When a person is initially called into ministry, it’s not usual that he possesses fully developed skills to evangelise God’s Word to a congregation. Exceptions exist, but the traditional course for a person who is known as into ministry is to arrange himself to evangelise by studying and practicing homiletics (together with all other pastorate studies).
What Exactly Is Homiletics, and Why Should We Care?
Let’s be honest, not all preaching is sweet preaching. We’ve all needed to endure some painful Sunday mornings where we’d quite watch paint dry than take heed to one other second of the pastor’s sermon. Homiletics is the art of crafting a sermon, and proper use of it will possibly mean the difference between pews filled with dull, glazed-over eyes and pews filled with people gripped and pierced by God’s Word.
The reason homiletics matters to the congregation is because their growth and maturity is greatly impacted by the effective preaching and teaching of God’s Word. That’s since the Holy Spirit Who sanctifies us moves and works through God’s Word. If a pastor shouldn’t be effectively preaching God’s Word, he’s ravenous his sheep and dulling the glory of Christ. Good preaching, nonetheless, isn’t entertainment; as a substitute, it’s God’s Word effectively and truthfully communicated by the pastor.
The Ancient Roots of Homiletics
Homiletics is closely tied to the art of public speaking. In the traditional world, homiletics would have been a highly valued skill since rhetoric was especially prized and was utilized by people akin to philosophers and poets. Paul addressed this in his speech to the Greeks on the Areopagus (Acts 17, esp. v. 28). This may even be hinted at in 1 Corinthians 2:4 where Paul states, “we didn’t come to you in cleverness of speech…”
Homiletics has a long-standing history amongst God’s individuals who were entrusted with His Word. Ezra provides a terrific example of this. Ezra 7:6 tells us Ezra was “expert within the law of Moses, which Yahweh, the God of Israel had given.” The inference is that Ezra knew and proclaimed the law to the people. Ezra 7:10-11 adds weight to Ezra’s example of the discipline mandatory to evangelise God’s Word effectively, “For Ezra had set his heart to review the law of Yahweh and to practice it, and to show His statute and judgment in Israel.” Ezra 10:10-12 shows us Ezra admonishing the people from the Word of the Lord. In Nehemiah 8, Ezra read aloud the book of the Law together with the Levites who explained, gave insight into, and provided understanding of the Word (vv. 2-7).
By the time of Christ, the Bible and other sources repeatedly mention teaching within the synagogues (Matthew 4:23; Mark 1:21; Luke 4:15; John 6:59). Almost the complete chapter of Acts 13 is dedicated to the narrative about Paul (later joined by Barnabas) preaching the gospel to a big assembly within the Pisidian Antioch synagogue. As mentioned above, Paul’s sermon on the Areopagus is an excellent example of fruitful homiletics where Paul strategically tailors his sermon to the Greek culture without compromising truth.
The early church fathers, including Clement of Rome, John Chrysostom, and Augustine set the benchmark for the second through eighth centuries. Editor Beryl Smalley, in “The Study of the Bible within the Middle Ages,” put it succinctly: “St. Jerome gave the medieval scholar his text and his learned apparatus; St. Augustine told him what his aim must be.” It has impacted homiletics since their time.
Our modern age has preachers who span the entire gamut of preaching styles. Their homiletics range between topical, expository, textual, and evangelistic. Pastors’ approaches to preaching a sermon are dictated by their end goal, whether that be to expand on a subject, thoroughly exegete a passage, or provide application, etc. Preaching styles tend toward topical messages which address today’s life issues. Adding personal or other stories, many preachers illustrate their sermons to create a private connection to their audience, often using modern technology (and even AI) to spice up the force of their message.
Why Does the Bible Emphasize Preaching?
Through effective preaching, God works through His Word. The Holy Spirit works through His Word. As John Calvin said, “The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God, and the 2 are inextricably connected.”
When they voiced what the Lord said to them, the Old Testament prophets proclaimed, “Thus says the Lord” (Exodus 4:22; 5:1; Joshua 24:2; 1 Samuel 2:27; Jeremiah 28:13, etc.). Their first charge was to get it right in line with what the Lord told them to proclaim. The prophets were the preachers.
The New Testament commands that the Scriptures be preached, and it also gives practical guidance and examples of preaching.
2 Timothy 4:2 commands us to “preach the word; be ready in season out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and teaching.” There’s never a time when preaching God’s Word is prohibited by the Bible.
