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THE EFFECTIVE SERMON

by James D. Crane

THE EFFECTIVE SERMON

BY

JAMES D. CRANE

JOHN MAC EARLS

At whose feet I learned to make my first

sermons and
Who taught me by his example what it means
to love in
Truth to the lost souls, I gratefully dedicate
this book.
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PREFACE
This book is not the work of any Abraham, but rather of an Isaac.
The author does not claim to have dug new wells of homiletical
knowledge. He only hopes to have had some degree of success in
reopening the old wells. In other words, the originality of this book is
not absolute, but relative; It is the originality of discovery,
assimilation and adaptation, but in no way that of a new creation.
Homiletical principles are as old as preaching is old. The only thing
we have tried to do has been to discover these principles, assimilate
them well and adapt their presentation to the needs of our Latin
American Christian environment.
current. Nor does the author pretend to be the hero of his story. No
one can be more conscious than he of the defects of his own
preaching. But such awareness only deepens his heart in desire to
preach better. And trust that your experience is not unique. He
trusts that many of his brothers share the same desire. For such has
The Effective Sermon been written. If the study of this book
contributes to deepening the desire to preach sermons that bring
lost souls to Christ and build the faith of the redeemed; and if it
serves to provide some practical guidance regarding the best way to
achieve such a pressing goal, the author will consider his questions
answered.
prayers to the Lord. The reader will soon notice that the book
contains numerous quotes from writers who are recognized as
authorities on homiletics. This has been done in order to reinforce
the student's confidence in the validity of the principles that the book
supports. In each case the source of the quote has been faithfully
indicated in the notes that appear at the bottom of the respective
page. To the publishing houses that kindly gave permission for
these
materials were used, the author wishes to express his most sincere
gratitude. In a special way I wish to express my gratitude for the
help received from Dr. H. c. Brown, Jr., Professor of Homiletics at
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas,
USA. USA of A. I had already begun work on my book when I had
the privilege, in 1956, of doing some special postgraduate studies at
the aforementioned seminary. Taking advantage of the opportunity,
I also attended, as a listener, the classes of
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homiletics that Dr. Brown taught to first-year students. I was very

impressed by his teaching method, which consisted of presenting
the homiletical principles in the same order in which the preacher
needed to use them in the preparation of a given sermon. To my
knowledge, no text of homiletics that has appeared to this date is
written with strict adherence to this pedagogical principle. And since
Dr. Brown, in cooperation with Dr. Jesse Northcutt, is writing a text
in English that will follow this teaching plan, I did not think it fair to
incorporate such a novel idea in my own work without obtaining
formal authorization from him. He gave it to me with great pleasure.
I make it clear that in the application of this principle I have worked
in a completely independent manner from any other author. But I do
want to give credit to Dr. Brown for the principle itself. I also make
clear my gratitude to Professor José Rivas, my predecessor in the
chair of homiletics at the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary and
current professor of Greek and Religious Education at the Howard
Payne Baptist University, for his valuable help in the revision of the
Spanish of the first chapters of the book. To Professor Alfredo C.
Müller, for his kindness in granting me part of his valuable time for
numerous consultations regarding the most appropriate Spanish
terminology for the expression of certain technical concepts of
homiletics; to Professor Juan Arellano Guerrero and Miss Angelina
Pérez Trujillo for their help in the preparation of the manuscript; and
to Brother David Rodríguez Lara, one of my own students, who did
me the favor of preparing the diagrams that appear in Appendices B
and C, I also wish to express my most sincere thanks. And I cannot
conclude without expressing the tremendous debt of gratitude that I
owe to my wife, who, in addition to freeing me from a great
accumulation of details
administrative tasks and constantly trying to keep me from
unnecessary interruptions so that I could finish this work, he made
several valuable suggestions that have been incorporated into the
manuscript.

CONTENT

INTRODUCTION
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TO. The Primacy of Preaching

b. A definition of Preaching
c. An Analysis of the Definition of Preaching
1. The preaching material
2. The method of preaching
3. The goal of preaching
d. OUR STUDY PLAN

AN EFFECTIVE SERMON DEMANDS A PREACHER

SUITABLE
TO. The Ideal Preacher is a Convert
1. The nature of his work as a witness demands it
2. The nature of your work as a ministry demands it
a) Sense in which every believer is a minister
b) The fact of diversity in this common Christian ministry
b. The Ideal Preacher Has the Personal Qualities

c. THE QUALIFIED PREACHER IS CALLED BY GOD TO

DEDICATE THEM TO THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
d. THE QUALIFIED PREACHER ACTS IN THE FULLNESS OF
THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

AN EFFECTIVE SERMON DEMANDS A DEFINED PURPOSE

TO. The Value of Sermon Purpose Determination
b. The General Purposes of Christian Preaching
1. The evangelistic purpose
2. The doctrinal purpose
3. The devotional purpose
4. The purpose of consecration
5. The ethical purpose
6. The purpose of giving encouragement
c. The Specific Purpose of the Sermon

AN EFFECTIVE SERMON DEMANDS A BIBLICAL MESSAGE

A definition of the biblical message

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TO. The Text of the Biblical Message

1. Definition of the text
2. The function of text
3. The advantages of having a text for each sermon.
4. Suggestions about text selection
5. The “homiletic seedbed”
6. The correct interpretation of the text
b. The theme of the Biblical Message
1. Definition of terms
2. The qualities of a good theme
3. The development of the theme

1. THE PRIMACY OF PREACHING

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It was the year sixty-six. From the damp Roman cell where he
awaited his final trial, the elderly Paul wrote to Timothy, his son in
the faith. It was his last letter, and in it he poured out his soul in
words of advice, encouragement, exhortation and warning. To
finish, he gathered the essence of everything said in a great final
order: “I require then before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who
will judge the living and the dead in his manifestation and in his
kingdom, that you preach the word; that you urge in season and out
of season; rebuke, rebuke, exhort with all patience and doctrine. For
the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but
having itching ears, they will gather teachers for themselves
according to their lusts, and they will turn away from
the truth the ear, and they will turn to fables. But you watch over
everything,
endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Because I am already ready to be offered, the time of my departure

is
nearby” Timothy's main duty was to preach! The most solemn
motives impelled him to do so. Pablo would soon cease to exist.
The voice of him who “from Jerusalem and around to Illyricum” had
“filled everything with the gospel of Christ” being silent, f2 it was
necessary for another voice to announce the good news. Besides,
the opportunity was passing. The times were already foreseen when
men would not pay attention to the message of life but would look
for teachers who would flatter their ears with honeyed words of a
false peace. Therefore, the present opportunity had to be taken
advantage of. Another reason was the fact of constantly acting
“before God.”

The divine eye watched him, taking note of his work. Finally, the
prospect of final judgment in which the Lord Jesus, “the Prince of
Shepherds,” would reward with an “incorruptible crown of glory” f3
those who had faithfully carried out their commission, encouraged
him to be constant and complete in his work. ministry of preaching.
The words addressed to Timothy have perennial application to the
church of the
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Mister. His main task is preaching. When Christ went up to the

mountain and called to Him those whom He wanted and established
the twelve as an apostolic body, His purpose was “so that they
might be with Him, and to send them to preach, and that they might
have power to heal diseases, and to cast out diseases.” demons".
Communion with Christ would be his preparation; healing miracles
would be credentials for his message in the transitional time of the
foundation of the Christian cause in a hostile world; the central work
had to be preaching. When the twelve were sent two by two to tour
the province of Galilee, their instructions were: “And as you go,
preach...

When the apostles asked for a sign of the future coming of the Lord
and the end of the world, he told them that “this gospel of the
kingdom would be preached in all the world, as a testimony to all the
Gentiles; And then the end will come". And when the Master wanted
to reduce his great commission to the briefest possible form, he
expressed it in these words: “Go into all the world; Preach the
gospel to every creature.” The primacy of preaching was well
understood by the early church. When Philip went down to the city
of Samaria, “he preached to them.” When Peter appeared before
the Roman centurion in Caesarea, he told him that the Lord
“commanded us to preach…” When the Athenian philosophers
wanted to describe Paul, they said: “It seems who is a preacher...

And they were very right because the apostle himself considered
preaching to be his main task, as we see in his statement to the
church of Corinth, when he said: “For Christ did not send me to
baptize, but to preach the gospel.” So much so that Paul considered
it an impossibility for people to believe “without someone preaching
to them.” “Thus we preach,” he said, “and thus you have Believed.
The founder of Christianity was at once the first among its
preachers; but it was anticipated by its precursor and followed by its
apostles, and in their preaching the proclamation and teaching of
the Word of God through public discourse was converted into an
essential and permanent feature of the Christian religion. f14 History
confirms this statement. Throughout the centuries it is notable that
the greatest understanding of the Kingdom of God on earth has
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coincided precisely with the times in which the preaching of the

Word has most flourished.

2. PREACHING DEFINED
But what do we understand by preaching? Among the many
definitions that have been developed, the best known, without a
doubt, is that set forth by Bishop Phillips Brooks in 1876 in a series
of lectures to students for the ministry at Yale University. Preaching
is the communication of truth by a man to men. It has in itself two
elements: truth and personality. It cannot do without either of these
two elements and still be preaching.

The truest truth, the most authoritative declaration of the divine will,
if communicated to men in any other way than through the
personality of a brother man, is not a preached truth. Suppose this
truth to be written above the heavens, or suppose it to be embodied
in a book which has been held to be a direct utterance of God for so
many years that the lively personality of the men who wrote it has
been almost obliterated, in neither of these cases there is
preaching.

On the other hand, if men communicate to other men something

which they do not claim to be the truth, if they use their powers of
persuasion or entertainment to get attention paid to their own
speculations or to have their own opinion made, will, or that their
own talents are applauded; That's not preaching either. The first
lacks personality, and the second lacks truth. And preaching is the
presentation of truth through personality. It necessarily requires both
elements. Without detracting any merit from this classic definition,
we can suggest the convenience of adding at least two more
elements. On the one hand, it must be specified that the truth that
constitutes the material of Christian preaching is preeminently of a
religious nature and that its center of reference is the crucified and
resurrected Christ. In this regard, Bernardo Manning's definition is
better. “Preaching is a manifestation of the Incarnate Word from the
written Word and through the spoken Word.” We recognize the fact
that all truth is from God, and we admit the right, and even the
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obligation, of the preacher to use all kinds of knowledge in the

elaboration of his messages. Like Elihu he will take his news from
afar, and will attribute justice to his Maker. f17 But it is not
unnecessary to insist that the peculiar province of the Christian
pulpit is divine truth as it has been made known in Christ Jesus and
as it has been preserved in the Holy Scriptures. According to Dr. A.
AND. Garvie, preaching is “divine truth through the human
personality to eternal life.

Andrés W. Blackwood has expressed himself in these terms: “What

is or what do we understand by preaching? It means the divine truth
communicated through the personality, that is, the truth of God
proclaimed by a personality chosen for the purpose of satisfying
human needs. For its admirable brevity and symmetry, the writer
prefers the definition given by Pattison: “Preaching is the verbal
communication of divine truth for the purpose of persuading.

3. THE ANALYZED DEFINITION OF PREACHING

It is worth stopping here to analyze this last definition.
(1) Let us first observe what the material of preaching is. It is “the
divine truth.” In a sense it can be said that all truth is “divine truth”,
since God is truth and that by creating everything that exists he
stamped the seal of his own veracity on everything. And since truth,
being fundamentally one, cannot contradict itself, a scientific or
commercial truth can be considered a divine truth. However, a
lecture on the disintegration of the atom or on the advantages of
international trade would not, in any way, be preaching.

(2) Let us see immediately what the method of preaching is. It is

“the
Verbal communication". Here is the statement of a great teacher of
homiletics of the last century: “By preaching we do not mean simply
and primarily the act of distributing printed Bibles, holy living, nor the
use of plainchant and ritual in worship, but the personal, public and
authoritative proclamation of the truth of God to men through a
man.” This fundamental idea of “verbal communication” is clearly
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revealed when examining the different Greek verbs translated by

the word “preach” in the Valera Version.

