Untitled Sermon

Author

Mark Barnes

Description

This workflow is based on Bryan Chapell’s Christ-Centered Preaching. If you’re not already done so, reading the book will be a big help in following the workflow.

The majority of the questions and nearly all the explanations in this workflow are quotations from that book. Links are provided to enable to read the quotations in context.

The order of the workflow is based on appendix 3, rather than the order the topics are dealt with in the body of the book.

1.

Spiritual Preparation

TextBefore you begin, pray!

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2.

Read and digest the thought of the text

TextListen to the text, absorb it, wrestle with it, digest it, immerse in it, breathe it in as God’s breath for your life, pray over it. The greatest danger you will face is that you will focus too narrowly or too quickly on certain features of the text and, by neglecting surrounding details, will misinterpret the whole.

[Read in context]

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2.1.

Observe the text

TextRead through the passage, in its context, several times.

Expandable TextA preacher uses the faculties of observation to determine what is present. The method is simple: read, read, and reread the text. Read broadly enough to see the context. Read closely enough to identify important or unique phrasing. Reread until the flow of thought begins to surface. Look up unknown words, names, and places so that you are sure you are reading with understanding. Make sure you are familiar with the features of the text even if you do not yet grasp its full meaning…

[Read in context]

Read

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2.2.

Meditate on the passage

Question/AnswerWrite down a prayerful response for each phrase, sentence or paragraph — turn each one into worship.

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3.

Identify the Fallen Condition Focus

TextThe Fallen Condition Focus (FCF) reveals a text’s and a sermon’s purpose.

Expandable TextConsideration of a passage’s purpose ultimately forces us to ask, Why are these concerns addressed? What caused this account, these facts, or the recording of these ideas? What was the intent of the author? For what purpose did the Holy Spirit include these words in Scripture? Such questions force us to exegete the cause of a passage as well as its contents and to connect both to the lives of the people God calls us to shepherd with his truth.

The Fallen Condition Focus is the mutual human condition that contemporary believers share with those to or about whom the text was written that requires the grace of the passage for God’s people to glorify and enjoy him. Preaching… (1) focuses on the fallen condition that necessitated the writing of the passage and (2) uses the text’s features to explain how the Holy Spirit addresses that concern then and now.

Ultimately, a sermon is about how a text says we are to respond biblically to the FCF as it is experienced in our lives—identifying the gracious means that God provides for us to deal with the human brokenness that deprives us of the full experience and expression of his glory.

The more specific the statement of the FCF early in the sermon, the more powerful and poignant the message will be. An FCF of “not being faithful to God” is not nearly as riveting as “How can I maintain my integrity when my boss has none?” A message directed to “the prayerless patterns of society” will not prick the conscience or ignite resolve nearly as effectively as a sermon on “why we struggle to pray when family stresses make prayer most necessary.” Generic statements of an FCF give the preacher little guidance for the organisation of the sermon and the congregation little reason for listening. Specificity tends to breed interest and power by demonstrating that Scripture speaks to the real concerns of individual lives.

Specific sins such as unforgiveness, lying, and racism are frequently the FCF of a passage, but a sin does not always have to be the FCF of a sermon. Grief, illness, longing for the Lord’s return, the need to know how to share the gospel, and the desire to be a better parent are not sins, but they are needs that our fallen condition imposes and that Scripture addresses. Just as greed, rebellion, lust, irresponsibility, poor stewardship, and pride are proper subjects of a sermon, so also are the difficulties of raising godly children, determining God’s will, and understanding one’s gifts. An FCF need not be something for which we are guilty or culpable. It simply needs to be an aspect or problem of the human condition that requires the instruction, admonition, and/or comfort of Scripture. Thus, an FCF is always phrased in negative terms. It is something wrong (though not necessarily a moral evil) that needs correction or encouragement from Scripture.

Early statements of an FCF in a sermon may open the door to application in a number of ways. A preacher may open a spiritual or an emotional wound in order to provide biblical healing, identify a grief in order to offer God’s comfort, demonstrate a danger in order to warrant a scriptural command, or condemn a sin in order to offer cleansing to a sinner. In each case, the statement of the FCF creates a listener’s longing for the Word and its solutions by identifying the biblical needs that the passage addresses.

[Read in Context]

Question/AnswerWhat does the text say?

Question/AnswerWhat spiritual concern(s) did the text address (in its context)?

Question/AnswerWhat spiritual concerns do listeners share in common with those to (or about) whom the text was written?

