Template and Rubric for Manuscript Sermon

What is in Bold should be written and included in the sermon. 

Scripture: 3 points

Title: 2 points

Introduction: (has three steps)

1. Attention Step: 5 points

2. Interest Step: 5 points

3. Lead into the Subject Step: 5 points (includes the two subpoints)

    A. Give the Theme of the Book of the Bible from which you are preaching

    B. Give the development of the theme

MPS (Main Point of the Sermon): 10 points

Interrogative statement: 10 points

With a HOW or WHY

Transitional statement: 10 points

 a. If How is the interrogative the transitional statement is: We can make disciples By   

     following these steps (keyword is “steps”)

 b. If Why is the interrogative the transitional statement is: We should make disciples   

     Because of the following reasons (keyword is “reasons”)

I. Main Division (beginning with By or Because) 10 points

   A. Explanation: 10 points

   B. Argumentation: 10 points

   C. Illustration: 10 points

   D. Application: 10 points

II. Main Division

    A. Explanation:

    B. Argumentation:

    C. Illustration:

    D. Application:

Conclusion (has two parts) 5 points (includes the two subpoints)

1. Repeat or restate the MPS and Main Divisions

2. Give one final exhortation to practice the MPS

For more details and examples, see the post: Construct the Sermon Outline (click to open)

 

Is the gift of exorcism to be practiced today?

The reason for raising the question, Is the gift of exorcism to be practiced today? is because there are groups (click to open) that believe exorcism is a spiritual gift: “Exorcism is a spiritual gift enabling Christians to confront demonic forces.” One argument against exorcism being a practice for Christians today is that New Testament Epistles do not teach exorcism as a method of confronting demon opposition.

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The Historical/Grammatical Hermeneutic, Part Two

Martin Luther believed that “The entire Old Testament refers to Christ and agrees with Him.” Sidney Greidanus, in Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, wrote that in spite of his warnings against allegorical interpretation, Luther continued using this arbitrary method of interpretation. Ironically, while Luther left some limited room for allegorical interpretation, he apparently had no use of typological interpretation, for, as David Dockery puts it, typology with its foreshadowing “annulled the historical presence of Christ in the Old Testament.” The Antioch School “saw shadowy anticipation of what was to come. This meant nothing to Luther. To him, the Old Testament was not a figure of what would be, but a testimony to what always holds true between humankind and God” (Dockery, GTJ I4/2 (1983) 193.[19]

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The Historical/Grammatical Hermeneutic, Part One

It is becoming common to hear preachers “finding Jesus” in every text of Scripture. Many name recognized Bible Scholars and popular writers advocate a Christological hermeneutic that forces Christ onto every text. Albert Mohler in He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World wrote:

Every single text of Scripture points to Christ. He is the Lord of all, and therefore He is the Lord of the Scriptures too. From Moses to the prophets, He is the focus of every single word of the Bible. Every verse of Scripture finds its fulfillment in Him, and every story in the Bible ends with Him.[1]  

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Review of the Conclusion of Homiletics and Hermeneutics: Four Views on Preaching Today

Scott Gibson and Matthew Kim, in their conclusion to Homiletics and Hermeneutics: Four Views on Preaching Today, correctly observe: “We note that each author reads the text with a theological framework and makes a theological commitment in his exegesis and preaching” (p. 157).

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Review of Paul Scott Wilson's "Law-Gospel View" of Preaching

In Scott M. Gibson’s and Matthew D. Kim’s Homiletics and Hermeneutics (Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition, 2018) Paul Scott Wilson presents his view of interpreting and preaching called the Law-Gospel view. Wilson’s one text, one theme, one doctrine, one need, one image, and one mission is just another way of saying what many homileticians describe as one preaching unit or the text (one text), one MPS (one theme), Argumentation (one doctrine), Interest Step in the Introduction (one need), Illustration (one image), and Application (one mission).

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Review of Bryan Chapell's "Redemptive-Historical View" of Preaching

This post reviews “Redemptive-Historic View” by Bryan Chapell in Scott M. Gibson’s and Matthew D.  Kim’s Homiletics and Hermeneutics: Four Views on Preaching Today.

I agree with Byran Chapell when he warns that the redemptive-historical view of forcing Christ into every text has “been abused, in ways that are now obvious to us, by ancient allegorism that sought to make Jesus ‘magically’ appear in every Bible passage through exegetical acrobatics that stretched logic, imagination, and credulity.”[1] This is a candid admission.

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God’s Prophet Isaiah

One of the main prophets and/or leaders in the Kansas City Prophets movement was Bob Jones (no relation to Bob Jones of Bob Jones University in South Carolina), the movement's visionary.  He was said to have been specially anointed with supernatural visions from the Lord and a prophetic gift.  However, he was quoted as saying that the general level of prophetic revelation in the movement's "prophets" had an accuracy level of about 65 percent.  He said some prophets were as low as 10 percent accurate, with some of the "most mature" prophets having a rating "approaching 85 percent to 95 percent." [1]

Deuteronomy 18:20-23 is the test of a prophet in the OT. A biblical prophet has an accuracy rate of 100 percent.