Twice this represents the translation of laleo, a verb that simply

means “to speak,” as can be verified by a reference to other
passages in which the same Greek word is used. Seven times the
word “preach” is the translation of euaggelizo, a word that means “to
bring good news” or “to announce glad tidings” or “to proclaim the
good news.” The same verb appears in forty other passages where
it is generally translated “announce.” The other Greek verb
translated “preach” is kerusso, which means “to proclaim publicly as
a herald” with the suggestion always of “formality, gravity and an
authority that demands attention and obedience.” This verb appears
sixty-one times in the New Testament. Fifty-five times it is translated
“preach”; three times

“publish”, twice “proclaim” and once “disclose”. What has been said
so far is enough to prove that “verbal communication” of divine truth
is the divinely ordained method for preaching the gospel. But it is
necessary to note that within this method there is a healthy variety.
Apart from the terms already mentioned, there are several other
expressions in the New Testament that describe Christian
discourses. In the book of Acts alone there are twenty-four of them,
such as “exhort,” “testify,” “dispute,” “affirm,” “persuade,”
“admonish,” “prophesy,” “lecture,” “teach.” , “cheer” and others. In
general terms we can say that there were four main types of
discourse in preaching
apostolic.
to. First of all we find informal or familiar speech. We have
evidence of this in Mark 2:2; Acts 4:1, 31 and 14:25, where the word
“speak” is used, and in Acts 20:11, where the original expression
(jomileo) means “to talk.” This last passage deals with Paul's speech
to the believers in Troas when the apostle “prolonged his speech
until midnight... and argued for a long time.” The word translated
“disputed” gives the idea of an argumentative speech of well-
considered thoughts. Such speech lulled at least one of the brothers
to sleep, as we read that “a young man named Euticho. taken from
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a deep sleep... prostrate from sleep he fell from the third floor
below.”

When poor Eutychous was restored to his senses, we read that

Paul “spoke at length until dawn.” But here the word is “talked.”
Although the shock that everyone had with the disaster of Eutycho
was undoubtedly enough to keep them awake, I do not believe that I
am doing violence to the correct biblical interpretation by suggesting
that the change in the type of discourse also helped to keep the
congregation awake during The rest of the night. Perhaps some
preachers of today will be able to find a fruitful suggestion in this
apostolic experience. He indicates that informal or familiar speech is
more easily followed by tired or undisciplined minds, and advises
the practice of varying the intensity of speech, even within the limits
of a single sermon, to provide mental breaks for listeners.

b. The second type of speech used by the apostles was

explanatory.
Sixteen times in Acts the verb “teach” is used to describe apostolic
discourses. This in itself would be enough to indicate the existence
of explanatory discourse, but we have even clearer evidence. In
Acts 17:1-4 we find the story of the apostle Paul's activity in
Thessalonica. Following his usual work plan, upon arriving in the
new city he first went to the Jewish synagogue, and for three
consecutive Saturdays “he disputed with them about the Scriptures,
declaring and proposing that it was fitting that Christ should suffer
and rise from the dead; and that Jesus, to whom I
announcement, he said, this was the Christ.” For the moment we
are interested in two terms in this passage, translated “declaring
and proposing.” The first translates the Greek word dianoigon ,
which literally means “opening by the process of separating the
constituent parts,” that is, “completely opening what was previously
closed.” It is used in the Scriptures in the account of the miracle of
Jesus when he opened the ears to the deaf f29 and the lifting of the
heavenly veil that allowed Stephen to see “the glory of God... and
the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
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It is the same term that the disciples on the road to Emmaus used
when exclaiming; “Did not our hearts burn within us, while he spoke
to us on the way, and when he opened the Scriptures to us”? This
word, then, which the Valera Version translates “declaring,”
indicates a completely pedagogical procedure through which the
apostolic preacher analyzed the Scriptures, delving into them and
discovering their deep and true meaning. It indicates everything that
legitimately fits into the term “exegesis.” The second term,
“proposing.” It is a more faithful translation of the word that appears
in the Greek of the New Testament. This word is paratithémenos
and literally means “placing before,” as, for example, when food is
placed in front of those at the table.

In its figurative sense it means “explain” and indicates a process of

synthesis, implying everything that legitimately fits into the homiletic
use of the word “exposition.” We see, then, that the exposition
presupposes the exegesis, and that this is the indispensable
foundation of the former, which suggests an additional thought that
perhaps does not appear in our passage, but that does constitute a
legitimate inference, namely: that the exegesis it belongs chiefly to
the preacher's study room, while exposition is the peculiar province
of the pulpit.
c. Another type of speech used by the apostles was
argumentative. We have already alluded to it in the previous
paragraphs. Its use is indicated in two ways. On the one hand, by
the term dialégomai, translated “dispute” in Acts 20:9 and
“discourse” in Acts 24:25. This Greek word means “to think different
things with oneself; mix thought with thought; weigh; stir in the mind;
argue or discuss.” In the first mentioned passage he describes
Paul's speech on the occasion of the accident suffered by Eutycho,
and which has already been commented on. In the second passage
he describes Paul's speech before Felix, the Roman governor, a
man whose intellectual preparation enabled him to follow the course
of a logical argument.

The second way to know that argumentative speech occupied a

prominent place in the repertoire of apostolic preachers is by
reading their sermons. In the introduction to his sermon on the Day
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of Pentecost, Peter employed refutation, and later, on the basis of

the fact of David's death and burial, founded an argument to prove
that in Psalm 16 David had prophesied the resurrection of Christ.
Stephen's defense before the Sanhedrin is a continuous argument
of historical analogy in which he refutes the accusation made
against him of having spoken "blasphemous words against this holy
place (the temple) and the law", demonstrating two things in parallel.
First, that he was not blaspheming when speaking of the destruction
of the temple, since God had never limited the revelation of himself
to the temple; had been
manifested to Abraham in Ur of the Chaldeans, to Joseph in Egypt,
and to Moses in the desert of Midian; and when Solomon finally built
him a temple, in his dedicatory prayer he had confessed that “the
Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands.”

Secondly, it was not he who sinned, but his accusers themselves,

since exactly as Abraham had delayed in Charan until his father's
death; just as Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery; in the same
way that the Hebrews had first rejected Moses; so they too had
been rebels against God by rejecting Jesus as their Messiah and
Savior. The entire sermon is a powerful argument, based on a
series of analogies. The material available to us in the book of Acts
is too vast for us to mention it all here. One more example will
suffice. Referring again to the incident recorded in Acts 17:2, 3, we
see a beautiful example of deductive argument in syllogistic form.
Verse 3 says: “...declaring and proposing that it was fitting that the
Christ should suffer and rise from the dead; and that Jesus, whom I
announce to you, he said, this was the Christ.” This argument is
properly an enthymeme, that is, an incomplete syllogism in which
one of the propositions is implied, but we can reconstruct it in the
following way: Major premise: “It was fitting that the Christ should
suffer and rise from the dead.” Minor Premise: “Jesus suffered and
rose from the dead.” (This premise is implied by the general tenor of
the argument.) Conclusion: Therefore, “Jesus, whom I announce to
you, this is the Christ.”

d. Finally we have the declarative speech. Here we have the type

of discourse which more than any other indicates the essential
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nature of true preaching. It is the type indicated by two very

common verbs in the New Testament: euaggelizo and kerusso .

A The first means “bring good news; announce glad tidings; or

proclaim the good news.”

a. The second means “to proclaim publicly like a herald, always

with the suggestion of formality, gravity and an authority that
demands attention and obedience.” As can be seen from these
definitions, it is a speech whose characteristic idea is that of an
announcement, a proclamation, a proclamation. It is not about
proving, but simply about manifesting. It is not a matter of passing
judgment regarding the meaning of some fact, but rather of bearing
witness to the fact itself. This was the task of the early Christians: to
be witnesses. But what was it that they were to witness? They were
to witness the most glorious Person and the greatest work ever
recorded. They were to announce Jesus and the resurrection! Such
being the theme of their proclamation, we can understand the
fervor, the passion, the zeal with which they dedicated themselves
to the task. There was forgiveness for the vilest sins; There was
purity for the most corrupted heart. There was power and victory for
the defeated; there was comfort and peace for the sad and afflicted.
No wonder the apostles said: “We cannot help saying what we have
seen and heard.” They proclaimed as heralds the royal coming of
the Savior Messiah. They announced the good news of
that in Jesus the Kingdom of God became a reality in the repentant
and believing heart. And this is, to this day, the essence of Christian
preaching! We understand, then, why Pattison, after referring to the
different types of speech used by the apostles, ended his discussion
with these words: “Apostolic preaching was a combination of all
these procedures, saturated with prayers and tears.

(3) Returning now to the analysis of the definition of preaching,

we remember that we have discussed its first two parts: the material
and the method of preaching. It remains to consider what your goal
is. It is to persuade. Persuasion was a characteristic note of
apostolic preaching. We see it both in the urgent tone of their
speeches and in the results they obtained. The apostle Peter
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preached to persuade. At the end of his sermon on the Day of

Pentecost, we read that “with many other words he testified and
exhorted, saying: Be saved from this perverse generation.” The
same can be said of the apostle Paul. When he was with the elders
of the church of Ephesus in Miletus he reminded them how for three
years day and night he had not stopped praying.
admonish each one with tears. f37 In the face of King Agrippa's
incredulous mockery, he revealed how deep his desire to persuade
was, crying out: "May God be pleased that by a little or a lot, not
only you, but also all who hear me, would be made just as I am,
except these prisons.”

And in his letter to the church of Corinth he discovered the sources

of his passion, saying: “Being possessed therefore of the fear of the
Lord, we persuaded men... For the love of Christ constrains us… as
if God were praying through us.” Finally, Judas, the half-brother of
the Lord, culminates this feeling of persuasion with his fervent
exhortation; “But save others through fear, snatching them from the
fire Such a spirit of urgency was not without its effect. In Jerusalem
we read that “they were pricked at heart and said to Peter and the
other apostles: “Men and brothers, what shall we do?... And about
three thousand people were added to them that day.” At Iconium the
apostles “spoke in such a way that a great multitude of Jews and
Greeks also believed.” In Thessaloniki
The Jews testified to the effectiveness of apostolic preaching,
saying: “These who trouble the world have also come here.” And in
Ephesus the silversmith Demetrius vented his resentment because
of the losses suffered in the idol-making business, saying: “

And you see and hear that this Paul, not only in Ephesus, but also
many people in almost all of Asia, has led away with persuasion,
saying that those made with hands are not gods. The apostles
preached to persuade. This is the goal of preaching. All preaching
has only one purpose, namely: to take captive the central citadel of
the human soul, that is, the will. Intellect and emotions are ways of
approaching that we must use. But what we must always remember
is that we have not achieved the true goal of preaching until we
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have reached the will, constraining it to make its choices in

accordance with the Truth we proclaim.

4. OUR STUDY PLAN

(1) Our mobile. The sermon has been defined by Johnson as “a
formal religious discourse, founded on the Word of God, and
having for its object the salvation of men.” A good sermon is one
that achieves its purpose. It is an effective sermon. In these
definitions we find the motive that drives us to undertake the study
that will occupy us in subsequent pages. We want to learn how to
preach effective sermons. That is, we want to preach sermons that
move men to love God and do his will, sermons that persuade the
lost to believe in Christ as Lord. This is our mobile.

(2) Our method. This is suggested by the analysis made of the

definition of preaching. This analysis shows us that the nature of
preaching is revealed through the study of the sermons preached.
How do we know that preaching is about “divine truth”? By
examining the content of the sermons that have been blessed by
the Lord. Why do we say that the method of preaching is “verbal
communication”? Because this is the way in which the apostles
made the truth known when they preached, and because throughout
the centuries it has been the most effective method.
What is the reason for insisting that preaching is “for the purpose of
persuading”? For both the spirit and the effect of effective sermons
—those we find in the New Testament as well as those we find in
subsequent centuries—reveal this purpose.

In other words, the nature of preaching has been discovered

through the examination of effective sermons. The same is true
regarding the rules of homiletics. These were derived from the
careful study of sermons that had an effect on their listeners. It is of
utmost importance to understand this relationship between the
practice and theory of preaching. First is practice. Then comes an
examination of the practice in order to analyze it and know what its
excellences and faults consist of. From the study carried out, the
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conclusions are formulated, and these become rules or principles

useful for the instruction of those who want to preach well. The
practice gives rise to
theory, and this influences subsequent practice. This truth has not
been given the emphasis it deserves. It is a historical fact that

The teaching of rhetoric among the Greeks (the first teachers of this
science) had its origin in the analysis of effective speeches. It is
equally true that throughout the centuries of Christian history, the
teaching of preaching theory has always followed the study of
sermons that moved and edified their listeners. In other words, the
art and science of preaching are learned through the study of good
sermons. So our plan of study will be to present the essential
requirements of the effective sermon, as these have been observed
by competent students of preaching, and to present them in the
order in which the preacher needs to master them in the preparation
of his own sermons. . These requirements are seven, namely:

to. A suitable preacher;

b. A defined purpose;
c. A biblical message;
d. A good arrangement;
and. A proper preparation;
F. A persuasive communication; and
g. The variety from week to week.
As we come to understand these requirements and put them into
practice, we will learn to preach with power.