Question/AnswerTherefore, what is this sermon’s fallen condition focus?

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4.

Background the Text (Where Does It Fit?)

TextThe interrogation of a text is not complete until the preacher uncovers the background of the text. Determining the background of a text locates the passage in its historical, logical-doctrinal, and literary setting.

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4.1.

Historical Context

TextA preacher determines the historical context by reading about and researching the culture, concerns, and events that surrounded and stimulated the writing of a text.

Expandable TextUnderstanding the historical situation will cause a preacher to look at the chronology of events, the biography of the people, and the details of the culture at the time of the passage’s writing and the place of the passage in the development of God’s redemptive plan.

[Read in Context]

Question/AnswerWhat is the historical context of this passage?

Expandable TextIt will help you if you have a background commentary collection to focus your reading. If you have such a collection, open the section below in a new panel by clicking on the icon in the top-right corner of the section. Then hover over the Commentaries heading, and clicking on Settings to select your collection.

Commentaries

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4.2.

Logical-Doctrinal Context

TextReading broadly enough to see the development of the biblical writer’s argument or concerns in this and other relevant Scripture passages will reveal the logical-doctrinal context of the passage through the truths God is expressing by direct statements or interactive relationships. [Read in Context]

Use the Outlines and Compare Pericope sections to quickly view the logical context of this passage.

Outlines

Compare Pericopes

Question/AnswerWhat is the logical-doctrinal context of this passage?

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4.3.

Literary Context

TextSurrounding passages, the literary form (or genre) of the passage, the intended use of the text, the narrative voice, the role of this portion in the broader book or scope of Scripture, figures of speech, parallel passages, echoes and quotations of other references, or rhetorical patterns expose the literary context of the passage. [Read in Context]

Figurative Language

Parallel Passages

Literary Typing

Theme

Question/AnswerWhat is the literary context of this passage?

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5.

Research the text

Question/AnswerWhat questions would a thoughtful reader ask of this text, if they wanted to discover what it means? [Read in Context]

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5.1.

Compare different versions

Textual Variants

Text ComparisonCompareESV, NIV 2011, NIV 1984, NKJV, KJV (1900)

Question/AnswerAre there significant textual or translation differences between the English versions require explanation or investigation? Resolve those differences using textual commentaries and/or apparatuses.

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5.2.

Pinpoint Exegesis

TextWith pinpoint exegesis, a preacher looks up unknown words or examines more fully words that, by their placement, tense, structural role, repetition, rarity, function, or relationships to other words in the passage (or related passages), demonstrate a key role in determining the text’s meaning.

Expandable TextComparing the number of times or the differing ways specific words are used (or are not used) in related verses or comparing the way specific words are variously translated can indicate where preachers should focus their pinpoint exegesis or concentrate their translation efforts.

[Read in Context]

Word by Word

Important Words

Question/AnswerNote any significant insights you have gained through your exegesis.

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5.3.

Outline the Passage (How Does It Fit Together?)

TextOutlines visually exegete the thought flow of a text and enable a preacher to see the chief features of its development.

Expandable TextThe length and nature of the passage under consideration determine which of the following three types of exegetical outlines will best aid a pastor’s study.

Grammatical outlines (or sentence diagrams) show the relationships of words in sentences. By identifying the subject, verb, object, and modifiers, complex thoughts can often be deciphered and misinterpretations avoided.

Mechanical layouts help a preacher see how entire phrases or sentences relate to one another. Whereas a grammatical outline diagrams word relationships within sentences, a mechanical layout attempts to diagram the relationships among sentences and phrases. A single mechanical outline can cover an entire passage or major portions of it.

Conceptual outlines best serve the preparation of sermons covering many verses or even multiple chapters… in a conceptual outline, ideas (or the characters and events that represent them rather than precise phrases from the text) usually form the exegetical outline.

[Read in Context]

Question/AnswerGive an exegetical outline for this passage. You might find the Sentence Diagrammer tool useful. Check your outline below against those others have written.

Visualizations

Outlines

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5.4.

Review

Question/AnswerReview the questions you noted at the beginning of this section. Answer any questions that haven’t yet been addressed. Use commentaries only if you need to.

Commentaries

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5.5.

Confirm the Fallen Condition Focus

TextRe-read your conclusions regarding the Fallen Condition Focus. If they need changing in the light of your research, do so now.

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6.

