are
those who ask, ―Since God is all-loving why will He punish men in an everlasting hell? But you must carefully
consider this fact that God has given man the chance to repent, and has sent His beloved Son Jesus to tell that
unbelievers will be condemned. Now, if you refuse to repent, what further can be done? When you prick your
flesh with a needle, does it produce pain in the flesh or pain in the soul? Know this that without the soul there
would be no feeling. So, to keep on pricking when it produces pain is to suffer pain of your own choosing. Not
to repent from knowledgeable sin will meet with punishment. God is a God who judges between good and evil
and metes out the retribution.
This is manifestation of the justice of His love. The rich man went to hell to be tormented in fire. The pain of
thirst in the fire is unbearable and he now realises his mistake. He begs Abraham to tell Lazarus to give him a
drop of water to cool his thirst, but there is no intercommunication. He did not look up to heaven until he was
landed in trouble, but it was too late. Here is a mystery: It is that after death a man‘s spiritual eyes can see great
distances, from hell to heaven, but not while living on earth. Because we cannot see afar nor into the future, so
many are unwittingly seeking the pleasures of the present. Hence the sufferings they have to bear after death.
Brothers, wake up!
V. 24. ―And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of
his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.‖ Now the rich man knows how to
pray. Though he requests Abraham his father to send him help through Lazarus, it is not possible by reason of a
great gulf separating them. The rich man is all wailing and misery. Despite his remorse, his loud cries of prayer,
he has now to suffer the retribution of his sins.
V. 25. ―But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst the good things, and likewise
Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.‖ Did Abraham love the rich man? Yes.
Abraham loved him and God loved him too. God used every means of salvation to save the rich man, but he
refused to repent. Now he must taste its bitterness. Dear brothers, God has used all kinds of methods to save
you. If you repent not, He has no other.
V. 26. ―And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they who would pass from
here to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.‖ No way out! For there is a great
gulf fixed between you and God. Though God is omnipotent, yet He cannot help because you have not repented
while He waited and now you are to suffer for what you deserve.
V. 27. ―Then he said, I pray thee, therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him to my father‘s house.‖ Ah! The
rich man shows love for his five brothers. He begs Abraham to send Lazarus to go and tell them that they might
know there is a heaven and a hell that they might repent from their evils. But time did not permit this. The
brothers had others to tell them. It was not necessary for someone from the dead to do this.
Vv. 28-31. ―For I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of
torment. Abraham saith unto him, they have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
And he said, Nay, father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto
him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.‖
Abraham said, they have the Bible, the Words of the prophets telling them. If they believe not the Bible, there is
no other way. I also did not believe in heaven or hell before, being blinded by a worldly education and scientific
knowledge. Praise the Lord, He has shown me heaven and hell that I might return to Him. If we open the Book
of Revelation we shall know what heaven is like. What I say of seeing heaven is what Revelation tells us, they
are exactly the same.
God has revealed heaven to us that we might understand the most beautiful spot on earth is not equal to it. God
has also shown hell to me. When I was in the lunatic asylum, there was a patient warded in a room next to me.
This madman would weep and pray when night fell. He would recount the sins he had committed and bite his
tongue. When daylight came he stopped. When night fell he repeated the same process. This demented fellow
would see flames burning all around him. At first I did not understand this. I asked God and He
said to me, ―In hell, the inmates have nothing else to do except think upon the sorrows, and the more they think
about them, the more acute their suffering becomes. So those who repent not will have to face up to all these
sins with increasing sorrow to torment them. Whatever they think about will become their punishment. I have
had this experience. The more I recall the sins I committed the more I become tormented. When I could bear it
no longer, I remembered I needed to pray. When I prayed all my sorrows vanished and peace returned. Have
you repented of your sins? If not, you will never be at peace!
When I was preaching in Peking, there was a girl surnamed Chow. She died at the age of fifteen. She got sick at
first for four months and was warded at the Central Hospital. When she came to hear me preach, the Holy Spirit
worked in her heart to save her soul before death. After she repented of her sins, her illness worsened, so
she asked her brother to seek for Pastor Wang (Ming-tao?) to baptize her. She found peace after baptism, yea,
even joy unspeakable. Before she died, she asked to see her father. She said to him, ―You must believe there is a
living God.‖ Father replied, ―I‘m an opium smoker and a great sinner. How will God want such a sinner like
me?‖ She said to her father, ―God is love. He loves sinners. He loves you. If you don‘t trust in God, I shall never
see you again.‖ Father was moved by her pleas, so he knelt down to confess his sins.
Now she asked to see her elder brother. ―Big brother,‖ she said, ―You must believe in the living and true God.
God is love. If you repent and confess your sins before Him, He will save you. If you refuse to repent and
believe not in Him, I shall never see you again.‖
Big brother was also moved to repentance and returned to God. Similarly she summoned her younger brothers
and sisters who also repented and returned to God. She saved a whole family. She was overjoyed. Finally she
asked her parents and the whole family to come before her. She said, ―My sickness is fatal. Though I know I‘m
going to die, I am very happy. For I‘m going to a happy place. Daddy and Mummy, brothers and
sisters will all be there too. We shall meet over there, and live forevermore. Now angels are coming. Jesus
comes! I‘m going home. Don‘t be sad nor weep to make me sorrowful.‖ Thus saying, she departed. A smile
broadened over her face. She had gone to the heavenly home.
Beloved brothers and sisters, may you also prepare to return home to God.
2. Following Christ in the Steps of St. Peter (John 1: 35-36, 40-41; Matthew 6:21-26; Luke 5:4-11; Matthew
19:20-21, 27-30; John 21:18,19)
It gives me great pleasure this morning to be with you, not only for the reason that the name of Spurgeon is one
that we love, but also for sweet memories of 36 years ago when I was here worshipping, perhaps with some of
you, in the cellar. Now, having known Dr Masters as a very dear brother in the Lord, it gives me even greater
joy and courage to come and witness to you our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I bring greetings from our churches in Singapore to you as we shall further fellowship with your pastor and his
wife who would be visiting us in Singapore in two months‘ time.
Now, I have been here to speak at the School of Theology on the Revival we had received in our young days
from the ministry of Dr John Sung. When we mention John Sung and China, the Far East, and other servants
the Lord has raised, immediately we think of three names that have been recognised by the west. These three
names are John Sung, Watchman Nee and Wang Ming Tao. These three who have been recognised leaders of
the Chinese Church may be compared to three running a race. John Sung died in 1944, the first to be taken home
after fifteen years of relentless service. Watchman Nee, having been imprisoned by the communists for twenty
years, was taken home a week or so before he was to be released. This was about a decade ago. Wang Ming Tao
and his dear wife, having been released after twenty-three years of imprisonment, are now living in
Shanghai - they are still alive! Wang Ming Tao is eighty-six years old. Praise be to His Name, God has given to
each man a portion of work to do. But I want to say that, in point of time, John Sung is the first to be received
into glory. So he is number one in the race. He is number one in the race also for pouring out his life beyond all
other servants of the Lord that I have known.
My subject this morning is ―How Far Have You and How Far Have I Followed the Lord Jesus Christ?‖ These
three men have followed the Lord faithfully and diligently. Let us examine ourselves :
Have we attained? Have we followed in the plan He has laid out for The Metropolitan Tabernacle, Elephant &
Castle, London us? We can learn it from the life of Peter according to the five passages we have read, in five
steps.
Now, in Chinese, the word ―Christian‖ is a ―Christ follower.‖ The Chinese character for ―follower‖ is made up
of two radicals, and both refer to ―movement.‖ The left radical means ―to walk,‖ and the right radical means ―to
run.‖ In other words, we must be good followers of Jesus Christ. Not only are we to follow Him, but we are
to follow Him briskly, spiritedly, not lagging behind. When I think of this, I realise in many areas of my life I
have not followed Him enough. Our prayer this morning is, ―Lord, help me to follow closely after You.‖ From
the life of Peter, we can see certain failures. But we thank God that Peter finally had attained. He can say also
with the Apostle Paul, ―I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. (2 Tim 4:7).‖
I
Before we can follow Him, we must find Him. Many people are following, but they are lost, though they think
they are following Him. We have the case of Andrew and Peter and Philip, the early disciples, and John. They
had heard John the Baptist. They were trying to find the truth. We thank God that as for Andrew he was able
to testify to his brother Peter, ―We have found the Messiah!‖ Have you found the Messiah, have you found the
Lord? It is possible for us to attend Church, a Bible-believing Church where the Gospel is preached, and not find
the Lord Jesus Christ. I speak from my own experience. I was a seeker from a very young age. I was always
troubled about my salvation. I always wanted to know how I could know for sure that I would go to heaven.
And my grandfather was the pastor. He spoke the Truth, but I did not find the Truth because I
always argued, ―How can it be so simple? ―
We thank God for your great predecessor, Mr Spurgeon. How I love to read that story! And how he was
troubled, he was seeking. Until that morning when the Lord found him, and he also found the Lord! It was in a
snow-storm, in a very small Methodist Church. He heard the Methodist lay-preacher call to him, ―Look unto me,
and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.‖ (Isa 45:22). And one look, he found Jesus! He knew that his sins
were washed away. I thank God for that noonday when as we sang in that Revival Meeting in Singapore fifty
years ago, ―In the cross, in the cross, Be my vision glorious: All my sins are washed away in the blood of
Jesus.‖ Now, these words meant everything to me. I had found the Saviour at last! I hope everyone worshipping
here may be able to say, ―I know that my sins are forgiven. I‘ve found my Saviour.‖ Don‘t say, ―Jesus Christ is
the Saviour of the world.‖ I could say that. You must say, ―Jesus Christ is my personal Saviour.‖ That is Peter‘s
first step.
II
Secondly, in following Jesus, we cannot follow Him on our terms. The servant is not above his master. The
follower cannot go before the one who is leading him. For example, someone is going to run in an Olympic
race. He will be under coaching, he will be under instruction. One thing I know of the terms he must keep - he
must lose much of himself. I am talking of it physically. But in following the Lord Jesus Christ, you must lose
all your life, your whole life. ―If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow Me.‖ When you take your cross, you are being sentenced to death, you are going up there to be
killed. Are you willing to follow the Lord, on His terms, paying the price of your life?
Now, Peter did not understand this. He said, ―O Lord, please don‘t go to Jerusalem. I cannot think of you going
there to suffer.‖ ―Get thee behind me, Satan,‖ Jesus spoke to the chief of the Apostles. We must pray that the
Lord will give us the devotion, to surrender our whole life, because if He has given His life for us, we must be
willing to die for Him. Now, it is easier said than done.
Often I have thought to myself, ―If there should be a persecution, and I should be taken to prison, would I be
able to say that?‖ I tremble.
We must ask the Lord for strength. It is only by love and devotion to Him that we can so do.
Recently in my church we had a young girl preparing for baptism, but she came to me in tears. She said, ―My
father has threatened to beat me up if I should be baptised.‖ Chinese parents are willing to let their children go
to church for a selfish reason - to learn English, and my church is English-speaking. But they will warn
them, ―You don‘t get baptised. If you get baptised, we will beat you up.‖ So this young lady, with tears in her
eyes, pleaded, ―Pastor, what shall I do?‖ I said, ―I cannot dictate to you. It is between you and the Lord, if you
love Him. ‗If any man will not love me more than father and mother, he is not worthy of Me.‖ So, she prayed,
and I left her at that. I was very happy to see her come Sunday morning for the baptism. For she was prepared to
be beaten up. When she went home that afternoon, however, the stern voice of her father came to her ears. The
father had earlier told the younger sister to call her to the room. She was trembling. Wonder of wonders, the
father had a ―hongbao‖, a red packet with money inside for her. God honours those who honour Him. When she
took a stand for Him, the father had to surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank God for the
ordinance of baptism. When the catechumen is baptised in the Name of the Lord Jesus, the heathens are afraid.
So her father yielded and instead of beating her up, gave her the ―hongbao‖. It was not a consolation prize, it
was a great reward from the Lord!
But, maybe, a greater paying that price is paying it in peace, when we have every liberty to keep our life. We
must be willing to serve Him unconditionally. I say this particularly to those who are entering fulltime service,
becoming pastors, or in some other sphere of service in the church, even as a caretaker. Anything and
everything is for the Lord. We have no right or claim, or privilege.
We had a young man who was brought up in our Bible College. He went abroad, and got a higher degree. I
loved him very much. But because I loved him, I overlooked his faults. We had a vacation Bible school. As
pastor, I did all I could to bring the children in. So I drove our station wagon. And I said to that young man,
―Here is another station wagon for you to drive.‖ So we went out to collect the children. The next day, my wife
said to the young man, ―Please, will you help?‖ He said to her, ―This is not my job,‖ meaning to say, ―I am a
venerable scholar, it is not my job to drive a van.‖ Well, that showed me that he was not willing to give his life
to the Lord. I said to myself, ―I cannot use him.‖ That prediction came true. Neither could the elders use him.
Let those who are serving the Lord, serve Him gladly. Picking up a piece of waste paper from the Church
ground is as sacred as preaching from the pulpit, if you do it in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There was the great Emperor Justinian in those days of emperors, who built a great cathedral. For the dedication
of the cathedral there was a plaque that was made to his own glory. ―I, great Emperor Justinian so-and-so, have
built this cathedral. . . .‖ But there was a poor widow named Euphrasia, who loved God‘s House, but could not
contribute any substance. But she said, ―I will do my part to bring water and hay to the donkeys that are hauling
the stones.‖ On the day the curtain was drawn, angelic hands had already erased the
name of the great emperor, but there were words of commendation to the poor widow Euphrasia.
III
Now Peter had followed the Lord. But then we come to the place where he had his boat, and was mending the
nets. The whole night he and his partners had caught nothing. They were part-time disciples.
But Jesus wanted Peter and John and the others to follow Him fulltime. Peter could not understand this. ―I have
got my wife, I have got my children (perhaps), I have got my parents.‖ These particularly are considerations for
Chinese disciples. They have many obligations. I must attain self-support before I can follow the Lord. But this
is not the Lord‘s way. When Peter got nothing that night, that was the beginning of fulltime discipleship. Some
people will follow the Lord when they have lost out in business. Their motivation may not be very pure. Yet, the
Lord knows our weakness. When the Lord had given Peter two ship-loads of fish (how much do they cost in
England?), then Peter knelt down before the Lord and said, ―Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man. I
have been harbouring so many reservations about you.‖ He forsook his net and followed Jesus.
I thank God I came to that point one day. But I have heard some of our zealous people back home say, ―We
want to serve the Lord but we will keep this job or have shares in certain businesses to upkeep ourselves, so we
will not be a burden to the Church.‖ I cannot find it in the Bible. If the Lord has called you, then you have to
give up your job to serve Him fulltime. That is the Bible way. Thank God,
Peter understood. He forsook his fishing business. How about you?
IV
We come to the fourth step, and that is in the encounter between the rich young ruler and our Lord. After our
Lord had told him all the conditions, he said, ―What lack I yet?‖ He felt there was something wrong with him.
You want to serve the Lord and yet there is something in you that asks, ―What lack I yet?‖ He was a rich man
with position and power. That was the thing that kept him from fully following Jesus. So Jesus said, ―Sell all
that you have and give to the poor, and come and follow me.‖ Give away your wealth. The problem with us
today is we are too rich! I read in Singapore an article about America. It says America is a mediocre society
today because there is no pressure. For everything is fine. It does not bring out the sparks of excellence. And
that is exactly what Jesus Christ sees of the rich young ruler. If you want to live a life that is productive,
meaningful, then distribute your wealth. Give away your money. Is that easy? ―Oh, I give my one-tenth.‖ But so
far as the States is concerned, I understand it is deductible from income tax. In Singapore it is not like that. The
Government gives no preference to any religion. Everyone‘s the same, you just pay tax. Therefore,
giving to the Church in Singapore is pure giving. Some who have given their tithes feel very cocky about it: ―I
have given my one-tenth.‖ But I have heard of Colgate and LeTourneau, how they gave one-tenth and two-
tenths, and finally nine-tenths. But then the Lord says, ―Not only nine-tenths, give all!‖
Let me tell you the story of a very dear brother in the Lord who has struggled together with me since thirty-six
years ago to witness for the Lord. He gave himself full-time, and was ordained as a pastor. Then he went to New
York and he had a church. Later on he did not have a church, but served as an honorary pastor. To keep himself
alive, he became a taxi driver. A taxi-driver pastor. He said to me, ―We have made a resolution to the Lord. We
give 80%. Ten percent for myself, and ten percent for my wife. The rest goes to the Lord. For thirty-six years he
has been supporting our Church, giving to missions, especially for pioneer missions to the Dyaks of Borneo.
How about Peter? Peter has given all. And so he said, ―Lord, how about me? How about us, who have given
all!‖ The Lord blessed them: ―You will receive eternal life and in this life, one-hundredfold in houses and
lands.‖ And that is very true. The Church today lacks power because the members are holding back that blessing
that the Lord has for them. I pray that the Lord may give me more grace to give and keep on giving. It is a joy.
When you begin to give and give sacrificially, you will receive the spiritual power in return.
V
Thank God for Peter. Finally, we see Jesus asking him three times: ―Lovest thou me more than these?‖ Peter
said, ―Lord, you know that I love you.‖ The three times uttered may be due to the fact that he had three times
denied the Lord Jesus. Jesus wanted Peter to re-consecrate himself.
Not doubling up, but trebling up! Recently I sent my teacher, Dr. Jack Murray in America, a copy of the book I
have written on the life of Dr. John Sung in whose Revival in Singapore I found the Lord and gave myself to the
Lord full-time. Dr. Murray, having read the book, wrote me a very kind letter. He said, ―Timothy, I thank you so
much for telling that story. But as for me, I closed my door, I knelt down before the Lord, and I prayed, ‗Lord,
help me to consecrate my life anew to You as John Sung had done‘.‖ Thank God it is not only Peter
who had consummated his following the Lord when he died for Jesus Christ in the end. John Sung poured out
his life for Him as well.
This morning, if we realise we have not followed the Lord enough, let us also treble up.
III. The typical sermon
This is the art of uncovering and communicating truth which is hidden beneath the surface of the various "types"
in the Bible.
A "type" is a person, object or event which is prophetically symbolic of someone or something yet to come. It is
similar to, and characteristic of, that person or event.
In its biblical application, it refers to a Bible character or event which foreshadows some future one.
For example, the Passover Lamb in Exodus is a type of Christ. Every detail of that paschal lamb spoke
prophetically of the redemptive role Christ would fulfill as the "Lamb of God" (John 1:29). Every prophetic
symbol was fulfilled when Christ died for the sins of the world.
Biblical types are often referred to as "shadows of things to come" (Heb 8:5; 10:1). Such persons and events are
like a person walking with the sun behind him. His body casts a shadow into the future, before him, portraying
the shape of things to come.
The Law of God was a shadow of the good things to come. It represented, and was a shadow of, the better things
which were to come in Christ (Heb 10:1).
The "holy days" of the Old Covenant were also shadows of things to come (Col 2:17).
Those holy days were not complete in themselves. Part of the purpose of their fulfillment was to project a
prophetic picture of things which were yet to come.
The interpretation and exposition of Bible types is a rather specialized task; it deserves the skill of those who are
mature and knowledgeable in biblical subjects.
Novices should avoid attempting to preach from the more profound types, since unskilled interpretations can
lead into all kinds of unfortunate error.
A deep and thorough knowledge of the whole Bible is essential to those who seek to expound the meaning of
the types. Such teachings should be substantiated and undergirded by the whole Bible.
Principles For Use. When you first attempt to teach from biblical types, please try to keep the following
principles in mind:
1) Use Simpler Types. Begin with the simpler types, in which the implication is very obvious.
2) Keep To Broader Interpretation. Never try to interpret every tiny detail of the type. Keep to the
broader outline of truth.
3) Don't Be Dogmatic. Avoid being dogmatic as to what the type teaches.
4) Illustrate Doctrine. Never base your doctrinal position on the teaching of types.
Types should illustrate doctrine, not initiate it.
5) Be Open To Correction. Remain open to correction from those of greater maturity than yourself.
IV. ANALYTICAL
This type of sermon relates to the detailed analyzing of a subject in order to extract the greatest amount of truth
from it. From this truth, you can then teach the underlying principles involved.
V. ANALOGICAL
Much of the Bible is written in the form of analogy. It teaches a truth from a parallel case. The writers often use
a natural subject from which to teach a spiritual truth. It involves the comparison of similar functions, and the
process of reasoning from parallel cases. The analogical sermon endeavors to communicate truth contained in an
analogy.

