Christ-Centered Sermons: Models of Redemptive Preaching

Top Highlights

“In essence, redemptive exposition requires that we identify an aspect of our fallen condition that is addressed by the Holy Spirit in each passage, which he inspired for our edification, and then show God’s way out of the human dilemma.¹³ Identification of an appropriate fallen condition focus (FCF) will occur in each sermon of this book. Attention to such a pattern in Scripture not only exposes the human predicament that requires God’s relief but also forces the preacher to focus on a divine solution. Our salvation rests in God’s provision. God’s glory is always the highest purpose of the sermon.” (Pages xvi–xvii)

“The mark of that Spirit in us is not the absence of sin in our lives but the presence of new desires and new power to overcome temptation (Rom. 8:5–15).” (Page xxii)

“The needed reordering of priorities will not come by emptying the sermon of biblical content but by preparing it with the goals of equipping God’s people for spiritual warfare and welfare. Our primary goal is not preparing people for later tests of mind or behavior but rather humbling the heart and strengthening the will of each listener in the present moment. Because God is active in his Word, we should preach with the conviction that the Spirit of God will use the truths of his Word as we preach to change hearts now! As hearts change, lives change—even when sermon specifics are forgotten (Prov. 4:23).” (Page x)

“This first sermon is expository, meaning that it explains a particular passage of Scripture by clarifying the main and subordinate ideas of the author in the context of the biblical passage and by applying these spiritual truths to our contemporary situations. The approach is deductive, meaning that it moves from the development of general principles to the statement of particular applications (inductive sermons move in the opposite direction).” (Page 4)