How To Prepare A Sermon The First Step: The first step in preparing a sermon involves finding out what the passage of Scripture is all about. I generally preach through books of the Bible so I tend to outline the Scriptures in order to find the thought structures of the biblical writers. How To Prepare A Sermon The First Step There are three ways to outline a passage … [Read more...]
How To Prepare A Sermon In 6 Steps
How To Prepare A Sermon In 6 Steps: John Stott said, “Preaching is indispensable to Christianity.” Martyn Loyd-Jones asserted, “To me the work of preaching is the highest and the greatest and most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called.” I have been in ministry for twenty-five years or so and preaching has been a weekly part of that ministry. I love preaching … [Read more...]
How To Write A Topical Sermon
How To Write A Topical Sermon: A topical sermon is one way to teach the Bible to your congregation. There are many subjects in the Bible which you can use to create topical sermons. For example, you may want to teach on the subject of sin, temptation, forgiveness, end times, creation, giving, heaven and hell. Here are four fundamental truths that I keep in mind when I write … [Read more...]
Top 5 One Volume Commentaries on the Bible
Top 5 One Volume Commentaries on the Bible: When I studied preaching at seminary, I was taught to diagram the original text, to develop an exegetical outline from the diagrammatical outline, to develop a homiletical outline from the exegetical outline and finally to develop a preaching outline from the homiletical outline. Our homiletical professor made it very clear … [Read more...]
Top 5 Books on Preaching
Top 5 Books on Preaching: Recently I taught a course on preaching to a number of Bible Seminary students. In the process of teaching this course, I recommended several preaching books to them so that they could build a collection of preaching books for their library. I have been preaching for twenty-five years or so and I have studied preaching at under-graduate level … [Read more...]
How To Write A Deductive Sermon
How to write a deductive sermon? There are many ways to package a sermon in order to communicate the message of the Bible with the congregation. However, the deductive sermon model seems to be one of the easiest ways to preach a message to the congregation. How To Write A Deductive Sermon Let me explain how to write a deductive sermon by highlighting three important … [Read more...]
How To Write A 3 Point Sermon
How to write a 3 point sermon? There are different ways to present God’s word to God’s people. However, the three point sermon has been a favorite for many ministers and lay people over the years. In fact, the three point sermon is a favorite of many congregations because they expand and explain one topic, they are progressive and they are easy to follow. As someone who … [Read more...]
3 Steps to Understanding and Applying the Bible
3 Steps to Understanding and Applying the Bible – a Brief Overview! There are many ways we can study the Bible but one of the most helpful ways involves three simple steps: Observation, interpretation and application. Observation asks the question: what does the passage say? Interpretation asks the question: what does the passage mean? Application asks the question: … [Read more...]
3 Steps For Better Bible Study
3 Steps For Better Bible Study: We can make many excuses for not studying the Bible like: I’m not trained, I’m not smart enough, I don’t know Greek and Hebrew, I just find it too difficult or I’m just a layperson. Once we put away the excuses, we need to start somewhere and the best place to start is with a process or method that best suits your situation. It doesn’t … [Read more...]
4 Tips For Writing Sermons
4 Tips For Writing Sermons - When it comes to writing sermons, it is advantageous to follow a set pattern especially if you are writing weekly sermons. I personally found it easier to write weekly sermons by following a set procedure each week. I always start with prayer. I take some time just to read the text and observe what is happening in the text. I follow this by … [Read more...]
What Makes A Great Preacher?
What makes a great preacher or teacher? The effective teacher always teaches from the over flow of a full life. If you stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow. The teacher is primarily a learner, a student among students. Think about it! As long as you live, you learn; and as long as you learn, you live. If you want to minister to others, you need to ask God to … [Read more...]
Is Sermon Structure Necessary?
Is sermon structure necessary? Do you need to spend valuable hours in the study putting together structured sermons? What do the scholars say? Charles W Koller notes that sound sermon structure bring power to pulpit. And outline that stands out clear and sharp is the first long step to freedom in the pulpit. He also states that sound structure is helpful not only to the … [Read more...]
Can I Preach Without Notes?
Can I preach a sermon without notes? We all want freedom in the pulpit to preach dynamic messages to our congregations. But is it possible from week to week to preach messages without notes? In his book How To Preach Without Notes, Charles W Koller suggests it is possible and it should be the goal of every preacher. However, we must understand that preaching … [Read more...]
What Makes A Great Sermon?
What makes a great sermon? Is it the preacher’s personality or is it the preacher’s methodology? Yes, preachers need personality and yes preachers need methodology when it comes to preaching great sermons. However, Dr Howard Hendricks suggests that the effective preacher or teacher always preachers or teachers from the overflow of a full life. If you stop growing today, … [Read more...]
Sermon Preparation Tips
I have created this blog in order to discuss sermon preparation tips. In my many years as a preacher of the Word of God, I have deliberately defined the process of sermon preparation or what we often called homiletics - the science and art of preaching. When you write two or three sermons a week, you need to have a process in place so that you can confidently produce … [Read more...]
How To Write A Sermon Outline
How to write a sermon outline! Generally speaking, a sermon has three parts - an introduction, a body and a conclusion. The introduction usually introduces the topical of your sermon. If you are going to talk about "How To Nurture a Dynamic Faith", then your introduction should introduce this topic. The body of your sermon should simply expand and explain the topic - this is … [Read more...]
Topical Sermon Outlines
Topical Sermon Outlines! There are different types of biblical sermons. There are expository sermons, evangelistic sermons or topical sermons. You can write them deductively, inductively or a bit of both. However, this post will explain what is a topical sermon and how to create a topical sermon from a deductive model. A topical sermon usually explains a biblical … [Read more...]
How To Preach Without Notes
Let me say at the outset, how to preach without notes is not referring to impromptu or extemporaneous preaching. On the contrary, how to preach without notes is a technique when mastered will help you preach with freedom in the pulpit without being tied to your notes. Usually, impromptu or extemporaneous preaching involves little preparation; whereas, preaching … [Read more...]
The Difference Between Hermeneutics and Exegesis
The Difference Between Hermeneutics and Exegesis! When it comes to the interpretive process, it is essential to understand the four main terms used in the field of study. When you understand these four terms, you will understand the difference between hermeneutics and exegesis. The Terms of Interpretation The four terms we need to grasp and understand are: … [Read more...]