Chapter 1 — “Understand the Life-changing Power of Preaching”
• If the church is unhealthy, it is the result (at least in part), of unhealthy preaching. “Though the church may be enhanced by a few creative, well-placed amenities, be assured that she cannot survive without the consistent, accurate, and authoritative preaching that intends, in every instance, to transform its hearers.” [p. 5; my emphasis (unless otherwise noted, all italicized comments are Fabarez’ emphasis, not mine).]
• The NT uses three primary word families to denote the importance of preaching: khrussw, aggellw, didaskw. They all point to the authoritative, life-changing message that the teacher and preacher are empowered to deliver to God’s people. This was the expectation of Paul (cf. 2 Tim. 4:2; 1 Tim. 1:3; Eph. 4:1). [pp. 7-9]
• The basic question for every sermon is whether it produced change in the lives of the hearers. “…we can no longer evaluate our sermons solely on the basis of theological or exegetical soundness.…we must purpose to evaluate every sermon we preach in light of the biblical change it brings about in the lives of our congregants!” [pp. 9-10]
Chapter 2 — “Adopt a Life-changing Method of Preaching”
• A definition of expository preaching: it will have these primary components —
1. it clearly derives its content from the Bible;
2. it accurately explains what the Bible is saying; and
3. it effects the change God intends for the Bible to effect. [p. 15]
• “To truly derive our messages from the Bible means that we are going to the Bible to find out what we will say. In the end the preacher does not use the Bible to preach his own message; instead, it is the Bible that uses the preacher to preach its message.” [p. 16]
• True expository preaching will call for life-change. If a sermon “fails to boldly call people to respond to the Bible — it is not true expository preaching. The expositional preaching process is not completed, as Timothy Warren writes, ‘until God’s people think and act differently for having heard the Word expounded,…for its goal is to manifest or reveal God’s truth by living it out.” [p. 19]
• So beware of the legacy and vestiges of “scholasticism,” which was devoid of applicational emphasis, being more concerned to deliver information to the minds instead of to transform lives.
Prepare to Change Lives
Chapter 3 — “Make Sure Your Life is Changing”
• THESIS: It is impossible to preach for life change unless the life of the preacher is changing: “The personal life of the preacher is the foundation upon which his every sermon stands.” [p. 25]
• If one fails to head the power of Scripture to transform his own life (e.g., Mt. 23:3-4; Rom. 2:21-24; Ezra 7:10), he will be susceptible to the temptation to glorify himself [p. 28], may fall into the category of an unconverted “professor” of Christ without genuine salvation [p. 29], may be prone to using Scripture to justify his or others’ actions [pp. 29-30], or even become content with sin in his own life and heart. [p. 30]
• To protect himself from preaching unworthily, a preacher must be willing to examine his heart honestly — even to the point of being disqualified or “benched” from his ministry. [pp. 31-32]
• To protect himself from preaching unworthily, a preacher must nourish his soul with God through Biblical intake, intimate prayer, and spiritual fellowship and accountability. [pp. 32-36]
Chapter 4 — “Study Your Passage and Your Audience with Life-change in Mind”
• It is not enough to study only a passage — the lives of the listeners must also be studied, so that the sermon “[echoes] in the minds and hearts of congregants not for a day or even a week, but for a lifetime.” [p. 38] This is “true expository preaching.”
• “Boil it down to these two questions: ‘Why did the Holy Spirit put this text here?’ and ‘What is the Holy Spirit’s purpose?’ Don’t fail to keep two audiences in view during this discovery process: (1) the original recipients: ‘What was this text intended to change in their lives?’ and (2) my audience: ‘What should this text change in my life, and in my congregants’ lives?’” [p. 39]
• To answer the question, “What was this text intended to change in their lives?” study the text with the following principles in mind [pp. 39-42]:
1. Put yourself in their sandals (consider the historical, grammatical, literary context of the passage).
2. Camp on the imperatives.
3. Decide if a narrative passage was given to serve as a template for them to follow.
4. Use and compare other clear imperatives to keep your determinations on track.
• To answer the question, “What should this text change in our lives?” study the text with the following principles in mind [pp. 43-45]:
1. Does the immediate context limit the target of the application?
2. Does any other part of the Bible limit the target of the application?
3. Does a cultural condition limit the target of the application?
4. Does a unique historical condition limit the target of the application?
• To determine whether the passage may allow for a direct transfer of application, consider [pp. 46-47]:
1. What aspect of the application is rooted in God’s character?
2. What aspect of the application is addressing man’s depravity?
3. What aspect of the application is reflecting God’s created order?
4. What aspect of the application is delivered as counter-cultural?
• To improve your knowledge of your own audience, ask [pp. 48-51]:
1. What specifically does your audience have in common with the original audience?
2. In what specific areas does your audience lack commonality with the original audience?
3. How is my audience currently practicing the application?
4. How is my audience currently neglecting or abusing the application?
• Crystallize how you will address the audience with the application [pp. 51-54]:
1. What is the greatest need my audience has as it relates to the application? I.e., “My hearer’s greatest need regarding this passage is…”
2. What should my audience know about the application?
3. What should my audience feel about the application?
4. What should my audience do about the application? How can they “move beyond generalities to viable expressions of the application?
Chapter 5 — “Frame an Outline that Will Change Your Audience”
• Good outlining begins with a “primary preaching point” — synthesizing the passage into a single phrase or sentence. [pp. 60-61]
• Make all the points of the outline relate to the primary preaching point. [pp. 61-62]
• Use 2nd person pronouns in the main points of the outline. [pp. 62-63]
• Make the main points of the outline imperatives. [pp. 63-65]
• Keep the wording of the outline’s main points simple. [pp. 65-66]
• Make the main points of the outline clear. [pp. 66-67]
• Don’t make too many main points in the outline. [p. 67.]
Chapter 6 — “Pray, Pray, Pray for a Sermon that Will Change Lives”
• Life-changing sermons begin with the prayer life of the preacher, enabling him to be impacted by the Spirit of God. [p. 70.] It’s no surprise that Luther’s life motto was: “To pray well is half the study.” [p. 69.]
• Prayer was the priority of the early church (Acts 6:4). [pp. 71-2.]
• Prayer will not happen unless it is planned for and scheduled. [pp. 72-3.]
• When praying, pray for these things [pp. 73-76]:
1. Pray for the crafting of the sermon — that your preparation time will be protected and used wisely and that you will have understanding in how to relate it to the hearers.
2. Pray for the delivery of the sermon — that the delivery will be clear and that the hearers will come prepared to have understanding.
3. Pray for the response to the sermon — that the hearers will put it into practice.
• Develop a “Message Prep” prayer team. [pp. 76-80.]
• As you pray, pray with the expectation that God will answer (Mt. 7:7-11). “…preaching is all about His powerful and undeniable involvement. Oh that we would learn to ask for that involvement with sincere anticipation — the kind that is not surprised when He moves mightily in the hearts of people.” [p. 81.]
Chapter 7 — “Come to Grips with the Time it Takes to Prepare a Life-changing Sermon”
• The NT reflects the truth that preaching is an honorable task; it must be seen as the “ultimate weekly priority” of the preacher. [p. 84.] Be conscious not only of the time that it will take to prepare a message each week, but also be diligent to protect that time with careful scheduling.
• Some principles for scheduling preparation time [pp. 87-95]:
1. Schedule! “If God has called you to preach then He has implicitly, yet very clearly, called you to prepare yourself to preach. His interruptions will be few.” [p. 87.]
