week 6

· Make sure sermon ideas are clear and well worded.

· Plan the sermon design with a focus on God.

· Be alert to the faith element in your text.

· Word division statements for the credibility of God.

· Plan sermon development for faith appeal.

· Plan the conclusion as a call to faith.

This assignment involves planning the design of your sermon as an appeal for faith. Complete the exercise with the following steps:

1. Identify in the text the ideas about God that would plead his credibility. These may be directly presented or only implied.

Character - Not only is God the source of our confidence; he is the object of and source of our faith.

Capabilities - God is able to give us confidence in the face of our fears and boldness to share the gospel with anyone anywhere, in any situation

Intentions - “In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.” Isaiah 54:14 (KJV). God intends to establish us in his righteousness, making us bold and fearless in the face of persecution as he uses us to proclaim his word!

Record - The same God who kept Daniel safe in a lion’s den and delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from a fiery furnace

is able to deliver us from any trial and empower us to do his will.

2. Trace from the text writer’s material the theological assumptions behind his statements. Every instruction, interpretation, or application has its foundation in the person of God. The imperative is based on the indicative.

God has taken Paul’s bad situation and turned it to good for Paul and glory to Him (vs. 12-13)

God has caused confidence and boldness to come over the church through Paul’s situation (vs. 14)

God is glorified whenever Christ is preached, even with false motives or selfish ambitions (vs. 15-18)

3. Write your sermon idea here as you have stated it. Test it for its faith appeal.

God can and will use us in the midst of trials and hardships when we trust him as our source of confidence and holy boldness.

· It is it indicative in mood? yes

· Does it present a faith principle? yes

· Does it use faith language? yes

· Does it give the hearer assurance? yes

· Is it essentially theological? yes

· Does it claim the credibility of God? yes

4. Check each division statement by the same tests. How does it measure up to the faith aim?

We will see opportunities to proclaim the gospel (v12) yes

We can fearlessly and confidently proclaim the gospel to everyone (vs. 13-14) yes

We can proclaim the gospel sincerely and with pure motives (vs 15-17) yes

We can proclaim the gospel no matter who or what comes against us ( vs 18) yes

· It is it indicative in mood?

· Does it present a faith principle?

· Does it use faith language?

· Does it give the hearer assurance?

· Is it essentially theological?

· Does it claim the credibility of God?

5. Examine development throughout and check it for balance in dealing with the barriers to faith.

· Conceptualization

· Rationalizaton

· Visualization

· Actualization

6. Analyze the introductory and concluding segments for their faith appeal according to the tests in item three above.