Title: CORRECTLY HANDLING THE WORD OF TRUTH
1CORRECTLY HANDLING THE WORD OF TRUTH
- Preaching Teaching Workshop
- Kingston Church of Christ
- January 2009
2Correctly Handling the Word of Truth
- 2 Timothy 215 (TNIV)
- 15Â Do your best to present yourself to God as
one approved, a worker who does not need to be
ashamed and who correctly handles the word of
truth.
3Correctly Handling the Word of Truth
- 2 Timothy 215 (NLTSE)
- An Approved Worker
- 15Â Work hard so you can present yourself to
God and receive his approval. Be a good worker,
one who does not need to be ashamed and who
correctly explains the word of truth.
4The Mandate for Preaching
- 2 Timothy 314-17
- 14 But as for you, continue in what you have
learned and have become convinced of, because you
know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how
from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
5- 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful
for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training
in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may
be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
6- 2 Timothy 41-5
- 1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who
will judge the living and the dead, and in view
of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this
charge 2 Preach the Word be prepared in season
and out of season correct, rebuke and
encourage-- with great patience and careful
instruction.
7- 3 For the time will come when men will not put up
with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own
desires, they will gather around them a great
number of teachers to say what their itching ears
want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away
from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But
you, keep your head in all situations, endure
hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge
all the duties of your ministry.
8The Mandate to Preach
- Preaching is a serious responsibility
- There is a lot at stake
- Life and Death (Spiritual / Eternal)
- Peoples souls hang in the scales
- Requires courage to say what people dont want to
hear instead of pandering to the crowd
9The Mandate to Preach
- Requires great patience and careful instruction
- Need to keep your head
- Requires tremendous preparation
10The Mandate to Preach
- 2 Tim 314-17
- The scriptures are inspired
- The scriptures are able to make us wise for
salvation - The scriptures are useful to teach, rebuke,
correct and train us in righteousness - The scriptures thoroughly equip us for every good
work
11The Mandate to Preach
- However in order for the inspired word of God to
serve these purposes for us as individuals and as
a church, the scriptures need first to be
accurately explained so that they can be rightly
understood.
12The Mandate for Preaching
- This is the role of the preacher to bring the
word of God to the people. - By explaining the word of God, the preacher
bridges the gap between the word of God and man
and is a medium that God uses to communicate his
word.
13The Preacher bridges the gap between the world of
the Bible and the world of his audience.
14The Mandate to Preach
- The Preachers role is to explain the word of God
so that people can understand it and apply it to
their lives
15- Nehemiah 81-8 (NIV)
- 81Â all the people assembled as one man in the
square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the
scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses,
which the LORD had commanded for Israel.
16- 2Â So on the first day of the seventh month
Ezra the priest brought the Law before the
assembly, which was made up of men and women and
all who were able to understand.
17- 3Â He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as
he faced the square before the Water Gate in the
presence of the men, women and others who could
understand. And all the people listened
attentively to the Book of the Law. - 4Â Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden
platform built for the occasion. Beside him on
his right stood .
18- 5Â Ezra opened the book. All the people could
see him because he was standing above them and
as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6Â
Ezra praised the LORD, the great God and all the
people lifted their hands and responded, Amen!
Amen! Then they bowed down and worshiped the
LORD with their faces to the ground.
19- 7Â The Levites instructed the people in
the Law while the people were standing there.
8Â They read from the Book of the Law of God,
making it clear and giving the meaning so that
the people could understand what was being read.
20- 12Â Then all the people went away to eat and
drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate
with great joy, because they now understood the
words that had been made known to them.
21The Mandate for Preaching
- James 31
- 1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers,
my brothers, because you know that we who teach
will be judged more strictly.
22- 1 Timothy 411-16 (TNIV)
- 11Â Command and teach these things. 12Â
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are
young, but set an example for the believers in
speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in
purity. 13Â Until I come, devote yourself to
the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and
to teaching. 14Â Do not neglect your gift,
which was given you through prophecy when the
body of elders laid their hands on you.
23- 15Â Be diligent in these matters give yourself
wholly to them, so that everyone may see your
progress. 16Â Watch your life and doctrine
closely. Persevere in them, because if you do,
you will save both yourself and your hearers.
