06.07. Chapter 7: The Several Forms Of Sermons

Chapter 7 THE SEVERAL FORMS OF SERMONS

SPEAKING HOMILETICALLY, there are several separate and rather distinct forms of sermons. Among them the three most marked and most commonly employed are:

(1) The Theme Sermon, (2) The Textual Sermon, (3) The Expository Sermon, and then (4) Special Sermons. It is essential that students for the ministry should know the characteristics of each, and be able, both in preparation of the discourse and in conversation about sermons, to clearly distinguish. THE THEME SERMON In this case the theme is determined upon, wholly irrespective of Scriptures! This is true so far as its choice and its statements are concerned. Later one may find a text that will cover all or a part of the theme, or he may employ a number of texts in the theme’s discussion; but the theme or topic was first selected, and the fitting text and proof-texts are found later. For instance, when in 1918 or thereabout I reflected upon world conditions, I decided to discuss those conditions under the subject, “The Gospel for War Times.”

Believing as I did, and still do, that the gospel prescribed for all conceivable human situations, I had no fears about finding a fit text, and so I meditated upon “The Gospel for War Times.” After deciding upon the topic or theme, I turned up to Matthew 24:14 : “This gospel of the kingdom shall he preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come,” and decided upon that to be a fit text; but instead of interpreting the text, I interpreted the theme under three heads:

(1)    This is a gospel that exalts the divine Christ versus human culture.

(2)    This gospel is a gospel of divine redemption versus human democracy.

(3)    This gospel is an appeal to sacrificial versus selfish living.

Now, those three points were not necessarily born out of the text; they were born out of the topic. But they were also in perfect harmony with the text.

Lest, however, some should get the idea that a topical sermon was only fitted to and produced by troubled times, let me give you a second sample, namely, “Six Essentials in Soul Winning.” Here, having decided upon my subject or theme, I sat down to contemplate its implications and deduced from the theme six appropriate suggestions:

(1)     Get God’s conception of a soul’s worth.

(2)     Consecrate yourselves to soul winning.

(3)     Surrender to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

(4)     Employ the Sword of the Spirit—the Word.

(5)     In this divinest of work, be direct.

(6)With whatever of success, be dissatisfied. That sermon, in full, will be found on page twenty, and following, of my volume, Revival Sermons, published by Fleming H. Revell. After having worked out these divisions to my satisfaction, I changed the title from “Some Essentials in Soul Winning” to “Six Essentials in Soul Winning,” and also attached the text, Proverbs 11:30, “He that winneth souls is wise.”

You will see, therefore, that this was absolutely a case of a theme or topical sermon. It was not a treatment of the text, Proverbs 11:30, except incidentally; it was a study and Scriptural discussion of essentials in soul winning. THE TEXTUAL SERMON In the case of the textual sermon you find your text first.

It may come to you as you read your Bible devotionally; it may be suggested to you by hearing it quoted from the pulpit; it may seem, as you read or meditate, to quit the Sacred Page, and “jump at you” as a living thing, requiring your reception and attention! But it is the text itself with all of its spiritual possibilities that makes the appeal and eventually determines the form and character of the sermon. You get your main divisions from an analysis of the text. In fact, your subdivisions ought also to be suggestions from the same selected Scripture, and commonly the amount of Scripture involved is not extensive. A sentence may suffice; a verse may meet your demands; or a few verses may be compassed within one discourse. To illustrate, one day I read Hebrews 11:1-40 and continued with Hebrews 12:1-2. Almost instantly these verses (Hebrews 12:1-2) laid hold upon my imagination and literally clamored for study and exposition. Such an experience the preacher would like always to have. It almost certainly means a pleasure in his study, an appeal to his emotions, and produces facility in expression.

I, therefore, went to work on my text, Hebrews 12:1-2, and very shortly saw in it three very natural divisions:

I.The Cloud of Witnesses II.The Besetting Sin III.The Sufficient Saviour and so I put down on my note page those three great and easily-found subjects.

Then sitting before the first of these, “The Cloud of Witnesses,” I worked out three subdivisions: (1) It is a great cloud of witnesses—numberless. (2) It is a cloud of people who have passed this way once—saints, and (3) Among them there are great souls—Abel, Noah, etc.

