Bible Students

A reflection based on “Biblical Preaching” by Robinson (chapters 4-7)

This section covered four more chapters of composing a sermon. Chapter four covers the road from the biblical text to composing a sermon. First, the idea of the passage must be explained through three important questions: First, “what does this mean?” The biblical text must be explained by the preacher! Of course, this seems obvious. Second, “is this true?” The preacher must be prepared to defend the truth of the biblical text. Lastly, “what difference does it make?” Arguably, the preacher’s primary goal is to teach the listener what difference the text should make in their life. How should the listener respond, and why does it matter? 

Next, the preacher must be able to spot the theological purpose given by the author in the text. First, are there any notes by the author on the topic? Sometimes in the biblical text the author will place notes which break the flow but add insight into why they are discussing this topic. Second, are there any theological or moral judgments made by the author? Sometimes the author will connect the story’s events to editorial notes. 

Next, the text needs to be applied, but how can this be done? The setting of the biblical text must be taken into account. What does the author and the audience have in common that could explain how to apply the text? How does the audience identify with the people the text is being written to? Is there any New Testament commentary on the application of an Old Testament passage? One of the most sound and important ways to answer the question of application is: Where is the underlying principle, and how should I apply that to my context today? 

Chapter five then covers how to create a homiletical idea and determine the purpose of the sermon. First, the idea must be formulated through the use of the three previous questions. Take into consideration any terms which need to be explained, either by the author or by the preacher. Additionally, if the author is creating an argument, where is he in his argument and how does it contribute? Lastly, in terms of application, how does the author state the audience should apply the principle, or how does the author apply it? 

After going through these three questions, the preacher should be able to state it in the shortest, most precise, memorable sentence possible. The preacher should also aim to use familiar terms in order to keep it in the audience’s brain. 

The second half of this chapter covers the purpose of the sermon. Put simply, the purpose of the sermon is what the audience should be able to do after hearing the sermon. Should they be able to define terms, apply it to their life, or understand a biblical book’s context more? If the purpose of the sermon is not met, the sermon is not successful. 

Chapter six covers what structures can be used for the sermon. Now, there are a lot of different models for this, including deductive argument, inductive arguments, and everything in between. There are deductive models, which start with an idea and then seek to prove it. There are also inductive models, which start by giving accepted truths and concluding with a main idea. There is also an inductive-deductive model which seeks to give accepted ideas, lead to an idea, and then explain the idea. After understanding what model one will use, they can create a general outline for what will be covered, both of main ideas and main supports/applications. 

Finally, chapter seven seeks to fill out the sermon outline. One must use supporting materials, such as stories, analogies, cultural studies, and many other devices. Some of those devices are: Restatement, which acts as a great method for helping the audience remember a phrase or concept; definition and explanation, which act as great tools for aiding the audience in understanding what the biblical author is talking about; factual information, such as studies or statistics, which add to the validity of the message; quotation, which adds interesting thoughts from other people; narration, which aids in putting the audience in the place of the biblical author; and illustration, which again aids in the audience’s immersion. 

Overall, this week has actually helped a lot for formulating a sermon. The concepts covered also helped in giving me a starting place for creating an outline first, and only afterwards filling it with illustrations and explanations.