Sermon Preparation Worksheet Pdf? All Answers

By Wayne McDill

Expository writers for generations have emphasized the use of four rhetorical elements to convince the hearer of Bible truths.

John A. Broadus originally described these forms of discourse in 1870 for preaching. The most commonly used version of Broadus is the 1944 edition, published by Weatherspoon. In it, the four functional elements are each given a chapter. After Broadus, 20th-century writers promoted the same types of supporting material for sermons. This is a classic approach to preaching development that can guide the preacher for today’s communication challenges.

Each of the developmental forms has a specific role to play as you expand your preaching points—explanation, illustration, reasoning, and application. The better you understand what each type of material contributes, the better you can prepare the balanced support that will give real impact to your preaching ideas.

The minister easily thinks that everyone is interested in the same aspects of Bible study as he is. What is needed is an appeal to the whole person – mind, conscience, emotions, imagination, will, reason. This can be done with a balanced rhetorical appeal aimed at influencing the person in all these dimensions of their response.

explanation. Your department statement needs to be explained. You want to explain how your text is the basis for the principles you state in your outline. You might also want to explain in more detail what you mean by your statement. They go to the text and point to important words and phrases. You will give the historical background and other fruits of your text study. You can re-outline the narrative of your text. All of this is explanation. It aims to establish the basic concept in your listener’s mind. Illustration. The illustration serves to clarify the lyrical truth in the mind of the listener with images that appeal to the imagination. The word illustration comes from the Latin lustrare, to illuminate. It means “illuminate an idea, illuminate it”. A sermon illustration is any word picture that gives a familiar picture of Bible truth so that the listener can see it in their mind. Illustrations are so important that we’ll devote the next two chapters to the skills needed to use them effectively. Argumentation. Sermons should convince. But if you want to convince, you have to convince with your ideas. You have to show that your point of view is reasonable and believable, that what you say makes sense. Argument is the part of your supporting material in which you give reasons for accepting the principles you present. Application. Application presents the implications of biblical truth for contemporary audiences. It is a call to action to bring the principles of Scripture to life in our lives. It deals with attitudes, behavior, language, lifestyle and personal identity. It appeals to conscience, to values, to conviction, to devotion to Christ.

Adapted from 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching by Wayne McDill (B&H Publishing Group, 2006)

A sermon is a construction of three main elements. These elements include a topic, a main point, and sub-points. You can combine these elements in different ways to create different types of sermons. Each sermon type focuses on a specific lesson and teaches that lesson using various elements from the Bible as well as secular themes.

Explore this article exhibition

Lyrically

Currently

selection

1 Explanation An expository sermon uses biblical text to form all three elements: theme, main point, and sub-points. You begin your explanatory sermon by defining your topic based on a Bible lesson, such as Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 22:39 that you should “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” You should use numerous quotations from the Bible in your explanatory sermon. Your main point should establish your topic, such as For example, a quote from John 8:7: “He who is without sin cast the first stone.” Use your side points to show instances in the Bible that demonstrate these lessons, but focus your sermon on the biblical text.

2 Textual Textual sermons use biblical text to form the main point and sub-points of your sermon. You develop your own theme based on a message that you believe your community needs to learn. As an example, you may choose to teach the subject that, as Christians, your church should never waver in its faith in Christ. You can reinforce this theme with Bible texts, such as B. 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.” Text sermon allows you to teach subjects that are important to you but are not specifically addressed in the scriptures .

3 Topical Topical sermons use biblical text to form the sub-points of your sermon. From your Christian experience and your general knowledge of the Bible, you will develop your own topics and focal points. For example, you might want to write a sermon that teaches your congregation how to live a Christian life in their own homes. Their most important points can be unconditional love, forgiveness and family closeness. You should add a number of smaller points from Scripture to reinforce your main points and tie your lesson to the Bible.

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Many preachers know how to take off but not how to land. They can start a sermon, but find it difficult to come to an effective conclusion. In this blog, I describe three characteristics of an effective closing and offer some approaches you can incorporate into your sermon.

Effective – successful in achieving a desired or intended result.

1. Effective conclusions are a surprise.

You don’t announce your conclusion, but deliver it in a sentence or two or so before people expect it of you. Try to avoid things like “last,” “finally,” and “finally.” Also, be wary of any non-verbal communication that gives away your intent to end the conversation, such as For example, closing your Bible, putting away your notes, turning off your tablet and constantly leaving the stage or taking off your glasses. Communicating too early that you are about to graduate can cause people to stop listening before you stop talking. So let yourself be surprised by your conclusion.

2. Effective conclusions are short.

Aim for no longer than two to four minutes. Remember that the purpose of a conclusion is to make it clear to the audience what they should do after hearing the sermon. You don’t want to ramble and you don’t want to introduce new material (we often do when we suddenly remember something we forgot to say earlier in the sermon). Instead, keep the conclusion short and to the point.

3. Effective conclusions are direct.

This property sums up what a conclusion should do. One of the questions I ask my sermon classes after we hear a student preach is, “What did that sermon want me to do?” If the class can’t answer that, it’s because the conclusion was too vague. In other words, if we cannot answer this question, it is because the preacher did not answer the question when preparing the sermon. There should never be any doubt in people’s minds as to what the message is calling them to do.

In fact, if you’re following best practices of working with a creative team or reviewing recordings of your sermon to improve, it’s a good idea to make a habit of listening to the takeaway. What does the sermon ask for? What does the sermon ask for? What will the takeaway look like in real life? The conclusion should be direct.

Here are some possible inferences you could use:

You can summarize the sermon.

This approach is helpful when your points have application throughout the message. In your conclusion, you simply recall the application points by summarizing it. For example, if you had an outline above a prayer that said, “1. We are to worry about nothing, 2. we are to pray for everything, and 3. we can then experience the peace of Christ”; Your conclusion summarizes these points. This type of conclusion is sometimes called a “summary” because you are summarizing the application. If you saw your points in the sermon beforehand, it would also be a good idea to repeat them at the end.

You can decide on a specific application.

This is especially the case when much of the sermon is instruction on a subject or doctrine. In other words, this would be used when explaining and proving ideas in the body of the sermon. It’s in the conclusion where you need to have specific takeaways and concrete calls to action. If you have preached a parable or some other type of inductive sermon, then the conclusion has the most application.

You can expect objections.

Anticipating objections is effective in both the application and the closure, especially when the call-to-action is developed in the closure. In this type of conclusion, you identify what objections your audience might have to what you have preached. What do you find difficult to believe? What competing priorities do they have that might make it difficult for them to do what the sermon directs them to do?

You can return to the original idea in the introduction to your sermon.

If your sermon introduction has a story, you can end it here (this is really important if your introduction story was a cliffhanger). The same goes for any problem, question, or need you raised in the introduction. After your sermon addresses the idea you started the sermon with, you can come full circle in your conclusion.

You can cast visions.

Here you paint a picture for the congregation of what it would be like if this message were lived out in the church, in their home, in their workplace, or in their community.

I once heard a language teacher tell her students that the last sentence of a presentation was the most important. Well, let’s be sure that the last part of our sermons is effective because we planned them to be surprising, short and direct.

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This guide offers concise suggestions for the preparation of an exegetical sermon. The sermon preparation follows and depends on the exegesis of the Bible passage. Exegetical work is always the first step in preparing to preach from Scripture. Consult Exegeting a Gospel for guidance in this regard.

The aim of the sermon is to speak the Word of God faithfully to those who have come to hear the proclamation of God’s revelation. It assumes that the minister has invested the time both in hearing the Word of God and in understanding its application to the lives of the speaker and hearer.

Recommended guide for preparing the sermon

prayer

Begin your sermon preparation with prayer. Preaching is an act of faith and obedience to the living God, who continues to be revealed through the written Word, proclaimed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Identify the main idea of ​​the section.

Based on your exegetical analysis, specify the content, intent, and argument of a passage. Also, how does the message of this passage relate to the immediate context and the rest of Scripture? The goal is to see clearly what the passage is saying. This is necessary when you are preaching from the passage (i.e. following the path already given in Scripture) rather than just stating your own concerns. Identify those to whom you will preach.

It is important to identify and understand those who will hear the sermon. Any time you are trying to communicate effectively, it is necessary to identify the group you will be speaking to and adjust your sermon accordingly (e.g. illustrations, vocabulary, etc.). Begin today to apply the text to the lives of your listeners.

The sermon seeks to illuminate how the revelation of God applies to the life of the church in Christ today in a specific historical context. After striving to understand what the text is saying and why, try to see how that meaning affects your life and those who will hear your sermon. Haddon Robinson [Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980)] proposes three developmental questions to support this process: What does this mean? How does the author develop the thought of this passage? Are there elements in the passage that need to be explained to the audience in order for them to understand the text? These questions are for clarity. Is it true? Can we believe it? How did the biblical writer justify what he said? What experiences in our lives make our claims problematic? What difference does it make? We read the Bible to hear God speak, so it’s only natural to ask how what the passage says applies to our situation. Determine the goal of the sermon.

Based on your understanding of how a passage applies to your life and to those who will hear the sermon, try to state your intention in the sermon. Are you trying to get listeners to apply a specific principle or action in their lives? Are you trying to explain a crucial aspect of the Christian faith (e.g. the resurrection, who Jesus Christ is)? Choose a form of sermon that will facilitate the accomplishment of the purpose and create a sermon outline.

Sermons come in a variety of forms: either/or, application of a principle, statement of a key idea, narrative, etc. Try to use the passage itself to help determine the form you will use. Once the form is selected, create an outline that contains the message of the passage in the selected form. Try to communicate the message of the section, not just outline it. Complete the sermon outline.

Add supporting material to the sermon. This includes illustrations, quotes, facts, etc. that support, illuminate, or apply the points of the sermon and motivate the listener to take action. Good illustrations are a craft that convey the meaning of a text instead of just entertaining the audience. Construct the introduction and the conclusion.

A well-planned introduction and conclusion are essential to a well-crafted sermon, and they possess an importance that outweighs their relative length. The introduction should introduce the purpose and help capture the listener’s attention. Some may choose to construct the ending first, as that is where the sermon has moved. The conclusion should make the message of the sermon clear.

Sermon: Basic Texts

There are many, many introductory texts on preaching. Here are some of the most popular and newly released:

Bruggemann, Walter. The word militant: preaching a decentering word. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press, 2007.

Refocus the preaching commission on the decentering, destabilizing, always risky word we encounter in Scripture. These articles, previously only available in journals, are combined here with a newly written foreword and an introduction. Craddock, Fred B. Hearing the Gospel. St Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2002.

Covers the Narrator, the Listener, the Method, the Story, Kierkegaard, and includes two sample sermons at Matthew 28:1-10 and Matthew 7:21-29.

Hunter, Geoffrey and Gethin Thomas and Stephen Wright (eds.). A Preacher’s Companion: Essays from the College of Preachers. Oxford: Bible Reading Fellowship, 2004.

Draws helpful insights from the fields of cultural and communication research as well as theology and Bible teaching. Includes contributions from: Lavinia Byrne, Donald Coggan and Lesslie Newbigin.

Jeter, Joseph R., and Ronald J. Allen. One gospel, many ears: preaching to diverse audiences in the church. St.Louis, Mo.: Chalice Press, 2002.

Addresses age, gender, race, personality type, ethnicity, education, and social and economic background as ways in which sermons are received and how the minister can maximize opportunities for everyone to hear and understand the gospel and one another.

Long, Thomas G. The Witness of the Sermon. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/J. Knox Press, 2nd Ed. 2005.

An extremely practical book in which Long guides the reader through the various stages of sermon writing.

McMickle, Marvin A. Formulating the Claim: From Text to Sermon. Minneapolis, MN : Fortress Press, 2008. Takes readers beyond the initial steps of theological analysis, contextual exploration, and biblical exegesis to help the preacher discover the heart of the message being preached—the “claim” preached. The book is geared towards online sermon examples and other web-based features such as sermon illustrations and art. Robinson, Haddon. Biblical preaching: the development and transmission of explanatory messages. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980 and 2001.

A classic. Robinson, Haddon W. and Torrey W. Robinson. It depends on how you say it: preaching messages in the first person. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2003. Tools and insights necessary to move from ineffective habits to dramatic sermons. Shows how to preach by retelling a biblical account from the perspective of a biblical character, combining the power of drama with God’s Word.

Taylor, Barbara Brown. The Preaching Life. Cambridge, Mass.: Cowley Publications, 1993.

No guide book. Instead, Taylor reflects on some of the general qualities required of a good sermon.

Waller, J. Preparing and delivering a sermon. Cambridge: Grove Books, 2005.

A Grove pamphlet that provides a simple framework along with reflections on the many different facets of preaching. Will be useful for both beginners and experienced ones.

Wilson, Paul Scott. Broken Words: Reflections on the Preaching Craft. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2004.

From the point of view of the dynamics of divine grace and human action, the biblical and theological contents of the sermon are addressed from different perspectives.

Sermon Helps: Exegesis

Biblical Comments:

See the Graham Library Lists for a list of recommended comments.

Sermon Comments and Sample Sermons (Lessonary)

Bayer, Charles H. and Robert A. Hausmann. Homiletic Meditations. Lima, Ohio: CSS Publications, 1994.

Cycle C (3 volumes).

Brokhoff, John R. Preaching the Lectionary Workbook: [A, B, and C Series]. Rev. Ed. Lima, Ohio: C.S.S. Publishing Co., 1984-6.

Craddock, Fred B. Preaching the New Common Lectionary: […] Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1984-7.

This series contains commentaries on years A, B and C by liturgical season.

Gibson, Paul. In short: short sermons for […]. Toronto: Anglican Book Centre, 1994.

For years A, B and C.

Lowry, Eugene. Living with the Lectionary: Preaching through the Revised Common Lectionary. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992.

The Annunciation Series: Aid to the Interpretation of the Doctrines of the Church Year.

These tools are arranged according to liturgical time (example Pentecost 1,2,3) and church year (rows A,B,C). The titles of the books usually go by season.

O’Driscoll, Herbert. Child of Peace, Lord of Life: year […]. Toronto: Anglican Book Center, 1986-9.

Years A, B and C

Schmidt, Herbert. sermons on Sunday. New York, NY: Alba House, 1990.

For cycles A, B and C.

Soards, Marion L. et. Al. Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary [Years A, B, C]. 4 vols. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992-4.

Tovey, Philip. Preaching a sermon with a joint service. Cambridge: Grove Books, 2004. Considers the benefits of preaching through the lectionary, its implications for previous generations of ministers, and how we might approach it, using material already available or creatively adapting the lectionary itself.

Texts for the sermon

A Lessonary Commentary based on the NRSV. 3 vols. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993.

Sermon Illustrations

Browne, Benjamin P. Illustrations/or Sermons. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1977.

Chapelle, Bryan. Use illustrations to preach with power. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992.

Deffner, Donald L. Windows into the Lectionary: Seasonal Anecdotes for Preaching and Teaching. San Jose, CA: Resource Publications, 1996.

Deems, Edward, eds. Holidays and Holidays: A Treasury and Historical Material, Sermons in Full and Short Form, Stimulating Thoughts and Poetry Relating to Holidays and Holidays. New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1902.

Forester, Eldon. New Cyclopaedia of Prose Illustrations, v.2. 6000 Classic Sermon Illustrations: An Alphabetical Collection of Leaders and Writers of the Ages. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1993.