THE EFFECTIVE SERMON

DEMAND A QUALIFIED PREACHER
As we saw in the previous chapter, the personality of the preacher
constitutes one of the essential elements of preaching. It is
important that we emphasize this element. The relationship between
the preacher and his message is not mechanical but vital. A
mechanical relationship could be illustrated by the work of the
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telegrapher. It does not matter whether his moral character is good

or bad. As long as you touch the key of your device accurately, the
message entrusted to you will be transmitted with complete fidelity.
Not so with the preacher. It maintains a vital relationship with its
message. Exactly as the cleanliness of the glass influences the
purity of its liquid contents, so the character of the preacher affects
the purity and power of his message.

“This fact was what made Emerson say that the important thing is
not what you learn, but who you learn with.” f47 For this reason,
among the requirements of an effective sermon we have put the
suitability of the preacher in first place. In our discussion we will see
that the ideal preacher is characterized by four fundamental traits.

1. THE QUALITY PREACHER IS CONVERTED

To people well grounded in New Testament teachings, this
statement may seem too obvious to need discussion. But the history
of preaching records so many cases of unredeemed men occupying
“Christian” pulpits that we dare not miss the point. Without stopping
to enumerate the fatal consequences produced by the preaching of
unsaved men, we will consider from a positive point of view the
main reason for insisting that he who preaches the gospel must first
be converted, namely: the nature of the work demands it. .

(1) The nature of his work as a witness demands it. In chapter

twenty-six of Acts we find Paul's speech before King Agrippa.
Among other things, the apostle recounts his experience on the
road to Damascus. We are interested here in the words of Christ,
recorded in verse sixteen: “But arise and stand on your feet; for for
this purpose I have appeared to you, to make you a minister and
witness of the things that you have seen, and of those in which I will
appear to you.” These words constitute not only Paul's divine
commission but a clear indication of the fundamental nature of the
work of every true preacher. This work is double in nature: it is a
testimony and a ministry. And both one and the other presupposes
the conversion of the preacher. The preacher is a witness.
 19

Like his Savior he declares that “what we know we speak, and what
we have seen we testify.” With Peter he insists that “we have not
made known to you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, following fables composed by art; but as having seen his
majesty with our own eyes.” f50 And with John he affirms that “what
we have seen and heard, we declare to you.” But the fact of being a
witness presupposes a personal experience of that which
constitutes the subject of the testimony. What the preacher
proclaims must have been experienced
first. And since the basic message of every preacher is the
proclamation of the good news of salvation in Christ, it follows that
the most basic condition for being a preacher of the gospel is to be
converted.

(2) The nature of his work as a minister demands it.

to. In relation to this point, we must first understand what the
meaning of the term “minister” is. And when we understand what
this means, we will understand that only an experience of spiritual
regeneration can make it possible. The word “minister” in the
passage we are discussing is the translation of the Greek word
juperetes, a word that appears twenty times in the New Testament
f52 and means “a subordinate oarsman; anyone who serves with his
hands; a servant; anyone who helps another in some work; a
helper.” Trench tells us that it is a military term that originally
designated the oarsman who crewed a war galley.

Later it came to mean one who performed any arduous and difficult
physical work, and finally it came to designate the subordinate
military officer (the orderly) who awaited and carried out the orders
of his superior. In the Valera Version this term is translated
“minister” ten times; five times it is translated “servant”; twice,
respectively, “minister” and “servant”; and once “sheriff”, So when
we talk about “ministry” we are talking about service and
subordination. Morgan says: The idea of dignity, or of official
importance, or of prerogative is completely foreign to the word.

Of course, there is dignity in all service, and there are prerogatives

inherent in service; but these result from the nature of the work that
 20

has to be done, and exist only so that it can be done completely.

The word “ministry” connotes subordination, submission; and
necessarily implies diligence and fidelity. All this is contrary to the
spirit of the natural man. Such a person is selfish and rebellious to
the will of God. f55 Only through the miracle of the new birth can
one become a minister in the true sense of the word.

b. Secondly, we must remember that there is a true sense in

which every believer is a “minister.” All of us who are saved have
been called to serve. The night before his crucifixion the Savior said
to his apostles: “I chose you; and I have appointed you to go and
bear fruit. Peter, speaking of all the Lord's people, says: "But you
are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy people, a special
people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who has called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light." Paul explains that we
are “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared for
us to walk in.” Santiago
strongly declares “that faith without works is dead.” John insists that
“we love not in word or tongue, but in deed and in truth.” And the
author of the Epistle to the Hebrews says: “And do not forget to do
good and to communicate: for God is pleased with such sacrifices.”
In this sense, every Christian is a “minister.”

c. But within this common Christian ministry there is great

diversity. We are not all called to serve in the same capacity. The
Scriptures affirm that “to each one is given the manifestation of the
Spirit for the general good,” indicating that we are all qualified for
some service. But they also affirm that "there is a diversity of gifts...
there is a diversity of ministries... and there is a diversity of
operations" indicating that both the individual capacity of each
believer and the particular sphere of their service and the specific
results of their work will be distinct and in accordance with the
sovereign direction of the Triune God. “There is a diversity of
ministries,” but in all of them the fundamental idea is that of service
and subordination.

Therefore, when the early church appointed seven brothers “of

good report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” to take charge of the
 21

“daily ministry,” thus allowing the apostles to persist “in prayer, and
in the ministry of “the word” was not for the purpose of establishing
an ecclesiastical hierarchy, but simply to distribute responsibilities to
facilitate the development of the total program of the church. When
making this distribution, it was established that the prosperity of the
church requires, among other things, that there be a “ministry of the
word.” To this ministry we will now turn our attention.

d. The most complete description of this specialized ministry of

the preacher (the ministry of the Word) is found in Ephesians 4:8-
12. The passage indicates that when Christ ascended to heaven, he
gave gifts to his church in order to equip each believer for his
particular service and thus achieve the edification of the entire body.
These gifts consisted “of some being apostles, others prophets,
others evangelists, others pastors and teachers.”

(a) The apostles were called to be with Christ in intimate

communion and to bear authoritative testimony to the truth of God,
as it was revealed in Jesus. They had seen the Lord and witnessed
his resurrection. They constituted, together with the prophets of the
new dispensation, the foundation of the church, Christ himself being
the main cornerstone. f67 And his teaching was an essential part of
the fourfold bond that held the early believers together. His work
remains the unalterable foundation upon which all who act in the
ministry of the Word must build. In this sense they had no
successors.

(b) To appreciate the role of the New Testament prophets, we

need to know the meaning of their name and examine the
history of their actions. The prophet is “one who makes known the
counsel of God with the clarity, energy and authority that comes
from the consciousness of speaking in the name of God, and of
having received directly from him a message to deliver... Of the
prophet, both of the Old Testament and of the New, we can with
equal confidence affirm that he is not primarily but incidentally one
who predicts future things, being rather one who has been taught of
God and who makes his will known (Deuteronomy 18: 18; Isaiah 1;
Ezekiel 2; 1 Corinthians 14:3). Thayer defines the prophet as “an
 22

interpreter or spokesperson for God; one through whom God

speaks; one who speaks by divine inspiration.” When we examine
the history of their actions we discover that they sometimes
predicted future events, f71 but more commonly they spoke under
the direct influence of the Spirit of God (although without losing self-
control) to express in passionate (but intelligible) language what the
Spirit He taught them, with the purpose of instructing, consoling,
stimulating, rebuking, rebuking and inspiring his listeners.

(c) The evangelist, as his name indicates, was involved in

announcing the good news of salvation. Thayer says that in the
New Testament the name is given to those who, without being
apostles, were heralds of salvation through Christ. The truth is that
the name is only mentioned three times in the New Testament: in
the passage we are commenting on; in Acts 21:8, where Philip is
called “evangelist”; and in 2 Timothy 4:5, where Paul exhorts
Timothy to do “the work of an evangelist.” But the idea is quite clear.
The evangelist is a preacher of the good news of salvation in Christ
to the unconverted world. He could also be called a missionary.

(d) The expression “pastors and teachers” seems to designate

a single class of workers. They were the same ones who in other
passages of the New Testament are called “elders” or “bishops.”
They were mainly responsible for the edification of believers through
teaching and monitoring the development of their spiritual life. But
what does all this mean for us? It makes us see clearly, not only
what “the ministry of the Word” was in New Testament times, but
what it should be today and always. This ministry must be apostolic,
prophetic, evangelistic and pastoral. It must be apostolic in the
sense of basing its message on “the faith delivered once for all to
the saints.” It must be prophetic in the sense of delivering its
message under the direct impulse of the Holy Spirit and in order to
satisfy the spiritual needs of the listeners. It must be evangelistic or
missionary in its urgency to bring lost souls to Christ as savior. It
must be pastoral in its constant and self-sacrificing efforts to edify
believers in Christ as Lord.
 23

2. THE QUALITY PREACHER HAS THE QUALITIES

INDISPENSABLE PERSONS FOR THE GOOD
PERFORMANCE OF THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

The performance of a specialized ministry such as the one just

described requires the possession of certain indispensable personal
qualities. The most complete list of these is found in 1 Timothy 3:2-7
A careful study of the fifteen considerations set forth therein reveals
that the apostle emphasizes three fundamental things, namely;
moral conduct, spiritual maturity and aptitude to teach.

(1) The moral conduct of the preacher must be

“irreproachable.” This is a very strong expression. It means not
only that there must be no accusation against him, but that it must
be impossible to make an accusation against him that could
withstand investigation. His conduct must be such as to leave the
adversary no possible basis for reviling his vocation.

to. So vital is this question of conduct that the apostle

specifies some of its most important aspects. Firstly, it talks
about the domestic life of the preacher, dealing with marital fidelity,
the guidance of children and the hospitable spirit that the home
should manifest.
b. Secondly, the preacher's conduct must be irreproachable
outside the home. The apostle limits himself here to two kinds of
relationships: social dealings and commercial dealings. As for the
former, he makes us see that the minister must be “not given to
wine, not violent, but kind, not quarrelsome.” In all these
expressions, emphasis is placed on the need to have what we
sometimes call “people skills.” The preacher must know how to get
along with the people around him, but without participating in their
vices.To maintain cordial relations with others, on the one hand, a
non-violent disposition is needed. The idea is that you should not be
easily offended.

(2) Furthermore, the good performance of the ministry of the

word requires spiritual maturity. “Not a neophyte, lest he become
conceited and fall into the same damnation as the devil.” f87 In the
Latin American Version the word “neophyte” is translated “newly
 24

converted.” But we must not believe that the fact that a long time
has passed since someone converted to Christ is an infallible
indication of spiritual maturity. An example of the opposite were the
Hebrew Christians, to whom the inspired author had to say:
“Because you should already be teachers because of time, you
need to be taught again what are the first rudiments of the words of
God; and you have become such that you have need of milk, and
not of solid food.

That anyone who partakes of the milk is unskilled in the word of

righteousness, because he is a child; but firm food is for the perfect,
for those who by habit have their senses exercised in the
discernment of evil. This question of spiritual maturity involves the
possession and development of the qualities indicated by the
apostle with the adjectives "sober," prudent” and “decorous.” These
could, with equal propriety, be translated “moderate,” “judicious,”
and “orderly.” The first indicates that the preacher should not be
given to excess of any nature. That is, he should not have an
extreme temperament. The second involves two ideas: the
possession of what we sometimes call “common sense”; and the
exercise of self-control. The last points out the need, not only for
decent behavior, but for a discipline of regularity and good habits in
all aspects of life, both physically, intellectually and spiritually. As
the servant of God surrenders his being to the dominion of the Spirit
of Christ, these virtues will increase in him.

(3) Finally, the good performance of the ministry of the word

requires the possession of what the apostle calls “aptitude to
teach.” Two things are implicit in this aptitude: first, the possession
of a certain natural ability, and second, the acquisition of knowledge.
In relation to the first, Spurgeon's apt words fit: “God certainly did
not create the hippopotamus to fly: and even if the leviathan had a
strong desire to soar with the lark, that would evidently be a foolish
inspiration, since it is not provided for. of wings.” The “wings” that
the preacher needs to be provided with are: “Clear reasoning,
strong feelings and vigorous imagination as well as the ability to
express oneself and the power of enunciation. As for the knowledge
that the preacher needs to acquire, we will have to put in first place
 25

the knowledge of God in a personal experience of salvation. But in

addition to this, he needs the broadest and most solid knowledge
possible of at least three things: the Scriptures, human nature and
the general culture of the people to whom he preaches, including
their history, their language, their literature, their customs and their
psychology. particular.

