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It is not enough to simply preach what the passage of Scripture says within your next sermon. It’s a good start, but don’t stop there. You’ll stop short of something truly beautiful, truly remarkable.

We advocate all the time for one-point sermons, however, we must not even approach that one point from only one angle. We know this intuitively, but it’s worth putting language to. And beyond that, if we simply look at the text and proclaim what it says, we are settling for a somewhat 2d view of the picture that is really 4d. Let’s jump into this.

4 ANGLES TO PREACH FROM EVERY TIME

1. HISTORICAL ANGLE

We must always put the text into its context. Without it, we are leaving people with only a glimpse of the picture. This is also something that many, many church attenders are not doing in their own Bible reading. Why? Because knowing the context is an extra effort thing and nowhere in the Bible does it say: go learn the setting this is all placed in.

Anytime we preach, we must begin from the angle of history. We must see the passage as the original hearers would have heard it. We must consider the baggage they brought to the text. We must see how their culture was dealing with social issues and spiritual issues. 

2. HEAVENLY FATHER’S ANGLE

How often do we simply approach God’s word and simply focus on its implications for us ourselves? What was God in the midst of doing when this passage was given?

Our grand Artist, Author, and Creator is always up to something. In the passage you will preach this Sunday, what is He up to?

For example, why was Daniel in Babylon even though He was an Israelite? For each of the Prophets, what was God up to while they were proclaiming His words to the masses? Was He getting closer to sending them to exile, had He already done so, or was He getting ready to send them back?  The mind of God. Dare we preach on it every chance we get? Absolutely! There’s no better way to be in awe at the Bible than to come at it from God’s angle.

3. CHRIST’S ANGLE

Every time you preach, you should preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ (here’s how). In the grand narrative of redemption, where does the passage of Scripture you are preaching on fit into that? Is it pointing toward redemption, pointing at redemption, or pointing back to redemption?

Christ came to seek and to save those who are lost. This mission has been accomplished so in every sermon we preach, we must show people the grand narrative of Scripture which is God relentlessly pursuing the redemption of mankind for His glory.

4. HOLY SPIRIT’S ANGLE

In some circles this angle gets all the love and in others it gets no love at all. To preach from the Holy Spirit’s angle is to consider what God is doing in and through the life of His follower TODAY. Christ’s work today is through the Spirit’s work today.

Looking at the Holy Spirit’s angle will propel us toward the fact that the Gospel is more than salvation. We must not just look at what God has done, but what God is doing today. God’s work in you and through you is the Holy Spirit’s work.

If we can see what God is doing today, we can better apply Scripture to people’s lives.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR ONE-POINT PREACHING

If we want to preach a 4d message in 4d, we must approach the text from 4 different angles. We can still boil down the message to one point, however, we must look at even that one point from these 4 different angles. Or better yet, we get that one point fromthese four different angles.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

What would you add? What angles do you approach the text from when you preach? I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or on social media (Facebook Group | Facebook Page |Twitter).

 

 

Brandon Kelley serves at a fast-growing church plant in Batavia, Ohio (east side of Cincinnati) called The Crossing in the role of Outreach & Communications Pastor. He loves to learn and write about preaching and leadership. Connect with him on Twitter.

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Gordon Shaw

commented on Aug 4, 2016

I appreciate this input and consideration.,

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