The sermon manifestation in religious discourse

The purpose of this essay is to describe the conclusion of an expository sermon. After the message has been delivered and has been received and understood by the congregation, there should be a manifestation of the subject by the Holy Spirit. In other words, there must be a way of escape and an opportunity for change. This is the moment where the Word of God literally comes alive. This is the place where the message requires a faith response from the hearer and God manifests his Word. This is also the place where sinners get saved, the bounds are delivered, the sick get healed, or whatever the case may be. Wayne McDill presents his case in his book within “Skill 11: Aiming for a Faith Response.” Michael Fabarez gives a splendid rendition of the subject in his book Preaching that Changes Lives. In order to gain some fresh insights into these issues, this paper provides a review of these works by McDill and Fabarez as well as the relevant literature to explain the purpose and organization of conventional expository sermons, followed by an analysis concerning how to make them as effective as possible in invoking a meaningful faith response from congregants. Finally, a summary of the research and key findings concerning these issues are presented in the paper’s conclusion.
Review and Discussion
One of the most challenges aspects of preaching is the potential for the most well-intentioned and thoughtful sermons to be regarded as so much “sermonizing” by congregants who may be more actively thinking about what they are going to watch on television or whether they should wash the car or not than they are the message being delivered. This is not to say, of course, that entre congregations respond in this fashion nor is it to say that even distracted parishioners do not listen, but it is to say that in far too many cases the clarion call to action and meaningful change is not heard. For example, Fabarez emphasizes that, “The weekend preachers all over the world will stand before people congregated in churches large and small and attempt to fulfill Christ’s call to His undershepards to ‘preach the word’” (2 Tim. 4:2)” (p. xi). Despite their meticulous preparation and thoughtful delivery, the messages that are being delivered by these same preachers are falling on deaf ears. In this regard, Fabarez adds that, “Their sermons will be delivered, their stories told, their cross-references referenced, and their illustrations carefully drawn. Despite their monumental efforts, much of their preaching will never be heard – at least not in a biblical sense” (p. xi).
Like a tree falling in the woods with no one to hear it, such sermons are not heard in the biblical sense and therefore no corresponding manifestation of the subject by the Holy Spirit. Given that this can be the unfortunate outcome of the most carefully prepared expository sermon and impassioned delivery, it is reasonable to posit that the effects of less carefully prepared sermons will be even less effective in invoking the desired faith response from congregants. It is little wonder, then, that increasing numbers of even devout Americans are losing interests in attending church and the situations is even direr than most people think. For instance, a recent study showed that despite the figures that Gallup and other pollsters have reported in recent years, just over 17% of mainstream Christians attended church on any given Sunday, and their numbers continue to plummet (Shattuck, 2017).
These troubling trends underscore the need for preachers to inspire their parishioners and present them with viable opportunities to effect change their lives for the better, and a part of the problem may be the manner in which their expository sermons are crafted and delivered. Although every expository sermon is unique, truly effective ones in particular tend to follow a typical pattern wherein the message is introduced and then delivered with relevant images, examples and illustrations, followed by a conclusion summarizing key points and their implications for congregants (Kim, 2016). The general expository sermon model is set forth in Table 1 below.
Table 1
General expository sermon model
Element
Description
Introduction (generally no more than 10 percent of the sermon)
1. Normally, begin with an illustration of the contemporary need addressed.
2. Connect this illustration to the need of the present hearers.
3. Transition: Show that this need or a similar issue was also the question behind the biblical text.
4. State the theme of the text/sermon, the revelatory point. For the sake of maintaining suspense, postpone disclosing the theme at the beginning (inductive development), but by statement and restatement, make sure that the hearers catch the point of the sermon.
Sermon body
1. Expose the structure of the text. The main points, affirmations, moves, and scenes of the text normally become the points in the sermon.
2. The main points should usually support the theme and be of the same rank.
3. Follow the textual sequence of the points unless there is good reason to change it, such as climactic arrangement.
4. Use simple, clear transitions that enable the hearers to sense the structure of and movement in the sermon. For example, “Let us first see…. Now we see secondly….” Or, “Look with me at verse 8…. Now look at verse 12.” Or, “Not only … but also….”
5. Use verse references before quoting key verses in the text so that the hearers can read along. Visual learning is nine times more effective than aural.
6. Use some personal observations to illustrate difficult concepts or to make the point. Personal illustrations are more natural and powerful than canned illustrations. Personal experiences may also be used but be careful to preach Christ.
Conclusion
1. Be brief.
2. Do not introduce new material. Narrow the focus; do not expand it.
3. Clinch the goal.
4. Be concrete. Offer some concrete suggestions of what the hearers can do in response to the Word preached.
Source: Adapted from Greidanus, 1999, pp. 350-351
As can be seen from the breakdown set forth in Table 1 above, the crafting of effective expository sermons follows the same general pattern as any expository writing (e.g., “tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them”), and it is essential to ensure that each of these steps achieves its intended purpose. For example, it is far more difficult to compel congregants to effect meaningful changes in their lives if the purpose of the sermon is not made clear. Likewise, expository sermons will be less effective if they are designed to enhance the faith of congregants to the point where they feel empowered to take these personal steps needed to transform faith into positive actions. As McDill (2006) points out, “Preaching can be planned for the overarching purpose of enhancing faith in the hearers” (p. 187). Moreover, achieving the desired purpose of an expository sermon also requires more than a colorful and impassioned delivery. For example, according to McDill (2006), “Preaching is not merely a performance” (p. 226).