3 THE QUALIFIED PREACHER ACTS IN THE

FULLNESS OF THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
(1) The model of apostolic times makes us see that this is how
it should be. Before ascending to heaven the Lord said to his
disciples: “And behold, I will send the promise of my Father upon
you: but settle ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with
power from on high.” In obedience to the divine command they
waited, persevering “with one accord in prayer and supplication...
And as the days of Pentecost were fulfilled... they were all filled with
the Holy Spirit” and consequently, three thousand souls were added
to the Lord. After a night of imprisonment, Pedro and Juan were
interrogated

by the Sanhedrin regarding the healing of the lame man at the

Beautiful Gate of the temple. Peter responded, being “filled with the
Holy Spirit” and the impact of his speech was such that the
authorities “wondered; and they knew them that they had been with
Jesus.” Faced with the threats of the council and the strict
prohibition that “they should in no way speak or teach in the name of
Jesus”, the apostles gathered the church, and together they
presented the situation to the Lord. “And when they had prayed, the
place where they were gathered together was shaken: and they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with
confidence.” Stephen was a man “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom”
and when he argued with the Jews in the synagogues of Jerusalem,
“they could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he
spoke.” Unable to win the argument, his enemies stoned him. But in
the midst of the rain of stones, “being filled with the Holy Spirit,” he
 26

saw the glory of God and prayed for his murderers, and the power
of his testimony at the time of death left a sting of conviction
embedded in Saul's heart that The long one brought him to the feet
of Christ Jesus. Barnabas also “was a good man, and full of the
Holy Spirit and faith” and by virtue of this “much company was
added to the Lord.” And when the missionary work was hindered in
Cyprus by Elymas, we read that the apostle Paul, “full of the Holy
Spirit” rebuked the enchanter and the punishing hand of God fell on
him, leaving him blind, and the cause of Christ prospered in the
conversion of the Roman proconsul.

(2) The apostolic mandate also instills this duty in us. In view of
such results, we can understand the reason for the Lord's
unequivocal command: "And do not get drunk with wine, in which is
debauchery: but be filled with the Spirit."

to. Every true believer has the Holy Spirit. All of us who are
saved have the Spirit of God. We are regenerated by his power,
and sealed by him for the day of redemption. His testimony in our
hearts assures us of our quality as children of God, while giving us a
foretaste of the ineffable glories that await us in the presence of the
Lord. But despite all this, many times we are not “filled with the
Spirit.” And the reason is not difficult to find.
b. There are certain sins that the believer can commit against
the Holy Spirit. There are two: It can “make you sad” and it can
“turn you off.” According to the context, we understand that the first
consists of yielding “to the old man who is corrupted according to
the desires of error.” Lying, anger, theft, laziness, selfishness,
clumsy words and an unforgiving spirit are the manifestations of the
“old man” that the passage gets. The list is suggestive only. These
sins manifest in the life of the believer when he “gives place to the
devil.” The Holy Spirit dwells in your heart. You have the right to be
the only tenant of it. But when the believer gives way to the devil,
giving him room in his heart, he in effect commits spiritual adultery,
and the Spirit of God is grieved and prevented in his desire to
manifest himself with power.
But what do we mean by “quenching the Spirit”? Of course, it does
not mean completely extirpating it from our hearts, since that would
 27

mean the loss of our salvation and would be an absolute

contradiction of the general tenor of New Testament teaching. We
must understand the expression, therefore, in a relative and not
absolute sense. The context in which it appears, as well as two
other passages of the New Testament, helps us understand it.

Will. In Romans 14:17 we read that “the kingdom of God is not food
and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy through the Holy
Spirit.” And in Ephesians 5:9 we have the statement: “For the fruit of
the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth.” In both
texts the word “justice” refers, not to the righteousness of Christ
which is the basis of our salvation, but to the righteous acts of the
individual believer, which constitute the evidence and manifestation
of his
condition of a regenerated person. Furthermore, these texts declare
that such acts of righteousness are “by the Spirit” and “the fruit of
the Spirit.” c. There are also positive conditions to be filled with the
Holy Spirit. The preacher, as well as any believer, needs to be
careful not to fall into the two sins we just discussed. But the best
way to avoid it is through a positive action program. First, there must
be an unreserved surrender of your entire being to the absolute
sovereignty of Christ. Your talents need to be dedicated to the glory
of Christ. Your ambitions need to be sublimated by devotion to
Christ. Their intimate motives need to be purified by the constant
scrutiny of Christ the Lord.

Such surrender can be consummated at the very moment in which

Christ is received as Savior. That would be ideal, and there is
nothing in the nature of the case to prevent it from being so.
However, in most cases, this unconditional surrender usually comes
to a crisis in an experience of dedication that is subsequent to
conversion. But be this as it may, it is necessary that the initial
decision be supported by a continuous attitude of dedication.
Exactly as we have to ask for daily bread, we have to give ourselves
day by day on the altar of our God. Furthermore, the preacher
needs to maintain unbroken communion with his Lord through a
daily discipline of devotional Bible reading and prayer. The Bible is
his bread and prayer is the air that his soul breathes. You cannot
 28

thrive spiritually without food and breath. In the freshness of the

morning the preacher must open his ear to the voice of God, letting
the Spirit speak to him through the sacred page. Without thinking
about sermons to preach to others , he will seek the sustenance of
his own heart. And then, like his
Savior, will prostrate his soul before the Father in adoration, in
supplication
intercessor and in seeking succor for their own needs.

THE EFFECTIVE SERMON

DEMAND A DEFINED PURPOSE
Next to the personal suitability of the preacher there is no factor of
greater importance in the preparation of an effective sermon than
the determination of the specific purpose which the preacher intends
to achieve with his message. This truth has been emphasized by
many of the princes of the Christian pulpit. The following quotes are
samples of the general opinion of those who have written on the
subject. Analyzing the qualities that contribute to the effectiveness
of the sermon... I put precision of purpose first. Every sermon must
have a clear goal in view... Before sitting down to prepare his
speech, the preacher should always ask himself: What is my
purpose in this sermon? And he must not take a single further step
until he has formulated in his mind a definite answer to this
question. The first requirement of an effective sermon is that it have
a definite purpose... In preparing a sermon the minister must
determine his purpose before formulating his topic or choosing his
text. What do I want to accomplish this coming Sunday morning in
this congregation through this talk? This is the first question the
preacher must ask himself. Before ascending the pulpit, we must
define our purpose in simple and exact terms. Let us clearly
formulate the goal we pursue... Let's take up the pen and to banish
all danger of ambiguity, let's write down on paper what our purpose
and our ambition for the day are. Let us give it all the objectivity of a
sailor's chart: let us examine our route and constantly contemplate
the port at which we want to arrive. If at the moment of ascending to
the pulpit an angel stops us, demanding the declaration of our
 29

mission, we must be able to respond immediately, without delay or

hesitation, saying: “This or that is the urgent command that I carry
out today for my Lord.

1. THE VALUE OF DETERMINING THE PURPOSE OF THE

SERMON
Determining the defined purpose of the sermon brings great benefits
both to the preacher himself and to his congregation.

(1) First, the practice of beginning the preparation of each

message with the formulation of the specific purpose to be
achieved constitutes a timely reminder to the preacher that his
sermon is a means and not an end. “Sermons are tools.” This
concept is of capital importance.

(2) Furthermore, setting a definite purpose for each sermon

forces the preacher to depend on God. Your task is difficult and
your opportunity fleeting. It only has the present moment, and in the
short period of thirty or forty minutes it has to awaken interest,
illuminate the understanding, convince the reason, rebuke the
conscience and captivate the will, all in relation to a specific thing,
namely: the purpose of the sermon.

(3) It can also be said that determining the specific purpose of

the sermon constitutes an indispensable guide in the
preparation of the message. Purpose governs the choice of text;
influences the formulation of the theme; indicates which
manufacturing materials are suitable and which are not; advises the
best order for the divisions of the plan; and determines the way in
which the message should be concluded.

(4) Finally, the determination of the purpose of the sermon

gives powerful reason to expect fruits from it to the glory of
God. “Too many times the preacher aims at nothing, nor hits the
target. Generally considered one of the best evangelical preachers
of the nineteenth century, he testified to the transformation wrought
in his own preaching when he learned to “take aim” with his
sermons. He had been preaching for about two and a half years, but
 30

without results. The sterility of his ministry caused him great

concern. His discontent increased as he meditated on the marked
contrast between the results obtained by the apostles' sermons and
the nullity of effect produced by his own speeches. He decided to
find out what the difference was. After an analysis of the sermons
recorded in the book of
Acts, reached the following conclusion: that the apostles adapted
the presentation of their messages to the condition and needs of
their listeners.

2. THE GENERAL PURPOSES OF PREACHING

In previous pages we saw that it is possible to define preaching as
“the truth of God proclaimed by a chosen personality for the purpose
of satisfying human needs” f160 This definition equates the total
purpose of preaching with the sphere of human needs. It is
appropriate to ask, then, what these needs consist of, because the
definition of the general purposes of Christian preaching depends
on the answer to this question.

Undoubtedly, the most concise answer would be to say that human

needs can be reduced essentially to one thing, namely: the need for
spiritual life. But humanity is divided into two large camps. Part of it
is saved, and part of it is not. Much of them walk “according to the
condition of this world, according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience” being
“by nature children of wrath.” Others have been “made near by the
blood of Christ,” having “entered by the same Spirit into the Father,”
no longer being “strangers, not aliens, but citizens together with the
saints, and domestics of God.” Both groups have a need for spiritual
life, but with the former it is the need for acquisition, and with the
latter, the need for
development. The former need to be regenerated, the latter need to
grow “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.” Both are included in Christ's declaration: “I have come that
they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” We
see, therefore, that it is necessary to establish a minimum of two
general purposes for Christian preaching: the evangelization of the
lost and the edification of believers.
 31

(1) The evangelistic purpose. This is to persuade the lost to

receive Christ Jesus as their personal Savior. Sermons that have
this primary purpose are classified as evangelistic sermons.
Evangelistic preaching is characterized by four fundamental
features. First, it states the fact of the lost condition of the natural
man. The whole nature of man, every element and faculty of his
being, has been weakened and depraved by sin. Body, soul and
spirit have fallen under his power. Man's mind has been darkened,
his heart depraved, his will perverted, by sin. Man is in moral
darkness and needs spiritual illumination; is in a state of

condemnation and needs justification: he is a captive of Satan and

needs freedom; He has a perverted heart and needs regeneration.
Scripture confirms the accuracy of this gloomy picture. According to
them, man was born in sin, his natural inclination is perverse; By his
own will and fault he has strayed from the right path; live under
anger and
Divine condemnation; and is totally incapable of saving himself.
Furthermore, evangelistic preaching proclaims the true facts of
Christ's redemptive work and interprets their meaning. Christianity is
a historical religion. His life springs from certain historical facts and
with these he is identified in such a way that apart from them he
cannot remain standing. These facts constitute the gospel—the
good news of God's intervention in the course of human history to
redeem man and restore him to fellowship with his Creator. We find
the narration of these events in the New Testament. They are as
follows:

The prophecies have been fulfilled and a New Day was inaugurated
by the advent of Christ; This one was born of the seed of David; He
died according to the Scriptures to redeem us from this present evil
age; was buried; He rose again on the third day according to the
Scriptures; He has been exalted to the right hand of God as the Son
of God and Judge of the living and the dead; and will come again as
Judge and Savior Repentance is an internal change in relation to
sin; change effected by the Spirit of God and which affects the entire
personality. It is an intellectual change: a change of mind. It
 32

encompasses an understanding of the enormity of sin;

understanding that sin springs from a natural

perverse; that it manifests itself in an attitude of rebellion and

ingratitude towards God; and that it results in failure, in failing to
achieve the goals of true justice and happiness. It is also an
emotional change: a change of feeling. It is not a simple fear of
punishment nor a remorse of conscience, but a sincere regret for
having offended a God of love and goodness. It is the “Godly pain,”
consisting of a “broken spirit” and a “contrite and humbled heart.”
Finally, it is a volitional change: a change of purpose.