VI. BIOGRAPHICAL SERMONS

A biography is a life story of a person. Therefore, this method involves the study of the lives of the many
characters we encounter in the Bible.
Every biography recorded in the Bible holds important significance for us.
Every life has something to teach us.
The study of Bible characters is very enthralling and absorbing.
Choose a particular person.
Read every reference to that person that occurs in the Bible.
Make notes of every thought that comes to mind.
Begin to assemble those thoughts into chronological order -- the order in which they occurred:
* Study the birth of the person.
* Consider the circumstances of his upbringing.
* Focus upon the dealings of God in his life.
* How did he react to God's dealing?
* What did he learn from it?
* If he were a success in life, what made him successful?
* If his life ended in failure, where did he go wrong?
* What can we learn from his life?
These are all interesting and informative things we can learn from the rich lives of the
men and women we meet in the Bible.
Biographical sermons are drawn from Bible characters who serve as a positive or negative example of
actions and their results. These sermons may become a series on the life of a biblical character.
Example Of Biographical Sermon
1. The Story of the Hero - Model of the Old Testament – Abraham (Gen 11-22) (By Dr. John Sung)
From Ch. 11:27-32 we learn that Abram‘s father was Terah. Terah had three sons; Abram, Nahor and Haran.
We do not know much about Abram‘s youth, but here‘s an interesting story about him: Terah was a devout idol-
worshipper. He built a big shrine in his house. In this shrine he kept all kinds of idols and images, and spent all
his time serving them. But, Abram, did not believe in idols.
One day Terah went out of the house on business. He entrusted the shrine to Abram‘s care. Now, while his
father was out, Abram took a hammer and smashed all the idols to the ground. Then he put a piece of meat in
the mouth of one of the idols, and left them as they were.
When his father returned home to this situation, he was furious beyond words. He asked Abram, ―How did all
these idols become like this?‖ Abram, replied, ―Soon after you went out, someone brought us meat. The idols
rushed upon the meat, and a fight broke out. Do you see meat in that idol‘s mouth?‖ Terah was dumb-founded,
but the whole family turned to God that day.
One day God said to Abram, ―Leave this dark place of Ur, leave your home-country.‖ God did not tell him
where, but only towards the South. Abram, went in absolute obedience. This was his first obedience. To obey
God in the first instance, we must leave our ―home-country‖. Beloved brothers and sisters, to obey God, one
must leave everything! So Abram, went out in obedience to God, four in the company. Himself, father, wife and
nephew Lot. They found their way to Haran. When Abram came to Haran, he halted. He stopped half-way in his
journey. Beloved brothers and sisters, Abram, got downhearted! How many have followed Jesus and stopped
half-way? Now Abram was weak, and God wanted to train him. God also wants us to go
forward and not stop half-way. Now, when Abram halted, the Lord let his father die. Abram wept. ―O God, How
is it that death has taken my father? And in this foreign land?‖ God said, ―Abram, my beloved Abram! Because
you have not obeyed me fully, to follow me all the way.‖ Not going with God all the way has brought death to
his father. God said, ―Get up and go on.‖
Ch. 12 vv. 1-4. ―Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and
from thy father‘s house, unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless
thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee: and in thee
shall all families of the earth be blessed.‖ When Abram heard this Word and started out, he was seventy-five
years old. Beloved brothers and sisters let us never, never stop half-way. Let us go straight forward,
and glorify God.
V. 5-8. Abram headed southwards with Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew. That‘s not easy! The people of the
land were giants, and they were short. Moreover this was a wild country where human beings were sacrificed,
even sons and wives. They were a fierce people. Abram was afraid, and his heart throbbed. Slowly he came to
Sichem, to the oak tree of Moreh. There he built an altar to the Lord. God said, ―Fear not, I will give this land to
your children. Abram, don‘t be afraid of your surroundings.‖ Abram was assured, and he continued on his
journey. When he came to Bethel he became frightened. He built another altar and sacrificed to the Lord. The
Lord comforted him further, and he went on his way. Beloved brothers and sisters, the greatest lesson is this:
Whenever we are afraid, let us look only to God. The oak tree which is deeply rooted and presents a beautiful
picture to the eyes is a symbol of Abram‘s faith. In our heavenly pilgrimage, we should also rise above our
circumstances. If not, we will not obey. Elder sisters, do you hear me?
Vv. 10-12. Abram slips! Confronted by a fierce famine, Abram went down to Egypt. And he fails flat. He is
overwhelmed by the circumstances. When he went down to Egypt, he no more followed the Lord. O, how many
on the heavenly pilgrimage have forsaken God when their skies darkened. They also ―go down to Egypt‖ not
following the Lord. How many meeting with evil circumstances go it alone. They trust in their own strength!
At that time Sarai‘s beauty was in full bloom. Abram was very fearful for this and said to Sarai, ―Let us promise
together. I know you are a charming lady. When the Egyptians see that you are my wife, they are sure to kill me
and take you away. Let us call ourselves brother and sister.‖
When they came to Egypt, the Egyptians lusted after Sarai‘s beauty. Pharaoh‘s ministers talked about her before
Pharaoh. Seeing she was such a charming woman, Pharaoh took her for himself.
Abram wept for having left the Lord and gone on his own way. Beloved brothers and sisters, how many have
gone on their own way! They drink bitterness as a result. Why is your family in such bitter unhappiness? It‘s
because you‘ve left the Lord. Otherwise, peace is surely yours.
Abram prayed the Lord to forgive him and the Lord listened to his repenting heart. God in a dream spoke to
Pharaoh and Pharaoh got frightened. Pharaoh called Abram and said to him, ―Why did you bluff that your wife
is your sister?‖ Pharaoh returned his wife with a gift and asked him to leave. Beloved brothers and sisters, when
you truly repent and get back on your heavenly course, God will forgive you.
Now Abram had become a rich man when he returned from Egypt with gold, silver and animals. This divided
his attention in running the heavenly race. A pilgrim must give up his own plan.
Beloved brothers and sisters, a self-wise man is bound to lose his way. As for me, I pray for the Lord‘s will in
anything I do.
Ch. 13 vv. 1-18. Here is recorded Abram‘s becoming a rich man after leaving Egypt, having many herds and
camels. Lot also changed. Lot now left the Lord out in everything he did. His heart was bent on money and self.
He could no longer stay under Abram‘s roof. This led to quarrels over grass feeds between Abram‘s servants
and Lot‘s servants. Quarrels led to fights. When Abram heard this his heart was grieved. He called Lot to a
dividing of their property. Lot‘s eyes were upon the world. He took leave of Abram and moved, step
by step, towards Sodom. Abram‘s heart was grieved for Lot, but God comforted him. Beloved brothers and
sisters, as followers of Jesus, you must treat money and the world as nothing. God comforted Abram and led
him to the highest country. There He told him to look north, east, south, west. He said, ―All the land you see I
will give you and your children, forever. And I will increase your descendants as the sand.‖ Beloved brothers
and sisters, let us never be near-sighted.
Let us look to the future. Let us enlarge our vision. Now often there are also conflicts inside the Church. Pitiful!
Beloved brothers and sisters, let us not look at the things we now see just in front of us.
Vv. 14-16. As Lot grew richer, he drifted farther to Sodom. He made his pile from Sodom by opening many
business houses – Lot Trading Co., Lot Groceries, Lot Travel Service, Lot Banking Corporation. He built a villa
for himself.
As for Abram he kept to his old job of tending the sheep and herds in the country. He received from lofty Lot no
better regard than sarcasm and ridicule --What Jesus? What God? How foolish! Lot prided over his goods and
popularity. His daughters could dance and swirl around like society birds. Lot became a tycoon. But Abram
remained in the village, away from the world. He praised God all the day.
Now a war broke out between the five kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Bela and the four kings
of Shinar, Ellasar, Elam and Goiim. The five kings were defeated by the four, who broke into their cities. Lot
Company and Lot Bank crashed, and Lot Villa was burnt up. Mrs. Lot and eldest daughter were carried
away. Lot wept. Beloved brothers and sisters, when Lot wept bitterly for his sins. God comforted him all the
same. God sent Abram to save him.
When Abram heard of Lot‘s misfortune, he forgot the past. He took 318 of his trained soldiers to go and save
Sodom. He recaptured all the booty taken by the enemy, including all that belonged to Lot, even the women. All
gathered to congratulate Abram, even kings, with many presents. But Abram refused them and Abram said,
―Lot, do you now understand me? I won‘t take even one blade of grass nor one thread from you. I only pray that
God‘s servant Melchizedek would bless me.‖ Abram spurned these things. What he desired was God. Beloved
brothers and sisters, may you spurn money and all this world offers. Follow Jesus to the end.
Now the defeated four kings wanted to take revenge. Fear gripped Abram, but God assured him, ‗I am your
shield. I will give you everything.‖ Abram replied, ―But I have no son. What‘s the use of all these?‖ God said to
Abram, ―Lift up your head to the skies and look at the stars. I will give you children like the stars.‖ Though
Abram was old, he believed and he was counted righteous.
Nevertheless, he could not but keep within himself a little doubting. So, God gave him proof, ―Take for Me a
three-year-old cow and a three-year-old she-goat, one three-year-old ram, a turtle dove and a young pigeon. Cut
each one in two.‖ Abram obeyed, and knelt down to pray. Suddenly fire came down from heaven. That day God
made a covenant with Abram. God said again, ―The day will come when your descendants will be taken into
slavery, but I will save them from Egypt to Canaan.‖ Abram believed! Wonderful! Let me tell you, God
will open a way for me into all the world, and I believe. Though I am a speck before Him, He is almighty. He
can do the impossible. Now wasn‘t Abram wonderful in having given up everything around him
to come and trust in God? But he had no son, and he became anxious. He thought of taking another wife, seeing
how pretty Hagar his servant girl was. He did not ask the Lord when he married her, though it was Sarai‘s plan
for him to have a son. But when a person does anything without the Lord, he will get into the soup. When Hagar
bore him a son she despised her mistress. Quarrels now rocked the family. Beloved brothers and sisters, one
taking things into one‘s own hands is sure to fail. A quarrelling family is worse than hell;
Abram regretted. God told him to send Hagar away and he obeyed. Let us also follow Jesus to the end.
Ch. 17. Now Abram was 99 years old. He was dissatisfied with the old way of life. He put to death the old man
in him. He lived a new life. He made a covenant with God through circumcision, separating unto holiness. God
changed his name to Abraham, i.e., Father of many nations. Sarai became Sarah. God said, ―Next year I
will give Sarah a son. I will bless her and she will be a mother of many nations. Abraham did not believe. He
said in his heart, ―A 100-year-old man. Can he beget a son? How can?‖ Nevertheless, he clung to God‘s Word.
Ch. 18. Here we see the depraved depths of sin and pollution into which Sodom and Gomorrah were sunk. Lot
lolled luxuriously on. God decided to destroy the two cities and God told Abraham. Abraham was very worried,
so he knelt and prayed, ―O God! Would you destroy that city if there are fifty righteous men in it?‖ God said, ―If
there are fifty righteous, I will for their sake pardon the place.‖ He prayed again, ―If forty-five righteous? Thirty
righteous?‖ God said, ―If there are so many, I will not destroy it. And I will not destroy it if there are only ten
righteous.‖ Beloved brothers and sisters, God treasures ten righteous souls more than anything.
Everything is vanity. Souls are most precious. God loves the souls of the righteous. Beloved brothers and
sisters, God regards the souls of ten righteous men more precious than the whole world. So does He regard
Amoy and Kulangsu‘s ten righteous souls today. For Abraham‘s sake He saved Lot, and with Lot only two
daughters. Mrs. Lot who lingered behind to take a last look at the world was turned into a pillar of salt. Sodom
and Gomorrah perished in flames.
God showed Abraham that the world was all vanity. God had trained him many years so that he would give up
every whit of materialism.
Now, the next year saw the birth of a son, lsaac, when Abraham was 100 years.
Ch. 22. God had led Abraham step to step to treasure His Word, to treasure the value of righteous souls. Now he
must needs put him to another test, even his faith. lsaac was a handsome, lovable son, the darling of Abraham‘s
soul. How should a son of a 100-year-old father be not beloved? As Isaac grew up, he was a gentle character, at
the beck and call of his father. Abraham loved him, like ―carrying a pearl in the pan of his palm.‖ lsaac had
become his idol, occupying his thoughts more than God. lsaac took the place of God.
One day God said to Abraham, ―Take your son, your only begotten son, your beloved son, to Moriah, to the
mountain of my appointment, and there sacrifice him to me.‖ Beloved brothers and sisters, Abraham burst into
tears! But though he understood not, he obeyed: The Lord‘s will be done.
The next day, before it dawned, Abraham got up. Silently, lest Sarah should know, he took lsaac and two
servants, and off they went to Moriah.
A lovable son of thirteen left with his father Abraham in the murky darkness of dawn. As they went along.
Abraham‘s heart ached with every step. That night they stayed at an inn. Abraham told his two servants to sleep
in the hall, while he and his son slept inside the room.
Abraham spent a sleepless night. He knelt before God and cried, ―O God, I can‘t understand this. He is a lovable
boy of thirteen. Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done.‖ lsaac woke up afraid. ―Father,‖ he said, ―How
are you? Father, why are you awake?‖ Abraham replied, ―My son, sleep on!‖ Abraham pleaded with the
Lord, ―O God! Let this bitter cup be removed from me. Only let Thy will be done.‖ As they continued their
journey the next day, his heart weighed heavier still. This heaviness wore on into the third day, which made
Abraham even more restless throughout the night. As he now stroked Isaac‘s head and gazed on his gentle,
handsome face, he groaned, ―O God! Why did You deceive me? Did You not promise me many children like
the stars? But why do you want to take away my only begotten, darling son? Why? Yet, I trust in You.‖ As he
gazed for the last time on his son so soon to leave this world, he wept.
 The morning of the third day saw the four of them plod on to their destination. Abraham told the two servants to
wait at the foot of the hill. Isaac now carried the wood, and step by step father and son climbed the hill.
Frightened, Isaac asked his father, ―Father, everything is ready. But where‘s the lamb?‖ Stabbed to the heart,
Abraham said, ―My son, God can prepare it for us.‖ On the top of Mt. Moriah, Abraham held Isaac‘s hand, and
said, ―My little darling. You are the lamb! God wants me to offer you a sacrifice.‖ Isaac replied, ―Father, May
the Lord‘s will be done!‖ So Abraham tied his darling, 13-year-old son and made him kneel over the wood.
With eyes upon his son he called to heaven, ―O God, I praise Thee, I obey Thee! I love you above everything.‖
Now, to Isaac he said, ―My son, I love you, but I have to carry out God‘s will....‖ As he painfully raised the
knife to kill his son, suddenly a voice called out, ―Abraham, Abraham.‖ Abraham answered, ―Here I am.‖ God
said to him, ―Do not hurt your son. Now I know you love Me. You love Me more than all, even more than your
only begotten son!‖ Beloved brothers and sisters, today God is still seeking, seeking for you. On Moriah God
had found Abraham. Beloved brothers and sisters, on Mt. Moriah, there was one who had offered his only
begotten son to God. Abraham looked up when he heard the voice, and lo! in the thicket there came the
bleatings of a lamb. God said, ―Offer this lamb to Me.‖ Abraham took that lamb and offered it a burnt offering,
its blood in the place of his son. This lamb‘s blood saved Abraham‘s children and children‘s children. Who is
the Lamb? O, He is our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. He walked after God for 33 years. Finally he gave
His precious body a sacrifice for the whole world, to save all mankind. On Golgotha God sacrificed His Son for
Abraham‘s children. Beloved brothers and sisters. Do you know what the Cross means? Beloved brothers and
sisters, do you love Jesus above everything? Abraham was victorious! He became the Father of all ages. He
loved the Lord over everything. Beloved brothers and sisters, who in Amoy and Kulangsu loves God more
than everything else? May the Holy Spirit pour out His power to move us to love Jesus to the end.
VII. EXPOSITORY SERMONS
By this method, we endeavor to expound the meaning and truth contained in a particular passage of Scripture.
We seek to bring out the truth which is often hidden beneath the words on the page. This is an excellent method
of teaching the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
You may take a book of the Bible and explain the meaning of it chapter by chapter. Perhaps you may take one
chapter each week - and go through it, verse by verse, explaining the significance and truth as you go. This may
develop into a series of Bible studies that may take weeks or months to complete.
Thus, over a period of years, your congregation will become familiar with every part of the Bible, and be
exposed to all the truth God wants to convey to them for their enrichment and spiritual equipping.
A. Expository sermons are biblical sermons.
1. These sermons are not merely about the Bible, they are the Bible.
2. These sermons are Bible centered.
3. These sermons cannot by definition result in a ―Springboard Sermon.‖A ―springboard sermon‖
employs a passage from the Bible as a starting place for a discourse on morality or some other issue of
concern. The concern of a―springboard sermon‖ is not expositional accuracy and a
thoroughunderstanding of the passage.
B. Expository preaching is biblically instructive preaching.
The purpose of expository preaching is to teach what the Bible actually says. It has a high regard for the words
of the Bible and considers a thorough working knowledge of the Scripture to be the basis for life change and
discipleship.
C. Expository preaching is preaching that expounds the Scriptures as a coherent and coordinated body of
revealed truth.
D. There are various types of expository preaching.
1. There is the running commentary method.
In this method the preacher moves through a book of the Bible verse by verseusing research to unfold the
accurate meaning of the text.
2. There is the Bible reading method.
In this method the preacher reads through the Bible for a general understanding of the passage focusing only on
key insights for a particularemphasis or practical application.
3. There is the purely expositional method.
In this method the preacher also focuses on biblical content but with an attempt to incorporate more structure
and outline to the exposition of the text.
4. There is the sermonizing method.
This method is the best expository form in that it incorporates structure and outline, but it focuses on life
application.
a. The sermonizing method should only be concerned about the obvious features or the main point of the
passage.
There are many details that will be uncovered in the research process that must be eliminated or it will run too
long and the primary impact will bediluted.
b. The sermonizing method should primarily be concerned about the spiritual meaning and implications of the
passage.
Anything of a historical or geographical nature must be kept subordinate to the central issue. It is to be a
sermon, not a lecture.
c. The sermonizing method should always have a penetrating and focused message with a strong emphasis on
application to life.
The byproduct of a steady diet of expository preaching is an increase of Bible knowledge among the people.
CLASSIFICATION BY PATTERN
1. The diamond outline: One main point viewed from various angles
2. The ladder outline: Each point builds on previous point
3. The label outline: Different items, people, etc. classified
4. The contrast outline: Two-point sermon; positive and negative
5. The question and answer outline: Raise question(s) and give answer(s)
6. The chase outline: Raise question; give false answers, finally true answer
7. The diagnosis-remedy outline: Two parts: problem, solution
8. The “Hegelian” outline: Thesis, antithesis, synthesis, Adds to understanding
9. The analogy outline; Comparison of spiritual and natural truth
10.The proof outline: Offers proof for preacher‘s affirmation
11.The rebuttal outline: Opposite of proof outline; to disprove a false view or wrong practice
12.The refrain outline: Theme or refrain running through all points
13.The “series of statements” outline: Propositions about a single subject
14.The “dog fight” outline: Similar to rebuttal outline, sharper attacks
15.The interpretation-application outline : Two parts; interpret Scripture, apply to life
16.The “subversive” outline: Appear to take opposite position, with ―damaging admissions‖
THE PREPARATION OF SERMONS
General Preparation
Inverse relation of general and immediate preparation for same results
Necessity of constant study; a place to study; time scheduled (B. recommends 20 hrs/week); a regular schedule
of subjects
Special Preparation
Each sermon needs fresh material.
Note procedures of Buttrick, Coffin, Cadman, and Prichard (pp. 241-42)
Jowett‘s suggestions:
1) Use own sermons
2) Don‘t preach on good idea too soon
3) Condense sermon into good sentence
4) Imagine how other preachers would handle sermon
5) Think of individuals in congregation during preparation
6) Write sermons, avoiding clichés
7) Keep prayerful attitude during preparation
Steps in immediate preparation:
1. Keep a ―garden‖ of verses for preaching; growing in mind
2. Early in week, choose two texts
3. Write down everything possible about these two subjects
4. Gather materials from various sources (commentaries, dictionaries, etc.)
5. Make tentative outlines
6. ―Speak through‖ the material
7. Change and refine outlines
8. Write sermon; at least, introduction and conclusion
Preparation of Special Types of Sermons
1. Funeral sermons
A spiritual opportunity
Obligation to preach gospel and invite sinners to salvation
Comments on eulogizing the departed and comforting the bereaved
Eulogizing non-Christian departed
The sermon: biblical in content, brief (ca. 10 minutes), and variety of content
2. Academic and anniversary sermons
Keep sermon spiritual and evangelistic
3. Revival sermons (includes evangelistic sermons)
a) Keep sermons short (especially if every day)
b) Vary the content and character of sermons
c) Topics and sentiments should follow natural sequence (avoiding superficial ―decisions‖)
d) Keep sermons sound, with a complete gospel
4. Sermons to children
Interest, instruct, impress
Emphasize the beautiful, the humorous, but not overdone
Appeal to affections more than to fears
Children not innocent need to repent
Methods of having children‘s sermons in church schedule
5. Sermons for other special classes
1) Select text and subject to be appropriate, without being forced.
2) Don‘t be too pointed in application; even small groups have variety
3) Always preach the gospel
Planning a Preaching Program
Advantages of planning preaching topics in advance
Types of plans:
1. Consecutive exposition of Scriptures
2. Use objectives of preaching (evangelistic, theological, ethical, devotional, inspirational, actional)
3. Church or denominational plan
4. National holidays
5. Christian year calendar
Method of planning:
1. Set year boundaries (suggests Sept. – Aug.)
2. Determine which services included in plan
3. Use file folder for each sermon to be preached
4. Prepare the general plan; include shorter and longer series
5. Fill in specific texts and subjects when possible
6. Try to stay at least three months ahead with specific texts and subjects
7. Be planning for the following year
8. Vary the plan from year to year
9. Don‘t announce plan; keep flexible for possible changes
Preparing to Preach
A PERSON IN CONTACT WITH GOD
The Guidance of the Holy Spirit
To Refresh To Reveal To Restrain
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66 Books 31,176 Verses
1,189 Chapters 2,930 Bible Personalities
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SELECTING A PREACHING PORTION
Content Context of the Preaching Portion
CONSIDER
God’s Will -- the Needs of the People – the Preacher’s Development
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Preparing a Sermon
To prepare a sermon one is all at sea until one has hit on a theme and an appropriate text. Can you state what
your sermon is about? You must be able to put it in one sentence. Without a theme, you will fumble around
when you preach. You will reel to and fro like a drunken man. Did I hear you retort, ―With the help of the Holy
Spirit,
I will open my mouth and preach‖. If you do that without serious preparation, He will fill your mouth with sand.
Choosing a Topic/Text
Sometimes God will give you a specific word by revelation as to what to speak to the congregation. Other times
He expects us, as good feeders, to use our shepherd‘s heart and our sanctified mind to determine what the people
need to eat at any given time. As the preacher prepares to speak he goes through two processes.
A. ADVANTAGES OF HAVING A TEXT
1. Captures Interest
The announcement of an interesting text immediately captures the interest of your audience, thus giving you an
attentive congregation. They are intrigued to see how you will deal with it. They want to know what thoughts
and implications you will bring forth out of your text. The minds of your listeners are stimulated and alert,
affording you an interested congregation.
2. Prevents Wandering
A specific text helps to prevent the preacher from wandering from his subject. It is difficult for an audience to
retain active interest in a speaker who wanders in his presentation.
Having a particular text - and a context from which you have taken your subject -helps to avoid such
wanderings, and to retain the active interest of your hearers.
3. Keeps Sermon Biblical
Centering your talk on a specific portion of Scripture helps to keep you (the preacher) biblical. Having presented
text directly from the Bible, your message is obviously biblically-based. The tendency is then to substantiate
your theme from other relevant parts of the Bible.
Conversely, if your announced topic is other than a biblical one -- whether it be psychological, social, cultural,
etc. -- then the substantiation for your theme will generally be obtained from a similar source. That is not good.
We are commanded to "Preach the Word!" (2Tim 4:2).
4. Increases Boldness
Preaching directly from the Bible increases the boldness and authority of the proclamation. When you
specifically preach the Word of God, there is a special anointing of the Spirit upon it. God anoints His Word.
Statements taken directly from the Bible can be presented with great feeling and conviction. This is because you
are not presenting your own ideas; you are telling the people what God has to say on the matter. It carries
enormous weight and authority when you declare, "The Bible says!" and then read or share the verse and give
the meaning.
It was when the disciples went forth "preaching the Word" that God worked with them, confirming the Word
with signs following. The Lord "worked with the word"
(Mark 16:20).
5. Aids Recall Of Message
A good text helps to fix the message in the minds of your listeners. They will remember it long afterwards.
When they recall your message, it will frequently be the Scripture on which you based your talk which will be
remembered most vividly.
B. CHOOSING A TEXT
Exegete the Text
Content Context

Historical
Word Meanings Grammar& Syntax Literary

Remember!!! A text cannot mean to us what it never meant to them.

1. Read The Bible Regularly
If you wish to become a capable and effective preacher, you must read your Bible regularly. Determine to
develop good habits in respect to Bible reading. Have a special time each day to read the Bible. Carry a small
Bible with you so that, if you have spare moments, you can spend them profitably in reading the Scriptures.
2. Study The Bible
Do not merely read it superficially. Dig beneath the surface. Meditate diligently on the things you read. Toss
them around in your mind. Look at them from every point of view. Practice analyzing what you study. Take it
apart in your mind and put it together again.
Learn to "ruminate," which means to "chew the cud." When a cow feeds, it chews the grass, swallows it, and
then brings it back from the stomach to the mouth to chew on again.
So when you ruminate in your mind, you keep bringing the thoughts back to think about them again. Meditate
on them. Ponder over them. Keep bringing them back to mind for further and deeper consideration.
The more your mind is filled with the Word of God and biblical meditations, the more you will have to draw
upon when you stand to minister. "The Holy Spirit will bring all things to your remembrance" (John 14:26), but
you must have them in your mind for Him to do so.
3. Always Have A Notebook With You
Whenever you read your Bible, get into the habit of having pen and paper with you. Form the good habit of
making brief notes of every bit of inspiration you receive. Try to avoid doing this on loose pieces of paper, as
you will tend to lose these. If you use a notebook, it will become like a spiritual diary. Months afterwards, you
will be able to go back over your notes and draw fresh inspiration from them. The more you meditate on them,
the more revelation you will receive. This will also create a file of thoughts on numerous subjects, from which
you will be able to prepare many fine sermons at the appropriate time.
4. Maintain A Prayerful Attitude
This does not mean that you must be on your knees all the time. It is the attitude of heart to which I refer, not the
posture of your body.
Ideally, prayer is a spiritual conversation with God. It is a two-way conversation. You speak to God, but He will
also speak to you. As you learn to discern His voice, you will discover a continuous flow of inspiration.
God longs to reveal His truth. He waits for hungry, attentive hearts who can recognize and discern His voice. He
wants to share His secrets with you.
5. Seek The Holy Spirit's Illumination
Place a high value and priority on the illumination the Spirit can bring upon the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is
a Sensitive Person Who can be grieved and driven away.
You must cultivate the quiet, humble, sensitive spirit with which He loves to associate. As your fellowship with
the Holy Spirit develops, He will introduce you to many wonderful new truths which will enrich your life and
ministry.
6. Your Text Should Be:
a. Biblically Authoritative. It should harmonize with what the consensus of the Bible teaches. It is possible to
take a verse out of its context, and teach from it something which the Bible does not substantiate. It has been
said that "a text without a context is merely a pretext."
Always study your text in the light of its context. Never try to make your text say anything which is not
confirmed by the verses which precede and follow it. Always endeavor to interpret your text in the light of what
the whole Bible teaches on the subject.
b. Complete. Your text should always form a complete statement of truth. Some preachers merely take a phrase
from a verse and use it, regardless of context. This is dishonest! It is called "handling the word of God
deceitfully" (2Cor 4:2). This must be avoided at all costs. It will lead to a dishonest and unbiblical treatment of
your subject. In consequence, you will be misled and will mislead your hearers.
c. Reasonably Brief. A textual sermon should be founded on a reasonable, brief statement of Scripture.
d. Comprehensive. Although brief, your text should also be comprehensive. It should be a brief but adequate
summary of what you wish to share.
When you read your text to the congregation, they should then gain a reasonable idea of the area of truth you are
going to present. You should then seek to remain within the boundaries of what your text announces.
C. YOUR APPROACH TO THE TEXT
1. Thoroughly Digest Its Words
Read the text over many times. Ponder it in your heart. Meditate on it. Memorize it.
Speak it out to yourself. Become thoroughly familiar with it.
2. Determine Its Language
Is it to be taken literally, or is it intended to be figurative? Does the writer mean what he says in a literal sense,
or are his words to be taken as a figure of speech?
3. Analyze Its Message
It will help you greatly to dissect the verse. Separate it into three or four main parts.
Discover exactly how much this verse contains and what it has to teach.
4. Investigate The Words
Try to discover what the words were originally meant to convey.
If you are fortunate enough to have a Greek or Hebrew lexicon, look up the word in the original language of
Hebrew or Greek. Is there some special significance attached to it? Did the writer have a special reason for
using THAT word? This study will help you understand any special application the writer may have wished to
convey.
5. Discover Its Development
What line of truth was the writer seeking to develop? What was he ultimately trying to convey? How does he
accomplish this?
Try to follow his lead and develop it in a similar fashion.
6. Consider Its Context
a. Biblical Context. What do the preceding and following verses say? Consider the verse in relation to the
whole chapter from which it comes. Consider it in the light of the whole Gospel or Epistle in which you find it.
Make sure your understanding of it is faithful to the overall truth conveyed in the book. To do this, you must
study the basic theme and premise of the book.
b. Cultural Context. Did the culture of that time influence what was written? Would the people to whom the
words were originally written gain a different view of what was said than we would in our situation? If so, what
would be the equivalent significance now?
c. Historic Context. When was this statement written? Did what was transpiring at that time influence what was
written? Do events at the time of writing have specific bearing on what was said?
d. Geographic Context. Where was the writer when he wrote these words? Where were the people to whom he
wrote? Does their geographical location have any bearing on what was said?
e. Total Biblical Context. "All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God" (2Tim
3:16). Each part must be faithfully interpreted to agree with the whole.
No Scripture should be removed from its context; it must be interpreted by what the whole revelation of the
entire Scripture teaches. Scripture must interpret Scripture, and our exposition of one text should always agree
with what the Bible as a whole teaches.
Examples
I. Text: “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of
God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in
fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of
the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Cor 2:1 -5).
Theme: A sermon without the power of the cross is a sermon lost.
II Text: “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach
not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto
me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abu se not
my power in the gospel.” (1 Cor 9:16-18).
Theme: Programmed to a life of instant, cheerful Gospel service.
III Text: “And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of the m, and were washing their nets. And he entered into
one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and tau ght the
people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a
draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I
will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned
unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the sh ips, so
that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and
John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And
Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they fo rsook
all, and followed him.” (Luke 5:1-11).
Theme: From catching fish to reaching men.
IV Text: ―Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth
forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life et ernal. If any man
serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” (John
12:24-26).
Theme: No death, no life.
V Text: “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, an d fared sumptuously every day: And there was
a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the
rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the
angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he
may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But
Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus e vil things: but now he is
comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which wo uld pass
from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may
testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Abraham saith unto him, they have Moses and the prophets; let them h ear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went
unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they b e
persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” (Luke 16:19 -31).
Theme: What you receive in your next life is determined by what you believe in this life.
D. ARRANGING YOUR MATERIAL
The orderly arrangement of material is a distinct advantage, both to the preacher and to those who will hear him.
For the preacher, it affords the clearest grasp of his subject. His thoughts are not muddled or confused. It also
helps him to ensure the most adequate treatment of the subject.
As for his audience, it will obviously assist them greatly in their grasp and comprehension of the sermon.
1. What An Outline Does For You
A good outline is the best and simplest way to organize your material.
a. It makes you carefully analyze your subject and the material you have gathered. In doing this, you are
ultimately selecting only the best of your material.
b. It reveals any weak areas in your treatment of the subject and the development of your presentation.
c. It enables you to get the most out of your material, because you reduce it to its most relevant and essential
substance.
d. It makes it easier for you to remember all you want to say, and to present it in a progressive and orderly
fashion, with the least obvious dependence on your written notes.
e. It makes it easier for your listeners to follow the development of your presentation, because it is
communicated in the most orderly and logical fashion.
2. Concerning Your Notes
a. Keep Them Brief. Train yourself to use the "skeleton-type" notes which you can take in at a glance.
b. Make Them Orderly. You need to be able to follow them easily at all times.
c. Let Them Be Comprehensive. Endeavor to cover every aspect on which you intend to speak.
d. Concentrate On Ideas. Condense your thoughts into brief sentences. Learn to crystallize your thoughts and
express them in terse sentences. Practice reducing and expressing a concept in one sentence.
e. Make Condensed Notes. Remember that the notes are there to prod your memory.
Even one significant word can remind you of some instance you wish to recall and share with your audience.
f. Make Them Easy To Read. If you possess a typewriter, you may find typed notes easy to read. If not, then
print your notes as clearly and legibly as possible. Never scribble out your notes so that you need to ponder over
them in the pulpit in order to decipher what you have written.
I. What are the two primary processes in choosing a topic or preaching portion?
A. Analyzing
There are four important areas for the preacher to analyze when choosing a topic.
The preacher must:
1. Analyze the occasion of the message.
a. Are you a guest speaker?
 Is it your first time?
 Is it your second time?
 Are the people very familiar with you and your ministry?
b. Are you a conference speaker?
 What kind of conference is it?
 Does the conference have a theme?
 Have you been asked to speak to the theme?
 Will you have one session or multiple sessions?
c. Are you speaking for a special occasion?
 Is it a holiday or Holy Day (Christmas, Easter, Mother‘s Day)?
 Is it a special celebration time (Anniversary, Dedication, Ordination)?
d. Are you officiating at a specific ceremony?
 Wedding
 Funeral
e. Are you addressing a special interest group?
 Men‘s or Women‘s Meeting
 Married Couples
 Marketplace Ministry
 College Chapel
 Single Adults
 Youth ; It should be noted that young people tend to be less critical of information, are more open-
minded to new ideas and need more force, variety and energy in content and delivery than older people.
2. Analyze the context of the message.
a. What is God saying?
Ask yourself or others some of the following questions:
 What has the Lord been saying to the church world?
 What has the Lord been saying to this local church?
 What has been the theme of the preaching for the last season?
b. What is happening?
It is often very appropriate for pastors to address critical events about which people may be concerned.
 What is happening in the Church?
This could include such things as programs, events or prophetic movements.
 What is happening in the community, city, nation, or world?
This could include such things as catastrophes, politics, economics, current events or issues in the forefront.
 What is happening in the religious world?
This could include things such as current trends, doctrinal concerns and unique events.
3. Analyze the spiritual climate of the local church.
a. Is it experiencing a high time or a low time?
b. Is there spiritual momentum or is it in neutral?
4. Analyze the needs of the church.
a. There are always certain basic or general needs that are always relevant.
In an article by Billy Graham titled Anatomy of a Great Sermon (Ministries
Today, September/October 1989) he discussed the common issues of all people. He indicated that when he
preached to any crowd he always know that that there will be several responsive chords in the hearts of the
people. He listed these five common areas:
 Life‘s needs are not totally met by social improvement or material affluence.
 There is an essential emptiness in every life without Christ.
 There are lonely people everywhere.
 Many people are plagued by a continual sense of guilt.
 There is a universal fear of death.
―Theological preaching is deservedly unpopular if all it does is settle a lot of problems people never heard of,
and ask a lot of questions nobody ever asks.‖ --Robert J. McCracken, The Making of the Sermon
b. There are many specific needs that are relevant to the church.
Ask God to help you to discern the areas that are appropriate in this time and this season relative to this specific
body of believers (family issues, prayer, worship, joy, relationships, maturity, giving, vision, etc.).
Some of this can be discerned in casual conversation with the people in the church or monitoring the kind of
repeated counseling situations that are arising.
Jay Adams discusses three areas that can help us to think through the issue of specific needs in his article titled
The Congregation and the PreachingPortion. These three areas have to do with considering the past, the present
and the future relative to the church or the situation.
 The Past: What is the history of the church? Are there any gaps or imbalances that are reflected in the
past?
 The Present: What is the present circumstance of the church? Are there any immediate problems or
issues that the people are facing?
 The Future: What is the vision of the church? What are the growth areas and steps that the congregation
needs to move into? What things do you see on the horizon for which you need to prepare people?
―There are a number of factors that might be considered, but the one that I address is the welfare of the
congregation itself. In making such decisions any pastor who truly cares about the flock will seek to divest
himself of his own interests and hobbies, will refuse to allow his fears and apprehensions about consequences to
dictate the choices and will think only of his obligations toward God and the welfare of his people.‖– Jay Adams
c. There are many themes for general spiritual edification.
There are messages that are timeless and always important in the lives of believers. It is important to focus on
the basic tenets of the faith.
B. Strategizing
The preacher must also think strategically when considering the topic or text. This is especially true when the
person preaching has long term and primary responsibility for leading the local church.
Thinking strategically means considering four areas relative to the local church.
1. The stage of the spiritual journey of the local church
a. This means evaluating the growth level and maturity of the flock to determine what is ―meat in due
season.‖
b. This means examining the emphasis in your teaching and preaching over the past year or years.
2. The program or vision development of the local church
What is being birthed? What needs strengthening?
a. LIFE Groups
b. Christian Education
c. Tithing
d. Building Extension
3. The adjustment or discipline of the local church
While this is rare, there are times when the pastor must take the rod in hand and bring correction to the flock.
4. The introduction of a new emphasis or doctrine to the church
Whenever the leadership of the church feels the need to change a doctrinal position or to enter into a new
expression of church life, it is critical that a thorough saturation in the Word of God take place to prepare the
ground for that change.
II. What are some other considerations relative to choosing a topic?
A. The preacher must be willing to care for and address sensitive issues.
―Most preachers handle sin as they would handle snakes, at arm's length and with no greater intimacy and for no
longer time than is absolutely necessary.‖
--S.M. Shoemaker, Realizing Religion, 1921
People face many issues that are not easy to talk about. However, it is important that the pastor assist the
congregation in thinking God thoughts toward these areas.
This is part of creating a biblical world view. Most of our people are bombarded with worldly opinions on a
daily basis. Where do they hear God‘s view of these issues? Where do they get information that will help them
enter the societal debate?
1. Abortion
2. Divorce
3. Moral Purity
4. Affliction
5. Suicide
6. Race Relations
7. Heaven and Hell
8. Eternal Judgment
9. The Wrath of God Etc.
―If spiritual pastors are to refrain from saying anything that might ever, by any possibility, be misunderstood by
anybody, they will end—as in fact many of them do—by never saying anything worth hearing.‖ --D. Sayers
B. The preacher must be faithful to deliver any direct word from God.
1. The preacher should be a prophetic voice to the people.
2. The preacher should assist the people is hearing what the Spirit is saying to the church (Rev. 1-3).
III. How does one get a word from God?
Those who will serve the congregation as senior pastors will have somewhat of a different task from those who
are only occasional speakers in services from time to time.
A. As an Occasional Speaker
If you are called upon to preach a message in a place where you will only get one shot at them, and you
want to preach the mind of God for them, or if you feel led to do so in your own church, here are some
thoughts on ―How to Get a Word from God.‖
1. Pay attention to what God has been saying to you in your own personal walk with Him.
Frequently, God will already be speaking about and ―working in‖ a particular message into the
preacher‘s life because He knows a people up ahead will need it. What has He been saying to you?
2. Pay attention to what is going on around you.
God will often quicken you through something that is happening. It might come through a variety of
sources. It might come through:
a. A quickened thought while others are ministering.
b. Current events or a news article.
c. A prophetic word in the church.
d. Reading books and other materials.
 When these thoughts are quickened to you, be sure to write them down and keep them in a place where
you will be able to reference them.
3. Spend time in serious prayer waiting for a clear impression from the Holy Spirit.
Prolonged time in prayer before speaking will give God the opportunity to impress a thought upon you.
He may…
a. Impress a passage of scripture on your mind.
b. Impress a thought or idea on your mind.
c. Remind you of a past message you have spoken that would be good to re-work.
d. Show you a specific need in the congregation.
When you sense an impression coming, flow with it and, if it is God, your spirit will begin to be flooded
with an inner witness and confidence.
4. As the impression comes, write the basic theme of it down on paper before you do any study.
5. Finally, put it all together into a clear word from God!
―Preach not because you have to say something, but because you have something to say.‖ --Richard Whately
B. As a Regular Speaker
If you are the pastor of a church and will preach for Sunday after Sunday, you need to believe God for a strategy
as you preach.
1. Strategic preaching does not mean choosing scriptures randomly, at the last minute.
2. Strategic preaching means planning several Sundays in advance (as much as a year).
a. It will help bring continuity.
b. It will help you preach with purpose.
c. It will keep you from being overly influenced by circumstances including:Weekly events,Weekly
conversations or counseling appointments,Letters, Personal trials or turmoil
d. It will keep emergencies from ruining your message for the given week.
IV. What challenge do we get from Billy Graham?
Billy Graham‘s 9-fold preaching challenge extracted from Anatomy of a Great Sermon, Ministries Today,1989.
A. Minister in the Pulpit
1. Preach with authority (Rom. 10:17).
2. Preach with simplicity.
3. Preach with repetition.
4. Preach with urgency.
5. Preach for a decision.
B. Minister Outside the Pulpit
1. Communicate the Gospel with your holy life.
2. Communicate the Gospel with your love for your fellowman.
3. Communicate the Gospel by your compassionate social concern.
4. Communicate the Gospel by your unity in the Spirit.
Researching the Text/Topic
I. What are some of the spiritual aptitudes that assist the preacher in researching the text or topic?
There are several spiritual elements that assist the preacher in researching into the text or the topic.
A. The ability to pray
Prayer is the channel of the Holy Spirit. If we are to communicate with the Lord and receive the direction of the
Spirit, it must come through prayer.
B. The ability to meditate on Scripture
As you pray over passages of the Scripture, the Holy Spirit will help you to see into that verse as never before.
C. The ability to hear the voice of God
This ability does not come when you have been asked to speak somewhere or when you have to make a
decision. It comes through a daily life of obedience to the Lord.
D. The ability to understand the heart of man
We are not as unique as we would like to think. Most of the things that trouble us trouble others as well. Most of
the things that tempt us tempt others as well.
Most of the doubts that we face are faced by all men.
1. To identify needs common to man.
2. To understand how people think and feel.
II. What are some of the natural or academic abilities that will assist the preacher in researching the text
or topic?
The spiritual aptitudes listed above must be coupled with some very natural and academic abilities.
A. The ability to study
Study requires discipline and hard work. There are no short cuts to revelation.
The more we study the Word of God the deeper our well from which the Holy
Spirit can draw.
B. The ability to interpret
The Bible was originally given in a world much different than our own. When the Word of the Lord came to
men of old, they could easily understand it because
it came to them enfolded in the culture of their day. Modern man, however, has a tremendous problem when
reading the Bible. There is a huge culture gap that must be bridged. Modern man has little or no context to
understand everything that he reads.
C. The ability to take raw bits of research and build them into a cohesive whole.
III. What is the process that is involved in going from an idea to a cohesive message?
There is a process involved going from an idea to a cohesive message.
A. STEP ONE -Thesis
1. This involves the choosing of (1) a text, (2) the texts or (3) the topic to becovered in the sermon.
2. This involves stating a preliminary thesis which will help establish thedirection of the research. This
may later be refined after the research is done.
B. STEP TWO -Analysis
1. This involves doing the work of research in connection with the text or topicchosen.
2. This involves using research tools and methods to gain a fuller understandingof the text or topic.
a. Word Studies
b. Cross References
c. Historical/Cultural Significance
d. Contextual Significance
e. Prophetic Significance
C. STEP THREE -Principlizing
1. In this step, principles are drawn from the research. The principlesformulated in this step will often
become the main points of your message.
2. In this step, principles are stated in a concise, clear form.
D. STEP FOUR -Synthesis
1. In this step the principles or key thoughts are put in a logical order.
2. In this step the outline begins to take shape.
IV. What are the areas with which your research should be concerned?
The process of research should bridge the gap from the Bible times to the present.
Your research should deal with the following:
A. Contextual Study
1. Is your passage from the Old Testament or New Testament?
2. In what book of the Bible is this passage contained?
3. What is the distinctive purpose of this book?
4. What seems to be the purpose of this chapter?
5. In what setting do we find this specific account?
a. What has gone before in the book?
What precedes it in this chapter?
Is there something that caused these things to happened?
b. What follows this account?
Is this a stepping stone to a later point?
Is there any change in action?
B. Historical Study
1. Who are the main figures or characters involved?
a. What do their names mean?
b. What are their characteristics?
c. How do they fit in terms of Bible chronology?
d. Where does this event fit in their lives?
e. What effect does it have on their lives?
f. Who are their contemporaries?
g. Are there any archeological findings regarding this passage?
2. What are the geographical locations (places, rivers, mountains, etc.)?
a. Where is it located?
b. What does the name mean?
c. Did anything significant ever take place there?
3. What is the date of this event or writing?
a. How does it fit dispensationally?
b. What else was happening in the world at this time?
4. Were there any customs in that day that help clarify the passage?
C. Comparative Study
Comparative study involves researching any parallel passages in the Bibleassociated with your selection.
1. What portions of Scripture discuss this same matter?
a. How do they treat it?
b. What do they add that is not in this passage?
2. Is there any particular difference in wording that might help to explain eitherpassage?
3. Is there any significance in the order in which these references appear?
D. Word Study
1. What are the key words in the passage?
a. How are they first used in the Bible?
b. How are they last used in the Bible?
c. How many times are they used in the Bible?
d. Is there a key verse in connection with this word?
e. In which book of the Bible is it most often used?
f. Are they used often in this passage?
g. Are there any unusual uses of this word in the Bible?
2. What are the various meanings possible for these words?
 a. Does this add anything to the sense?
b. What is the root meaning (origin of the word)?
3. What are some word combinations that are commonly used together?
a. How are they used in the whole of Scripture?
b. How are they used together in this passage?
c. Do they seem to be coupled with common opposites or synonyms?
E. Commentary Study
1. What do the various commentaries state in regard to this passage?
2. What do other books on the subject have to say?
3. What periodical articles discuss this passage?
F. Language or Exegetical Study
1. What are some figures of speech employed?
2. Are there any significant variant readings?
3. How do other translators (Bible versions) translate this passage?
G. Symbolism and Typology
1. What symbolic words are used?
2. What is the significance of the numbers used?
3. What is the interpretation of the names employed?
4. What is the direction of the movement (if any)?
5. Are there parables that should be interpreted?

