Sermons on Stephens Preaching:

Lesson 48: Preach Apologetics Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on May 7, 2018

Basic elements of preaching to defend the Christian faith

Lesson Goal Introduce some basic elements of preaching apologetically. Lesson Intro In Philippians 1:7, 17 Paul defended the Christian faith. Defending the Christian faith has a long history. Those who have a particular gift in this area have served the church well throughout Christian history. ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Lesson 49: Preach With Balance Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on May 9, 2018

How can we teach our congregations to balance Christian essentials with non-essentials? How can we overcome bigotry on non-essential doctrines, while still maintaining our preference.

Lesson Goal Introduce some basic elements of balanced preaching. Lesson Intro In Acts 20:27 Paul informs the the church of God in Ephesus that he had preached to them the whole counsel of God. Most preachers that do not have a structured annual preaching plan are guilty of over-preaching their ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Lesson 50: Preach The Gospel Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on May 10, 2018

Preach Jesus, the Good News, evangelistic preaching from every part of the Bible.

Lesson Goal I want to encourage the preaching of Jesus, the gospel, evangelistic preaching from every part of the Bible. Lesson Intro Our planet is bombarded by dozens of important messages. Reversing dangerous global climate change is a message that is very prominent. Saying no to drugs is an ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Lesson 51: Preach Impromptu Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on May 13, 2018

Occasionally a preacher is required to give a sermon with only a few minutes notice and completely without preparation. Here's how to do it.

Lesson Goal Learn how to preach without notice. Lesson Intro 2 Timothy 4:2 tells preachers to always be ready to give a sermon. There comes a time when you will show up at a church service only to be asked to pinch hit for someone else who had been scheduled to speak. Perhaps you are on vacation ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Lesson 52: Gourmet Preaching Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on May 14, 2018

Preaching lessons from the best sermon ever given, the Sermon on the Mount.

Lesson Goal In this lesson I hope to teach some features of a rich sermon gleaned from the greatest sermon of all time, the Sermon on the Mount for a sermon filled with splendid content. Lesson Intro Have you ever sat through one of those sermons where you wished you could remember every line, ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

We Preach Christ Not Ourselves

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Jun 1, 2018

How are we to understand the New Testament? Are some of its instructions now irrelevant to us? Should we preach ourselves, our denomination, or popular opinion which contradicts the New Testament?

Prelude How are we to understand the New Testament? Are some of its instructions now irrelevant to us? Should we preach ourselves, our denomination, or popular opinion which contradicts the New Testament? Purpose: Let’s examine the popular notion that we can ignore or reinterpret clear New ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Denomination: Baptist

Preach For Free? Must Be Crazy!

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Feb 24, 2017

People say preachers are in it for the money, but if one comes just ready to preach for free they think you are nuts. Where's the win-win? ;-)

Ever since I have been saved, I have heard that "Preachers are only in it for the money." My first pastor was driving a twelve-year-old car, raising four kids on a salary that was equal to what my father-in-law was paying in weekly taxes. Admittedly, when you look at the lifestyles of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:7-8, 1 Corinthians 9:18

Denomination: Baptist

Lesson 2: Preach A Text Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Feb 27, 2018

The Bible is the most important basis of preaching. How do we preach a text of Holy Scripture?

What’s our Goal Let’s emphasize the importance of Bible-based preaching. What’s the Idea The modern idea that the Bible is not the Word of God but only contains the Word of God is very narrow and inadequate. Granted, there is no verse in the Bible which calls everything from Genesis to ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Lesson 8: Preach For Application Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Mar 7, 2018

Making our sermons relevant and practical

Lesson Goal The purpose of this lesson is to help us always make our sermons relevant for daily use and our congregations doers of the word and not hearers only (James 1:22). Lesson Intro There is nothing worse than hearing a pie in the sky, unrealistic sermon from a young preacher who has no ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Lesson 13: Preach A Springboard Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Mar 19, 2018

How to springboard without slipping

(The Textual Topic or Topical Text) Lesson Goal Preach a sermon that appropriately uses a single text as a springboard to discuss a broader topic. Lesson Intro As with the biblical topic sermon, some topics are not covered completely within one text. Lesson Plan We will discuss how to use a ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Lesson 19: Preach A Doctrine Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Mar 26, 2018

How to preach a doctrinal sermon

Lesson Goal This lesson is designed to encourage preachers to teach an occasional doctrinal or theological sermon. Lesson Intro Too many people today have gotten the idea that doctrine is not important. Yet, that kind of statement is itself a doctrine. How do you tell a counterfeit note? Any ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Lesson 22: Innovative Preaching Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Mar 30, 2018

Preach the timeless Gospel with modern techniques

Lesson Goal This lesson is designed to encourage preachers to be innovative and culturally relevant, to be a Greek to the Greek (1 Corinthians 9:20). Lesson Intro Jesus' preaching was innovative and different than the usual preaching in the synagogues of his day. Throughout church history art ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Lesson 23: Hermeneutical Preaching Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Mar 30, 2018

Teaching by example how to rightly interpret Holy Scripture

Lesson Goal I hope to eradicate or greatly diminish bad biblical interpretation in churches. To arm both preacher and congregation against the shoddy Scriptural analysis of many in the Christian market place. Let's teach the church how to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Lesson ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Lesson 24: Preach Revival Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Mar 31, 2018

Preaching for revival

Lesson Goal I hope to encourage the preaching of real revival not just a special event, a church growth campaign or a counterfeit. Lesson Intro There are many events in recent church history that have been called a revival, but not all of them were genuine revivals. Some were an apostasy. Real ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Lesson 27: Preach Logically Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Apr 3, 2018

Let's learn to apply logic to our sermons

Lesson Goal I hope to teach how to preach logical sermons. Lesson Intro How do we recognize deception? How do we avoid self-deception? How often have we heard fellow Christians say things that seem rather half-baked and irrational? How often have people in the scientific or educational community ...read more

Denomination: Baptist