Consider specific applications

TextApplication fulfills the obligations of exposition. Application is the present, personal consequence of scriptural truth. Without application, a preacher has no reason to preach, because truth without actual or potential application fulfills no redemptive purpose. This means that at its heart preaching is not merely the proclamation of truth but truth applied.

Expandable TextToo much emphasis on duty, action, and ‘What do you want me to do?’ can leave the impression that application always requires a pastor to dictate behavior in a sermon.

Application may be attitudinal as well as behavioral. In fact, the frequent mark of immaturity among preachers is too much (or too early) an emphasis on behavior. Mature preachers do not ignore behavior, but they carefully build an attitudinal foundation for whatever actions they say God requires…

Sermons that merely instruct—don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t lust, don’t procrastinate—will lead to little spiritual maturity, even if parishioners do all they are told. Many applications exhort action (e.g., share the gospel with a neighbor, turn from a sinful practice, give to a worthy cause), but just as many should identify an attitude needing change (e.g., prejudice, pride, or selfishness) or reinforce a faith commitment (e.g., grasping the freedom of forgiveness, taking comfort in the truths of the resurrection, or renewing hope on the basis of God’s sovereignty). Transformation of conduct and heart are both legitimate aims of application…

No doctor will have much success saying to patients, “Take these pills,” without explaining why. Application explains why listeners should take a sermon’s expositional pills. Through application a preacher implicitly encourages parishioners to listen to a message’s explanations because they establish the basis, reasonableness, and necessity of particular responses.

[Read in Context]

TextBefore continuing, re-read your Fallen Condition Focus. If the application loses sight of the FCF, the message will degenerate into a handful of legalisms tacked onto randomly selected observations. 

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6.1.

Instruction: What does God now require of me?

TextPreachers answer the question, ‘What does God now require of me?’ by providing instructions that reflect the biblical principles found in the biblical text.

Expandable TextFor the guidance to reflect accurately the Bible’s intent, a preacher must discern the biblical principles reflected in the text that were directed to the people of that time and apply them to the people of this time. These universal principles are then applied by giving instructions consistent with and derived from the text that direct believers in present actions, attitudes, and/or beliefs…

Preachers must demonstrate that the facts of a text support application instructions because the instructions naturally follow from biblical principles that the explanation establishes. The goal of a text’s explanation should be to establish the validity of the principles on which the application must be based.

[Read in Context]

Question/AnswerWhat does God require of the hearers of this passage?

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6.2.

Situation: Where does God require it of me?

TextThe cure for dullness in the pulpit is not brilliance but reality. Without situational specificity, sermons will typically run out of steam after the preacher repeats the standard encouragements to practice the means of grace more: pray more, read the Bible more, go to church more.

Expandable TextThe mere exhortation “We should love our neighbors more” hardly adds new challenge or insight to anyone’s walk of faith, even if the instruction accurately reflects a biblical principle. Who did not know this general teaching before sitting down in the pew? The instruction moves from generic principle to poignant application when a preacher identifies the contemporary situations that listeners should address with the biblical principle evident in the text (e.g., loving the neighbor who supports a different political party, raises hateful children, laughs at your faith, or backs into your car and drives away without leaving a note)…

The following categories of common concern may help you begin to consider specifics in your congregation that need application of the principles in a text:

  1.   Building proper relationships (with God, family, friends, coworkers, church people, etc.)

  2.   Reconciling conflicts (in marriage, family, work, church, etc.)

  3.   Handling difficult situations (stress, debt, unemployment, grief, fatigue, etc.)

  4.   Overcoming weakness and sin (dishonesty, anger, addiction, lust, doubt, lack of discipline, etc.)

  5.   Lack or improper use of resources (time, treasures, talents, etc.)

  6.   Meeting challenges and using opportunities (education, work in or out of church, witnessing, missions, etc.)

  7.   Taking responsibility (home, church, work, finances, future, etc.)

  8.   Honoring God (worship, confession, prayer, devotions, not compartmentalizing life, etc.)

  9.   Concern for social/world problems (poverty, racism, abortion, education, injustice, war, etc.)

[Read in Context]

Question/AnswerIn what areas of life could these requirements most helpfully be applied?

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6.3.

Motivation: Why must I do what God requires?

TextApplications must provide proper motivation as well as relevant instruction… Make sure that you motivate believers primarily by grace, not by guilt or greed.

Expandable TextBelievers need to serve God preeminently out of loving thankfulness for the redemption he freely and fully provides. All Scripture labors to put this mercy motivation before us (; ). Informed expository preaching discloses the grace all passages contain and their applications require…

Guilt drives sinners to the cross, but grace must lead us from there or we cannot serve God. Christ-centered preaching keeps redemption by grace alone as central to the message of sermons as it is to the scope of Scripture…

When love motivates, then the Lord, his purposes, and his glory are our aim. Without this motivation, no application challenges believers to serve any object greater than self. Whether the explanation component of a main point or the material immediately associated with the application supplies the grace motivation depends on a preacher’s expositional choices. The application of an expository sermon, however, is not complete until the pastor has disclosed the grace in the text that rightly motivates obedience.

[Read in Context]

Question/AnswerWhat grace-motivations for obedience are explicitly or implicitly found in this passage?

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6.4.

Enablement: How can I do what God requires?

TextAlong with motivation, an expository preacher must also supply the means, or enablement, of listeners’ faithfulness… Application requires a preacher to spell out the practical steps and the spiritual resources that make the aims of a sermon attainable

Expandable TextThe power to do what God requires resides in God. Responsible preaching does not tell people their responsibilities without also informing them of how to plug into this power. Jay Kesler, former president of Taylor University, says that a sermon without enabling instruction is like shouting to a drowning person, “Swim! Swim!” The advice is correct but not helpful. It simply tells someone to do what in their situation they have no means to accomplish…

[Read in Context]

Question/AnswerHow can the hearers do what God requires? Look first for answers in the passage and surrounding context before looking elsewhere.

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7.

The sermon’s outline

TextA good outline will display unity, brevity, harmony, symmetry and progression. [Read in Context]

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7.1.

Proposition

TextA formal proposition is the wedding of a universal truth based on a text with an application based on the universal truth.

Expandable TextA sermon proposition reflects a text’s truth and what it requires… A truth without an apparent application or an instruction without biblical justification falls short of the requirements of a formal proposition… Propositions meet formal homiletical requirements when they answer both ‘Why?’ and ‘So what?’.

Some examples:

Because Jesus commands believers to proclaim him boldly, we must proclaim Christ at every opportunity.

Since Jesus alone provides salvation, we must proclaim Christ to the world.

Because God loves his children, we should worship him.

[Read in Context]

TextThe proposition melds the Fallen Condition Focus, the meaning of the text, and the application of the text.

Question/AnswerWhat is this sermon's proposition?

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7.2.

Homiletical outline

TextAn expositor needs to design a homiletical outline to create a sermon faithful to the truths of a text and relevant to the needs of a congregation… A homiletical outline organizes a preacher’s explanation, development, application, and communication of a passage’s truths.

Expandable TextIn expository messages, each subpoint is a summary of a biblical proof or feature that supports a precise aspect of a main point (specifically, a magnet clause). This means that subpoints are thought pegs—usually concise sentences or sentence fragments—that introduce the biblical material that supports a main point. Subpoints point to an aspect of a text (remember that context is part of text) that substantiates or develops the premise behind a main point…

When they have completed their outlines, expository preachers should be able to evaluate whether they have exhausted a text by seeing if a subpoint (or a main point) deals to some extent with every verse (or portion) of the text…

Subpoints organize and develop the thought of a main point. They should exhibit parallelism, proportion, and progression; each should relate to the main point in a similar fashion. Like main points, subpoints generally develop the thought of a message; they do not simply describe the features of a passage.

[Read in Context]

TextEvery outline should be

Faithful to the text

Obvious from the text

Related to a Fallen Condition Focus

Moving toward a climax

[Read in Context]

Question/AnswerWhat are the main points and subpoints that form the homiletical outline, and address the sermon’s proposition?

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8.

Write the sermon

TextUse the Sermon Editor to help you write the sermon.

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8.1.

Introduction

TextA sermon’s introduction should:

Arouse interest in the message —  indicate that the message will have an impact on listeners’ lives

Introduce the subject — say what the message is about

Make it personal — explain why hearers need to listen by identifying the FCF

Bond to Scripture

Attach the proposition

[Read in Context]

Expandable TextAn introduction should present listeners with an arresting thought that draws them away from apathy or competing interests and makes them say, “Hey! I need to hear this.” An introduction may pique curiosity, concern, mirth, or wonder, but no matter what avenue a preacher takes, the task remains the same: Get their attention! If the opening sentence does not stimulate interest when it stands alone, reject it. Make the opening words count.