Jeffs, Harry. The Art of Sermon Illustration. London: J Clarke, 1909.

Staudermann, Al. Let Me Illustrate: Stories and Quotes for Christian Communicators. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1983.

Sumwalt, John E. Lectionary Stories. Cycle […]: 40 stories to tell for Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing House, 1990-92.

Cycles A, B and C

Sumwalt, John E. and Jo Perry-Sumwalt. Lectionary Stories for the Pulpit: 62 Stories for Cycle B. Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing, 1996.

sermon collections

To improve your preaching skills, listen, watch, or read the sermons of the preachers. Many of the TST libraries have sermon tapes from visiting and local ministers; Emmanuel College has perhaps the best collection of tapes and videos of well-known ministers. Below is a selection of books, tapes, and videos that can help you improve your preaching skills.

Craddock, Fred B. Sermons Preached at the Altar , Lubbock, Texas: Net Press, 1988.

Craddock, Fred B. Recorded Sermons by Fred B. Craddock [Audio Recording]. Atlanta: CST Media, 1986.

Great preachers. series 1

Odyssey Productions Ltd. Worcester, PA: Gateway Films, Vision Video, 1997.

This series (available from the Graham Library) includes sermons by preachers such as Barbara Brown Taylor, Billy Graham, Tom Long, Fred Craddock and Haddon Robinson

Long, Thomas G. and Cornelius Plantigna, Jr., eds. A Choir of Witnesses: Model Sermons for Today’s Preacher. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1994.

Long, Thomas G. and Cornelius Plantigna, Jr., eds. A Choir of Witnesses: Model Sermons for Today’s Preacher. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1994.

If you’re only buying one collection of sermons, make sure it’s this one. In this book you will find every possible type of sermon modeled. The editors have written short, helpful comments for each sermon. Most sermons are “Anglican” in length.

Long, Thomas G. and Cornelius Plantigna, Jr., eds. A Choir of Witnesses: Model Sermons for Today’s Preacher. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1994.

Neuland, Henry, eds. The seasons of the church what they teach: a series of sermons for the various times and occasions of the Christian year. London: J. and C. Mozley, 1856.

Long, Thomas G. and Cornelius Plantigna, Jr., eds. A Choir of Witnesses: Model Sermons for Today’s Preacher. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1994.

New pulpit digest. Louisville, Ky: Pulpit Digest Inc.

This bi-monthly journal publishes sermons that follow texts from the lectures.

O’Driscoll, Herbert. Prayers at the Breaking of Bread: Meditations on the Offerings of the Church Year. Cambridge, Mass.: Cowley Publications, 1991.

Rahne, Karl. The Great Church Year: The Best of Karl Rahner’s Sermons, Sermons, and Meditations. Edited by Albert Raffelt. New York: Crossroads, 1993.

Robinson, Haddon. Biblical Sermons: How Twelve Preachers Apply the Principles of Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1989.

Contains sermons, commentaries and interviews with preachers.

Rottman, John Michael, and Paul Scott Wilson. Seasons of Preaching: 160 Best Sermon from the Preaching Resource, Word & Witness. Neues Berlin, WI: Liturgical Publications, 1996.

Spurgeon, Charles H. Sermons on Special Days and Occasions. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995.

Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers. Translated and edited by M.F. In total. Chicago: Henry Regnery, [1957-1963].

Taylor, Barbara Brown. bread of angels Cambridge, Mass.: Cowley Publications, 1997.

This collection of Taylor’s sermons provides students with an excellent example of narrative preaching.

Taylor, Barbara Brown. Mixed blessings. Atlanta, GA: S. Hunter Publications, 1986.

The same as above.

Sermons for Special Occasions

Ammer, Ian. preaching at weddings. Bramcote, Nott.: Grove Books, 1980.

Caley, James Cowin, eds. The Doctrine and Fellowship of the Apostles: A Symposium on the Christian Year, Sacraments and Worship, Some Aspects of the Spread of the Church. Written by 150 Bishops of the Anglican Church around the world. San Francisco: The Recorder-Sunset Press, 1958.

O’Driscoll, Herbert. Heralds of God: Sermons for Saints and Holy Days. Toronto: Anglican Book Centre, 1995.

Roguet, A.M. Sermons celebrating infant baptism. Translated by Jerome J. DuCharme. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1977.

Richmond, Kent D. A Time to Die: A Guide to Funeral Sermons. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1980.

Schmitz, Barbara G. The Life of Christ and the Death of a Loved One: Grafting the Funeral Sermon. Lima, Ohio: CSS Publication Co., 1995.

Swords, Liam, ed. Sermons on Marriage. New York: Paulist Press, 1985.

This New Life Together: An Anthology of Marriage Meditations. Lima, Ohio: CSS Publications, 1994.

children’s sermons

Augsburg children’s sermons. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1992-1994.

Coleman, Richard J. Gospel Storytelling: The Art and Theology of Children’s Sermons. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1982.

Gospel Sermons for Kids: 60 Creative and Easy-to-Use Messages. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1995.

3 volumes. Series A, B and C

Schroeder. Philip D. Children’s Sermons for the Revised General Lectionary: Telling God’s Story Using the 5 Senses. Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1997.

3 volumes. Years A, B and C

Sherer, Michael L. Good News for Children: Object Lessons on Epistle Texts Series […]. Minneapolis: Augsburger Verlag, 1981-2.

Series B and C

Wisdom, Eldon. The Psalms for Children: 60 Object Lessons on the Psalms, Series A. Minneapolis: Augsburg Pub. House, 1983.

_________God’s Promises to Children: Object Lessons on Old Testament Texts, Series B. Minneapolis: Augsburger Verlag, 1981.

_________God’s Promises/or Children: Picture Messages on Old Testament Texts, Series A. Minneapolis: Augsburger Verlag, 1980.

_________The Gospel for Kids, Series B. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1978.

Sermon: Special Topics

Bond, D. Stephenson. Interactive Preaching. St Louis, MO: CBP Press, 1991.

Braun, Teresa L. Fry. Preaching the Sermon: Voice, Body and Animation in Preaching. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press, 2008.

Butrick, David. Speaking Jesus: Homiletic Theology and the Sermon on the Mount. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002. Campbell, Charles L. The Word Before Powers: An Ethic of Preaching. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002. Erdman. Chris. Countdown to Sunday: a daily guide for those who dare to preach. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Brazos Press, 2007.

Long, Thomas. Sermon and the Literary Forms of the Bible. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989.

Loscaizo, Craig A. Preaching Sermons That Connect: Effective Communication Through Identification. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1992.

Lowry, Eugene L. How to Preach a Parable: Designs for Narrative Sermons. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989.

Northcutt. Kay L. Kindling a Longing for God: Preaching as a Spiritual Orientation. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2009. Salmon, Marilyn J. Preaching Without Contempt: Overcoming Unintentional Anti-Judaism. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press, 2006.

Thompson, William D. Dialogue Sermon: The Common Sermon. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1969.

Thulin, Richard L. The “I” of Sermon: Autobiography in the Pulpit. Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 1989.

Troeger, Thomas H. Sermon and Worship Service.St. Louis, Mo.: Chalice Press, 2003.

Prayers & Meditations

AA + –

foreword

Historically, the churches of the Reformation included forms of prayer in their books of worship alongside their songs and liturgies. For example, the Church of Geneva first published The Form of Church Prayers and Hymns in 1542, and the Church of England first published the Book of Common Prayer in 1549.

In our particular tradition, the Psalter and Service Book of Petrus Dathenus (1556) also contained a set of prayers. These prayers were first translated into English and included in the Psalter Hymnal of the Christian Reformed Church in 1934 and were included in the 1959 and 1976 editions. Experience has shown that our prayers are an overlooked part of our liturgical life.

Some of the reasons given are that they are antiquated and verbose. In what follows, the older versions are used as a basis, while updating the language, shortening where necessary, adding more prayers from the best of the wider Reformed tradition (England, Geneva, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, as well as Martin Luther), and taking into account the liturgical and personal needs of our people. We believe this will improve the prayer lives of our people at home and those leading prayer in public worship.

These prayers are not obligatory but voluntary. While our church order prescribes the use of liturgical forms and their prayers for certain moments of congregational life (e.g., baptism, Communion), nowhere are prescribed forms of public prayer in the weekly service prescribed. These prayers are offered as resources and examples for those called to lead public prayer and as a guide and edification for our people in their daily lives. To this end they are divided (after the Lord’s Prayer) into four major sections:

The Lord’s Prayer Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Your will will happen,

on earth as in heaven.

give us today our daily bread,

and forgive us our sins

while we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For yours is the kingdom

and the power

and the glory forever.

Amen.

Prayers for the Lord’s Worship

Can be said in unison or when the minister prays and the congregation says “Amen.”

Opening Invocation/Dependence Can be spoken in response with the minister speaking the first line and the congregation speaking the second. Our help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 124:8)

Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, where does your help come from?

Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1,2)

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble. (Ps. 46:1) Invocation Prayer – 1 Almighty God,

to whom our hearts are open,

Our wishes are known

and from which no secrets are hidden:

cleans the thoughts of our hearts

through the gracious power of your Holy Spirit,

that we can love you completely

and worthily glorify your holy name;

through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Invocation Prayer – 2

Almighty and Eternal God,

You’re always more willing to hear than we pray,

and to give more than we desire or deserve.

Pour out on us the fullness of Your mercy,

forgive us what our conscience is convinced of,

and give us the good things we are not worthy to ask,

except through the merits and agency of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.

Amen.

Confessional prayer – 1

Dear brothers and sisters,

we are called to examine ourselves

light of God’s law.

Let’s go to God in public confession:

Praying together:

Our father,

we are sinful and you are holy.

We recognize that in Your law we have heard difficult words,

knowing how many times we have offended you in thought, word and deed,

not only through obvious violations,

but by not keeping his perfect commandments,

by what we have done and by what we have not done.

Apart from Christ there is nothing in us that gives us reason for hope;

for where we thought we were sane, we are sick at heart.

Where we thought ourselves holy, in truth we are unholy and ungrateful.

Our hearts are filled with the love of the world;

our minds are dark and invaded by doubts;

our will is too often left to selfishness

and our bodies to laziness and injustice.

By sinning against our neighbors,

we too have sinned against you

in whose image they were created.

In this time of silent confession we bring you our special sins.

There may be an opportunity for silent confession.

Minister’s Prayer:

Our father,

although you are a holy god who cannot look at sin,

Look to Christ our Saviour, and for His sake forgive us.

You promised us if we confess our sins

You are faithful and only forgive our sins

and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

For when we sin we have an advocate before your throne,

Jesus Christ, the righteous, and He is the propitiation for our sins.

Grant us your pardon through your mercy, dear father,

for you have clothed us with the righteousness of Christ.

We also ask that you give us an increase in the grace of your Holy Spirit,

so that we may learn the wisdom of your ways

and walk on your holy paths,

for your honor and for the good of our neighbors.

Amen.

Confessional prayer – 2

Brothers and sisters,

the law causes us to acknowledge and confess our many sins and wickedness,

do not hide them from the face of almighty God our heavenly Father,

but confess

with a humble, humble, contrite and obedient heart,

that through His infinite goodness and mercy we can be forgiven.

So I urge you to join me with a pure heart and humble voice

before the throne of grace, praying:

Praying together:

Almighty and Merciful Father,

We have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep,

We have followed too much the wishes and desires of our own heart,

We have broken your holy laws,

we failed to do the things we should have done

and we did what we shouldn’t have done

and so we are helpless without you.

O Lord, have mercy on us, wretched offender,

spare us when we confess our faults,

restore us as we are penitent,

according to your promises made known to us in Christ Jesus our Lord,

and grant, oh most gracious father, for his sake,

that afterward we can live a godly, righteous, and godly life,

for the glory of your holy name.

Amen.

Pastoral prayer (long) – 1

Almighty and Merciful God:

We recognize and confess before You that if You considered what we have done, we would be unworthy to lift our eyes to heaven and offer our prayers before You. Our conscience accuses us and our sins testify against us. And yet, in your fatherly kindness in Christ, you have accepted us and rejoice to hear our prayers which we offer through his agency. Therefore we turn to no other king and seek no other intercessor for the help we need in this world and the world to come. You are calling us to seek not only our own salvation and good, but that of your whole Church and the world, and we are doing that now.

We especially pray for your blessings on your holy gospel to be faithfully preached and the world filled with the knowledge of your truth. For this purpose, please send workers to your field to plant, water and harvest a people for your name. But frustrate the work of those who would sow heresy and discord. Destroy all the strongholds of satan in this world and establish your kingdom all over the earth. Please give fatherly attention to your servants who are being persecuted for the sake of the gospel and strengthen them by your spirit and by the means of grace in spirit and body.

Specific prayers can be added for the peace, purity and advancement of the gospel around the world.

We also pray for those who serve our common good in worldly affairs. Grant wisdom and integrity to those whom You have appointed to rule us. Give them a restrained fear of you to keep them from abusing authority and give them the knowledge that they are under your final judgment. We ask that you use them to contribute to the advancement of a society you like. May they restrain wickedness and vice, encourage righteousness and virtue, and remove every obstacle to the preaching of the gospel and worship, so that the word of God may have free flow, the kingdom of Christ may advance, and every antichrist power may be resisted. Dear Father, who sends rain on the just and the unjust, give us, too, we pray, such humility in conduct and faithfulness in our worldly vocations, so that we may contribute to the good of our neighbors and live a peaceful life in all piety and honor.

Specific prayers can be added for civil authorities.

We also remember those who are suffering from physical dangers, temptations, doubts, mental or physical illnesses, or financial needs—and especially those who are near death. Comfort all widows and orphans and be a father to them. Show mercy to prisoners, military personnel, and those whose businesses they conduct long-distance. Protect their families and bring them back safely, we pray. May the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Your Son, refresh Your people in their trials and give them the grace to endure the difficulties You send them for their good. Grant us also the grace to share in their suffering and to provide for their needs as best we can.

Special prayers can be added for members of the congregation.

Bless the land with bountiful harvests and give us wisdom and patience to steward it well and the resources You graciously give us for our calling. Keep us from exploiting your good gifts for our own selfish accumulation, and grant us that we may always be mindful of our duties to one another and to your creation. Arrange our priorities and interests so that our callings in life further, not hinder, our love for you and for our neighbor. We ask you to deepen the bonds between us as spouses and as parents and children, resolving conflicts and disputes according to your wisdom and grace. Grant to those among us who are single gifts to build up the communion of saints and faithfulness in the face of temptation, granting that your people may edify them in the most holy faith. Strengthen us with your means of grace, so that we worship you not only with our words but also with our lives, building us up into one body, a city in the world whose light cannot be hidden. Make each one of us, we pray, a living offering of praise and thanksgiving, acceptable to You. For this is our due service in relation to that sacrifice which alone has finally and forever reconciled us to you.

We bring these intercessions for one another before Your Throne through the intercession of our Elder Brother at Your right hand, Jesus Christ, Your Eternal Son. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer (short) – 2

O God, the Creator and Sustainer of all mankind:

We humbly intercede for all people that it would please You to make known Your ways, Your saving grace to all nations. [Special prayers may be added for missionaries and church planters.] In particular, we pray for the universal church to be so directed and governed by Your Holy Spirit that all who profess and call themselves Christians may walk the path be guided by truth and embrace faith in the oneness of the Spirit, in the bond of peace, and in the righteousness of life.