(2) The doctrinal purpose. This is the didactic purpose, that is, to
instruct believers, making them see the meaning of the great truths
of the Christian faith and indicating how these have practical
application to daily life. Sermons that have this main object are
classified as doctrinal sermons . The fundamental characteristic of
doctrinal preaching is its emphasis on teaching. In this he follows
the example of the New Testament preachers. Jesus himself
devoted most of his energies to instruction. This emphasis is evident
in the fact that he was generally recognized as a Teacher (forty-five
times he is called that in the four Gospels) and that the favorite term
with which he designated his followers was “disciple” a word that
means “student” or “ student". We also see it in the fact that upon
ascending to heaven he commissioned his church with a task of
evangelization and teaching. The apostles understood well the
importance of instruction.

In Jerusalem, after the evangelistic preaching on the Day of

Pentecost, we read that the three thousand new believers were
baptized and that they “persevered in the teaching of the apostles.”
So effective was this teaching that the Sadducees sought to
suppress it, taking Peter and John prisoner and telling them “not to
speak or teach in the name of Jesus in any way.” Afterwards, they
imprisoned the entire apostolic body, but these, delivered by an
angel, “entered the temple early in the morning and taught” and
even though they were threatened and scourged, “every day, in the
 33

temple and in the houses, they did not They stopped teaching and
preaching Jesus Christ.

(3) The purpose of devotion. This is the purpose of intensifying

in believers the feeling of loving devotion towards God, as well
as of guiding them in the appropriate expression of the worship that
God deserves. Sermons that propose this object are classified as
devotional sermons . “You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first
and the great commandment". The fulfillment of this commandment
would ensure the fulfillment of all the others. In the same way, any
sin that is committed can be attributed

Fundamentally to the lack of love for God. It is of utmost importance,

therefore, that Christian preaching should devote emphasis to the
maintenance and intensification of the love of God in the breast of
each believer and to help him express his love in appropriate
worship. Love for God rests on two foundations: The knowledge of
what God is and the appreciation of what He has done for us. So it
is that sermons that extol the glory and majesty of his being or that
expose the greatness and perfection of the work he has done for his
children are the sermons that best serve to intensify the flame of
love. divine in the redeemed heart. “God is Spirit; and those who
worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” Such worship
demands quietness and reverence, meditation on the Word of God,
sincere and enthusiastic praise, fervent thanksgiving, confession of
sin, intercession for others, and petition. simple and confident for
one's own needs. All of these attitudes can and should be inculcated
by the preaching of devotional sermons.

(4) The purpose of consecration. This is the purpose of

encouraging the believer to devote his talents, time and influence to
the service of God. Sermons that aim to achieve this result are
classified as consecration sermons. This purpose is closely related
to the previous one, but at the same time it is clearly different from
it. In it the emphasis is on the love for God that the believer harbors
in his heart. In this the emphasis rests on Christian service through
which he proves the sincerity of his love. The work of Christ
 34

demands diverse activities. Every believer has some gift to use for
the general good. But too many times he keeps his talent in a
handkerchief or hides his light under some bushel. f205 This type of
preaching is intended to shake your conscience, awaken you from
your lethargy and move you in such a way that you resolve to act,
putting yourself at the disposal of the Lord in the activities that the
advancement of his kingdom demands.

(5) The ethical or moral purpose. This is the purpose of helping

the believer to regulate his daily conduct and social relationships in
accordance with Christian principles. Sermons that seek to fulfill this
goal are classified as ethical or moral sermons. The frequent
attention given to moral issues in the Bible, and the variety of social
conditions found in the contemporary world come together to
demand from the Christian pulpit a clear and useful word on moral
issues. Such subjects are necessarily divided into two classes. On
the one hand, there are topics on which the Bible has a clear and
conclusive word. Among these we can list, as examples: marriage
and divorce, worker-management relationships, racism, alcoholism,
truthfulness, honesty and gratitude. In relation to these, all the
preacher has to do is to present clearly and in a spirit of love what
the Bible says and to urge his hearers to abide by the divine will
thus revealed. But there are many moral problems in the world
today that were not addressed directly and specifically by the
authors inspired by the Holy Scriptures.

We can mention, for example: the use of tobacco, dancing between

people of opposite sexes, the practice of betting on horse races and
the custom of “blowing” in school exams. What should the preacher
say regarding such things? If you are convinced that these or similar
things are undermining the spiritual life of a considerable portion of
your congregation, you must approach the problem from the point of
view of the general Christian principles that must be followed in
determining the moral correctness of any given act. On this basis he
should try to persuade his listeners to banish such practices from
their respective lives. In preaching ethical sermons there are two
dangers to avoid.
 35

The first is to divorce morality from doctrine, that is, the danger of
leaving the impression that a decent moral life, apart from the
regeneration wrought by the Holy Spirit, is sufficient for the salvation
of the soul. The second is the danger of lowering the dignity of the
pulpit by discussing topics whose low importance does not justify
formal treatment or whose suggestive nature would tend to corrupt
the mind instead of edifying the spirit of the congregation.

(6) The purpose of giving encouragement. This is the purpose of

strengthening and encouraging the believer in the midst of the trials
and crises of his personal life. Sermons that have this purpose are
classified as sermons of encouragement. The most accurate
description that exists of this type of preaching is the one we find in
the words of Paul to the Corinthians: “But he who prophesies
speaks to men for... exhortation and consolation.” f206 The word
translated “exhortation” is paraklesis, and means, according to
Thayer, “exhortation, admonition, encouragement.” The word
“consolation” represents the translation of paramuthía, a word that
deals with the condition of the Christian in this evil and hostile world,
where he has to suffer persecution and affliction of all kinds.
Consolation is intended to help you understand the nature of what
you have to suffer and to enable you to persevere with courage and
good spirit to the end.

The two terms clearly indicate that Christian preaching must deal,
among other things, with messages such as: “comfort the weary
hands, strengthen the weak knees.” Say to those of faint heart:
Take comfort, do not fear: behold, your God comes with vengeance,
with recompense; God himself will come and save you.” Such
preaching is demanded by the multiplicity of events and
circumstances in the life of the believer that afflict and embitter him,
that discourage him and disappoint him. Their life is often fought by
doubt, pain, temptation, fear, loss, persecution, misery and death
itself.

He often shares the sentiment of the apostle Paul when he said:

“...we were troubled in everything: from outside, questions; from
 36

within, fears.” But Paul added to the quote we just gave these
significant words: “But God, who comforts the humble, comforted
us…” And God is able to comfort all his people in their days of
affliction, and strengthen them in their hours of weakness, and guide
them in their moments of irresolution. Our God can deliver from
temptation, calm the fearful breast, and supply every other lack that
his children may have.

3. THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF THE SERMON

Any sermon that is worthy of a Christian pulpit can be classified
according to one of the general purposes just discussed. But the
effective sermon demands a specific purpose as well. This will be
the particular application of the respective general purpose to the
most pressing spiritual need that a given congregation may have at
a given time. What one really does is first formulate the specific
purpose of the message and then classify the sermon according to
the corresponding general purpose. . For example, consider a small
congregation composed largely of families who depend for their
financial support on the work of a local spinning and weaving
factory. It happens that said company is laying off a good part of its
workers because it is equipping its plant with more modern
machinery. As a consequence, several of the brothers are forced to
leave the place in search of work elsewhere.

The prospect of this loss is a cause for concern for the pastor, who
sees a double danger in the situation. On the one hand, he
understands that brothers who are about to leave, finding
themselves in a strange environment, may be tempted to keep silent
about their Christian testimony. On the other hand, he knows that
the few members of the church who are going to remain in the place
are going to resent the situation quite a bit.
the absence of their brothers in the faith and that it is not difficult for
some of them to give in to the temptation of discouragement. After
praying, he decides to prepare two sermons.

The specific purpose of the first will be to inspire the brothers who
are about to be absent to be faithful in Christian witness, wherever
they are. The specific purpose of the second will be to corroborate
 37

the faith of the brothers who remain, making them see God's
faithfulness to his promise, "Behold, I am with you always, to the
end of the world." The first sermon would be classified as a
message of consecration and the second as one of encouragement.

(1) The formulation of the specific purpose of the sermon

requires an understanding
complete the six general purposes of Christian preaching. The
specific purpose is simply a particular application of the respective
general purpose.

(2) The formulation of the specific purpose of the sermon

requires the determination
of the most pressing spiritual need of the congregation to which the
sermon is to be preached. The specific purpose must always
correspond to this particular need.

(3) The formulation of the specific purpose of the sermon

requires the elimination of all other purposes in relation to that
sermon. There should never be more than a single specific purpose
for a given sermon.

AN EFFECTIVE SERMON DEMANDS A

BIBLICAL MESSAGE
We have already defined the effective sermon as “one that achieves
its purpose.” In the preceding chapter we indicated what are the
general purposes that Christian preaching should address. We saw
that in the broadest possible sense these six purposes can be
reduced to two: that of winning the lost to Christ, and that of helping
believers to grow in the Lord.
When the apostle Peter wrote about the early experience of the
Christian life, he described it this way: “Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible seed, through the word of God,
which lives and abides forever.” And when the apostle Paul wanted
 38

to emphasize the development of the spiritual life of the disciples, he

said: “All Scripture is divinely inspired and useful for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, for instituting righteousness, so that the
man of God be perfect, thoroughly trained for every good work.”
These two passages affirm in the most categorical way that both the
evangelization of the unconverted and the edification of Christians
depend largely on the instrumentality of the Word of God.

1. THE TEXT OF THE BIBLICAL MESSAGE

(1) The function of the text.

We can define the text as that passage of Scripture, whether short
or long, from which the preacher derives the theme of his sermon.
From this definition it follows that the text performs an indispensable
function, namely: that of providing the theme of the sermon. We will
see in subsequent paragraphs something about the ways in which
the theme is derived from the text, but here we want to make the
fact of such a derivation well established. The text is the root of the
theme.
to. The function that the text plays establishes the absolute
necessity for each sermon to have its text.
It is not a question of the form of preaching, but of the essence
itself. If ever the preacher thinks he has found a topic for which
there is no appropriate text, his situation is due to one of two things.
Or you don't know your Bible well enough, and that's why you can't
find an appropriate text; or it is that the topic you have in mind is not
worth discussing.

b. In addition to establishing the need for the text, the function

it performs also determines what its minimum length must be.
The text must constitute
a complete unit of thought. The preacher has to know the exact
meaning of his text before he can derive his theme from it. An
incomplete thought cannot be satisfactorily and correctly interpreted
without being expanded to its complete form. So an incomplete
thought can never constitute a satisfactory text. The text may be a
complete grammatical clause or sentence, a series of connected
grammatical sentences (such as a paragraph), or some set of
 39

connected paragraphs. But fragmentary expressions, that is:

expressions that fail to present a complete thought, should never be
used as texts.

(2) The advantages of having a text for each sermon.

We have already seen that the function of the text makes it an
indispensable element for the sermon. There is great wisdom in this
arrangement. The practice of basing each message on some
definite portion of the Holy Scriptures contributes powerfully to the
effectiveness of preaching.

to. First, the text helps get the attention of the congregation.
This issue of listener attention is receiving increased emphasis
today. Nor was it ignored by our ancestors. Spurgeon devoted an
entire chapter to the matter, saying, among other things, that we
need fixed, unconcerned, alert, and continuous attention on the part
of the entire congregation. If the minds of those who listen to us are
distracted, they cannot receive the truth... It is not possible that they
Let sin be taken from men, in the way that Eve was taken from
Adam's side, that is, while they are asleep.

b. Second, the practice of basing each message on some

portion of divine revelation invests the message with authority.
When the preacher stands before a congregation, knowing that he
comes to them, not with his own speculations, but with a concise
and clear word, from his own
heart of God, will speak with confidence and the note of authority
will be heard in his voice. He will say like Isaiah: “Hear, heavens,
and listen, earth; for the Lord speaks” We saw in a previous chapter
that the Greek word kerussoo, translated “preach” fifty-five times in
the Valera version, means “to proclaim publicly as a herald with the
suggestion always of formality, gravity and an authority that
demands attention and obedience.” But this authoritative note lies
precisely in the fact that true preaching is the proclamation of what
God has said and done, and not the elaboration of what man has
thought.
 40

c. In addition, the use of a biblical text as the foundation of the

sermon helps the preacher in the preparation of his message.
At the very least, it is indicated by its initial task: that of correctly
interpreting the chosen text. And if your work reaches the best
possible level, the text will provide you, not only the topic of your
sermon,
but also the general considerations through which the topic will be
developed.

d. On the other hand, the practice of basing each sermon on

some text of Scripture will prevent the preacher from becoming
exhausted.
This truth was admirably illustrated in the experience of James
Black, an eminent Scottish Presbyterian minister of the first half of
the present century. Black said that when he left the seminary he
had no more than twelve sermons. Upon taking charge of his first
pastorate, he began preaching “issue sermons.” That is, he
prepared each sermon according to some important theme, such as
temptation, providence, etc., developing it as best he could, but
without any biblical text as a starting point. Having finished the
composition of the sermon, he looked for a “text” to put before it, in
the manner of a label, and he was ready to preach. But he soon
discovered that having

Having preached a single sermon on a given subject, he had

nothing more to say in relation to that subject. And at the end of
three months it seemed to him that he had no more matters to deal
with or intellectual resources with which to deal with them. It was
sold out! When the situation seemed darkest to him, and he even
felt the temptation to abandon the ministry because he was inept, he
made “a wonderful discovery.” He discovered that if he based each
message on some biblical text, he could preach an indefinite
number of sermons on the same topic, because each text presented
the subject from a different point of view, making a wide variety
possible.
 41

and. Finally, the custom of basing each sermon on a text from

the Bible
It contributes to the growth “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ” of both the preacher himself and his
congregation. As for the first, each week you have to study a
minimum of two or three biblical texts along with their respective
contexts. Thus, in the course of a year, you have to do a thorough
investigation regarding
about one hundred or one hundred and fifty passages from the
Bible.

