Preaching is simply the communication of God's truth, so that the truth is comprehended,
applied, and lived (obeyed).
A. God-Honoring Preaching Will Follow the Outline of I Timothy 4:1-2.
These are the essential elements to God-honoring preaching:
1. The urgency of our message (v. 1).
2. The method of our message (v. 2) - "Preach!"
3. The content of our message - "The Word" (the written Word).
4. The frequency of our message - "Be instant in season, out
of season."
5. The mode of our message
a. "Reprove" - to prove with evidence so as to bring conviction of sin
(aimed at the intellect)
b. "Rebuke" - to seriously warn; to sternly or sharply rebuke (affects
the emotions)
c. "Exhort" - to urge, encourage, to admonish (changes the will)
6. The manner of our message
"All longsuffering and doctrine"
B. All Preaching Should Affect the "Head, Heart, and Hand" (John 12:40).
1. Intellect (rational/ thinking) - Truth must be known
2. Emotion (emotional/ feeling) - Truth must be understood and
embraced (applied)
3. Will (volitional/ doing) - Truth must be acted upon
or responded to
To reach the intellect without the emotions is cold, dry, and dead teaching.
To reach the emotions without the intellect is fanaticism without a foundation.
To reach the intellect and emotions without touching the will is useless and
impractical
(not related to life).
C. Good Biblical Preaching Will Include the Following:
1. Explanation - the foundation to build upon (the basis)
("What does the Bible say?")
2. Illustration - the windows to shed light (the example)
("What does the Bible mean?")
3. Application - the doors and keys to put the truth into action
(the practice)
("What does the Bible mean to me?")
Provide opportunities for the student to put what he has understood and applied into
action.
According to Nehemiah 8:8, preaching involves:
1) Reading the Scripture
2) Explaining the Scripture
a) "Distinctly" = making it clear (translating it)
b) "Gave the sense" - explained its meaning
c) "Caused them to understand" (comprehension is essential)
According to I Timothy 4:13, preaching involves:
1) Reading the Scripture ("give attendance to reading")
2) Applying the Scripture ("to exhortation")
3) Explaining the Scripture (to "doctrine")