Finally, we commend Your fatherly goodness to all those who are in any way afflicted or distressed mentally, physically, or otherwise. We pray especially for [specific needs mentioned]. May it please You to comfort and relieve them according to their particular needs, to bestow patience in their sufferings and blessed deliverance from all their afflictions.

We ask all this for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

Prayer before the sermon – 1

eternal father,

who spoke to your people at different times and in different ways in the past,

but in these last days in your Son, the Word made flesh,

We pray that you will open your servant’s mouth to proclaim this word in the power of the Spirit.

And we pray that that same Spirit will open the hearts of his hearers gathered here to receive your holy gospel and write your holy law upon their hearts as you promised.

All this, gracious Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying: “Our Father…”

Prayer before the sermon – 2

Blessed Lord who wrote the Scriptures for our learning,

give that we can hear, read, learn and process them internally,

that through the comfort of your holy word we may embrace and hold fast the blessed hope of eternal life which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer after the sermon – 1

Our merciful God, who gladly deigns to speak to us through Your Word,

give us all grace that we are not only hearers of your word, but also doers.

Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit that we may believe what has been announced to us.

May we bring glory and honor to your name in all we do as you conform us to the image of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

All this, gracious Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying: “Our Father…”

Prayer after the sermon – 2

Almighty God, graciously allow Your word that we have heard to be inscribed within our hearts.

May our hearts be filled with love and reverence for you as we humbly receive your word with pure affection.

Let us bear the fruit of the Spirit and live in holiness, diligently obeying your commandments.

And may you please use us to lead those who are lost, straying and confused onto the path of truth.

All this we pray for the glory and praise of your name through Jesus Christ our Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer before explaining the catechism – 1

Almighty and Eternal God, our Heavenly Father, we acknowledge that we are sinners, conceived and born in sin, unable to do any good of ourselves.

But we repent of our sins and seek your grace to help us in our remaining weaknesses.

Satisfy our hunger and quench our thirst by the teaching of your Word, which we confess with the Church at all times, with your refreshing truth, that we may love you with all our hearts and serve you,

with our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, the only true God, who lives and reigns forever. Amen.

Prayer before explaining the catechism – 2

our heavenly father,

We ask you to look at us with grace,

when we look away from us into the face of your Son, whom you have made our Mediator and Savior.

Since all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Your Son, lead us through Your Holy Spirit to a true understanding of Christ’s teachings.

May our meditation upon His truth bring forth in us the fruit of righteousness for the glory and exaltation of His name, for the instruction and edification of this assembly, and for the salvation of the lost through our testimony.

We pray this in the name and on behalf of Your beloved Son Jesus Christ in dependence on His Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer after explanation of the Catechism – 1

Gracious and Merciful Father,

we thank you for making your covenant with the believers and their children. For, as You have told us, “the promise is unto you, and unto thy children, and unto all that are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

You have not only proclaimed and sealed this promise through holy baptism, but prove it daily by perfecting your praise through the mouths of children and thus shame the wise and understanding of this world.

Continue to steady your saints in this belief throughout their lives.

So grant us the grace to digest inwardly the nourishment You have given us and to train our children in Your knowledge and fear until they come to full maturity.

We ask all this in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord, who taught us to pray, saying: “Our Father…”

Prayer after explanation of the catechism – 2

Our gracious God

You are building your church on the foundation of the teachings of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the most important cornerstone, and so we pray that you will bless our congregation to grow in their teachings.

Help us to meditate with joy on Your mighty deeds, enlighten our minds ever more with the light of the everlasting Gospel, kindle in our hearts the love of Your truth, nourish us with the full counsel of God’s Word, enable us to fight for the one faith committed forever to the saints and protects us from the sins of heresy and schism.

And having heard the true doctrine proclaimed to us, may it be preserved among us by Your great blessings and spread through us through our lips and lives to the glory of the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all Mercy,

we, your unworthy servants, thank you very humbly and heartily for all your goodness and kindness to us and to all people.

We bless you for our creation, our preservation and all the blessings of this life,

but above all for your priceless love in redeeming the world through our Lord Jesus Christ,

for the means of grace and for the hope of glory.

And we ask you

give us the due meaning of all your mercy,

that our hearts may be sincerely grateful

and so that we can show your praise,

not only with our lips but in our lives,

as we devote ourselves to your service,

and walking all our days before you in holiness and righteousness;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Closing prayer – 1

Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

You have given us the grace to offer our prayers together with one heart.

You promised to grant our requests if we ask you in Jesus name.

Fulfill now the desires of our hearts and the supplications of our mouths as is most profitable to us, your servants,

and grant us the knowledge of Your truth in this world and eternal life in the world to come;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is eternally praised with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Closing prayer – 2

almighty god,

who promised to hear the pleas of those who pray in your Son’s name,

we mercifully ask you to turn your ear to us who have now turned to you our prayers and supplications.

Grant that the things which we have faithfully asked of Your will may be obtained for the relief of our needs and the increase of Your glory;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

prayers for special services

These prayers are offered at the special services that may be proclaimed in the churches according to church ordinances: the five evangelical feast days of Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day and Pentecost as well as a day of prayer, the national harvest festival, New Year’s Eve, New Year and services in times of great need or Blessing.

Christmas

Merciful Father, you so loved the world that you gave your only begotten Son. He who was rich became poor for us, the eternal Word made flesh, a great light that shines in the darkness. Only because of Your Word and Your Spirit have we seen this light and been drawn into its brightness. Grant us the grace to receive your Son humbly and joyfully, like the shepherds and princes who received him, and to seek our salvation no further than this child lying in a manger. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

good friday

Our Father, who loved the world so much that you gave your only begotten Son, we recognize and marvel at your mercy. Even when we were enemies, you reconciled us; You made us, while strangers, joint heirs with Christ of all eternal blessings; even when we stood condemned, you redeemed us; Even when we were imprisoned, you delivered us from the tyranny of sin, death, and the devil. On this solemn occasion we abhor our miserable estate and celebrate Your wonderful grace. Under the cross of Christ we recognize that our fault is forgiveness, but yours; ours the condemnation, but thine the gift of justification; ours slavery, but yours the freedom of adoption and new obedience. Even the faith with which we confess the sacrifice of our dear Savior was won to us through His death. Therefore we cry out to You in sorrow for our sins and in thanksgiving for Your gift. Grant us the grace, we ask, to receive again this Word from the Cross, which alone can refresh us on our pilgrimage, and send us out again into the world as witnesses of the Lamb of God, who bears the sin of the world. Amen.

Easter

Holy Father, giver of all perfect gifts, we join the heavenly choir to announce the news that You have conquered the powers of sin, death and damnation through the victory of Jesus Christ, Your Son, over the grave. We confess that the circumstances of this present age often go against the promise You have spoken in Your Word. Nonetheless, we bring our hearts’ experience under your judgment. As the firstfruits of all the harvest on the last day, you raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Since You brought the new creation into this mortal evil age in His resurrection, we may know by faith in this life that we have been raised with Christ and are seated at Your right hand, and by sight may we know the resurrection of our bodies in the life to come . We pray all this with joy and gratitude in the name of Christ. Amen.

rise

almighty god,

though we could not ascend to your holy place,

Your son descended to save us.

After he won our salvation,

He rose to the seat of all authority and dominion at Your right hand

to plead our cause before your throne,

to guarantee our place in heaven by bringing our own flesh there in Him,

and to rule over all his enemies and ours.

He did all this for our salvation and for the glory of your holy name.

Help us receive this good news and make it known throughout the world that Christ Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.

And fill our hearts with longing anticipation of His return in power and glory to restore all things.

We pray this in the name of Christ our King. Amen.

Pentecost

Our Father in heaven, we thank you especially on this day for the gift of your Holy Spirit. Just as you sent your Son to redeem us, you sent your Spirit to renew us in his image, beginning now the new creation that awaits us fully and definitively at the last day. Forgive us that we have grieved the Spirit, forgetting the great work that He did and continues to do at Pentecost in effectuating Your Word for the justification and sanctification of sinners. We praise you for sending your spirit of adoption into our hearts so that we may call you Abba, Father. We thank You for His ministry to bear witness to Christ, to convict the world of sin and judgment, and to open our hearts to receive Your Son’s gospel. Even now, through the gospel, He is gathering a church from all nations to proclaim Your goodness. May we again be filled with wondrous wonder at this saving work of the Holy Spirit, worshiped and glorified with You and the Son, One God, world without end. Amen.

day of prayer

O God of infinite wisdom, power and goodness, we have gathered to pray to you. Though we are fully convinced that we are unworthy to enter into your presence, we are confident that you will answer our prayer for the sake of Christ our Lord, as He promised in His Word.

We recognize You as the Creator of all things in the heavens above, the earth below, and the waters under the earth. We adore you for the majesty and beauty of all your works. We adore Your loving kindness to have placed everything at the service of the needs and happiness of Your children. What is man that you think of him, and the son of man that you care for him? You have given him dominion over the works of your hands – the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea. You have given us for food everything that moves, everything that lives, the green plant that produces seed, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You have crowned us with unwavering love and mercy.

We adore You for Your gracious promises of old to preserve Your precious saints by Your providence. As long as the earth endures, sowing and reaping, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not end. They visit the earth and water it. You make springs gush in the valleys and flow between the hills. You cause grass to grow for cattle, and plants for man to bring forth food from the earth, wine to gladden his heart, oil to brighten his face, and bread to strengthen his heart. You soften the fields with tremors; You bless their growth. The meadows are clothed with flocks; the valleys are adorned with corn; they shout and sing together for joy. You crown the year with your gift. O Lord, how varied are Your works; in wisdom you made them all.

Our Father, we also confess that your providence under all circumstances is not only the riches of your generosity and compassion, but also your righteous judgments. You open Your hand and we are filled with good; You hide your face and we are troubled. But we know, O God, that in your anger you remember mercy; and we recognize your long-suffering and your kindness. Grant us the grace to believe that he disciplines whom the Lord loves, and make us ever ready to offer you in spirit and truth the prayer of the Holy Prophet, even when the fig tree is not in bloom and there is no fruit on the vines, the produce of the olive tree fails, and the fields yield no food, the flock is cut off from the fold, and there are no flock in the stalls, but we shall rejoice in the Lord, we shall rejoice in the God of our salvation. For we are sure that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither present nor future, nor powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

O gracious God, we thank you that, despite our many transgressions of your holy laws, you have always done us good for the sake of Christ your Son. You have given us heavenly rain and fruitful seasons and filled our hearts with nourishment and joy. These were among the witnesses of Your great goodness and assurances to those who believe that You are the living God. Teach us to believe with strong faith that you are the Lord of the seasons – that you cause the earth to bring forth and it obeys you. Accept our thanksgiving for all your blessings; Fill our hearts with humility and love, with gratitude and trust. [Special thanksgiving may be offered.] Gracious God, continue Your loving kindness to us and help us to show the fruits of grace in a sincere obedience to Your will, through which all blessings flow, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

National Thanksgiving Day

Our sovereign God, who created all things for your pleasure and who gives life, breath and goodness to all, we thank you for our creation, our preservation and all the blessings of this life. For rain and shine, for abundance and for lack, we acknowledge that our time is in your hands. You provide all Your creatures with Your good gifts, the just and the unjust alike. Nevertheless, we especially praise You for the exceeding greatness of Your saving grace You have shown us in Christ Jesus our Saviour. For our election in Him before the foundation of the world, for our redemption by Him in His life, death and resurrection, for our effective calling, justification, sanctification, and all the blessings of our union with Him, we give You our heartfelt thanks. Und wir blicken mit großer Erwartung auf den Tag, an dem Du uns zum ewigen Leben erwecken wirst, verherrlicht und in Gerechtigkeit bestätigt, damit wir Dein Lob singen können, ohne die Befleckung unserer gegenwärtigen Schwächen, Ablenkungen und Sünden. Da Sie uns diese Gaben gegeben haben, bitten wir Sie, uns dankbare Herzen zu schenken, damit wir unseren Nächsten in Liebe dienen können. Dies beten wir im Namen unseres Retters Jesus Christus, der uns das Beten gelehrt hat, indem er sagte: „Vater unser …“

New Year’s Eve

Allmächtiger und gnädiger Gott, während wir das Jahr mit diesem Tag beschließen, danken wir Dir für all Deine zärtlichen Barmherzigkeiten, die uns während unseres ganzen Lebens und besonders während dieses vergangenen Jahres zuteil geworden sind. Nimm unsere Danksagung für all deine Segnungen an; Erfülle unsere Herzen mit Demut und Liebe, mit Dankbarkeit und Vertrauen. [Spezielle Danksagung kann angeboten werden.] Für all diese Segnungen bringen wir Dir das Opfer unseres Lobes dar, und wir erkennen an, dass wir durch Deine große Güte und Hilfe befähigt sind, unser Leben in Frieden zu leben, obwohl wir Dich unzählige Male beleidigt haben Wege. O barmherziger Gott, vergib allen, die ihre Sünden aufrichtig bereuen. Gewähre, dass wir, während unsere Jahre vergehen, in der Zeit, die Du uns gibst, mit Furcht und Zittern an unserer Erlösung arbeiten. Ermögliche uns, weiter voranzuschreiten, immer auf das Ende unserer himmlischen Berufung zu, sogar jene gesegnete Ewigkeit, die Jesus Christus, dein Sohn und unser Herr, für uns vorbereitet hat. Amen.

New Year

Ewiger und allmächtiger Gott, wir demütigen uns in Deiner Gegenwart, um Dir den Beginn dieses Jahres durch Anbetung, Gebet und Lob zu widmen.

Wir treten vor Ihre Höchste Majestät und erkennen mit Dankbarkeit die vielfältigen Segnungen an, die Sie uns während unseres gesamten Lebensverlaufs geschenkt haben. Wir danken Dir, dass Du uns, nachdem Du uns bis in die Gegenwart bewahrt hast, erlaubt hast, in ein neues Jahr einzutreten. Du hast nicht aufgehört, o gnädiger Gott, uns die Fülle Deiner liebenden Güte zu schenken. Aber du hast uns besonders mit jedem geistlichen Segen unterstützt, indem du das Licht deines Evangeliums in unserer Mitte bewahrt hast. Du hast uns durch deine mächtige Hilfe, durch deine große Güte und durch die Warnungen deines Wortes und Geistes Reue gewährt und uns gnädig günstige Gelegenheiten gegeben, in der Gnade zu wachsen. Trotz unserer Unwürdigkeit nimm uns aus Liebe zu Jesus Christus deinen Schutz und deine Gunst nicht weg.

Bewegt von Deiner Gnade widmen wir uns zu Beginn dieses Jahres Dir und wollen es besser einsetzen, als wir es in den vergangenen Jahren getan haben. Und da dieser Tag uns auch warnt, dass unsere Jahre wie eine Flut vergehen, wie ein Traum, gib uns die Gnade, dass wir unsere Tage ernsthaft zählen, dass wir ein weises Herz haben, dass wir die Eitelkeit dieses Lebens erkennen, und dass wir nach diesem besseren Leben streben können, wenn Tage und Monate und Jahre nicht mehr gezählt werden, für immer. Mögen wir, während wir im Fleisch bleiben, mehr und mehr leben, nicht nach seinen Wünschen, sondern nach deinem Willen. Und gib, o Gott, dass wir, wenn unsere Jahre zu Ende gehen und der Tag unseres Todes kommt, in dem Frieden, der alles Verständnis übersteigt, und in der sicheren Hoffnung auf ewiges Leben abreisen können. Erhöre uns wohlwollend durch Jesus Christus, unseren Herrn. Amen.

