Week 3 Flashcards
To acquaint student with sermon preparation process
Bland’s first step for sermon development
Select the text
Bland’s second step for sermon development
Become acquainted with the text
Bland’s third step for sermon development
Establish or translate the text
Bland’s fourth step for sermon development
Establish the parameters of the text
Bland’s fifth step for sermon development
Employ various interpretive voices (commentaries)
Bland’s sixth step for sermon development
Create sermon focus and function
What is the sermon focus?
gist of the sermon in a concise sentence
What is the sermon function?
Concise statement answering, “what do I what this sermon to do in the life of my hearers?” This comes from the genre of the text (praise, exhortation, lament, warning, narrate, etc)
According to Dr. Bland, how should we define Biblical sermons?
Biblical sermons should be defined by a commitment to use Scripture as the foundation or source for preaching
Dr. Bland also offers an alternate definition of Biblical sermon. What is that definition?
The communicating of a message of a particular portion of Scripture in a particular form to a particular group of people
According to Hank Langknecht what is the goal of preaching?
For every hearer to know that the promises of God are for them, which is a moment of faith that the Holy Spirit empowers and makes happen.
According to Hank Langknecht, what is the role of the Holy Spirit in preaching?
To create faith in the hearers to accept the promises of God through the sermon.
According to Craddock, what are some reasons some preachers experience difficulties studying Biblical texts?
- Hard exegetical work
- Unconscious hesitation to studying the Bible
- A fear that study will reveal unpleasant truths
- Study involves moving back into a strange world
- The responsibilities and expectations of ministry can distract the preacher from putting in sufficient study time.
- Studying the Bible is a process of discovery which can frustrate preachers who want to master its contents quickly.
Craddock urges breaking down this movement into easily managed doable steps. The main benefits with this approach are:
i. Having the satisfaction of completing each step on a particular day
ii. Creating forward momentum towards completion
iii. It fits the rhythm of the average pastor’s/preacher’s life
Craddock mentions two common approaches to Scripture. They are:
i. Hermeneutic of suspicion (Scientific/questioning approach)
ii. Hermeneutic of assent (Full agreement)
Craddock says designing the message into a sermon can be a delightful exercise if:
i. One has put in time getting the message and not procrastinating
ii. If it is kept separate from the first movement of preparation
Craddock does not advocate the gathering of stories just to
spice up one’s sermons
Craddock says Biblical preaching is not just asking “What does it say?” but also:
“How does it say it?”
Craddock mentions several misuses of storytelling to avoid:
Make sure stories have enough dimension (substance) so that it does not diminish the sermon.
Must not be small and silly in our preaching. Must tell a story that minimizes the theology of the text.
Must not use stories in a way that minimizes the experience of the hearer
When create the story, make sure there’s more tell after you make your point
Craddock says if there is not a God-ward focus when preaching a prayer, then:
The sermon suffers from a radical disconnect from the text
According to Bland, what is the main problem with always equating an expository sermon to a Biblical sermon?
An Expository sermon can be arbitrarily defined by the length of the text. A Biblical sermon should not be defined by length or a particular method
