Constructing the Topical Sermon
Topical – a sermon that has a topic in mind prior to consulting the text, and then search for one or more biblical texts that address the topic chosen beforeand.
- May be composed by displaying its aspects or point of view (way of looking at a subject)
- Prayer – necessity, method, results
- May be constructed by stating its proofs (best for controversial themes)
- Messiah – OT Prophecy, Christ’s Work, Christ’s Claims, Power of the Gospel
- May be developed by advancing illustrations of the theme taken from Bible incidents and biographies, or even by illustrations from church history.
- Influence of Godly Mother – Moses, Samuel, Timothy
- May be developed according to the kinds of materials used in a sermon: explanations, argument, illustration and application.
- Tithing – Explain it, Prove it, Illustrate it, Apply it
- May be developed by treating the subject part by part or step by step, when such a sermon can be given spiritual significance.
- Courtroom of Life – Judge, Accuser, Advocate, Verdict
Organizing Your Sermon
- Why Organize your sermon
- Facilitates delivery.
- More pleasing to the hearer.
- Easier to remember
- Easier to understand.
- Increases effectiveness.
- Qualities of an organized sermon:
- Unity (one theme prevails through all divisions).
- Coherence (parts related to common theme and adhere to one another).
- Steady progressSymmetry.
- Should have climax.
*To have an organized sermon, you must also have organized study.*
Steps / Checklist for Preparation (one process for construction of sermon)
Once the exegetical study is made of a selected passage and the audience need is understood, the following steps are suggested.
Step #1 State a theme for preaching
The theme should be in harmony with the Scripture passage and a specific contemporary human need. Sermon title comes from the theme.
Step #2 State the truth you want to establish
There should be a statement in sentence form, which pulls together the exegetical idea and the human need, expressing precisely what principle you want to have established by the end of the sermon.
Step #3 State an audience-centered purpose
There should be a statement in attitude/behavior terms, which expresses precisely what purpose you have in establishing the above truth. It should be agreeable with the original purpose of the passage. It should be in terms of “How to” or “Ought to”
Step #4 Select points you want to use (minimum of two)
These should be an outgrowth of your exegetical study. All points should come from the passage(s) being used. They do not have to be in the same order as in the text
Step #5 State the response you hope the sermon will produce
It should be in line with the passage. It should be expressed in objective terms.
Step #6 Decide where to place the exegesis
Introduction, body and/or conclusion – To draw out the hidden meaning of Scripture. To interpret. The art of expounding Scripture. Explanation or critical interpretation. Letting the Scripture speak for itself. In exegesis, it is always invalid to read a meaning into Scripture, which was never intended by the original author. The exposition sets forth the true meaning in an appropriate and effective order.
Step #7 Write introduction
Start with perspective of the Scripture and move to need, or start with the need and move to the perspective of the Scripture
Step #8 Fill in outline
For each point, use the following pattern:
Exposition: Explain the original intended meaning of the point in the text
Application: Apply the Scripture truth to contemporary situations
Illustration: Use a specific situation to “picture” the point being made
Step #9 Write Conclusion
Conclude with an overall summary or on the basis of the final point
Step #10 Express the Appeal
The appeal should be specific; it should be simple and measurable. You should express precisely what you want the audience to do.
Deductive and Inductive Study
The deductive method of reasoning moves toward necessary conclusions derived from correct connections between premises which are all either given or assumed to be true.
The inductive method of reasoning moves toward possible conclusions derived from hypothetical connections between premises (observations) which are selected from among all possible true premises (observations).
Ideally, the deductive method of reasoning is objective in its conclusions (the conclusions are necessarily true), but subjective in its premises (the premises are assumed to be true).
Ideally, the inductive method of reasoning is subjective in its conclusions (the conclusions are not necessarily true), but objective in its premises (the premises are observed to be true).
The deductive method reasons from certain premises to a necessary conclusion. It is often described as reasoning from the general to the specific.
Premise: All men are mortal
Premise: Socrates is a man
Conclusion: Socrates is mortal
If the premises are true, and the form is correct or valid, then the conclusion is necessarily true. However, if the form is invalid, then the conclusion is not necessarily true.
Some men are mortal.
Socrates is a man.
Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
Though we may know that Socrates is mortal, nevertheless that does not logically flow from the premises of this argument. If we only know that some men are mortal, then Socrates might be among some men who are not mortal. The form of the argument is not valid.