Gebete für kirchliche Versammlungen

Eröffnungsgebet für kirchliche Versammlungen

Heavenly Father, eternal and merciful God, it has pleased You according to Your infinite wisdom to gather a church to Yourself out of the nations of all the earth, and to govern it through weak servants. Called by You to watch over Your flock, purchased by Your Son’s precious blood, we call upon Your name now for this solemn assembly, gathered here according to the example of the apostolic churches. Faced with many weighty issues concerning the care of Your people, we ask that You would make us truly mindful of Your purposes for Your church. Draw our minds and hearts away from vanity and pride, discord and pettiness, and do not let these sins that still cling to us distract us from advancing Your great cause in this world. Refresh us, we pray, in the joyful commission of bringing Your good news to the ends of the earth. Make us more faithful stewards of the mysteries of the gospel and more zealous ambassadors of reconciliation. We ask that Your Spirit would be present among us to guide us into all truth, bringing us to agreement on the matters before us. May Scripture reign in our hearts, just as the living Word reigns over Your church, for we acknowledge only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. All of this we ask because Christ is our Mediator and Advocate, who, with You and the Holy Spirit, the only God, deserves eternal praise and glory. Amen.

Closing Prayer for Ecclesiastical Assemblies

Lord God, our heavenly Father, we give You heartfelt thanks for gathering a church in our land and for using us as the ambassadors and guardians of Your kingdom. As those who are receiving Your kingdom, make us ever mindful that it is not our labors, but Your electing, redeeming, justifying, and sanctifying grace alone, that renders Your church indestructible and victorious against all adversaries. We give You praise for Your providence in preserving liberty in this land for the free proclamation of the gospel and ask that You would, by Your Holy Spirit, fill us with joy to make diligent use of such opportunity. Your Spirit, who leads Your church into all truth, has been present in our assembly, giving us wisdom in our deliberations. We pray that He would also give us strength to bless the efforts that we purpose to put forth and finish the work that He has begun. Continue to draw the remnant of the nations to Your heavenly Jerusalem that is coming down out of heaven, and maintain the peace and purity of Your church, we ask. Strengthen us with a mighty zeal for the ministry of Word and sacrament, as well as for the care of Your flock in body and soul. As You hold Christ Jesus ever above and before us as the Mediator for sinners, may our churches faithfully proclaim this good news to those who have never heard it. Give strength, humility, and boldness to Your undershepherds, we pray: to ministers, elders, and deacons. We also ask that You would give prudence to our civil rulers, so that they may act with justice and wise restraint. Grant that their rule may contribute to the advancement of a society that is pleasing to You. Through their labors, may every obstacle to the preaching of the gospel and divine worship be removed. May it be given to us to lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honor. As You have promised to be present with us even to the end of the age, we ask You to enlighten, guide, awaken, convict, and console us by Your Word and Spirit. Hear us, dear Father, through Your Son, who, with You and the Holy Spirit, the only true God, is worthy of eternal praise and glory. Amen.

Opening Prayer for the Meetings of Deacons

Merciful God and Father, You have not only declared that there will always be those in need among us, but have also commanded us to bear their burdens with them. For this reason, You have established the office of deacon. We ask that You would give us wisdom to faithfully discharge the duties of our office. We acknowledge that in Your kingdom each member supplies what is lacking in the other, so that Your name may be exalted and Your people drawn together with ever-stronger cords of love and affection. Equip us to stir up Your people to such love and good deeds. And since we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from Your mouth, help us to assist our brothers and sisters in such a way that they may look to these offerings and services as tokens of Your covenant faithfulness. May they, together with us, give You everlasting thanks in this age, until that age when our trials will end and we will enter the everlasting rest that You have prepared for us from the foundation of the world. In the name of Christ our Savior, we ask this. Amen.

Prayers and Meditations for Personal and Family Use

Morning Prayer

Merciful God, thank You for keeping watch over us last night. As we face a new day, may we fix our eyes on Christ as our only hope and Your glory as our only aim. You alone are worthy of this glory because You are the very author of our life, the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. The heavens declare to all Your wisdom, power, goodness, and faithfulness. Yet our highest praise is reserved for the great deeds of redemption that You have worked for us poor sinners. Bound in our sin, suppressing the truth in unrighteousness, by nature children of wrath even as the rest, we have nevertheless heard the good news that You have delivered us from slavery, freed us from the condemnation of Your just law, and brought us new life from above. Even as we face our ordinary tasks this day, recall to our hearts the extraordinary comfort of Your promise. Grant also, we pray, the strength of Your Spirit to live out the callings You have given to us and all people as creatures made in Your image. Make us fit vessels for Your work in this world this day—a sacrifice of thanksgiving, well pleasing in Your sight and a light that shines before our neighbors. All of this we ask in the name of Your Son, who taught us to pray, saying: “Our Father …”

Evening Prayer

Merciful God, we come to You now at the end of this day in the name of our Savior, that Light shining in the darkness, dispelling the night of our sins and the blindness of our hearts. Lord of our labor, now be Lord of our rest. Free us of doubts, anxieties, and temptations, and continue to work Your sanctifying grace in us even as we sleep. Remembering that we are not only frail but sinful, we ask You to defend us from all dangers, but especially from the assaults of the world and the devil, as well as from the disease of our own hearts. We confess that we have not spent this day without grievously sinning against You, to whom all hearts are open and no wickedness is hidden. Yet, clothed in the righteousness of Your dear Son, we call on Your name and claim Your salvation. Give us repentant and believing hearts that delight in following Your ways. We ask also that You would be with those who are afflicted with grief, pain, temptation, doubts, and especially for [specific requests]. Together with them, preserve us all in one communion and body until we enter at last Your everlasting rest. This we ask in the name of Christ our Savior. Amen.

A Child’s Prayer at Bed—1

adapted from Luther’s Small Catechism

Dear heavenly Father, I thank You for protecting me today. Please forgive all my sins. Preserve my body and soul tonight, and give me rest. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Child’s Prayer at Bed—2

using the following hymn

All praise to Thee, my God, this night,

for all the blessings of the light:

keep me, O keep me, King of kings,

beneath Thine own almighty wings.

Forgive me, Lord, for Thy dear Son,

the ill that I this day have done;

that with the world, myself, and Thee,

I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.

O may my soul on Thee repose,

and with sweet sleep mine eyelids close;

sleep that shall me more vigorous make

to serve my God when I awake.

Prayer before Meals

Our gracious heavenly Father, the eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing. You attend to our every need through the creatures You have made, especially through our neighbors, whose vocations serve to bring these provisions to our table, and so we ask a special blessing on those who have prepared it for us. If not even a sparrow can fall from the sky or a hair fall from our head, apart from Your fatherly care and wisdom, we cannot fail to look to You alone for security in this life, as also in the life to come. So give us grateful hearts as we pray, saying: “Our Father …”

A Child’s Prayer before Meals — 1

Martin Luther

Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest,

and let these gifts to us be blessed.

May our souls by You be fed,

ever on the living bread. Amen.

A Child’s Prayer before Meals — 2

Johann Habermann (1516–1590)

Jesus, bless what You have given,

Feed our souls with bread from heaven;

Guide and lead us all the way,

In all that we may do and say. Amen.

Prayer after Meals

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, who gives food to all flesh, for His steadfast love endures forever. We thank You, Lord, for Your good gifts of food and drink. We thank You for Your providential care that causes the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate. And so we give thanks for all those who have served us by preparing what we have just enjoyed. And as we give thanks for the gift of this food, we praise You above all else for Your greatest gift, Your Son, Jesus Christ, who is the food and drink of our souls. [Specific prayers may be added.] Amen.

A Child’s Prayer after Meals

Johann Habermann (1516–1590)

We thank You, Lord, for this our food,

We thank You more for Jesus’ blood;

Let manna to our souls be given,

The bread of life sent down from heaven. Amen.

Prayer for All the Persecuted Church

O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, we cry out on behalf of our brothers and sisters who are suffering affliction because of persecution. In particular, we pray for [specific intercessions added here]. We ask, with the church in heaven, how long it will be before You judge and avenge their blood on those who dwell on the earth.Grant them courage to know that You are their refuge and strength, a very present help in time of need. By the ministry of Your Holy Spirit, bring comfort to their hearts, so that they are not left as orphans. Deliver them out of all their afflictions. But should it be Your will that persecuted Christians must by their death witness to Your truth, grant them to know that their trial comes as from Your hand. Permit not the memory of Your name to be removed from the earth, but may the blood of the martyrs be the seed of the church, and thus cause persecutors to become Your people. This we pray in the name of Jesus, the faithful witness, who died but rose again. Amen.

Prayer for All in Civil Authority

Almighty God, whose kingdom alone is everlasting, and whose power alone is infinite, have mercy upon our land. Grant to [specific name mentioned here], and to all others in authority, wisdom, righteousness, and strength to know and to do Your will. So rule their hearts that they, knowing whose servants they are, may above all things seek Your honor and glory. Enable us to know whose authority they bear and therefore faithfully and obediently honor them according to Your blessed Word and ordinance; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who, with You and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns forever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Prayer for Missions

adapted from the Book of Common Prayer

O God the Father, whose Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the desire of all nations, and who came down from heaven to seek and to save the lost; grant Your blessing upon Your missionary servants who are carrying the light of Your gospel into the darkness. We pray particularly for [specific missions / missionaries, church plants / church planters]. Preserve them from every danger to which they may be exposed: from perils by land and sea, from persecution and pestilence, from discouragement in their labors, and from the devices of the adversary. May they see Your work prospering through their words and deeds. Hasten the fullness of Your kingdom, pour out Your Spirit upon all flesh, cause multitudes of those who neglect Your salvation to seek after You and find You, and so gather multitudes into Your church. Hasten the day when those in every land shall be converted to You. Lord Jesus, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, we give You all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

Prayer before Communion

Eternal and almighty Father, we commemorate today the death of Your Son in the celebration of the holy Supper. He ordained it as a pledge of His love to us and for our remembrance of His sufferings that have ransomed us from our sins. Although we are sinners, unworthy in ourselves to be partakers of Your holy sacraments, we are invited to this sacred meal, not because we are worthy in ourselves, but because we are clothed in Christ’s perfect righteousness. And as we come to You in repentance from our sins and in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray that You would further sanctify us by Your Holy Spirit, that we may serve You acceptably in showing forth with faith and joy the death of our Savior, and that we may glorify You by living holy lives; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer after Communion

Heavenly Father, we give You eternal praise and thanks that You have granted so great a benefit to us poor sinners, having drawn us into the communion of Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. You delivered Him to death for us, and You give Him to us as the food and drink of life eternal. Now grant us this other benefit: that You will never allow us to forget these truths. Having them written on our hearts, may we grow and increase daily in the faith that is at work in every good deed. Thus may we order and pursue all our life to the exaltation of Your glory and the edification of our neighbors; through Jesus Christ, who, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns with You, O God, forever. Amen.

Prayer for the Sick and the Spiritually Distressed—1

Eternal God, the only Creator, Preserver, Judge, and Savior of the world, You alone hold the powers of life and death. Our Lord Jesus Christ, when He had conquered death and hell, announced, “I was dead, but I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades in my hand.” Yet often our circumstances seem to testify against Your promise. What we see does not appear to agree with what we have heard. Yet, even at the cross, where You seemed so absent and Your Son seemed so cruelly and unjustly abandoned by You, we have been taught that He was thereby fulfilling Your purposes to redeem us from the power of darkness. We confess that our hearts are so bound to the realities that we see with our eyes in the moment, that we easily forget the greater realities that we hear with our ears through Your Word.

Teach us through these trials to number our days, recognizing that we are but fading in this age, but will flourish in the age to come. We know that these struggles are not tokens of Your wrath, but are part of Your plan to save us, sanctify us, and glorify Yourself. While we may fear the circumstances, we no longer fear the condemnation of the law, the sting of death, or the sharp arrows of Satan. For we know that Your Son gained victory for us by His death and resurrection. We ask that You would, even through these tests, deepen our confidence to appear before You clothed, not in the filthy rags of our own works, but in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ our Savior. Continue to look upon us in Him, for we pray in His name, who taught us to pray, saying: “Our Father …”

Prayer for the Sick and the Spiritually Distressed—2

Eternal and merciful God and Father, the eternal salvation of the living and the eternal life of the dying, You alone have life and death in Your hands. You continually care for us in such a way that neither health nor sickness, neither good nor evil, can befall us—indeed, not even a hair can fall from our heads—without Your will. You order all things for the good of believers.

We ask that You will grant us the grace of the Holy Spirit, that He may teach us to know truly our miseries, and to bear patiently Your chastisements, which, as far as our merits are concerned, might have been ten thousand times more severe. We know that they are not tokens of Your wrath, but of Your fatherly love for us, that we might not be condemned with the world.

Increase our faith by Your Holy Spirit, that we may become more and more united with Christ, to whom You desire to conform us, both in suffering and in glory. Lighten our cross, so that we in our weakness may be able to bear it. We submit ourselves without reserve to Your holy will, whether You leave our souls here in these earthly tents or take them home to Yourself. We have no fear, because we belong to Christ and therefore shall not perish. We even desire to depart from this weak body in the hope of a blessed resurrection, knowing that then it will be restored to us in a much more glorious form.

Grant that we may experience the blessed comfort of the remission of sins and justification in Christ. May we with that defense overcome all the assaults of Satan. May Jesus’ innocent blood wash away our stain, and may His righteousness cover our unrighteousness in Your judgment at last. Arm us with faith and hope, that we may not be put to shame by any fear of death. May the eyes of our soul be fixed upon You when the eyes of our body become dim. When You take from us the power of speech, may our hearts never cease to call upon You. O Lord, we commit our souls into Your hands; do not forsake us in the hour of death. This we pray only for the sake of Christ, who taught us to pray, saying: “Our Father…”

Prayer for the Sick and the Spiritually Distressed—3

O almighty, eternal, and righteous God, our merciful Father: You are the Lord of life and death; without Your will, nothing happens in heaven or on earth. We are not worthy to call upon Your name, nor to hope that You will listen to us, when we consider how we have spent our time in this life. Yet we pray that You will, according to Your mercy, look upon us in Christ, who has taken upon Himself all our infirmities. We acknowledge that on account of who we are, apart from Him, we deserve far more than this affliction.

But Lord, we are Your people, and You are our God. Your mercy, which You have never withheld from those who turn to You, is our only refuge. Therefore, we pray, count not our sins against us, but impute to us the wisdom, righteousness, and holiness of our Savior. For His sake, deliver us from this suffering, in order that the Evil One may not regard us as forsaken by God. And if it pleases You to prolong our trial, give us patience and strength to bear it all according to Your will, and may it in Your wisdom be for our edification.

