From text to sermon to people — Bridge Builders

Richard L. Dresselhaus

Preachers are bridge builders. They lay the plankwork between cultures separated by thousands of years, between languages rooted on separate halves of the globe, and between audiences held apart by ideological diversity.

What do ancient Persian kings have to do with modern heads of state? What influence do commands given centuries ago have in complex questions of jurisprudence that plague modern society? What impact can a first-century religious enthusiast have on a people who crave instant gratification?

This is the exact work of the preacher—to bring it all together. He must bridge the times, the seasons, the persons, and do it in such a way that history is honored, truth is garnered, and the people of God are taught. A tough but glorious task from text to message to people.

Tragically, this noble task is sometimes left undone. The bridge is left only a partial span. The linkup never is made. The text may be thoroughly explored, but the message from God in that text is never discovered. Or even if the sought-after message is extracted, it is left uncommunicated. The people of God leave as hungry as they came.

The most pressing question is this: Do preachers really preach the Word of God? If the bridge does not connect the text and the listener, the answer is no. One preacher compared the text with the national anthem: "Once it is sung, it is never heard from again." Eager listeners are left with scattered and random thoughts that have no true biblical anchor. Such preaching can hardly be called the proclamation of God’s eternal Word.

I have personally experienced the wide sweep of emotions that accompany preaching—from joyous ecstasy to bitter disappointment. What makes the difference? Ultimately it goes back to the manner in which I have handled the Word of God.

When I am confident that I have accurately unpacked the text, grasped the message of God in that passage, and successfully communicated that message to the people of God, the thrill is unparalleled. Conversely, when I have not lived in the text, sought God for the quickening of its message in my heart, or carelessly presented that message, I am devastated.

Years ago, while studying under Merrill Tenney at the Wheaton Graduate School, I was introduced to a methodology of sermon preparation and study that I have treasured during my pastoral ministry. That methodology has been further defined and illustrated in a book authored by Walter Kaiser, Toward an Exegetical Theology. Put simply, it is a method that utilizes contextual analysis, syntactical analysis, verbal analysis, theological analysis, and homiletical analysis (see Kaiser’s book).

Step 1. Contextual Analysis

Exposition must begin here. What is the historical background of the author and the original readers? What is the theme and purpose of the book in which the text is found? What is the immediate context of the passage—what precedes and what follows? Is the selected text a unit of ideas bordered by parameters that set it apart as a composite of thought?

It is folly to ignore this initial step. Yet I confess that I have often been victimized by this very folly. I have plunged into the text, failing to take the time to do the contextual exploration. I have missed the light cast across the text through an awareness of historical background, cultural context, and literary style. It is a shortcut that leads to the misappropriation of the eternal Word.

Once, I found myself apologizing publicly for a rather obvious and very foolish mistake in handling the text a week before. I was both ashamed and embarrassed. A complete novice could not have done worse. Why? I had not done my contextual work. I had quickly drawn a circle around the words of the text, isolated those words from what preceded and followed, and ended up having to admit that I had poorly divided the Word of truth.

Step 2. Syntactical Analysis

It is in this step that we become grammatical technicians. We explore the relationship between phrases, sentences, and paragraphs. We think deeply into the text to explore the flow of thought and the interrelationship of ideas found in the passage. This step uncovers the text. At this point you first begin to hear the heartbeat. The text begins to breathe. There is life.

Although I have never thought of myself as a serious grammarian nor necessarily adept at diagramming a sentence, I have found some ability in setting forth a text in a thought-flow outline. I can block the text, showing the relationship between independent and dependent clauses and setting forth in a visual way the manner in which the thoughts flow and interrelate.

I have often outlined Ephesians 1:3–14. In the Greek text (Nestle) you will not find a period until you get midpoint in verse 10. You want to say, "Paul, come up for air!" He stacks one phrase upon another. Only with these verses laid out in an analytical outline is it possible to locate all the antecedents and discover the real interrelationship of thought flow in these verses.

Having taken this step, it is amazing how quickly a preaching outline emerges. When it does, you know that the sermon as it develops has been lifted directly from the text. You will feel confident that you have grasped the passage. Nothing builds a preacher’s confidence more.

Step 3. Verbal Analysis

Now you are prepared for a more exacting view of the text. It is now time to look at individual words and their relationship to the whole. It is at this point that you will want to consult a concordance to discover the meaning of given words and their uses in other contexts. It is at this step that you will discover illustrative material that will further unwrap the text.

For example, Paul uses the word lutroo, "redeem," in Titus 2:14. It is a word chosen by Paul out of the jargon of his day to describe the process by which a prisoner’s freedom might be secured by another. What a suggestive word for illustrative purposes.

Word studies are to the expositor what gold-panning is to the speculator.