24- 1 Timothy 413-16 (HCSB)
- 13Â Until I come, give your attention to public
reading, exhortation, and teaching. 14Â Do not
neglect the gift that is in you it was given to
you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands
by the council of elders. 15Â Practice these
things be committed to them, so that your
progress may be evident to all. 16Â Be
conscientious about yourself and your teaching
persevere in these things, for by doing this you
will save both yourself and your hearers.
25- 1 Peter 410-11
- 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has
received to serve others, faithfully
administering God's grace in its various forms.
11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one
speaking the very words of God. so that in all
things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory and the power for ever and
ever. Amen.
26- 2 Peter 316
- 16 He writes the same way in all his letters,
speaking in them of these matters. His letters
contain some things that are hard to understand,
which ignorant and unstable people distort, as
they do the other Scriptures, to their own
destruction.
27The Mandate for Preaching
- Preaching is a solemn charge that God has given
each of us that we must respond to and on which
souls depend. - Preaching is a tremendous responsibility that
should not be entered upon or treated lightly.
28Who Preaches Teaches?
- Preachers Teachers
- Anyone who speaks publicly at church
- Family Group Leaders persons who lead Bible
Discussion Group Lessons - People who lead Bible Studies Counseling
sessions - Anyone who shares their faith
29The Mandate to Preach
- All of us are called to preach and teach the
scriptures on some level and therefore need to be
trained to correctly handle the word of truth.
30My Story
- 1991 Impressed by the brothers who studied the
Bible with me. I want to be able to teach the
Bible like that to others. - 1992 - Led first Bible Talk impromptu
- 1992 - Sharing Lessons at church
- 1994 - Lessons to Campus Students
- 1995 1st Sunday Sermon Bridgetown Church of
Christ
31My Story
- 1995 2003 Regularly preaching sermons
teaching the Bible several times every week - Learned how to preach teach by imitation and
training - Learned how to be effective at speaking
- Little training on how to properly read and
interpret the Bible - Preaching largely focused on inspiring and
producing desired behaviour
32My Story
- Bible study focused on meeting personal needs /
or to meet perceived needs in groups that I was
leading - 2003 Tsunami
- 2003 2005 Hiatus from Preaching
- 2005 Started preaching again
- 2007 2009 AIM
33Striking the Balance
- Proverbs 192 (NIV)
- 2Â It is not good to have zeal without
knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. - Proverbs 192 (HCSB)
- 2Â Even zeal is not good without knowledge,
and the one who acts hastily sins.
34Striking the Balance
- Romans 1211 (TNIV)
- 11Â Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your
spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
35Zeal without Knowledge
36Knowledge without Zeal
37Striking the Balance
- Zeal without knowledge
- Knowledge without zeal
- Which is better?
38Our Common Approach to Handling the Scriptures
- How have we as a fellowship handled the word of
truth? - What is our common approach to preparing sermons
or lessons from the Bible? - How do we go about preparing a sermon or lesson?
39Our Common Approach to Preaching
- Start by figuring out what we think are the needs
of the group that we are addressing. - Come up with some points that address those needs
(usually 3 points that rhyme)
40Our Common Approach to Preaching
- Find some good verses that will support the
points that we want to make. - Think of some really great stories,
illustrations, and personal sharing. - Motivate by teaching the right behaviour.
41- Whats wrong with this approach?
42Whats Wrong with this Approach?
- Needs are based on the preachers subjective
perspective. - Generalizes needs.
- Needs are always the same recycled.
- Lends itself to sharing our opinions instead of
the word of God .
43Whats Wrong with this Approach?
- Focused on the Preacher as the spiritual guru who
sees all the problems and comes up with the
answers like the hero coming in to save the day.
44Whats Wrong with this Approach?
- Performance based attempting to motivate people
by teaching them the right way to behave as
opposed to simply teaching them biblical
principles that will motivate them to make the
right choices.
45Whats Wrong with this Approach?
- Its all backwards, and leads to our twisting the
scriptures out of context to say what we want to
say.
46- What is the correct way to approach the
preparation of a sermon or lesson using the word
of God?
47Correctly Handling the Word of Truth
- 1. Start with the text not verses, but a chunk
of bible passages that mean something. - 2. Do a careful exegesis of the text figure out
what it meant to its original hearers before you
start thinking about what it means for us today.