Taken together, the current declining trends in church attendance and the corresponding loss of opportunities to deliver the Word of God to the faithful have underscored the need for preachers to serve as change agents. From this perspective, preachers need to communicate the message of God in ways that help congregants better understand how they should respond in terms of making substantive changes in their own lives, taking action to make these changes a reality and using these positive changes in ways that create a manifestation of the subject by the Holy Spirit.
In fact, McDill (2002) expanded on this very point in his text, Preparing Bible Messages (2002), wherein he states, “A key issue concerning the message of God is how to respond” (p. 91). In support of this assertion, McDill cites Acts 2:37 in which Peter preached at Pentecost stating, “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’” (2002, p. 91). While this question has been asked by humankind since time immemorial, it also highlights the fundamental problems that are facing contemporary church leaders, especially when it comes to fulfilling their mission and inspiring their parishioners to action. In this regard, McDill (2002) points out that, “That is indeed the question. Upon hearing the Word of God preached, what shall we do? This is the question of application. The truths of Scripture call for response. Something must be done. The messenger of God will prepare as a central part of his message the appeal to do something about God’s truth” (2002, p. 91).
The four steps outlined by Greidanus (1999) in Table 1 above concerning the essential elements that should be included in an expository sermon represent the final opportunity each week for preachers to achieve the desired outcomes described above. These four steps are reiterated below together with a discussion concerning how they can be applied to inspire a meaningful response from congregants:
1. Be brief. An unfortunate concomitant of recent innovations in technology and the Information Revolution juggernaut has been a reduction in the attention span of most people, dropping from 12 seconds in 2000 to just 8 seconds in 2015 (Watson, 2015). As a result, the average length of sermons has also declined from about an hour just a few years ago to less than 30 minutes today (Rainer, 2016). These trends mean that the conclusion to the expository sermon must be carefully focused in ways that retain the attention of congregants while conforming to the other guidance provided by Greidanus (1999) as discussed below.
2. Do not introduce new material. Narrow the focus; do not expand it. Keeping the above-described attention span constraints into account, it is also vitally important to resist the temptation to expand on the expository sermon’s message, but Greidanus (1999) cautions against this and encourages preachers to narrow the focus of the message in order to drive the main points home in ways that will motivate congregants and bring about the manifestation of the subject by the Holy Spirit which is the key goal of the conclusion as noted below.
3. Clinch the goal. Just as effective salespersons attempt to clinch a tough sale at the end of a carefully designed sales pitch, Greidanus (1999) emphasizes the need to “clinch the goal” in the expository sermon’s conclusion by ensuring that the message has not only been heard and understood, but that parishioners are presented with opportunities to take this message home with them and put it to work in their own lives. Although Greidanus (1999) and like-minded authorities counsel against introducing any new material into the expository sermon’s conclusion, it is recommended that preachers include some concrete suggestions concerning these issues are discussed below.
4. Be concrete. Offer some concrete suggestions of what the hearers can do in response to the Word preached. Sports team coaches traditionally given their teams a “pep talk” at half time, the last opportunity they have to motivate their players to go out and win one for the Gipper. Similarly, the conclusion of the expository sermon is the last chance preachers typically have each week to invoke the desired faith response from congregants.
Conclusion
The research showed that church attendance in the United States is declining faster than pollsters have reported, and part of the problem may relate to the fact that even devout parishioners are not getting what they want and need from their churches. In response, preachers can and must do a better job of communicating in ways that generate authentic interest and excitement in the life-changing outcomes that faith can achieve. In sum, the focus of the expository sermon is to shoot for a life change in the confines of the message and the help of the Holy Spirit. It is in the manifestation of the sermon that unbelievers believe, and believers build their faith.


References
Fabarez, M. (2002). Preaching that changes lives. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson
Greidanus, S. (1999). Preaching Christ from the Old Testament: A contemporary hermeneutical method. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
Kim, K. (2016, September 1). Judges and Ruth: God in chaos. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 59(3), 609-613.
McDill, W. (2002). Preparing Bible messages: A workbook in Bible exposition. Wayne Forest, NC: Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
McDill, W. (2006). The 12 essential skills for great preaching (2nd ed.). Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group.
Rainer, T. S. (2016, January 26). Three major trends in sermon length. T. S. Rainer. Retrieved from https://thomrainer.com/2015/01/three-major-trends-sermon-length.
Shattuck, K. (2017, February 14). Seven startling facts: An up close look at church attendance in America. Church Leaders. Retrieved from https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html.
Watson, L. (2015, May 15). Humans have shorter attention span than goldfish, thanks to smartphones. The Telegraph. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/ 03/12/humans-have-shorter-attention-span-than-goldfish-thanks-to-smart/.