Lesson Goal
I hope to teach how to preach a question and answer style sermon.
Lesson Intro
Have you ever been interviewed or been asked a lot of questions that you had difficulty answering. Christians are encouraged to give an answer for the hope that lies within them, but so much of the time, we don't have a clue as to how to answer. The Q & A sermon can be useful in equipping believers to be able to answer some of the tricky questions that come our way.
Lesson Plan
We will look at why questions are good to ask, what do do about hostile questions, why it is sometimes best to respond to rather than answer a question, public questions about personal sins, friendly questions, and some other general question-answering techniques. Then we will discuss how to prepare a Q & A style sermon, where you prepare the questions ahead of time, and give an example sermon.
Lesson Body
1. Why Ask Questions?
Questions are often asked that are pejorative, accusative in tone, or from people who are just plain hostile. Jesus was often asked such questions by religious leaders. Other times, questions are sincerely asked by people who genuinely want to know. Jesus' disciples often asked these kind of questions. We need to know how to think on our feet, and we need to have some kind of an answer for those who ask us why we believe what we do. A sermon that uses a Q & A approach prepares the congregation to answer such questions.
2. What about Hostile Questions?
Pastors are often exposed to tough interrogation. These inquiries may come from outside the church or from within. The Bible says that we don't have to answer all antagonistic questions. For instance, there is a time to answer a fool and a time not to (Proverbs 26:4-5). That is a judgment call. Not all aggressive quizzing come from fools either. Some members of the church may become hostile because of doctrinal differences, disagreements over programs, a pastor's real or perceived faults, and any number of other things. Pastors may not always anticipate this ahead of time, but so much the better if you can.
3. Do you have to Answer?
Sometimes a response is better than an answer. Notice how Jesus dealt with the sniping questions coming from religious leaders (Matthew 9:11-13; Mark 7:5-13). Often, he answered with a question. This annoyed the Pharisees then as much as it does news reporters today, but it was a legitimate response to an unfriendly query. Most people think that you have to answer the question being asked. This is false. You don't have to answer a question to respond to a question. Just ask yourself this, "Do you want to get sidetracked by a news reporter who is only concerned with juicy gossip that sells papers, or do you want to use the opportunity to spread the most important news on the planet, the gospel?" How to respond becomes clearer. Sometimes Jesus did not answer a question at all, but took the discussion in a more important direction. A hostile question can be an opportunity to give further information that you believe is more important.
4. What about Personal Sins?
Sometimes, Jesus nailed his inquisitors with an astute response that exposed their sins. Remember though, that Jesus had a purpose in his answers that you and I may not have in ours. You may not want to stir up religious leaders so that they will crucify you, but you may want to lead people to faith. Also, Jesus made no mistakes. We don't have that luxury, so if we are challenged about our faults, admit them and move on.
5. What about Friendly Questions?
Jesus' disciples were also full of questions. However, being a disciple did not guarantee that Jesus would always give a soft answer. Sometimes he was gentle and other times quite blunt with his students. So responding to friendly questions is similar to responding to unfriendly ones. It's just that we have the added advantage of the hearers being for the most part on our side.
6. Are there Other Techniques?
Some other skills for answering questions include: listening carefully, repeating the question, respond to the person by looking at them, anticipate questions, tell the truth (if you don't know, say so), If there are better experts within earshot ask them to answer, don't use hostile gestures, don't lose your temper, be in control, if someone wants to argue cut them short by saying there are different schools of thought and move on, be brief and to the point, finish with a strong closing statement.
Preparation
1. What is Your Topic or Pericope?
Depending on the topic or pericope you choose there are any number of questions that could be asked.
2. How Many Questions?
The numbers of questions you ask will depend on the sermon, however, remember that each question is a point in your sermon, so dozens of questions may be too many.
3. What Order to the Questions?
This will depend on the logical flow that you intend to create. You may want to start with simple questions leading to more complex ones. Then again you may have some time sequence, mystery sequence or some other completely different logical flow.
Example Sermon
Title: "Why be Chaste?"
Goal
Encourage chastity.
Intro
What is the most precious gift you can give your spouse on your wedding day? It is that you waited for that person and that person alone. Remaining faithful before and during marriage is all too uncommon today. Many think it is unnecessary and antiquated. What is the right thing to do?
Plan
We will discuss what the Bible says about chastity, why it offers protection, why it is the ideal, defacto relationships and what to do if you have already blown it sexually.
Body
1. What does the Bible Say?
The Bible tells us to avoid sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8) to flee from it and honor God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18, 20). Sleeping with another man's wife will get you burned (Proverbs 6:27-29). Avoid the adulterous woman or man, because it is a death trap (Proverbs 5:20-23). Sexually immoral people will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). There must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity among Christians (Ephesians 5:3-4).
2. What about Protection from Disease?
Even those who campaign to prevent sexually transmitted disease seem to have given up on the best protection known to medical science, quarantine. Yet chastity, two virgins marrying each other after having waited, is the best quarantine for venereal disease. Condoms are not as good as quarantine. They break. Abstinence before marriage and faithfulness afterwards is the best remedy. Many STD's carry a grave risk of infertility and death. An immoral James Bond lifestyle may look exciting in the movies, but most movies fail to disclose the damaged emotions, depression, sexual dysfunction, unhappy future relationships and unwanted pregnancies that are a part of the package.