We would rather be chastised here, Lord, than have to perish with the world hereafter. Grant that we may die to this world and to all earthly things, that we may be renewed daily after the image of Jesus Christ. Permit us never to be separated from Your love, but draw us daily closer and closer to You, that at last we may enter with joy upon the end of our divine calling, which is to die with Christ, rise with Him triumphantly, and live with Him eternally. We also believe that You will hear us through Jesus Christ, who has taught us to pray, saying: “Our Father …”

Consolation of the Sick

A Brief Instruction in the True Faith and in the Way of Salvation, to Die Willingly, by Cornelis van Hille in Norwich, England, 1571

introduction

The “Consolation of the Sick,” with the accompanying “Comforting Sayings of Holy Scripture,” certainly does not belong to the Liturgy of the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands. It is entirely a private writing, composed and published by Cornelis van Hille, Sr., in (or before) 1579, and was never adopted or approved by any ecclesiastical assembly. But already from the sixteenth century onward, printers and publishers commonly printed it with the church’s liturgical materials. As a result, it received a de facto privilege over similar tracts. That is why the text is printed here as well.

In the publications of the sixteenth century, a preface was included, with the following content:

In light of the great usefulness that the Consolation of the Sick commonly brings, it is both useful and necessary to publish this little book, which is organized better than any published before. It briefly contains all that we need to know unto eternal blessedness: the misery of man; the shortness of his life and death; his restoration through Christ; Christ, our Savior, and all that pertains to him; death and hell; faith, justification, and good works; cross and suffering; the prosperity of the ungodly and the adversity of the godly; the resurrection and eternal life; and more similar points. Everyone should memorize this, in order to strengthen and admonish his sick brother when necessary; so that, even if no minister is present, all may be diligent to do this as a work of charity, according to the Word of God: “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting” (Eccl. 7:2); and, according to the words of Christ: “I was sick and you visited me” (Matt. 25:36).

1. The Corruption and Misery of Man

Adam was created right and good, that is, holy, righteous, immortal, and appointed lord over all creatures that God had made. He did not remain in this state for long, but through the trickery of Satan and his own disobedience he fell from this excellent glory. In that way, he brought upon us all the corruption of temporal and eternal death. This is the hereditary sin, of which David speaks in the psalm with these words: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Ps. 51:5). Likewise, Paul says to the Romans that “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12).

2. Through Adam, All Humanity Is Subject to Death

As soon as Adam fell, he immediately became subject to a certain curse, as we read in Genesis, where God says:

Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. (Gen. 3:17–19)

From this we know with certainty that all that receive life must die one day. David also testifies to this: “What man can live and never see death?” (Ps. 89:48). Solomon says: “For the living know that they will die” (Eccl. 9:5). “Here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Heb. 13:14). In Hebrews it is written that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). For, as the Scripture says, “We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again” (2 Sam. 14:14). Job says that our days are like “the days of a hired hand” (Job 7:1) and “swifter than a runner” (Job 9:25). And Moses says that “we fly away” like a stream (Ps. 90:10); yes, like a wind-blown leaf, dry stubble, and a moth-eaten garment. For “the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7). As Job says, we are “like clay” and must “return … to the dust” (Job 10:9). Likewise, James also says that human life is “a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14). Indeed, our life drifts away like a cloud, and fades like mist, and also vanishes like a shadow. Peter also says, quoting Isaiah:

All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls. (1 Peter 1:24; Isa. 40:6)

And Jesus Sirach says:

The age-old law is: everyone must die. As with the leaves growing on a luxuriant tree— one falls off and another sprouts— So with the generations of flesh and blood: one dies and another flourishes. (Sir. 14:17–18)

As Solomon says: “For everything there is a season …: a time to be born, and a time to die” (Eccl. 3:1–2).

3. The Appointed Time of Man

Now this time is in the Lord’s hand, as Job says: “His days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass” (Job 14:5). Paul says the same: God has “determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place” (Acts 17:26). And David says to God: “You have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!” (Ps. 39:5). Our days are “swifter than a weaver’s shuttle” (Job 7:6) and “swifter than a runner” (Job 9:25). Also, we are here merely sojourners and strangers (Heb. 11:13; 1 Peter 2:11) for a short time. For:

The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. (Ps. 90:10)

And if we live long, we may live one hundred years. Like a drop of water compared to the water of the sea, so few are our years compared to eternity. And Peter says that “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). The same is true for our years in comparison to eternity.

4. The Fall and Misery of Man

According to Scripture, we must all die; who then would not eagerly long for death, as we see in what state and corruption we find ourselves through Adam, full of unrighteousness, adversity, and suffering, so that we are evil, and inclined to evil from our infancy (Gen. 8:21; Jer. 32:30). As Paul says, we are “by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3), unfit to do any good, and from ourselves nothing but sinful. As David also says, “They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one” (Pss. 14:3; 53:3; Rom. 3:12). For “I do not do the good I want,” because of the “sin that dwells within me” (Rom. 7:19–20). Of this indwelling sin, David testifies that we were born and conceived in iniquity (Ps. 51:5) and continue in it. For “the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Gen. 8:21).

5. The Salvation of Man

While we all lie in the wrath of God, in the shadow of death, and indeed in hell and damnation, Christ has appeared as “the light of the world” (John 8:12), risen as “the sun of righteousness” (Mal. 4:2).

He was “delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). God “made [us] alive together with him,” since we were “dead in [our] trespasses” and sins, and he forgave us these, “canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” Thus he triumphed over all our enemies: death, the devil, hell, and the condemnation of the law (Col. 2:13–15); as he spoke through the prophet Hosea: “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55, quoting Hos. 13:14).

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57). He also, according to God’s promise, crushed the head of the devil (Gen. 3:15), in whose power we lay bound because of sin’s transgression.

6. Christ Is Our Redemption

Thus God, in order to save us out of this, gave us his most beloved “guarantor” (Heb. 7:22), namely Jesus, his only “beloved Son,” with whom the Father is “well pleased,” and to whom he commands us “to listen” (Matt. 17:5).

He “put [him] forward as a propitiation” (Rom. 3:25) and a ransom. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Likewise, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). “And this is eternal life, that they know you,” says Christ, “the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

He is the true Messiah, who came into the world in “the fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4): true God, to break the dominion of Satan; and true man, to be our Mediator before God (1 Tim. 2:5), that he may redeem us who were bound under the law. He is the unblemished Lamb (1 Peter 1:19), slaughtered and sacrificed for our blemishes as “the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10), as Isaiah clearly testifies (Isa. 53:4–7).

“Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). He gave us all his possessions, all his benefits, all his righteousness, merits, and holiness. Because of this, we must embrace him in faith, and be grateful to him in love and obedience; and who would not love him who “first loved us”? (1 John 4:19).

While we were still his enemies, we were redeemed and reconciled; how much more, now that we have become his friends, “shall we be saved by his life” (Rom. 5:10)? How would one have greater love than someone who would “lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)? This Christ, the Good Shepherd, proved by being “obedient” to his Father “to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8).

He became a little lower than the angels “because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone”; for this he is “crowned with glory and honor” (Heb. 2:9). He is also the true Samaritan, who poured oil and wine on our wounds (Luke 10:34); that is, he poured out his precious blood for our sins (Matt. 26:28) and bought us for a high price (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23), as Peter says: you were not ransomed with silver and gold, “but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18–19).

“He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12). “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:13–14).

7. We Must Flee to Christ for Refuge

We know for certain that we obtain eternal salvation without any merit on our part—for we have none, so that “we are unworthy servants” (Luke 17:10)—only through the death and resurrection of Christ. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). And because we need help every moment, we must go to him.

For he says by the prophet David, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you” (Ps. 50:15), and even if a woman may forget her nursing child, “yet I will not forget you” (Isa. 49:15). As Christ himself says in the gospel: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest … and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28–29). “To whom [else] shall we go”? He has “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68), and life is revealed in him. He is the manna from heaven (John 6:51), which satisfies our souls eternally (John 6:27). Whoever eats of this heavenly bread in faith “shall not hunger,” and whoever drinks his blood “shall never thirst” (John 6:35, 56).

8. Christ Is the Fountain of Eternal Life

Again, in the gospel of John, Christ clearly calls: “ ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ’ Now this he said about the Spirit” (John 7:37–39). Thus, whoever drinks from this living water “will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Likewise, God says through the prophet Isaiah:

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isa. 55:1)

Let us therefore go to this fountain to quench our thirst, and not to “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16–17).

9. Christ Our Mediator

He is the true Mediator, who stands between God and us, to be our advocate against all our accusers. “For … there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant” (Heb. 9:15).

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25). Likewise, John says: “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1–2), that is, for all nations and people in the world who turn to God in truth. For the Lamb has been sacrificed from the beginning for believers, as Christ himself says that Abraham saw his day “and was glad” (John 8:56).

10. Justification

Thus, “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34), for he is not only the God of Jews, but “of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith” (Rom. 3:29–30). For we are “justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Rom. 3:28). Likewise, David declares the man blessed who is counted righteous apart from his works:

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. (Ps. 32:1–2)

11. Christ Prays for Us

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access” (Rom. 5:1–2), with “confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19), by which he made peace between God and us. “For he himself is our peace” (Eph. 2:14), so that we no longer need to fear. For Paul says:

If God is for us, who can be against us?… Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (Rom. 8:31, 33–35)

Therefore, even though actual and other sin remains in us, we must not despair. For Isaiah says: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isa. 1:18). And this happens through Christ, who washed us of our sins in his blood. Baptism is a sign of this, and the Lord’s Supper is also a sign for us, that we are redeemed by the offering of Christ, once for all on the cross (Heb. 10:10), who “delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10) and “from all lawlessness … to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).

12. The Godly Desire for Glory

We must move away from this body before coming to the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). Knowing for certain that through Christ we have been reconciled to God, we ought—according to God’s word—to have a perfect desire to be released from this mortal body, in order to come to the “glorious inheritance” of all God’s children (Eph. 1:18), which is prepared for us in heaven. Paul, that vessel chosen by God, desired this when he said: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24). Furthermore, he says:

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling.… We are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.… Yes … we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Cor. 5:1–2, 6, 8)

Once again, Paul says: “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together.… And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:22–23). And since we are “strangers and exiles on the earth” (Heb. 11:13), who would not desire to be home in his homeland (Heb. 11:14–16)? For here “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12); “we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Who would not long for this vision, seeing that the holy men of God longed for it? As we read in the psalm:

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” (Ps. 42:1–3)

This unspeakably glorious vision of God is so great, as the prophet testifies, that “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (Isa. 64:4, as quoted in 1 Cor. 2:9). Again, David says:

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Ps. 84:10)

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!… Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! (Ps. 84:1, 4)

They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. (Ps. 36:8–9)

This is the glorious mansion of which Christ says in the gospel of John: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2–3)—that is, that New Jerusalem that “has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev. 21:23). There “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more” (Rev. 21:4); that “last enemy” God will “put … in subjection under his feet” (1 Cor. 15:25–27). There the Lord has prepared a glorious wedding feast, where we will “recline … with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” at the table of the Lord (Matt. 8:11). And “blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:9).

13. Where We Will Go When We Depart from Here

Now we can come to this supper only through death. Therefore, Paul says: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). And as soon as believers depart from here, they enter the eternal rest, as Christ says: “Where I am, there will my servant be also” (John 12:26). And again: “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). This is also clearly seen in the murderer, when he prayed and asked: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Christ answered him: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:42–43).

In agreement with this, Paul says: “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Phil. 1:23). Solomon also says that “the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7). This is also clear in the examples of Enoch and Elijah, who were both taken up into heaven (Gen. 5:24; 2 Kings 2:11). There we have “our citizenship,” and “from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Phil. 3:20–21).

14. We Must Die before We Will Be Glorified

And we cannot attain this glorification except through much suffering (Acts 14:22). Jesus Sirach speaks about this beautifully: “My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials” (Sir. 2:1). “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials” (1 Peter 1:6). But “the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10).

Again, Paul says that if we suffer with Christ, we will “also be glorified with him. For … the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:17–18). “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). And David says: “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Ps. 30:5). “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13). “Jesus also suffered outside the gate.… Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured” (Heb. 13:12–13).

For in this Christ left us “an example,” so that we might “follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Again, Peter says: “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking,” namely, that “whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin” (1 Peter 4:1). Furthermore, James says: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kind” (James 1:2).

And Paul says: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame” (Rom. 5:3–5). Therefore, “do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord … for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Prov. 3:11–12, as quoted in Heb. 12:5–6).

This is also taught throughout Hebrews 12. Therefore, “be patient” and “establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.… As an example of suffering and patience … take the prophets.… We consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord”; they left us an example of endurance (James 5:8, 10–11).

For we see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death” (Heb. 2:9). Therefore, Christ also says: “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt. 24:13). And Paul says: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord … will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7–8).

Likewise, James says: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

15. We Must Piously Fight against Our Enemies

To receive the crown of righteousness, we must piously fight against all our enemies, who attack us from all sides, and especially “against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand” the devil with all his power (Eph. 6:13). Of this fight, Peter also says that “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5:8–9), “and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

But this victory and this resistance we receive from God through Christ, who “will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20), in whose power and snares we were held captive. He is “the ruler of this world,” whom Christ “cast out” (John 12:31). And so we have the victory through him (1 Cor. 15:57), and share in it through our faith. He is “that ancient serpent” who seeks to devour us (Rev. 12:4, 9). He devoured our first ancestors, and still bruises our heel (Gen. 3:15); therefore, he is called “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44).

16. We Must Pray and Be Watchful

Therefore, we must guard ourselves well against his murderous schemes, as Peter says: “Be sober-minded; be watchful” (1 Peter 5:8). For, as Christ says, we “do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” But if we begin to beat our fellow servants and eat and drink with drunkards, “the master … will come … and will cut us in pieces and put [us] with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 24:42–44, 49–51), and “their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48; Isa. 66:24).

For “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thess. 5:2–3). Therefore, “watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap” (Luke 21:34), or like a lightning flash (Matt. 24:27; Luke 17:24). Therefore, “stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

17. Faith and Good Works

But this worthiness to stand before the Son of Man consists in a pure, unblemished, and immovable “faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6), through which we embrace Christ and receive all his benefits (BC art. 22; HC Q&A 20). Of this purity, Christ says in Matthew 5: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). And the primary purity lies in the heart; for, as Christ says, “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matt. 15:19–20). Therefore, pursue “the fruit of the Spirit,” which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23).

Unless we are “born again,” we “cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5). Indeed, as Christ says: “Unless you turn and become like children” (that is, regarding evil), “you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). “Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false” (Rev. 21:27), as Paul also clearly testifies.

18. The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

God’s law demands perfection of us, as is written: “Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them” (Deut. 27:26). James says that whoever fails in one point of the law has become guilty of all of it (James 2:10). And again: “The person who does the commandments shall live by them” (Rom. 10:5; Gal. 3:12). However, we cannot perfectly fulfill even the least of the commandments, as the wise man says: “When mortals finish, they are only beginning” (Sir. 18:7).

And even if we do all, “we have only done what was our duty” (Luke 17:10). Because of this, we lie condemned under God’s righteous wrath, but we also have a certain remedy, namely Christ, who (as Paul says) “redeemed us from the curse of the law” (Gal. 3:13) and satisfied God’s righteousness for us, making peace, having “broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances” (Eph. 2:14–15); he “has forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Col. 2:13–14).

For this great love of Christ, we ought to love him back, to be grateful to him with good works, and to have true faith in him that he has granted us all these great benefits. “For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb. 11:6). “The righteous shall live by faith” (Gal. 3:11); “for we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Rom. 3:28). And although we must suffer a little with Christ, we must not give up, just as “when he was reviled, he did not revile in return,” but suffered patiently (1 Peter 2:23).