48Exegesis
- To draw out the meaning of the text
- As opposed to reading our preconceived notions
into the text (Eisegesis)
49EXEGESIS
- Exegesis is the careful, systematic study of
scripture to discover the original, intended
meaning. It is the attempt to hear the Word as
the original recipients would have heard it, to
find out what was the original intent of the
words of the Bible. -
- Fee Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its
Worth p. 23
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51Exegesis
- Read in Context
- Literary Context
- Historical Context
52HOW TO READ THE BIBLE IN CONTEXT?
- The Literary Context
- Consider what kind of literature it is.
- Read around the verse or passage to understand
what it is saying.
53HOW TO READ THE BIBLE IN CONTEXT?
- The Historical Context
- Background Information Author, Audience, Date,
Occasion, Purpose - Who? What? When? Where? Why?
54Proper Exegesis before Application ?
- A passage cannot mean today what it never meant
to the original hearers. - A proof text out of context is a pretext
55Correctly Handling the Word of Truth
- 1. Start with the text not verses, but a chunk
of bible passages that mean something. - 2. Do a careful exegesis of the text figure out
what it meant to its original hearers before you
start thinking about what it means for us today.
56Correctly Handling the Word of Truth
- 3. Search for the dominant area of thought
encapsulate it in one sentence - 4. Identify the internal structure the points
that the Spirit has put in the passage usually
1 main point with sub-points
57Correctly Handling the Word of Truth
- 4. Write out the points (as complete sentences)
- 5. Illustrate
- 6. Work on phrasing, tone, emphasis etc.
58Benefits of this Approach
- Your sermon is based on the word of God and the
word of God is not twisted to suit your sermon - You are preaching the points that are in the word
of God and that the Spirit meant for people to
get - Peoples needs (many of which you dont even
know) are met 2 Timothy 316-17
59Benefits of this Approach
- The church is taught the word of God and will
remember it long after they forget your creative
points and interesting illustrations - Holds the interest of your audience they are
interested in what the word of God says and not
your opinions or stories about your life
60Benefits of this Approach
- As we teach collectively, we are more likely to
teach the whole will of God (Acts 207) and not
have imbalance and improper emphases in our
teaching - The focus (and the pressure) is off the preacher
and on the word of God where it belongs
61Expository Preaching
- Expository adj. Explanatory
- expositor
- /ikspozzit r/
- Â Â noun a person or thing that explains
complicated ideas or theories. - Â Â DERIVATIVES expository adjective.
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63- Expository preaching is the communication of a
biblical concept, derived from and transmitted
through a historical, grammatical, and literary
study of a passage in its context, which the Holy
Spirit first applies to the personality and
experience of the preacher, then through the
preacher, applies to the hearers. - Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching, p. 21
64- The type of preaching that best carries the
force of divine authority is expository
preaching. - Robinson, p. 20
65- Ministers can proclaim anything in a
stained-glass voice at 1130 am on Sunday morning
following the singing of hymns. Yet when they
fail to preach the scriptures they abandon their
authority - Robinson p. 20
66- First, and above all, the thought of the
biblical writer determines the substance of an
expository sermon. - Robinson, p. 21
67- Whether or not we can be called expositors
starts with our purpose and our honest answer to
the question Do you, as a preacher, endeavour
to bend your thought to the scriptures, or do you
use the Scriptures to support your thought? - Robinson p. 22
68An Unhealthy Philosophy of Preaching
- View of the Bible
- Interpretation is not necessary
- One version only
- Reverse Sermon Construction
- Careless Exegesis
69Unhealthy Philosophy of the Preaching
- View of Self
- Quasi-Inspired
70Unhealthy Philosophy of Preaching
- View of Congregation
- Performance Theology
- Push Mentality
- Support before understanding
- Pandering to the crowd
- Culture of Distrust
71A Culture of Mistrust
72A Healthy Philosophy of Preaching
- View of the Bible
- Bends own thoughts to word of God
- Holds the word of God in high esteem as something
that we are all under the authority of - Requires some training to handle it properly
73A Healthy Philosophy of Preaching
- View of self
- Mere servant
- 1 Corinthians 42 (NIV)
- 2Â Now it is required that those who have been
given a trust must prove faithful. - 2 Corinthians 45 (NIV)
- 5Â For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus
Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants
for Jesus sake.
