Page 59 - Homiletics I Student Textbook

Our lack of wholeness is a consequence of the fallen condition in which we live. Aspects of this
fallenness that are reflected in our own sinfulness and in our world’s brokenness prompt Scripture’s
instruction and construction.

Determining a sermon’s subject remains only half-done when the preacher has discerned what the
biblical writer was saying. We do not fully understand the subject until we have also determined its
reason or cause.

Consideration of a message’s theme ultimately forces us to ask, ‘Why are these concerns used this
account, these facts, or the recording of these ideas? What was the intent of the author? For what
67
purpose did the Holy Spirit include these words in Scripture?’

Sermons catch fire when flint strikes steel. When the flint of a person’s problem strikes the steel of
the Word of God, a spark ignites that burns in the mind. Directing our preaching at people’s needs
68
is not mere persuasive technique; it is the task of ministry.

The introduction should expand your propositional statement and question (why?, who?, what?,
when?, where?, and how?). This is the ‘Big Idea’ of the message.

The proposition or thesis is a simple declaration of the subject which the preacher proposes to
discuss, develop, prove, or explain in the discourse. In other words, it is the sermon reduced to one
sentence.
69

A sermon proposition, however, is more than a theme. It establishes the concern that the message
will address and sets the agenda for how it will be handled . . . A proposition, then, is not merely a
statement of a biblical truth, nor is it only an instruction based on a biblical principle. It is both. A
proposition is the wedding of a universal truth based on the text with an application based on the
70
universal truth.

In a formally constructed sermon the introduction prepares for the body of the message by leading
to the proposition. Because the proposition is the theme of the overall message, an introduction
that leads into the proposition automatically orients the listener to the body of the message…The
proposition is actually a summary of the introduction.
71

a. Example: Philippians 4:6-7
Defeat worry by bringing God into your troubles.
How do you bring God into your troubles?

b. Example: II Corinthians 1:3-11
Because God encourages you, you should encourage others.
How can you encourage others?

67 Chapell, Bryan, Christ-Centered Preaching, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2002), 40-41.
68 Robinson, 163.
69 Braga, James, How To Prepare Bible Message, (Portland: Multnoma, 1969), 92.
70 Chapell, 140.
71 Chapell, 233.
58