Page 4 - Homiletics I Student Textbook

A sermon is an oral address about God’s Word. In one sense, it is a lecture or time of instruction. It can
also be a time of exhortation or challenge. In fact, it should incorporate all of these features of
communication. A lecture is a discourse given before an audience or class especially for instruction or
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a formal reproof. In this setting there is a person communicating information and a group of people
receiving it. Normally a sermon takes place in a public setting. While the public setting may be formal
or informal, the group present becomes the audience.

A sermon is an oral address to the popular mind. This means that communication is taking place. For
communication to take place, an intended message must be sent by a messenger and received by the
recipient as it was intended by the messenger. During the sermon, thoughts and ideas are being placed
in the minds of the hearers. Ideally, these thoughts and ideas are clearly understood by those hearing
what is being communicated.

A sermon is an oral address to the popular mind upon religious truth. It speaks about the person and
work of the Lord God Almighty. A sermon can be about many things; however, for our purposes, we are
limiting it to this subject. It also addresses the nature of man’s relationship to Him. Believing that God
created and owns everything, we are, therefore, accountable to Him.

A sermon is an oral address to the popular mind upon religious truth contained in the Scriptures.
A sermon is about the thoughts and ideas of God. There is only one ultimate source of truth and that is
the Creator Himself. The best way to learn about the person and work of the Lord God Almighty and the
nature of man’s relationship to Him is to hear what He Himself has said. This eliminates the thoughts
and ideas of men. God’s authority always has trumped man’s authority and always will.

A sermon is an oral address to the popular mind upon religious truth contained in the Scriptures and
elaborately treated. A sermon has structure. The thoughts and ideas that are being placed on the
minds of the hearers are well-ordered. The parts of the sermon are not a senseless ordering of random,
disconnected thoughts.

The sermon has unity. The sermon is ordered in support of a centralized theme for the purpose of
communicating a main idea or key concept. It is not a collection of multiple unrelated thoughts.

The sermon has coherence. The sermon is thorough and systematic, logical in its approach, and
consistent in its explanations, illustrations, and applications. It does not contradict itself.

The sermon has progression. The sermon has movement from the beginning through to the end. It
takes the audience on a journey to an intended destination.

A sermon is an oral address to the popular mind upon religious truth contained in the Scriptures and
elaborately treated with a view to persuasion. It convinces others that God’s thoughts and ideas are true.
The sermon is delivered with confidence, passion, and conviction. It should also stimulates others to act
upon what God has said. The sermon calls for some measure of response. It calls the audience to do
something.

Good preaching is not dependent upon the volume of the preacher’s voice nor does it require a
superficial stirring of one’s emotions. Good preaching takes place when God’s Word is communicated

2 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lecture
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