74A Healthy Philosophy of Preaching
- View of Congregation
- Romans 1514 (NIV)
- 14Â I myself am convinced, my brothers, that
you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in
knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
75Lets get practical!
- 1. ONE POINT - Every sermon must have one
central idea derived from the passage of text
on which it is based
76One Point
- any single sermon should have just one major
idea. Every sermon should have a theme, and
that theme should be the theme of the portion of
Scripture on which it is based - Miller, The Way to Biblical Preaching, pp. 53 -55
77One Point
- Identify the dominant thought in the passage and
express it in a single sentence - Identify the sub-points and use an outline to
subordinate these to the main point - Express the sub points in sentences
78Reducing the point of a sermon into a sentence
- I have a conviction that no sermon is ready for
preaching, not ready for writing out, until we
can express its theme in a short pregnant
sentence as clear as a crystal. - J.H. Howett
79- Despite the difficulty of clothing thought with
words, we have to do it. Unless ideas are
expressed in words, we cannot understand,
evaluate, or communicate them. If we will not
or cannot think ourselves clear so that we say
what we mean, we have no business in the pulpit. - Robinson, p. 41
80We must think ourselves clear!
- A fog in the pulpit, becomes a mist in the pew.
- Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching
81Bullet v. Shotgun Approach
82Multiple unrelated points in a sermon is like
using a shotgun to hit your target!
83Shotgun Approach!
84A sermon organized around a single biblical
thought is like a bullet hitting its target!
85Lets get practical!
- One Single Point
- Use an Outline
86USE AN OUTLINE
- Clarifies in speakers mind the relationships
between the different parts of the sermon - Helps view message as a whole, thus heightening
the sense of unity - Crystallizes the order of ideas
- Points of an outline should be grammatically
complete sentences
87- Hebrews 1019-35 Because all that we have in
Christ is far superior to the old covenant, we
need to persevere in faith because the righteous
will live by faith, but those who shrink back
will be destroyed. - 19-24 Let us hold unswervingly to our faith
because of the superiority of Jesus. - 26-31 Because of the superiority of Jesus
covenant we must turn away from sin in our lives
88- 32-34 We need to remember the confidence we had
in the early days of our faith in order to
persevere in our faith - 35-39 We need to persevere in faith, because
Jesus is coming soon to reward our faith, and the
righteous will live by faith, but those who
shrink back will be destroyed.
89- 11.1-3 Living by faith means being confident of
what we have not yet received. - 11.4 Living by faith is giving or sacrificing our
best to God - 11.5-6 Living by Faith is walking with God and
pleasing him day by day - 11.7 Living by faith is obeying God even when it
doesnt make sense - 11.8 Living by faith is going where God calls you
to go
90Lets get practical!
- One Single Point
- Use an Outline
- Prepare! Prepare! Prepare!
91Prepare! Prepare! Prepare!
- 2 Timothy 215 (TNIV)
- 15Â Do your best to present yourself to God as
one approved, a worker who does not need to be
ashamed and who correctly handles the word of
truth.
92Where do I find the time?
- Study and exegete the passage you are going to
preach in your Quiet Time - Distinctions made between studying the Bible to
get a sermon and studying the Bible to feed your
own soul are misleading and even false. Before
we proclaim the message of the Bible to others,
we should live with that message ourselves. - Robinson, p. 26
93Prepare! Prepare! Prepare!
- Prepare well in advance
- Gives opportunity to pray over the lesson, to
think through what you are going to say, seek
input and to ensure the right tone etc. - 2 Tim 42 with great patience and careful
instruction.
94A well prepared sermon is one that has been given
time for the preacher to ruminate on the word of
God!
95A good sermon has been given time to marinate!
96Lets get practical!
- One Single Point
- Use an Outline
- Prepare! Prepare! Prepare!
- Illustrations
97Illustrations
- Good illustrations can be found everywhere.
