Page 86 - Homiletics Student Textbook

Study Section 14: Living Biblical Truth - continued

14.1 Connect

Have you ever heard a person say, “Practice what you preach?” The Pharisees were the
religious conservatives in Christ’s day and made huge lists of righteous things people needed
to do to please God. The problem is that they did not do what they taught others. They
were hypocrites; they wore fake masks thinking they could fool others to think they were
righteous. But they did not “practice what they preached.” Jesus called them open graves --
- painted white on the outside to look good, but full of stinking rotten flesh and bones. We
need to understand that living biblical truth is about responding to God’s Word with personal
obedience. Don’t tell your people to do something you are not willing first to do!

It’s the difference between leading your sheep by example or driving your sheep from the back of the
herd. Again, today, we are going to continue to see how important it is to first apply the truth of a
passage into our lives, then asking our people to become like us.

14.3 Title of Course

II. Exposition based on good skills of homiletics and pedagogy

A. Exegetical Outline

Introduction:
James, writing to struggling believers who were encountering various trials and temptations,
encouraged them to consider their response to the wisdom of God’s Word.

Subject:
How these struggling believers were to respond to the wisdom of God’s Word…

I. James indicated that they were not to respond simply as hearers.

A. Hearers understand but do nothing.
B. There is absolutely no value in that.

II. James indicated that they were to respond consistently as doers.
A. Doers understand and do something.
B. There is absolutely great value in that.

Complements:
…not simply as hearers
…but consistently as doers

Exegetical Proposition:
James encouraged these struggling believers to respond to the wisdom of God’s Word
not simply as hearers, but also as consistent doers.

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