Bible study checklist

This checklist helps you to address a passage of scripture intelligently.
 PRAYER Have I prayed for help to understand the passage?
 READING —Have I read the passage in at least two versions?
 RIGHTLY DIVIDING —What is the Bible division or literary type?
 CONTEXT —What the surrounding passages are about?
 BACKGROUND —Against what background was the passage written?
 AUTHORSHIP —Do I know all I can about the author?
 KEY WORDS —Have I identified the key words and phrases?
 MAIN POINTS —Have I outlined the main points?
 THEME —Have I found the theme that ties the main points together?
 PARAPHRASE —Have I tried to put the passage into my own words?
 QUESTIONS —What important questions arise from this passage?
 CROSS REFERENCES —What other scriptures relate to this passage?
 TROPE/METAPHOR —Do I recognize any figurative language?
 ERROR —Do I know of any common misuse of this passage?
 JESUS —Do I know what this passage reveals about Christ?
 APPLICATION —Have I looked for application to myself?
 DIFFICULTY —Is this passage within my present ability to understand?
THE STYLE OF THE SERMON
General Observations on Style
1. Nature and importance of style
Style not over-all arrangement, but manner in which ideas expressed
Style important—expresses personality; makes truths acceptable and forceful to hearers
2. Styles and style
Individual style should follow general guidelines.
1) Stay within bounds of propriety
Grammar
Suited to the times
 Appropriate for the place and occasion
2) General requirements of style
Clearness
Energy
Elegance
3. Faults of style
Lack of effort
Spacious style (grandeur)
Polished style (tailored and kempt)
Fine style (mellifluous words)
Flowery style (highly ornamental)
Classroom style
Careless, conversational style
Combative or ingratiating style
Attaining the Qualities of Style
Qualities to seek:
Clarity = Clearness
Energy = Force
Elegance = Beauty
Way to achieve good style: work and practice
Begin with own thinking—know you understand what you mean
Follow Strunk & White, The Elements of Style
Use short sentences
Use plain, active words

THREE TYPES OF SERMON PREPARATION

1. The Written Sermon
This is a method which demands a great deal of time in preparation. It involves very copious notes. Sometimes
the whole message is written out beforehand. The preacher knows exactly what he wishes to say and how he
wants to say it. Every thought is written out in full.
This often involves several pages of notes. It gives attention to great detail, the construction of a sentence and
the correct word to use. Every aspect of the proposed sermon is considered in meticulous detail.
This method has advantages and disadvantages. An advantage is that the whole sermon has been the subject of
very careful attention to detail. Thus, there should be an adequate coverage of every important area of relevant
truth. Nothing has been left to chance. This style should ensure a complete and comprehensive treatment of
every subject.
The disadvantage in the presentation of this type of sermon is that it often comes across as uninteresting and
does not capture the listener's attention. This style of presentation can easily become extremely boring.
2. "Skeleton-type" Notes
This is the most commonly used method, and the one which I feel is the most effective. Notes are kept to a
minimum, affording sufficient outline of the message to prompt the memory.
The brief notes form the "skeleton" of the message. They are the bones which give shape and structure to what
the preacher desires to say. As he speaks, he puts "flesh" on the bones and a "body" to his sermon. He amplifies
the thoughts that his brief notes have stimulated.
This method allows the preacher much more flexibility. He is not tied to his notes so much. He is more open to
the inspiration that will often come to him while he is actually preaching. His delivery is more spontaneous and
interesting, but the framework of his message keeps his mind on track. He is able to give an adequate, well
thought-out coverage of his subject, but his presentation is not hard to listen to.
3. The Extemporary Sermon
This style of preaching is spontaneous, and usually presented without notes at the time of delivery. The subject
is often given a good deal of careful thought beforehand, and the mind and heart are filled with the vital aspects
of the message.
This style is often used to deliver the more inspirational type of sermon. Evangelistic messages can be presented
very effectively in this way. The sermon flows from the heart and often carries a strong emotional involvement.
This kind of preaching can be exciting and stimulating when presented by a capable and experienced preacher.
It stirs the emotions as well as informing the mind.
There are two potential weaknesses in this style. The first is that it often lacks meaningful content, and the
spirits and minds of the hearers are not edified. The second is that the delivery may become over-emotional, and
become irrational and unconvincing.
THE WRITING OF SERMONS
Reading maketh a full man;
Conference a ready man;
And, writing an exact man. Francis Bacon
To learn how to compose a sermon, the best way is to write it out fully
Advantages to writing of some sermons:
1) Helps preparation by forcing concentration
2) Requires more careful preparation
3) Aids development of better style
4) Other advantages: publication, reuse
Disadvantages:
1) Slows thinking to writing speed
2) Becomes merely extemporaneous writing
3) Time consumed in mechanics of writing
Suggestion:
Not write all sermons, but some on a regular basis, perhaps one a week
If not write whole sermon, then write introduction & conclusion
If not written, use recording to evaluate later
If written, revise later to improve style
Example of written sermon
The following sermon was prepared by Timothy Tow that he was preached at the Chinese Service of Life
Church on the eve of her celebrating the 33rd Anniversary, October 11, 1998.
He chose text from Psalm 90:10-12. What title did he give to the sermon? Speaking to a Chinese congregation,
he was used a well-known couplet:
―How many have lived to seventy years,
And how many a full- moon have they seen?‖
To re-state it, ―Man‘s life is a short duration, Man‘s life is seldom pleasant‖, i.e., it is full of troubles.
Sermon
Introduction
Next Lord‘s Day our church will celebrate her 33rd Anniversary.
How quickly time flies! To our short life-span is soon added another year. How old are you?
Transition
As we enter another year we cannot help but recall the Chinese proverb, ―How many have lived to seventy years?‖ Moses, the leader
of the Israelites and their patriarch, says the same thing, ―The days of our years are threescore years and ten‖. This figure tallies with
the age of Chinese ancients. But he also adds a bonus of ten more years, anticipating modern man, ―And if by reason of strength they
be fourscore years,‖ which confirms a longer life span to our present generation, because of scientific advancement.
And how accurate is this pronouncement of God‘s Word. The lengthening of our life expectancy is at most up to 77 or 78 (Singapore
and Japan). Yes, by reason of strength (with the help of vitamins and minerals), we can reach 80. Indeed, Moses saw basically what
our Chinese sages saw, inasmuch as Confucius, speaking on the various stages of life, ended at seventy! (Confucian Analects, Ch IV,
6).
Now the Bible says ―Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord‖
(Lev 19:32). Christian children should honour their parents in their evening years, and not count it a burden to support them. This is
also good Confucian teaching.
To leaders of God‘s people, God gave extra length of days.
Moses lived up to 120, Joshua 110, and Caleb at age 85 declared he was strong as when he was 40 (Josh 14:10). It is to our good when
God grants long life to leaders He has appointed over us. We should pray for their longevity. Thank God for giving Singapore Senior
Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. He is 75 today and I would pray that he lives to 105.
In spite of long life God has given us, Moses laments, ―Yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.‖
(v10). This brings us to the second line of the couplet, ―And how many a fu ll-moon have they seen?‖
The autumn full-moon festival has just passed. And it was how swiftly, signifying to us, the fleeting transience of happy times. I
remember when I was a child in China, we celebrated the autumn moon with greater festivities. We had lanterns fitted with a revolving
device inside which was propelled by the heat from the lighted candle. A number of figurine horsemen are mounted on the revolving
gadget which makes it most exciting for us little children to watch. We called these lantern s ―racing horses‘ lanterns‖. As these horses
―gallop‖ away in the revolving, how vividly they portray the shortness of life with its many changing scenes, as it is writte n, ―for it is
soon cut off, and we fly away‖.
What are the troubles we face in our short life-span?
1. Labour
This involves our livelihood. From time immemorial man cannot eat but by the sweat of his face (Gen 3:19). Earning a living h as been
a struggle, even in times of plenty. It is a perennial problem.
During my childhood in 1929-32, the whole world sank into a slump. (We had not invented the more sophisticated word, ―recession‖
yet.) The rubber king, Mr. Tan Kah Kee, almost went bankrupt, had he not been mercifully sustained by higher powers.
This taught us young children a lesson when Mother admonished us to study hard, or else we would become ―coolies‖. ―Coolie‖
comes from the Chinese term, , ku li, which means hard labour. We, if we did not do well in school, would end up carrying heavy
sacks of rice for the rice towkay. We would become coolies.
Now, hard times have fallen on Singapore. With the sudden economic downturn since August 1997, the clammy hand of retrenchmen t
has grabbed away 7%, and by next year 9% into unemployment. Livelihood is an increasingly difficult problem with the d ays. By
God‘s grace only a few Lifers are being affected. The
Church should be mindful of their needs.
2. Sorrow
This has to do with our welfare. The Chinese proverb, ―birth, age, sickness, death‖ confronts every one of us, whether rich o r poor, old
or young. As we grow old, sickness is bound to invade our frail bodies. Cancer and heart attack are two main causes of our sorrows.
Accidents, untoward incidents, all kinds of dangers, surround us. And, finally death. As Lifers get older and members increas e, the
incidence of sickness begins to plague us.
Christians are not exempted from such vicissitudes of life.
We can only submit to the will of God and pray for His mercies.
When the Lord takes away our loved one, we must not blame Him but rather say with Job, ―Naked came I out of my mother‘s womb,
and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD‖ (Job 1:21). T o
keep on sorrowing is to be like those who have no hope, i.e., non - Christians. (1 Thess 4:13).
3. For it is soon cut off, and we fly away
This can refer to our career. For example, your business may suddenly experience a crisis as in the present economic downturn and
you are made a bankrupt. Your marriage, smooth-sailing for five years, suddenly is dashed upon the rocks by the unfaithfulness of
your husband. Your pursuit of learning is turned around to another course from out of the blue. Now these traumatic experienc es
happen not by chance, but by the chastening hand of God. ―Who knoweth the power of thine anger, even according to thy fear, so is
thy wrath‖.
(Ps 90:11). Moses speaks from his experience as leader of the Israelites going through the wilderness. And for their good how many
times God had to chastise His people for their way wardness.
Let me tell you how the Lord cut short my worldly ambition, though I had vowed to serve Him years before this. After WWII, I
determined to study law in England with a view to power, riches and fame. I was admitted to Middle Temple in London. I had packed
my winter clothing expecting to arrive in London before the Fall. I booked a passage on the cargo boat Argus for £90. I had t he
blessings of my father and my uncle.
A few days before sailing, however, there came suddenly one morning a telegram sent by Sister: ―Mother, having been ill for a few
days, is taken by the Lord.‖ This thwarted my departure as I had to return to Malaysia where my parents were to attend the fu neral. My
heart steeled like a flint, I determined to leave for London at any cost.
Lo and behold, this time while waiting on father in Malaysia, I got a telegram from my wife in Singapore. My little daughter of seven
months had taken seriously ill and an operation on her was scheduled for the same day. I rushed out to Singapore, but when I arrived at
the hospital, Baby was gone.
I became so crestfallen that I almost fainted by her deathbed. I sank into a sofa. There and then I fell into a trance as if I stood before
the Almighty. Limp and wilted, I let go my clammy hands holding as it were $500,000 each. I was like flying away while the glitters
of earthly riches and power seemed to burn into a rubbish heap. Repenting of my waywardness, I gave myself up to the Lord. I begged
for forgiveness. If the Lord should give me back my life, I would serve Him all the rest of my life.
This turned me right around. Instead of law and London, I was now headed for Nanking and theology. From there, the Lord led me to
the U.S. I graduated 1950 and from then on to this day I have served as your pastor.
Is some young man here today confronted with a similar situation? If God is chastising you, it is for your good that you be saved from
your empty dream for fame and power. Why not yield to serve the Lord full-time?
Moses ends with a word of prudence to his people, ―So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom‖ (v. 12).
Let him speak not only to the young and ambitious but also to the old and retiring. To you who have retired to enjoy a ripe o ld age.
Now here is the paradox as enacted by Noah. When he was in his prime of life, he built the Ark and saved his family of eight. After he
got out of the Ark, in apparent retirement, he planted a vineyard, made wine, and got drunk. He brought shame to himself, and
embarrassment to his sons (Gen 9:20-25).
There are Christians who also backslide in their retirement age. Instead of drawing nearer to God, they go back to their old cravings.
They return to smoking and drinking. And now it is reported in the Straits Times that more and more old couples are getting divorced.
So they look for other spouses. They while away their time by playing mahjong again. Or they may go horse racing. So, they st op
coming to Church!
No, let none of our senior members go astray in their old age. Let them, as they get nearer to God each day, live a life of greater
consecration. Let them attend Church regularly. Let them come to prayer meeting. Let them join Elders and young leaders visit ing
nearby mission fields. Let them give of their substance to support the work of the Lord, as God prospers them with good health. Let
them give a portion of the much they have received from their children to succour the poor, e.g., the outcasts in Cambodia no w being
evangelised by our Korean missionaries.
How many have lived to seventy years? And how many a fullmoon have they seen? Man‘s life is a short duration. Man‘s life is seldom
pleasant, i.e., it is full of troubles.
To be wise we should not dissipate our lives. Let me stress again, in our advancing years we should rather double up to serve the Lord.
And let us work while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work (John 9:4). Jesus‘ coming is so near that He is standing on
the threshold, ready to enter any moment. And we are commanded to be at the ready all the time, lest when He comes suddenly we will
be totally taken aback!
―Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in
due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall fin d so doing.‖ (Luke 12:42, 43). Amen.
Anatomy of Timothy Tow Sermon
Introduction
Next Lord‘s Day our church will celebrate her 33rd Anniversary.
______________________________________________________
___________ How old are you.
Transition
As we enter another year we cannot help but recall the Chinese proverb, ―How many have lived to seventy years?‖ .
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________
We should pray for their longevity. Thank God for giving Singapore Senior Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. He is 75 today and I would
pray that he lives to 105.
Body of Sermon
I. In spite of long life God has given us, Moses laments, ―Yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, a nd we fly
away‖ (v. 10).
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________
What are the troubles we face in our short life-span?
1. Labour. This involves our livelihood
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__
Livelihood is an increasingly difficult problem with the days.
2. Sorrow. This has to do with our welfare. The Chinese proverb, ,―birth, age, sickness, death‖ confronts everyone of us, whether rich
or poor, old or young.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. This can refer to our career.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Why not yield to serve the Lord full-time?
II. Moses ends with a word of prudence to his people. ―So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom‖ (v.
12).
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
1. Now here is the paradox as enacted by Noah
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. No, let none of our senior members go astray in their old age.
_____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Recapitulation
How many have lived to seventy years? And how many a fullmoon have they seen ?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Conclusion
To be wise we should not dissipate our lives. In our advancing years we sho uld rather double up to serve the Lord.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Amen.
Imagination in Preaching
1. The nature of imagination
Imagination = thinking by seeing, without reasoning
(―Right-brain‖ activity)
Best used when seeing reality more clearly (not unreality)
2. The role of imagination in preaching
1) Vital in organizing and arranging material
2) Makes ideas vivid; effective imagery
3) Makes Bible stories and background real to audience, also unseen future realities
4) Enables us to sympathize with others
3. Means of cultivating the imagination
1) Keen observation and study of nature and art
2) Study of imaginative literature (drama, poetry, fiction)
3) Keeping close to people, especially congregation
4) Strong devotional life: prayer, meditation, Bible
5) Practice while preaching (using good taste and judgment)
FORMAL ELEMENTS OF THE SERMON
Importance of Arrangement
Preacher as architect, not same as invention or style
1. Values of a plan
 1) Aid to preacher‘s development—mental powers, organization of ideas, extemporaneous speaking, memory,
proper use of emotion in speaking
2) Effect on audience—discouse intelligible, understood correctly, pleasing, interesting, persuasive, easily
remembered
2. Qualities of good arrangement
1) Unity: A single propelling idea
2) Order:
Points naturally follow one another
Points don‘t overlap (―Mutually Exclusive and Jointly Exhaustive‖)
Points move toward a climax
3) Proportion
Proper allocation of time to each point
Points fairly symmetrical
4) Progress
Opposite of ―revolving‖ sermons
3. Study of arrangement
Always room for learning; not an exact science
Similar to study of painting; skill necessary before successful invention
From Text to Sermon: Nine Steps
STEP SUMMARY
1 Read, read, read. Read the text 4-5 times asking exegetical questions. Also note the context of your
passage and understand the flow of the argument. Use multiple translations. Read
slowly, meditatively keeping track of questions and observations. Pray.
2 Study history/culture. Answer questions related to history and culture. Take notes. Pray.
3 Study language. Answer questions related to definitions, concepts, grammar, and syntax. Pray.
4 Study structure. Answer questions related to flow of thought. Outline the passage. Pray.
5 Exegetical Idea. State the author‘s main idea as subject (question) and complement (answer). Also
determine the author‘s reason for writing; that is, what was he doing with the idea?
Pray.
6 Homiletical Idea. State your main idea—the ―big idea‖ (Robinson) or ―take home truth‖ (Sunukjian).
Pray.
7 Outline the Sermon. For your main points, you will generally follow the flow of thought from Step 4, but
occasionally you will alter this according to the needs of your audience. Determine
where you will state the big idea. Write a detailed, complete sentence outline, and time
permitting, write a manuscript Pray.
8 Relevance. Through meditation, examination of yourself, and feed-forward, determine what needs
to be:

Use support materials, especially concrete examples, to do all three. Pray.

9 Final Touches. Talk through your detailed outline, and reduce to preaching notes (no more than one
page). Pray.
 PREACHING METHOD
ELEMENTS OF PREACHING METHOD
Any of the preaching methods discussed and should contain the following elements.
I. Introduction –
The introduction should contain most of the following elements, not necessarily in
this order.
A. Greeting
B. Title (Optional)
C. Thematic or Purpose Statement
D. Prayer
E. Text
F. Outline Overview
G. Transitional Statement
II. Body – Spiritual Principle
It is best in a short sermon to focus on one or two principles or points. Each point should
be treated in the following manner.
A. Principles Discovered (Text/Verse)
B. Principle Expounded
a. Word Studies
b. Background Information
c. Supporting Verse
C. Principle Illustrated
a. Biblical Example
b. Personal Illustration
c. Dramatic Illustration
d. Statistics, etc.
D. Review Thematic Statement
E. Transitional Statement
III. Conclusion –
The conclusion should contain most of the following elements, not necessarily in
this order.
A. Review and Summarization
B. Concluding Information
C. Invitation and Decision
D. Prayer
BEGINNING THE SERMON
I. INTRODUCTION OF THE SERMON
The sermon begins with two important elements, the greeting and the introduction.
A. The Greeting
1. What is the purpose of the greeting?
i. The greeting is a transition between what went before and your actual sermon.
It is like a bridge from the announcements, the offering, your introduction as a speaker or
some other occurrence in the service (e.g. prophetic word, prayer, baby dedication, etc.). It
may or may not have anything to do with your message. I often take a few mental (or
physical) notes of some of the things that have happened to that point in the service to make
such bridge comments.
As you speak in this class you may mention something relative to the previous speaker.
ii. The greeting is a time to let the people get to know you.
This obviously changes if you are in your own congregation where you speak every week. In
this case the greeting can be much more abbreviated.
iii. The greeting is an opportunity to establish some rapport with the audience.
1. It is almost a chat with the audience.
2. It is not as necessary if you are well-known to the audience.
3. It may mention current events common to all.
4. It may mention common bonds that you have with the leaders or the people.
2. What are some guidelines that should be applied to the greeting?
i. Give forethought to what you will say before you get up to speak (Don’t just “wing it”).
ii. Be respectful to the congregation and to the leadership.
1. Demonstrate honor to church leaders.
2. Honor the church with a sincere compliment.
3. Never insult or put down anyone.
4. People will take up and offense for others. An offended person cannot receive what
you have to say.
iii. Be creative in your approach.
1. Try to avoid the ―good morning‖ approach.
2. Begin with a humorous story.
3. Share a story about the pastor.
4. Let them know why you are glad to be with them.
5. Make a favorable comment about their city.
6. Refer to the occasion on which you are speaking.
Example 1 ―I have been looking forward to sharing with you for a long time.‖
Example 2 ―God is so good and has been doing such great things lately. The
atmosphere in this place is so exciting.‖
iv. Be warm toward the people.
1. Remember the power of first impressions.
2. Be pastoral in nature and set the people as ease.
3. Remember, sheep do not drink from troubled waters.
4. Use pleasantry, wit and humor to lighten the atmosphere.
v. Be as brief as the occasion allows.
1. Do not let the greeting consume all of your message time.
2. Do not let it be confused with the message in the people‘s mind.
The Introduction
A. What is the purpose of the introduction?
There are four primary purposes for the introduction to the message.
1. The introduction should gain the audience’s attention and peak their interest in the message.
a) A good introduction has the aesthetic value of inviting the hearer to listen to you (as a porch to a
building or a prelude to a musical composition).
b) A good introduction recognizes that no one is automatically interested in your message.
Regardless of how important, spiritual, or significant the content of the message, we still must capture
the attention of our audience.
2. The introduction should set the direction for the message that will follow.
a) The introduction should answer one of two questions.
 What am I going to talk about?
 What in general am I going to say about it?
This is a good place to utilize your thematic statement.
a. The introduction should also seek to lay the foundation for what is to come.
This is done by:
 Providing the needed background information.
 Defining important terms.
 Clarifying relevant concepts.
 Narrowing the focus (How much of the topic will be covered).
 Acknowledging limitations.
3. The introduction should establish the relevancy of the message.
3. The subject needs to be introduced as a significant thing or idea into the conscious mind of the
hearers.
4. Every listener, consciously or unconsciously, asks themselves, ―Why should I listen to you?‖ Your
job is to help them with the answer to this question.
5. To fail here is to lose your audience from the very beginning.
4. The introduction should prepare the people to receive the message.
It should help to prepare the audience for understanding the message. It should frame in your message.
Remember the statement, ―Tell the people where you are going, go there and then tell them where you
have been.‖
B. What are the key characteristics of the introduction?
1. The introduction should be brief. The introduction should not exceed 10% to 15% of the message.
2. The introduction should be appropriate.That is, the introduction should be completely suited to
this and no other sermon.You may, in fact, preach this same message on numerous occasions to a
variety of audiences, but the introduction will always be specially adapted to the moment in time.
That is, the introduction should be completely appropriate to this and no other audience.
3. The introduction should be humble.
i. This means avoiding hype or promising more than you can deliver.
ii. This means never talking down to people, but identifying with people.
4. The introduction should be singular.
i. The introduction should have a single thought or focus.
ii. The central idea (thematic statement) should be clear.
iii. It should give just enough of the message as to create interest, but not so much as to cause the
hearer to feel that they got the sermon twice.
iv. Do not shoot your main bullet too soon.
 5. The introduction should be well-planned.
Much thought and prayer should be given to this; it will set the tone for the entire message.
C. What are some of the types of introduction?
1. There are introductions that are drawn from the Bible.
a. This may involve an intriguing description of a biblical event or place.
b. This may involve a descriptive narrative or a biblical event.
c. This may include elements of intrigue or drama.
2. There are introductions that are drawn from contemporary life.
This could include one or more of the following:
a. Personal Experiences
b. A Startling Statement
c. A Recent News Item
d. The Statement of a Problem
e. An Intriguing Quotation
The quote should be brief and amazing. There is nothing worse than a lengthy, poorly read, dry quote
to kill the flow of a message. Whenever you do use a quote, be sure to practice it with feeling so that
it ministers life when you read it.
f. References to a Book
This may be a brief synopsis of a book that you have read, how it applies to your sermon and why
they should be interested in it also.
g. A Humorous Story
This should be short, practiced, appropriate and truly funny without being at the expense of someone
else for whom the people may feel sorry rather than laughing with you.
h. A Series of Challenging Questions
Challenging questions can get people thinking with you. They can create a tension that you will
resolve for them later in the message.
i. Other possibilities include: Vivid word pictures, definitions, parables, riddles, predictions,
poems, a proverb, a prayer.
D. What are some things to avoid in introductions?
1. Avoid references to TV programs and movies as a point of reference .
Exceptions to this might be well-known programming that is suitable for all Christians to view.
2. Avoid making apologies to the audience.
Examples:
―I didn‘t have much time to prepare.‖
―I am not happy with how this message came together.‖
―I left my notes at home.‖
―I am not much of a preacher, but…‖
―I am a bit nervous, but here goes anyway.‖
―I hope this comes across okay, because it was difficult for me to put it together.
3. Never embarrass the leadership of the local church.
Examples:
―He called me last night to preach to day.‖
―I didn‘t get much notice on this.‖
Go for it! Trust God! Believe that you are going to be an oracle for the living God!
E. Qualities of a good introduction
1. Must be related to sermon subject
2. Should be a single thought
3. Avoid vague generalities
4. Not highly argumentative or emotional; personal and official modesty
5. Should be exclusively adapted to the sermon
6. Must not be long
7. Should be carefully prepared
The introduction should...
... Be an accurate sign post pointing to the sermon
... Create a hunger for the rest of the message.
... Be a creation of intrigue.
... Lead the people to feel that the sermon has the answer to an individual need.
... Get people desirous for the preacher to continue.
... Be the most articulate part of the sermon.
The Introduction could...
... Be a question that needs an answer.
... Be a statement that needs a completion.
... Create curiosity as to where the speaker is going.
The title of the sermon should not be more spectacular than the sermon. Jesus got right to the point:
―Ye are the Light of the world...‖ ―Ye are the Salt of the earth...‖ ―A Sower went forth to sow...‖
Some preachers can build to a climax and have people hang on long enough to get the one point—MOST
CANNOT!
So let the cat out of the bag at the beginning so they know what you are talking about right from the start. We
are preachers not story tellers. Do not try to be a great preacher, be a clear preacher. Our words should not
be a mystery but crystal clear.
“For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye
utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into
the air.” (I Corinthians14:8-9). Some preachers read a text, do not give a title, chase rabbits, say some good
things, ramble on, close and then leave hearers puzzled. The people wonder, ―What was that all about?‖
We should go to the other extreme. We should speak in such clear and simple tones that it is not only perfectly
understood what we said, but it is impossible to misunderstand what we said. “Seeing then that we have such
hope, we use great plainness of speech:” (II Corinthians 3:12).
The following four points should help achieve this in the introduction:
1. Read the scriptures clearly. Make sure the scriptures fit your message exactly.
2. Say a short public prayer asking God to help the hearers to understand your specific subject. You might
want to bring up the subject in your prayer.
3. Repeat the title of your message loudly and clearly at least two to four times during your introduction.
4. Have a well thought out brief introduction of the subject.
Do not waste time in the pulpit. Again, clarity is the goal:
I Corinthians 14:10-12, “There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without
signification. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian,
and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts
seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.”
Build up the church, do not confuse the church!
B. Titling the Sermon
I. What is the purpose for giving a title to the sermon?
A. An effective title can stimulate the interest of the audience.
Titles that deal with the real questions and hurts of people can attract an audience, giving us an opportunity
to teach the truth. --Rick Warren
In this case the title is used to arrest people‘s attention. In such instances the title is usually either a catchy
phrase or a startling statement.
Catchy titles can end up being too cute for their own good if they…
1. Are only constructed to show off the cuteness of the preacher.
2. Are only constructed to fit into a reader board on the street.
3. Are only designed primarily to draw next week‘s crowd.
4. Are only designed for a newspaper add to arouse curiosity.
B. An effective title can help fix the subject of the message in the people’s minds.
In this case the title becomes another tool to help the people understand the main theme of the message.
Any title that does not have some significance or special inspiration to people probably is not be the best title
to use.
II. What are some of the positive uses for a title?
b. A title has value to the preacher in keeping one sermon separate from another.
c. A title has value for the filing of the message for future reference.
d. A title is useful for the media and marketing department in the reproduction and distribution of the
message to others.
e. A title is helpful in arousing the interest of the listener.
f. A title is one means to define the purpose of the message.
III. What are some guidelines for constructing an effective title?
a) The title should be short.As with all areas there is balance here. A title that is too short may not
communicate anything. A title that is too long may be difficult to remember.
b) The title should stimulate interest.
c) The title should be clear.
d) The title should be memorable.
e) The title should be contemporary.
f) The title should be appropriate or relevant to the message.
g) The title should be respectful.It is easy to lose a sense of decorum when trying to get overly cute
with a title.The title should be appropriate for the church setting and all ages of listeners.
IV. What are some methods relative to stating a title?
A title can be stated as:
A. A declaration ―God is Love‖
B. An exclamation ―God Loves the Sinner!‖
C. A question―How Can One Experience God?‖
D. A phrase followed by a question ―Shaking: How Do I Stand Strong?‖
E. A biblical phrase ―Go to the Ant‖
F. A simple or compound subject Simple: ―Faith‖ Compound: ―Faith: Its Challenge and Reward‖
G. Some titles just for fun!
1. What Made the Jailhouse Rock (Acts 16:25)?
2. Seven Days without Jesus Makes One Weak (Ps. 27:4-6)
3. I‘ve Fallen but I CAN Get Up (Hos. 14:1-4)
4. The Sermon on the Amount (Mal. 3:8-12)
5. You Are What You Eat (Mt. 5:6)
 6. Mary Had a Little Lamb (Luke 2:6-7)
7. Nick at Nite (John 3:1-7)
8. Don‘t Fight Naked (Eph. 6:16)
9. Pass the Salt and Turn on the Light (Mt. 5:13-16)
10. Mission Possible (Phil. 4:13)
11. Born to ―Raze‖ Hell. (Raze = destroy, break down, demolish)
12. What on earth are you doing for Heavens‘ sake?
C. The Thematic Statement
I. What is a thematic statement?
A. A thematic statement is a succinct statement of the subject in sentence form.
B. A thematic statement guides you in the selection of materials that will be included in your sermon.
C. A thematic statement provides the listener with a summary of your sermon.
D. A thematic statement is the sermon in a nutshell.
“No sermon is ready for preaching, until we can express its theme in a short, pregnant sentence as clear as
crystal. To compel oneself to fashion that sentence, to dismiss every word that is vague, ragged, ambiguous, to
think oneself through to a form of words which defines the theme with scrupulous exactness— this is surely one
of the most vital and essential factors in the making of a sermon.” --John Jowett
II. What is the purpose of the thematic statement?
A. The thematic statement is helpful to the preacher.
1. It helps the preacher tell the people where he is going.
2. It helps the preacher go there.
3. It helps the preacher tell the people where you have been.
B. The thematic statement is helpful to the listener.
1. It helps the listener to get into the sermon quickly.
2. It helps the listener to follow the thought process throughout the whole message.
III. What are some keys to the construction of a functionally sound thematic statement?
A. The thematic statement should be a simple sentence.
A simple sentence guards against the possibilities of multiple major ideas and of sermonettes within the sermon.
B. The thematic statement should be a clear statement.
There should be no metaphorical use of language in stating the essential idea.
C. The thematic statement should be a universal statement.
It should not contain historical reference such as personalities, places or events.
A good thematic statement is timeless and universal.
D. The thematic statement should be a summary statement.
The thematic statement should express the whole thought of the sermon. The whole sermon should be
comprehended in miniature in a simple sentence.
E. The thematic statement should be a challenging statement.
As such it should compel an intended response on the part of the audience. It should be invitational.
IV. What are the kinds of thematic statements?
Note: The following section is taken from unpublished notes by Tom Sparks.
A. A thematic statement may be a statement of fact.
1. Its purpose is primarily to present some fact that you intend to prove, highlight or elaborate upon in your
message.
2. It is done for the purpose of making a claim.
E.g. “God loves every man, regardless of race, color or creed.”
B. A thematic statement may be a statement of promise.
1. Its purpose is primarily to present a promise or a prediction based upon a biblical principle of life that you
intend to prove and to encourage others to believe.
2. It is done for the purpose of making a prediction.
E.g. “God’s love will overcome all forms of racial prejudice.”
C. A thematic statement may be a statement of value.
1. Its purpose is primarily to present a value that you intend to impress upon the people‘s minds and encouraged
them to adopt.
2. It is done for the purpose of making an evaluative judgment.
E.g. “Only a new love for God can expel hatred for man.”
D. A thematic statement may be a statement of a standard.
1. Its purpose is primarily to present a standard of Christian living to which you are going to challenge people to
adhere.
2. It is done for the purpose of urging toward action.
E.g. “Every Christian should love his neighbor.”
V. How is the thematic statement to be used?
The preacher will repeat the thematic statement often throughout the message. It will serve to keep the message
focused. Each section of the message should tie in to the thematic statement by enforcing, explaining, proving or
illuminating it in its deep significance.
D. PRAYER
Public prayer checklist
This checklist helps you to lead an effective prayer.
PRESENTATION —Am I neatly dressed and properly groomed?
VOICE —Am I speaking clearly in a natural well modulated voice?
DELIVERY —Am I speaking without distracting stumbles and stutters?
ADDRESS —Do I address God in a respectful manner (Not ―Hey God!‖)
WORDS —Am I using simple normal words (not archaic or churchy)?
PHRASES —Am I speaking meaningfully (not mere forms of words)?
INTENTION —Am I praying to God rather than preaching to people?
THANKSGIVING —Have I given thanks and praise to God?
SUPPLICATION —Have I made requests to God about specific needs?
CONTENT —Am I speaking ―off the cuff‖ or prepared with a prayer list?
SCRIPTURE —Are scripture quotes apt, brief, and used in moderation?
EMOTION —Is my prayer earnest without ―putting on‖ emotion?
PRIVACY —Am I careful not to mention private matters in public?
ENDING —Do I close with the expected ―…in Jesus‘ name, Amen‖?
HEART —Most important: Am I praying sincerely from my heart?
E. TEXT
Genre Idea
Narrative 1 Story
Gospel 1 Story, Teaching, or Parable
Epistle 1 Paragraph or Issue
Law 1 Law or Group of Laws
Prophecy 1 ―If.. Then‖ Consequence
Psalms 1 Psalm or stanza
Proverb 1 Proverb or topic
F. OUTLINE OVERVIEW
Sermon Style Spectrum

BIG IDEA
I
III
II
Conclusion
State the Proposition (or big idea /BIh) upfront in your Introduction
Then Prove It via your points and restate it in your conclusion.
Works well with all genre of Scripture, especially the Epistles
This is our ―default‖ style for most sermons
Be sure that each of the three points is derived from the BIh

Subject Introduced
I
II
III
BIh stated completely
Introduce the Subject of the Big Idea (or BIh) upfront in your Introduction.
For example, with the subject - ―What are the Marks of a True Believer?‖ - being stated in the introduction,
each major point in the body helps to complement the subject (and answer the question).
A well constructed and provocative subject (especially the question that it asks) helps to produce tension and a
strong climax within this style.
The conclusion draws strength from each major point to definitively answer the question posed by the subject.

