[Music]
greetings this is jeff riddle pastor of
christ reformed baptist church in louise
of virginia and this is going to be an
audio version of a book review that i
have written
the book under review is by david murray
titled how sermons work and was
published by evangelical press in 2011
the book is 160 pages in length
my written review of this work first
appeared in the puritan reformed journal
volume 5 number 1 in 2013
and it's found there on pages 266 to
268. here now is the review
david murray is professor of old
testament and practical theology at
puritan reform theological seminary in
grand rapids michigan
in the preface murray notes that this is
a how do they do that book about
preaching page nine
he writes for seminary students elders
experienced preachers and even late
christians who might use the material as
an aid in teaching sunday school lessons
or leading bible studies
in fact murray states quote maybe above
all i want non-preachers to read this
book end quote if for nothing else to
understand better the work of their
pastor
see page 10
the work has a simple pragmatic format
that is very easy to follow with
multiple lists bullet points brief
examples and outlines
the book consists of ten short chapters
chapters one through four discuss
matters one might consider before
preaching including preparation
selecting a text interrogating or
exegeting a text
and varying sermons
chapters 5 through 10
provide practical counsel for preaching
a sermon including how to create an
engaging introduction how to organize
the sermon how to provide application
and practical tips for presenting the
sermon
hal sermon's work is not simply a
theoretical work on preaching
but it contains a very practical
treasure trove of useful and stimulating
ideas
here are just a few of the many valuable
insights that murray conveys
quote the preacher must have clear
convictions about his relationship to
god in quote page 11.
there are both advantages to be gained
and disadvantages to be avoided in
preaching a series of consecutive
sermons through a chapter or a whole
book
pages 22-24
exegesis is not preaching see page 39
commentary should typically be consulted
late in the sermon preparation process
page 57
sermon tech should be drawn quote in
roughly equal portions end quote from
three sources the old testament the
gospels the epistles
see pages 59-60
even topical sermons should be
expository
page 66
the sermon introduction should not be
too long
as dabney put it quote there is no need
of a porch to enter a porch
we desire to step it once from the porch
into the house
end quote page 74.
the preacher should look for his outline
or sermon structure in the text itself
see pages 85-105
sermon application is defined as quote
the process by which the unchanging
principles of god's word are brought
into life-changing contact with people
who live in an ever-changing world end
quote page 108.
the preacher should quote spend at least
30 minutes in prayer with his completed
sermon
end quote page 136
additionally quote the first thing a
preacher should do when arriving home
after preaching is to go apart and pray
in quote page 137
the preachers should speak plainly
avoiding too many words especially too
many long words including latin greek
and hebrew words too many arguments and
too many quotations
see page 145.
the last of these practical points is
particularly driven home by murray he
observes quote it is wonderful that many
reformed pulpits are being filled with
well-studied and well-prepared sermons
full of biblical truth
but i'm afraid that many of our hearers
can't swallow the great chunks of red
meat that are being served from some
pulpits end quote page 146
he adds quote
any fool can preach like a genius
but it takes a genius to preach simply
in quote page 146.
though i greatly appreciate the
pragmatic focus of murray's book there
are also a few questions perhaps more on
the theoretical level that i would have
liked to have seen directly address such
as
what is the difference between preaching
a sermon and teaching a sunday school
lesson or leading a bible study
who should preach
is preaching limited to the ordained
officers of the church why or why not
how is one's ability to preach
effectively related to his divine call
and supernatural gifting to preach
can one really learn to preach or can he
merely learn to preach more effectively
as his gifts are exercised
on a more practical level i would like
to have seen an expanded discussion how
the preacher should work with
establishing the text of scripture in
the process of exegesis
though murray does briefly address the
issue of translation
encouraging consultation of various
english translations from the king james
version to the message see pages
he does not address the pros and cons of
directly addressing textual issues from
the pulpit
for example should one preach a message
from the traditional ending of the
gospel of mark mark 16 9-20
when one preaches from such a disputed
passage where modern translations depart
from the traditional text should he
address textual matters during the
course of his sermon
murray's book is highly recommended to
the seminarian and to the veteran
preacher alike
it is a stimulating work that will
encourage numerous practical reflections
on how the preacher goes about his task
of proclaiming god's word
it reminds us of the seriousness and
importance of the preacher's task of
rightly dividing the word of truth
second timothy 2 15.
here ends the review
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riddle 1689.