1 North England Conference S EVENTH-DAY A DVENTIST C HURCH

Seventh-day Adventists Rebuilding the Walls: Rebuilding People; Restoring Relationships; Inspiring Excellence. (Ephesians 4:1-13) 2

3 Sunday 15 th December 2013 Introduction Lecture 3: How to Select a Theme Lecture 4: How to Choose & Interpret a text

4 Can you remember the themes? Click here for the video

5 Can you remember the themes? Fawlty Towers Doctor Who Dad’s Army Blackadder Absolutely Fabulous What does the music theme do to or for you?

6 A topic and theme outlined A title or topic Title Accurately suggests the theme Is for ‘publicity’ so can be used in announcements Can be announced at the beginning of the sermon or in the bulletin A theme Outlines the sermon Longer & more complete than the title or topic Is the preacher’s own statement of purpose Can be stated somewhere in the introduction

7 How to select a theme Sermon themes should be… Notes, p.23

8 Our textbook, “Invitation to Biblical Preaching” refers to the theme as ‘the Take-Home truth’ and is described in chapter 4, p.65 We need to do more than observe the theory The theme in our textbook

9 Is to the sermon what the spine is to the skeleton or the foundation is to the house Holds things together and help to determine what the final sermon will become Significance: the theme…

10 When do you create the theme? Significance: the theme…

11 “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Let’s create a theme…

12 Let’s create a theme… In pairs, turn this text into a passage outline p.137 in the textbook 36 – 40 words please

13 “The reason Paul ceased his earnest prayer for the thorn’s removal, and began instead to value it, was because he learned the thorn was keeping him from exalting himself and was making him strong for God.” Let’s create a theme…

14 Is this the take home truth/theme for the sermon? We need to turn this to a truth about the passage You have a small sheet of paper, create a take home truth/theme – 5 minutes! Let’s create a theme…

15 Results please … Let’s create a theme…

16 Is to the sermon what the spine is to the skeleton or the foundation is to the house Holds things together and help to determine what the final sermon will become The theme is your guide to the presentation of the sermon Significance of the theme…

17 Break (15 minutes)