Homiletical Conclusions
Homiletical Conclusions are the last stop before we begin the actual work of shaping the sermon. As a matter of fact, we could say that the Homiletical Conclusions mark the starting point for building the sermon.
The Application Question
No sermon is complete that does not apply the truth of the biblical text to life. No gospel-driven theological reflection is complete that does not ask the Application Question.
As we seek the gospel-driven path from text to sermon, we have so far explored three questions. The fourth and final question provides a fitting culmination of all of these by applying the message in light of the gospel as well as the biblical metanarrative: How does this text invite us into God’s Story?
The Redemption Question
If we preach an entire sermon and never mention the Christ, can we claim that it is a Christian sermon? I have come to a firm conviction that our preaching should always, ultimately, be about Jesus. Surprisingly, this conviction is not necessarily shared by all Christian preachers.
The Brokenness Question
As preachers, whether our objective is to evangelize the lost, to encourage the struggling, to comfort the suffering, or to disciple the growing, the path towards an experience of the gospel will always pass through an awareness of our own brokenness. Most often, this is where it will begin.
The Story Question
I have sought to make a case for “Big Story” preaching. If we are to make disciples who are faithful to the gospel in today’s world, we should lay the foundations of identity, worldview, mission and community by weaving the biblical metanarrative into everything we do. For us preachers, this begins with deliberately including in our sermon process a moment to expand the “story around the text” to include the entire Canon.
Gospel-Driven Theological Reflection
One of the greatest challenges of biblical preaching is blazing the trail from the ancient text to the contemporary world. Once you have diligently studied the historical and literary context, examined and analyzed the text itself, verified and amplified your thinking through some good research and come to some solid exegetical conclusions about what the text meant, how do you take the next step to determine what the text means for your particular group of hearers?
Gospel-Driven: How?
Is it realistic to say that every sermon should be gospel-driven? What do we do when the text doesn’t seem to be about the gospel at all? Do we just bend it and squeeze it until a gospel presentation oozes out? Does this mean that every message should be evangelistic? Shouldn’t some sermons just teach, exhort, encourage, or comfort?