Simon East (Student HBC060094)

MN-201 Homiletics, Semester 2 2010

Sermon-Style Essay
Word Limit: 800 Actual Words: 870

ESSAY QUESTION
For the same biblical passage of your choice present a sermon outline for two of the sermon
categories. Give your opinion as to which outline is more biblical and effective for ministry and
provide evidence why.

PASSAGE: Proverbs 31:10-31

This passage outlines some of the features of a godly woman, or “a wife of noble character”.

SERMON OUTLINE 1: EXPOSITORY-DEDUCTIVE

 Intro
o Story/illustration about a person catching your eye as you walk past. What
attributes catch your attention? What attributes SHOULD catch our attention in
another person?
 Big Idea: A woman of character gains attention and influence
 Background:
o Brief overview of how Proverbs is structured and interpreted
o Identity of King Lemuel (31:1) – important note that “his mother” taught him
these things
 Passage: Proverbs 31:10-31
o Structure of these 22 verses being an acrostic, one verse for each letter of Hebrew
alphabet
o Read passage in full
 Key Points (Explain/Illustrate)
o A woman with godly character is incredibly valuable
o A proactive worker reaps a reward
o Beauty can be enjoyed, but true beauty flows from deep inside
o Woman need praise and recognition
 Personal Application

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SERMON OUTLINE 2: TOPICAL-INDUCTIVE
Audience: a group of young adults, mostly singles and unmarried couples
 Intro (Building the Need)
o Confusion over gender roles in modern western society – perhaps some funny
anecdotes about blurring of males/female roles
o How do we settle that confusion?
o What should men look for in a woman?
o How can a woman be the kind a man would desire?
 Passage: Proverbs 31:10-31
 The Qualities of a Woman with Godly-Character: (explain and illustrate each one)
o Trustworthy
o Proactive
o Organised
o Resourceful
o Strong and confident
o A sense of humour
o Positive about the future
o Speaks with wisdom and kindness
 Big Idea: A woman of character gains attention and influence
o Explain and illustrate some of the results and benefits from these qualities
 Personal Application
o Women: be encouraged, none of those things mention physical beauty (the
attributes hardest to change), but they’re all aspects of character that can be
grown and developed. Identify weaknesses in your own life and ask God to grow
that quality in you.
o Single Men: what kind of women are catching your attention? A certain body
shape, or latest clothes? Those things will all fade. When they do, will the woman
continue to add value to your life? Judge not by outward appearance, but by the
quality of her heart.

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o Married Men: which of these things can you identify in your wife? Make sure you
praise and recognise every little gem inside her. See more than her fading
outward appearance, and affirm the qualities of her heart.

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Evaluation: Which is more biblical and effective for ministry?
This question depends entirely on how you define the terms.

Does expository mean merely “letting the text speak for itself”, that is, researching and
identifying the intended meaning of the original author? Or does it describe both the basis of
authority and the overall structure of a sermon – that of progressing through a passage verse by
verse? If the first definition is used, then a sermon may be both topical and expository, and I
would argue that this is the best way to preach (for the most part).

“Biblical” needs defining also, because sermons can be biblically-focused and/or biblically-
imitated. A sermon so consumed with the Bible may neglect its audience, actually missing the
intent and motivation of the passage’s author (eg. the Latin sermons in Catholic mass during the
Middle Ages, intent on honouring the Bible, but completely neglecting most of their audience).
Vice versa, the apostles demonstrated sermons that quoted no specific passages, but merely told
of what they had seen and heard (eg. Peter in Acts 10, Paul in Acts 14).

As explained below, all the various preaching structures have their strengths and weaknesses.

