Manifestation of Sermon Essay

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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.

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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….....

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