Effective First-Person Biblical Preaching: The Steps from Text to Narrative Sermon

195 Pages·2005·1.2 MB·English

by  J. Kent Edwards

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EFFECTIVE
FIRST-PERSON
BIBLICAL
PREACHING
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EFFECTIVE
FIRST-PERSON
BIBLICAL
PREACHING
The Steps
from Text
to Narrative
Sermon
J. KENT EDWARDS
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Effective First-Person Biblical Preaching
Copyright © 2005 by J. Kent Edwards
All rights reserved under International and Pan -American Copyright Conventions. By payment of
the required fees, you have been granted the non -exclusive, non-transferable right to access and
read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down -
loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage
and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known
or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.
AER Edition January 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-31456-1
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Edwards, J. Kent, 1958–
Effective first-person biblical preaching : the steps from text to narrative
sermon / J. Kent Edwards.
p. cm.
Summary: “A practical resource to help students and pastors understand why and how first-
person sermons can be preached with biblical integrity. Includes extensive examples and
worksheets”—Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes
ISBN 978-0-310-26309-8 (hardcover)
1. Narrative preaching. I. Title.
BV4235.S76 E39 2005
251—dc22 2005003954
Individuals may make photocopies of the material on pp. 167–181 (in appendix 2) for personal use or for
classroom or seminar use, not to exceed one copy per attendee.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International
Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of
Zondervan. All rights reserved.
The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These
websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of Zondervan, nor
do we vouch for their content for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—
except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
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To Nola
My wife. My love.
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CONTENTS
Foreword by Haddon W. Robinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Introduction: What I Have Learned along the Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1. Why Preach Expository First-Person Sermons? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Part One: STEPS IN THE EXEGETICAL TASK
2. Beginning to Use the Narrative Exegetical Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Step One: Adjust your interpretive paradigm.
Step Two: Understand the larger context of the
story you want to preach.
3. Determining the Story’s Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Step Three: Determine the structure of your story.
4. What Comes Next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Step Four: Analyze the characters.
Step Five: Discover the setting of the story.
Step Six: State the “big idea” of the narrative.
Step Seven: Double-check your big idea.
Step Eight: Make the application.
Part Two: STEPS IN THE HOMILETICAL TASK
5. Taking the First Steps in the Homiletical Task . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Step One: Select an appropriate text.
Step Two: Ensure that you have identified
the “big idea” of your narrative.
Step Three: Develop the protagonist for your story.
Step Four: Create your antagonist.
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6. Completing the Homiletical Task . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Step Five: Set the story.
Step Six: Plot the action.
Step Seven: Determine the perspective.
Step Eight: Create your lesser characters.
Step Nine: Write the manuscript.
Step Ten: Decide about props.
Step Eleven: Refine your manuscript.
Step Twelve: Block your sermon (optional).
Step Thirteen: Rehearse your sermon.
Step Fourteen: Decide about costuming.
Step Fifteen: Deliver your sermon.
Part Three: QUESTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES
7. Practical Questions about First-Person Preaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
8. Narrative Alternatives to First-Person Preaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Appendixes
Appendix 1: EXAMPLES OF NARRATIVE PREACHING
1. Samson: The Strong Weak Man (Judges 13–16),
by J. Kent Edwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
2. The Cripple’s Story (2 Samuel 1–9), by Don Sunukjian . . . . . . . 156
3. Mary of Bethany (Mark 14:1–11), by Alice Mathews . . . . . . . . . . 162
Appendix 2: IMPLEMENTATION WORKSHEETS
1. Understanding Narrative Literature:
Worksheet Summarizing Steps in the Exegetical Task . . . . . . . . . 167
2. Scene Analysis Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
3. Character Identification Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
4. Scene Development Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
5. Developing a First-Person Sermon:
Worksheet Summarizing Steps in the Homiletical Task . . . . . . . . 178
Indexes
Scripture Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Subject Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
About the Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Share Your Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193