Hybrid Style (Rhetoric)

Introduction
I
BIh
II
III
Conclusion
This style begins inductively; introduces the Proposition; then continues deductively to the conclusion.
Begin by describing a problem or dilemma which needs a solution via the introduction.
Build on this situational analysis by describing various consequences of the problem or dilemma… and create
more tension!
Offer the real Biblical Solution earlier (after a well developed introduction or after your first point), as your
proposition or BIh!!!
By introducing the BIh earlier, you can now reinforce it via supporting arguments in the remaining major points
of the sermon.
This is classic rhetoric (a la Seneca): exordium, narratio, propositio, probatio, refutatio (both with digressio,
logos, pathos, ethos appeals), and peroratio.
Classic components of Rhetoric:
Exordium – Introduction which defines the speaker and the topic
Narratio – Narrating all relevant events
Propositio – thesis or proposition
Probatio (Digresso – appeals to tradition or authority, Logos – appeals to reason, Ethos – appeals to
righteousness, Pathos – emotional appeal ) – arguments for the thesis
Refutio – Refutation of counterarguments

Narrative Style
Everyone loves a good story… but it‘s all in how you tell it.
Story telling promotes an inductive style of communicating the Big Idea.
Jesus often employed a narrative style of induction.
Stories are easiest to tell when told from a ―first person‖ point of view. This means taking on a historic character
to tell his or her tale.
Narratives are most effective when the audience hears the story and arrives at the speaker‘s Big Idea without
the idea being stated directly.
Examples of characters… a first century Gentile Christian to explain the significance of Ephesians 1… one of
the four lepers outside the gates of Samaria to tell the tale of 2 Kings 7… Joseph to convey the significance of
the Messiah‘s birth narrative … Ananias to share about Saul‘s/Paul‘s conversion
Do not memorize your ―soliloquy‖… it will be too stiff. Map out the story and speak extemporaneously… it will
be more personal and dramatic.
 Inductive Style
Inductive Style
Introduction
II
I
III
BIh

Wait to State the Proposition (or BIh) as a dramatic conclusion to your earlier points
Begin by describing a problem or dilemma which needs a solution via the introduction
Build on this situational analysis by describing various consequences of the problem or dilemma… and create
more tension!
Pay careful attention to your transitional statements so that you don‘t lose your audience on this journey.
Offer alternative solutions in your proceeding points… but point out their shortcomings.
Finally… offer the real Biblical Solution as your final proposition or BIh!!!
DEFAULT outline (deductive style)
I. First, view your sermon as a whole… you‘re still resisting the urge to jump right to the 3 points!
II. Seek to heighten the sense of unity in the message you are to preach
III. Move from a general mapping of the idea to an outline
You see the entire outline laid out before you as you preach it, but your audience doesn‘t hear an outline, it
hears a sermon.
This makes transitional statements between major points and subpoints particularly significant.
Help your audience separate your points from the materials that supports the points.
Transitional statements help your audience think with you.
An effective transition notifies the audience that you are moving on (by restating where you‘ve been and
piquing interest in where you are going).
Effective transitions answers the question, why these points in this order?
Effective transitions should be written out completely and placed in parentheses in your sermon outline.
Example Outline from Luke 15:1-10:
• Big Idea: “You can run but you can’t hide from repentance.”
I. The sheep strayed and the coin rolled away
II. God looked until he found them and returned them
III.Repentance is our celebrated return to Him
• Conclusion: Return to God… He waits to celebrate your repentance.
Outline

IV. The sheep ran away and the coin rolled away
A. We are able to choose self and sin rather than God
1. Self
2. Sin
B. How have you strayed from Him?
V. God looked until he found them and returned them
A. God looks for us even in the dusty corners of darkness
B. God does not give up
VI. Repentance is our celebrated return to Him
Conclusion: Return to God… He waits to celebrate your repentance.
This checklist helps you ensure that your list outline is done properly.
 GENERIC THEME —Is this is a broad topic that I cannot list?
 SPECIFIC THEME —Does this narrow the broad topic to suggest a list?
 WORKING TITLE —Does this nicely combine the two themes?
 THE LIST —Does each item or point answer to the working title?
 POINTS —Does each point have a clear relationship to the other points?
 SIMPLICITY —Are my points parts of a whole, not whole lessons?
 LESSON LENGTH —Do I have too many points for one lesson?
 SPLITTING —Should I split the list into a series of lessons?
 ORDER —Are my points arranged in the best logical order?
 CLARITY —Can I indicate, state, and relate these points clearly?
 TRANSITION —Can I move smoothly from one point to the next?
 PROVING —Is each item able to be substantiated convincingly?
 TIME —Will too many points require elaboration and illustration?
 SUBSTITUTE TITLE —Is my working title too dull as a real title?
 PURPOSE —Does the outline accomplish the purpose I had in mind?

G. TRANSITIONAL STATEMENT
Important:
 Saves preacher from obscurity
 Keeps attention of congregation
 Helps preacher remember points as he goes
 Keeps sermon moving
 Tests unity of sermon
 Like joints in body, should not bring attention to themselves
Methods:
 Relation method (points flow naturally)
 Connecting word (first, second, etc.; other connectives)
 Connecting phrase
 Third idea, ―bridge‖
 Summary of previous point(s)
 Use of question Rhetorical devices (pause, gesture, voice, etc.)
Making Transitions ( By Walter-Paul Houghton Mifflin,Source:How to Study in College, (1974)pg.115-116
One of the most difficult things to do in speaking to a group is to make effective transitions. A transition is a point in
your speech when you carefully guide the listener to your next point. This may be from your introduction to your
Central Idea; from your Central Idea to your first point; from one point to the next; or from your last point to your
conclusion.
Transitions are easier in teaching rather than preaching. This is because teaching generally tends to be more
systematic and unemotional. It is generally easier to enumerate verbally your points in teaching rather than in
preaching. Too many overly-obvious transitions in preaching can slow down a sermon‘s build up.
One way to make smooth speaking transitions is to learn and use key transitional (or pivotal) words.
As you memorize and use these words more often in your everyday speech, they will flow more smoothly in your
preaching. Below is a list of some transitional words. Each set expresses a different kind of transition. Read these
words over frequently. Use some every day, and you will construct smoother speeche s.
Additive Words: These say: ―Here‘s more of the same coming up.‖ It‘s just as important as what we have already
said:
Also further moreover and
Furthermore too besides in addition
Equivalent Words: They say, ―It does what I have just said, but it does this too‖:
 as well as at the same time similarly
 equally important likewise
Amplification Words: The author is saying, ―I want to be sure that you understand my idea; so here‘s a specific
instance:
 for example (e.g.) specifically as
 for instance such as like
Alternative Words: These point up, ―Sometimes there is a choice; other times there isn‘t‖:
 either/or other than
 neither/nor otherwise
Repetitive Words: They say, ―I said it once, but I‘m going to say it again in case you missed it the first time‖:
 again in other words
 to repeat that is (i.e.)
Contrast and Change Words: ―So far I‘ve given you only one side of the story; now let‘s take a look at the other side‖:
 but on the contrary still conversely on the other hand
 though despite instead of yet however rather than
 regardless Nevertheless even though whereas
 in spite of notwithstanding
Cause and Effect Words: ―All this has happened; now I‘ll tell you why‖:
 accordingly since then because so
 thus consequently hence therefore for this reason
Qualifying Words: These say, ―Here is what we can expect. There are the conditions we are working under‖: if
although unless providing whenever
Concession Words: They say ―Okay! We agree on this much‖: accepting the data granted that of course
Emphasizing Words: They say, ―Wake up and take notice!‖: above all more important indeed
Order Words: The author is saying, ―You keep your mind on reading: I‘ll keep the numbers straight‖: finally second
then first next last
Time Words: ―Let‘s keep the record straight on who said what and especially when‖: afterwards meanwhile now
before subsequently presently formerly ultimately previously later
Summarizing Words: These say, ―We‘ve said many things so far. Let‘s stop here and pull them together‖:
for these reasons in brief in conclusion to sum up
II. THE BODY OF THE SERMON
The first aspect of the body of your sermon is to come up with a skeleton outline regarding the text and subject
the Holy Spirit has led you to preach on.
1. The plan
 Seek the best plan of division possible Simple, fresh, striking
 But not sensational or odd or greatly formal
 Not stiff, uniform, predictable, monotonous
 Need of a good over-all proposition
2. The question of divisions
 Extremes: no division vs. minute analysis
 Usually best to have divisions: for preacher, for audience
 Frequently subdivisions also helpful
 Minimum of two, three or four better for variety, five or six hard to remember often
 Three points the most used and serviceable
 3. Character of the divisions
i. Taken together, coextensive with the subject
Exhaust the subject proposed with general completeness
ii. Taken separately, distinct and symmetrical
Points should be ―Mutually Exclusive and ―Jointly Exhaustive‖
Avoid needlessly repeating ideas under separate heads
Each point with same kind of relation to the subject, parallel, but not unnatural
iii. Problems of order and management
1. Order of divisions
Designed to lead to feelings and will often good to apply at end of each point
2. Statement of divisions
Exact, concise, suggestive
Not too brief for comprehension, not overly long
Be natural; note on alliterations
3. Divisions announced before hand?
Good idea when sermon (1) difficult, (2) argumentation to be remembered, (3) needs
awakened interest
Otherwise, better not to pre-announce heads
• Examples of skeleton outlines could include:
1. Pointed message
Some truths we must preach require many points depending on the subject. Certainly these subjects would need
more than one point:
• How to have a happy family
• How to handle your finances
• How to go soulwinning
• How to interpret scripture
• Steps of man‘s degeneracy (Romans 1)
• Possibilities of faith— etc.
2. One Great Truth
Preach a whole sermon stressing just one great truth:
• Duty
• Compassion
• Others
• Commitment
3. Alliteration
Repetitions of the same first letter or sound in a group of words.
Examples:
• Titus 2:14—Salvation, Sanctification, Service
• Philemon‘s love—Refreshing, Receiving, Reciprocating
• Spirit filled Attitudes—Ephesians 5:18-21—Singing, Satisfaction, Submission
4. Acrostic
Word formed from the first letters of other words.
• Forsaking
All I Trust Him
• God‘s Riches At Christ‘s Expense
• God‘s Resources At Christian Experiences
5. Verses that outline themselves
Look up in your Bible and notice how easily these verses outline themselves:
• James 3:17 • Titus 2: 4-5
• II Chronicles 7:14 • I Corinthians 13:4-8
FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF THE SERMON
1. Principles Discovered (Text/Verse)
2. Principle Expounded
(Word Studies, Background Information, Supporting Verse)
Explanation
Definition of terms
Use dictionary or concordance and then explain terms to the people. Do not presume they know what words
mean. “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand
the reading.” (Nehemiah 8:8).
Functions classified as evangelistic, theological, ethical, devotional, inspirational, and actional
Use made of explanation, argument, application, illustration
Different amounts of above four items, depending on type of sermon
1. Explanation in general
Importance of explaining to congregation
Ignorance often the problem, more than unwillingness
Children growing up in church
Make sure you can explain what you set out to explain!
Don‘t over-explain
2. Explanation of texts (as Paul in Thessalonica, Acts 17:3)
a) Present results of own exegesis.
Not repeating details of work
Using other relevant verses
b) Present narrations in manner to reach desired end.
Not exhaustive (unless not much material)
Not elaborated
Introductory narration not too long
c) Use description to set scene of narrative or sermon.
―He is the best speaker who can turn an ear into an eye.‖
Must see scene first (in mind at least)
Detailed information necessary
Use imagination to picture scene or object in mind
Description not an end in itself—be briefer than a novel would be
Elaborate descriptions distracting
3. Explanation of subjects
1) Explaining by definition
Difference between definition and description
Definition may be by contrast or antonyms
Careful of difficult-to-follow precision
2) Explaining by division
(As a topical sermon)
3) Explaining by examples
 Excellent for fine distinctions
Many sources for examples (esp. Bible stories)
4) Explaining by comparison
Examples of Jesus‘ parables
Argument
Often must justify a judgment relating idea presented to other ideas already accepted.
1. Importance of argument in preaching
 Encourages those who already ―believe‖
 Replaces mindless acceptance with real faith
 Good antidote to error
 Honesty demands preacher to argue properly
2. Principal varieties of argument
A. Argument from testimony.
One‘s own experience and observations
Experiences and observations of others
a) Concerning matters of fact, character and number of witnesses and character of thing
attested.
Witnesses: veracity, intelligence, opportunity for knowledge, personal inclinations
Number of witnesses important
Unintentional testimony of adversaries
Thing attested: degree of improbability (note on miracles), nature of Christian experience
b) Concerning matters of opinion, note ―authority‖ of witness (note on the Fathers)
Scriptures as absolute authority
Generally accepted opinions must be weighed.
B. Argument from Induction
Truth arrived at through experience
Most common form of argument, often faulty
Problems of imperfect observation and hasty induction
Distinguish causes from frequent circumstances
C. Argument from Analogy
Not resemblance, but ―proportion‖
Relation two objects bear to a third
Leads to probable proof, not absolute
D. Argument from Deduction.
From general truth to particular case
Formally: syllogistic reasoning
Primarily, deductions from teaching of Scripture
Compare deductions also with Scripture.
For preaching, concrete examples more powerful than abstract ideas
3. Certain forms of argument
a) A priori:- From cause to effect (deductive)
b) A posteriori:- From effect to cause (inductive) Cf. Luke 7:47; 1 Cor 10:5
 c) A fortiori :- From stronger to weaker Cf. Matt 6:30; 7:11; Luke 23:31; Rom 8:32; Heb 2:2 -4;
1 Pet 4:17-18
d) Progressive approach (form of induction)
e) Dilemma, two assumptions, one being true, both leading to same conclusion
Cf. Acts 5:38-39
f) Reductio ad absurdum
Conclusions drawn out to point of absurdity
Cf. Calvin‘s reply to the Faculty of the University of Paris
g) Ex concesso
Conceded by opponent
h) Ad hominem
―To the man,‖ considers source of opposing argument; may use his reasoning
4. Order of arguments should be kept separate & distinct
First cover proofs necessary to explain proposition.
Generally have deductive proofs before inductive verifications.
Usually best to put strongest arguments last. If audience unfriendly, better to start with strongest
5. General suggestions for the argument
 Work on improving logical work of one‘s own mind
 Seek to prove only what you believe to be true
 Start argument with something people agree with
 Make arguments intelligible and persuasive to common mind
 Depend primarily upon Scriptural arguments
 Don‘t use all the arguments, just the best ones
 Avoid formality
 Strive for clarity, precision, force. Eloquence may come if subject exalted enough.
Invention is either relating the argument to the people or a text suitable for the argument. It will
supply an argument related to the condition of the church and carefully noted from the time, place, and
other things; in whose selection must appear:
A. That one would not search for something obvious, familiar, or of interest only to the speaker; or
B. Not whatever seems intended to attract the applause of the common people, but rather what is most
suitable for edifying the church, which should be the guiding star of the entire sermon.
For example, someone observing in his church an excessive zeal for this world and a lukewarmness
toward spiritual piety might undertake an argument concerning a heavenly manner of life. A suitable
text for the selected argument should:
(1) be taken from only the canonical books of Scripture, which are the most effective in convicting the
conscience;
(2) not be excessively prolix, so that the time for the argument not be snatched away first by a rather
prolix explanation of the words; and
(3) not be excessively brief, so that the preacher would make his argument less clearly and plainly, and
even produce in his hearers a suspicion of affected brevity.
For example, an argument chosen regarding a heavenly manner of life could be built upon the text of
Colossians 3:1: ―And so if you have been resurrected with Christ, seek the things above where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God.‖
Application
A sermon that is merely expository without application is only a lecture. What makes a sermon doubly effective
is when it hits the target, when it moves your heart. This is by Application. No application, no sermon. To study
what is an effective sermon, listen to two quarrelling women in the kitchen. Each jabs the other with ―you‖,
―you‖, ―you‖! This is application! Illustration in a sermon is like letting light into the room.
In order to apply you need anticipation. Anticipation in our homiletic parlance refers to knowing ahead the
needs of the audience. This knowledge is gathered, in the case of John Sung, through reading countless letters of
converts who tell him their troubles.
A pastor who knows his flock will know their troubles. So when he preaches he will hit the nail on its head. If
you are aloof from your congregation and your sermons are good theological treaties, you are merely displaying
fireworks. No anticipation, no target hit, as in no application.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon: ―Where the application begins, there the sermon begins.‖
Should appear in various parts of sermon, not just conclusion
1. Focusing the claims of truth
Specific areas of life to be affected
Practical ―remarks‖ as you go along
Avoid ―hitting at‖ individuals
Lessons: truths that ―we‖ can learn
2. Suggesting ways and means
Use good judgment, experience, tact Case of public, political issues; emphasize human
responsibility
3. Persuasion to response
After showing duty, persuade to do it
1) Not just urging, but supplying motives: happiness, goodness or holiness, personal worth,
security, love, admiration
2) Exciting appropriate emotions (from appropriate emotions in speaker—not for its own sake)
Strong use of imagination; terms of sensation, well-chosen details Use of comparisons from
human life
3. Principle Illustrated
(Biblical Example, Personal Illustration, Dramatic Illustration, Statistics, etc)
Illustrations
It has Auxiliary function to support any part of the sermon. ―Throw light‖ on the subject; ―windows of
the sermon‖
1. Various uses of illustration
Why are illustrations important in a good sermon?
The main purpose of preaching is not to entertain, but there is no spiritual value in presenting timeless truth
in an unpalatable or boring way.
“Preaching is like drilling for oil. If you don’t strike oil in the first 20 minutes, quit boring.” –Unknown
“I never see my preacher’s eyes
Though they with light may shine—For when he prays he closes his, and when he preaches mine!”--
Unknown
“Preacher’s don’t talk in their sleep; they talk in other people’s sleep!” –Unknown
One of the main causes for boring preaching is trying to cover too much material in a single message.
Sometimes we feel that we must give the people everything that we have learned on a particular theme. The
truth of the matter is the preacher will never be in a position to exhaust any subje ct. The preacher must pick
and choose material that will life and inspire without becoming tedious.
A. Illustrations help give clarity to the truth.
“Pictorial preaching is the most effective, because it is easier to get at the average mind by a picture th an
an idea.” --Peter Marshall
B. Illustrations help give force to the truth.
C. Illustrations help give splendor to the truth.
“He is the best speaker who can turn the ear into an eye” –Arab Proverb
D. Illustrations aid in the retention of the truth.
“If what is delivered from the pulpit be grave, solid, rational discourse, all the congregation grow weary,
and fall asleep . . .whereas if the preacher be zealous, in his thumps of the cushion, antic gestures, and
spend his glass in telling of pleasant stories, his beloved shall then stand up, tuck their hair behind their
ears, and be very devoutly attentive.” -- Desiderius Erasmus, 1511
Various uses of illustration
a) To explain
b) To prove, Argument from analogy
c) To ornament: Make truth attractive and pleasing
d) To gain attention
e) To excite emotion
f) To persuade or move to action, Describe person performing desired action
g) To provide for various hearers
h) To help people remember Compare Jesus‘ parables
2. The kinds of illustration
What are some kinds of illustrations that can be used?
Note: The following is taken from Speech Fundamentals by Mardell Clemens.
A. Definition establishes boundary lines; it places a term in a general class and shows how it differs from
other members of the class.
1. Unfamiliar words and words likely to be misunderstood because of frequent, ―loose‖ use need to be
defined.
2. Comparison-contrast is a form of definition.
a. Comparison shows likeness.
b. Contrast shows differences.
3. Examples should be given to pinpoint the meaning whenever possible.
B. Description tells us how a thing looks, feels, smells, or acts; in words it recreates places, things, and
people for the listener‘s inspection.
1. Determine the purpose of the description.
2. Keep it brief.
3. Follow a systematic order.
C. Facts are truths known by actual experience or observation.
1. Be sure to verify all statements of fact.
2. Beware of factual omissions which make the facts which are used misleading.
3. Get pertinent facts.
D. Figures and statistics are types of factual support.
1. Check the source and determine the reliability.
2. Tell the listeners where you got them.
3. Make sure they measure what they are supposed to measure.
E. Stories are narratives from personal experience, literature or history.
1. Stories may be factual or hypothetical.
2. Stories must not oversimplify.
3. Stories must bear sharply on the point.
F. Specific instances are narratives which are simply referred to.
1. They name the person, place, date, or event, but give no details.
2. They can be used singly or in battery form.
G. Testimony is limited to statements setting forth an individual‘s innermost convictions on a subject of
deep importance to himself and to his listeners.

H. Quotations give weight to your views in lucid language.

1. be sure the quote is not too long.
2. be sure it is not laboriously dragged in.
3. be sure to say whom you are quoting and that you are quoting.
4. be sure to practice them thoroughly so they can be read accurately and with appropriate feeling.
I. Proverbs, maxims, and slogans are special types of quotations which can be sparingly used.
1. A proverb is a short, pithy saying that expresses a widely accepted truth bases on common sense and a
practical experience.
2. A maxim is a general statement of principle, advice and counsel on human conduct and affairs expressed
in tight, epigrammatic form.
3. A slogan is a short, catchy statement used as a rallying point by a person, group, or party.
J. Restatement and repetition are ways of reviewing the idea and keeping it before the audience.
1. Restatement repeats the idea in different words.
2. Repetition repeats the idea in the same words.
K. Humor can be injected consisting of funny or witty stories based on truth or fiction.
L. Dramatic dialogue is an imaginary conversation, mixed with some narration and action, of biblical or
hypothetical people and situations.
(Note: The following guidelines taken from unpublished notes by Tom Sparks).
Start with a biblical story from which you want to teach. Before you teach it, make it come alive by
retelling the narrative in an imaginary dialogue. Recount the story in your own words in an interesting and
even humorous way.
1. The conversation must be pointed and short for each character.
2. The dramatic dialogue must be either natural or highly unnatural. Unnatural means making someone look
foolish so as to make a point in extreme.
3. The dramatic element of well-planned action is important. Don‘t be afraid to act a little. Plan a head of
time so that you don‘t stumble.
4. The dramatic element of anachronism can be helpful. An anachronism is something that is out of its
proper frame like having a telephone in biblical times.
5. Humor will give spice to the dialogue.
6. Distinguish between the two or more characters speaking in the dialogue.
a. By bodily position.
b. By repeated use of the name.
c. By the use of accent.
d. By the pace of your speech.
M. Visual or Auditory Aids include things such as maps, charts, graphs, pictures, models, recordings or any
material object (Note: Be sure that all of the equipment has been properly set up and tested prior to the
context of the sermon).
3. Sources of illustration
Where can one find good illustrations?
A. There are many sources that can be classified as impersonal.
a. Scripture; Importance of regular Bible reading for preacher
b. Word pictures from the original languages
c. Pure invention
d. Nature
e. Science
f. History: Esp. biography; also current events; anecdotes
g. Literature and art: Esp. Christian classics, and hymns
h. Human nature
i. Books of illustrations
j. Experiences of others
B. There are sources that can be classified as personal.
a) Your own experiences
b) Your own observation:Nature, human life and relations, common pursuits, children,
religious experiences
c) Your own ideas
4. Building the illustration into the sermon
a) Do not be in a hurry to use an illustration; wait for the appropriate sermon
b) Be sure it really illustrates; it shouldn‘t require its own explanation
c) It should not draw attention to itself
d) Do not over-illustrate
e) Be sure of accuracy of each illustration
f) Seek for variety of illustrations; don‘t repeat
5. Parts of the illustration
a) Climax (punch line)
b) Beginning or introduction: Avoid jerkiness in introducing illustration
Introduce briefly Don‘t say, ―to illustrate . . .‖
c) Action or movement: Story should move quickly
d) Conclusion: After the climax; leads back into sermon
e) The illustration in delivery
Be familiar with illustration; practice it
Wait for climax before revealing emotion
i. What are some important guidelines for the use of illustrations?
A. Make sure the illustration is needed.
B. Make sure the illustration is credible.
C. Make sure the illustration illustrates.
D. Make sure to be selective in your illustrations.
E. Make sure to use variety in illustrations.
F. Make sure the illustration is obvious.
4. Review Thematic Statement

5. Transitional Statement

3. Poems—Hymns
 An appropriate poem or hymn that exactly fits the point

4. Practical aspects
Do not let people figure it out, explain it to them. For instance, explain what a ―prayer closet‖ is.
III. The Conclusion
Importance of a good conclusion, brings congregation to point of decision and action; temptation to overlook in
preparation
1. Guiding principles
A. Careful preparation
B. Natural and appropriate termination
Not additional material
C. Unmistakably personal in aim
Importance of ―you‖ in conclusion
Difference between sermon and lecture
D. Alive and energetic
Clear, definite, precise in expression
2. Methods of conclusion
 Recapitulation
 Application
 Direct appeal (invitations?)
 Not artificially emotional
 Pastoral exhortation, encouragement, warning
 Specific
 Final words of conclusion
 Comprehensive and impressive statement
 Conclude with text itself
 Poem, hymn, story
 Not all the time
 Transition right into benediction
3. Relevant questions
1) How long?
 Moderate, usually too brief
 Sometimes drawn out
2) Announce the conclusion?
 Usually better
 ―In conclusion‖—better ways to say it
3) Conclusion always positive?
 In most cases
  Negative elements handled earlier in sermon
4) When prepared?
 General character of conclusion near beginning of preparation
 Composed in detail at end of preparation
The Conclusion
Remember: Tell them what you are going to say (the introduction), then say it (the body) and then tell
them what you said (the conclusion).
Take this opportunity to one more time explain the message. It would be wise to at least read your
points out loud again.
Also, if you feel that something was not clear in the message, try to clear it up briefly. Do not bore
people by preaching your whole sermon again, just highlight your main points. This will refresh their
memory of something you may have said thirty minutes ago.
D. The Invitation
The invitation is not the time to put our Bibles away, straighten up the Hymn books, clean up the
pews, and get our coats and hats. It is the time to respond to God.
The preacher should make that clear. It is the time to apply the truth to our lives.
The goal is not to get people to the altar, but to have people take the message into their lives and be
doers of God’s word and not hearers only.Jesus said, “My house shall be called the house of
prayer...” (Matthew 21:13). We should try to get God’s people to pray about the application of the
message.
An altar call is an appropriate way to do this. Invite them to come and pray. The congregation could
sing an appropriate hymn.
An appeal for the lost to be saved should also be given. They may come forward or may not. If they
are come forward, pair them off with a soulwinner. If they do not come forward them just pray for them
and with them for salvation. You could perhaps repeat a sinner’s prayer of repentance slowly for them
to say from their heart toGod. Remember, “Woe is unto me, if I preach not thegospel!” (I Corinthians
9:16).
It usually is not appropriate to have an altar call at a funeral service, nursing home service or Sunday
school. However, people can pray to receive Christ as their Savior in their seats. Make salvation
easy—for it is easy.Why would God make it hard for someone to get saved?

