Timothy Keller (as part of his preaching course) provides this succinct (Luther-esque) 4 point argument which is the heart of his sermon application.
1. The Plot winds up: WHAT YOU MUST DO.
‘This is what you have to do! Here is what the text/narrative tells us that we must do or what we must be.’2. The Plot thickens: WHY YOU CAN’T DO IT.
‘But you can’t do it! Here are all the reasons that you will never become like this just by trying very hard.’
3. The Plot resolves: HOW HE DID IT.
‘But there’s One who did. Perfectly. Wholly. Jesus. He has done this for us, in our place.’
4. The Plot winds down: HOW, THROUGH HIM, YOU CAN DO IT.
‘Our failure to do it is due to our functional rejection of what he did. Remembering him frees our heart so we can change like this …’
For me, it seems too rigid to be a template for every sermon. Yet as a tool, I imagine it would be very helpful.
April 9, 2009 at 10:37 pm |
Thanks for this link, and also the link to the previous post. Not quite whether the template would work for every sermon, but sounds interesting.
April 14, 2009 at 6:48 am |
TK can pull this off.
But I have seen this done terribly!