19. The Prosperity of the Wicked

While the wicked live in great prosperity, as David and the prophets testify (Ps. 37:7; Jer. 12:1), we must not be amazed at this or stumble when we see it (Ps. 73:2–3), but be comforted in the assurance that their end is eternal death: the Lord will “pull them out like sheep for the slaughter” (Jer. 12:3).

Therefore, it is remarkable that believers have not even more adversity, because of the glorious joy prepared for them; and that the wicked have not even more prosperity, because of the terrible condemnation that will be theirs. Therefore, while the trials of believers are not equal to those of the wicked, the resurrection of the dead will also be unequal.

20. The Resurrection of the Dead

This is a great consolation for us, that all believers will rise on the last day (John 6:39–40). Paul argues for this, saying: “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And … then our preaching is in vain and … we are even found to be misrepresenting God” (1 Cor. 15:13–15; 1 Cor. 15, throughout). And regarding the way of resurrection, we can clearly see in Ezekiel 37 how we will rise with flesh and bones (Ezek. 37:7–8). And Job clearly says:

I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God. (Job 19:25–26)

Likewise, Isaiah says that the earth and the sea will return the dead that slept in them (Isa. 26:19), for Christ is “the resurrection” (John 11:25), “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20). Paul says:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. (1 Thess. 4:13–17)

21. The Final Judgment

“We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor. 5:10). Then Christ “will separate … the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right,” and they will hear the lovely voice: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:32–34).

“Then shall the righteous one with great assurance confront his oppressors” (Wis. 5:1). There “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43). There we will come to “innumerable angels in festal gathering” (Heb. 12:22).

There we will reign with him eternally (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 20:6). Amen.

Blessed are those whose names are written in the book of life (Rev. 20:15).

Comforting Sayings

Comforting sayings of Holy Scripture, to pray when facing death:

“O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!” (Ps. 38:1).

“O Lord, restore my soul. Lead me in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake” (cf. Ps. 23:3).

“Be gracious to me, O Lord! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death” (Ps. 9:13).

“Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help” (Ps. 22:11).

O Lord, “in you I trust; let me not be put to shame” (Ps. 25:2).

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted” (Ps. 25:16).

“Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins” (Ps. 25:18).

“You are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me” (Ps. 31:3).

When I call to you, I am certain that “you are my God” (Ps. 31:14), who “delivered my soul from death” (Ps. 56:13).

“Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities” (Ps. 51:9).

“Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me” (Ps. 69:17).

“In the day of my trouble I call upon you.… “Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant” (Ps. 86:7, 16).

“The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; … O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!” (Ps. 116:3–4).

“Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you” (Ps. 143:2).

These and similar sayings you can read throughout the book of Psalms.

Likewise, here follow some more sayings for the sick on their deathbed:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

“Let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured” (Heb. 13:13).

Let us “watch with him one hour, … that we may not enter into temptation” (cf. Matt. 26:40–41).

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13).

“Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:48; Luke 18:39).

“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59).

“My soul thirsts for God.… When shall I come and appear before God?” (Ps 42:2). “My soul thirsts for you, … as in a dry and weary land” (Ps. 63:1).

O Lord, you are my life, “and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).

“My desire is to depart and be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23).

“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24).

“It is better for me to die than to live” (Jonah 4:3, 8).

But, Lord, “your will be done” (Matt. 6:10; 26:42).

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46; Ps. 31:5).

May this be granted to us by God, our dear Father, through the merits of his dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

No one taught me how to structure a sermon or class. I was given a limited set of tools for studying a text and was told the importance of preaching. But the question of how to make a sermon effective was not answered for me. By reading and listening to a variety of sermons, I found a number of different ways to create an ordered sermon.

There is certainly not “one way” to structure a sermon. But there are a number of patterns or “archetypes” used by past and present preachers. In this post, I want to show you some ways you can structure a sermon. There is no perfect way, in fact I would recommend thinking about the structure of each sermon. Depending on the text, the length of the passage, the type of literature, and other factors, one structure may be preferred over another.

I will first define three important terms that I will use to analyze sermon structures. Then I will present two general sermon structures from two different structures drawn from the New Testament epistle. Finally, I will present some preaching structure “archetypes” that I have analyzed by listening to and reading the great exponential preachers throughout history.

Definitions: teaching, application

The distinction between teaching and application is one of the most important concepts to think through. To even think about the structure of a sermon, you need to understand the crucial difference between teaching and application. Essentially, the teaching describes reality. It is a declarative statement from the Lord of how the world really is. The application, on the other hand, conveys to the readers/listeners how they should live in the face of this reality. It is a compelling statement that demands a response.

For example, if I say, “It’s raining outside,” that’s a declarative statement. I make a claim about reality. Having followed that with “You should bring an umbrella,” I now make a compelling statement. Given the reality of the rain, I’m telling you to bring an umbrella. Teaching and application are usually combined with a “therefore”. Because something is true, you should do something.

Scripture is full of teaching and application. But different authors go about it in different ways. The two main different ways that are helpful when thinking about the structure of a sermon are what I will call “Paul’s style” and “Peter’s style.” I’ll go through each of these styles first before looking at how preachers often structure their sermons in general.

Sermon Structures Derived from Scripture

instructional application structure

Although there are exceptions, Paul preferred in his epistles to introduce doctrine first before applying it. Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians all have a fairly “predictable” structure. Paul spends the first chapters of the book piling on doctrinal, declarative, objective spiritual truths. He builds on these truths throughout the book until he comes to a “therefore.” This “therefore” transitions from the primarily declarative first half of the books to the primarily compelling second half.

Romans 12 is a great example. In 11 chapters Paul goes through doctrine and truth and spiritual reality. Then, in Romans 12, Paul moves on to imperatives with a “therefore.”

I therefore appeal to you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1, ESV emphasis added

How does that help you structure a sermon? The way Paul structures his letters is one of the basic preaching structures you can choose from. In essence, a “Pauline” sermon structure might look something like this

Introduction Explain, Analyze, and Argue Doctrinal Truth Take this doctrinal truth and command your congregation certain necessary behavior in response

The structure of the “logical progression” I discuss at the end of this post follows Paul’s typical flow. Since every application should flow from the truth of doctrine, sermons using a “Pauline style” essentially separate doctrine and application. Additionally, this type of structure focuses on presenting the teaching first before proceeding to any type of command.

The advantages of this structure include:

Clear separation of teaching and application so that they are not confused

Complete focus on teaching or application rather than switching from one to the other

Logical order of doctrine, then application based on that doctrine

Apply as you wish

The other great arrangement of doctrine and application that you see in the New Testament is common in the general epistles. I call it the “Peter style” although the order is found in Hebrews, 1 John and James. In 1 Peter, Peter does not wait until the end of the letter to move on to the application. Peter applies the teaching as he walks. In 1 Peter you read a teaching and then almost immediately see its application.

For example, midway through 1 Peter 1, the text moves from discussing the salvation and inheritance the church has received in Christ to a call to holy living.

It was revealed to them that they were not ministering to themselves, but to you, in the things that have now been announced to you by those who have preached to you the good news of the heaven-sent Holy Spirit, things that angels long for. Therefore, prepare your spirit for action, and be sober and hopeful in the grace that will come to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:12-13 ESV emphasis added

A “St. Peter’s style” sermon structure does not move from doctrine to application, but from one point to the next. A sermon with this organization would look like this:

Introduction Presenting Doctrinal Truth 1 Applying Doctrinal Truth 1 Presenting Doctrinal Truth 2 Applying Doctrinal Truth 2 Repeat until done

As you can see, each point is applied as you go through the teaching. This style has several advantages:

Gives practical application to readers/listeners as the sermon progresses

By applying doctrine as you go, each application is directly linked to the specific doctrine from which it emerges

More could be said about the different ways of separating teaching and application. But understanding the two general biblical relationships provides a helpful context for analyzing the preaching structures of great ministers.

Archetypes of the sermon structure of great preachers

I have seen four general patterns in how preachers organize their sermons. I have ordered these four archetypes from most “text-driven” structure to most “preacher-driven” structure. “Text-oriented” refers to how much of your sermon structure is derived directly from the text, while “preacher-oriented” refers to how much of your sermon structure comes from your own opinion of how the sermon should be arranged.

running comment

The first archetypal sermon structure I encountered I call the “running commentary.” Calling it a “structure” might be deceptive, however, because it is almost a non-structure. Your sermon starts at the beginning of the text and ends where you want to end for the week. Its characteristics are simple:

Present the section and read it in its entirety. Read a small portion of the section. Explain what it means. Proceed to the next small section. Explain what it means

As you can see, there really is no formal structure to this type of sermon. The preacher simply works through the passage word by word, line by line, explaining and applying it as he goes. If you choose to preach using this method, you probably don’t even think about “sermon structure.” You just go through the text and give your comment to the congregation as you go.

This method definitely has positive aspects:

Every single word of a passage is explained to some extent

You can focus more on studying a text instead of figuring out how to structure your sermon

The length of the sermon can easily be scaled depending on how large a passage you choose

However, there are some disadvantages to the “running comment” method:

It’s easy for your sermon to lack emphasis

You can become so focused on single words or phrases that you “miss the forest in the trees”

Your sermon may sound more like a class lesson than proclaiming the Word

I would argue that this method is most helpful for dense passages of Scripture such as Prophecy or the Epistles. Passages that have a specific logical argument or inherent structure can benefit from applying the “running comment” approach. The thoroughness of this method makes it applicable to the most intricate and detailed portions of Scripture.

Text specific structure

This method is still based on the text, but gives your sermon a more defined structure than the “running commentary” method. Basically, you look at each passage of Scripture that you interpret and find any transitions, shifts, or sections that are contained within. You then use these divisions to form the backbone of your sermon. In the end, your sermon structure will look like this:

Introduce the text and its main sections. Read, explain and apply the first section. Read, explain and apply the second section. Repeat until all passages have been preached

I call this method “text-determined” because you let the logical, grammatical, or textual breaks in a passage determine each section of your sermon. In this way, your sermon structure is still determined by the scripture itself, but you are extracting an outline from the passage rather than just walking through the passage.

If I had to summarize this method, I would make the outline of your sermon the outline of the passage. To use “textual structure,” you should sketch the passage of Scripture you are preaching early in your study. From there you already have a rough sermon structure into which you can insert any applications or further explanations.

This method has many advantages:

The flow of your sermon follows the flow of the passage

The structure of the sermon is easy for your congregation to see in the text itself

The transitions of your sermon are based on actual transitions within the text

The section outline fulfills a “double duty” by also becoming the heading of your sermon

Some disadvantages of this method are:

Not every text or literary genre easily breaks into a defined structure

Depending on the length of your text, your sermon may have too many points

The structure of the text may not be an ideal structure for understanding the meaning of the text

The great thing about the “text-driven” structure is its applicability to different types of literature and text lengths. I think it shines especially in preaching through psalms (which often have clear transition points), epistles (which have logical and grammatical features that are easy to use as transition points), proverbs, and prophecy. I would argue that this structure should be your default in most cases.

Clearest communication structure

This sermon structure is less “text-driven” and more “preacher-driven.” It is similar to the “text-driven” structure, only with an additional step. You find the transition points of a passage and sketch them. However, then you arrange all the sections that are present in the text in an order that you, the preacher, find most meaningful. You essentially pick the headings or points that you think the text makes, and then organize your sermon based on what you think makes the most sense to your audience. A “clearest communication” sermon would look something like this:

Present the text and the main points you will preach. Give point 1, show where it occurs in the text, explain, apply. Give point 2, show where it occurs in the text, explain, apply. Repeat until you have finished preaching the section

With this method, you don’t make the outline of the text the outline of the sermon. Your sermon outline, although based on the text and your study of the text, is determined by you, the preacher. You think about how the text is most clearly preached, and you let that concern for clarity guide how you arrange your sermon. In the end, you decide what the “organizing factor” is within the text, be it the emphases, the main characters of a passage, or the events of the passage. This method requires you to create a sermon structure that is different from the structure that is already in the text.

This method has some distinct advantages:

You can make the emphasis of the passage the clear emphasis of your sermon

As you study and prepare to preach, keep an eye on your congregation

This method allows you to reduce a long or complex passage to a few key points

As with all methods, there are also some disadvantages:

Their sermon structure can become arbitrary or alien to the text itself

It may be less clear to the congregation where you get each point you make

You can spend too much time focusing on how you present the text rather than what the text is saying

The structure of “clearest communication” really shines with narrative sections of Scripture and long passages of Scripture. I have previously written about the difficulties of preaching narratives. Unlike poetry or logical reasoning, narrative does not always have a clear structure to extract. Therefore, having the “clearest communication structure” in your tool kit will help you when you need to summarize large portions of Scripture or when you need to deal with texts that do not have clear or equally sized divisions.

Logical progression structure

This last sermon structure is the most “preacher driven” and has the least connection to the structure of the text you are preaching. The “sequence” structure places each sermon on a particular passage of Scripture into three categories: definition, explanation, and implication. The structure is as follows:

Present and read the text. Define keywords in the text. Summarize the doctrinal truths found in the text. Explain this truth by connecting it to other scriptures. Draw logical implications and applications of doctrinal truth for your listeners.

This structure follows the “what does it say, what does it mean, how do I use it” flow of a typical “inductive Bible study”. The Puritans often used this structure when preaching.

Some advantages of this structure are:

Clear, predictable process for the community

Covers all the important aspects of studying and applying a text

The sermon builds logically from the verse itself to the listener

The last thing your congregation hears is how the text relates to their lives

The disadvantages of the logical progression structure are:

Forces you to classify the nuances of a text into arbitrary categories

Treats all types of literature in the Bible in the same way

Prompts you to reduce the entire passage to a single, unambiguous sentence

I personally like this way of structuring a sermon very much. It shines especially in explaining epistles or smaller statements found in other biblical literature. I don’t think this structure is as effective with narrative passages or larger sections of Scripture in general. But if you are only teaching a verse or two, I strongly recommend preaching as the Puritans did.

Conclusion

Structuring a sermon is a difficult but necessary task. There are a number of ways to organize your teaching, and no one method is best for every type of scripture literature. I hope that after reading this post you will have some more sermon structures to draw from in the future. One of the highest privileges of a minister is to clearly present the truth of the Bible to the congregation. Keep pondering how you can better share God’s truth with others.

For resources to help you prepare for your sermon, visit the Bible Study Resources page. If you need help thinking about the application of the sermon, use this series of questions the Puritans used. I have used some of these sermon structures in my own sermon, which you can find here.

In the May Evangelical Leaders Survey, American evangelical leaders indicated how long sermons and services should last. On average, evangelical leaders believe sermons should be 30 minutes and services 75 minutes based on the median of responses.

Leith Anderson, President of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), said: “We all have our own preferences when it comes to preaching and worship times. It is important that the gospel is communicated clearly enough for the listeners to respond. Pastors and church leaders must be sensitive to the people they serve and be faithful to God’s leading.”

The length of the sermon answers was between 20 and 45 minutes and the length of the service between 30 and 150 minutes.

Several evangelical leaders, such as Philip Ryken, president of Wheaton College, noted that the length of the sermon depends on the preacher. “For some, 10 minutes would be enough. But for some, not even an hour is too long,” he said.

John Stumbo, President of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, said: “Pastors need to know their skills (how skilled they are at attracting attention), their culture and their congregation well enough to determine an appropriate length. A rule of thumb for preachers: be ready five minutes before your church.”