Example
Proclaim His Word
 2 Timothy 4:1–5
[Note: Words in brackets below are not said out loud but are shown here to indicate how various sermon components are used as a traditional sermon
progresses.]
[Announce text] Please look with me in Scripture at 2 Timothy 4:1–5.
[Scripture introduction ] Paul‘s second le!er to Timothy was wri!en near the end of the apostle‘s life. Realizing that he
must pass the baton of his ministry, Paul gives this charge to Timothy, a young minister who is facing many of
the same questions and fears we will face as ministers today.
[Reannounce and read text] Read with me these words of equipping from 2 Timothy 4:1–5.[the preacher reads the Scripture passage out loud.]
[Prayer for illumination ] Pray with me as we ask God to guide us in the study of his Word. [!e minister o"ers a brief
prayer asking the Holy Spirit to bless the understanding of the preacher and hearers as God‘s Word is
proclaimed.]
[Introduction ] As she listened to her neighbor‘s brazen confession, my mother‘s worst fears about her friend and
neighbor were sadly confirmed. My mother had witnessed a growing relationship with another man that
seemed dangerous and inappropriate for this married friend that I will only identify as ―Betty.‖ So, to protect her
friend and to try, if possible, to correct her, my mother decided she had to say something. Tentative questions
of concern were met with surprising candor from Betty. ―It‘s all right,‖ she said. ―You don‘t need to be worried.
God has graciously led me to this new relationship. I‘ll be so much happier with a new husband.‖
My mother left the conversation shaken by Betty‘s callous disregard for her marriage. She was sad
about Be"y‘s choices but also afraid for her. My mother knew that if Be"y continued on her present course, God
would not ignore her abandonment of her marriage vows and her abuse of his grace. Ultimately he would
judge the sin. Betty needed to hear the correction of God‘s Word, as well as the grace he offers to those who
repent. The hard question with which my mother wrestled was this: ―How can I warn my friend that God judges
sin and yet provide her with hope in the help he offers?‖ As that wrestling continued internally, my mother
confessed later that she struggled to say anything externally.
How would you respond in such a situation? My mother‘s account reminds us that an opportunity to
proclaim the truths of God‘s Word can arise at any time. For his purposes, God continually places us in
situations in which we can help others by carefully and faithfully applying the Word of God. But most of us
struggle to speak up with clarity and conviction when God calls us to this purpose despite our knowledge that
God will judge [FCF]. Questions about what to say and how to say it silence us. But we can overcome our
hesitations by learning from Paul‘s charge to proclaim God‘s Word in 2 Timothy chapter 4 [Scripture bond].
Instead of making God‘s judgment a cause for question, Paul makes it a source for motivation, indicating that .
. . [the preacher now states the following proposition]
[Proposition ] Because God will judge sin, we must proclaim his Word for the purposes he intends.
Paul first gives a solemn context for the purposes of proclaiming God‘s Word. He writes to Timothy in
verse 1, ―I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at
His appearing and His kingdom.‖ Everything we do is ―before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge.‖ In
light of the divine oversight of the One who will hold everyone accountable, Paul urges the proclamation of
God‘s Word for these purposes: to rescue the needy, to defend the truth, and to fulfill our duty. First Paul tells
us that . . .
[Main point 1] Because God will judge sin,12 we must proclaim his Word to rescue the needy.
People‘s needs vary, so Paul‘s instruction for the proclamation of God‘s Word varies accordingly as the
apostle addresses the needs of those who do not believe God‘s Word, those who do not obey God‘s Word, and
those who have lost confidence in God‘s Word.
[Subpoint 1] How should we approach those who do not believe God‘s Word? We should convince them.
Paul says to Timothy in verse 2, ―Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke,
exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.‖ The first task listed that those proclaiming God‘s Word should ―be
ready‖ to do is ―convince.‖
Paul has just reminded Timothy in verse 16 of chapter 3 that ―all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.‖ Scripture has this divine and
authoritative character because it is God‘s means to rescue sinful people from the judgment to come. The God
who will judge sin also mercifully provides the gospel whose truths redeem those who believe it. !erefore, Paul
gives the highest priority to using Scripture— the Word inspired by God—to convince others of its truths.
Such convincing may require us to explain the meaning or defend the credibility of God‘s Word. These matters
almost always require great patience and careful teaching, so Paul further reminds Timothy that he must be
prepared to convince others, ―with all longsuffering and teaching.‖ In other words, convincing others requires
our reflecting to them the same patience and care God exhibited in redeeming us. !ose who do not believe
God‘s Word must be convinced by those of us to whom he has revealed his truth and in whom his truth now
lives. But not only the unconvinced need the proclamation of the gospel.
[Subpoint 2] How should we approach those who do not obey God‘s Word? We should rebuke them.

There are those who know but do not obey. !ose who believe the right things can still fall into error. In verse 2
Paul also tells us how to respond to these people. There he instructs, ―rebuke‖ with ―longsuffering and
teaching.‖ Rebuking involves identifying wrongdoing as being wrong. There are times when we must confront
others and tell them directly to stop disobeying or distorting or even denying God‘s Word. As Jesus says in
Luke 17:3, ―If your brother sins against you, rebuke
him; and if he repents, forgive him.‖
Not every wrong needs rebuke all the time—―love will cover a multitude of
sins‖ (1 Pet. 4:8)—but rebuke must be in the arsenal of faithful proclaimers of
God‘s Word. When people ignore the clear teaching of the Word, we must be
!e answ er comes immediately a$er the interrogative and then is proven and developed in the explanation
of the text that follow s. "e answ er also holds the key w ord(s) of the subpoint that w ill be the focus
of this main point‘s illustration and application.
Structure
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Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Sermons
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2013. Used by permission.
9
willing to warn them of the consequences of continuing down the wrong path.
If God did not love his children, he would not warn them of the dangers of their
sin. Yet because he does love, God does warn, and he uses faithful proclaimers of
his Word to warn others through rebuke that is intended to rescue them from the
horrible consequences of unrepented sin.
[Transition] Some are unconvinced, some do not obey—Paul has addressed
how to deal with each of these—but some also wander because they have lost
con#dence in the truths of God‘s Word.
[Subpoint 3] How should we approach those who have lost con#dence in
God‘s Word? We should exhort them.
Paul continues in verse 2 by commanding Timothy to ―exhort, with all longsu
#ering and teaching.‖ People need to understand the importance, as well as the
content, of what God‘s Word requires. To ―exhort‖ them means to urge them with
the counsel of God‘s Word to act upon the hope and strength that Christ o#ers.
Our exhortation should direct God‘s people to the assurances and ―teaching‖
they need in order to do what he requires, even if it seems di!cult. Paul tells us in
2 Corinthians 12:9 that God himself exhorted the apostle in a time of trial by saying,
―My grace is su!cient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.‖
Because Jesus will judge humankind, we must proclaim God‘s Word to those
who need to be convinced, to those who need to be rebuked, and to those who
need to be exhorted.16
[Illustration] "e Cuban Rese#lement Camp in Key Largo, Florida, was abuzz
one morning. "ere were almost eight hundred Cuban refugees in the camp, and
they all seemed to be anticipating someone‘s imminent arrival. As the next busload
of refugees from the Key West site arrived, seven older gentlemen in wheelchairs at
last departed from the buses. "e crowd, which normally was loud and exuberant
at the arrivals‘ newfound freedom, was silent and reverent, while at the same time
extremely a#entive to the needs of these seven. "ese were the seven prisoners
of conscience who never denied their faith in Jesus Christ. "e $rst three were
arrested for street preaching in the main park of Havana in the early 1960s, and
16. "e summary of the explanation prior to the illustration uses the key terms of all the preceding
subpoints, since the illustration illustrates them all. If the illustration w ere only for one of the subpoints,
then the summary w ould include the key terms of only that particular subpoint. "e use of illustrations
is discussed in chap. 7 of CCP (esp. 194 and 197).
Example Sermon One
(Unpublished manuscript!copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Sermons
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2013. Used by permission.
10
the others were arrested for openly carrying their Bibles across that same park as
a signal to others of an underground church meeting.
For their faith these seven endured decades of imprisonment and brutal torture,
which had le% them crippled and dis$gured. Despite multiple broken bones, they
refused to renounce their Savior and to swear allegiance to the atheistic communist
regime. In the following weeks, the camp o!cials noticed that these seven would
hold religious services every morning, a%ernoon, and evening in which many would
be convinced17 of their sins upon hearing the gospel message for the #rst time. !e
seven also openly rebuked the sins of individuals with #rmness, con#dence, and
love as they gave instruction on the keys of the Christian life through the study of
the Word. But the most impressive acts of these seven involved the exhortation
they provided in others‘ times of weakness and despair. !e seven had learned
such faithful ministry in their Cuban prison. !ere, through both silent su"ering
and open rejoicing in God‘s grace, these men of faith had exhorted many who
had lost hope. !ey also exhorted each other with reminders of God‘s promises
when anyone felt weak, as well as rejoiced when anyone felt the strength of God
coursing through them.
!ese seven, who had every right to be bi"er, were rejoicing that they had been
counted among the body of Christ in a Christless land and that they were now
free again to proclaim the Word of God to a searching people through words and
actions that convinced, rebuked, and exhorted. !e devotion of these men to one
another and their commitment to helping others understand God‘s Word display
well the faithfulness that God desires of us to rescue the needy.
[Application] We who would proclaim God‘s Word to needy persons must also
become able handlers of the tools of convincing, rebuking, and exhorting.18
If we really want to convince others to honor God‘s Word, then we must faithfully
encourage one another to remember that we live in the presence and sight of
God and that, as his children, we are to live by the standards of his Word. Such proclamation
does not only have to be the responsibility of professional ministers—in
17. Key terms of the subpoint statements ―rain‖ dow n into the illustration. !is term consistency makes
it obvious that the illustration focuses on the concepts of the subpoints. For the nature and importance
of ―expositional rain,‖ see CCP, 197 and 224–25.
18. Key terms of the subpoint statements also ―rain‖ dow n into the application (application is discussed
in chap. 8 of CCP). !is term consistency makes it obvious that the preacher is applying w hat the message
proved the text w as about (and not extraneous ideas), thus giving the application relevance to the text
and authority from the text.
Structure
(Unpublished manuscript!copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Sermons
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2013. Used by permission.
11
fact, it should not only be the responsibility of pastors. !ose of you who still are
in secular college se"ings may already have a great opportunity to be involved in a
ministry of proclaiming God‘s Word. Not only are the opposition and temptations
you face daily on a college campus much easier to overcome when you become
involved in Christian fellowship, but by being so involved you also help convince
others that faithfulness is possible in such a challenging environment.
Such convincing may not result simply from the life you live. You do not have
to be on a secular campus long to know that Christianity is o!en openly opposed
by professors and students. When the truth of God is challenged in your classes,
God may call you to convince those challengers of their error. If you #nd yourself
puzzled and doubting, seek out fellow believers who can convincingly help you
answer the false ideas with which you are being bombarded. Sometimes you may
feel isolated and strange because of your beliefs. It is times like these when you
may need to #nd those who can also exhort or even rebuke you. I don‘t say this
to be harsh, but rather to acknowledge that all of us can be tempted to despair
or apathy in the face of opposition to God‘s Word. We need God‘s Word, and we
need each other to be faithful proclaimers of its truth.
But college students aren‘t the only ones who are called to faithful proclamation
of God‘s Word.19 All of us, whether we are at home, at church, or at work, are
called to the same concern—because we are called to care for others who need
God‘s Word. When a friend in your small group falls into sin that he or she will not
acknowledge, you must be willing lovingly to rebuke. Husbands and wives, when
your spouse is discouraged and weighed down with children‘s tasks or distasteful
work or a crazy schedule, you must be there lovingly to exhort and encourage
with God‘s Word. When the coworker with whom you have been sharing the
gospel expresses doubts about the Christian faith, you must be ready, with the
Holy Spirit‘s help, to convince them of the reasons for the hope that you have. We
have many opportunities to proclaim God‘s Word to needy people, and knowing
that we live before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge them and us,
will motivate us strongly to proclaim God‘s Word in accord with God‘s purposes.
[Transition] Just as there are situations in which we must be prepared to convince,
rebuke, and exhort for the sake of those who need the truth, the apostle
19. !e college student example provided a concrete application for the truths previously explained.
Now the preacher ―unrolls‖ other application examples more brie!y to indicate that the truths of this main
point also apply to other people and situations. For a discussion of unrolling application, see CCP, 224–27.
Example Sermon One
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12
Paul also challenges us to be prepared to defend God‘s Word for those who have
embraced falsehood.20
[Main point 2] Because God will judge sin, we must proclaim his Word to defend
the truth.21
[Analytical question] When must we defend the truth?22
[Subpoint 1] When others abandon sound doctrine.
At the beginning of verse 3, Paul warns Timothy about a reaction some people
will have to the proclamation of God‘s Word: ―For the time will come when men
will not put up with sound doctrine.‖ Paul addressed the core problem of turning
away from truth in Romans chapter 1 while writing about the nature of the
ungodly. Paul says, ―!ey exchanged the truth about God for a lie‖ (v. 25 NIV).
!e prophet Isaiah wrote similarly concerning those who abandon the truth in
chapter 30, verse 10, saying, ―#ey say to the seers, ‗See no more visions!‘ and to
the prophets, ‗Give us no more visions of what is right!‘ Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions‖ (NIV). #is consistent theme across the Scriptures should
alert us that in all ages there is great temptation to turn from truth to lies that
temporarily seem more satisfying. Our day is no di"erent, and because God wants
to prepare us to proclaim his Word, he has warned us in advance that many people
will not respond faithfully. We, therefore, must be prepared for people to abandon
sound doctrine.
Being prepared for people to abandon what is sound requires us to anticipate
others teaching what is false. !erefore, we must also defend the truth . . . 23 [With
this transition that echoes the analytical question before subpoint 1, continue to
the statement of the next subpoint.]
[Subpoint 2] When others honor false teachers.
20. !ese few lines of transition review w hat has been said previously and preview w hat comes next.
For a further explanation of transitions, see CCP, 262–65.
21. In this formally w orded outline, the second main point maintains the w ording of the proposition‘s
anchor clause and indicates new focus by the changes in key terms in the magnet clause.
22. !e follow ing subpoints are set up by a single analytical question that each w ill answ er in turn.
23. !e essential w ording of the opening analytical question reappears as transition, se"ing up each
subsequent subpoint and conceptually tying the w hole main point together.
Structure
(Unpublished manuscript!copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Sermons
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2013. Used by permission.
13
Paul continues in verse 3 by saying, ―Instead, to suit their own desires, they
will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears
want to hear‖ (2 Tim. 4:3 NIV). In Ma#hew 24:5, Jesus also indicates this can
happen by saying, ―For many will come in my name, claiming, ‗I am the Messiah,‘
and will deceive many‖ (NIV). We all love teachers who tell us what we want to
hear and who make us feel good about ourselves by not requiring us to question
beliefs or practices with which we have grown comfortable. Many people %ock
to one type of teacher or another because that person makes them feel happy or
satis#ed with themselves. Because people are apt to listen to such things, there is
never a lack of false teachers.
Not only must we defend the truth when others abandon sound doctrine and
when others honor false teachers, but also . . .
[Subpoint 3] When others will not even listen.
Paul tells Timothy in verse 4, ―!ey will turn their ears away from the truth‖
(NIV). In the midst of this passage where Timothy is being encouraged to preach
the Word in every situation, Paul writes to him honestly of those who will not
listen at all. Yet, though they may not even listen, Paul still commands Timothy
to preach the Word.
Luke describes such a situation in Acts chapter 17 where a mob forms against
Paul in !essalonica and then follows him to Berea. !ose in Berea were willing
to search the Scriptures to see if what Paul was saying about the Christ was true.
But the mob from "essalonica and those in Berea who were in!uenced by them
were unwilling to listen, regardless of what Scripture said and regardless of Paul‘s
proclamation. "e circumstances were challenging but not so hard as to dissuade
Paul from going on to proclaim God‘s Word at his next stop, Athens—where,
again, some would listen and some would not.
Such accounts remind us that though others may abandon what is sound,
honor what is false, and ―turn their ears away from the truth‖ so as not even to
listen, we still have an obligation to ―preach the Word.‖ 24
[Illustration] As he stood before the church court on the a#ernoon of April 18,
1521, Martin Luther was asked one question: ―Will you recant of your writings
24. Note again the summary of key terms of all the subpoints, preparing for the illustration that uses
them all.
Example Sermon One
(Unpublished manuscript!copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
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14
and the errors which they contain?‖ A$er spending the night in prayer, searching
for the right thing to say, he answered, ―Unless I am convicted by Scripture and
plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have
contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot
and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.
Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.‖ Martin Luther believed
the Word of God required him to stand for the truth even in such a di&cult situation.
He knew that though others might abandon sound doctrine,25 he must
stand %rm. While his human judges had the power to excommunicate, exile, or
even execute him, he knew the Judge in heaven would declare the most important
verdict. !us, Luther said, ―My conscience is captive to the Word of God.‖ Luther
believed that the church had succumbed to honoring false teachers, and knowing
that they very probably would not even listen, he still answered his accusers
by saying, ―Here I stand.‖ He viewed himself as ultimately responsible only to a
divine Judge, and it motivated him to remain faithful to proclaim God‘s Word in
the most challenging of situations. You and I have a very similar calling in this day
and age when truth is ―relative‖ to most people and ―tolerance‖ for so many kinds
of evils is encouraged. Defending the truth in our day can be dangerous to our
friendships, reputations, and careers, but we too should stand in our day, knowing
that one day we will stand before the One who judges the living and the dead.
[Application] Paul wrote this le"er to a young pastor in Ephesus, a major city of
Greco-Roman culture that was #lled with many false religions and philosophies.
But the words still apply as directly to us as they did to Timothy. Every day we
are faced with spiritual challenges, and we must regularly decide whether we will
defend the truth. Certainly Paul‘s warnings apply to the challenges we face from
false religions around us and doctrinal ba"les in the church. But the challenges to
spiritual truth are not limited to the ―religious‖ realms of our world.
In the business world there can be pressure from every side to abandon doctrinally
sound ethics because they are supposedly the ―old-fashioned‖ way of doing
things. Numerous well-publicized examples of scandals among corporations with
formerly solid reputations make it clear that ―whatever it takes to succeed‖ was recently
the ethic guiding entire companies—even entire industries. Whether dealing
with the need to show a pro#t, the hiring and #ring of employees, or simply gaining
25. Key terms of the subpoints ―rain‖ into the illustration for term and concept consistency.
Structure
(Unpublished manuscript!copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Sermons
Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2013. Used by permission.
15
the approval of peers, believers in the workplace o%en $nd themselves in situations
in which unethical behavior is not only overlooked but expected. Christians may
$nd themselves working for supervisors who will not even listen to alternatives.
In these situations we must not succumb to the herd mentality that honors false
teachers with their vain assurances of easy success because ―Everyone is doing it‖
or ―It‘s necessary.‖ !e ba"le for faithfulness to God‘s Word is not as o#en fought
in grand church councils as it is in daily work decisions.
In a culture of pervasive ethical compromise, rising above the current tide of
abandoned truth has become di$cult in every avenue of life. From the corporate
executive who is o%ered a handsome bonus if she will look the other way on a
shady deal, to the student who is encouraged by his peers to cheat on the big exam.
From the church o$cial asked to fudge on enrollment numbers, to the &#h grader
urged by friends to download bootlegged music. How many heads would turn and
mouths hang wide open if in those situations Christians were to say, ―I can‘t do this
because to do so would violate the Word of God‖? I will not tell you that such a
proclamation of God‘s Word will meet with everyone‘s approval. I cannot promise
you that others will even listen. But I can promise you that God will be honored
by those who stand for him, and there will be souls safe in eternity because they
have witnessed sacri&cial faithfulness that is a beacon of truth. Knowing this, may
you and I be motivated to say with Martin Luther, ―‗My conscience is captive to
the Word of God,‘ and I will stand for the truth even when others do not listen.‖
[Transition] !e Lord has de&nitely given us a challenge in the words of Paul
by calling us to defend the truth. But the apostle doesn‘t stop there. He goes on to
tell us how to do this task. Paul reinforces his commands by reminding us that . . . 26
[Main point 3] Because God will judge sin, we must proclaim his Word to ful&ll
our duty.27
And how does the apostle Paul say that we are to ful&ll our duty? By being
watchful, by enduring a!iction, and by doing the work of an evangelist.28
26. !is transition betw een main points does not use the classic ―not only . . . but also . . .‖ language, but
the conceptual progression is the same—i.e., review ing past concepts and se"ing up those that w ill follow .
27. In this formally w orded outline, the third main point maintains the w ording of the proposition‘s
anchor clause and indicates new focus by the changes in key terms in the magnet clause.
28. Here an analytical question sets up a billboard of the follow ing subpoints that w ill be presented
as bullet statements in the development of the third main point.
Example Sermon One
(Unpublished manuscript"copyright protected Baker Publishing Group)
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16
[Subpoint 1] We must be watchful.
In verse 5 Paul commands Timothy to be watchful. !e apostle writes, ―But you,
keep your head in all situations‖ (NIV). !e literal meaning is to ―be sober‖ or to
―be clearheaded.‖ Paul commands us not to lose our focus or composure but rather
always to be watchful for both opposition and opportunities that would a&ect our
ful!llment of Christ‘s purposes. In his le"er to the Colossians, Paul similarly writes,
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too,
that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery
of Christ. . . . Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every
opportunity. Let your conversations be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so
that you may know how to answer everyone. (Col. 4:2–6 NIV)
So be clear in your thinking, not distracted or overly distressed by your circumstances,
so that you may be watchful for the gospel opportunities God is providing.
God gives his people many di&erent kinds of opportunities to make his truth
known. People may ask you questions such as, ―How can you be so joyful? How
can you have such hope in the midst of such di$culty? Why don‘t you take the
shortcuts that others do? Why do your children obey you? Why do you so honor
your spouse?‖ If you walk with Jesus, there are many ways that you will stand out
in this fallen world. So if you are watchful, God will use the questions others have
about you to tell them about him.
[Illustration] About three years ago, God allowed me the opportunity to get to
know someone who was indeed always watchful—a man who wonderfully ful!lled
his duty of proclaiming God‘s Word to the lost.29 His name was Chuck. He was an
older gentleman in my church who began Bible studies in his home. He would teach
anyone who would listen. He taught me many things about God‘s Word in those
studies, but probably the greatest thing he taught me was the importance of watching
for opportunities to share Jesus Christ with others. He was always watching for
someone who did not know about God‘s grace so that he could tell them about it.
About a year ago Chuck was diagnosed with cancer. It spread quickly, and within
a few short months he found himself lying in a hospital, waiting to die. But even
29. In this third main point, the illustration is moved higher to separate it from the conclusion‘s illustration
(as discussed in CCP, 258). Note also that the illustration is only about the !rst subpoint, so
the only key terms that ―rain‖ into the illustration are from that subpoint alone.
Structure
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17
in that di$cult situation, even in the midst of his pain and this terrible physical
challenge, he was sober-minded about the opportunities God was providing.
He remained watchful for gospel opportunities. He discovered that some of the
nurses who continually came to check on him were not believers. So he patiently
and lovingly shared God‘s Word with them. Chuck died just a few weeks later.
But two of the nurses who had cared for Chuck and had heard him talk so openly
about his faith came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Just as Chuck was always
watchful to see how he might meet challenges to the gospel and how he might
make the most of opportunities for the gospel, so we too must also be watchful.
But God may require more than watchfulness of us, even as he required more of
my friend, Chuck.
Not only must we be watchful, but also like Chuck . . .
[Subpoint 2] We must be willing to endure hardship.
Continuing in verse 5, Paul writes, ―Endure a!ictions.‖ "is must be one of
Paul‘s most personally challenging commands. Remember the se#ing of this letter:
the apostle is in prison, bound in chains, and waiting to be executed. Paul
knew all about a!ictions. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul writes, ―Five times I received
from the Jews forty lashes minus one. "ree times I was beaten with rods, once I
was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked. . . . I have been in danger
from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from
Gentiles. . . . I have known hunger and thirst and have o$en gone without food‖
(2 Cor. 11:24–27 NIV). All for the sake of the gospel!
Now, you may think, ―I really don‘t plan on being stoned or shipwrecked.‖ Yet
in 2 Timothy 3:12 Paul writes, ―In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life
in Christ Jesus will be persecuted‖ (NIV). It‘s a guarantee and a promise. You
will su%er hardships and a!ictions if you live for Christ. But recall verse 2 in our
passage. God has given us his Word—the very words he breathed out. "e same
breath of wisdom and love that breathed life into the original man also provided
and pervades God‘s Word, so that we might always have the wisdom and love
of God to encourage us. We are able to endure in ministering God‘s Word not
only because it represents his truth but also because it re&ects his character. God
ministers to us the reality of who he is as we minister his Word to others. "us,
by proclaiming God‘s Word, the power of his Spirit and the realities of his Son
Example Sermon One
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18
invade our circumstances, embrace our hearts, and strengthen our wills for the
work that must be done. "is shouldn‘t surprise us because the spiritual reality is
that when we proclaim the Word of God, the living Word—Christ himself—is
present ministering to us by his Spirit and truth.
When my friend Chuck was dying of cancer, he felt that he was best able to
proclaim God‘s Word to the nurses at the hospital. "is wasn‘t just because he
knew heaven was near for him. Rather, through Chuck‘s ministering the truths
of Christ, the Lord also became more powerful and present to him. Chuck‘s af-
&ictions had stripped away the temporary comforts of this world, so the truths
of the Word became even more dear to him. And as he proclaimed those truths
with greater love, they also became more real to him, making his witness to others
even more powerful. Perhaps this is why Paul waits until a$er telling us to endure
hardship to let us know the last duty of faithful proclaimers of God‘s Word: doing
the work of an evangelist.
[Subpoint 3] We must work as evangelists.
In the remainder of verse 5 Paul writes, ―Do the work of an evangelist, discharge
all the duties of your ministry‖ (NIV). You may not think of yourself as an evangelist.
But when you share with a lost friend the way Jesus encourages you and
comforts you in times of trouble, you are indeed engaged in evangelism. When
you talk to a coworker while playing racquetball at the gym about how God has
radically changed your life and your marriage, you are engaged in evangelism.
When you tell your child, ―Jesus loves you,‖ you are engaged in evangelism. Such
engagements are in God‘s plan and purpose. He calls us to make the most of every
opportunity. People‘s souls are at stake. Jesus will judge all people, but he extends
his mercy through us to others. God‘s Word has the amazing power to change
eternity for those who believe its truths. We must proclaim these truths so that
Christ‘s message may be heard and believed. "is is more than our duty; it is the
privilege of being colaborers with Jesus in the eternal salvation of those who are
in danger of hell apart from him.
[Application] "e application of these verses is probably obvious for those in
church ministry occupations. I hope that there are other implications that are
now becoming clear for every believer. For example, some of you are stay-at-home
moms, and your days o$en seem completely chaotic: chasing children around
Structure
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19
the house, running endless errands, and doing all sorts of other things that may
seem far removed from proclaiming God‘s Word. But consider the duties you are
ful#lling in the apostle Paul‘s terms. By all the hard work you do to serve your family,
friends, and neighbors, you endure hardship in service to Christ. By being
concerned for their spiritual welfare and taking opportunities to speak of Jesus to
friends and to your own children, you work as an evangelist. By monitoring the
hearts and actions of every person around you to see when a word of testimony,
encouragement, or correction should be given, you remain watchful for God‘s
opportunities. By ministering in these ways to your family, your children, and
your neighbors, you ful#ll your duty of proclaiming God‘s Word in every situation.
In so ministering, you also teach others to do the same. By showing children that
God‘s Word is real and exciting and that it comforts us in the midst of a!ictions,
you teach them to be watchful. By thinking of ways to model Christ‘s servant heart
and to show love to those around you—neighbors, the woman who works at the
deli counter, or the person who cuts your family‘s hair—your children learn the
work of evangelism, and they may also learn what it means to endure hardship
while you are there to help them through it.
Such opportunities to ful"ll God‘s purposes exist for us in the myriad situations
of life, if we will only remain watchful. Moms at home, students at college, those in
professional careers—all have the opportunities to work and to endure for Christ‘s
name. God does not isolate us from others, and we should always be considering
the evangelistic opportunities given to us. Who admires you and looks to you for
guidance? Who rubs elbows with you? Who enjoys your company? Who does
business with you? #ese people are your responsibility—your duty—because
God has put them in your life. Consider how you can share Christ with them. By
God‘s grace and by the power of his Holy Spirit that dwells in you, others will
know of him through you!
[Conclusion]30 #e just God who judges sin, through Paul, has laid before us a
high and holy charge that will require serious commitment from all of us. In his
grace, God has called us, motivated us, and enabled us to overcome our fears so
that we may proclaim his Word to ful"ll his purposes.31 God has called you to
ful"ll your duty to speak of him by pu$ing in your heart the concern to proclaim
30. For discussion of the nature and content of a conclusion, see CCP, chap. 9.
31. Note the terms of this sentence and others in the conclusion echo the terms of the proposition,
giving the entire sermon a sense of unity and clear purpose.
Example Sermon One
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20
the truth to rescue the needy and to defend the truth against those who would
deny it to the spiritually needy.32
!e enabling presence of Jesus has been clearly seen in the di"cult situation that
my mother faced with her friend Be#y.33 Although my mother is not a naturally
gi$ed evangelist, the Lord has used her to speak the truth faithfully and lovingly
to seek to convince Be#y to turn from her sin. Over many months, my mother has
patiently but %rmly exhorted Be#y from God‘s Word. My mother was even bold
enough to detail the consequences of Be#y‘s unfaithfulness in the hope that such
loving rebuke would turn Be#y from her sin. !ere were times when it was obvious
Be#y was determined to abandon the truth, and there were times when she
would not even listen, but my mother continued to ful%ll her duty and to defend
God‘s truth in order to rescue the person in need.
We don‘t yet know what the %nal chapter of Be#y‘s story will be. But for now
Be#y is still with her family, still in her marriage, and still talking to my mother.
!ough only the Lord knows the full story of Be#y‘s life, another story has already
unfolded in the life of my mother. By ful%lling her gospel duties with courage and
care, my mother possesses the joy and blessing of a clear conscience toward Be#y.
In addition, by doing the work of an evangelist, my mother has been strengthened
and encouraged to speak God‘s Word with more con%dence than ever before. !e
gospel has become more real and precious to my mother because the reality of
God‘s judgment has motivated her to share the message of God‘s grace with her
neighbor.
You and I can also know this reality more deeply as we faithfully proclaim God‘s
Word to those in our lives. As we rehearse what God has done for us by sending
his Son to rescue us from judgment, his grace becomes fresh motivation to obey
him and to speak of him. May this grace now motivate you to be his instrument
of salvation in every context in which he places you. Proclaim his Word to ful%ll
his purposes for your life.
32. Key terms of the magnet clauses of the main points reappear in the conclusion to act as a concise
summary of the entire message (see CCP, 254–55).
33. !is sermon concludes w ith a ―w raparound‖ illustration, %nishing the account that began the sermon
in order to provide a sense of intended direction, clear purpose, and de%nite closure (see CCP, 259).
Structure
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9
Prologue
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall
be damned. (Mark 16:15,16)
***
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power
is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of
the world. Amen. (Matt 28:18-20)
***
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both
in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto
the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
***
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent
me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to
the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable
year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18,19)
10 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
For Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach the gospel: not with
wisdom of words, lest the cross of
Christ should be made of none
effect. For the preaching of the
cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are
saved it is the power of God. (1
Cor 1:17-18)
***
And the things that thou hast heard
of me among many witnesses, the
same commit thou to faithful men,
who shall be able to teach others
also. (2 Tim 2:2)
***
Give instruction to a wise man,
and he will be yet wiser: teach a
just man, and he will increase in
learning. (Prov 9:9)
11
Chapter I
My Homiletic Swimming Pool 15
Chapter II
My Homiletic Swimming Pool
Chapter III