The inductive method reasons in the opposite direction of the deductive method. It begins with specific observations and reasons to a generalization about the observations. It is often described as reasoning from the particulars to the general.
I have examined ten thousand dogs.
Every dog I have examined has fleas.
Therefore, all dogs have fleas.
The conclusion (really, a generalization) may possibly be true there is no observation which contradicts the conclusion but it is not necessarily true there are still more observations which could be made.
If, indeed, I had examined all dogs (which, of course, nobody could possibly do), and all dogs examined had fleas, then I could conclude that all dogs do indeed have fleas. Based on my sample of dogs, it appears that all dogs have fleas. But the first dog I found which did not have fleas would contradict and therefore disprove my conclusion. So all that I actually know is that some dogs have fleas.
Inductive Bible Study
Inductive Bible study on the basic level is simply careful instruction in the meaning of the Biblical text. A better name for this might be analytic Bible study [Greek: analuein to undo, to loosen back (to the elements)] because it breaks down Bible texts into parts or principles in order to examine its meaning and relationship to other texts.
One common way of doing an inductive study is to choose a large passage to examine word by word, phrase by phrase, paragraph by paragraph with a series of such questions as Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? What kind of? How many? Which help to draw out some of the meaning of the text
- We begin with the observation level, determining what the text says
- We next move to the interpretation level, determining what the text means by what it says.
- Finally we move to the application level, determining how to apply what the text means to issues of modern life.
Deductive Bible Study
Deductive Bible study on the basic level is simply instruction in Biblical doctrine. A better name for this might be synthetic Bible study [Greek: suntithemai to put together] because it puts together the separate elements of the Bible to form a coherent whole which is more highly developed than the parts. In a deductive study we might examine a previously selected series of Biblical texts in order to gather up Biblical propositions which, when properly arranged, prove such doctrines as the deity of Christ, or the personality of the Holy Spirit, or salvation by the blood atonement of Christ. The Apostles reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead.(Acts 17:2-°©‐3) So a deductive study is topical in nature, and someone must first do the work of finding the texts and arranging them to prove the doctrine, then we examine his work, benefit from it, and perhaps even improve upon it. The deductive study saves us much of the work of assembling these texts and building these doctrines on our own. In this way those young in the faith can be quickly edified [built up] line upon line in basic, essential, and important doctrines of the faith.
One common way of doing a deductive study is for the student to examine a selected series of Bible texts, then to answer specific questions about each text questions which will draw out and pull together the logical inferences so that the student can think for himself step-by-step through the logic of the doctrine.
Of course, in deductive Bible study the student must place a reasonable amount of trust in his teacher to guide him through the doctrines. Nevertheless, there are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable persons twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. (2 Peter 3:16) The danger of the deductive study is that, regardless of the teachers intentions, we may be mislead. So the student must also examine for himself the Bible texts in their contexts to see if they say what the teacher thinks they say, and He must test the logical connections to make sure they prove what the teacher thinks they prove. The Bereans were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word [of the Apostles doctrine] with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed. (Acts 17:11-12) Both the teacher and the student are accountable to the Lord, as well as to each other in the Lord.
DEDUCTIVE REASONING
Deductive reasoning begins with a hypothesis, which basically means a “good guess.” After this guess is made, a person would gather evidence to prove the point. If the hypothesis is correct, the evidence will support it. If the hypothesis is wrong, the evidence will not support it. We all use this line of reasoning every day to draw conclusions about our world. Deductive reasoning is basically a “trial & error” method.
INDUCTIVE REASONING
Inductive reasoning demands that one studies, observes, gathers evidence (the specific part) and then draws conclusions (the general part) based on all the above. This is a much stronger way to establish truth than any other method of Bible study. Deductive reasoning is used at every stage of observation but the main idea is stated only after all observations are made. In this way, each observation leads to a new discovery of truth.
Topical Sermon (error)
Sometimes God doesn’t care
- God turned His back on Jesus
- How much more will He despise humanity if He turned his back on His son
- Matthew 27:46 2.
- God punishes us at will
- God is full of anger and wrath and will chastise you
- Leviticus 26:28
- Your guilt will be so heavy you might as well hang yourself
- Even an apostle cannot escape the guilt of humanity
- Matthew 27:5