Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson: This book was one of the required readings for seminary class on preaching. Robinson provides information about biblical preaching with a focus on the development and delivery of expository messages.
Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson
If you are into preaching, then this is a book you should have in your library. It covers areas like selecting and studying the Bible passage, determining the sermon’s purpose, outlining the sermon and making the sermon come alive for your listeners.
Also Robinson looks at how to teach and preach so that people will listen, how to prepare and introduction and conclusion, how to make powerful and impacting points and how to ask good questions to provoke thought.
Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson will encourage you to be better prepared for that next sermon that you will preach to your congregation.
Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson is not only practical and scholarly it is also organized and very easy to understand. To give you example of his organization, you can turn to his chapter on Preparing the Introduction of the Sermon. He looks at four ways to write an effective sermon introduction.
1. Effective Introduction Commands Attention
The sermon introductory remarks must go after the minds of the hearers in order to force them to listen because if you do not capture the audience’s attention in the first thirty seconds, you may never gain it at all.
The possibilities for introductory remarks that get attention are as wide as your creativity. You can start by upsetting the equilibrium: “It’s hard to be a person of your word.”
You can use rhetorical question to reach for attention. “If you are created in the image of God (and you are), what does that mean? What does that mean to be created in the likeness of God?
A story always gets people’s attention.
A man falls off a cliff but he manages to grab a tree limb on the way down and the following conversation ensued: “Is anyone up there?” “I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?” “Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe but I can’t hang on much longer.” “That’s all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch.” A moment of pause, then: “Is anyone else up there?”
2. Effective Introduction Uncovers Needs
Once you get their attention, you must continue to hold their attention through motivation. You must motivation the listener to listen because he can’t help but listen. This is done by providing information that meets their needs and these needs take many shapes and forms. You can raise a question, probe a problem, identify a need or open up an issue to which the passage of Scriptures speaks.
3. Effective Introduction Introduces the Body of the Sermon
The introduction of your sermon should lead the congregation to the message that you have developed from the Bible. It should introduce the sermon’s subject so that no one needs to guess what the preacher plans to talk about.
4. Effective Introduction May Exhibit Other Characteristics
An effective sermon introduction must get attention, uncover needs and introduce the sermon’s subject. These characteristics are non-negotiable. However, there are other characteristics you need to consider. It needs to be relevant and contemporary and at times it needs a personal touch.
This brief example shows you how Robinson organizes his information in a way that is easy to grasp and understand.
Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson takes you through ten stages in the development of an expository sermon and you will not be disappointed with the information. This information will help you write sermons that work.