The C. I. T. of the Text

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The “Heart” of the Passage

At the heart of a paragraph should be one cardinal thought: It is what I (and many other homileticians) call the “central idea of the text” (CIT).
The central idea of the text is channeled through the original purpose or intent of the biblical author. Once the preacher understands that ONE dominat idea, then he can begin to contemporize the central idea by create a thesis statement (how the ancient text relates to the modern listener). The Thesis takes you into the homiletical aspects of the sermon preparation process.

The sermon, as a living word from God to his people, should make its impact on them then and there. They will not remember all the details. We should not expect them to do so. But they should remember the dominant thought, because all the sermon’s details have been marshaled to help them grasp its message and feel its power.

The proposition of the message, derived from a solid CIT and Thesis statement (see chapter 4 of Crossing the Homiletical Bridge) answers the question, What is the sermon about? ... Whether a sermon has two points or ten points, it must have one point, it must be about something (it must propose something).

"The first thing in making a sermon, the sine qua non, is the idea. There can be no sermon that was not first preceded by an idea or a theme."
John Killinger,
Fundamentals of Preaching, 44

I have a conviction that no sermon is ready for preaching, not ready for writing out, until we can express its theme in a short, pregnant sentence as clear as crystal. I find the getting of that sentence is the hardest, the most exacting, and the most fruitful labour in my study.
J. H. Jowett,
The Preacher: His Life and World, 133

Haddon Robinson says ideally each sermon is the explanation, interpretation, or application of a single dominant idea (C. I. T) supported by other ideas, all drawn from one passage or several passages of Scripture. He notes that sermons fail because:

a. They have too many ideas; but more often they deal with unrelated ideas.
b. Preachers may conceive of sermons as a collection of points that have little relationship to each other.
c. Fragmentation; little more than scattered comments based on words and phrases from a passage.

Get to the heart of the passage first and foremost, then all else will become quite easy.

The Moments Before

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I have been asked many times by students and church members alike this question, "Tony, what do you the moments before you come into the Worship Center (aka "sanctuary") to preach?" I tell these wonderful folks that, for me, it is much more than the moments before that I start to get spirtually psyched up for the preaching moment. For at least 15 years now I have risen from bed around 4 a.m. on Sunday mornings. I get my coffee, my Bible, and my printed manuscript (yes I use one but rarely can anyone really tell). I pray. I pray for additional illumination regarding the selected biblical text and I pray that God reminds me that this will be HIS moment and not mine. I then read and re-read the manuscript. I picture the delivery event in my mind. I rehearse at least three times. I edit. This is all for the purpose of being as prepared and ready as I can before my church family. Rest comes later. Around 6 a.m. I finish getting ready and I then just relax and reflect. The last hour in the study at the church before I preach, I pray again and once more read through the selected passage. As I walk out of the pastor's study, I grab the door knob and pray that God would receive glory and that I share HIS message for the listeners.

Applying the Word

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DEFINING APPLICATION

“‘Application’ stems from two Latin words: Ap, meaning ‘to,’ and plico, meaning ‘to knit.’ Application developed into the idea of joining something in such a way as to change or effect that to which it was joined. Historically, two other terms were used to describe the act of applying Scripture:
Improvements - enabling a congregation to utilize God’s Word in their daily lives.
Uses - the practical implications of a biblical text, following the “Doctrines,” showing how the latter might impact everyday living.” -(Adams, Truth Applied, 15-16)

SCOTT BLUE BELIEVES APPLICATION IN THE EXPOSITORY SERMON MUST INCLUDE AT LEAST 5 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS:


1. Sermon application must be based on biblical truths gained by a historical¬
grammatical-literary examination of the biblical text chosen for the expository sermon.

2. Sermon application should be related to the author's intended purpose for the text or a
portion of the text.

3. Sermon application must relate why the biblical truths are relevant for the
listeners in their contemporary lives.

4. Sermon application must include practical examples and suggestions of how
listeners can adapt their lives to the biblical truths presented.

5. Sermon application must persuade listeners that they should adapt their lives to
the biblical truths presented and encourage them to do so.

Application


The goal of application in preaching is to aid listeners in making the connection between the biblical text and their lives. The issue of biblical and preaching relevancy has been discussed ad nauseam for the last few decades. Many writers in the field of homiletics speak of the need for preachers to “make the Bible relevant” for the modern listener. I have always found that expression laughable.

In my classes and writings I continually stress that  God’s Word already is remarkably relevant. No preacher “makes” the biblical text relevant. There is, however, the challenge that preachers face in helping listeners to see that relevance and then live it out in their daily lives. This is where the functional element of application comes into play. The issue for the preacher is not in “making” the biblical text relevant, but in revealing the pre-existing relevance.

Application, properly revealed, may show a Christian how to develop a more meaningful prayer life, solve particular problems, restore relationships, access the forgiving nature of God, develop the principle of financial stewardship, or understand and utilize spiritual giftedness. For sermons to be meaningful to listeners the preacher simply must expand his abilities in demonstrating the relevance of his chosen text.

Preachers and teachers of God's Word need to understand that in order to make meaningful application to the contemporary listener we must understand people and the world they live in. A preacher or teacher literally must be a student of people and their environments. Therefore he must subscribe to popular magazines, keep abreast of financial trends, be aware of educational issues and trends, understand and be able to discuss gadget technology (the I-world), be familiar with issues in local, national, and international politics; music and literary trends, and any other matter(s) the people that attend his church face.

Preachers simply must learn to study the truths of the Bible that were originally intended for an ancient culture and show how those truths relate to and canned by carried out within the live of the modern listener.