Some leaders have expressed concern that congregations have short attention spans, but also noted that church leaders sometimes lower the bar on what they expect of their congregations.

Kevin McBride, pastor of Raymond Baptist Church, said that determining ideal lengths is difficult because it’s culturally relative. “For the duration of both the sermon and the service, the answer should be, ‘Long enough to draw people into God’s presence, to remind them of who He is, who we are, and what He might want to say to them.’ ”

Gabriel Salguero, President of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, said: “This varies from tradition to tradition and from culture to culture. For example, an evangelical Anglican church is different from a Hispanic or African American Pentecostal church.”

“Services are a time of celebration of Jesus,” said Emmanuel Agormeda, Apostle of Royalhouse Chapel International. “We need to have enough time as a faith community to have fellowship. We must not be in a hurry to leave his church. However, we must not excessively extend the services.”

The Evangelical Leaders Survey is a monthly survey conducted by the Board of Directors of the National Association of Evangelicals. These include denominational leaders and representatives from a wide range of evangelical organizations, including missions, universities, publishing houses and churches.

speech of a clergyman

A sermon is a religious discourse[1] or speech given by a preacher or other member of the clergy. Sermons address a biblical, theological, or moral theme, and usually expound some type of belief, law, or behavior in past and present contexts. Elements of the sermon often involve presentation, exhortation, and practical application. Giving a sermon is called preaching. In secular usage, the word sermon can often derogatorily refer to a lecture on morals.

In Christian practice, a congregation’s sermon is usually preached in a place of worship, either from a raised architectural feature known as a pulpit or ambo, or from behind a lectern. The word sermon comes from a Middle English word derived from Old French, which in turn comes from the Latin word sermō, meaning “discourse”. A sermonette is a short sermon (usually associated with TV shows, as broadcasters presented a sermonette before signing off for the night). The Christian Bible contains many nonintermediate discourses that some believe to be sermons: Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7[2] (although the Gospel writers do not specifically call it a sermon; the popular term for Jesus’ discourse came much later); and Peter after Pentecost at Acts 2:14-40[3] (although this discourse was given to non-Christians and as such does not quite parallel the popular definition of a sermon).

Christianity [edit]

In Christianity, a sermon is typically identified as an address or discourse delivered to a congregation of Christians, typically containing theological or moral instruction. The preaching of Christian orators was based in part on the tradition of public speaking by classical orators.[4] Although often referred to as a homily, the original distinction between a sermon and a sermon was that a sermon was delivered by a clergyman (licensed preacher), while a sermon was read by a layperson from a printed copy. In the 20th century the distinction has become that the sermon is likely to be longer, have more structure, and contain more theological content. Sermons are usually viewed as a type of sermon, usually narrative or biographical[6][7] (see § Types below).

The word sermon is used today to describe many famous moments in Christian (and Jewish) history. The most famous example is the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus of Nazareth. This talk was given around AD 30[8] and is given in Matthew (5:1-7:29, including introductory and concluding material) as being given on a mountain at the north end of the Sea of ​​Galilee. near Capernaum. It is also found in some other gospel stories.

In the later history of Christianity, several figures became known for their speeches, which later came to be regarded as sermons. Examples in the early church are Peter (see especially Acts 2:14b-36), Stephen (see Acts 7:1b-53), Tertullian, and John Chrysostom. These addresses were used to spread Christianity in Europe and Asia Minor, and as such are not sermons in the modern sense, but evangelistic messages.

The sermon has been an important part of Christian worship since early Christianity and remains prominent in both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Lay ministers sometimes play a role in these traditions of worship, such as the local Methodist ministers, but in general preaching has usually been a function of the clergy.[9] The Dominican Order is officially known as the Order of Preachers (Ordo Praedicatorum in Latin); Monks of this order were trained to preach publicly in colloquial languages ​​and the order was founded by Saint Dominic to preach to the Cathars of southern France in the early 13th century. The Franciscans are another important preaching order; Itinerant preachers, mostly monks, were an important feature of late medieval Catholicism. In 1448 the church authorities based in Angers banned open-air preaching in France.[10] If a sermon is given during Mass, it comes after the Gospel has been sung or read. When preached by the priest or bishop offering the Mass, he removes his maniple and, in some cases, his chasuble, since the sermon is not part of the Mass. A bishop preaches his homily with his miter seated, while a priest, or in rare cases a deacon, preaches standing and wears his beret.

In most denominations, modern sermons are delivered in under forty minutes, but historical preachers of all denominations could sometimes speak for several hours[11] using techniques of rhetoric and theatrics that are somewhat out of fashion in the major churches today.

During the Middle Ages, sermons inspired the beginnings of new religious institutes (e.g., Saint Dominic and Saint Francis of Assisi). Pope Urban II began the First Crusade in November 1095 at the Council of Clermont, France, when he exhorted the French knights to retake the Holy Land.

The scientific examination of sermons, the analysis and classification of their preparation, composition and form of presentation is called homiletics.

A contentious issue that aroused strong feelings in early modern Britain was whether sermons should be read from a fully prepared text or read extemporaneously, perhaps from a few notes.[12] Many sermons were written down, collected and published; published sermons were an important and profitable literary form and category of book in the book trade, at least from the late antique church until about the late 19th century.[13] Many clergymen openly recycled large portions of published sermons into their own sermons.[14] These sermons include John Wesley’s Forty-Four Sermons, John Chrysostom’s Sermon on the Resurrection (delivered every Easter in Orthodox churches), and Gregory Nazianzus’ Sermon “On the Theophany, or Birthday of Christ” (delivered every Christmas in Orthodox churches). churches preached). The 80 German-language sermons of the Dominican Johannes Tauler (1300-1361) were still being read centuries after his death. For the edification of readers, Martin Luther published his house postil on Sunday classes. This tradition was continued by Chemnitz and Arndt and others in the following centuries – for example in the stenographed sermons of CH Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit.[15] The widow of John Tillotson (1630–1694), Archbishop of Canterbury, received £2,500 for the manuscripts of his sermons, a very large sum.

Lutheranism and Reformed Christianity

The Reformation gave rise to Protestant sermons, many of which defended the schism with the Roman Catholic Church and declared faith in the Bible, theology, and devotion.[16] The defining tenets of Protestantism were that salvation was by faith alone, and persuading people to believe the gospel and trust in God for their salvation through Jesus Christ was the critical step toward salvation.

In many Protestant churches, preaching has replaced the Eucharist as the central act of Christian worship (although some Protestants, such as Lutherans, give equal time to preaching and Eucharist in their worship). While Luther retained the lectionary for selecting sermon texts, Swiss reformers such as Ulrich Zwingli, Johannes Oecolampadius and Johannes Calvin returned primarily to the patristic model of preaching through biblical books. The primary goal of evangelical worship conditioned by these reforms was to give glory to God for the gift of grace in Jesus Christ, to awaken the congregation to a deeper faith, and to stimulate it to works of love for the benefit of the neighbor rather than with to continue with potentially empty rituals.

Evangelical Christianity[edit]

In the 18th and 19th centuries, during the Great Awakening, major (evangelistic) sermons were preached at revivals that were particularly popular in the United States. These sermons were known for their “fire and brimstone” message, embodied in Jonathan Edwards’ famous “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” speech. In these sermons the wrath of God should be made visible. Edwards also preached on religious leanings[17] that discussed the divided Christian world.

In evangelical Christianity, the sermon is often referred to as a “message”. It occupies an important place in the service, half the time, about 45 to 60 minutes.[18][19][20] This message can be supported by a powerpoint, pictures and videos. [21] In some churches, messages are grouped into thematic series. [22] The one who carries the message is usually a pastor who has been trained either in a Bible college or independently. [23] Evangelical sermons are broadcast on radio, television channels (teleevangelism), the Internet, web portals, church websites [24] [25] and social media such as YouTube and Facebook. [26]

Roman Catholic [ edit ]

Roman Catholic preaching has evolved over time, but in general the theme is similar. As the famous Saint Alfonso Ligouri observes: “Regarding the subject of sermons, those subjects should be chosen which most incite to abhor sin and love God; therefore the minister should often speak of the last things of death, judgment, hell, heaven, and eternity. According to the counsel of the Holy Spirit: “Remember your last end, and you will never sin” (Eccl. VII. 40).”[27]

One of the most famous Catholic sermons is the Sermon on the Birds of St. Francis of Assisi, the Italian Sermons of St. Alfons Liguori for every Sunday of the year, the sermons of St. Robert Bellarmin during the Counter-Reformation period in Sermons in Latin, the French Sermons of the Vicar of Ars by St John Vianney and the Old English Sermons by Ælfric of Eynsham.[28]

Islam [edit]

Khutbah (Arabic: خطبة‎) serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition. In societies or communities with (for example) low literacy rates, strong habits of communal worship, and/or limited mass media, preaching sermons in networks of congregations can perform important informative and prescriptive propaganda functions[29] for both civil[30] and religious authorities—the The type, frequency, admission, personnel and content of the sermon can be regulated accordingly.[31][32][33]

Types [ edit ]

There are different types of sermons, differing both in subject and audience, and accordingly, not every preacher is equally adept at each type. The types of sermons are:

Biographical Sermons – Tracing the story of a specific biblical character through a series of parts of the Bible.

Biographical Sermons – Tracing the story of a specific biblical character through a series of parts of the Bible. Evangelistic sermons (associated with the Greek word kerygma) – seek to convert listeners or bring them back to their former faith by telling the founding story of the religion, in Christianity, the Good News.

) – seeks to convert listeners or bring them back to their former beliefs by telling the founding story of the religion, in Christianity, the Good News. Expository sermon – exegesis, these are sermons that interpret and explain a text to the congregation. [34]

Historical sermons – that attempt to present a biblical story in its non-biblical historical perspective. [35]

Hortatory sermons (associated with the Greek word didache) – admonish a return to an ethical way of life, in Christianity a return to a gospel-based life.

) – exhort to return to an ethical life, in Christianity to a life based on the gospel. Enlightening sermons, also known as proems (petihta) – which connect an apparently unrelated Bible verse or religious question to the current calendrical event or festival. [36]

) – which connect an apparently unrelated Bible verse or religious question to the current calendar event or festival. Liturgical Sermons – Sermons that explain the liturgy, why certain things are done during a service, e.g. B. Why communion is offered and what it means. [37]

Narrative sermons – telling a story, often a parable, or a series of stories to make a moral point.

Narrative sermons – telling a story, often a parable, or a series of stories to make a moral point. Salvation History Sermon – Sermons that consider the context of a particular text within the broader salvation history as recorded in the canon of the Bible.

Current Sermons – deal with a specific topic of current interest;

Sermons can be written or spoken aloud.

Delivery methods [ edit ]

Sermons also differ in the amount of time and effort expended in their preparation. Some are scripted, some are not.

With the advent of reception theory, researchers also became aware that listening to sermons affects their meaning as much as the manner in which they are delivered. The expectations of the congregation, their past experiences of listening to oral texts, their level of biblical education, and the relative social positions—often reflected in the physical arrangement—of the preachers versus the preacher are part of the meaning of the sermon.

Albert Raboteau describes a common style of Black Sermon first developed in America in the early 19th century and common in the 20th and into the 21st centuries:

The preacher begins quietly, speaking in colloquial if oratorical and occasionally swaggering prose; he then gradually begins to speak faster and more excitedly, singing his words and time to a regular beat; finally it reaches an emotional climax where the sung language becomes tonal and merges with the singing, clapping and shouting of the congregation.[38]

Spontaneous preaching[edit]

Impromptu preaching is a preaching technique in which the preacher admonishes the congregation without prior preparation. It can be supported by reading a passage of Scripture, opened aleatorically or not, or even without any reference to Scripture.

The Bible says that the Holy Spirit inspires the disciples to speak:

Matthew 10:16-20

16 Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

17 But beware of the people, for they will hand you over to the councils and flog you in their synagogues;

18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony against them and against the Gentiles.

19: But when they betray you, do not think how or what you will speak; for you will be given in the same hour what you are to speak.

20: For you do not speak, but the spirit of your father speaks in you.

When Jesus says, “Do not worry how or what you will speak,” some people say that it is better not to put your speeches or sermons on paper, but to let your Father’s Holy Spirit speak through you. Others see the expression simply as a comforting reminder not to worry or fear, but to trust that God is in control (cf. Phil. 2:12-13). Elsewhere, the apostle Paul emphasized the importance of diligent work in study and preparation (1 Tim. 4:13-16; 2 Tim. 2:15).

Today, impromptu preaching is practiced by unprogrammed Quakers, Mennonites, and some Pentecostals.

Spontaneous preaching[edit]

Unprepared preaching is a style of preaching that involves extensive preparation of the entire sermon except for the exact words. The subject, basic structure, and scripture to be used are all determined in advance, and the ministers gorge themselves on the details needed to present their message so thoroughly that they would not confuse the message with detailed notes, or perhaps even with one outline to present. Consequently, unprepared preachers may not be able to deliver a message with the same precision as people who use detailed notes or memorize detailed aspects of their speech.

While some might say that this style differs from spontaneous preaching and that the preacher does not specifically prepare their message, he considered what Charles Spurgeon called “spontaneous preaching” to be the same as spontaneous preaching. In his sermon, The Faculty of Impromptu Speech, he describes impromptu preaching as a process in which the preacher becomes engrossed in Scripture and prayer and knows this so well that all he has to do is find the appropriate words at the moment the sermon is given. He explains,

Only thoughtless people think this easy; it is at the same time the most laborious and efficient way to preach[.][40]

Henry Ware Jr explains,

The first thing to remember is that the student who wishes to acquire this art should keep it constantly in mind and keep it in mind in all his studies and in his entire way of studying.

On the other hand, it differs from many other forms of memorized preaching. Proponents claim that the importance of preaching requires it to be unprepared.

A reflective mind will feel as if it were infinitely out of place to present such specimens of scholarship and rhetoric in the pulpit to immortal souls hanging on the brink of eternal death. Charles Finney [citation needed]

The style was popular among Baptists (particularly Primitive Baptists), Methodists, Unitarians, and some Presbyterian preachers such as Blackleach Burritt in the late 19th century. Some of the more famous preachers who used it were Charles Haddon Spurgeon, [44] Charles Grandison Finney, and Peter Cartwright [citation needed].

Secular use[ edit ]

In informal usage, the word “sermon” is used in secular terminology, mostly disapprovingly[45], to refer to “a long conversation in which someone advises other people how they should behave in order to be better people”. [46]

See also[edit]

Buddhism

Christianity

Judaism

Islam

Notes [edit]

References[edit]

Francis, Keith A., Gibson, William, et al., The Oxford Handbook of the British Sermon 1689-1901, 2012 OUP, ISBN 0199583595, 9780199583591, Google Books

Further Reading[edit]

Primary sources[edit]

American Sermons: The Pilgrims to Martin Luther King Jr., Michael Warner, ed. (New York: The Library of America, 1999) ISBN 1-883011-65-5

The preacher’s message is commonly called a sermon. I could use sermon to refer more to the style or content of the sermon I think and more in the abstract. If I want to refer to an actual and specific message from the preacher, I would say sermon. These illustrate the typical way I use the words:

The pastor gave a good sermon last week

St. Thomas is known for his good sermons/preaching

I think that’s more or less consistent with what Wordsmyth said. Also remember Glasgow’s motto: ‘Let Glasgow prosper by preaching its word and glorifying its name’. It does not refer to a single sermon.

