A Comprehensive Introduction to Sermon Options and Structures

1. A ComprehensiveIntroduction to Sermon Options and Structures KENTON C. ANDERSON Practical Exercises

2. practical exercise 1Opportunities to Preach Make a list of all the possible opportunities God has given you to preach. Think not only about the formal opportunities on Sunday mornings but also of all the venues in which and groups to whom you might be able to open the Bible and help people hear from God. Think creatively about new situations God might open up for you.

3. practical exercise 2The Real Presence of Christin Preaching Interview three to five people who have been listening to preaching for a number of years. Ask them to describe the way that preaching has helped them grow in Christ. See if you can determine two or three overall principles that can help you in your preaching today.

4. practical exercise 3Levels ofAuthority Ideas discerned from the text have different levels of authority. That is to say, some propositions derive less directly from the Bible than others. Direct biblical authority describes ideas that exactly correspond to the teaching of the text. The sermon preaches what the Bible teaches. Indirect biblical authority describes ideas that are only inferred from the text. Casual biblical authority describes ideas that are only vaguely suggested by the text. Corrupted biblical authority describes ideas that twist the meaning of the text into something it never intended.

5. (continued) practical exercise 3Levels ofAuthority Choose three sermons, including one you have preached, and determine the key ideas being proclaimed. What level of biblical authority do these ideas have? Remember that an idea does not need to have direct biblical authority to be legitimate. Nevertheless, the closer a sermon adheres to the intended meaning of the text, the more authority the sermon will convey. H. C. Brown, A Quest for Reformation in Preaching (Nashville: Broadman, 1968), 36–37.

6. practical exercise 4The Forms of Scripture Scripture texts come in many forms. Some are more deductive in approach, while others present ideas inductively. Find five deductive texts and five inductive texts. How are they similar and how are they different? How might you preach them?

7. practical exercise 5The Listener's Need Do an exegetical study of your congregation. What kind of questions and problems do your listeners have? What are the acute needs? What are the chronic problems? What will you have to help them overcome so that they can faithfully hear from God? Who are these people and where do they come from? How many different learning styles are represented? What is their level of literacy? What are some of the recent major events that have affected the congregation as a whole? What are the long-term historical influences that have shaped the theology and practice of the church? Write a two- or three-page brief that describes the people to whom you preach.

8. practical exercise 6Problems with Your Preaching Take three sermons you have recently preached and rethink them from the perspective of your listeners. What kinds of questions would they ask about these sermons if they had the chance? Where might they argue with what God is saying? How deeply do you feel these same concerns? How difficult is it for listeners (yourself included) to submit to what God is saying in these sermons from his Word?

9. practical exercise 7Propositions That Shape Our Preaching Our own preaching is shaped by principle. List five propositions that have helped shape your convictions about preaching. For example: God speaks when his Word is preached. Truth must be applied to the listener's life.

10. practical exercise 8Internet Search Search the Internet for a sermon that utilizes affective style and one that uses cognitive style as its dominant approach. Try to find excellent examples from both categories. List at least five major differences between the two sermons. Which sermon would you prefer to listen to?

11. practical exercise 9The Religious Affections Jonathan Edwards listed the following "religious affections": love, hope, desire, joy, sorrow, gratitude, compassion, zeal. Name four more religious affections and describe how they could be utilized in your preaching.

12. practical exercise 10Sense Appeal Examine your notes from a recent sermon for evidence of sense appeal. How often did you appeal to the listener's sense of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch? See if you can find at least five ways to add further appeals to the senses in this sermon.

13. practical exercise 11Paul's Points Study Romans 8 and attempt to order the arguments that Paul makes. What are the primary arguments? What are the supportive statements? Put them in logical order. Classify Paul's argument. Are his conclusions poor, strong, or sound?

14. practical exercise 12Writing "Big Idea" Statements Write a theme statement (a "big idea") for a sermon from John 3:16. Make sure it is a full declarative sentence of no more than ten or twelve words that offers both a subject and a complement. For example: "People love justice, but Jesus just loves " (1 Peter 2:22-25) "Christians win by losing” (Matthew 16:25) Choose five more passages from throughout the Bible and do the same.

15. practical exercise 13Syntactical Markers The little words in the text (yet, for, but) are significant in understanding the relationship and relative weight of ideas. These syntactical markers provide clues to the organization and meaning of the passage. The word therefore in Romans 12:1, for example, is a powerful indicator of how the application ideas to follow respond to the theology described in earlier chapters. The word unless in Matthew 18:3 shows that entry into the kingdom of God depends on our becoming like little children. Take five passages consisting of at least five verses and circle all of the syntactical markers.

16. practical exercise 14Types of Evidence Physical Evidence.Material items that give insight into the mystery. Behavioral Evidence.Clues discerned through observation of human behavior and psychology. Testimonial Evidence.Eyewitness accounts that help unlock the truth. How are these forms (or are these forms?) of evidence utilized in 1 John 1 and 1 Corinthians 15? Can you think of other biblical examples of each type of evidence?

17. practical exercise 15Moralism in Application A common problem in pragmatic preaching is moralistic applications—that is, applications that call on the listener to do better or to live better without offering the appropriate theological or exegetical support. Examine five pragmatic sermon texts (on the Internet, from books, or from your own notes). Look for examples of moralistic applications. How might they be reshaped so that they will be more faithful to the intent of the Bible?

18. practical exercise 16Sermon Handout A common practice of pragmatic preachers is to give listeners a handout for the sermon. These handouts help make the sermon interactive. People are encouraged to fill in the blanks, which engages them with more than just their ears. Prepare a handout for your pragmatic sermon, one that is suitable for inclusion in the church bulletin. Use large margins for writing in and leave blank spots that will require people to keep active as they fill in the details.

19. practical exercise 17Emotional Timeline Chart the impact of your sermon to get a visual sense of how your message will affect your listeners. On the left side of your chart, draw a vertical line and mark it one to five. This line measures the level of emotional intensity given to the sermon. Draw a horizontal line along the bottom of the chart, connecting in the bottom left corner with the vertical line. This line measures the time allotted to the sermon. Along this line, show each change of focus, or movement, in the sermon. This is your timeline. Now graph the intended level of emotional intensity for each movement of the sermon across the timeline. Study the chart to understand the shape and movement of the sermon. Having preached the sermon, you may want to make a second chart to compare your intention with reality.

20. practical exercise 18Image Storming Spend at least twenty minutes "image storming." Take your sermon theme and imagine as many images, illustrations, metaphors, and stories as possible, all connected in some way to what you will be saying. Make the list as long as you can. You will use only the very best, but the longer your list, the more likely you will be to strike gold.

21. practical exercise 19Integrating Others Dis-integration in preaching is often only a matter of neglect. Analyze four sermons written by other preachers. Identify which of the four major sermon elements (the argument, the problem, the story, the vision) are missing. Describe how the missing elements could be effectively added to the sermon.

22. A ComprehensiveIntroduction to Sermon Options and Structures KENTON C. ANDERSON