Biblical preaching takes on many different methods of presentation, just as the Biblical authors used stories, parables, psalms, and letters.  There are many acceptable forms of sermon delivery, just as there are many different ways to communicate God’s truth.

In the past, preachers were considered as credible authorities with the right to tell people what to think and how to live.  That level of authority has been lost in most of the world.  Preaching today must be life related and authenticated by the power of the Word of God.

Pentecostal preaching is powerful, anointed, passionate, divinely driven communication based on the truths of God’s Holy Word.  Pentecostal preaching comes from the heart of the preacher and goes straight to the heart of the listener.  It is preaching that provides wholesome spiritual nourishment for God’s people from His Word.

Pentecostal preaching both evangelizes the non-believers and equips the believers to do the work of the ministry.  This is an awesome responsibility.  Preachers are the purveyors of God’s truth, the physicians of the soul.  We shall be held accountable to God for any perversion of truth and for our negligence and lack of skill.

The Pentecostal preacher’s knowledge of the power of the Holy Spirit and of the healing/delivering power of God, reminds us that we will be judged by God on the truthfulness, accuracy, and integrity of our preaching.  Any failure as a spokesman of God brings not only shame (2 Timothy 2:15) but also judgment (James 3:1).

A small amount of skill, ability, and anointing will never enable a preacher to teach the deep things of God, convince stubborn minds, capture affections and will, or spread light on darkness.  But above all, if a preacher is to be used of God to free men from their strongholds of ignorance, convince their consciences, stop their mouths, and fulfill the responsibility to proclaim all the counsel of God, the preacher must not only be skilled in the Word of God but also anointed of the Holy Spirit.

A first-person sermon is preached from the viewpoint of an eyewitness to a Biblical event.  It recounts a story from the perspective of one of the characters in the story.

First-person expository preaching helps to apply Scripture to the meaning of everyday life.  This method communicates its message through the power of story and the power of drama.  A first-person sermon tells a story from the perspective of an insider to the story.

People tend to remember good stories.  Television is full of stories, even the news and sports.  In sermons, stories promote life-related learning, enabling people to experience the truth of God in their lives. Stories create word pictures that influence the way people look at life, reflect life, and communicate ideas.

A good expository first-person sermon is built upon solid exegesis.  Preparation involves researching the character so that we get into the mind and personality of the him/her. Next we research the setting, the culture, and the geographical details.

Presentation requires a healthy imagination guided by extreme care for the integrity of the Scriptural text. Presentation transports the contemporary audience back into ancient time and transports the character into the modern world.

Stages of Constructing the First-Person Sermon

God speaks through the Bible and expository preaching may be the best way to communicate the truths and divine authority of Scripture.

Haddon W. Robinson defines expository preaching as “the communication of a Biblical concept, derived from and transmitted through a historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context, which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through him/her to the hearers.”

Some key facts about expository preaching:

• The passage governs the sermon.
• The expositor communicates a concept.
• The concept comes from the text.
• The concept is applied first to the preacher as God deals with him/her concerning the message.
• The concept is applied to the hearers.
• The sermon should have a central, unifying idea at the heart of the message.
• The idea should be defined and formed so that the idea answers the question, “What exactly am I saying about the subject?”

There are many approaches to sermon construction, however, two facts emerge in the way expositions go about preparing sermons. First, mental preparation is a dynamic process. Secondly, detailed instructions about how to think in preparation might actually hinder the process.

Dynamic and effective preaching must flow out of our imagination, our insight, and our spiritual passion. These do not come simply out of following a set of how-to instructions. As we look at the following stages, keep in mind that sometimes they follow other orders of sequence.

Stage 1) Choose the passage to be preached

• The sermon will be based on some unit of Biblical thought.
• Consider the amount of material that can be covered in the time allotted for the sermon.
• Make sure the topic fits the passage.
• In selecting the best passage for the sermon, take advantage of resources such as lexicons, concordances, Bible dictionaries, word-study books, commentaries, etc.

Stage 2) Study the passage and gather notes

• The message must also relate to the immediate context of the passage.

Stage 3) Determine the exegetical idea from the passage

• Narrow the subject.
• Expand the subject into the main idea (called the complement).
• From the passage identify the characters, episodes, and main ideas behind the story.

Stage 4) Analyze the main exegetical idea

• Remember that expository sermons consist of ideas drawn from Scripture and related to life.
• Ask, “What does this mean?”
• Ask, “What is the deepest truth of this passage?”
• Ask, “What difference does it make?” This focuses on the author’s theological purpose.

Stage 5) State the main idea in the most exact and memorable sentence possible

• The central idea should be stated in a way that connects the Bible and the audience.
• Restate the idea in different words to clarify or impress it upon the audience.

Stage 6) Determining the purpose of the sermon

• The purpose defines what the truth of the message should accomplish.
• The purpose behind the passage of Scripture should correspond with the purpose of the sermon.
• An expository sermon finds it’s purpose in line with the Biblical purposes.
• Purpose is what one expects to happen in the lives of those who hear the sermon.

Stage 7) Decide how to accomplish this purpose

• Think about the ideas of the sermon and determine how one should seek to accomplish the purpose.
• Sometimes the idea needs to be explained, proved, or applied.

Stage 8) Outline the sermon

• An outline clarifies the relationship between the parts of a sermon.
• An outline crystallizes the order of ideas into an appropriate sequence.
• Outlining the sermon helps to recognize the areas requiring additional support material to fully develop the points.
• Outlines consist of an introduction, body, and conclusion.
• With the expansion of the outline, the substance of the sermon becomes more obvious.
• A complicated outline with many subdivisions looks good but can overwhelm or lose the audience.
• Use transitional statements to move from one point in the outline to the next.

Stage 9) Filling in the sermon outline in order to explain, expand, or amplify the major points.

• Restate points for clarity and emphasis.
• Explain and define.
• Compare and contrast.
• Expository preaching uses the facts of Scripture and not just opinions.
• Quotations can be used to support or expand a point or idea.
• Use narration to fill in history, the setting, personalities involved, etc.
• Use illustrations; they make points clearer, more believable, and more interesting.
• Personal illustrations add warmth and vitality to a sermon
• Illustrations restate, explain, prove, or apply ideas by relating them to tangible experiences.

Stage 10) Writing the introduction and the conclusion

• Introductions command attention.
• People tend to sit up and listen to hear a story.
• The opening must grab people’s attention.
• Introductions orient people to what is coming in the sermon.
• Keep the introduction short.
• Do not promise more than you will deliver.
• During the introduction, people make a mental decision about the speaking ability of the preacher before you get to the body of the message.
• The purpose of a conclusion is to conclude.
• Conclusions might restate or review the major points presented.
• A conclusions summarizes and ties loose ends together.
• Conclusion might contain illustrations, quotations, a question, a prayer, or might give directions.

The effectiveness of a life-related expository sermon depends on what we say and how we say it. Sermons are made up of thoughts, language, voice, gestures, and content. Effective delivery begins with passion and anointing as we are directed by God to make His word both life-related and life-changing.

We want to preach so that people will listen. This requires that we develop our skills of communication and our ability to prepare and present life-related sermons, which can be used by God to accomplish His divine purposes.

Matthew Simpson in his Lectures on Preaching  put the preacher in his place: “His throne is the pulpit; he stands in Christ’s stead; his message is the word of God; around him are immortal souls; the Savior, unseen, is beside him; the Holy Spirit broods over the congregation; angels gaze upon the scene, and heaven and hell await the issue. What associations, and what a vast responsibility!”