This is not a discussion of preaching style. Style is surface. We all have one: narrative, dramatic, monologue, monotonous, calm, passionate, soft, loud, quiet, demonstrative. I have heard great sermons of all styles and very bad ones too.

This is not a debate about the textual approach of the sermon. While I have a few favorites in this category, I’d like to say that this approach is preferred. Which do you prefer – exegetical, explanatory, thematic, allegorical, biographical, historical? When it comes to approximations, we all tend towards one, but we’ve heard great sermons and really bad sermons in every approximation.

Our conversation here is about effectiveness.

Effective [ ih-fec-tiv ]. Adjective. Definition: adequate to achieve a purpose; achieve the intended or expected result.[1]

When it comes to effectiveness, there are only two types of sermons: Type 1. Effective or Type 2. Ineffective. It’s possible that we can get the style and approach right and still be ineffective. Let’s discuss six elements of an effective sermon.

1. truth

An effective sermon must faithfully convey the truth of God’s word. Statistics, trends, illustrations, poems, antidotes, object lessons, pop artist rhymes, and quotes from dead theologians can be helpful, but truth is required. Not shades of truth, fragments of truth, or truth mixed with lies. Like a witness testifying before a judge in court, we must tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

The sermon is not the place to just preach politics, polemics, or mush. The eternal truth of God has been entrusted to us. She alone is able to save souls and change lives. It undergirds and guides. It comforts the afflicted and torments the comfortable. We need truth, so handle it with prayer.

2. Timely

There are many powerful and wonderful truths in the Word of God, but knowing which one is right for that moment is the constant challenge. Holy days, tragedies and important occasions capture the attention of the audience. Capturing the emphasis of a cairotic moment can make your message fly.

Many experienced pastors had to leave the sermon schedule and put in a special sermon, a timely message, because what was happening in people’s lives was so profound that it couldn’t wait. Proverbs 25:11-12 says: “A word spoken in due season is like apples of gold in a silver setting. A wise correction to a receptive ear is like a gold ring or jewellery.”

3. Targeted

“God’s word is always good, but we must share it in a way that connects with the people before us.” Share on Twitter

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It was my second missionary journey. I was a fairly new preacher. I grew up in the urban center of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and preached at a church in Runaway Bay, Jamaica. In the middle of my message, God made it clear to me that I was preaching, but I wasn’t preaching to the people in the room. What I said would have resonated in a church at home, but in another country it got blank stares and crickets. I missed the target.

God’s word is always good, but we must share it in a way that connects with the people before us. We can deliver the greatest message in the world, but the people we speak to must be able to understand it.

4. Received

A sermon is not a sermon unless it communicates, and communication is two-way. There is what we sent out and what they received. If we talk on the phone and nobody answers or they answer but the connection is so bad that we can’t understand each other, maybe we heard each other but no communication took place.

Learning styles are often categorized as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.[2] While there is no general agreement on how many people fall into each of these categories, there is general agreement that we do not all learn in the same way. Some studies suggest that only 5% is retained from lectures. Graphics, object lessons, notes, applications, and group participation can help get the message across.

5. Remembered

Tell the truth: Have you ever left an event where someone was speaking and you couldn’t remember enough to really explain what the speaker was saying to someone else? Well, I have. Is a sermon really great if no one can remember it? I do not think so. Using tools that do the preaching, which I like to call portable, is critical. Mnemonics, rhymes, repetition, acrostic and visual elements help.

I know some of you purists say that using storage devices is unnecessary. Well, tell David in the Psalms. Say this to Jesus in the parables, with the woman caught in adultery, or in the Sermon on the Mount.

6. Answered

No effective sermon is complete without an answer. The goal of preaching is not just to get information into minds, but to transform hearts and lives. Perhaps God has used your message to encourage a person to move on, to convince a person of the need to change, to strengthen a person for the task at hand, to transform a person’s life, or to refocus a person to the praise Almighty and praise God.

Although I believe that God would prefer each of us to always preach effective sermons, take comfort, God can accomplish His will even through an ineffective sermon. Isaiah 55:10-11 confirms this.

For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it sprout and sprout and give seed to sow and food to eat, so my word that comes out of my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will do what I will, and it will prosper where I send it.”

I’ve seen God use even bad sermons to work miracles. I know this because some of the ineffective sermons were mine!

[1] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/effective

[2] https://www.learningrx.com/types-of-learning-styles/

No one taught me how to structure a sermon or class. I was given a limited set of tools for studying a text and was told the importance of preaching. But the question of how to make a sermon effective was not answered for me. By reading and listening to a variety of sermons, I found a number of different ways to create an ordered sermon.

There is certainly not “one way” to structure a sermon. But there are a number of patterns or “archetypes” used by past and present preachers. In this post, I want to show you some ways you can structure a sermon. There is no perfect way, in fact I would recommend thinking about the structure of each sermon. Depending on the text, the length of the passage, the type of literature, and other factors, one structure may be preferred over another.

I will first define three important terms that I will use to analyze sermon structures. Then I will present two general sermon structures from two different structures drawn from the New Testament epistle. Finally, I will present some preaching structure “archetypes” that I have analyzed by listening to and reading the great exponential preachers throughout history.

Definitions: teaching, application

The distinction between teaching and application is one of the most important concepts to think through. To even think about the structure of a sermon, you need to understand the crucial difference between teaching and application. Essentially, the teaching describes reality. It is a declarative statement from the Lord of how the world really is. The application, on the other hand, conveys to the readers/listeners how they should live in the face of this reality. It is a compelling statement that demands a response.

For example, if I say, “It’s raining outside,” that’s a declarative statement. I make a claim about reality. Having followed that with “You should bring an umbrella,” I now make a compelling statement. Given the reality of the rain, I’m telling you to bring an umbrella. Teaching and application are usually combined with a “therefore”. Because something is true, you should do something.

Scripture is full of teaching and application. But different authors go about it in different ways. The two main different ways that are helpful when thinking about the structure of a sermon are what I will call “Paul’s style” and “Peter’s style.” I’ll go through each of these styles first before looking at how preachers often structure their sermons in general.

Sermon Structures Derived from Scripture

instructional application structure

Although there are exceptions, Paul preferred in his epistles to introduce doctrine first before applying it. Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians all have a fairly “predictable” structure. Paul spends the first chapters of the book piling on doctrinal, declarative, objective spiritual truths. He builds on these truths throughout the book until he comes to a “therefore.” This “therefore” transitions from the primarily declarative first half of the books to the primarily compelling second half.

Romans 12 is a great example. In 11 chapters Paul goes through doctrine and truth and spiritual reality. Then, in Romans 12, Paul moves on to imperatives with a “therefore.”

I therefore appeal to you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1, ESV emphasis added

How does that help you structure a sermon? The way Paul structures his letters is one of the basic preaching structures you can choose from. In essence, a “Pauline” sermon structure might look something like this

Introduction Explain, Analyze, and Argue Doctrinal Truth Take this doctrinal truth and command your congregation certain necessary behavior in response

The structure of the “logical progression” I discuss at the end of this post follows Paul’s typical flow. Since every application should flow from the truth of doctrine, sermons using a “Pauline style” essentially separate doctrine and application. Additionally, this type of structure focuses on presenting the teaching first before proceeding to any type of command.

The advantages of this structure include:

Clear separation of teaching and application so that they are not confused

Complete focus on teaching or application rather than switching from one to the other

Logical order of doctrine, then application based on that doctrine

Apply as you wish

The other great arrangement of doctrine and application that you see in the New Testament is common in the general epistles. I call it the “Peter style” although the order is found in Hebrews, 1 John and James. In 1 Peter, Peter does not wait until the end of the letter to move on to the application. Peter applies the teaching as he walks. In 1 Peter you read a teaching and then almost immediately see its application.

For example, midway through 1 Peter 1, the text moves from discussing the salvation and inheritance the church has received in Christ to a call to holy living.

It was revealed to them that they were not ministering to themselves, but to you, in the things that have now been announced to you by those who have preached to you the good news of the heaven-sent Holy Spirit, things that angels long for. Therefore, prepare your spirit for action, and be sober and hopeful in the grace that will come to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:12-13 ESV emphasis added

A “St. Peter’s style” sermon structure does not move from doctrine to application, but from one point to the next. A sermon with this organization would look like this:

Introduction Presenting Doctrinal Truth 1 Applying Doctrinal Truth 1 Presenting Doctrinal Truth 2 Applying Doctrinal Truth 2 Repeat until done

As you can see, each point is applied as you go through the teaching. This style has several advantages:

Gives practical application to readers/listeners as the sermon progresses

By applying doctrine as you go, each application is directly linked to the specific doctrine from which it emerges

More could be said about the different ways of separating teaching and application. But understanding the two general biblical relationships provides a helpful context for analyzing the preaching structures of great ministers.

Archetypes of the sermon structure of great preachers

I have seen four general patterns in how preachers organize their sermons. I have ordered these four archetypes from most “text-driven” structure to most “preacher-driven” structure. “Text-oriented” refers to how much of your sermon structure is derived directly from the text, while “preacher-oriented” refers to how much of your sermon structure comes from your own opinion of how the sermon should be arranged.

running comment

The first archetypal sermon structure I encountered I call the “running commentary.” Calling it a “structure” might be deceptive, however, because it is almost a non-structure. Your sermon starts at the beginning of the text and ends where you want to end for the week. Its characteristics are simple:

Present the section and read it in its entirety. Read a small portion of the section. Explain what it means. Proceed to the next small section. Explain what it means

As you can see, there really is no formal structure to this type of sermon. The preacher simply works through the passage word by word, line by line, explaining and applying it as he goes. If you choose to preach using this method, you probably don’t even think about “sermon structure.” You just go through the text and give your comment to the congregation as you go.

This method definitely has positive aspects:

Every single word of a passage is explained to some extent

You can focus more on studying a text instead of figuring out how to structure your sermon

The length of the sermon can easily be scaled depending on how large a passage you choose

However, there are some disadvantages to the “running comment” method:

It’s easy for your sermon to lack emphasis

You can become so focused on single words or phrases that you “miss the forest in the trees”

Your sermon may sound more like a class lesson than proclaiming the Word

I would argue that this method is most helpful for dense passages of Scripture such as Prophecy or the Epistles. Passages that have a specific logical argument or inherent structure can benefit from applying the “running comment” approach. The thoroughness of this method makes it applicable to the most intricate and detailed portions of Scripture.

Text specific structure

This method is still based on the text, but gives your sermon a more defined structure than the “running commentary” method. Basically, you look at each passage of Scripture that you interpret and find any transitions, shifts, or sections that are contained within. You then use these divisions to form the backbone of your sermon. In the end, your sermon structure will look like this:

Introduce the text and its main sections. Read, explain and apply the first section. Read, explain and apply the second section. Repeat until all passages have been preached

I call this method “text-determined” because you let the logical, grammatical, or textual breaks in a passage determine each section of your sermon. In this way, your sermon structure is still determined by the scripture itself, but you are extracting an outline from the passage rather than just walking through the passage.

If I had to summarize this method, I would make the outline of your sermon the outline of the passage. To use “textual structure,” you should sketch the passage of Scripture you are preaching early in your study. From there you already have a rough sermon structure into which you can insert any applications or further explanations.

This method has many advantages:

The flow of your sermon follows the flow of the passage

The structure of the sermon is easy for your congregation to see in the text itself

The transitions of your sermon are based on actual transitions within the text

The section outline fulfills a “double duty” by also becoming the heading of your sermon

Some disadvantages of this method are:

Not every text or literary genre easily breaks into a defined structure

Depending on the length of your text, your sermon may have too many points

The structure of the text may not be an ideal structure for understanding the meaning of the text

The great thing about the “text-driven” structure is its applicability to different types of literature and text lengths. I think it shines especially in preaching through psalms (which often have clear transition points), epistles (which have logical and grammatical features that are easy to use as transition points), proverbs, and prophecy. I would argue that this structure should be your default in most cases.

Clearest communication structure

This sermon structure is less “text-driven” and more “preacher-driven.” It is similar to the “text-driven” structure, only with an additional step. You find the transition points of a passage and sketch them. However, then you arrange all the sections that are present in the text in an order that you, the preacher, find most meaningful. You essentially pick the headings or points that you think the text makes, and then organize your sermon based on what you think makes the most sense to your audience. A “clearest communication” sermon would look something like this:

Present the text and the main points you will preach. Give point 1, show where it occurs in the text, explain, apply. Give point 2, show where it occurs in the text, explain, apply. Repeat until you have finished preaching the section

With this method, you don’t make the outline of the text the outline of the sermon. Your sermon outline, although based on the text and your study of the text, is determined by you, the preacher. You think about how the text is most clearly preached, and you let that concern for clarity guide how you arrange your sermon. In the end, you decide what the “organizing factor” is within the text, be it the emphases, the main characters of a passage, or the events of the passage. This method requires you to create a sermon structure that is different from the structure that is already in the text.

This method has some distinct advantages:

You can make the emphasis of the passage the clear emphasis of your sermon

As you study and prepare to preach, keep an eye on your congregation

This method allows you to reduce a long or complex passage to a few key points

As with all methods, there are also some disadvantages:

Their sermon structure can become arbitrary or alien to the text itself

It may be less clear to the congregation where you get each point you make

You can spend too much time focusing on how you present the text rather than what the text is saying

The structure of “clearest communication” really shines with narrative sections of Scripture and long passages of Scripture. I have previously written about the difficulties of preaching narratives. Unlike poetry or logical reasoning, narrative does not always have a clear structure to extract. Therefore, having the “clearest communication structure” in your tool kit will help you when you need to summarize large portions of Scripture or when you need to deal with texts that do not have clear or equally sized divisions.

Logical progression structure

This last sermon structure is the most “preacher driven” and has the least connection to the structure of the text you are preaching. The “sequence” structure places each sermon on a particular passage of Scripture into three categories: definition, explanation, and implication. The structure is as follows:

Present and read the text. Define keywords in the text. Summarize the doctrinal truths found in the text. Explain this truth by connecting it to other scriptures. Draw logical implications and applications of doctrinal truth for your listeners.

This structure follows the “what does it say, what does it mean, how do I use it” flow of a typical “inductive Bible study”. The Puritans often used this structure when preaching.

Some advantages of this structure are:

Clear, predictable process for the community

Covers all the important aspects of studying and applying a text

The sermon builds logically from the verse itself to the listener

The last thing your congregation hears is how the text relates to their lives

The disadvantages of the logical progression structure are:

Forces you to classify the nuances of a text into arbitrary categories

Treats all types of literature in the Bible in the same way

Prompts you to reduce the entire passage to a single, unambiguous sentence

I personally like this way of structuring a sermon very much. It shines especially in explaining epistles or smaller statements found in other biblical literature. I don’t think this structure is as effective with narrative passages or larger sections of Scripture in general. But if you are only teaching a verse or two, I strongly recommend preaching as the Puritans did.

Conclusion

Structuring a sermon is a difficult but necessary task. There are a number of ways to organize your teaching, and no one method is best for every type of scripture literature. I hope that after reading this post you will have some more sermon structures to draw from in the future. One of the highest privileges of a minister is to clearly present the truth of the Bible to the congregation. Keep pondering how you can better share God’s truth with others.

For resources to help you prepare for your sermon, visit the Bible Study Resources page. If you need help thinking about the application of the sermon, use this series of questions the Puritans used. I have used some of these sermon structures in my own sermon, which you can find here.

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