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  First Tuesday of February, 2001
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IN THIS ISSUE:

[1] Greetings from the Editor

[2] Featured Article: "More on Angle - An Example"

[3] Preacher's Study Website Updates

[4] On Subscribing to Our Website

[5] Contact Information

[6] Subscribe to this Ezine

[7] Copyright Information
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[1] *=*Greetings from the Editor

Greetings to all who regularly read this ezine. Special greetings to new subscribers.

In this issue I want to say more about the subject of "angle." It was the topic of the last three issues and, upon reflection, I find I have more to say. You may read those back issues in the archives at:

http://preacherstudy.com/ezine29.htm

http://preacherstudy.com/ezine30.htm

http://preacherstudy.com/ezine31.htm

I present the article below not as an end-all on the subject. It is rather an attempt to assist perhaps a few of the 2000 readers of this ezine to make a beginning. I know only too well that many of you could teach me. Thus I will simply and humbly open my study door for any who wish to come in and watch one man's struggle to come up with a decent sermon angle from a rather typical narrative portion of scripture. Hopefully you'll pick up a pointer or two. Join me only if you wish. You can best begin by reading Genesis 24.

God bless.

--Dave

[2] *=*Featured Article

More on Angle - An Example

By Dave Redick

I arrived on the doorstep of Genesis 24 in much the same way most of you would with a passage of scripture - with a suitcase full of commentaries and reference works and the need to make a sermon from the passage for the approaching Sunday service. I had read it in the past, noted its major contribution to the narrative of Genesis, but never done the careful study necessary to discover the specific truth(s) that the Holy Spirit put there. The reason for my focus on this chapter was prior commitment to a series of messages on the life of Abraham. Sermonizing on this chapter for me was a very cold start. I had never preached on any of its verses and my passion for the message of this longest of all chapters of Genesis was yet to be kindled. How would I make a sermon for Sunday?

I began by reading all 67 verses several times, noting the major characters and their relationship to one another, any possible themes, and jotting down a rough outline. I recorded any difficulties the passage presented. Words not understood were looked up. Key cross-references were checked.

Next I went to the commentaries. I always like to form my own conclusions first, at least tentatively, and only then read what others have said.

Several sermons by others who had preached on the passage were read next. I noted each author's angle.

As I have written in this column before, I like to separate this "gathering time" from my actual sermonizing by at least one day to give what I've learned and collected time to percolate.

Next I needed an angle, a slant, on which to build the sermon.  How would I approach the passage? What would I say about it that would be relevant and useful to my hearers? What would be included? What would be excluded?

I started by looking for an overall theme. The obviously recurrent idea had to do with Abraham's finding a wife for Isaac. Several sermons I read by others were built upon versions of this angle. "How to Find A Mate" was a common approach. I considered an angle of "How to Find the Mate of Your Dreams." I didn't pursue it for several reasons, however: (1) I had preached a similar message recently and it didn't seem that we needed another on the subject, and (2) I wasn't sure how much this passage from the Patriarchal Age was intended to instruct modern mate-seekers living under the New Covenant. For instance, how much setting up circumstantial tests (re: the test to see if the girl would water the man's camels) is to be applied in the New Testament era? I would have been comfortable with this angle only if I had limited my applications of the story to clearly stated principles from the New Testament, i.e., believers should marry "only in the Lord," Isaac's deference to the wisdom of his father's judgment, etc. In the end, I chose not to pursue it.

There is also in the passage the ongoing theme of the faith of Abraham. This chapter added more to what I had already highlighted in earlier sermons in my series through Abraham's life. "Three Rock-Solid Convictions of a Man of Great Faith" occurred to me. Several such convictions are evident in the passage that are relevant to people of faith today: (1) The conviction to marry "only in the Lord." (2) The conviction to honor God's revealed will, (3) The conviction to provide for a godly legacy. The idea of sticking to convictions in old age and not going "mellow" as some do would provide a profitable application of this angle.