3. What about Protection from Emotional Damage?
Condoms are only second best physical protection and cannot prevent the emotional damage caused by multiple partners. Chastity does not promise blissful lifelong marriage, but it gives marriage a greater chance of succeeding. Marriage partners who have been faithful to their future spouse beforehand are more likely to remain faithful during marriage. They are also more likely to be morally and emotionally strong in the face of the struggles of life. They have already demonstrated that they could withstand the temptation to give in to the easy way.
4. What about Protecting the Defenseless?
6 million unborn babies are killed each year, 2/3 of them in Russia and America. Many of these unwanted children are put to death by their unwed mothers. This is a worldwide disgrace which could be minimized significantly by a greater popularity of chastity resulting in less unwanted pregnancies among young singles.
5. What is the Ideal?
Marriage is the best sexual union and chastity before and during makes the best marriage. The best instruction in chastity is an apprenticeship, growing up seeing an example of marital purity in their parents, hearing parents explain sincerely and enthusiastically why waiting for marriage was so important, and sitting in church hearing sermons that encourage marital fidelity. Young people are then more likely to make a lifelong public commitment themselves. The ideal start to a sexual union is marriage, making a promise to almighty God before witnesses, a commitment confirmed by a legally binding signature made in the presence of parents and the Church.
6. Why is Pre-Marital Sex Wrong?
Premarital sex is as seen as a given these days. Very few, young or old, save themselves for marriage. Some do, and they are often ridiculed, but the great secret is that they are usually far happier and healthier than those who did not wait. Sex before marriage is not as good as the publicity alleges. It is unsatisfying sex, because there are so many missing ingredients. The best sex is inside of a faithful marriage, where there is emotional protection, quarantine, trust, safety, long-term commitment, family support and real love instead of cheap lust.
The best preparation for the best sex is premarital celibacy, chastity. If the only person you have ever had sex with is your spouse, you have the best sex on the planet. Nothing can take that away from you, unless you allow temptation to turn into adultery and ruin what you had. Ignore the sleazy Hollywood propaganda. It is one of the biggest lies on earth. Many people wonder if they are missing out on something by staying faithful in marriage. That is a normal and natural thought, but the answer is no. If you give in to temptation, you may think you taste something better for the short term, but in the end, you will only taste bitterness and misery.
7. What about a Defacto Relationship?
A common law or defacto marriage is considered to be a real marriage in the law of many countries, but it is also deficient. The law may or may not protect the property of the two individuals, and it guarantees none of the other protective ingredients of the ideal marriage union.
The marriage failure rate in the western world is a known fact, but not many know that defacto relationships fail at a far higher rate than traditional marriages. There is also a significantly greater risk of domestic violence, child abuse, depression, lower school grades, child behavioral problems and lower family incomes among cohabiting couples. People who have multiple sexual partners are more likely to be cynical about, feel betrayed by and distrustful of the opposite sex. Shacking-up is a dangerous choice not an attractive one. A defacto relationship is a statistically proven threat to a person's future happiness.
Today's generation is confused about sex and gender, is sexually abusive and sexually exploited, they are parenting too early, too impatient to wait and as a result, are living in misery. The ideal sexual union takes place in a committed marriage, with parental and church support and encouragement.
8. What if It's Too Late?
Most who read this will have already blown it. They will be among the majority in our society who has messed up their purity with some kind of sexual misadventure. It would have been far better never to have sinned in the first place. But that is not realistic. That's why we have Jesus as our Savior. Even those who have not been physically unfaithful, have done the same thing in their minds (Matthew 5:28-30). Everyone has committed sexual sin in their minds. We cannot regain what we have lost. If you were a virgin and have lost it (male or female) you cannot regain it ever again, that's impossible, just as it is difficult to erase the results of an unwanted pregnancy or permanent damage from a venereal disease. But, we can be clean again, spiritually. We can have forgiveness if we confess our sins (1 John 1:9). As long as we have life and Christ's forgiveness, we can start again.
9. What is Honest?
Those who want to promote sexual promiscuity and divorce claim to have the animal kingdom as their guide, yet many examples exist among various animal species of monogamy. Those who promote condoms as the best available medical prophylactic, dishonestly ignore the most effective disease prevention known to medical science, quarantine. The real issue is morality. Whose morality counts, that made up by impious humans who want to excuse an irresponsible lifestyle, or that given to us by our all-wise God?
Conclusion
Sex inside of marriage is a blessing from God. If handled with chastity and loyalty both before and during marriage, it has the best promise of success. If we mess up, we will suffer physical consequences, perhaps even lifelong consequences, but the sins of the flesh are forgivable. That's why we Jesus died, so we could be forgiven.
Suggested Assignment
Choose a sermon that can be outlined using questions. Formulate a list of questions. Weed out the ones that are not as useful and organize those that are left into some logical order.
Lesson Outro
We looked at why questions are good to ask, what do do about hostile questions, why it is sometimes best to respond to rather than answer a question, public questions about personal sins, friendly questions, and some other general question-answering techniques. Then we discussed how to prepare a Q & A style sermon, where you prepare the questions ahead of time, and gave an example sermon. The Q & A sermon can be useful in equipping believers to be able to answer some of the tricky questions that come our way.