1561 - 1626
33
Chapter V
The best way of presenting your sermon is be yourself. You, like David, having been brought up on the sling.
Use your sling to slay Goliath!
David wearing Saul’s armour would be totally bogged down.
***
After the John Sung Revival in Singapore, 1935, several zealous converts of his suddenly appeared like John
Sung, dressed in a white Chinese gown. They almost would let their hair down, and they went about aping the
great evangelist. They tried also to preach like John Sung. They only made themselves monkeys, to say the least.
The lesson: Be Yourself.
Chapter VI
How Best to Present Your Sermon
I had an American pastor friend who told me that the style of his
presentation of the sermon was by writing it out and reading it, week
after week. He averagely spent 23 hours working on his written
sermon.
I have known a brother pastor who also writes out his sermon
and he reads it too. But he does it so adroitly that you would not
know he is reading it. He has his sermon neatly typed in double
space, on single page. He silently shuffles the sheets one by one as
he goes along without being noticed. But there is a clumsy notebound
preacher who turns up the pages, obtrusively, distracting the
attention of his hearers. Besides it detracts from the solemnity and
authority of preaching out of the very page of the Bible. Some
evangelists purposely hold up their Bible with one hand while they
preach pointing to the Bible text with the other hand. That‘s right!
On the other hand there are preachers who can preach straight
out of the Bible without any notes. They go by certain key words or
phrases which they mark out prominently with coloured pencil or red
ink, so as to serve like pegs to hang their thoughts. John Sung
preached right out of his heavily annotated Bible.
In my practice, I would use the clean back of a used envelope.
Let me reproduce what I have briefly penned on the envelope to
guide me while I preach.
Text : Ps. 90:10-12
Title : How many have lived to 70 years?
And how many a full- moon have they seen?
Introduction : Our Chinese Service celebrates 33 Anniversary next week. Apply.
Transit : Chinese proverb: on man living up to 70 years.
Moses says the same, but adds to 80 anticipating modern man.
How accurate is Scripture. Life expectancy today is 77, 78 years. Exceptions in leaders, Moses, Joshua, Caleb.
LKY.
Pray for his longevity.
Respect to aged parents. Apply.
Body of Sermon :
I In spite of long life Moses laments - How many a full- moon have they seen? Lantern festival.
1. Labour - livelihood - down turn 7% to 9% Retrenchment.
2. Sorrow - Welfare - sickness, accidents, deaths
3. Cut off and we fly away. Career - Business, Marriage, Education, My testimony.
Apply.
II Moses ends with words of prudence - so teach us (v. 12) Paradox of Noah in old age. Drunkenness.
Apply. Let not senior members backslide. Smoking, drinking, divorce, mahjong, horse racing.
Apply. Rather serve God coming to church
Prayer meetings, Missions, Financial support of the church.
Relief of the poor
Recapitulation : How many live up to 70 years ......
Conclusion : Work while it‘s day Jesus‘ soon coming and judgment.
***
The best way of presenting your sermon is be yourself. You, like
David, having been brought up on the sling. Use your sling to slay
Goliath! David wearing Saul‘s armour would be totally bogged
down.
After the John Sung Revival in Singapore, 1935, several zealous
converts of his suddenly appeared like John Sung, dressed in a white
Chinese gown. They almost would let their hair down, and they went
about aping the great evangelist. They tried also to preach like John
Sung. They only made themselves monkeys, to say the least. The
lesson: Be Yourself.
Now, while it is my weekly custom to preach from an envelope‘s
back of brief notes, it is also my exception to preach from a fully
written sermon at International Conferences. Especially when the
message is to be translated. In that case there is no fear of losing eye
contact. Your translator or interpreter gives you enough spare
seconds, so that reading your sermon is no different from preaching
verbatim. A good interpreter is no ―interrupter‖ but a great booster to
the preacher.
In Korea where I went about preaching in 1960, I had a most
wonderful interpreter who not only translated, but preached it with
double energy. In that campaign, we brought several hundred hands
in surrender to the Lord.
Preaching is a high mystery. You have to be like a boy scout
prepared for any situation. According to a Chinese proverb,
, sui chi ying pien, you must adapt yourself to changing
circumstances. Sometimes you have to abandon a prepared sermon
for an impromptu one to meet with an unexpected turn of events. For
How Best to Present Your Sermon
46 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
example, I had a fully prepared sermon of half-an-hour to preach at a
Church Anniversary Service. When the preliminaries took one hour
thirty-five minutes how could I speak another half hour? The whole
service would then take 2 hours 5 minutes. In the circumstances I cut
short my message to 15 minutes to the relief of the whole
congregation. For a sumptuous dinner with all the fragrance of sweet
spices was invading their nostrils, from the kitchen below. Time for
them to open their mouths and time for me to shut up.
I had another experience of being called upon to preach when I
had served barely a year at our mother church at Prinsep Street. The
invited preacher phoned up 20 minutes before time to say he could
not come. I had to do it whether I liked it or not. ―God is a very
present help in trouble‖ (Ps 46:1).
Can you preach like Spurgeon when suddenly called upon by his
pastor grandfather to preach as he entered the grandfather‘s church?
How many seconds had he to catch a theme? This is his own
testimony.
To be an instantaneous speaker, one must have the love to
preach. And that was Spurgeon. When he was still a boy after he
found salvation, he immediately felt the call to preach. His first
preaching experiences took him to some thirteen villages. His joy
was deep and abiding, as he walked out to these preaching points. He
usually sang. He said of himself:
How many times I enjoyed preaching the Gospel in a farmer‘s
kitchen, or in a cottage, or in a barn! Perhaps many people
came to hear me because I was only a boy. In my young days,
I fear that I said many odd things, and made many blunders,
but my audience was not hypercritical, and no newspaper
writers dogged my heels; so I had a happy training school, in
which, by continual practice, I attained such a degree of ready
speech as I now possess.
Arnold Dallimore writes in Spurgeon - A New Biography:
47
Some may wonder how he could be so fully engaged in his
work at the school all the day and yet be ready to preach each
evening. But the reading of theology now largely constituted
the study of each day. ―My quiet meditation during the walk
helped me to digest what I had read. . . . I thought my reading
over again while on my legs, and thus worked it into my very
soul, and I can bear testimony that I never learned so much, or
learned it so thoroughly, as when I used to tell out, simply and
earnestly, what I had first received into my own mind and
heart.‖
In public and in private he ever presented the gospel, and great
was his joy when he heard the news of the first convert. This
was a woman who came to tell him that under his preaching
she had been brought into a deep conviction of sin, but that she
had received the Savior and was now rejoicing. A great many
others followed, till Waterbeach was virtually transformed.
In order to be ever ready to speak, we must be in constant touch
with the Lord. That is the hidden power of homiletics. We should be
ready to preach at even the shortest notice, for are we not the
proclaimers of the Good News? A graduate student of mine who
returned with a degree from America said, ―You must give me two
weeks‘ notice, at least, before I can accept your invitation.‖ How
does it sound to you?
Four Classical Steps in Land Warfare
As in land warfare there are four classical steps to follow, so in preaching there are also four classical steps,
namely:
1. Statement
2. Restatement
3. Illustration
4. Testimony
Chapter VII
Recapitulation of Sermonic Principles
Thus far we have learned the basics of making a sermon. Let us recapitulate all we have learnt.
In the development of a sermon, the first thing to do is to state the theme. What is the title of your message? Can
you reduce all you want to say in one sentence? Without a theme you are all at sea, or more vividly stated,
driving a motor boat in deep waters without a rudder. With the theme found, half the work is done. The theme is
the most important. The theme is your restatement from the text.
Then you launch out with the Introduction. The Introduction is to lead your hearers to the theme of your sermon.
The point of leading to the body of your message is the Transition. The Transition is like the train shunting from
a sub-line into the mainline. The mainline is the body of your sermon.
The shunting of the train is the transition of the sermon.
The body of your sermon may have just one point, or two, three, four or five. Five would be the limit when you
consider there are sub-points. Once I heard a theological professor preach an eleven point sermon. It was a good
sermon, but I could remember but a few points. It was like taking an overdose of eleven vitamin pills which the
body could not fully absorb.
When the discussion of all the points is finished, it will do you good to go over these points briefly leading back
to the Introduction. This is called Recapitulation. It is like tying up a bunch of flowers into a bouquet. Neatly
you present your bouquet to the congregation that has been hearing you. Without recapitulation it would be like
scattered stalks. With that comes your conclusion, an added appropriate remark on the whole sermon.
In land warfare there are four classical steps to follow to win a battle.
First, you send the bombers to smash the enemy lines. Second, you open up with cannons or howitzers to further
soften resistance. Third, you send the tanks.
Fourth, you follow up with troop carriers and infantry for mopping up operations.
For powerful preaching, you need (also) four forms of support for effective speech.
1) Statement, i.e., your chosen Scripture text.
2) Restatement, i.e., the title of your sermon which embodies the theme. e.g., when speaking on John 10 in
regard to the sheepfold you restate it as ―The Recapitulation at the end of a sermon is like tying a bouquet.
Church is our alma mater‖. In regard to the Porter he is the Pastor. The sheep are the church members.
3) Illustration. This throws light on some difficult points of the sermon, e.g., The Gospel Durian. Like the
durian it is offensive to the sinkeh (new comer) but addictive to those who have tasted it and love it.
4) Testimony. This touches the feeling of those who have the same experience as you. But you must be careful
not to repeat it till it comes ―sour‖. Testimony of great men can be mentioned to strengthen your point. Many
examples can be taken from Church History and from the less known Old Testament.
A sermon that is merely expository without application is only a lecture. What makes a sermon doubly effective
is when it hits the target, when it moves your heart. This is by Application. No application, no sermon. To study
what is an effective sermon, listen to two quarrelling women in the kitchen. Each jabs the other with ―you‖,
―you‖, ―you‖! This is application!
Illustration in a sermon is like letting light into the room.
In order to apply you need anticipation. Anticipation in our homiletic parlance refers to knowing ahead the
needs of the audience. This knowledge is gathered, in the case of John Sung, through reading countless letters of
converts who tell him their troubles.
A pastor who knows his flock will know their troubles. So when he preaches he will hit the nail on its head. If
you are aloof from your congregation and your sermons are good theological treaties, you are merely displaying
fireworks. No anticipation, no target hit, as in no application.
More Sermonic Principles
The above are what we have learnt in the first few chapters. Now we go from here to Categorisation. This is to
classify the points in a sermon under the same category. This streamlines and simplifies.
So we say, life-long service and love-long service (using the category of hyphenated rhyming nouns).
In my Clock of the Sevenfold Will of God, we use seven rhyming adjectives: Directive, Cooperative, Punitive,
Preceptive, Permissive, Desiderative, Decretive. This is categorisation par excellence.
Another categorisation in adverbs: ready, eager and urgent in the work of the Lord.
Yet another categorisation: pride of face, pride of race, pride of place, pride of grace. Like the rhyming in the
adjectives relating to the Sevenfold Will of God, here we have the rhyming of four nouns.
Rhyming makes the categorisation even more effective.
Alliteration is categorisation in alphabetical order such as ABC,
XYZ, or AAA, BBB, CCC, JOY. Here we have three point sermons subsumed under the alphabets. Using Joy to
illustrate is quite sufficient. Jesus first, others second, you last. Here is one from Rev.
Jack Sin: Acknowledge it, Blame it on no one but yourself, confess it before the Lord, Do it no more, Express it
in prayer, Flee sin and follow righteousness. Categorisation aids the memory. Here is a sixpoint sermon, on the
Handling of Guilt.
Amplification. Enlarge upon and add details. John Sung is expert in Amplification. Take for example his
amplification on the Rich Man, Lazarus‘ friend. ―The rich man has a five-storey mansion, a home full of wives
and concubines, attired in velvet and eating fat.
But now he is down with illness. Around him are gathered his wife and secondary wives up to No. 7. These are
trembling and at a loss what medicine the doctor should give to the rich man. The rich man, afraid to die, gives
in to a whirl of dreadful dreams and visions. Could he now enjoy all the good things of life?‖
Imagination adds vividness and colour. The above amplification of John Sung comes under ―Imagination‖ also.
Vividness and colour is seen in the description of the rich man‘s household on his deathbed.
A student of mine when preaching on Ruth‘s faith under trial mentioned how when she came to David‘s well to
draw water she was made to stand last in the queue though she came first because she was a Moabite, an alien.
But she bore it patiently for the Lord‘s sake, so God rewarded her with good success when she came to Boaz‘s
field this added colour to his sermon. Now, try to add your own imagination to Ruth meeting Boaz, love at first
sight! And how suddenly their eyes were locked, one with the other!
Humour. This is a great asset in preaching when it is uttered at the appropriate moment. Again John Sung was
adept in dispensing this spice of life. Once he told of a vendor of hair restorer, hawking his ware and
proclaiming how effective it was, while he wore a cap.
A naughty boy pulled off that cap, and lo and behold, he displayed a botak (bald) head! One reason why he
could hold his audience for two hours at a time was his sense of humour, though sparingly expressed, but always
at the appropriate moment when you are nodding amen!
Humour is particularly appreciated on less serious occasions, such as at weddings. It is said that when a modern
couple came to a modernistic parson to be married, and both had long hair so that the latter could not make out
who was what, he intoned, ―Will one of you kiss the bride?‖
But cracking jokes and telling funny stories which some evangelists indulge in to pad up their hollow sermon is
taboo to say the least. Says Dr. S. H. Tow in his ―Notes to preachers of the Word‖,
―Never crack jokes simply to loosen up. The pulpit is not for entertainment‖. A preacher can crack jokes and tell
funny stories too often and the cat will soon be out of the bag that he has not very much more serious things to
say.
©Acknowledgement. Never steal copyright.
Make sure that you identify the source of your quote. Do not plagiarise. Read Jeremiah 23 the classic chapter on
false prophets, ―Therefore, behold, I am against the prophet, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one
from his neighbour.‖ (Jer 23:30). If you take somebody‘s idea and make it your own without acknowledgment,
the LORD has declared you are a false prophet!
I have known of a fundamental theologian who took another man‘s material as if it was his for his book. He had
to pay damages,but what a loss of face!
Memorisation. When quoting Scripture, Spurgeon says, quote every word, or else shut up! Especially the proof
text, key verses. Be able to quote fluently, confidently. The more Scripture you can quote at the point of
application, the more fire power is added to your sermon.
O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine
enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my
meditations. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. (Psalm 119:97-100)
Variety is the spice of life. Spurgeon places great emphasis on this, even in the order of service. Change the
order sometimes, e.g., on big occasions like Anniversaries or Christmas when the service lasts one-and-a-half to
two hours. It is better to preach the sermon first than leave it to the end, sez my wife. I agree with her. Your wife
is the best critic!
A pastor is known for preaching alliterated sermons, ABC, XYZ, XYZ, ABC. Always 3 point ―ABC‖ sermons.
It is like Rev. K. C. Quek and I staying in the home of a poor Dutch missionary while in Amsterdam. We had
bread, jam and cheese in the morning, bread, jam and cheese for lunch, bread, jam and cheese for dinner. After
one day we had to go to a Chinese Restaurant for just a bowl of Wan Ton Mee. Variety is the spice of pulpit life,
also.
Innovation. Do something new and original to illustrate and make vivid your sermon. Again John Sung
excelled in this. When he preached on confessing our sins he brought to the pulpit a miniature Chinese coffin.
From its ―hold‖ he pulled out strips of paper naming every sin from A to Z.
When speaking on the Bread of Life he pulled out from nowhere a French loaf which he peeled and propelled to
the open-mouthed people in the pews.
To illustrate the power of the Holy Spirit he produced a miniature stove with burning charcoal. As he fanned the
little stove, sparks and fire crackled and then a bright flame.
Did John Sung learn from God‘s injunctions to the prophets?
God told Jeremiah to put his linen girdle in a rock at Euphrates. After many days he went to retrieve it. It
became worm eaten. Jeremiah was told to show it to the people he preached. Like the worm eaten girdle, so will
the pride of Judah be marred. So did God instruct Isaiah and Ezekiel to use other object lessons to get the
message through to the stiffed-neck people?
Be innovative. FEBC students have come up with bright ideas in their preaching. One used a tuning fork which
gives forth the right musical pitch to show the importance of unity for FEBC students to stay together. Yes,
unity is like the tuning fork that regulates the musical instruments to the same pitch.
Such simple object lessons are like the many gadgets used to teach kindergarten children. And are we not like
children when listening to a sermon? ―Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God
as a little child, he shall not enter therein.‖ (Mark 10:15).

And even things without life giving sound,

whether pipe or harp, except they give a
distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known
what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give
an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself
to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by
the tongue words easy to be understood, how
shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall
speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many
kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is
without signification. Therefore if I know not the
meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that
speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall
be a barbarian unto me. (1 Cor 14:7-11).
As a trumpet must give a clear sound so a
preacher must pronounce words clearly and
distinctly.
***
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay,
nay; (Matt 5:37)
***
Begin low, speak slow;
Take fire, rise higher;
When most impressed
Be self-possessed;
At the end wax warm
And sit down in a storm.
- Lines on Public Speaking attributed to
Rev. Dr. Leifchild,
Nonconformist Preacher, 18th century.
59
Chapter VIII
The Mechanics of Sermon Delivery
I. Pronunciation
When asked what are the rules of rhetoric, Augustine who was once a professor of rhetoric replied, ―The rules of
rhetoric are three:
The first rule is pronunciation. The second rule is pronunciation. The third rule is pronunciation.‖
Good pronunciation is word power. When a word is mispronounced so that it resembles another, the meaning is
totally changed. Asians often leave out the consonant at the end of a word, such as Lord. At a distance it sounds
like Law. So when they say, ―The good Lord‖ it sounds like ―The good law‖. The word won (pronounced
―one‖), the past tense of win, is pronounced like the Korean won (money). It confuses.
When three words in a sentence of ten are mis-pronounced, you do not lose 30% word power, you lose all!
Hence, part of Homiletics is Phonetics. Phonetics is taught one credit for two semesters at FEBC. We call it
word-tuning.
II. Articulation
This is the purpose of phonetics in order that speech trainees might pronounce words clearly and distinctively,
fluently and coherently. The difference in affect and effect, woman and women, crash and creche, cottage and
cortege, e.g., must be pointed out!
III. Fluency, Grammar, Clarification
1. Fluency comes from the word flow. Learn to speak flowingly, like a river, in its natural course. Not
stammering or in staccato (with each sound shortly detached and separated from the other).
Fluency is like driving a car with a constant pressure on the accelerator, not like one releasing and stepping,
releasing and stepping on the accelerator. This gives the car a jolting effect.
This is most annoying. Good, flowing speech is sweet music, not like drum beating.
2. One should correct one‘s grammatical errors. Bad grammar shows bad breeding. Often I hear a certain pastor
say, ―Concerning about ....‖, ―He gives the book to my wife and I ....‖. Even a Ph.D. was heard to say that! Dr.
Lois Dickie, English professor of Faith Seminary said, ―If a pastor makes grammatical mistakes his hearers will
lose confidence in his teaching too.‖
3. Clarification is concerned with clear explanation of Scripture passages difficult to understand. For example,
―I purpose to come unto you (but was let hitherto).‖ ―Let‖ here means ―hindered‖. (Rom 1:13). Another, ―we
which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep‖ (1 Thess 4:15).
Here the old English prevent means precede.
For clarification of old English words in the King James Bible, we have The Defined King James Bible
published by the Bible
For Today, USA with Dr. S. H. Tow as a contributing editor. In large print it serves as your automatic
Dictionary. Every archaic or obsolete word is taken care of as you read.
IV. The Voice
The Voice is a vital factor in communication. I had heard a Chinese pastor who preached as if he had a chronic
sore throat. The fact was he must have a sip before ascending the pulpit. A hoarse voice is horse voice. It repels
the hearers.
Dr. John Sung often preached himself hoarse, but he took care to regain his voice. Cultivation of the voice is a
vital necessity.
A pleasant voice immediately gains the attention of the hearers. Miss Deborah Mae brings business to the SIA
because of her sonorous voice as announcer. Listen to her tapes!
A preacher must not shout through his throat but release with a sling-shot from the diaphragm. When he speaks
he must speak with his ears, making sure that his voice is carried to the last pew, to the very end of the
auditorium. By speaking often to the people he should automatically have learnt to project his voice powerfully
and sonorously. His voice power should come forth as from the engine of a Mercedes Benz and not from a
Yamaha scooter.
V. Eye Contact
Eye contact is another important part of pulpit manners. I had a classmate in Nanking whose name was Lee Hsi
Tien. Hsi Tien means ―looking to the sky‖. Whenever he preached he would look into the ceiling. That is the
surest way to lose his audience. Eye contact must be maintained on the congregation like a revolving turret. This
will keep the audience‘s attention. Because you look at them, straight on and sideways, at the front and to the
back, you show your interest in them, so they respond. This is the best way to keep them from nodding. This
high tension through the eye gate must be maintained from beginning to end. Don‘t be a Lee His Tien.
VI. Gestures
As the eyes help you to rivet your attention on the people, your hands can add expression to your speech. Use
your hands freely to show you are also at ease with the situation. But never use gestures artificially, just because
your teacher says so. It must be synchronised with what you say and not be acted out after you have
said it. That would be clowning.
VII. Dramatisation
That was John Sung‘s forte. He could do it, not you! In his sermon on the attack on Jericho he would pull out of
the audience four or five young people and lead them around the pulpit - he did this without pre-warning. Yet it
looked so natural, which charmed the audience through and through.
VIII. Visual Aid
This he did often with a blackboard. Visual aids were earlier used by the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
IX. Audio-aid
By suitable music background, choirs, children‘s singing, chosen choruses. John Sung choruses sung over
and over again drove home the point of the sermon, e.g., ―Ye must be born again‖ and ―All my sins are washed
away, In the Blood of Jesus‖.
X. Careful Meditation
A sermon is like grass turned into milk with mother cow‘s much rumination. It goes through much churning
before it can be delivered. Keep meditating your text before you tell us in your own
words what is in the Word.
XI. Self Appraisal
It is good for self improvement in the arduous task of preaching to have your own feedback. This is easily
obtained by making your own tape and video. After the sermon, listen to yourself. After the sermon, listen to
yourself and look at yourself. Watch your mannerisms. Is your hair properly combed? Is your tie straight? Do
you repeat such words, ―you know, you know‖, and ―this morning, this morning.‖? Do you lick your lips every
now and then through nervousness?‖ So on and so on.
Next to self in appraisal is your wife, your other self, or in Chinese language, ―your internal wise helper‖. One
reason why ―a bishop .... must be the husband of one wife‖ (1 Tim 3:2) is that he might have that ―internal wise-
helper‖ to check up on his preaching and pulpit management. For there is no other who would be able to tell you
off when you go wrong. To even judge your attire before you ascend the pulpit. To remind you if you have
forgotten your eyeglasses.
To remind you to ease yourself. ―Preach Christ, not yourself‖. See that all glory is given to God. ―Thus saith the
Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, .... But let him
that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise
lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth, in these things I delight, saith the Lord.‖
(Jer 9:23,24). One reason why God prospered John Sung‘s ministry was his meticulous care to give glory to
God and not to steal the least of His majesty. In the words of the Apostle Paul, ―For we preach not
ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus‘ sake.‖ (2 Cor 4:5).
XII. Learning from Others
Confucius says, ―When I walk together with two others, at least one is my teacher.‖ Such a sage humbles
himself. So he learns from his disciples who walk with him. A famous rabbi says, ―I learn much from my
teachers and more from my colleagues but most from my pupils.‖ Preachers tend to stagnate if they do all the
speaking but never listen to others. We should take every opportunity to listen to others, even when they are
ordinary preachers. There is always something we can learn from another. When I was in Seminary, we
had preference for certain professors. I disagreed. Even the dullest lecturer has his good points. Confucius says
about learning again, ―It is a pleasure to study with a constant application‖. Do not neglect to
learn from others.
In this respect, I believe I have learnt the most, listening each week to the sermons preached by my learned
students!
Notes on Delivery
1. Preach Christ, not ethics, or side issues. (Don‘t forget to draw a cross on your sermon notes.) Your sermon
must be Christcentred and God-centred. Good if Christ (and His examples) is the climax of your sermon. The
preacher is but an unprofitable servant. You are the donkey on which Jesus rides. The trouble is some donkey of
a preacher would ride Christ!
2. Preach fresh sermons. If you preach the same sermon again and again when invited by outside groups, you
are like serving overnight fried rice. I interpreted for a Chinese Evangelist once, and when I was called to
interpret for him the next year, he repeated the same sermon. He made the same congregation to eat
his year old fried rice. What an embarrassment!
3. When you preach, speak with you ears! i.e., monitor whether your words can reach those sitting in the last
pews. Be sure you project your voice that those sitting at the edge can hear you clearly. If you speak softly for
effect and they cannot hear you, you lose total power.
4. When you speak, speak like a man, not like a clergyman. Nor intone your prayer like a Buddhist monk. Their
pseudo-holy intonation is revolting to say the least.
5. Speak not as in a private conversation but with deliberation, like a teacher earnestly teaching a class.
6. Enunciate carefully, using the right accents, e.g., memorable is mémorable not memórable, colleague is
cólleague not colleágue, travail is trávail not traváil.
7. Speak homiletically with 100% fire power.
8. Every syllable must be heard, with the consonants articulated.
9. Don’t show off your scholarship in the pulpit. John Sung a Ph.D. in chemistry never used any illustration
from science except that water is H2 0.
10. Talking long on Hebrew or Greek words is like plucking the husk of a coconut, while people are waiting
to drink the milk.
11. Humour helps to keep the audience awake, even such pedantic humour, on baptism, ―More faith less water.
Less faith more water.‖
12. When you are note-bound you lose eye-contact.
13. To make the congregation turn to more than one or two Scripture passages during a sermon belabours
them. It also slackens the high tension in their listening, so much pulpit power is lost. This is a word from my
friend - Rev. Calvin Chao - founder of Singapore Bible College.

The Importance of Music to the Pulpit

The power of music must first come upon the preacher is what I mean by “the importance of music to the
pulpit”. So, I have said to the organist and pianist, to the choir, that when they play well and sing well (the
congregation too) I would preach better. Thus, music becomes half of John Sung’s ministry. How by the singing
of the choruses he composed himself, but mostly from the treasury of the Church, he preached with
double power. In this respect, not only the lyrics, but also the tune is of utmost importance.
***
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to
the Lord; (Eph 5:19)
***
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth
thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon
the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. (Ps 92:1-3)

The importance of music to the pulpit, notice I say to the pulpit, and not to the Church generally, is of utmost
importance. This is what Martin Luther meant when he said music is next to theology. Says Dr. Philip Schaff in
the History of the Christian Church, ―He placed music next to theology. He valued it as a most effectual weapon
against melancholy and the temptations of the Devil. The heart, he said, is satisfied, refreshed and strengthened
by music.
He played the lute, sang melodiously, and composed tunes for his hymns, especially the immortal Ein feste Burg
which gives classic expression to his heroic faith in God and the triumph of the Gospel.‖
Music played a vital part in the composition of the Psalms of David, so that he earned the title of ―the sweet
psalmist of Israel‖ (2 Sam 23:1). In Ps 108:1-3 David reveals how he sings praises to God with ―psaltery and
harp‖. In Psalm 98, the Psalmist further declares, ―Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the
voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King‖.
From composing Psalms with the help of the ―psaltery and harps‖ David further organised a choir for the
Temple Services.
Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun,
who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their
service was: Of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of
Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king. Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri, and
Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give
thanks and to praise the LORD. . . . . So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the
LORD, even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight. (1 Chron 25:1-3,7).
Isn‘t music next to theology also to David?
That music has a therapeutic effect on the soul of Elisha ―the prophet of water‖ is evidenced by his calling for a
minstrel to calm his soul in the midst of confusion and commotion. An unholy alliance was formed between the
kings of Israel, Edom and Judah to fight the king of Moab. Were it not for the sake of Jehoshaphat, king
of Judah‘s plea to Elisha, he would refuse even an audience to the three kings.
And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to
pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. (2 Kings 3:14,15)
The power of music must first come upon the preacher is what I mean by ―the importance of music to the
pulpit‖. So, I have said to the organist and pianist, to the choir, that when they play well and sing well (the
congregation too) I would preach better. Thus, music becomes half of John Sung‘s ministry. How by the singing
of the choruses he composed himself, but mostly from the treasury of the Church, he preached with double
power. In this respect, not only the lyrics, but also the tune is of utmost importance.
The four hymns that are sung on a Sunday morning worship cannot be haphazardly taken but by careful
selection, even in the balance of tune to tune. In the responsive reading usually of a psalm the best is to echo
with one from the Psalter. The most important hymn is the closing one, to echo the words of the message. For
example, if it is a sermon on the Christian‘s Struggle with Sin, there is no better one than ―Yield not to
Temptation‖. If it is one on our Pilgrimage from earth to heaven, then choose one like ―We are
marching to Zion‖ or ―The New Jerusalem‖.
Music is next to theology and music must be the spiritual food of the theologian. It is the pastor who must set
the pace in worship with good music. When he preaches a sermon on the disciples‘ tedious rowing amidst a
storm and their deliverance by the Lord coming to their help, he remembers such a chorus as ―With Christ in the
vessel, we can smile at the storm‖. The implementation of such a chorus at the end of his sermon hits the nail
right on the head. (This is another revision).
Music is best for the offering bag. The pastor need not appeal for funds nor exhort the congregation to tithe.
When the Lord gave me the words of a tithing song, all I needed was to sing it before the collection, with all the
attendant blessings:
Bring all the tithes now before Him
Appear not with empty hand
God has promised you who love
Him Mercies and grace without end.
He‘ll cast from you every sickness
He‘ll prosper you with good health
He‘ll watch o‘er your steps with keeness
He‘ll give you power to get wealth.
Bring all the tithes now before Him
Appear not with empty hands
God has promised you who love Him
Mercies and grace without end.
(Sung to the tune of ―Give of your best to the Master‖)
When I taught this song to Vancouver Bible-Presbyterian Church, the chairman of the worship service happily
chose it for the offering part of the service. And he repeated to use it, time and again. Music opens the heart to
give.
Music from the Church choir, sacred music which includes the singing of ordinary hymns, helps us to worship.
Even in the regular singing of ―The Lord Bless You and Keep You‖ at the end of the service. The children‘s
singing, so natural and innocent is another aid to worship. Special numbers by Deborah Mae once in a while add
a magic touch. Some are even moved to tears. In this connection the right choice of hymns does the job. A lady
member encouraged my heart when she said, ―All the hymns we sang this Lord‘s Day moved
me to tears.‖
The aid of musical instruments is not to be discounted. When I attended the Conference of the International
Council of Christian Churches in Santiago, Chile in 1997, we were much moved by a young people‘s orchestra.
The flute was particularly moving. It will be a refreshing addition if some wind or stringed instrumentalists
will complement the organ or piano. But, sorry, no drums! If Indian music, it is a different matter, because here
the drum does not drum up its ugly head! The Indian drum is tuned to the pitch of the song they are singing and
is played softly to keep time. It is pleasant to have such accompaniment. How do I know this? By my nine visits,
often prolonged, to all India!
In the announcement of hymns (where there is no worship programme sheet) take care that you announce
clearly at least two times, and loud enough. (For most parishioners are like twelve-year old children when they
sit leisurely in church.)
Let the organist or pianist play the prelude, the first stanza first before asking the congregation to stand up and
sing. The abruptness of calling the congregation to stand before the prelude spoils the sanctity of worship. It is
like zooming a car out of garage without warming up.
Let the pastor or chairman voice lead, and by that he must have a loud enough sonorous voice so that even in
unfamiliar hymns the congregation can follow. In solemn worship, to wave the hand ostentatiously, to show off,
exalts man when all of man must not be seen.
―Worship‖, says Augustine, ―is the mother of all virtues‖. Let not any item in the worship take away from the
worship. One such item is ―Announcements‖. This should be kept to the minimum. Let a few important ones be
advertised but the rest let the congregation read from the church bulletin. I have been sickened to hear in a
certain church the prolonged time taken, up to ten minutes, wherein every detail is mentioned, unimportant
things like this Lord‘s Day lunch menu! The effect of the sermon is particularly dissipated when long
announcements come after the final Amen. That is why we have our announcements, insofar as Life Church is
concerned, near the beginning. Usually, our announcements are appended to the Word of Welcome, and won‘t
take one or two minutes. The congregation can always consult the Weekly Bulletin for confirmation.

 A five-point sermon takes the shape of the star of Solomon.

The Different Structures of a Sermon
It is good for us to study how sermons are structured as we examine how a house is built. Here is a Church, one
big empty hall. Here is a county church with the parsonage in the rear. It is divided into two main compartments.
Here is a flat with hall and adjoining kitchen and two bedrooms. In HDB language it is described as a three-
room flat. Then there are the so-called four-room and fiveroom flats.
 A one-point sermon (John Sung style) is like a target.
A sermon can be a one point sermon like a dart board. The theme is the target. In throwing the dart you may hit
the outer circles, but your aim is always the centre, the target, the theme.
John Sung‘s sermons are preached many times as one-point
sermons. He might go round and round, hitting the outer circles, but he always returns to the theme. He scores
the bull‘s eye at regular intervals.
In his sermon on Heaven and Hell, he might talk a lot on the luxurious life lived by the rich man, but he ends up
with him being consigned to Hades, to Hell.
He talks a great deal on the sufferings of Lazarus the Beggar, but he exults in his promotion to glory, to
Abraham‘s bosom.
In his one point sermon on Heaven and Hell, he ends up by showing us that when we reject the Gospel in this
life we miss heaven and land down in Hell in the next. The theme of his message is, ―Only two ways are before
us, after death there is no third way.
No escape.‖ By way of recapitulation, the structure of such a sermon is like a dart board with its bulls-eye. The
theme is the centre.
 A two-point sermon is like two pages of a book, or two lines of the cross (vertical : relating to God,
horizontal : relating to man).
A two point sermon may look like an open book or like a cross.
The open book may suggest two equal components, like the Old Testament and the New Testament. The shape
of the cross suggests a vertical and a horizontal aspect of your sermon. For example, I have a message on the
Divine pattern for Church Growth -- Not vertical but horizontal. Here it is : The Acts of the Apostles is not only a
record of sacred early Church History, but also the Divine Pattern for Church Growth. For Paul commands his
parishioners, ―Be ye followers of me, as I follow Christ‖ (1 Cor 11:1).
Not vertical but horizontal expansion is the divine pattern for Church growth is given to us by both Peter, apostle to the
Jews and Paul to the Gentiles. Did you notice that Peter having won three thousand at Pentecost and thereafter five
thousand, did not build a Cho Yonggi-type of a super church, and appoint himself super pastor of Jerusalem? We find him
rather going to Samaria, and thereafter to Joppa, Caesarea, Pontius, Galatia, Capadocia, Asia, Bithynia, Corinth (1 Pet 1:1;
1 Cor 9:5) and by tradition to Rome. Nor did Paul settle down in Ephesus where God mightily blessed his ministry, except
for two years when he taught a Bible school that the Word might spread to all Asia. He finished three missionary journeys
and ended up in Rome - the capital of the Roman Empire and uttermost part of the earth.
The vivid contrast of a man-made super church in vertical dimension and a Divine spreading of the Gospel on a
horizontal dimension is thus clearly seen. There can be no uncertainty in such a sermon.
 A three-point sermon (classical) is like three steps.
It is known in homiletic circles that a three-point sermon is a classical sermon. It is like three steps of a ladder.
A sermon preached on the three graces in 1 Cor 13. Faith, Hope and Love is a three point sermon. Love covers
the two others, and Love is that which remains unto eternity. In heaven, hope is consummated, so hope is not
needed. By way of illustration, the Jews, for two thousand years would say goodbye to one another with the
added wish, ―Next year in Jerusalem‖. When they achieved Statehood on May 14, 1948, they have no need to
say next year in Jerusalem when all Jews can come and settle in Jerusalem with a warm welcome by the State.
There is no need to say ―Next year in Jerusalem‖. Their hope is now fulfilled.
 A four-point sermon is like the four points of the cross.
A four-point sermon takes the shape of the cross with its four pointers. And a five-point sermon, the utmost
limit, can take the shape of the star of Solomon. Beyond this, it will be hard to retain the facts in the memory.
Besides, in every ―pointed‖ sermon, there may be sub-points. Simplification is the essence of every sermon. To
be safe, I think it is best to limit yourself to four points.
Once I preached in the Shepherds‘ Field, Bethlehem, on ―TheThree Wisemen.‖ The first brought gold, the
second brought frankincense and the third brought myrrh. And humorously, I added a fourth wiseman in myself.
Having come from the Far East, and having nothing, I brought myself. That was the fourth point and
climax of my sermon. A four-point sermon you can never miss!

Types of Sermons
I Textual - based on one verse, ―Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth for I am God and there
is none else‖ (Isa 45:22) or ―For the love of Christ constraineth us,‖ the first part of 2 Cor 5:14.
II Topical - e.g., Heaven and Hell.
III Expository - A passage of Scripture is expounded verse by verse, e.g., Psalm 90:10-12.
IV Biographical - Study from the life of some great personality, e.g., the life of David or Abraham or any of the
patriarchs.
V Allegorical - The speciality of John Sung after the style of John Bunyan. To teach this subject, the best is to
provide an example or examples for each of the above categories.
***
I. Textual

II.
III. Expository
Please refer to Chapter V, p. 33 to p.38
IV -
V. Allegorical
1. Kway Teow, Bee Hoon, Rice
Kway Teow, Bee Hoon, Rice
3 Essentials in our Diet
Faith, Hope, Love
3 Essentials in our Life
As Rice is the most staple,
So is LOVE
1 Cor 13
Types of Sermons
106 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
2. The Unfathomable Grace of God (2 Kings 7) (By Dr. John
Sung)
Samaria, Capital City of Israel was surrounded by the armies of
the Syrians. The people were in grave anxiety, for many had nothing
to eat. So much so they were obliged ―to eat pigeon dung.‖
V. 1. But Elisha said, ―By this time tomorrow two gallons of
flour or four gallons of barley grain will be sold in the markets of
Samaria for a dollar. . . ‖ Beloved brothers and sisters, the grace of
God is beyond our imagination. Many of God‘s people are waiting
for His saving grace to come quickly, not knowing that it has already
come. Now is the accepted time!
V. 2. Here we have a high officer, assistant to the King, who said
to Elisha, ―Impossible! A dollar to buy two gallons of flour? Unless
the door of heaven would open up!‖ Elisha said, ―Whether you
believe or not, this thing shall come to pass.‖ O the unfathomable
grace of God! The grace of God is beyond our wish and imagination.
The grace of God is still with us. Before I came here, I never could
have dreamed of such a crowd tonight.
When I went to Huchow, I hoped to see only 200 born again. So,
I asked for this number in prayer. On the first day, however, out of
400 who came to the meeting, 300 were saved! On the second day,
over 1,000 came and we had to meet outside on the grounds. Almost
1,000 were saved, including a pastor‘s son. This pastor‘s son said to
me, ―Mr. Sung, I never knew God‘s grace until now.‖ Beloved
brothers and sisters, whether you believe or not, the grace of God
must come to you. How great and wonderful is His grace!
V. 3. Praise the Lord! Here are four lepers who refuse to die,
sitting up. They want to get out of death. Pitiful, there are so many
who would prefer death, never desiring a way out. There are many
more struggling in their daily sorrows. These also have never thought
of getting out!
V. 4. Wonder of wonders, these four lepers thought of a way out.
They said, ―If we sit here we are sure to starve to death. If we go into
107
the city, we will also die. Why not get out of here and surrender to
the Syrian Army?‖ Now, I‘m not in favour of their surrendering. I am
in favour of their determination to find a way out.
A sister in Shanghai wrote me of her mother‘s plight. Only over
30, she has succoured ten children. But every one of her children has
died, except herself. She says, ―My mother is a devout Buddhist.
Buddha said to her that her ancestors in hell had need of money. So
they had taken her children to hell to sell them for money. Now her
only way out was to worship the devils with money. When my
mother asked how much money she needed to pay up, the answer
was $200. She really spent that $200, but when she went to inquire
of Buddha again, Buddha replied ―Your ancestors are still penniless.
So on the 8th day of the ninth moon, they will also take your only
surviving daughter to hell and sell her. My mother was scared to
death. She went to the Church and asked the pastor to pray for her.
This brought us peace and nothing happened to me, her daughter.
After this, she got hold of a hammer and had her Buddha idol
smashed to pieces.‖
Beloved brothers and sisters, Satan had utterly oppressed this
woman. Could she do anything else but struggle her way out? How
jubilant! Today how many are under the throes of the Devil‘s grip?
There‘s the tobacco devil, the gambling devil, the alcohol devil. Why
won‘t you seek a way out?
Vv. 5, 6. The four lepers found their way to the Syrian camp. But
when they got there they saw not even a shadow of the Syrian troops.
―Ha, Ha!‖ they chuckled, ―Such a lot to eat! How lucky we are, and
there is none to fight against us . . . ‖ Beloved brothers and sisters,
wonderful is the work of the Holy Spirit. If a person is willing to be
led by the Holy Spirit to seek a way out, he will find the way ahead
marvellous, and more marvellous yet. Once, after a sermon, a new
convert said to me, ―Mr. Sung, I was in great trouble when I decided
one day to come to your meetings. At first I found your preaching
entirely tasteless, but I decided to sit through the sermons. As I
concentrated on the sermon, my heart began to beat and throb. When
Types of Sermons
108 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
you said, ‗Anyone who is a sinner, let him raise his hand.‘ At first I
had no courage, but afterwards I raised my hand, I went forward, and
as I went, all the sins I had previously committed flooded before my
eyes. I felt miserable. But the moment I put my trust in Jesus, a
ton-load of sin fell from me. I received such a joy as I had never
known.‖ Beloved brothers and sisters, if a man wants to be saved, he
will find salvation wonderful, yet more wonderful.
Vv. 7, 8. The four lepers were thrilled by the wealth they now
possessed. For, the Syrians being overwhelmed by a sound of horses
and chariots they had heard the night before had fled to the last man.
God‘s grace is given to us freely without any charge. Without arms,
without lifting a finger to fight, the lepers had plenty to eat, more to
spare, and a whole lot they couldn‘t carry away. O, the inexhaustible
grace of God.
One night I had a dream. I saw a man who had lost a lot of
money. I began to pick the money up, and I picked and picked every
one of the coins. When I awoke, I couldn‘t find a cent. Such is the
nature of dreaming. But God‘s grace is not such vanity, not such a
dream. God‘s grace is real. It defies our counting. God‘s grace did
not merely satisfy the leper‘s hungry stomachs. This would not be
enough.
V. 9. Most precious is this verse. The four men, having eaten,
thought of the hungry plight of their countrymen. They agreed, ―Let
us tell the good news at once! If we do not make the report when
dawn comes, the King would surely punish us.‖ Beloved brothers
and sisters, how many of you are having your talent buried. You have
never told forth the good news i.e., the Gospel! Paul says, ―Woe is
unto me if I preach not the gospel.‖ Now the people of Amoy have
nothing to eat, while you are being fully fed. Mongolia, Kweichow,
Yunnan are teeming with countless starving souls. They have never
tasted the grace of God. Beloved brothers and sisters, ―Woe is unto
me, if I preach not the gospel.‖
109
Let us see what these four have reported. They have preached the
Gospel. They have given a vigorous testimony, for woe would come
on them if they preached not the good news. Beloved brothers and
sisters, let us remember: it is a greatest sin not to preach the Gospel.
Vv. 10, 11. They are now on their way. They tell it to the
gate-keeper. The gate-keeper believed because he saw them all
well-fed. People believed them because they were well-fed.
Once there was a man selling hair-restorer. He bragged about his
hair-restorer as he hawked: ―If you buy my hair-restorer and rub it on
your bald head, it will make your hair grow.‖ A little child came and
pulled off the hat he was wearing, ―You just said, ‗If you rub the
hair-restorer on your head, hair would grow‘. But, look, you are a
bald yourself. Why don‘t you do what you say?‖ What a big joke! A
bald-head selling hair-restorer! This is like a man never born again
preaching a sermon on ―salvation through the new birth‖.
Laughable! Why is the Church so slow moving today? Because in it
are many bald heads trying to sell hair-restorer. Who would buy it?
These four lepers are fed and round-bellied. They are convincing to
the gatekeeper. May you also say, ―We have been to the revival
meetings. We have eaten a lot.‖ Before you were gambling fiends.
Now you can praise the Lord and convince others.
V. 12. The gate-keeper said, ―Let me go and tell the king.‖ Now
the king, when he got up in the middle of the night, was prejudiced.
He said, ―Perhaps the Syrians have gone away in disguise. If we go
after them, may we not fall into their ambush?‖ In such a case, can
God open the door of grace?
Vv. 13, 14. Someone told the king, ―Don‘t be prejudiced. Let us
send five men to find out.‖ When those five returned, they said with
one voice, ―The enemy has retreated! The ground is strewn all over
with goods.‖ When I was preaching in Shanghai, the Church in
Hangchow sent four delegates to hear me, because they were not sure
of inviting me. When these four were favourably impressed, they
invited me. When I got to Hangchow, a super-pastor there was
Types of Sermons
110 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
fiercely opposed to me. He had a son, a habitual gambler, who never
read his Bible. Wonder of wonders! While others remained unsaved,
he got saved, he repented. He was changed. He organised many
Gospel teams. He told his father, ―You are against revival meetings,
but I have been converted. I won‘t gamble now. I love to read the
Bible.‖ Beloved brothers and sisters, when men resist you, don‘t be
discouraged. If God be for us, all problems will be solved.
Once when I went to Swatow, I got no invitation to preach the
first day. I was invited by only one place. After the first meeting,
over 200 were born again. The second meeting saw over 1,000 in
attendance. After this, every church invited me to preach. Brothers
and sisters, if you preach the truth, you needn‘t worry even when you
are being resisted.
Vv. 16, 17. O, the open door of God‘s grace! All went! There
was no need to invite, or to coerce. They rushed for all their worth.
All were dying of hunger, and all fought for the food. If what you
preach is the Gospel, people will come and hear. If what we preach is
truth, we needn‘t worry if men oppose us. When I was preaching in
Canton, detectives and policemen were sent to arrest me. When they
were on the point of doing so, a band of students protested. This truly
was God‘s help.
On another occasion when I went to another Church, there was a
notice put up, ―Meetings Prohibited.‖ But this could not stop a
multitude coming. Who can resist when the Holy Spirit is working?
God said, ―A dollar will buy two gallons of flour.‖ True? Yes?
Unfathomable is God‘s grace.
V. 18. Was God‘s Word fulfilled? Most certainly. Whoever
disbelieving is a stumbling block. But such is trampled to death! If
we preach it good, Satan is surely defeated. Now you‘re born again.
You‘re blessed. If you preach not the Gospel, woe will come!
God called me on Feb. 10, 1926. The Lord wanted me to preach.
Many a time I didn‘t want to, for preaching is a difficult job. If I
became a teacher, no one would bother me. When I started to preach,
Types of Sermons 111
I found many adversaries. If you preach you must carry the cross.
Your whole life must be hung on it. Thousands upon thousands are
still in Satan‘s grip. ―Woe is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel.‖
Beloved, we are well-fed. Woe is unto us, if we preach not the
Gospel.
***
Allegory in the Bible
For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a
bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the
bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman
was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the
two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth
to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in
Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in
bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is
free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice,
thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that
travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than
she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was,
are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after
the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so
it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the
bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall
not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren,
we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. (Gal
4:22-31).
112 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
This is a true saying, If a man desire the office
of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop
then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,
vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to
hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no
striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not
a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his
own house, having his children in subjection with
all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule
his own house, how shall he take care of the
church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted
up with pride he fall into the condemnation of
the devil. Moreover he must have a good report
of them which are without; lest he fall into
reproach and the snare of the devil.
(1 Tim 3:1-7)
113
Chapter XII
The Preacher Must be His Own Sermon
The preacher can only be heard, not by what he says but by what
he is. What he is, is what he does. If he does not practise what he
preaches, his parishioners will not hear him. They might come to
Church on the Lord‘s Day, but they will criticise his sermon in the
light of what he does. For example, if he quarrels with his wife, will
the congregation listen to his sermon on a Happy Home?
First of all, the preacher must be called. He takes on the job of a
preacher for no other reason than obeying the voice of God. He then
must love his God and Saviour with all his heart, and with all his
soul, and with all his mind (Matt 22:37). And he must also love his
neighbour as himself. He must, constrained by the love of God, love
his congregation and those outside his church.
He must be a man of prayer. Of serene dedication, seeking to do
His will all the time, and not his own will. He must be like the Son,
who testifies of His mission, ―My meat is to do the will of Him that
sent me, and to finish his work‖ (John 4:36). He must hasten with
His Master, ―I must work the work of him that sent me while it is
day: the night cometh when no man can work.‖ (John 9:4).
He must also be a man of the Word. Rev. Ting Li Mei, first
revivalist of China and evangelist ―with one thousand souls a month‖
was a mighty preacher. To sustain himself as a preacher he read his
plain Bible without cross reference six chapters a day, with a red
pencil to mark its golden verses. Dr. John Sung, the next revivalist
The Preacher Must be His Own Sermon
114 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
after him read his Bible 11 chapters a day and 13 on the Lord‘s Day.
How about us?
There are 1189 chapters in the whole Bible. If we read a little
more than three chapters a day we would finish it in one year. The
Defined King James Bible published by Dr. D.A. Waite has a yearly
Bible Reading Schedule. He encourages us to read 85 verses per day
with a diamond ―asterisk‖ marking it, like a milestone on the road for
the motorist. By this scheme, it behoves every preacher to read the
Bible through at least once a year. But let us not read perfunctorily,
merely to salve our conscience, but rather meditatively, marking our
Bible those verses that are of particular importance to our
understanding. And let us memorise the key verses especially. We
should study to ―shew ourselves approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth‖ (2 Tim
2:15).
A preacher cannot be a frivolous person. As a leader he must be
grave. He must have a humble and teachable spirit. He must as a
good scholar, ―review the old and acquire the new‖ like the scribe
Jesus talked about, ―a householder which bringeth forth out of his
treasure things new and old‖ (Matt 13:52). He cannot afford not to
study, for without reading up to replenish his knowledge, how can he
instruct others? For, ―reading maketh a full man‖ (Bacon).
Dr. John Sung was a one-book man. He read nothing else except
the daily newspaper. Is he our example? If we read no other book
except the Bible as much as he did and the daily newspaper, we will
do well. Each man has his own taste, but if we neglect the Bible, we
totally lose out.
The preacher must be a soul-winner. He will show it in his
preaching, and in his interest in promoting any soul winning project.
He will touch on salvation to his hearers in his Sunday sermons. He
will hold special Gospel campaigns. He gives time to tracting and
may write Gospel tracts himself. He is all things to all men in order
to save some (1 Cor 9:22).
115
The preacher should maintain a good physique. This he does by
not being a glutton, that ends up much overweight. Dr. Chia Yu
Ming, my teacher in China, had no good word for a fat preacher with
his ―archbishopric‖. While we are neither to be skinny, the prophecy
on Christ that he is a root out of dry ground shows he was not like
the one we have just mentioned. He surely would be on the slim side.
Let us not overeat.
Neither is a preacher a sportsman ―for bodily exercise profiteth
little ... and exercise thyself rather unto godliness‖ (1 Tim 4:7,8).
This does not mean that he cannot play a game of badminton or go
out jogging. The point is, don‘t overdo.
He should know how to maintain his health. A sickly pastor
commands little respect, just like an employee often on sick leave is
suspect. In my case, while I might be laid off once in a while, I
always see to it I‘m fresh and alive to ascend the pulpit every Sunday
morning. It is of great thanksgiving to God that I‘ve never been sick
one Sunday the last 48 years. I‘ve never missed my pulpit.
The preacher must live ―joyfully‖ with his wife (Eccl 9:9). And
rule his household well, bringing up his children in the knowledge
and nurture of the Lord (1 Tim 3:4). His home should be a foretaste
of heaven. This will liberate him to speak freely and convincingly
from the pulpit.
But there are preachers encumbered with quarrelsome wives and
disobedient children. His preaching will be a struggle. His
congregation, knowing his background, will sense it immediately,
―He must have quarrelled with his wife last night‖.
The ministry of hospitality is another part of his calling. A pastor
who has no guest in his house will find no host when he travels
abroad, according to a Chinese proverb.
Life Church is well-known for taking care of strangers and the
sick with the ample facilities of Beulah House. The Church Warden
is also vitally involved in this work of kindness.
The Preacher Must be His Own Sermon
116 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
A pastor cannot be sidetracked into any kind of secular business.
Some go into realty business, and insurance, to earn a commission.
Some invest in shares. But we must follow Peter to abandon our
fishing net and boat to follow Him fully (Luke 5:1-11). ―Lovest thou
Me more than these? Feed my sheep‖. (John 21:15-17).
A pastor should also set an example to the congregation in
tithing. Paying the tithe is just the beginning. A pastor who preaches
on tithing but does not tithe himself is cheating God and himself.
Apart from the tithe he is willing to give way beyond his stipend in
order to support the Gospel work to the ends of the earth. Indeed, he
would be willing to give his all whenever the occasion arises.
William Chalmers Burns, ―Grandfather of Bible-Presbyterians‖ gave
one year‘s salary back to the Mission Board in order that it might pay
the way for a new missionary to come to the field. ―All to Jesus, I
surrender‖ is the devotion of this man. When he died, he left but a
few coins in his locker. We need the William Burns spirit.
Finally, Wang Ming Tao says a preacher is first tempted by
money, second by sex and third by pride. For total walk in all
righteousness, it is good to publish his ―Proverbs for Christian
Living‖ for our admonition, as follows:
PROVERBS FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING
Fearing God is the foundation of life.
Loving neighbour is the way of living.
Be very sincere in dealing with others.
Be very severe in regulating yourself.
When in poverty, do not cringe.
When in prosperity, be not proud.
Never harbour a spirit of jealousy.
Rejoice with them in prosperity.
117
Rejoice not at the misfortunes of others.
When others are down, share their troubles.
Don‘t overtake your neighbour where profit lies ahead.
Don‘t step backwards in the face of common danger.
When you‘re indebted to others, be ready to confess and redress.
When others are indebted to you, be indulgent and forgiving.
When doing good to others, regard that your duty.
When others do good to you, recognise it is by their grace.
Let not any wealth that goes through you,
whether big or small, soil your palm.
In making friends with members of either sex,
be proper and open.
Do not promise easily.
Having promised, be diligent to fulfil.
Do not borrow at random.
Pay back quickly any loan.
Respect your elders, and elders of others.
Love your children, and children of others.
Let the strong points in others become a pattern to you.
Let the weak points in others be a warning.
Control your temper: be not easily provoked to anger.
Guard your lips; and be slow to speak.
Do not spread any unfounded report.
Do not do anything that fears exposure.
Do not covet the wealth you see in others.
Do not look on with folded arms when others fall.
Bow not nor fawn before people.
Speak no evil behind others‘ backs.
The Preacher Must be His Own Sermon
118 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
Be diligent and loyal in serving others,
True and straightforward in your transactions.
Hate evil like snakes and scorpions.
Love neighbours like rare treasures.
Rather lose money than trustworthiness.
Rather lose your life than self-control.
Do not cover up your mistakes,
Nor boast at all of your virtues.
Be always courteous in speech and conduct.
Be always neat and tidy in apparel.
Do not provoke others to hate you,
Nor speak words that irk your hearers.
Absolutely no smoking, no drinking, no gambling,
Taboo to all seductive make-up.
Think always for the good of others.
Wherever you go, seek God‘s glory.
Amen.
119
Epilogue
Now to him that is of power to
stablish you according to my
gospel, and the preaching of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation
of the mystery, which was kept
secret since the world began, But
now is made manifest, and by the
scriptures of the prophets,
according to the commandment of
the everlasting God, made known to
all nations for the obedience of
faith: To God only wise, be glory
through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
(Rom 16:25-27)
120 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
Insight Into Rev. Ting’s Homiletical Principles
by Rev. Lee Chi An
I. REVIVALISTIC PREACHING.
The first time I came in contact with Rev. Ting was over a decade
ago. The atmosphere of the revival meetings was fervent yet restrained,
to God‘s glory and men‘s salvation. His method of revivalistic
preaching may be classified under five headings.
1. His topic was Bible-based. He expounded Scripture with Scripture,
interspersed with his spiritual experiences, and moving anecdotes.
His sermon lasted about one hour. It came to an abrupt ending when
the climax was reached, when the audience was most attentive.
2. His demeanour was natural and kindly, though he might sometimes
strike the pulpit to arrest attention, when the audience tended to
stray. Otherwise he would be like a steady flowing river, neither
swift nor sluggish. He spoke the Word of God most sincerely.
3. In a week‘s campaign he would generally divide his objectives into
three. The first three days he would preach on the problem of sin.
The middle day of the campaign he would speak on nurture of the
spirit. The last two nights would be devoted to consecration and
responsibility, appealing for covenanters with the Lord. If there
were no students he would give the congregation a final opportunity
to learn how to pray and read the Bible.
4. In meetings with students he could not avoid answering their
questions. If questions were genuine he would give a satisfactory
answer. If questions were queer and off on a tangent he would ask
APPENDIX
Insight Into Rev. Ting’s Homiletical Principles 123
the questioner to answer them himself. By this soft reply the one
bent on trouble-making would beat a hasty retreat.
5. On the last day he would report on those who had asked him to
intercede. There was once when this list of names in his prayer
register nearly touched 5,000. He declared he would still pray for
them all.
II. Sunday Sermon.
1. It lasted half an hour.
2. Topics were appropriately chosen like in the discharging of one‘s
stewardship. No old topics. Though some were preached before, the
contents included new ideas.
3. Objective: Spiritual nurture. It included one or two steps on
spiritual progress. It pointed out to those who lost their way.
4. His delivery was terse and to the point, a method he used also in
revivalistic preaching. This was more evident, however, at worship
service. He spoke for half an hour. Verbosity would take away
much of the precious time.
III
I heard little of Rev. Ting‘s outdoor preaching. But there was once
when he joined the Preaching Band of North China Theological
Seminary on a preaching excursion. There I saw him standing on a table
preaching away with a loud voice, testifying Jesus to be the Christ. As I
look back I can draw three good methods from this style of preaching.
1. His demeanour was earnest, quite different from his usual
appearance. Every word was power-charged to draw the
bystanders‘ attention.
2. The aim of the theme was to declare Jesus to be the Saviour.
124 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
3. Time taken was half an hour. It is to be noted that a sermon longer
than that would lose its effect, and moreover usurp the time allotted
to other preachers.
IV
In Bible study and lectures, I was under him for two years. Once we
met at Hunan Bible Institute, Changsha. There I had Bible study under
him once or twice. Whether Bible study or lecture, the method
employed was more or less the same.
1. Whether it be one book, or several chapters, or one chapter, he
would give it a very arresting title. This he would chalk on the
blackboard. There could be no haziness in what was to be
discussed. Moreover, he would subdivide the body of the message
and write it on the board. He would read these and repeat them so
as to impress them more firmly in the mind. He would explain the
contents of each section and proceed to lecture along three lines.
1. The outline of the sections
2. The important points of sub-sections
3. The main idea of each sentence to be explained in
simple language and by parable and by pertinent
Bible verses to substantiate its Biblical meaning.
In personal conversation, evangelistic correspondence, or personal
evangelism while travelling, he had his way of expression. In
conclusion the gift of evangelism that God had bestowed Rev. Ting was
many sided. Thus he had done a good work for God during the last
thirty years. Glory be to God.
125
Insight Into John Sung’s Doctrinal Emphasis
and Preaching Methods
I
―And we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose‖
(Romans 8:28). It is evident from a study of John Sung‘s life that
God had sent him to Union Seminary, to taste the bitterness of liberal
theology that he might find the grace and truth of the living Saviour
the sweeter. From a failure to obtain salvation in the sages and sutras
of the Orient, it made him treasure all the more the Word of God.
Through all his conflicts with a false Christianity on one hand and
human religions on the other, John Sung‘s solution to the problems of
life, now and beyond, was the Bible. More than ever a
fundamentalist after conversion, believing the Bible to be the
infallible and inerrant Word of God, he took a strong stand against
the higher critics. Once when he was confronted by missionaries who
denied the truthfulness of Genesis and the efficacy of the Blood of
Christ, he quoted Confucius by way of contrast. Confucius (551-478
B.C.) said, ―If I hear the Truth in the morning, I am prepared to die in
the evening.‖ Commented John Sung, ―Had Confucius lived in
Christ‘s day, he would have become a Christian.‖ With his former
encounters with Fosdick, it was an old game to cross swords with
liberal missionaries in the fields.
Though he had visions and dreams during the days of spiritual
conflict, he rarely referred to them in his sermons, except his
conversion experience. His emphasis was on God‘s Word and the
Insight Into John Sung’s Doctrinal Emphasis and Preaching Methods
132 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
reading of the Bible. Relying on the Holy Spirit as his Teacher
through much time spent in prayer and meditation, he read eleven
chapters of the Bible everyday and thirteen on the Lord‘s Day,
making annotations as he went along. This holy habit he kept up
without a break to the end of his life.
A thorough student of the Bible, John Sung knew the Old
Testament as well as the New. His sermon texts ranged through every
book of the Bible. A Premillennialist, believing in the soon coming
of Christ, he would expound Daniel or Revelation in his follow-up
―spiritual nurture‖ meetings after every revival campaign. These
Bible-study sessions, like the revival meetings, would last two hours
each session, three times a day.
Though the Bible was his only textbook, John Sung could have
used a Scofield Reference Bible, as reflected in the dates of
authorship and other dates in his Homilies on the whole Bible. If he
had consulted the Scofield Bible, he did not show any trace of
Dispensationalism in his teachings. He strongly emphasised the
holiness of God by quoting the Ten Commandments, and denounced
sins by their families under each Commandment. And since the
wages of sin is death, he spoke often on the theme of Heaven and
Hell, acting out the Rich Man and Lazarus.
When he first started to preach after returning from America, he
spoke out against Government enforcement of thrice-bowing before
the portrait of Sun Yat Sen, Father of the Chinese Republic. This, he
declared, was breaking the Second Commandment and no different
from ancestor worship. For so saying the Kuomintang (Nationalist
Party) ordered his arrest, but God delivered him. As to the modernist
missionaries‘ argument that bowing is merely an Oriental way of
showing respect, like saluting the flag in the West, Rev. Timothy
Pietsch, now veteran missionary to Japan who supported John Sung
retorted, ―If the one you bow to can bow back to you, then you can
bow. ‖
Insight Into John Sung’s Doctrinal Emphasis and Preaching Methods 133
In his theological position, John Sung was an Arminian. But he
rejected the doctrine of ―sinless perfection‖, nor did he quarrel with
Calvinism and Predestination. He did challenge those who beguiled
themselves, ―Once saved, always saved,‖ when they were living in
sin. John Sung was sound in Christology. Making Christ Crucified,
Risen, Ascended and Coming Again the centre of his preaching, his
sermons were orthodox and well-balanced. So is his doctrine of the
Church. While he was not slow to rebuke modernist ecclesiastical
leaders, he loved the people and worked with the Church, having
been nurtured in a parsonage from birth to manhood. A Methodist in
upbringing as we have noted, he submitted to the laying on of hands
by the Methodist Bishop to his ordination.
As to the mode of baptism, he naturally sprinkled. This he did to
a batch of two hundred at their request while campaigning in
Manchuria. In Hong Kong, however, he went under the water in a
Baptist Church to identify himself with the Baptists, and for the sake
of gaining entrance to Baptist territory. Now that he was immersed,
the missionary of that Church asked him to baptise twenty-one
women and twelve men, which he did.
It can be concluded from what he humorously said in a sermon
in Singapore, which is recorded by Professor Liu Yih Ling in his
Chinese publication of ―John Sung‘s Sayings and Anecdotes‖, that
the doctor was badgered by controversialists on both sides of the
Baptism question. I can still see him with that impish smile, ―Well, if
you want it from me, More faith, less water; less faith, more water.‖
Now, I hope you of Spurgeon‘s Tabernacle will not duck me under,
being a John Sung follower, but John Sung‘s stance, I believe, was
right. He was primarily an evangelist, like Paul, putting soul-saving
by the precious Blood above ordinances. He could say with Paul,
―For Christ sent me not to baptise, but to preach the gospel . . . ‖ (1
Cor 1:17). Well could he also recite with the Apostle, without
prejudice to Baptist brethren, ―And unto the Jews I became as a Jew,
that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law as under
the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that
134 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
are without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to
Christ), that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak I
became as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to
all men, that I might by all means save some.‖ (1 Cor 9:20-22). That
Evangelism is of paramount importance to his ministry over
denominational distinctions is further attested by a Chinese couplet
in his handwriting, published in Leslie Lyall‘s book on John Sung.
The couplet reads, ―With united heart and will, Let us promote the
Gospel.‖
II
In 1885, Edwin Joshua Dukes, a Church Missionary Society
missionary to Fukien Province, wrote, ―One needs to be a Chinese to
think as a Chinese, and to use such illustrations and references and
phrases as will make public speech effective... China will never be
converted through the lips of the foreigner... Not thousands of
Englishmen or Americans are needed, but thousands and tens of
thousands of Chinese with consecrated lips and hearts. Not so much
scholars as men are needed. If the scholar is tacked on to the man,
well and good, but it is the man that is needed, the brave,
true-hearted, consecrated man who can stand alone... It is time to
look for China‘s apostle. He has not given signs of his coming. When
the apostle comes, he will be a Chinese and not a foreigner. Will he
come out of the theological colleges or will he come from some
unexpected quarters, as God‘s ambassadors often do? We cannot tell;
but may he come soon! and may he shake the nation as did the
Baptist the desert!‖
What that Anglican missionary to China has said above is true to
a great extent. Highly educated missionary teachers and pastors
could liberally quote Confucius‘ sayings to find common ground
with their Chinese hearers, but how much could village old women
and letter-blind farmers perceive of the profound doctrines drummed
into their ears?
Insight Into John Sung’s Doctrinal Emphasis and Preaching Methods 135
Once I attended a Dutch Church in Amsterdam. All that I could
grasp at were recurrings of ―Jesus Christus‖ and ―Paradox‖;
―Paradox‖ and ―Jesus Christus‖. The high-nosed Calvinist preacher
with all the profound doctrines of a sovereign God paradoxically
could not make Christ known to me apart from his name. Since I do
not know Dutch, I am also to blame. The point is, we preachers
sometimes talk a lot, but I am one who after a sermon would
sometimes wonder what I was telling my people all about. When a
good old theme like John Three Sixteen is repeated and repeated in
the same old phrases and its exposition is not mine but copied from
some one, does it not fall on deaf ears?
Once a young preacher had no message to deliver on a Sunday
evening. In desperation, he brought along a Billy Graham sermon to
read it out. He was honest to acknowledge its authorship, but there
are those, as in Jeremiah‘s day, ―that steal my words everyone from
his neighbour‖ (Jer 23:30). John Sung was no plagiarist, nor was he a
phlegmatic preacher. He was one more than what that Anglican
missionary to China had hoped for. Yes, John Sung, above any other
Chinese preacher, could speak the people‘s language, to both old and
young, to the educated and the uneducated, to ancient women and
underage children. Although the doctor‘s sermons invariably lasted
two hours, there was never a dull moment, not like the dry-as-dust
lecture-type sermons droning from many a Sunday pulpit, sending
many off to Slumberland. Dr. Sung clothed the doctrine he was
putting across in vivid, lively figures, like Bunyan in Pilgrim‘s
Progress. During his campaign in Singapore, some foot-bound old
ladies were overhead saying of the doctor, ―He can make us laugh,
and also make us cry.‖
Dr. Sung excelled in allegorical and biographical sermons.
Though Wang Ming Tao did not like his allegorisings at first, he saw
the effectiveness of that type of sermon construction for the common
people. Those allegorical sermons I had heard in Singapore were not
only sound as a bell, but struck a responsive chord in my heart.
Oftentimes he would act out his sermon on the pulpit platform. On
136 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
other occasions, he would draw cartoons on the blackboard. Like the
prophets of old, now told to carry a yoke, and now to smash an
earthern vessel before their hearers, he used many visual aids of his
own innovation. Apart from a French loaf and a miniature Chinese
coffin which I have mentioned earlier, I can recollect him wearing
the rags of a Chinese gown to represent sin and a linen-white one for
our righteousness in Christ. For the Holy Spirit he would use a little
bell which he rang vigorously to show how a born again person is
disturbed by sin under conviction. As he fanned a little charcoal
stove he would lead the congregation to sing, ―Let it breathe on me,
Let it breathe on me.‖
Another observation I have made of John Sung‘s homiletics is
the employment of music. If Martin Luther has regarded music as
being next to theology, John Sung made it at one with theology. For
every message he preached he would have an appropriate chorus to
sing at intervals. For example, for the topic of the new birth, he had,
―Ye must be born again‖. For the joys of the heavenly home, he
would choose ―In the New Jerusalem‖. In commissioning the
Preaching Bands, there would be that chorus of the Japan
Evangelistic Band, ―I Will Make You Fishers of Men‖. Preaching on
the woman taken in adultery, he had composed by himself ―Shine
Forth for Jesus Everywhere,‖ borrowing the tune of ―Brighten the
Corner‖. In a message calling weary ones to rest in Jesus, he has a
most touching tune as published by my brother Dr. Tow Siang Hwa,
No. 507 Revival Hymns and Choruses. So Dr. Sung knew how to use
audio-visual aids long before this generation.
Dr. Sung believed that an evangelist is like a midwife whose job
is to deliver babies. As he preached for a verdict, he must help the
believing and repenting sinner in the rebirth process, which he
acknowledged to be entirely the work of the Holy Spirit. This
procedure he had learned in the first storming of Shanghai, China‘s
megapolis. He said, ―An evangelist must help a troubled soul to
come to Christ by giving him an opportunity to make public
profession, and to confess his sins. He must then follow up with
Insight Into John Sung’s Doctrinal Emphasis and Preaching Methods 137
words of comfort and assurance for the broken-hearted.‖ Attorney
James E. Bennett, a Bible-Presbyterian elder and soul-winner of New
York City, agreed with John Sung‘s method. When challenged by
hyper-Calvinists, Bennett quoted the case of Jesus asking Martha,
―Believest thou this?‖ in respect of His Resurrection Power as the
basis for calling for a decision at the end of a Gospel message. This
precious truth I learned from Bennett when he visited our Church in
the fifties.
John Sung believed in further counselling after confession for
those with deeper problems. This he would do all by himself during
his revival campaigns once a day after the morning sermon. At such
sessions there would be those with grievous sins needing spiritual
surgery. Restitution of stolen sums of money would be made, for
example. To further relieve the heavy-hearted, the doctor would read
from anyone who cared to write him. The writer was requested to
affix a passport size photograph to his letter. Thousands were sent to
him and he would pray over each one. Such follow- up we do not see
today! By reading thousands of these letters John Sung entered into
the problems of his ―parishioners‖. ―Truth being stranger than
fiction,‖ - he gathered many wonderful testimonies and illustrations
which he used most effectively in his sermons. His messages which
anticipated the individual problems of his hearers never missed their
mark.
While the Chinese Church fifty years ago had no national
woman pastor or teacher and very few even now, we were quite
familiar with women missionaries from England who spoke in our
Churches. When John Sung held his first campaign in Singapore, a
male government Chinese language teacher interpreted for him, from
Mandarin into the local dialect. As this man was too slow to keep up
with him, he had him stand down after one or two sessions. No other
person could fill the gap except the interpreter‘s sister. This lady,
Miss Leona Wu, interpreted so well that she became his assistant in
his extended campaigns to Malaysia and Indonesia.
138 My Homiletic Swimming Pool
This same lady, a graduate of Ginling Women‘s Theological
Seminary, Nanking (whose principal was Dr. Chia Yu-ming), was
moved to start a Bible school for John Sung converts desiring deeper
training in the Word. The result was the founding of the Golden Link
(Chin Lien) Bible Seminary in Singapore which today is 50 years old
with several hundred graduates. While we believe in the institution
of presbyters over the Church, God is sovereign to use women in
times like these. Does He not at the first Pentecost say, ―I will pour
out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and daughters shall
prophesy‖ (Acts 2:17)? In those days did He not call from the house
of Philip the evangelist ―four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy‖
(Acts 21:9)? While holding to certain set practices in the Church, we
learned from the John Sung Revival that there are exceptions. ―A
higher law overrides a lower law‖ is one principle of Church
administration we have learned thereby. (In this regard, ―No
Respector of Persons‖ by Lois G. Dickie, Ph.D., my English teacher
at Faith Seminary, USA, is worthy of our study).
We have made a brief study of the preacher‘s doctrine and
emphasis and we have made a brief survey of his methods. Though
right doctrine and good methodology are important, it is the man
who has totally devoted his life to His Saviour that counts. God had
given John Sung fifteen years, or five periods of three years, to serve
Him. Knowing the days of His service were numbered, he laboured
for Him with all His might, like running a hundred-metre race. His
devotion to his Lord might be expressed with Paul in his letter to the
Philippians in which he avers, ―Not as though I had already attained,
either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend
that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I
count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto
those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus‖ (Phil 3:12-14). If you say
that Paul the Calvinist sounds rather Arminian here, John Sung the
Arminian had more perseverance in following Christ than many
Pauline disciples who talk Calvinism.
Insight Into John Sung’s Doctrinal Emphasis and Preaching Methods 139
As an evangelist, John Sung‘s doctrinal emphasis was above the
denominational. His methods, whatever have been discussed, flowed
from his own understanding of how best he could put across to his
compatriots the doctrine of salvation he had received. Dynamic
Calvinists are not afraid of innovations! Amen.
Dr. John Sung
140 My Homiletic Swimming Pool