Step 4. Theological Analysis

The expositor’s task is not finished with the dismemberment of the text. Sadly, however, some preachers stop at exactly this point. They go to the pulpit well supplied with historical and grammatical materials, but they have not thought through the text theologically. That is, they have not asked the essential question: What does all this mean to us today?

Walter Kaiser speaks of "bridging the gap" between what a text once meant to what a text now means. I fear that bridge builders sometimes stand on the bridge and cast a longing look backward and retreat without ever looking forward to where the bridge should lead.

Today’s preacher must grasp the urgency and opportunity of the moment and bring the discovered truth of the text to bear on the real-life situation of the listeners. Timeless truth will take root in life-changing power.

Here is the step that leads us from sermon to message, from history past to history present, and from discourse to celebration.

Step 5. Homiletical Analysis

Here is the final step. The preacher must now develop a structure and form that will provide guidance for the actual preaching event. At this point parallelisms and alliteration might be helpful. Careful attention should also be given to the proper use of illustration to provide interest and application. Direction and focus must be clarified.

Sadly, some preachers stumble on this final step. They have thoroughly explored the context, delineated the thought flow, done the word studies, thought theologically about the text, but they stop short of preparing just how they can make the message live in the hearts of the listeners.

In the midst of sermon preparation, I regularly ask this question: What difference will this make? This puts me in the pew to listen to my own preaching. Little wonder that I often change direction and work a little harder.

It does no good to preach if no one is listening. Remember, it is your responsibility to compel the listeners to listen. Of course, the Holy Spirit must do His work, but you must give Him something to work with.

Preach with passion—a dying man to dying men. A message that lives. A word that will not wait. A life-and-death encounter. Eternity hanging in the balance.

Bridge builders—preachers who bring men to God. Preachers who link eternal truth to modern life. Preachers who hold as one the people of God from every generation.

Illustrations

In the mid-1970s, the congregation I serve built a new sanctuary. I vividly recall each phase along the way. One phase in particular comes to mind here. After the architect had finished the initial schematics, he built a model. For the first time, we were able to grasp exactly what our new sanctuary would look like. We needed a model.

It is one thing to speak of the theory of sermon building and preaching, and it is quite something else to see as precisely as possible how it all comes together in the final product. The purpose here then is to build two models. The first is built from a passage rich in theology. The second is assembled from a portion of Scripture that is entirely narrative in form. Hopefully, we will see that the methodology outlined above can serve us well in both cases.

Due to the lack of space, even the models will need to be only partially assembled. We will also pause along the way to point out options and choices the actual builders will need to make. It is hoped that the first model will be appropriate for Easter Sunday and the second for Palm Sunday. (I begin with the Easter message, since this passage serves more dramatically to illustrate the syntactical step.)

Incomparable Power (Easter)

Text: Ephesians 1:19–23

Context: This message will focus on the third part of the second petition of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church, i.e., (1) for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation (1:17) and (2) for enlightened eyes and hearts (1:18). Under the second petition, Paul asks that the Ephesians might then (1) know the hope to which they had been called (1:18), (2) know the riches of his glorious inheritance (1:18), and (3) know his incomparably great power for us to believe (1:10–23).

Both the focus and title of the message fall out naturally from the third part of that second petition. The rest of chapter I describes that "incomparable power."

Note: A good title and a clear sermon focus must rise out of the text. They must not be imposed upon it. This is the essential mark of good exegesis.

Verbal Analysis

It is appropriate now to look more exactingly at the text as it is laid out analytically. What are the key words that call for definition and clarification? What are the grammatical relationships that need special consideration? The following words stand like thought pinnacles waiting to be climbed: Power, exerted, raised, seated, heavenly realms, placed, appointed, church, body, fullness. Any lexicon or word picture book will open the door to incredible illustrative and inspirational material.

The most significant grammatical observations would center in the string of declaratives that state in what ways God’s power has been exerted in Christ-raised, seated, placed, appointed.

Theology: The question here is simply this: What does this passage say to us about God and His dealings with His people? That pivotal question requires that we link the past with the present and find a bridge over all that might separate us from the original readers. Here are suggestions and thoughts: (1) God’s power is expressive. (2) Christ has an exalted place with God, both in position and in authority. (3) All creation is subject to Christ. (4) The church is the embodiment of Christ on this earth.

Homiletics: We are now ready to put structure to our work and prepare for the preaching event. Since the focus of the passage is "God’s incomparable power," the four main points will state the ways in which that power has been expressed: (1) a triumphant resurrection, (2) an exalted position, (3) a universal dominion, and (4) a supreme headship. The most critical challenge is to catch the meaning and intent of the passage and yet set it forth in a way that will communicate effectively.