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Imputed righteousness verses Infused righteousness

Many conservative evangelicals pushed back on Evangelicals and Catholics Together in 1994.

Charles Colson represented evangelicals and Richard John Neuhaus represented the Catholics. The gospel was watered down: “We affirm together that we are justified by grace through faith because of Christ.” (click to open). But the indispensable word "alone” was left out. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. R. C. Sproul wrote Justification by Faith Alone to correct this biblical error.

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The Imputation of righteousness is the only ground for justification

I hope the title of this article reveals the importance of the doctrine of imputation. Many conservative evangelicals pushed back on Evangelicals and Catholics Together in 1994. Charles Colson represented evangelicals and Richard John Neuhaus represented the Catholics. The gospel was watered down. “We affirm together that we are justified by grace through faith because of Christ.” (click to open). But the indispensable word "alone” was left out. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. R. C. Sproul wrote Justification by Faith Alone to correct this biblical error.

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Freedom of the Will verses Bondage of the Will

Are the unsaved responsible for believing the gospel of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection that we witness or preach? Do they have a choice? Are unbelievers only the passive recipients of regeneration? These questions have been debated for centuries. Michael Barrett (click to open) writes articles on this debate between Augustine/Pelagius, Luther/ Erasmus, Calvin/Arminius, and John Edwards/John Wesley. The debate rages today between proponents of Free Will and the Bondage of the Will. My thoughts on the debate are that some who teach the freedom of will promote a free will that is too free. Some who contend for the bondage of the will advocate a will that is to bound.

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Bart Ehrman verses Lee Strobel on Inerrancy

Jesus authoritatively declared, “Thy Word is Truth” (John 17:17)! It is up to you to believe His claim that God’s Word is trustworthy or to reject as contradictory. Those who believe in the inerrancy of Scripture and those who reject the truthfulness of Scripture have the same evidence and yet come to opposite conclusions. The same is true with Christ as the Son of God. Those who receive Him and those who reject Him as Savior have the same facts. One repudiates and one accepts. I will give one example of each: Bart Ehrman and Lee Strobel.

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An Expanded Trinitarian Glossary

At baptisms, we repeat the words of Christ in the Great Commission “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” without realizing that we are referring to the stragglingly in-depth doctrine of the Trinity. Jesus in the taught both the oneness of God’s essence and the threeness of the Persons in the Trinity in the baptismal formula: “Baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). The one deity of the Trinity is seen in the singular “name” because God is one in substance or essence. But then Jesus followed up saying baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” or the three persons of the Trinity.

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Christian Liberty is not a License to Sin

Ravi Zacharias was one of the most famous apologists for Christianity. His ministry was international. He owned spas all over the world and used his ministry funds dedicated to “humanitarian effort” to pay for four therapists with housing and monthly support whom he abused.

Soon after his death in May 2020, women came forward whom he had sexually abused sometimes in the name of Jesus. “One woman reports that after she experienced what she describes as rape that Zacharias had her pray with him thanking God for ‘the opportunity.’ He called her his ‘reward’ for living a life of service to God.”[1] He warned this woman that “if she ever spoke out against him, she would be responsible for millions of souls lost when his reputation was damaged.”[2] Zacharias not only grotesquely abused women but Christian liberty.

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How to Handle Criticism!

Here is a list of criticisms and conflicts that churches have experienced. It will be good for us to read about the criticisms and conflicts other churches have endured. I am sure you will identify with some of these. In this post, we learn how to handle criticisms and conflicts:

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Four Different Views on the Sign Gifts for Today

“When we speak of the biblical sign gifts, we are referring to miracles like speaking in tongues, visions, healing, raising the dead, and prophesying” (Got Questions) (click to open). There are three major periods of sign gifts or sign miracles. Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:22 noted that “the Jews require a sign.” This has been the history of unbelieving Israel.utterance" (Constitution of Assemblies of God [the largest Pentecostal denomination]).

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The Three Imputations

L.S. Chafer in his 1948 Systematic Theology said that “thirty-three stupendous works of God” took place the moment we trusted Christ as Savior  (Volume 3, 234-265). Justification and imputation are two of these supernatural works. Justification is a legal courtroom word where the judge declares the person either guilty or innocent whereas imputation is a business word.

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We must accept God’s righteous dealings with His people

Warren Wiersbe recalled sharing in a street meeting in Chicago and passing out tracts at the corner of Madison and Kedzie. Most of the people graciously accepted the tracts, but one man took the tract and with a snarl crumpled it up and threw it in the gutter. The name of the tract was “Four Things God Wants You to Know.”

“There are a few things I would like God to know!” the man said. “Why is there so much sorrow and tragedy in this world? Why do the innocent suffer while the rich go free? Bah! Don’t tell me there’s a God! If there is, then God is the biggest sinner that ever lived!” And he turned away with a sneer and was lost in the crowd.

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