Sermon Evaluation Form

we strive to teach youths to write and deliver sermons that are

Biblical, Authentic, Contextual, and Life-Changing.

This evaluation tool is designed to help you assess a given sermon using these categories.

This form is also designed to be useful both for written sermons

that an evaluator reads and for sermons actually heard

in a worship service.

Ratings: 1=Excellent 2=Very Good 3=Good 4=Average 5=Poor

Youth Name_______________________________________________

Name of Church _____________________________________________

Date ______________________________________________________
Sermon Title ________________________________________________

Scripture passage ____________________________________________

Thank you for your time and willingness to complete this form. When finished please seal the booklet on all sides with a

piece of scotch tape. It is self-addressed to be returned to the ambo bole mekene yesus youth and children department .

www.fb/xiyyoota yesus/.com

The Sermon
1. BIBLICAL
Because God‘s Word lies at the center of all preaching, sermons should demonstrate that the Bible (and the specific
portion of Scripture on which the sermon was based) determined the main message of the sermon. What‘s more, if
Scripture truly is God‘s revelation, then the sermon should reveal God‘s active presence (and above all his saving grace) in
any given passage as well as throughout the whole of Scripture. With this in mind, please evaluate this particular sermon:

1=Excellent 2=Very Good 3=Good 4=Average 5=Poor

• The sermon content was derived from Scripture: 1 2 3 4 5

• The sermon helped you understand the text better: 1 2 3 4 5

• The sermon revealed how God is at work in the text: 1 2 3 4 5

• The sermon displayed the grace of God in Scripture: 1 2 3 4 5

• Please state the main point of the specific biblical text as this sermon presented it:
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2. AUTHENTIC
All Christians have, and so should display, union with Christ. But preachers in particular should exhibit their own
commitment to the faith and to the Savior at that faith‘s core. Preachers should show that they are convicted by the truths
they preach, that they are committed to living out this message in their own lives, and that they are pastorally sensitive to
(and are honest about) the challenges that face believers in living out the Christian faith. With this in mind, please evaluate
this particular sermon:
1=Excellent 2=Very Good 3=Good 4=Average 5=Poor

• The preacher displayed passion and enthusiasm for the message: 1 2 3 4 5

• The preacher‘s demeanor showed conviction: 1 2 3 4 5

• The preacher displayed honesty/integrity in applying the message: 1 2 3 4 5

• The preacher showed pastoral sensitivity in the sermon: 1 2 3 4 5

• Please comment briefly on anything the preacher did that revealed his/her passion for the text/sermon or anything that
detracted from your sense that the preacher was committed to the message of the sermon:
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3. CONTEXTUAL
The content of every sermon comes from God‘s unchanging Word in Scripture. But the context in which that Word must
be applied is always changing. Preachers must demonstrate an awareness of the culture, the issues of the day, and the
particulars of a given congregation (if the preacher is in a position to be familiar with the congregation). With this in mind,
please evaluate this particular sermon:
1=Excellent 2=Very Good 3=Good 4=Average 5=Poor

• The sermon made a connection between the biblical world and our current situation

1 2 3 4 5

• The sermon showed an awareness of contemporary issues:

1 2 3 4 5

• The sermon was delivered in language that fits our contemporary world and that was, therefore, communicationally
effective:

1 2 3 4 5

• The sermon revealed God‘s active presence and grace in our world today and in the situations people face today

1 2 3 4 5

• The sermon was communicated effectively through compelling use of illustrations and examples:
 1 2 3 4 5

• Please state briefly an example or two of how this sermon demonstrated that it was written for this current time and
place. If the sermon failed to be relevant, state briefly why:
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4. LIFE-CHANGING
The Apostle Paul declared that he was not ashamed of the gospel because it is nothing less than the very ―power of God
for salvation‖ (Romans 1:16). The result of presenting that powerful gospel should be changed lives. Those outside of the
faith should feel joyfully called to believe in Jesus as Lord. Longtime believers should feel energized for service and
bolstered in their hope and joy. With this in mind, please evaluate this particular sermon:
1=Excellent 2=Very Good 3=Good 4=Ave rage 5=Poor
• Through the sermon God reminded you of grace:

1 2 3 4 5

• Through this sermon God created, or strengthened, the hope that God is actively at work in our lives every day:

1 2 3 4 5

• The sermon suggested specific ways to look for and see God‘s work in our world and even in our struggles

1 2 3 4 5

• The sermon provided practical examples/advice:

1 2 3 4 5

• The sermon communicated God‘s grace in a way that could reach out to unbelievers or those unfamiliar with the
Christian faith:

1 2 3 4 5

• Please state briefly how this sermon showed the preacher‘s desire that the message would affect people‘s real lives by
giving hope and direction. By listening to the sermon, could you sense God‘s Spirit challenging you to new obedience,
strengthening your commitment to serve Jesus as your Lord? If the sermon seemed weak in this regard, please state why:
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The Worship Service and Sermon Delivery

Please evaluate the preacher in the following areas related to the actual leading of the worship service and delivery of the
sermon (if the evaluator was asked to read a sermon but was not present when it was delivered, this portion may be
skipped):
1=Excellent 2=Very Good 3=Good 4=Average 5=Poor
• The preacher led the service confidently and pastorally:

1 2 3 4 5

• The preacher was organized and so helped the service to flow smoothly and without distractions:

1 2 3 4 5

• The worship service was unified with appropriate selection of songs/hymns, litanies, and other readings:

1 2 3 4 5

• The prayers demonstrated pastoral sensitivity and a good balance among thanksgiving, petition, lament, and praise:

1 2 3 4 5

• The preacher made good eye contact throughout the service and made use of appropriate facial expressions and gesture s:

1 2 3 4 5

• The preacher used a variety of voice tones and varied the speed of his/her speech in the sermon:

1 2 3 4 5

• The sermon displayed a structure that was easy to follow (that is, it had a recognizable beginning, middle, and end):

1 2 3 4 5

• Please comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the preacher‘s leading of the overall service. What was done
particularly well? What could be done differently to improve the service‘s unity and flow?
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Notes to Preachers of the Word by Dr S H Tow
A. ON PREACHING
1. Preaching, simply put, is transmitting a message from God. We are ―oracles‖ (mouth pieces) of the thrice
holy God.
2. We can only transmit what God first puts into our ―system‖ (heart and mind). When God‘s Word within is hot
(like ―fire in the bones‖) then it must come out. That is ―Spirit-hot‖ preaching.
As Jeremiah said, “But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with
forbearing, and I could not stay” (Jer 20:9).
3. Dr John Sung was such a transmitter of the Word. He knew the Word ―inside out,‖ ―backward and forward.‖
In mental hospital 193 days, he read the Bible 40 times, making extensive notes, in Chinese.
4. Daily, he read 11 chapters of the Bible, with prayer. When he preached, the Word flowed “out of his belly
[like] rivers of living water” (John 7:38).
5. John Sung was an extraordinary man. He was wholly committed to God and holy for God in total surrender.
That gave him pulpit power which turned men in repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wherever he preached, it lit revival fires in a thousand hearts, some still burning after 60 years.
6. Social life was minimal. He never socialised: For him, no welcome dinners, no time for inconsequentials.
―All for Jesus, all for Jesus, all my days and all my hours.‖ John Sung lived Christ all his fifteen years of
whirlwind ministry.
7. How do we regard the pulpit? A place for ―show off‖? God forbid. Oratorical skills, eloquence and
showmanship are of the world, for the world. The pulpit is planted on Mount Calvary, the place of repentance
and tears.
8. The Chinese converts leave Saipan loaded with Bibles, sermon tapes, doctrinal books, preaching aids instead
of the usual American and Japanese electronic goods, bought with their ―life savings.‖ Back in China, they
preach in house churches, at great risk.
9. If they do it thus, can we do less?
We are not bothered by secret police or party cadres. Only the urge for social advancement and worldly pleasure
weigh us down.
10. An exchange with our Chinese brethren will do us good! Or a visit to China? Why not?
11. Worldliness dims the brightness of our witness. Sins rob the power from our preaching. God save us from
both.
12. No time, no time! Too busy, is the common complaint. But we know not what shall be on the morrow! What
time do we have before ―time up‖ and the Son of man breaks through the clouds of heaven?
13. If we cannot be sure of tomorrow, how can we be making fiveand ten-year plans? Plan—yes, for God first.
So I plan for Year End, New Year—God willing, to do this or that, in Sydney, Perth, Vancouver. If God will,
DV, you too.
14. This urgency must constrain our PREACHING, our SERVICE in every area, if we mean business for the
Lord.
B. ON PREPARING
1. Preparing—for what?
That we may be vessels fit for the Master‘s use. Vessels are channels. They must be clean and pure for God‘s
Word—the lifegiving Water—to flow through.
2. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way
in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps 139:23–24). Let the Spirit do His perfect work in us before we
can do His perfect will.
3. Bathe heart and mind with “prayer, and . . . the word” (Acts 6:4). Deep communion with the Lord in the
secret hour will open windows of heaven and make us channels for God—channels of blessing.
4. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). Study takes time, no shortcuts.
5. Memorise, memorise, memorise! It‘s time-consuming, it‘s painful, it‘s uncomfortable! But it‘s the K EY! Why
is the preaching powerless? The preacher fumbles at God‘s Word, quotes wrongly, hesitantly, showing his lack
of preparation.
6. Use Aids, Helps, from the pens of godly men: Spurgeon, M Henry, J C Ryle, Arthur Pink, John Sung, Lloyd-
Jones, Campbell Morgan, Puritan writers.
7. How I prepare for a Sermon:
a. Meditate on the Title. What does it say to me?
b. Search the Scriptures, relevant to the title. Read over and over. Pray, meditate, jot down holy thoughts.
c. Read commentaries, helps, etc.
d. Make an outline. The Theme—always keep in sharp focus.
Points which bear up the theme are like a framework on which to build. Jot down the relevant thoughts which
fall within the framework. Note other Scripture texts which support, amplify, clarify, the theme passage.
e. After a day or two:
i. Write out the Sermon, as fully as necessary. My usual is 10–12 pages of A5-size papers with ―doublespacing.‖
With practice and experience, sermon notes may be reduced in length.
ii. Write in a progressive manner—expounding, explaining each verse of the text, each key word.
iii. In the course of writing,
Apply, Apply, Apply
Build to a Climax the final Punch of the sermon.
f. Sleep over the sermon a couple of days.
Revise, Revise, Revise
Underline Key words in Red, Circle Key words in Red
g. Re-write—if necessary Rewrite, Refine, Review
h. More Prayer, many times, over the Sermon notes, for sanctified thoughts.
C. ON DELIVERING
1. The Day has come!
Nerves? By prayer and supplication, the Spirit of God takes over.
―Lord, Thou hast called me here to declare Thy Word. I am only your instrument. From Thy Holy
Throne,Help!‖
God answers! You preach!
2. Bible open, notes beside the Book. Look at your audience.
3. If well rehearsed, you will not read but address the audience.
The occasional ―down glance‖ at your sermon notes, focusing on the Key words, enables you to speak and not
appear to read.
4. Secret of Power—
Keep to the Bible text,
Verse by verse,
Word by word,
Do not digress and stray from the theme.
The Spirit will enable, give utterance.
5. Never refer to many, many different passages of the Bible.
In any sermon, an average of 2 or 3 supporting passages is more than enough.
6. A sermon worked around the Bible text, even just a few verses, will drive home a message more effectively
than a multitude.
7. Liven and brighten up the preaching with real life examples, illustrations, incidents. A few relevant anecdotes
will reinforce the sermon, but not too many.
8. Never
a. Never crack jokes simply to loosen up. The pulpit is not for entertainment.
b. Never speak of oneself, family, own business, children (unless there is a very proper spiritual application).
c. Never run down, belittle others.
d. Never indulge in ―small talk.‖
e. Never resort to theatrical dramatisation.
f. Never clown at the pulpit.
g. Never use ―street language.‖ We are on holy ground.
h. Never misquote, tell half-truths.
i. Never show off.
9. Time yourself.
A good sermon should last 40–45 minutes. A poor sermon of 30 minutes is better than 45! Do not Pad! Do not
waste words, repeat and repeat. Never fall into the habit of saying one sentence twice.
10. Self-appraisal.
Take home your message tape.
Play back and carefully appraise it, note book in hand, pen ready, and make notes: that‘s the way to improve.
11. Ask your wife / children:
Tell me, how was it?
Humility the key!
12. Keep Learning, Trying Harder.
The Spirit is on your side if you humbly ask for help!

Preparing Purpose Driven Sermon Titles by Rick Warren

If the sermon is designed to transform lives, the title must relate to life. Writing a great sermon title is an art we
must continually work on. I don‘t know anyone who has mastered it. We all have our hitsand misses.
But if the purpose of preaching is to transform, not merely inform, or if you‘re speaking tounbelievers, then you
have to be concerned with your titles. Like the cover of a book, or the first lineof an advertisement, your
sermons title must capture the attention of those you want to influence.
In planning appealing sermon titles, I ask myself four questions:
1. Will this title capture the attention of people?
Because we are called to communicate truth, we may assume unbelievers are eager to hear thetruth. They aren‘t.
In fact, surveys show the majority of Americans reject the idea of absolutetruth. Today, people value tolerance
more than truth.
This ―truth-decay‖ is the root of all that‘s wrong in our society. It is why unbelievers will not raceto church if
we proclaim, ―We have the truth!‖ Their reaction will be, ―Yeah, so does everybodyelse!‖
While most unbelievers aren‘t looking for truth, they are looking for relief. This gives us theopportunity to
interest them in truth. I‘ve found that when I teach the truth that relieves their pain,answers their question, or
solves their problem, unbelievers say, ―Thanks! What else is true in thatbook?‖
Showing how a biblical principle meets a need creates a hunger for more truth. Titles that dealwith the real
questions and hurts of people can attract an audience, giving us an opportunity toteach the truth. Sermon series
titled: How to Handle Life’s Hurts, When You Need a Miracle (onthe miracles of Jesus), Learning to Hear
God’s Voice, and Questions I’ve Wanted to Ask God have all attracted seekers.
2. Is the title clear?
I ask myself, will this title stand on its own—without additional explanation? If I read this title ona cassette tape
five years from today, will I instantly know what the sermon was about?
Unfortunately, many compelling evangelistic messages are hampered by titles that are confusing,colorless, or
corny. Here are some sermon titles I‘ve seen in the L.A. Times:
On the Road to Jericho
No Longer Walking on the Other Side of the Road
The Gathering Storm
Peter Goes Fishing
The Ministry of Cracked Pots
Becoming a Titus
Give Me Agape
River of Blood
No Such Thing as a Rubber Clock
Would any of these titles appeal to an unchurched person scanning the paper? And do they clearlycommunicate
what the sermons are about? It‘s more important to be clear than cute.
3. Is the title good news?
In his first sermon, Jesus announced the tone of his preaching: “The Spirit of the Lord ... hasanointed me to
preach Good News ....” (Luke 4:18). Even when I have difficult or painful newsto share, I want my title to focus
on the good-news aspects of my subject.
For instance, years ago I preached a message on the ways we miss God‘s blessing due to oursinfulness. I titled
the sermon, Why No Revival? Later I revised the title to What Brings Revival?
It was the same message, only restated in positive terms. I believe God blessed the latter messagein a far greater
way.
Here are sermon-series titles I‘ve used to communicate good news:
Encouraging Words from God’s Word
What God Can Do through Ordinary You
Enjoying the Rest of Your Life (an exposition of Philippians)
4. Does the title relate to everyday life?
Some people criticize life-application preaching as shallow, simplistic, and inferior. To them theonly real
preaching is didactic, doctrinal preaching. Their attitude implies that Paul was moreprofound than Jesus, that
Romans is deeper material than the Sermon on the Mount or theParables.
The ―deepest‖ teaching is what makes a difference in people‘s day-to-day lives. As D.L. Moodyonce said, ―The
Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.‖
I have been criticized for using sermon titles that sound like Reader‘s Digest articles. But I do itintentionally.
Reader‘s Digest is the most widely read magazine in the world because its articlesappeal to common human
needs, hurts, and interests. People want to know how to change theirlives.
Using sermon titles that appeal to felt needs isn‘t being shallow; it‘s being strategic. AtSaddleback, beneath our
―how-to‖ sermon titles are the hard-core gospel truth. A casual observer will not know that the series Answering
Life’s Difficult Questions was a study of Ecclesiastes,
Stressbusters was an exposition of Psalm 23, Building Great Relationships was a ten-weekexposition of 1
Corinthians 13, and Happiness Is a Choice was a series on the Beatitudes.
We have the most important message in the world. It changes lives. But for people to be attractedto it, the titles
of our sermons must capture their attention.
Illustrating God’s Truth BY Jay Adams
Illustrations are the life blood of a sermon. They create and hold interest, make a point clearer
than the mere statement of it ever could, concretize abstract fact, show how to implement biblical
requirements and help make truth practical and memorable. What remarkable service illustrations
can render; no wonder Christ used so many of them!
And you will do well to learn how to freely use them too.
―But I have always been weak in illustration; I really don‘t know how to go about learning how to
illustrate well.
Can anyone with the basic gifts for the ministry learn to illustrate sermons effectively?‖ Yes. ―Can
you tell me how to do so?‖ Again yes. But, first, let me clarify one thing.
I want to say that, in speaking so positively about illustrations, I am not advocating the string-of-
pearls sermon.
According to those who use the s-o-p method of preparation, all one needs to do to produce a
sermon is to get the basic theme of a passage and a dozen of more extended illustrations that fit
it; those are his basic materials for sermon construction. The message thus becomes little more
than a number of illustrations draped along the theme like pearls strung on a necklace. There is
little or no exposition, very little reasoning or grappling with truth in it. Rather, what one does is to
focus on illustrations rather than on the biblical passage. That is bad news; the authority of the
preacher‘s message comes from a human rather than a divinely inspired source.
No. Every sincere listener should be able to go away from every sermon knowing, at least:
1. What the passage (or passages) dealt with means; i.e., he should now understand it even if he
didn‘t before;
2. What the passage means to him; i.e., he should know what the Holy Spirit intended that
passage to do to him;
3. What he must prayerfully do to obey any commands, appropriate any promises, etc., i.e., he
should know how to convert the passage into daily life today;
4. That the authority for what the preacher is teaching is clearly scriptural; i.e., he should be able
to see that the preacher got what he is saying from the passage (or passages) under
consideration.
Plainly, if those four things constitute biblical preaching (and they do) then a sermon to be biblical
must be much more than a string of pearls.
Yet, within the framework of the four principles, illustrations hold a vital place. Without their
valuable assistance, it is difficult to achieve all four purposes.
There are various kinds of illustrations: analogies, similes, metaphors and extended metaphors,
stories, parables.
All of these should be used. The ―I ams‖ of Jesus (I am the Bread of life, Water of life, Light of the
world, Way, etc.) all have a wealth of meaning in the context in which they were spoken. They
grow out of a rich O.T. heritage to which they allude. Illustrative phrases like ―the lamb of God,‖
not only illustrate truth – they do, of course – but to a Jew familiar with sacrifice, they evoked
memories, past teachings, and experiences etc. When
Jesus called Himself the Door of the sheepfold, the entire shepherdly imagery of the O.T.
accompanied it. The connotations of the twenty-third psalm, for instance, all came alive as Jesus
spoke about Himself as the good Shepherd.
So, one principle in selecting illustrations that count is to be sure that you use illustrations that
evoke as much desirable response as possible from the listener. Agricultural illustrations, in a
rural church (when used accurately) usually will evoke much more than in an urban church. Highly
urban references will tend to have the opposite effect. Of course, the use of such references
backfires when a preacher fails to gather and handle his facts with precision (just let him start
talking about a ―mother and father and baby bull‖ and see what happens in a rural congregation;
but in a highly urban congregation, he might even slip it by without a member batting an eyelash!).
Yet, on the other hand, there is also an appeal that fresh, new material has when it is truly unique
or unusual and when it is presented in an understandable manner. The illustrator can take nothing
for granted; he must carefully describe, explain, compare and contrast what he talking about with
what is known (―the tray, of which I am speaking, looks very much like grandma‘s old tin cookie
sheet‖).
A second principle to keep in mind is that new use of old, familiar, routine or everyday material
is well received. Here the threadbare, unnoticed and droll take on a new dimension, and (in doing
so) new life. Because it is commonplace, such material continues to remind the listener of the
truth it illustrated during subsequent weeks, when he encounters the phenomenon. I have an
illustration about a garbage can that I am sure does that.
Christ‘s words ―I am the…‖ are like that; they have such an effect.
A third principle that I want to emphasize is to avoid, at all cost, canned, trite, worn-out
illustrations, and all illustrations that come prepackaged in illustration books. Find, develop, and
manufacture your own. When Jesus said, ―Consider the lilies of the field…‖ doubtless he gestured
toward flowers growing at His listeners‘ feet.
With Him, you have all of God‘s creation as your book of illustrations; you must learn how to read
it. To do so, a preacher must develop the capacity to use his senses fully. We have learned in life
not to do so. We have developed the capacity to screen out much that goes on around us; we
focus very selectively on our environment.
This is necessary in growth, but it is detrimental to illustrative thinking. As a child you could be
fascinated over a blade of grass on which an ant was crawling. Now, such things hardly ever
capture your attention. Preachers –
i.e., good preachers – have learned to become childlike once again. They open their eyes and
ears to the full range of sounds and sights all about them. They taste, and savor whatever they
eat. Their senses of touch and smell come alive again. And, from what they allow themselves to
take in, they express truth as others who have lost this ability no longer can. They are alive to the
fact that the same God who redeemed us in Christ is the One who created the world. Therefore,
there is continuity between created things and the new creation in Christ; the whole material world
becomes fair game for illustrating spiritual truth.
How does one learn to become aware of his world so that he may use it to illustrate? He must
relearn that which was natural to him as a child. I shall give you two concrete suggestions for
doing so. If you follow them faithfully for six months, you will begin to experience a great change.
First, buy a small notebook that you can carry with you. Keep it for any illustrations that come your
way, as it were, intruding themselves upon you. But don‘t just wait for them, seek and you shall
find!
As the first order of business every morning when you enter your study (after prayer) look around
it, listen to, smell, and touch what is there. Look at things you never noticed before – cracks in
plaster, holes in rugs, scratches in the desk; they all contain messages if you will only read them
carefully. Listen to that hum, the bird singing outside, the sound of water gurgling through a pipe
in the wall. What are these sounds telling you? Nothing?
Then listen, imagine, think, think, think! Run your hand over the smooth surface of the desk, the
rough texture of a concrete block on the outside wall – is there a hidden truth there? Of course –
at least 50 of them, if you will only attune yourself to them! That pen, lying on your desk, like the
human beings who may use it, has potential to bless or curse others, those pages of crumpled,
discarded thought in the wastebasket have a word to speak about God‘s attitude toward
humanistic ideas; that telephone which is your link with the outside, all these items, and
thousands of others like them, are available to you for use. Focus on one – say the telephone –
see how many different aspects of it provide illustrations. Why, the telephone alone could keep
you busy manufacturing illustrations for a month!
Now, each day, write down in your notebook at least one illustration from your study. Don‘t do
anything else until you do that. Don‘t be too concerned about how good or bad the illustration may
seem. In time, you will soon discover, your illustrations will become better and better. You‘ll not
only get the hang of discovering them more quickly, but you‘ll learn how to put them into words
more easily. Manufacturing illustrations, before long, will actually become fun.
The second suggestion is to take your notebook into the church auditorium every week and write
down at least five more illustrations fro what you see or think about there. That practice will
enable you during the coming weeks to actually point to something around you in a sermon (as
Christ did referring to the lilies) as you give an illustration (―Do you know that that chandelier over
there is…‖; ―this organ that you have heard play so beautifully wouldn‘t work at all if…‖).
Now, all of the illustrations above have to do with things. I put the emphasis on these, because
they are easier to work with at first, and a preacher should begin with them. They are good,
especially for making brief, telling points and giving sermons a touch of color and relevance, here
and there. But the most effective illustrations are stories and accounts of people in action (―A
sower went out to sow‖) and/or in conversation (cf. the parable of the prodigal son). In the
parables, for instance, dialog is often used with real power; it brings the listener closer to the story
so that he becomes more fully involved in it. Read the parables, noting all the direct discourse that
occurs) set apart by quotation marks in most modern translations).
But, how can you develop stories, incidents, etc., that you may use as more extended
illustrations? Basically, by (1) Making up your own stories (―Suppose a farmer had just plowed his
field…‖), (2) Studying good examples of story-telling wherever you can find them, and (3) By
keeping your eyes and ears open to what is happening around you in life wherever you are. When
others are idling, with their minds in neutral, you must be looking, listening, and absorbing all you
can. Jot down notes immediately; otherwise, you‘ll forget. Then, later, work over the notes, putting
the story in better form. Out of it, there will be more than enough good material to use, or to revise
for use.
After a minister has worked hard at this regularly, daily, he will notice something interesting
beginning to happen: as he is preaching, illustrations will pop into his head – out of the blue.
Some of these will be good; early on, most won‘t be so good. At first, he should wisely avoid using
them on the spot as they occur. But, as soon as the sermon is over, he should jot them down and
work them into better form later on (the major problem with them will be one of form).
This matter of form is of importance to illustration. One must think about the best ways of wording
and using an illustration. This takes time and careful thought – usually writing out key words and
phrases you want to remember when using the illustration. That is especially of those that depend
– like many jokes do – on a ―punch line‖ (or denouement). Sequence, also can be of significance.
But for the illustration craftsman, the time will come when, after having done all these things in a
disciplined way. These processes will become automatic and unconscious, so that at last you will
be able to trust yourself to use many of those illustrations that (you will find) increasingly occur for
the first time when preaching right on the spot. They will come in proper form and sequence more
and more. That is when preaching really becomes free! Then, you will discover yourself writing
such material into your outline after the sermon to use the next time you preach the sermon. But
the prelude to this is much disciplined labor over illustrating.
Because illustrations put windows in sermons that enable people to see, you must use them;
there are too many blind wall sermons at which people stare blankly for half an hour or more,
because they lack good illustrations.
You may think that you see a truth, but do you really until you can illustrate it? That is a pretty
good test of your own understanding; and it helps prelude self-deception (which is so prevalent).
Illustration reduces fuzziness in both preacher and listener. So come alive yourself to all of God‘s
creation as the illustration book of spiritual truth and, then, your preaching and (at length) your
congregation will come alive too! – J.E.A.