2. Don’t be lazy! “Creating time is one dilemma — stewarding it well confronts us with yet another. It may be that in protecting our schedules we are, in effect, creating new opportunities to waste our time.”[p. 89]
3. Know where your time goes.
4. Pace your weekly study.
5. Make time to study your audience.
6. Beware of the self-preservation trap. “Our soft society is overly concerned with ‘burnout’ and ‘fatigue.’ Often these words are used as a cover for sin and laziness.” [p. 95.]
Preach to Change Lives
Chapter 8 — “Realize They Won’t Change What They Don’t Hear and Understand”
• THESIS: “A good truth poorly delivered rarely hits the homiletical target. We must recognize that the greatness of the truths we proclaim demands nothing less than excellence in the manner and mode of our presentation.” [p. 99.]
• Preach with urgency [pp. 100-3], so that it is evident that “the preacher himself is captivated by the sermon he is standing up to deliver.” [p. 100.]
1. Urgency in introductions — “urgency must be evident right out of the gate.” [p. 101.]
2. Urgency in conclusions — “those final statements can drive the preaching point home in a way that few other parts of the sermon can.” [p. 102.]
• Preach enthusiastically. [pp. 103-4]
• Preach expectantly. [pp. 104-5.]
• Preach logically. [pp. 105-7.]
• Preach concretely — using illustrations and examples that keep “the real world in mind.” [pp. 107-9.]
Chapter 9 — “Keep the Life-changer at the Center of Your Sermon”
• THESIS: “A biblical sermon might well result in the management of one’s anger or the enrichment of one’s marriage, but it must begin with a proper understanding of and connection to the Author of all true reformation.” [p. 111.]
• Beware of people-centered sermons, which may be characterized by [pp. 112-4]:
1. People-centered ministry — one that has “adopted the belief and/or practice of making people and their benefit the ultimate goal of their ministries.” [p. 112]
2. Simplistic moralistic instructions.
• Aim for God-centered sermons, “that [keep] God and His agenda at the center of our sermons.” [p. 114.] These are sermons that [pp. 114-20]:
1. God-centered preaching is always Christ-centered preaching. [pp. 114-16.]
2. Put Christ on display in every sermon. [pp. 116-20.] This is often relatively easy in the Epistles, but more difficult in some NT narratives, and generally challenging in the OT.
• Some guidelines for “Christian” preaching [pp. 120-5]:
1. Clarify the effect of sin. [pp. 120-3.]
2. Call for people to appropriate Christ’s work. [pp. 123-5.]
Chapter 10 — “Preach Change with Authority”
• THESIS: Because truth has become passé in our postmodern culture, there is a need for pastors to preach with the authority intended by Scripture. [p. 127; on pp. 130-3, he delineates how the cultural revolt against truth has evidenced itself.]
• Authoritative preaching recognizes that Scripture not only calls people to “attention,” but that it also requires the implementation of its truth. [p. 129.]
• Caveat: Authoritative preaching is not to be associated with authoritarianism. [p. 130.]
• Some practical steps to regaining pulpit authority [pp. 133-9]:
1. Don’t misplace humility. [pp. 133-4.]
2. Clearly preach the Bible. [pp. 134-5.]
3. Preach the whole counsel of God. [pp. 135-6.]
4. Don’t distort your illustrative ‘facts.’ [pp. 136-7.]
5. Distinguish implication from application. [pp. 137-9.]
Chapter 11 — “Give Them More than the Bottom Line”
• THESIS: Be sure to keep both the theological depth of the passage in balance with practical application. Both facets are needed to keep the sermon Biblical and expositional. [pp. 141-2.]
• “True applicational preaching always puts doctrine on display. If it does not, then it does not supply adequate reason or basis for directing life. On the other hand, ‘doctrinal’ preaching is not authentic preaching if it fails to drive listeners to application.” [p. 147.]
• “We must realize that our hearers come to worship needing not just biblical direction, but divine rationale. It is up to us to show them the timeless principles that call for directed behavior. We must call for biblical action that is predicated upon biblical thinking. As Spurgeon said, ‘Every promise leads to a precept, and every doctrine has a duty.’” [150.]
