The Body of a Textual Sermon, Part 1

In this part of the sermon: Martin reviews the three basic segments of a sermon (introduction, body, conclusion) and announces the focus on guidelines for the body of a textual sermon, defining it as…

The analogy of a play is used to define a textual sermon, where the scripture sets the stage and provides all main actors and action, emphasizing direct derivation from the text.

We go to the extended analogy of the play. In the textual sermon, the stage is set by the portion of scripture that we use, the backdrop, and all of the main actors and action are derived directly from, the limited portion of the Word of God. We will be concerned in our time today with seeking to grasp some principles to guide us in constructing the body, the argument, or the discussion of a sermon in which one verse, group of verses, or part of a text of scripture forms the basis and the means to build the world to God, main substance of that sermonic exercise. The outline for the lecture wil...

2:12 - 3:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Preachers should ensure their contextual explication is accurate, clear, and brief, not taking up too much time from the text itself.

A preacher who spent too much time on context, leaving little time for the text itself, is likened to someone who spreads the table but leaves no time to eat, illustrating the need for brevity in contextual explication.

and one of the best disciplines to make sure that you do not handle your text deceitfully is to be honest with its context. It brings pressure to bear upon your own mind and spirit as well as upon the minds and spirits of your hearers. And then your explication is to be that, not muddying the context, but explicating. It is to be marked by clarity. And then, if it's not to take up all of your time, it's to be marked by brevity. If you spend all the time laying out the context, you'll have very little time left for the opening up and the application of the text. As one person said of a certain ...

11:58 - 13:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Preachers should justify spending little time on context when a text stands on its own, securing the consent of hearers' judgment.

Proverbs 28:13 is used as an example of a text that stands largely on its own, requiring minimal contextual explication, allowing the preacher to plunge directly into the text's language.

observed that, then you can say, however, this text could stand on its own and the full weight of it, if we picked it right out of the book of Proverbs, would be the same as the text of Proverbs. So, in explicating the context, all you need to do is state briefly, that in this section of the book of Proverbs, and set it down in several other similar gatherings of general contest between the righteous and the wicked in other parts of the book of Proverbs. So now what you're doing is justifying spending so little time on the context and securing the consent of the judgment of your hearers that i...

15:21 - 16:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Preachers should justify spending little time on context when a text stands on its own, securing the consent of hearers' judgment.

Philippians 3:3 is used as an example of a text that demands extended reference to its immediate and larger context due to Paul's concern with Judaizing tendencies.

For example, suppose you were preaching on Philippians 3 and verse 3. The marks of the true people of God maybe that's your subject the title you've given to your sermon and your text is verse 3 of Philippians 3 for we are the circumcision and here are the three great marks of God's true people who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Now that statement cannot responsibly be explained and cannot be explained and cannot be expounded apart from the context of Paul's concern about the Judaizing tendencies which either were about to impinge up...

16:51 - 18:19 Read in full sermon

The point: Preachers must provide judicious and relatively lengthy treatment of context when the text necessitates it, as with polemical passages.

1 Kings 18:20-21 is used to illustrate how the context of a narrative passage can be effectively opened up within the sermon's introduction, making repetition in the body unnecessary.

and therefore you need say very little in the actual body of the sermon now this will be particularly true if you are preaching through a narrative portion of scripture for example again I want to give concrete examples in 1st Kings 18 verses 20 and 21 1st Kings 18 verses 20 and 21 Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together unto Mount Carmel and Elijah came near unto the people and said how long go ye limping between the two sides well here you may announce that you're going to address your people on the subject of the need for decision in the face of true rel...

19:46 - 21:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Preachers must seek to gain the hearty consent of their hearers' judgment regarding the meaning affixed to the text, as application depends on it.

The sermon's application is likened to arrows, which will break if carved from the 'weak material' of unconvincing explanation, but will find their way into consciences if carved from the 'strong wood' of convincing explanation.

derives from the mind of God as contained in the words of your text you must seek to gain the hearty consent of your hearer's judgment with respect to the meaning that you affix to your text how can their consciences feel the pressure of your application if their minds have not bought the meaning your meaning of the words if you say the words mean this and you only assert albeit very bombastically and with great officiousness but you haven't carried their judgment now when you try to construct your arrows out of the weak material of an unconvincing statement of the meaning of the words your ar...

22:42 - 24:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Preachers should establish the meaning of the text with solid good sense, convincing the average person rather than merely impressing with scholastic nicety.

Martin quotes Dabney on the importance of plain and convincing explication that extinguishes doubt and commends the preacher's opinion with solid good sense, not scholastic nicety, making the Bible accessible to common people.

the explication of the passage on which you preach should be plain and convincing it is this part of his task which behooves the preacher to show the hand of a master workman he should so establish the view of the meaning which he has adopted after careful deliberation as to extinguish doubt and cavil in every attentive mind and to commend his opinion conclusively to his hearers and to commend his opinion and to commend this should be done without an air this should be done with an air of solid good sense rather than of scholastic nicety in other words doing it in such a way that the average m...

27:31 - 29:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Preachers should magnify their office by solid ability and mastery of the scriptures, not by pretentious displays, so that people thank God for them as a gift.

The preacher's ability to explain scripture convincingly is likened to a master workman, whose acquired tools and mastery are evident in the fruit of his labor, leading people to thank God for him as a gift.

quote , these scriptures do not indeed disclose their treasures to heedless indolence or shallow inattention but they offer them up to the faithful inquiry of every plain mind come with me and we shall by prayer and carefulness find the undoubted meaning of the spirit end quote but on the other hand the preacher should not flatter his people by intimating to them that they are as competent as he to expound the word nor should he permit them to depreciate learning and ability as valuable helps in the task if your people were indeed as able as you are to explain it this would only prove that you...

29:00 - 30:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Preachers must articulate the burden of the text, making God's assessment felt by humanity, not merely giving a running commentary.

Pastor Nichols' sermon on Isaiah (and Romans 14, Philippians 2) is cited as a classic example of articulating the burden of a text, making the truth of 'every knee shall bow' felt by the conscience of every segment of humanity.

of that statement is that God is making an assessment of all humanity and until the humanity sitting before me feels the pressure of that text I have not articulated the burden of the text and there's the difference you see between giving a running commentary upon the text and textual preaching not enough to give an accurate statement of its meaning but I must articulate the burden the burden of the text and again that can be done frequently throughout the sermon it may be held until all explanation is done and then it is gathered as it were into one mass of exhortation and entreaty we had a c...

39:16 - 40:45 Read in full sermon