Preachers are almost universally adept at using introductions to indicate what sermons will be about, but they are too frequently unskilled at explaining why hearers need to listen. Listeners must know the reason it is important for them (in their lives today) to listen to a sermon on justification, perseverance, or God’s sovereignty.

The more specific, poignant, and personal a preacher makes the presentation of the FCF, the more powerful will be the introduction… There should be no question what the FCF of a message is by the end of the introduction. Normally, a preacher states the precise FCF toward the end of the introduction in a concise sentence that acts as the obvious launching pad for the rest of the sermon. It is not enough to present the FCF in general terms—as though there is a problem out there somewhere that someone should be concerned about sometime. A preacher must frame the FCF in such a way as to make it immediately and personally apply to listeners.

An introduction might be a:

Human-interest account

Simple assertion

Startling statement

Provocative question

Catalog of mini-scenarios

The best introductions start with specifics. Instead of offering the obvious (e.g., “Some people believe God is arbitrary.”), state the personal consequence (“My friend says that because he sinned God gave his son cancer.”). Instead of opening a message with textbook principles (e.g., “God saves us by faith alone.”), speak of the human concern (“When will you be good enough for God?”).

[Read in Context]

TextWrite your introduction. Be brief (two to three minutes, or 200-400 words). Be focused. Be real. Be specific. Be professional. [Read in Context]

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8.2.

Write the body of the sermon

TextReview the outline you prepared earlier, and write the body of the sermon.

Ensure you include appropriate amounts of both explanation (section 5) and application (section 6).

Scatter vivid illustration throughout the message.

Pay particular care to the transitions between the major sections.

Remember that Christ-centered preaching rightly understood does not seek to discover where Christ is mentioned in every text but to disclose where every text stands in relation to Christ. 

Expandable TextSkilled transitions are often the distinguishing mark between mundane messages and excellent sermons. With transitions, a preacher demonstrates the relationship of the introduction to the body of a sermon, the parts of the body to one another, and the conclusion to all that has preceded it. These relationships are most frequently logical connections, but transitions are also psychological, emotional, and aesthetic links. Good transitions harmonize the conceptual and emotional rhythms that run through a sermon.

[Read in Context]

Determine when and where to use illustrations by assessing what will make a message’s application most effective. In some cases, this will mean that illustrations must focus on clarifying the exposition to allow sufficient understanding. In other instances, it is better to use illustrations to create deep feeling about a matter that is so familiar that it no longer stimulates the response it should… Illustrations work best when a preacher uses them primarily to affect the wills of hearers.

[Read in Context]

Illustrations

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8.3.

Conclusion

TextBecause listeners are more likely to remember a conclusion than any other portion of a message, and because all a sermon’s components should have prepared for this culmination, a conclusion is the climax of a message. [Read in Context]

Expandable TextConclusions contain these components:

Recapitulation (i.e., concise summary)

Exhortation (i.e., final application)

Elevation (i.e., climax)

Termination (i.e., a definite end)

Engage the heart, stimulate the will, excite the mind, and elevate the soul concerning eternal truths at this most crucial stage.

Even the most darkly convicting messages need to end with a ray of hope. If Scripture requires you to take people to the mat, do so. But do not abandon them there. A preacher who leaves a congregation depressed, despairing, and pessimistic about their sin or situation has failed to preach. Remember that the gospel is the Good News. Conclusions should challenge and lift the heart.

[Read in Context]

TextWrite your conclusion. Try to end on a high note. Hearken back to material mentioned in a sermon’s introduction.

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9.

Review the sermon by asking questions

TextWill the introduction make the hearers say, “I need to hear this!”?

Is the sermon faithful to the text of Scripture, and does it adequately explain the passage?

Does the sermon help restore our brokenness by pointing us to God and his grace?

Does the sermon center on the cross of Jesus by showing where the text stands in relation to Christ?

Is there sufficient vivid illustration to give life to the explanation and application?

Does the conclusion complete the message and finish on a high?

As you review your sermon, you may find it helpful to reduce it to an outline.

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10.

Pray!

TextNo amount of homiletical skill will substitute for the Spirit’s work. So pray!

TextThe ultimate measure of a sermon’s success is not whether it had a great introduction, a powerful conclusion, or smooth transitions but whether it communicated transforming truths. Sermons succeed when the Holy Spirit works beyond human craft to perform his purposes. Only the most arrogant servant, however, will impose on the Master’s goodness by anticipating blessing for shoddy work. We serve best when we not only depend on the Holy Spirit to empower our words but also craft them so as to honor him.

[Read in Context]

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