(3) Suggestions about text selection.

Since the text is such a vital part of the sermon, the preacher should
exercise great care in its selection. By way of guidance, and without
pretending to have exhausted the possibilities of the matter, we offer
the following suggestions in the confidence of
that will not cease to be useful to those who systematically put them
into practice.

to. First, the preacher must choose a text that will take hold of
his own heart.
You should never preach on a text if it has not first set the strings of
your own soul in vibration.

b. Secondly, then, the text chosen must have a message that

will contribute to satisfying the most pressing specific need of
the congregation.
The goal of preaching, as we have already repeated several times
Sometimes, it is to “satisfy human needs.” Having determined the
specific purpose his sermon is to accomplish, the preacher will
search for the most appropriate text for that purpose.

c. A third consideration that should influence the selection of

the text for any specific occasion is the following: the character
of the messages recently preached before the congregation in
question. The Lord's people need a balanced ration. For your
spiritual health you need “the whole counsel of God.”
 42

d. As a general rule, it is advisable to select texts that are clear

in their meaning.
Perspicuous texts have the advantage of immediately suggesting
the themes that arise from them. They save time, since they do not
need to be explained, and they help members of the congregation
understand and remember the sermon. There may be times,
however, when it will be prudent to choose text that is not entirely
clear at first glance. Such texts may have caused difficulties for
members of the congregation, and
It is possible that they have a positive need to have them explained
to them and a keen interest in their pastor clearing them of the
doubts that the ambiguity of those passages has caused them.

and. We can also say that there is great wisdom in the

selection of texts that appeal to the imagination, that is:
of texts that present “something to see, something to feel or
something to do.” In other words, there are positive advantages to
texts that present truth in a concrete rather than abstract form.

F. Finally, we may say that as a general rule, and especially at

the beginning of his ministry, the preacher will do well to limit
himself to a single text for each sermon.
It is possible in some cases to use multiple texts, as we will
demonstrate below. But before the preacher tries it, he must be sure
that he has mastered the technique of using solitary texts.
Something similar happens with the sport of horseback riding.
Before the rider can boast of riding two horses, in the style of circus
acrobats, he must be sure of
that can ride well alone.

(a) Multiple texts can be used to ask and answer questions.

“What is man, that you should remember him...?” Psalm
8:4). “...the same Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God” Romans 8:16).

(b) Multiple texts can point out contrasts.

 43

The Bible knows of two ways one can be dead without being buried.
“...you are dead with Christ to the elements of the world” Colossians
2:20). dead in your trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).

(c) Multiple texts can indicate a problem and point out its
solution
“...in the land distress of nations because of confusion” (Luke
21:25). I give you my peace…Do not let your hearts be troubled”
(John 14:27).

(d) Multiple texts can force us to see several aspects of a truth. “For
each one will bear his burden” (Galatians 6:5). “Bear one another's
burdens” (Galatians 6:2).
“Cast your burden on the Lord” (Psalm 55:22).

(e) Multiple texts can graphically present a progression of

thought.
“He has a demon, and is beside himself” (John 10:20). “It is good”
(John 7:12) You are the Christ” (Matthew 16:16). “My Lord, and my
Two!” (John 20-28). “The intelligent relationship of one portion of
Scripture to another is a matter of great mental fascination to the
preacher and spiritual enrichment to the congregation. The
astonishing number of such illuminating combinations of biblical
texts will surprise one who has not cultivated the habit of searching
for them.

(4) The homiletic seedbed . Closely related to the question of text

selection is the need for the preacher to have some plan for
preserving and archiving biblical texts that impress him with their
homiletical possibilities. We have said above that the preacher must
choose a text that takes hold of his own heart. If you are alert, and if
you are properly cultivating your own spiritual life, you will not lack
glimpses of inspiration regarding the use that can be made of this or
that biblical text to meet the spiritual needs of your
congregation.Such bursts of illumination usually come to you while
meditating on the Word, while reading a book or magazine, during
pastoral visitation, while listening to a good sermon, and in many
other ways.
 44

to. The preacher should always carry a pencil or pen and a

small piece of blank paper on which he can write down the texts
or initial ideas for sermons that occur to him.

b. You should form the habit of writing down these texts or

ideas the moment they come to mind to avoid forgetting them.

c. At your first opportunity, you should transfer these notes to

a sheet or card of a convenient size to be kept in a loose-leaf
folder or business card holder.
(In our Latin American environment it is generally more
economic first).

d. The folder (or card holder) should be arranged with an index

to indicate the different books of the Bible, and the sheets (or
cards) should be filed in order by book, chapter and verse. In this
way the preacher will always be able to locate the notes he needs at
any given time.

and. Until the preacher is ready to elaborate the corresponding

message
To a given text, you should leave the corresponding sheet (or card)
in place, adding from time to time any additional ideas that occur to
you in relation to the text or the theme derived from it.

F. When the thoughts recorded in relation to a given text have

been elaborated into a sermon, the sheet (or card) can be
removed, since it has already served its purpose and is no
longer needed. One of the great values of such a system of
annotation and conservation of texts is that it allows the germinal
ideas of the sermons time to mature in the mind and heart of the
preacher. It has been well said that an artistic concept usually lives
in the hearts of men in direct proportion to the time it has needed to
mature in the world.
soul of the artist.
 45

(5) The correct interpretation of the text.

The preacher has his text. The spiritual agony inherent in its
selection is over. His familiarity with the needs of his congregation,
his meditation on the Word, his faithfulness in prayer, the sincerity of
his desire to glorify Christ and to help his hearers — all this has
“come up in remembrance into the presence of God.” and the Holy
Spirit has filled his heart with the confidence that this text contains
the message he must deliver.

to. The right interpretation of any passage of Scripture involves

two purposes.
The first is to discover the exact meaning of what the inspired
authors said. The second is to discern the practical application of his
message for our days.

b. For the biblical interpreter to be able to achieve this dual

purpose, three requirements are essential.

(a) The first requirement is the possession of the spiritual

dispositions which will enable him to understand the mind of the
Lord. These dispositions are four, namely: a regenerated heart; love
of truth; the spirit of prayer; and the will to obey God. Without these
four spiritual dispositions it is absolutely impossible for one to know
how to interpret the Word of God to others.
no matter how learned he is. With them, many men of little
intellectual preparation they have achieved a wonderful
understanding of divine truths.

(b) The second requirement for the right interpretation of the

Scriptures is the adoption and conscientious use of a suitable
method.
There are many methods that different interpreters have followed
over the course of the twenty centuries of Christian history. It does
not fit within the limits of this work but
indicate which of them is the “most recommended to the criteria and
conscience of Christian students.” This method, although generally
known by the term "historical-grammatical interpretation", could
more accurately be called "historical-literary interpretation", because
 46

it requires in its second phase more than a simple grammatical

analysis of the passage under
consideration. Its fundamental purpose is to “obtain from the
Scriptures themselves the precise meaning that the writers intended
to give.”
The first phase of this method of interpretation, then, is the
historical study of the passage. The correct interpretation of any
biblical passage is impossible without a study of the historical
situation from which it arose and to which it was originally directed.
The second phase of this method of interpretation is the
examination of all the literary details of the passage under
consideration. First of all, you have to do a lexicographic study, that
is, you have to specify the meaning of each word that the passage
contains.

For this purpose it is necessary to find out your

etymological derivation, the history of its meaning, and the meaning
that contemporary use assigned to the word at the time in which the
inspired author used it. Secondly, a grammatical analysis of the
passage is essential, “decomposing it into propositions to study
each one of them, pointing out their nature, the role they perform
and the properties of the most important elements that constitute
each proposition.”

Thirdly, it is necessary to make a rhetorical examination of the

passage, taking note of the literary genre to which it belongs (v. gr:
historical, poetic, prophetic, parabolic, epistolary or apocalyptic) and
explaining all the figures of speech in light of the customs and
practices of the time in which the author lived.
Next , it is necessary to establish the relationship of the passage
with its context, both the “immediate context”, consisting of the
particular section of the book in which the passage is found, and the
“remote context”, which encompasses the entire plot of the book. in
question. Finally, it is necessary to make a comparison with the
parallel passages in which the same terms or the same ideas
appear in other writings of the same author and in the writings of
other inspired authors.
 47

(c) The third and final requirement for the right interpretation of
Scripture is the exercise of a keen sense of relevance. By
“sense of relevance” we mean the discernment of the points of
correspondence between the
historical situation to which the biblical writer addressed and the
situation
contemporary to which the modern preacher has to address.

2. THE THEME OF THE BIBLICAL MESSAGE

The function of the text, as we have already seen, is to provide the
theme of the sermon. The text is the root of the theme. When the
text has been correctly interpreted (discovering the exact meaning
of what the inspired authors said and discerning the practical
application of their message for our day), the next step is to derive
the theme of the sermon from the text.

(1) Definition of terms.

to. The topic. What do we understand by the word “theme” in this
connection? Different texts of homiletics have assigned various
values to this term, all of them legitimate in their place. But to avoid
confusion, in this work we will stick to the following meaning. We
define the theme, then, as the matter discussed in the sermon; the
central idea of the sermon; the matter presented in the sermon.

b. The title is the name given to the sermon, that is, its heading.
As a general rule, it is a simple phrase, that is, an incomplete
thought. Its purpose is to suggest the line of thought to be followed
in the sermon, doing so in a way that arouses interest without
revealing the details.
of the treatment. It is mainly used to announce the sermon in the
bulletin or in any other advertising medium available to the church.

(2) The qualities of a good theme.

There are three qualities that are indispensable in any subject
worthy of a Christian pulpit.
 48

to. The first is that it must be vital. It must deal with some of the
great truths of the Christian faith. Our opportunity as preachers is so
brief, the need of our hearers so serious, and the command of our
God so pressing, that we must never waste time in the discussion of
marginal matters, of matters that Brooks characterized as “the
baubles of theology.” .

b. The second quality of a good topic is that it is relevant. We

have already spoken of the need for a keen sense of relevance as
an essential requirement for the correct interpretation of the
Scriptures. When we say that pulpit themes must be relevant, we
are simply indicating that they must embody and give expression to
the permanent and universal values of their respective texts. In
other words, the theme must present the eternal truth that the
preacher intends to apply to the pressing needs of his congregation.
c. The third quality that should characterize the themes of the
Christian pulpit is
a legitimate relationship with the Scriptures.
Here we are talking about the way in which the theme is derived
from the text. There are only three legitimate ways to do this
derivation:
(a) the topic can be found directly in the text;
(b) the theme can be inferred from the text by logical procedures;
(c) the theme may be suggested by the text.
(a) Themes found directly in the text. Of the three legitimate ways in
which pulpit themes can be derived from Scripture, this is arguably
the best. It is because the theme corresponds as accurately as
possible to the historical truth of the text.