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 Strengths
Expository  Places ultimate authority on the Word
(Verse by Verse) of God
 Allows the original author to share
their intended meaning
 “[The Word] has the power to do
what my authority today can't do.”
(Robinson quoted in Goodmanson:
2006)
Topical-Style  Is much better at engaging the
(Structured around audience’s attention by addressing a
a single topic or ‘need’ or relevant issue
theme)  A message can more easily revolve
around a central ‘Big Idea’
 Points and application are generally
related and easier to remember and
apply
Topic-Driven  Can be directly relevant to the
(Developing out of audience and their needs/issues
a question or issue)  Many of Paul’s letters were topic-
driven – written to address a specific
issue
Deductive  Principle stated up-front, clear, an
(Defending a easy-to-follow structure
stated position)
Inductive  Perhaps a more creative and
(Gradually interesting way of preaching –
revealing an idea creating questions and dilemmas
through a process during the introduction and resolving
or ‘journey’ of them gradually throughout the
message
discovery)
Biblically-Focused  Holds a high respect and honour for
God’s Word, believing that the words
have the same power today that they
did when originally written
Biblically-Imitated  Follows the patterns and modelling of
the apostles and early Christians in
their preaching
 Addresses relevant needs and issues
within church culture and behaviour
Weaknesses
 Content can be dry and totally irrelevant
if not done with a sensitivity to the needs
of the audience
 Can easily be filled with too many
competing ideas (from all the various
verses), making the message difficult to
remember and even more difficult to put
into practice
 Unbelievers can lack an understanding or
respect for the Bible and need a more
direct appeal
 It’s difficult to deal with larger chunks of
text because too many topics and sub-
themes can emerge
 If a preacher is lazy, a ‘topical’ message
can neglect its authority – being founded
in the Word of God (see below)
 The Bible can be easily used as a ‘proof
text’ to argue points that the original
author may never have intended
 Verses can be pulled out of context and
misapplied
 Topical preaching tends to avoid tough
biblical paradoxes and over time can feel
shallow
 Respect and honour for the Word of God
can be diminished
 Harder to engage audience for the full
message after they have already heard
the main point
 Audience can be confused about where
the message is going
 Points can be more difficult to remember
and/or apply if message is not structured
carefully and simply
 Can sometimes neglect the main task of
a preacher – building a bridge of
connection between the Word of God
and the audience. The bridge may only
be connected at the Bible end and not
with the audience.
 Can easily lead to heresy when teaching
is based on personal experience
 Can diminish the authority and truth of
the Bible through God’s chosen apostles
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My personal preference is towards topical-inductive preaching. I love preaching that addresses
real needs in a way that is creative and gradually unravels an idea. This never negates the need
for asking the hard questions of a text – exploring the context to find the author’s intention in
writing. As Timothy S. Warren writes “The problem with topical preaching, however, is not that
it’s topical. The problem is when it isn’t expositional.” (Warren in Robinson & Larson 2005: 418) I
actually think some of the best preaching is both topical and expository, that is, it starts with the
Bible and what it is really saying, but it packages it in a way that appears topical, relevant and
personal. Chuck Swindoll is an artist at mixing both ingredients. He might preach for several
weeks on Ephesians and yet every week revolves around a key topic or question with modern-
relevance.

There’s no real right or wrong structure. A preacher needs to understand which way their
personality naturally leans, and grasp the strengths and weaknesses of various styles, borrowing
from all of them in different situations to correctly honour God’s word while keeping it
connected ‘on the ground’ of the real world. It reminds me of my mother hiding vegetables
inside a delicious soup or stew – the nutrition is there but in a way that’s made palatable and
even enjoyable. That’s a preachers job.

“If I were a golfer, I would use every club available to get the ball in the hole... I can’t imagine
limiting myself to a three iron” (Warren in Robinson & Larson 2005: 418). That’s the way I want
to preach – skilfully wielding all the tools at my disposal.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Goodmanson, D. (2006) “Topical, Textual or Expository Sermons - What is the best method?”
Available internet: http://www.goodmanson.com/church/topical-textual-or-expository-
sermons-what-is-the-best-method/ (accessed 5 Oct 2010).

PreachingTodaySermons.com, (n.d.) “Preaching Inductively and Deductively: How to Employ

Each Style for Maximum Results” (An Interview with Donald Sunukjian). Available internet:
http://www.preachingtodaysermons.com/prinandde.html (5 Oct 2010).

Robinson, H. & Larson, C.B. (Ed.) (2005) The Art & Craft of Biblical Preaching: A Comprehensive
Resource for Today’s Communicators. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan.