Training In Ministry
Preparing
to Preach
Robert L. Samms
The emphasis in this 12-lesson study course is practical. Not only does it cover the basic structure of homiletical preaching, but it also enables learners to develop three sermons of their own: one topical, one textual, and one expository. It also asks students to preach these three messages as a part of this course.
To purchase this book, log on to TrainingInMinistry.com and click on the “buy now” button.
A TIM Equipping Course
About the Author. Robert Samms served for 22 years as a missionary educator in the Philippines. He taught homiletics at the Philippine Missionary Institute and at the Conservative Baptist Bible College. After returning to the States in 1979, he founded Lay Action Ministry Program, Inc. and later Discipleship Overseas, Inc. He also pastored two different churches for several years.
Robert is also the founder of Training In Ministry. He holds an M.A. degree in New Testament from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a DMin from Denver Seminary.
Together with his wife Maryann, they have five grown children, eleven grand children and one great grand child.
Translation Used. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations are from the English Standard Version of the Bible.
© 2014
Discipleship Overseas, Inc.
Table of
Contents
For Study Leaders 4
Curriculum of TIM Courses 5
Lesson 1: The Challenge of Preaching 7
Lesson 2: The Types and Structure of Sermons 15
Lesson 3: Developing a Topical Message 21
Lesson 4: Developing a Textual Message 27
Lesson 5: Developing an Expository Message 32
Lesson 6: Filling Out Your Outline 43
Lesson 7: Illustrations and Applications 52
Lesson 8: Introductions, Propositions, Transitions and Conclusions 59
Lesson 9: Preaching Your Topical Message 66
Lesson 10: Preaching Your Textual Message 71
Lesson 11: Preaching Your Expository Message 77
Lesson 12: Planning Your Preaching Ministry 82
For Study Leaders
Welcome to this significant opportunity to be involved in Jesus’ Great Commission to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20). To help you move forward, you are encouraged to:
1. Download a free copy of “Design Your Equipping Ministry” from: TrainingInMinistry.com. Chapter titles in this key resource are:
· What in the World is the Church Doing?
· The Biblical Mandate to Equip
· Lay Ministry in the Mirror of History
· How to Implement Change
· How Adults Learn Effectively
· How to Lead Effective Discussions
· How to Develop Your Equipping Ministry
2. This course does not have a Leader’s Guide, but for ideas on how to lead the weekly group session, download one from another TIM course at TrainingInMinistry.com. This will give you some suggestions for leading group sessions.
Educational Philosophy of TIM Courses
Every TIM course incorporates a head, heart, and hands approach to learning. Head represents content to be learned, heart the application of this truth to one’s own life, and hands, involvement in ministry through using the course content.
Your Time Commitment
As the Group Study Leader, you should spend adequate time: 1) Preparing the workbook lesson—just as thoroughly as you expect your learners to prepare. 2) Reading the Leader’s Guide and marking those questions and other items you want to emphasize during group sessions.
The Weekly Group Meeting
The 90-minute weekly meeting should feature a discussion of the lesson, focusing on integrative and application type questions found in the Leader’s Guide. It should consist of an hour of interaction with the lesson, as well as time for prayer and group fellowship.
Ministry Involvement
This ministry opportunity should be appropriate to the gifts and ministry experiences of each learner, resulting in spiritual growth for all.
Curriculum of TIM Courses
Training In Ministry courses will enable you to “equip the saints for the work of ministry and so build up the body of Christ.”
Grounding Courses
Christianity 101 is designed to disciple new Christians, either in small groups, or one-to-one. Application: Learners will lead another person through this course.
A Panorama of the Bible features easy-to-remember visuals for each of the 12 Bible periods. Learners will thrill to find that they can remember the major themes of Bible content and message. Application: With the aid of the Leader’s Guide, learners will lead another person, or a small group through this course.
Truth That Transforms will provide learners with a solid foundation in the major doctrines of Scripture, with an emphasis on practical applications. Application: Learners will, with the aid of the Leader’s Guide, lead another individual, or group of people through this course.
A Panorama of Christian History provides a “big picture” view of the Church from the 1st through the 20th century. It also emphasizes practical lessons we can apply to our own ministry. Application: Learners will teach this course to another person or group.
Growing Courses
Welcome to Your Ministry teaches the important truth that God has called and gifted all believers for ministry and challenges them to get involved in some basic ministries in the church. Application: Learners will commit to getting additional training for ministry, and getting involved in it.
How To Discover Your Spiritual Gifts will provide believers with a better understanding of which spiritual gifts they may have, and how to use their gifts in service for Christ. Application: A short-term assignment will be given, wherein learners use one of their gifts in an approved ministry.
Learning to Serve: Jesus As Role Model teaches the servant life-style of Jesus in many ministry related contexts, and helps learners put this into practice in their ministry. Application: Learners will be given a ministry role wherein they demonstrate the servant-leader style of Jesus.
Going Courses
Your Ministry of Prayer studies prayer in Scripture, and will help learners become involved in a significant ministry of prayer. Application: Participants will commit to a ministry of prayer as suggested in the course content.
Outreach as a Life-style will train lay people to develop friendships with people, leading to sharing Christ with them. Application: Learners will practice this personal evangelism approach in their lives of sharing their faith.