The difference lies not in what we experience but
in what we see in our experience. You must
observe in order to see. The world can be Gods
picture book if in ordinary events you see
analogies, applications or spiritual truth. - Robinson, p 159
98Illustrations
- A story told for its own sake may entertain or
amuse an audience, but it gets in the way of your
sermon. An anecdote works in the service of truth
only when it centers attention on the idea and
not on itself - Robinson, p, 155
99- when using personal illustrations you must not
violate a confidence. People will resist sharing
a concern with their pastor if they wonder
whether they will appear as part of next weeks
sermon. Even when a personal incident can be
shared without hurting or embarrassing anyone,
ask permission to use it. Even though you may
feel you are flattering people, they may resent
the public exposure Robinson, p. 160
100Humour
- Titus 27-8 (TNIV)
- 7Â In everything set them an example by doing
what is good. In your teaching show integrity,
seriousness 8Â and soundness of speech that
cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you
may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to
say about us.
101Personal Sharing
- 2 Co 129b 10 (TNIV)
- Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about
my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on
me. 10Â That is why, for Christ's sake, I
delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships,
in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am
weak, then I am strong.
102Grammar, diction etc.
- Poor grammar, gutter language, or faulty
pronunciations may unsettle listeners, and like a
giggle in a prayer meeting, all of these raise
doubts about a preachers competence. - Robinson, p. 193
103Vocabulary
- Dont underestimate your audiences religious
vocabulary, or underestimate their intelligence. - Robinson, p. 192
104- Read books outside the scriptures
- Figure out how you are going to begin before you
begin. - Read the passage (s) that you are preaching in
different translations
105Read using different translations
- Formal Equivalence Functional Equivalence
- (literal) (dynamic) Free
- __________________________________________________
________ - KJV NASB RSV NIV NAB GNB JB NEB LB
- NKJV NASU NRSV TNIV NJB REB NLT The
- ESV Message
106- Know the times
- Know your audience
- Check facts statistics
107Dress Appropriately
- In matters of moral indifference, what matters
most is not your feelings but the feelings and
attitudes of others. Because grooming and dress
make a difference in how listeners respond to us,
they should make a difference to us as well.
108- A fundamental rule of grooming and dress is that
they should fit the audience, the situation and
the speaker. If you are aware of your community
and its standards, you will not want your
clothing or hairstyle to stand in the way of your
ministry.
109- While we may dress to be comfortable, clothes
should make others comfortable with us as well.
You need to be aware of the cultural expectations
of your community, and then dress appropriately.
As a general rule, a public speaker will dress
one notch higher than the audience. - Robinson, p. 207
110Spiritual Preparation
- Prayer
- The Holy Spirit
- Being Sanctified
111The Holy Spirit
- John 168 (NIV)
- 8Â When he comes, he will convict the world of
guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and
judgment
112Sanctification
- 2 Timothy 220-22 (NIV)
- 20Â In a large house there are articles not
only of gold and silver, but also of wood and
clay some are for noble purposes and some for
ignoble. 21Â If a man cleanses himself from the
latter, he will be an instrument for noble
purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and
prepared to do any good work. - 22Â Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue
righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with
those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
113Welcome Talks
- Be very warm and friendly
- Be respectful
- Focus people on worshipping God
- Choose an appropriate scripture
- Not a hype session
- A single point
114Communion Lessons
- Focus on Christ not self
- Purpose to remember Jesus sacrifice (1 Co 1124)
and to exalt him (John 1232) - Focus on the death, burial and resurrection of
Jesus - Be sober avoid irreverence
115Contribution Lessons
- General teaching on giving
- Be scripturally accurate
- Tithing
- OT v NT context
- Matthew 23
- 1 Co 16 a special benevolence collection to
meet needs - Giving sacrificially?
116Small Group Discussion Lessons
- The Discussion Group Leader needs to have
carefully studied and exegeted the passage(s) to
be discussed and have already determined the
meaning. - The meaning of the passage should not be left to
What do you think it means? question and
responses to be determined.
117Small Group Discussion Lessons
- Instead the leader should have studied the
passage, determined the point the Biblical writer
is making and prepared an outline to lead to a
development, understanding and application of
this point. - Questions should point to the meaning of the
passage and its application to the lives of the
audience.
118Small Group Discussion Lessons
- Ask open ended questions
- Stick to the text
- Apply the original meaning of the text to current
situations
119Small Group Discussion Lessons
- Have a real discussion
- Facilitate the discussion
- Ask application questions at the end and get
participants to apply the text to themselves
rather than you applying it to them
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123The End!
- Questions Answers
- Comments
- Suggestions Discussion