What are the essential parts of a sermon?

 Every sermon should be focused upon a specific message or lesson that is anchored in scripture and transmitted to a congregation.  Preaching brings together a different word each week and the unchanging Word that is worshipped week after week.  Preaching is the use of words to communicate something about the WORD: Logos  “Writing the words to a sermon that no one will hear. No one comes near.” McCartney

 Every sermon needs to make one clear, compelling, biblically centered, and contextually relevant claim that sets some aspect of God’s will and God’s word before some specific segment of God’s people. This is done with the hope that those people will be challenged, informed, corrected, or encouraged as a result of the word set before them that day.

 Haddon Robinson and the “big idea” or “main point”  Samuel Proctor and the “proposition or relevant question”  Fred Craddock and the “theme of the sermon”  Tom Long and the “focus or function”  What is this sermon about? What’s the point?  Is there any word from the Lord? (Jer. 37:17)

Lectionary: assigned readings: Genres and literary types present diverse challenges Liturgical seasons: church calendar dates Lectio continua preaching through a book The national calendar provides focus Theological and doctrinal rotations The greatest challenge of preaching is preparing for it week after week after week! What “one thing” do you want to address?

Don’t waste time because listeners will not wait for you; they will move on. The remote control works in church. The first two or three sentences are the most important. The preacher must convince the listener that this sermon is worth hearing. The sermon should address a “problematic itch” (Lowry) Pathos or passion goes a long way while boredom and monotones are deadly My heart was strangely warmed…Wesley

 Harry Emerson Fosdick claimed to spend one hour in preparation for every minute of his sermon.  How many hours does the congregation invest to hear that sermon?  The answer is 3 hours per person x the number of members in that congregation  That can range from 150 to 300 to 3000 hours invested to hear what will be said in church on any given morning

 Plutarch, the Greco-Roman historian said: “When Cicero spoke people said “How well he spoke.” When Demosthenes spoke they said “Let us go and march against the king.”  Demostenes also said the three most important aspects of oratory are action, action, action. What is our objective?  Pathos is what is required to get people to treat as urgent the course of action you have just suggested. Imagine a house on fire!

Preaching should be done with an expectation of what you hope will happen. There needs to be an intended goal or outcome. Think about Deuteronomy 6:4 and the shema or “hear” Ask your audience for some “specific” action. Trust – repent – forgive – believe – love – serve – give – Kindle the mind, energize the will, disturb the conscience and stir the heart. Which one are you asking for?

The actions we suggest must be morally and ethically defensible. We have to be certain that whatever we suggest is consistent with the demands of conscience and with the claims of the gospel. The Bible agrees that what is moral and/or ethical may not always be legal; Daniel broke the law so he could pray! Breaking a human law might be required to satisfy the demands of conscience; apartheid, Holocaust, slavery