I deduced, therefore, my subdivisions from these reflections and passed on to the second division: “The Besetting Sin.” By referring to my Greek New Testament I found one word expressing “the sin which doth so easily beset us”— “euperistaton.” In my further contemplation I discovered that Paul was appealing to have that sin set aside, and also I noted that he suggested its forgetting.

I was now at my third point: “The Sufficient Saviour.” Studying that language I saw again three things:

(1) He was the Author and Finisher of our faith.

(2) He was our Substitute for sin.

(3) He was our High Priest at God’s right hand.

Hence my sermon outline complete is this, to repeat for emphasis: OUR BESETTING SINS Text: Hebrews 12:1-2

Introduction I. The Cloud of Witnesses a.The cloud of witnesses is a multitude in number. b.This cloud of witnesses is sympathetic in interest. c.These witnesses were glorious in character.

II. The Besetting Sin a.The apostle defines what this sin is. It is in a single Greek word, “euperistaton”—“The sin which doth so easily beset us.” b.The apostle asked to have such sin discarded—“Lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us.” c.The apostle desires that, having discarded it, we disregard it—“Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

III. The Sufficient Saviour a.He is the Author and Finisher of our faith—“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher.” b.He is the Substitute for our sins—“Who . . . endured the cross, despising the shame.” c.He is our Great High Priest—“Is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” This is a typical textual sermon and it will be found on page fifty, and following, of Revival Sermons. THE EXPOSITORY SERMON An expository sermon exists when one takes a section of Scripture, and, having studied it carefully, starts in to give an exposition of the same!

If one would see and know good expository work, let him read the five books of “Notes on the Pentateuch” by C. H. Macintosh. I should call his works superb expository work, but that is in book-making.

Sermon-making is slightly different, and may involve a whole book, a chapter, or only a part of a chapter. For instance, among my own works (and I prefer to take illustrations from them, both for your sakes in study and my own ease in teaching), I became interested in the book of Daniel, and started in to give a series of fourteen sermons on Daniel. Some of them were expository, others of them were textual; but for the most part they were expository, as will be found if you study the volume on Daniel in my series of forty volumes, “The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist.”

Now Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, as interpreted by Daniel, makes an interesting expository production. Here is its outline, both as found in my volume on Daniel and as found also in a booklet of this sermon alone. A little study of Daniel 2:31-45 would suggest the title, DANIEL’S PROPHECY AND THE DOOM OF WORLD GOVERNMENTS. In preparation we produced the following outline:

I. The Prophetic Scriptures a.Daniel interprets the four world-kingdoms of the dream. b.Daniel shows that we are now in the foot period. c.History demonstrates Daniel’s divine inspiration.

II. The Perils of Science a.Science has been the word with which men have conjured. b.Science now threatens world-destruction. c.Further wars may well finish this age.

III. The Plan of Salvation a.The interpretation of the stone b.The conquest of the world c.The enthronement of the Prince of Peace

However, lest someone should decide that only prophecy was subject to such treatments, let me bring to you from the Psalms what I regard as an ideal form of expository work. Here, also, is involved a much more extensive Scripture territory, namely, Psalms 3:1-8, Psalms 4:1-8, Psalms 5:1-12. You will find this under Old Testament, Volume 9, in “The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist,” page 47 and following.

Subject: HOUNDED YET HAPPY!

I. The King’s Opponents (Psalms 3:1-8) a.They are a multitude in number. b.They are as impotent as plenteous. c.They suffice to drive the believer to divine protection.

II. The King’s Protection (Psalms 4:1-8) a.He is the One that heareth prayer. b.He is the One that showeth good.

III. The King’s Praise (Psalms 5:1-12) a.It opens the gates of the day to God. b.It turns the private closet into the temple of God c.It terminates in songs of praise and joy.

Three chapters are brought under exposition here, whereas in Daniel only fifteen verses (Daniel 2:31-45) are involved, but both are expository.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Ray, Jeff D. Expository Preaching (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1940).

Meyer, F. B. Expository Preaching Plans and Methods (New York: George H. Doran Co., 1912).