Homiletics - The Art of Preaching

The following is Dr. Pete's outline on Homiletics as presented in a seminar.

Homiletics

1. Homiletics - Defined¹
1. The art of preparing and delivering sermons.
2. The art of preaching.
2. Preaching - What the Bible has to say about it.
1. "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." 1 Corinthians 1:21 King James Version
2. "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? An how shall they preach unless they are sent?.…So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:13-15a, 17
3. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith'." Romans 1:16-17
4. Preach - Defined²
1. The word preach comes from the Greek word kerusso, which means to herald or proclaim.
3. Salvation - Defined³
1. The word salvation comes from the Greek word soteria, which means deliverance or preservation.
2. To be saved means to
1. Be delivered from enemies and to receive mercy (Luke 1:69-74).
2. Be delivered from oppression (Acts 7:17-25).
3. Be delivered from danger (Acts 27:34).
4. Experience the power of God to provide (Philippians 1:19).
5. Experience the power of God to heal (Acts 4:7-12)
6. Be delivered from sin (Romans 10:10; Ephesians 1:13).
7. Be blessed of God (Philippians 2:12).
8. Be delivered from destruction (Hebrews 11:7).
3. To be saved means to be delivered from whatever a person needs to be delivered from.
4. The Purpose of Preaching
1. Preaching is the mechanism that releases the power of God to deliver.
2. Preaching produces faith in the hearers for deliverance from whatever they need to be delivered from.
3. When preaching produces faith, men call on the name of the Lord for deliverance.
5. Preachers must be sent by God. (Romans 10:15)
1. Preachers must have the Holy Ghost.
1. "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17
2. "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me, and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." John 14:21
3. "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." John 14:26.
4. "However, when He, the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." John 16:13
2. Preachers must have the tongue of the learned.
1. "The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away." Isaiah 50:4-5.
3. God sent preachers...
1. Hearing from Heaven is a product of the operation of the Holy Ghost in a God sent preacher's life.
2. God sent preachers hear from Heaven to know what people need to hear so that when the word of God is preached, faith for deliverance comes.
6. The Preacher's Responsibility
1. Deliver the Whole Counsel of God.
1. "Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent if the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God." Acts 20:26-27
2. Preachers must stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.
1. a. "Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences." 2 Corinthians 5:9-11
3. Therefore be thorough.
1. Tell the people EVERYTHING the Lord told you to tell them. This is the whole counsel of God.
2. "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Acts 20:28
4. Do it right the first time. You may not get a "do over".
1. "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work." John 9:4
2. Deliver the Whole Counsel of God in a timely manner.
1. Do not waste time.
2. Use the 3 Ups Guideline
1. Get up.
2. Speak up.
3. Shut up.
3. Methods of Delivery - Also Called Modes of Delivery⁴
1. Reading
1. Write down what the Lord gave you to say and read what you have written, "word for word", without deviation. Good for novices.
2. Reciting
1. Memorize the written manuscript.
3. Extemporaneous
1. Speak without a written manuscript.
4. Most Important Consideration:
1. Do what makes you comfortable.
2. Use whatever method of delivery that enables you to deliver the whole counsel of God.

References

Related:

• Change by the Foolishness of Preaching
• Take God's Work Seriously
• Protocol

• The Doctrines of Salvation
• Our Health and God's Word
• Our Finances and God's Word