Preaching for Novices

You may want to pick up Fred Craddock's Preaching. It's an outstanding textbook for novice preachers.

The most important thing is to begin with the text. Read it through (prayerfully) several times, preferably in Greek or Hebrew and then in several translations. Then look at the critical history of the text (what has it said to past generations of Christians (and Jews - if applicable)?). Finally look at the contemporary criticism of the text. Liberals and Conservatives generally trust different commentaries, so which ones you use generally depends on your theological slant.

As you begin working on the text of your sermon, place yourself in the positions of the different figures in the text. Ask yourself, "How does this story look/sound to this person?" Also place yourself in the shoes of different members of the congregation.

When you're done with your first draft, read the text again. Does your sermon do what the text does? Or have you turned a text on grace into one on Hell, or vis versa?

Joshua

 

The best text IMHO is Haddon Robinson's Biblical Preaching. It has been widely used in Bible Colleges and conservative seminaries for 20 years. Robinson shows you how to break a paragraph down and summarize it into a simple noun-verb sentence. Once you have done this, you can have confidence when you stand and preach that you are accurately communicating the original author's meaning to your contemporary audience.

[ July 06, 2002, 05:35 PM: Message edited by: swaimj ]

 

"Steps to the Sermon: An Eight Step Plan For Preaching With Confidence"

By:

H.C. Brown, Jr.
H. Gordon Clinard
Jesse J. Northcutt
Al Fasol

Published by Broadman & Holman Publishing Company

 

Pray, then study God's Word, Pray more, Study More.
If God has called you to Preach HIS Word He will guide you.
It will take time to learn what method suits YOU better...wheather outlines, or preaching straight out of the Book, or writing it all down, whatever it may take.
Pray Study,....& be sure you are living it!!
Sometimes we tend to think we're doing great when we're actully not because of something in our lives. Learned that one the hard way!!
The best thing I know is be you as God wants you, don't try to be someone else, that can bring ya down faster than anything!

 

I've discovered from hard experience that it is better to choose a single verse or passage as the main source (whichever passage references most or all of what you are trying to say) and then make quick references to the other passages.

Sounds like you are trying to do a topical sermon. While that is a perfectly acceptable way to preach, it is easy to preach yourself, your pet ideas or to preach the same sermon over and over using different passages as your "text". Personally, when I preached 3 sermons a week, I would try to preach through an entire book of the Bible on Sunday night (section by section), preach sections or themes for a series of Sunday mornings, and then do more of a devotional thing on Wednesday night that was usually based on my personal devotional reading through the week.

A word of advice: Try to ensure that you read the Bible devotionally when you are not digging for sermons. You need to feed yourself (without thinking of outlines and applications for other people) to stay spiritually healthy. When you do see a good outline or have a thought for Sunday morning, write it down quickly and return to your devotion. I sometimes wonder of the evil one likes to hurt preachers by giving them sermon suggestions while they are trying to discern the Spirit's voice.

[ July 09, 2002, 12:16 AM: Message edited by: Baptist Believer ]

 

The simplest advice I could give you is begin with the text. Study the text completely. Understand it fully. All truly good preaching starts with the text. Then, show the relevance of the text. You do not have to make the Bible relevant. The Bible is relevant. Just don't impede its relevance, which is what far too many preachers do.

As for preparing the sermon, your heart must be prepared first. Then, read yourself full (study the text & read all you can about it); think yourself clear (Don't just wing it - prepare dilligently) then pray yourself hot & let yourself go!

Let me recommend some good works on preaching: </font>

• "Preaching for God's Glory" by Alistair Begg </font>
• "Power in the Pulpit" by Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix </font>
• "Preaching and Preachers" by Martyn Lloyd Jones </font>
• "The Preacher & His Preaching" edited by Samuel T. Logan </font>
• "Preparing Expository Sermons" by Ramesh Richard </font>
• "Biblical Preaching" by Haddon Robinson (I have a copy for sale) </font>
• "12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching" by Wayne McDill </font>
• "Preaching with Purpose" by Jay Adams </font>

These should get you started on the way to preaching well.

 

TomVols:

Please send me an email or PM regarding your copy of "Biblical Preaching" by Haddon Robinson that is for sale.

 

I'm sorry, they've already sold. You can get them from CBD at www.christianbook.com