In Romans 10:14-15 Paul writes, “How then will they call on Him in whom they’ve not believed? How will they consider in Him whom they’ve not heard? And how will they hear with out a preacher? And how will they preach unless they’re sent? Just because it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those that proclaim excellent news of excellent things!” He follows this statement up with a key truth, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
One more verse will add an exclamation point to our call to evangelise the Word of God. 1 Corinthians 9:16 is evident in regards to the state of 1 who refuses to evangelise the Word, “For if I proclaim the gospel, I even have nothing to boast, for I’m under compulsion. For woe is me if I don’t proclaim the gospel.”
Can Homiletics Make a Difference in How We Preach?
It is the hope of seminary professors, church congregations, and the Lord himself that an astute study and practice of homiletics will make an enormous difference in how a pastor preaches. Learning how you can prepare and present a sermon stands alongside knowing Scripture. They work hand-in-hand because a preacher should know his audience so he can address their gospel and life needs. For a pastor to present theology well, he should employ the language of his congregation. Doing so will enable him to attach Scripture with real-life applications.
Homiletics in its purest form is a labor of affection for the pastor, and his love is at the start for God, for handling His Word rightly, and likewise for his congregation. The pastor shouldn’t be consumed by what he would love to say, but by what his congregation needs him to say (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). This distinguishes effective preaching from ineffective preaching
Many an audience member has drifted off to the drone of an ill-equipped, seemingly uninterested pastor. Homiletics stokes the hearth of biblical exposition and delivery so the pastor’s fervor for sharing God’s Word is warm and alluring—even on fire with excitement. The clarity, passion, and structure of a pastor’s message matters as he shares the life-changing truths of God’s Word. Pastor Scott T. Brown imparts a truism in regards to the relationship between a pastor and his congregation, “As the pulpit goes, so goes the church.”
What Are the Essential Ingredients of a Great Sermon?
Four key components of a terrific sermon are prayer, exegesis (studying the Bible and getting the meaning out of a passage), contextualization (a message faithful to God’s Word and which connects to the listeners), ensuring it’s a Christo-centric message (i.e., centered on Christ since Scripture’s whole purpose is to exalt Him), and application (how can each church member apply the message to his or her life). After that comes more prayer because the Lord leads the pastor in delivering the message.
Pastor Chip Thornton shares a thoughtful and arranged approach to crafting a sermon that’s faithful to Scripture and relevant to listeners (He credits SBTS seminary professor Al Fason with the steps).
He suggests:
1. Study the text on which you intend to evangelise.
2. Employing excellent hermeneutics, discern the one meaning of the text.
3. State the timeless principle of the text (Thornton says, “The timeless principle is the bridge between the traditional text and the contemporary context. It conveys how the text is relevant today.”)
4. Determine the Major Objective of the Sermon (MOS). What do you hope to perform on this one sermon at this one time for this one audience?
5. Compose a sermon title to maintain yourself on target.
6. Draft your sermon outline.
Pray for humility, a right rendering of God’s Word, and to make much of Jesus.
Is Homiletics Just for Pastors, or Can Anyone Benefit?
The Bible tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, in order that the person of God could also be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for each good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
God is in a position and does work through anybody, with or without official education, to evangelise and share Christ in day by day life. Whether you might be a pastor, a Bible teacher, or an on a regular basis student of the Bible (or perhaps a author who expounds Scripture), all Christians use God’s Word to edify, encourage, and counsel one another, in addition to to evangelize. In this fashion, homiletics helps the complete church as we try to adapt to God’s Word and can.
Homiletics serves each the preacher and the church. When God’s Word is communicated using excellent homiletics, the congregation is healthier capable of grow of their faith and conform to God’s will. The Holy Spirit sanctifies the believer’s heart by conforming us to God’s Word. With His help, we understand the Word, are instructed and inspired by it, and gain wisdom on how you can speak the reality to others. Homiletics, due to this fact, plays an important role in helping God’s Word resonate in the center of the believer.
How Does Homiletics Help Us Proclaim the Good News?
Homiletics also helps us to know how you can best share the Good News of Jesus Christ. The gospel message is sort of a foreign language to a nonbeliever. It is useful, due to this fact, to think about how you can effectively communicate the gospel since the darkened mind won’t grasp the Gospel by itself (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
When we study the practice of wonderful homiletics, it helps us communicate the gospel more effectively with our audience. And a keen desire of all of the church must be clarity when testifying about Jesus to others. Don’t let homiletics scare you; use what God gives you to proclaim His Good News in a winsome, engaging, and heartfelt way.
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