The preacher, following the historical-literary method, discovers

what the meaning of his text was for the people to whom it was
originally addressed. Then he discerns that this is precisely the
message his own listeners need. Its theme, then, is identical to the
true meaning of its text. Let's look at some examples:
 49

Text Theme
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked: whatever a man sows,
that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will reap
corruption from the flesh; but he who sows for him
Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” Galatians 6:7, 8).
“The Law of the Spiritual Harvest” “Jesus answered them: Do
you believe now? Behold, the hour is coming, and has come, that
you will be scattered every one to his part, and you will leave me
alone: but I am not alone,
for the Father is with me” (John 16:31, 32) “The loneliness of Jesus”
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John
8:32)
“Freedom Through Truth”
“Whoever wants to do his will will know from the doctrine whether it
comes from God, or whether I speak from myself” (John 7:17).
“Obedience, the Organ of Spiritual Knowledge” “Because the pain
that is according to God, produces healthy repentance, of which
there is no need to repent; but the sorrow of the world works death”
(2 Corinthians 7:10) “The Double Power of Sorrow”

(3) The development of the theme. We have defined a biblical

message as “one that is based on the correct interpretation of a
Bible text, taking its theme from the text, developing the theme in
accordance with the general teaching of the Scriptures, and
applying it to the current needs of the listeners.” ”. Of
From this definition it follows that the biblical quality of the message
requires that attention be paid, not only to the derivation of the
theme but to its development as well. In a strict sense, there are no
more than two ways in which the theme can be developed, namely:
according to the text or according to the theme itself. The simplest
way to distinguish between these two development methods is to
say:
(a) that when the main divisions of the plan (outline) are taken from
the text, we have a textual development; and
(b) that when the main divisions of the plan are derived from the
theme, we have a thematic development. In the first case, we would
 50

classify the message as a text sermon and in the second case, as a

subject sermon.
The distinction between these two development methods is
fundamental, although it must be admitted that they sometimes
coincide. Starting with his topic, it is possible for the preacher to find
a text so appropriate that all the logical divisions of the topic will be
found in the text; or it may be that starting with his text, the preacher
manages to derive from the text a theme that can be expressed by a
proposition so happy that the different divisions of the text
They will also constitute the logical divisions of the proposition.

. Let's begin our discussion with textual development. As stated

above, when the divisions of the plan (outline) are taken from the
text, we have a textual development, and the resulting sermon is
classified as a text sermon. But within textual development we must
distinguish between analysis and synthesis.

(a) Analytical textual development . This is characterized as

follows: First, the theme of the sermon is identical to the central idea
of the text. Secondly, the different parts of the text are used in the
sermon in the same way and in the same order in which they are
found in the text. That is, the main divisions of the sermon are
formed by the main parts of the text and presented in the same
order in which they appear in the text.

The following examples should make the point clear.

Text: Deuteronomy 33:29

Topic: The Joy of the People of God
God's people have joy because of their redemption.
God's people have joy because of his protection.
God's people have joy because of his conquering power.
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Text: 1 John 2:12, 13b

Topic: Characteristics of a True Christian
YO. The true Christian has experienced forgiveness of his sins.
II. The true Christian has an intimate and personal knowledge of
God.
III. The true Christian lives a life of victory over the evil one.

Text: Matthew 28:18-20

Topic: The Great Commission
YO. We find here an unappealable authority.
II. We also find a comprehensive task.
III. We also find an encouraging promise,

Text: Luke 15:17-24

Topic: The Return of the Prodigal
YO. He recognized what his condition was.
II. He resolved to return to his father.
III. He confessed his sin.
IV. He received a full pardon.
v. He enjoyed the abundance of his father's house.

Text: Jeremiah 31:31-34

Topic: The Higher Blessings of the New Covenant
YO. The new covenant effects internal holiness.
II. The new covenant provides personal knowledge for all.
III. The new covenant rests on the forgiveness that God grants.
In all these sermons it is observed that the theme is identical to the
central idea of the text and that the divisions of the sermon are
formed by the main (coordinated) parts of the text and that they are
presented in the same order in which they appear in the text.

Text: Jeremiah 31:31-34

Topic: The Higher Blessings of the New Covenant
The new covenant blesses us with a personal knowledge of God.
The new covenant blesses us with true forgiveness of all
our sins. The new covenant blesses us with effective holiness in our
daily lives. In the text, the order of the parts is:
 52

(1) holiness;
(2) knowledge;
(3) forgiveness.

This order has been changed to that which appears in the sermon in
order to follow the order of Christian experience. First we come to
knowledge, then forgiveness, and finally holiness of life.

Text: Luke 15:11-24

Theme: The Prodigal Son
YO. Let's see him in the pigsty
1. Your described condition
2. Its condition contrasted with its previous state.
II. Let's investigate the causes of its degradation
1. It was due to his folly.
2. It was due to his ingratitude.
3. It was due to his rebellion.
III. Let's know the steps in its restoration
1. He recognized his condition and his guilt.
2. He decided to leave the pigsty and return to his father
3. He received forgiveness and abundance of everything necessary.
In the text the order of the parts is:
(1) the departure of the prodigal;
(2) its degradation in the distant land; and
(3) his return.

In the sermon the order has been changed in order to present a

problem at the beginning and then investigate its origin and find its
solution. The reason for the change is due to the fact that in the
opinion of the preacher such a presentation of the matter best suits
the condition and need of his congregation.

Text: Psalm 51:1, 2

Theme: Guilt and Forgiveness.
YO. What David thought about sin
 53

1. What is rebellion.
2. That it is departure from what is right.
3. What is “missing or missing the mark?”
II. What David thought about forgiveness
1. What does “delete” mean?
2. What does “wash” mean?
3. What does “heal” mean?
III. Where David pinned his hope to ask as he asked:
in the mercy of God
1. The revelation of God's mercy inspires with confidence to ask for
forgiveness.
2. The revelation of God's mercy moves to repentance. This is a
text that does not lend itself to analytical treatment for the simple
reason that the parts that deal with sin are intertwined with those
that talk about forgiveness. Furthermore, the concept of mercy is the
first thing that
text presents, and it is evident that from the homiletical point of view
it is much better to leave this consideration for the end of the
sermon, as well as
Maclaren did it.

Text: Luke 15:11-24

Topic: When Man Comes to Himself
YO. When man comes to his senses he understands that the world
always
disappoints
1. His riches are fleeting.
2. Their friendships are fake.
3. His pleasures are hollow
4. Your freedom is deceptive.
II. When man comes to his senses he understands that only God
satisfies
1. That in his discipline there is wisdom.
2. That there is sufficiency in his care.
3. That in his love there is forgiveness.
III. When man comes to his senses he understands that his destiny
is in his own hands
1. That he alone is guilty of his ruin.
 54

2. That he must repent and return to God.

Let us now see an example in which the theme of the sermon is
inferred from the text by one of the three logical procedures.
Suppose the preacher wants to prepare a message on chapter 7 of
the book of Judges. The central idea of the chapter is that of
Gideon's victory over the Midianites. But such a purely historical
topic would be of little interest and of little benefit to a contemporary
congregation. How might you use the material in this chapter to craft
a vital and relevant message?

The first step is to make a complete list of all the thoughts

found in the chapter. The list can be as follows:
1. Gideon sets up his camp against the Midianites, Judges 7:1
2. God warns Gideon that with such a large army, if Israel succeeds,
there is a danger that they will not give glory to God, Judges 7:2
3. Cowardly soldiers are eliminated from the army of Israel, Judges
7:3
4. Soldiers who thought more about satisfying their own needs than
about defending the cause they represented are eliminated from the
army of Israel, Judges 7:4-6
5. God promises to save Israel with the small group of 300 soldiers
that remains, Judges 7:7
6. Gideon believes the divine promise and sends the others to their
homes, Judges 7:8
7. God commands Gideon to go down to the field of Midian to
receive an additional sign that will strengthen his faith, Judges 7:9-
11
8. The great number of the Midianites is declared, Judges 7:12
9. Gideon listens to the dream that one of the Midianites tells
another, Judges 7:13, 14
10. Gideon worships God and encourages his soldiers to trust that
God will give them victory, Judges 7:15
11. Gideon divides his soldiers into three squads and provides them
with “horns, empty jars, and burning brands inside the jars,” Judges
7:16
12. Gideon commands his soldiers to look at him and do what he
tells them.
See him do, Judges 7:17, 18
 55

13. The soldiers obey Gideon, Judges 7:19, 20

14. Each soldier occupies precisely his rightful place
occupy around the enemy's camp, Judges 7:21
15. God works, confusing the enemy and giving a resounding
victory to Israel, Judges 7:22
16. Others of the Israelites join Gideon's 300 to
persecute the Midianites, Judges 7:23
17. Gideon commands all Ephraim to join the pursuit of Midian,
Judges 7:24
18. The Israelites take the two princes of Midian prisoner and
they kill, Judges 7:25

The second step is to meditate on these thoughts, always

keeping in mind the needs of the congregation to which the
message is going to be preached, until one of the thoughts that
appear on the list (or
some combination of them) comes to the fore as a possible topic for
the sermon. Of course, there are several possibilities that such a
long list offers. It would be possible, for example, to take Gideon as
a model of the Christian worker, looking at his faith, his obedience,
his courage and his persistence to finish the task he had begun to
do. The preacher takes note of this possibility and continues
studying the passage. He is suddenly struck by the great contrast
between the large number of the Midianites, mentioned in verse 12,
and the small number of Gideon's soldiers, mentioned in verse 7.
This contrast reminds you
another similar one, namely: the marked contrast between the small
number of evangelical Christians in Latin America and the vast
majority of those who ignore or oppose the gospel.

But Gideon's small army defeated the countless hosts of Midian.

Why such a surprising victory? Of course it was fundamentally due
to divine power. But why would God want to act the way He did?
What would be the secret of the triumph of Gideon and his three
hundred over the superior forces of Midian? If this secret were
discovered and put into action, wouldn't we evangelical Christians in
Latin America have hope of conquering this continent for the Lord
 56

Jesus? The theme has already been found (inferred from the text by
induction): “The Secret of Triumph.”

The third step is to organize the chapter materials around the

chosen topic. In re-studying the passage from this point of view,
the preacher has no merely historical interest. What he seeks is the
eternal truth of his text. You want to find in Gideon's victory certain
spiritual principles that are applicable to the current needs of your
own
congregation. And he soon comes to the conclusion that under God
the secret of triumph, both Gideon's and ours, lies in three main
things, namely:
(1) in the personal character of those who fight;
(2) in the weapons that are wielded; and
(3) in the tactics followed when fighting.
After pointing out these three considerations, he observes that he
has not used any material included in verses 9 to 15. Alright. This is
one of the advantages of synthetic development, namely that the
preacher is not obliged to use all the material in his text. The result,
then, is as follows:

Text: Judges 7:1-25

Topic: The Secret of Triumph
General Purpose: Of consecration
Specific Purpose: To inspire the brothers to strive to develop in their
respective lives the qualities and attitudes that will allow them to be
used by God in the conquest of the Homeland for the faith of the
Lord Jesus.
Proposition: In the resounding victory of Gideon and his three
hundred soldiers over the innumerable hosts of Midian we find the
secret that can give us triumph in our efforts to conquer the
Homeland for Christ the Lord. Transition Prayer: In what, then, does
the secret of triumph consist?
YO. The secret of success consists, above all, in the personal
character of those who fight
1. It is necessary to be humble.
2. It is necessary to be brave.
 57

3. It is necessary to be totally dedicated to the task (indicated by the

cautious way in which the three hundred took the water).
II. The secret of success also lies in the weapons that are wielded.
1. You must give a positive verbal testimony (suggested by the
sound
blare of horns).
2. Verbal testimony must be supported with a luminous example
(suggested by the brands burning inside the clay jars).
III. The secret of success ultimately lies in the tactics followed in the
fight. 1. You have to keep your eyes on the Boss
2. Each one must occupy precisely the place that the Chief assigns
him.
3. It is necessary to be willing to make personal sacrifice to advance
the interests of the cause we follow (suggested by the action of
breaking the jugs to let the light be seen. See 2 Corinthians 4:7).