Your Ministry at Home provides practical principles in how to establish and maintain a truly Christian home. Application: Applying the principles week by week within the learner’s family, including being consistent in reading the weekly schedule of verses and journaling based on these verses.
Touching Tomorrow By Teaching Children is a superb tool to train more workers to serve in the exciting ministry of teaching children. Application: Teaming up with an experienced teacher as an assistant for one quarter or more.
Christianity in the Workplace relates faith to practical and ethical issues on the job. Its focus is how to be like Christ in the work world. Application: Learners will apply these biblical principles to their areas of work.
Contending For The Faith is a course on Christian apologetics, which will equip learners to defend and share their faith, especially among intellectual unbelievers. Application: Learners will engage in an effective ministry of defending and sharing their faith.
A Survey of the New Testament is a 12-lesson survey of the New Testament. It includes outlines of each book, background information, and questions for individual study. Application: Learners will be able to lead Bible studies in any New Testament book.
How to Study the Bible will give students an in-depth exposure to the inductive method of Bible study and help them develop their own outlines for leading Bible studies. Application: Based on their study, learners will lead 10 Bible studies in the book of Ephesians.
Your Ministry of Leadership will encourage, equip, and train Christian men and women for increased effectiveness in leadership. Application: Learners will demonstrate the skills taught in this course in an assigned ministry position.
Chapter 1
The Challenge
of Preaching
So you are called to preach. Or perhaps you are not sure you are “called” to preach, you just recognize the need for someone to preach. Or it may be that others have said, “You have a gift for speaking and a gift for leading. You should become a pastor.”
If any of these, or any other reason encouraged you to enroll in this study course on preparing Bible messages—may the blessings of the Lord be upon you! May you experience His guidance, strength, and perseverance as you prepare to preach God’s Word.
In this first lesson we will cover four matters:
· What is Preaching? (The Definition of Preaching)
· What We Should Preach? (The Purpose of Preaching)
· How Should We Preach? (The Point of Preaching)
· The Expected Results (The Profit of Preaching)
What is preaching?
The word used in the New Testament, κηρύσσω, means “to announce openly and publicly; to proclaim, as a herald.” It’s to be a public speaker, or even an announcer. This meaning is clearly seen in the following verses:
And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:15)
Biblical preaching takes place when we bring a Bible message to a group of people, by which listeners can both understand the meaning of, and apply Scripture to their own lives.
The first time this word occurs in the New Testament is in Matthew 4:17,
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
And in Mark 13:10 Jesus said,
“The gospel must first be proclaimed (preached) to all nations”.
After the 12 disciples were equipped for this ministry, Jesus sent them forth to preach saying,
“And proclaim[1] as you go, saying ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’ ” Matthew 10:7).
To the very end of Jesus’ earthly ministry he was telling His disciples to preach his message to others. In Mark 16:15 Jesus says to them:
“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”
What do you see as your part in fulfilling these commands of Jesus?
______
______
What Should We Preach
The central focus of all of our preaching is seen in Paul’s personal experience, very soon after his conversion to Christ.
“And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ ”
What was the focus of Paul’s preaching?
______
Paul said it most clearly in 2 Cor. 4:5,
“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord”.
What is it that we are to proclaim?
______
If in preaching we lift up ourselves, we will have had our reward. If we lift up the message of Christ, lives will be changed and His kingdom will grow.
Our biblical preaching must, in one way or another, lift up Jesus Christ.
For it is Jesus who said,
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
In Romans 1:15-16 Paul says,
“I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes”.
Why is preaching “the gospel” so vital?
______
While many biblical messages do not contain a gospel message directly, many pastors find suitable ways to bring into their sermons the message of the gospel.
Why do they do this?
______
Paul tells Timothy to:
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Tim. 4:2)
The reason for this admonition is because—
“The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the point of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).
As you prepare to preach messages from the Bible, how does this verse encourage you?
______
______
How Should We Preach?
Several key thoughts come to mind. Among them are:
· We must preach with a God-given passion.
For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! (1 Cor. 9:16)
What are some of your feelings as you anticipate a ministry of preaching?
______
______
· We must preach Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:5, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”
This verse teaches us two key things about preaching. They are:
______
______
· We must preach with clarity and simplicity.
In Acts 17:22-34 we read of Paul’s ministry to people living in Athens. These were a people who were steeped in a culture of Greek philosophy. As Paul sought to interact with them, he found them sarcastic as it related to his message.[2]
As a result, when he later wrote to the nearby church at Corinth he said simply,
“Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1 Cor. 1:17)
How does this verse encourage you?
______
______
The fact is we do not need to use high-sounding words or big ideas when preaching. But we do need to be biblical, practical, and down to earth. Preach what the Bible teaches, clearly and simply. As the well-known writer and preacher A.H. Ironsides has said, “put your ‘cookies’ on the bottom shelf”.
Why is it important for the preacher to preach a clear and simple message from the Bible?
______
______
What Results Should We Expect?
For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. (1 Cor. 1:21)
· Expect your preaching to transform your life.
Jesus warned His disciples about preaching—but not practicing. To the religious leaders of his day Jesus warned his disciples—
“Do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.” (Matthew 23:3).