Chapter 12 — “Preach Periodically about Life-changing Preaching”
• THESIS: The average pastor has spent thousands of hours cultivating his skills in Bible interpretation and honing his oratorical abilities, but the average church member has spent little time (if any at all) thinking about how to listen to sermons. It is the responsibility of the pastor to teach his congregation how to hear God’s truth. [p. 151.]
• What are the essentials of “profitable hearing?” [pp. 153-60]
1. Responsibilities before the Word is preached. [pp. 153-6.]
Focus on preparation.
Pray for something significant.
Pray for the preacher.
Schedule around church.
2. Responsibilities during the preaching of the Word. [pp. 156-8.]
Worship.
Think.
Take notes.
Use your Bibles.
Fight distractions.
3. Responsibilities after the Word is preached. [pp. 158-60.]
Review.
Retell.
Take action.
• Some ideas for passages to preach to instruct in these ideas include: 1 Pt. 2:2-3; 1 Thess. 2:13; Acts 17:10-12; James 1:22-25.
Follow Through to Change Lives
Chapter 13 — “Cultivate a Culture of Commitments and Accountability”
• THESIS: Transformation that comes as a result of the regular application of sermons will be enhanced when the church cultivates a community that is committed and accountable to one another. [p. 166.]
• Ways to value commitment include [pp. 168-70]:
1. Promote formal membership.
2. Reward faithful service.
3. Celebrate marriage covenant.
4. Provide opportunities for formal commitments.
• Ways to encourage accountability [pp. 172-]:
1. Be accountable yourself.
2. Keep leaders accountable for accountability.
3. Practice church discipline.
Chapter 14 — “Provide Tools to Help Your Audience Make Specific Changes”
• THESIS: “We must do all we can to help our people act on the truth we proclaim. We should design and supply tools to assist them in this process.” [p. 176.]
• Suggested tools: expanded worksheets for notes, application questions, reading lists, a bookstore, cassette tapes and digital audio, and application groups. [pp. 176-85.]
Chapter 15 — “Personally Model Changes from Last Week’s Sermon”
• THESIS: “…God wants more than proclamation — he wants transformation in the life of the messenger, as well as in the life of the listener.” [p. 187.]
• “…there is no better time than ours for a renewed emphasis on pastoral integrity. Though our society says it cares little if its leaders are people of integrity (as long as its felt needs are met) God knows that the real need of the hour is leadership that practices what it preaches. Now more than ever pastors must be more than capable managers and effective communicators. We must be ‘shepherds’ who are ‘eager’ to serve as ‘examples to the flock’ (1 Pet. 5:2-3).” [p. 189.]
• This means that the effective preacher will be purposeful in practicing what he preaches, as well as being personally accessible to the congregation (both in the office and in his and their homes), and in being committed to staying with his people, even (particularly) through the hard times. [pp. 190-5.]
Appendix 1 — “Prayer Guide for Preaching”
Pray for the Crafting of the Sermon
1. Pray that the message you are preparing would be an evident part of your own life.
2. Pray for the protection of your sermon preparation time.
3. Pray that you will be given grace and illumination to rightly divide His Word.
4. Pray that the words you choose to frame your outline would be effective tools for the Holy Spirit to employ.
5. Pray that you would have insight into the needs of your audience as they relate to the sermon you are preparing.
Pray for the Delivery of the Sermon
1. Pray that people will attend the preaching event.
2. Pray that your audience will arrive in the right frame of mind.
3. Pray that God will guard against preaching distractions.
4. Pray for clarity in your vocabulary.
5. Pray that God will give your audience understanding.
6. Ask God for the most effective and fruitful sermon you have ever preached.
Pray for the Response to the Sermon
1. Pray that people will put the sermon into practice.
2. Pray that the sermon will not be compartmentalized.
3. Pray that the application of the sermon will be contagious.
4. Pray that the sermon itself will be repeatedly “delivered.”