Much is left to be done, i.e., (1) How can each point be illustrated and made alive? (2) How can the momentousness of a special day (Easter) be utilized for the maximum impact? (3) What are the devotional implications of so great a power as is celebrated in the text? (4) What is the specific call that will invite a response from each listener?

As the text comes alive in the heart of the preacher, its truth will flow with power into the heart of each listener. There it will produce hope for time and eternity.

Who Is This? (Palm Sunday)

Text: Matthew 21:1–11

Context: The Gospel narrative has an abrupt shift at exactly this point. With the triumphal entry we move into the final and climatic week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. There will be no more journeys through Samaria, casual times of discourse with His disciples, nor opportunities to retreat to the hills for communion with the Father. The pace will quicken. The opposition grow more intense. The cross ever more imminent.

It is this sense of transition, this heightened mood of anticipation, and this quickening of emotions that the preacher will want to grasp and communicate. It will also be good to review the parallel passages in Mark 11 and Luke 19 for any detail that may have been omitted by Matthew, i.e., Luke’s inclusion of the Pharisee’s request: "Teacher, rebuke your disciples" (19:39) to which Jesus replied, "I tell you…if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out" (19:40). A synoptic composite will be essential for background and color.

Syntax: In dealing with a rather lengthy narrative, the outline of the passage will need to be more selective. However, the results are the same. The critical flow of thought can be observed and set forth in outline:

1. Directive: "Go to the village…find the donkeys…bring them to me.

2. Prophetic fulfillment: "This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, ["Say to the Daughter of Zion: ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey’ "]."

3. Response: "The disciples went out and did as…instructed…placed cloaks on them…spread their cloaks in the road…cut branches…spread them on the road…crowds…went ahead…shouted."

4. Refrain: "Hosanna to the Son of David!"

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!"

5. Question: "The whole city was stirred…who is this?"

6. Answer: "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

What do we discover as we set forth the passage in an analytical way.

1. Conversation and dialogue: Jesus to His disciples, the Word from the prophet Zechariah (9:9), the cry of the crowd, the questions posed by the people of the city. A simple recognition of this richness in dialogue will help the preacher pick up a sense of vitality and spark that is well expressed in this transitional moment.

2. The refrain of the crowd. It includes three specific calls. With each call the sense of movement intensifies. The preacher’s task is to pick up that sense of movement and communicate it to the listeners so they can visualize it.

3. The many audiences which act here: The disciples, the prophets, the gathering crowd of well-wishers, and the skeptical city dwellers. Each at a different level of spiritual understanding: some merely curious, some committed, some highly skeptical, but all in one way or another swept along by the intensity of the moment.

By blocking the passage in a way that will emphasize the flow of thought, the preacher will be allowing the text to breathe and speak.

However, it is the question posed by the whole city ("Who is this?") that seems to cast a reverse shaft of fight over the entire passage. At the same time it provides the net into which all of the parts and pieces of the passage seem to fall. It is this question then that can properly be lifted to serve as the title and the theme for the message.

Verbal Analysis: There are also significant words that call for further exploration. Again, a lexicon or wordbook will provide the necessary information. Here you will find a wealth of illustrative material. The significant words or phrases in this passage are as follows: Daughter of Zion, Hosanna, Son of David, name of the Lord.

Theology: What does this narrative say about God’s character and His dealings with His people, both in the past and in the present? Here are several thoughts: (1) The intrusive (incarnational) Word of God, (2) the deity of Jesus (son of David), (3) the priority of worship, (4) the work of the Holy Spirit (prompting response in human hearts).

Homiletics: It is at this point that our work begins to pay off. We have a feeling for the context. We have met the people of the passage. We have listened in on their conversation. We have felt their emotions and heard their cries. We have taken our place along the parade route and felt our own response. But how can all of this be captured and communicated to contemporaries in such a way as to promote growth and spiritual vitality? Here is a preaching outline which emerges in response to the question of the city, "Who is this?"

1. To the puzzled disciples: He is the One who was to be obeyed even though the disciples likely did not understand what He was planning to do.

2. To the prophet Zechariah: He is the One whose identity and mission had been known from eternity.

3. To the curious crowd: He is the One who was curious enough to spark a bit of life into an otherwise dull day.

4. To the people of the city: He is the One who was a threat to propriety, protocol, and religious tradition.

The next step is to contemporize this moment in history in a way that will let it speak to us. "Who is this?" for us? Where do we find ourselves along the parade route? The choices from the text are as follows:

1. The One worthy of my obedience in every circumstance of life.

2. The One whose identity and mission is attested by history and experience.

3. The One to whom I give a polite nod if the day is right.

4. The One who threatens my self-centered life with a call to follow Him.

The applications are almost innumerable, the illustrations easy to find, and the call is waiting to be voiced.