Table of Contents
1980, 2001 by Haddon W. Robinson
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Book House Company
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Robinson, Haddon W.
Biblical preaching : the development and delivery of expository messages /
Haddon W. Robinson2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8010-2262-2 (cloth)
1. Preaching. 2. BibleHomiletical use. I. Title
BV4211.3 .R59 2001
251dc21 00-048606
Scripture quotations marked ASV are from the American Standard Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE . Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the
Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked PHILLIPS are from the New Testament in Modern English, rev. ed., copyright 1958, 1960, 1972 by J. B. Phillips.
Scripture quotations marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations not marked with a translation are the authors own translations.
For information about academic books, resources for Christian leaders, and all new releases available from Baker Book House, visit our web site: http://www.bakerbooks.com
To the men and women
who keep a sacred appointment
on Sunday morning.
Bewildered by seductive voices,
nursing wounds life has inflicted upon them,
anxious about matters that do not matter.
Yet they come to listen for a clear word from God
that speaks to their condition.
And to those who minister to them now
and those who will do so in the future.
PREFACE TO THE Second Edition
Twenty years have passed since I first wrote Biblical Preaching . Twenty years. In terms of a persons life, thats a long time. In the words of Charles Dickens, they have been the best of times and the worst of times. The painful times put a new note in my preachinga sympathy with sinners and a cherishing of Gods grace. Unfortunately I have no way to put that into this book.
In the twenty years that have passed, I have been delighted and surprised by those who have purchased Biblical Preaching . I have persuaded myself that some have even read it. Students in my classes at Denver Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary have had to read it as an assignment. As a group they have spoken well of it. Students at other schools have also used it as a text. On occasion they have been kind enough to drop me a note of appreciation or have found me at a conference to tell me that the book gave them some guidance for their preaching. Seasoned veterans who studied preaching back in the dark ages have spoken well of it and have used it for a refresher course. I am gratified by the response.
Then why a second edition? Well, I have changed. I am older now and perhaps a bit wiser. I see some matters more clearly now than I did two decades ago. I havent changed my basic procedure: sermons must deal with ideas or they deal with nothing. As I have reread these pages, however, I have realized I possess an uncanny ability to make clear things dim. Some sections of the book, therefore, have been largely rewritten to take another run at what I wanted to say.
Feedback from students also prodded me to change some of the exercises at the conclusion of the first chapters. Some of the original material was too complicated and abstract, and it frustrated readers more than it helped them. Ive attempted to do better.
Ive also changed my language to reflect my theology. God doesnt distribute his gifts by gender. Both women and men have the ability and responsibility to communicate Gods Word. I have always believed that, but the language in my first book reflected a distinct male bias. To those women who have used my book in spite of that, I express my thanks for their grace. In this revision I hope I have demonstrated the fruits of my repentance.
In the last twenty years, the culture has changed. Television and the computer have influenced the ways we learn and think. Narrative preaching has come into vogue and reflects the reality that listeners in a television culture think with pictures in their heads. I have spent a bit more time talking about narrative preaching this time around. Inductive sermons also reflect the influence of a storied culture. Although I wrote about induction twenty years ago, I have given it more emphasis in the revision.
Many other authors have written about preaching in the last twenty years. I have not only expanded the bibliography at the conclusion of the book to bring it up to date, but at the end of several chapters I have suggested books for further study.
In the first preface I mentioned an honor roll of people who influenced me in a special way. All of them are to be thanked again. I would like to add my friend Scott Gibson to the list. He is a valued associate who has left a thumbprint on my life. Sid Buzzell, Terry Mattingly, and Don Sunukjian have taught by my side in the Doctor of Ministry track in preaching at Gordon-Conwell. As they have taught the participants in the program, they have taught me a great deal.
I owe an unpayable debt to Alice Mathews, who has a noble heart and a splendid mind. She not only gave me valuable suggestions, but out of her busy schedule of writing and lecturing, she has invested hours on the manuscript. I know the value of her time. Socrates once asked a simple old man what he was most thankful for. The old fellow answered, That being such as I am, I have had the friends I have had. That is how I feel.
Finally, once again I give thanks to my wife, Bonnie. In our fifty years together, her warmth has not cooled nor her beauty dimmed. She is a remarkable woman. I have never gotten over the fact that she chose to marry me.
PREFACE TO THE First Edition
When reading a book I have sometimes thought of the preface as material to be skipped. It resembled hymns in a badly planned service. The author inserted it as a buffer before he got down to the business of his book.
As an author, however, I regard the preface as an absolute necessity. I write this volume with no little hesitancy, and the preface permits me to file a needed disclaimer. The literature of homiletics features the names of brilliant preachers and superior teachers. One should think twiceand twice againbefore nominating himself to that company.