(c) Special types of textual development

Before ending our discussion of textual development, we must pay
some attention to two special types of it. I am referring to the
expository sermon and the homily.
Yo. The expository sermon. It is not an easy thing to formulate a
satisfactory definition of this term. When we examine the different
opinions that exist on the matter, we confirm that “each head is a
world.” A famous preacher of the last century said: When speaking
of expository preaching, I refer to that method of discourse in the
pulpit which consists of the consecutive interpretation and practical
application of some book of the sacred canon.
According to this definition, the possibility of preaching an expository
sermon on any given passage is ruled out, unless said
sermon is part of a course of consecutive messages on the book in
which the passage appears.
According to a professor of homiletics whom we have cited in
previous pages,
The discussion he explains has its best crown and glory in what
Technically it is known as expository preaching.
This kind of preaching is based on a rather long passage of
Scripture. Although the main object of this preaching is to explain,
this explanation is made in order to persuade.
 58

Two considerations stand out in this statement, namely: that

expository preaching must be based on a somewhat extensive
passage; and which is especially characterized by its explanatory
nature.
The idea that the expository sermon needs to be based on a
somewhat lengthy passage has been supported by another author,
as follows: An expository sermon is one that springs from a passage
that is more than two or three verses long. In theory such a sermon
is distinguished from the text sermon mainly in relation to the length
of their respective texts; In practice the terms often coincide.
Consider, for example, a sermon that unfolds the meaning and
spiritual values of Matthew 11:28-30. Would we call that message
an expository sermon or a text sermon? We would probably choose
the first classification, but either of the two could work. Apparently,
then, we conclude that an expository sermon is one that applies a
textual treatment to a more or less extensive passage, and that a
text sermon is one that applies an expository treatment to a short
passage.

Another writer believes that text length is not an essential

requirement for an expository sermon, but that a special emphasis
on explanation is. The word “exposition” has been used in various
ways in connection with sermons. There was a time when it was
reserved for those occasions when the preacher did not limit himself
to a short text, but rather commented on a longer passage. The
label “expository” was applied to such preaching to distinguish it
from the previous one, which was called “textual.” But such use of
the term was improper. Exposition simply means “to put in front of”,
that is
“explain,” and whether the preacher is explaining a short text, or an
entire chapter, or even an entire book of the Bible, in any case he
must
classify your work as an exhibition. The depth that can
reach, of course, will be in inverse proportion to the length of the
passage under consideration, but that does not mean that it will stop
having a job
of exposition. In the opinion of yet another authority on the subject,
every minister should set the goal of being an expository preacher,
 59

Not in the narrow sense of always explaining in detail some

passage of Scripture, but in the broad sense that even when he
preaches on some subject, it will be derived from his text, not by
forced exegesis, but by virtue of affinity natural that exists between
text and subject; and that the treatment of each text will always be
determined by the historical study of its respective context. Finally, a
contemporary writer supports this thesis: Expository preaching is an
act in which the living truth of some portion of the Holy Scriptures,
understood in the light of a solid exegetical and historical study and
transformed by the Holy Spirit into a vital reality for the preacher
himself, it is engendered in the heart of the hearer by the Holy Spirit
as he confronts him with God in Christ in an experience of judgment
and redemption. In other words, this author's opinion is that

All true preaching is expository preaching, and that

Preaching that is not expository is not preaching. The preacher is
expounding God's message when he places before his
congregation what God put in the Scriptures. If the theme of his
sermon has a legitimate relationship to his text (being found directly
in the text or inferred from it by logical procedures) and if said theme
is developed with complete fidelity to the general teaching of the
Scriptures, the preacher is
doing exhibition work. He is putting before his listeners what God
put in his Word. In reality, you should never do anything else. In this
sense, then, the term “expository preaching” is equated with “biblical
preaching.”

An expository sermon is one whose theme is

found directly in the text, being developed with material
provided by the correct interpretation of the text to achieve a
purpose that harmonizes with the original meaning of the text.
Let's expand this a little
definition.

Let's look at some examples:

Text:Ephesians 1:3-14
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Title: A Declaration of Gratitude

General Purpose: Of consecration
Specific Purpose: To present in such a way the greatness of the
blessings we have in Christ, that each member of the church feels
constrained to show their gratitude to God with a life that glorifies
Him. Proposition: In this declaration of gratitude made by the
Apostle Paul we find just reasons why we too should give thanks to
our God.
YO. We must thank God for his gracious purpose:
1. It is an eternal purpose.
2. It is a loving purpose.
3. It is a holy purpose.
II. We must thank God for his plan of redemption
1. We are grateful for what this plan of redemption cost: the blood of
his Son
2. We are grateful for what this plan of redemption accomplishes:
(1) Forgive us our sins.
(2) Enlighten our understanding.
(3) It ennobles our lives (see verse 11, which according to the
marginal note, “we were made his inheritance”).
III. We must thank God for his promise of fulfillment
1. This promise is presented under the figure of the “seal of the
Spirit.”
2. This promise is presented under the figure of “the earnest of the
Spirit.
Conclusion:
Let us note that all of these blessings are “ spiritual blessings.”
2. Let us remember that the source of all of them is “in Christ.”
3. Let us finally keep in mind that the purpose of so much blessing is
that “we may be to the praise of his glory.”

Text: Ephesians 2:1-10

Title: Divine Remedy for the Human Condition
General Purpose: Evangelistic
Specific Purpose: To convince the sinner how serious his sin is.
spiritual condition so that he resolves to take by faith the adequate
remedy that God offers him in Christ Jesus.
Proposition: In our text the apostle Paul makes a diagnosis
 61

accurate assessment of the spiritual condition of the natural man

and then indicating how adequate is the remedy that God has
provided for his evil.
YO. The spiritual condition of the natural man is described in
our text under three figures
1. The natural man is a dead man — “dead in trespasses and sins.”
2. The natural man is a captive — imprisoned in the power of “the
infernal trinity.”
(1) Follow the course of this world.
(2) Live in the lusts of the flesh.
(3) Obey the prince of the power of the air (the devil).
3. The natural man is a condemned prisoner — he is a “son of
wrath.”
II. For this terrible condition God has provided an adequate
remedy which our text describes in three ways.
1. It is a love remedy
2. It is a power remedy.
(1) He resurrects us from spiritual death.
(2) He makes us sit (now) in the heavenly places with Christ,
victorious over “the infernal trinity”
3. It is a remedy of grace.
Conclusion:
1. This remedy is offered to us in Christ alone.
2. This remedy can be ours by faith.
3. The results of the application of this remedy will be a cause for
contemplation and praise to God for all eternity (see
verse 7).
4. How much more reason, then, should you accept it right now.
The reader will understand that the two outlines just given do not
constitute finished sermons. The structural framework needs to be
covered with the most suitable appeal and illustration materials. But
the structural framework itself is complete.

And everything has been provided by the correct interpretation of

the respective texts. Herein lies peculiar excellence
of the expository sermon. Of all the legitimate types of sermon, this
is the most biblical, and therefore the best. The fervent desire of the
writer of this is that every preacher who reads these lines will once
 62

and for all form the ideal of giving preference in his entire ministry to
the preaching of expository sermons.
II. The homily. Of the different types of Christian speech, the homily
is the oldest. From its history we know the following: The practice of
explaining clearly had prevailed among the Jews.
popular the lessons of Scripture that were read in the synagogues,
and
From a very early date this practice was adopted by the
Christian congregations. The homily... was in the post-age apostolic
a simple exposition, that is
a continuous explanation of the passage of Scripture read in the
holy
assembly. It consisted almost entirely of explanation, having very
little of the character of a formal rhetorical speech. f295

To this day the homily continues to have the same fundamental

characteristics that distinguished it in the post-apostolic age. That is,
it is based on a somewhat extensive biblical text of which a
continuous explanation is given, interspersing practical applications
and exhortations adapted to the spiritual needs of the listeners. The
homily is actually an informal religious talk whose only unity is that
of its text.
(a) The subject sermon. As stated above, when the main divisions
of the plan (outline) are derived from the theme, we have a thematic
development, and the resulting message is classified as a topic
sermon. In
In this connection it is very important that we remember our
definition of the biblical message, because subject sermons have
often been objected to on the grounds that they are not as biblical
as they should be. Such criticism is fair only when the subject
sermon “is secular in spirit or substance.”

But when the theme is legitimately derived from a text that has been
rightly interpreted, and when that theme is developed in accordance
with the general teachings of the Scriptures, the resulting sermon is
biblical, regardless of whether its development is thematic or textual.
. Although the personal opinion of this writer is that every preacher
would
 63

well in giving preference in his ministry to the preparation and

preaching of text sermons, he cannot help but recognize that topic
sermons have a legitimate and even necessary place in every
homiletic repertoire. Blackwood observes that “in the history of
preaching sermons have outnumbered all others. Among the
sermons that
"They have become famous, almost all of them belong to this class."
Let us present, then, some examples of this way of developing the
theme of a sermon. One of Spurgeon's most famous sermons is
titled “Songs in the Night.” The text is Job 35:10: “And no one says,
Where is my God?
Maker, who gives songs in the night? The sermon plan is as follows:

YO. Who is the author of the songs in the night?

1. God is the author of songs at night because at night

all the Christian has is his God.
2. God is the author of songs in the night because only he can
inspire the Christian to sing under such unfavorable circumstances.
II. What is the theme of the songs at night?
1. At night the Christian can sing of the day that is over—of its
benefits and mercies.
2. In the night the Christian can sing of the night itself—that it is not
as black as it could be.
3. At night the Christian can sing of the day to come—of its
promises and hope.
III What do the excellences of the songs at night consist of?
1. That they are sincere.
2. In that they demonstrate true faith in God.
3. In what they manifest real value
4. In that they exhibit a genuine love for Christ.
IV What do songs do at night?
1. They are useful to gladden our own hearts.
2. They serve to rejoice the very heart of God.
3. They encourage our colleagues.
4. They convince those who still do not believe in Christ. The
reader will observe that apart from the first division of the plan, none
of the
 64

others have some basis in the text of the sermon. The theme is
found directly in the text, but its development is independent of the
text. This is the essential nature of the subject sermon. Let's
consider one more example. Santiago S. Stewart, eminent
contemporary Scottish Presbyterian preacher, has a moving sermon
based on the cry of the heavenly multitude: “Hallelujah! because the
Lord our God
Almighty reigns” Its theme, found directly in the text, is “The Lord
God Almighty Reigns.” After a brief introduction in which he shows
that for the Lord Jesus the central fact of his entire life was precisely
the conviction expressed in the words of his text, the preacher
establishes this proposition: “If we probe the depths of this cardinal
conviction, we will discover which leads to three results. It
comprises three tremendous consequences, and as these interest
us all in the most intimate way, I would beg us to think about them
now. The plan that develops this proposition is the following:

YO. This conviction means the liberation of life

1. Liberation from petty worries.
2. Liberation from the fears of life
3. Liberation from a self-condemnation complex.
II. This conviction means the condemnation of sin — the defeat
of all evil
1. This is the central message of the book of Revelation.
2. This was the personal conviction of the Lord Jesus when he was
here on earth.
3. This has been the security of the saints of all ages.
III. This conviction means consolation from affliction
1. This was understood by the psalmist when speaking of the great
flood (Psalm 29).
2. This was illustrated in the experience of the apostles in the storm
that came upon them on the Sea of Galilee.
3. This was demonstrated by the transformation of the cross
into the
instrument of eternal salvation.
In this sermon, exactly as in the previous one, the text provides the
theme, but the development of the theme is completely independent
 65

of the text. In both cases we have a biblical message with a

thematic development.
(b) Bible reading. We have in this designation one of the terms
technicians of homiletics. As such it demands some explanation.
“Bible reading” is really nothing more than an informal kind of topical
sermon. It has a relationship with it similar to that between the text
sermon and the homily. The homily has a unity of text, but several
issues. Biblical reading, on the other hand, has a close unity of
theme, but it lacks
absolute text unit. The ordinary procedure is to take some topic,
such as “The Power of Prayer,” and look for all the biblical
references that have to do with it. Then, ignoring minor references,
the preacher discusses his subject, moving from passage to
passage, making comments and giving illustrations.
The chosen topic could be presented by taking the main passages
that refer to it throughout the Bible, or the preacher could limit
himself to the content of a single book of the Bible, to the writings of
a single author, or even to the confines of a single book. chapter.
This way of preaching offers a special advantage to the
more informal church services since if the pastor wants, he can
prepare his references, writing them on small strips of paper to
distribute among the congregation, asking that they be read at the
appropriate time. Such participation is very useful in weekday Bible
studies . And from time to time, even in formal Lord's Day services,
Bible reading may find a place. If the pastor is careful in choosing
references
most important and in arranging them in their own order to lead to a
climax; if he endeavors to give the correct interpretation of each
passage in the clearest language and in the shortest possible form;
If you strive to find the most appropriate illustrations, then, with
God's blessing, Bible reading will be a powerful instrument for the
presentation of divine truth.