A third possible angle could have used a typological approach. This was seen in at least one sermon I read by another author. It drew parallels between Isaac and Christ as the bridegroom, the servant seeking a bride for Isaac and the Holy Spirit seeking a bride for Christ, Rebekah's purity and willing response and the church's need for purity and willingness, the wedding of Isaac and Rebekah and the wedding feast described in the New Testament between Christ and the church. "A Tale of Two Brides" might have described this angle and would have provided a rich vein to follow. (1) A Tale of Seeking, (2) A Tale of Purity, (3) A Tale of Willingness, (4) A Tale of Joy. I noted this angle for a possible sermon at a later time.

Next, I examined each character so as to tell the story from his or her angle. I've already mentioned Abraham's faith above. Also considered was Rebekah's example as a godly woman. "How to Become a Virtuous Woman" was one I paused long in considering. Rebekah modeled much that is worth pursuing in our day when womanhood has been reduced to the bankrupt notions of autonomy and physical attractiveness. Rebekah was (1) Pure, (2) Industrious, (3) Beautiful Inwardly, (4) Modest, etc. Much could have been said from this vantage.

I also gave some consideration to the mention of Laban, Rebekah's brother, a minor character in this chapter who would become a major player later in Genesis. Hints of his greedy and controlling nature are seen clearly in this passage. Since Laban is such a minor player here though, I quickly set this angle aside.

I then looked at the servant of Abraham. He played a major role throughout the chapter. His character qualities are numerous and evident. He is mentioned 14 times in the chapter. By contrast, Abraham is mentioned 10 times, Rebekah 13 times, Isaac 8 times. In the end, I focused on the godly characteristics of this man for my angle. A restudy of Genesis 24 with this slant in mind yielded plenty of material, in fact, too much, unless I made two sermons or determined to be brief. "Seven Characteristics of Highly Effective Servants" was my final approach. (If you're familiar with the writing of Steven R. Covey, you'll notice the play-on-words similarity of this angle to that of his best-selling book, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People.") Abraham's servant was indeed effective. He accomplished what would be nearly impossible to do. He went as a stranger to a strange land and convinced a woman who didn't know him or his master, to follow him home to marry his master's son. A listing of his virtues along with efforts to reduce each one to a single word yielded seven that I wished to highlight. An hour or so of Thesaurus work left me with these alliterated points: The servant was (1) Dependable, (2) Discriminate, (3) Devoted, (4) Diligent, (5) Developed (mature), (6) Deferent, and (7) Determined. Each point is clearly illustrated in the text.

The message was well received when I preached it.

As you prepare to preach from God's Word, think in terms of angle. You'll find that once you have a good slant, you're well on your way to building a memorable message.

Copyright (c) Dave Redick, The Preacher's Study, 2000-2001. All Rights Reserved. Reprint by permission only (which will probably be granted if you just ask.) Please do not cut articles out of this ezine and paste them anywhere else without permission. You may, however, forward this entire Ezine to friends freely.

[3] *=*Preacher's Study Website Updates

Three new items were added to the Premium Area of our website since the last issue. These may be viewed only if you are a Premium Subscriber.

"Tough Tactics for Life's Most Difficult Trials" deals with Abraham's test of faith on Mt. Moriah in Genesis 22:1-19. Difficult trials call for extreme commitments of faith.

"The Legacy of Machpelah" is a sermon about the death and burial of Sarah in Genesis 23:1-20.  It encourages God's people today to be concerned for the examples they leave behind.

"Seven Characteristics of Highly Effective Servants" follows the activities of Abraham's most trusted servant, gleaning instruction for those servants who wish to be effective for God today. Based on Genesis 24:1-67.

[4] *=*On Subscribing to Our Website

This ezine, The Preacher's Study Ezine, is actually an extension of my Website, The Preacher's Study. The two entities work hand-in-hand to promote what is unashamedly my greatest passion: promoting accurate, interesting, relevant preaching of God's Word. If you enjoy these articles, please do visit the Website. You'll find some quality of material there. Yes, there is a modest subscription fee for access to part of it, namely the Premium area, but I believe that, as our current Subscribers testify again and again, you'll find good value. All of us purchase books and commentaries to enhance our understanding of the Bible and improve our preaching. Some of these simply become inert additions to already crowded bookshelves. A subscription to The Preacher's Study will not likely become shelfware. Come see for yourself at:

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[5] *=*Contact Information

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"Energize Your Preaching"
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