 Zion's Home Page |  About Pastor Jones |
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Welcome to Zion Baptist Church's Pastor's page. On this page I intend to place outlines, articles, papers, and other items of interest to those who visit this site. Simply scroll down the page to see the links. To find out more about my beliefs about the Bible, church, ministry, and other things, please visit my weblog. To find out more about the church where I am Pastor, please visit our website. |
Sermon BriefsScroll down for the sermon briefs but please read this brief explanation first. Note that sometimes I will also place my exegesis (or probably selected parts of it, at least my exegetical outline) here as well.A sermon is, by definition, something spoken rather than written. All the words used in the NT to speak about the act of preaching are words that emphasize proclamation. (See Wilbur Ellsworth's The Power of Speaking God's Word where Ellsworth writes, "A 'written' sermon is a contradiction in terms - it is, by defintion, a spoken event.") Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I can say that no one should view these sermon briefs as finished sermons. Instead, these sermon briefs are what I use to prepare to preach. They are not full sermons, though I will use them to preach a sermon/message, nor are they complete exegetical studies, though they are (or should be) based on sound exegesis. Each point or movement of a sermon has three parts: Explanation, Illustration, and Application (some, like McDill, add Argumentation). I first do my exegesis to make sure I understand the text. There is very little by way of explanation in most of my sermon briefs, though I do at times put the headings from my exegetical outline in that space to keep my mind in the text. I DO NOT, however, preach the exegetical outline; it simply keeps my mind in the right track and on track. There is little by way of explanation in the brief simply because I have already gotten that in my mind through the exgetical process and don't need to be prompted (as one writer said, if you've spent 10-20 hours studying this text, shouldn't you be able to talk about it for 30 minutes without having constantly to refer to your notes?) As I prepare to preach the message, I write summaries of my application points which then go into this brief. This finished brief is what I study to get set in my mind what I am going to say when I preach. This method allows me to spell out what I am going to say about the text without constraining me into a set discourse. And that's all this is, people: it's a method. This means you don't have to do it this way, it is not the right way, it is not the only way, it may not even be the best way (for you, I mean) and I will abandon it when I discover something better or it no longer serves its purpose for me. (Any method you use has to be a servant; you can't be a servant to the method.) In fact, you will notice some that are only outlines and others that are full-text. If I am feeling insecure I will bring the sermon brief into the pulpit in case I need to glance at it. I try, however, not to bring anything into the pulpit except my preaching Bible. (Just because I'm not reading a sermon doesn't mean I'm "just winging it"! you see, there's a difference between "extemporaneous" and "impromptu"; I strive for the former, but the latter is just rambling and has no place in the pulpit.) Sometimes I will look over the brief before I preach (during the last song) and leave the paper on my seat. Please email me if you find them helpful or if you have questions. 1 Timothy Sermon Briefs 1 Timothy 1:3-11 - Exegetical Outline 1 Timothy 1:3-11 - Standing Firm on God's Truth 1 Timothy 1:12-16 - Exegetical Outline 1 Timothy 1:12-16 - God's Mercy is Greater Than Your Sin 1 Timothy 1:17 - Exegetical Outline 1 Timothy 1:17 - Giving the Lord the honor Due Him 1 imothy 1:18-20 - Fighting the Good Fight of Faith 1 Timothy 2:1-7 - Exegetical Outline 1 Timothy 2:1-7 - Praying to Accomplish God's work 1 Timothy 3:1-7 - Exegetical Outline 1 Timothy 3:1-7 - A Church with a Good Overseer is Truly Blessed Life of Abraham Sermon Briefs Genesis 11:27-32 - Exegesis Genesis 11:27-32 - Understanding God's Sovereign Purpose Genesis 12:1-9 - The Obedience of Faith |
Theology & Christian LivingHere are some things about Theology and the Christian life. I put these two topcs together becaseu they are inseparable. I will add some things I have written later but for now I will post some historic writings. If you have questions or want to dialogue, email me.Book IV of Gill's Body of Divinity (the Covenant of Grace; the Law and the Gospel) The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards |
Outlines from Owen's Mortification of SinI recently taught through John Owen's Mortification of Sin. Here are the outlines I handed out during the series. There are some typos which I will correct (one day). |
Sermon Study GuidesThe following are some study guides I distributed along with some Sunday morning messages. They were formatted in Word 2007 for booklet printing and so each page is the size of a half-sheet of paper (perfect for placing in most Bibles). If your printer can print duplex they should print and fold into a booklet; if not, simply print them and cut them in half. If you have trouble, email me and I will be happy to send you something you can print out. Also, please email me if you find them helpful.I don't do these all the time, just sometimes. I will be sure to post more as they become available. The Biblical Basis for Church Membership The Painful Necessity of Church Discipline Study Guide for Pentecost 2007 Study Guide - Luke 18.1-14 "Approaching God" (June 10, 2007-AM) Study Guide - Luke 18.9-30 "Being Accepted by God" (July 15, 2007-AM) Study Guide - Luke 18.31-19:44 "Six Things You Need to Know About God's Kingdom" (August 5, 2007-AM) |
Philosophy & ApologeticsHere are some outlines, papers, articles, and even some journal entries concerning philosophy and apologetics. If you have questions or want to dialogue, email me.Facing the Problem of Evil in a Pastoral Context The Examined Life Why Philosophy Matters (or Should Matter) Even to Christians |
Books and Book ReviewsI love books and read many (usually several at a time). I will post here book lists that I give out at church and book reviews I have written and will write. As always, please feel free to email me if you find them helpful or if you have any ques tions.Walter Kaiser, Jr. - The Old Testament Documents, Are They Reliable? These two books I had to read and review for a class recently: Gary L. McIntosh - Church That Works (pdf) Gary L. McIntosh - One Size Fits All (pdf) Reviews of two more books I read for class recently: Review of John Piper's Brothers, We are not Professionals NEW! Eugene Peterson - The Contemplative PastorNEW! |
Various and SundryThese are some things I have done in the past that I thought you might find useful. I will post these as I come across them. As always, please feel free to email me if you find them helpful or if you have any questions.An Overview of Proverbs An Analysis of J. I. Packer's Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God Exegetical Paper - Galatians 4:1-11 (minus the diagrams) Expositional Outline of Romans 3:19-4:25 - "Justification is by Faith in Christ Alone and Not by Keeping the Law" NEW! Essay - The Importance of Theological Preaching NEW! The Story of John Brown of Haddington NEW! |
To find out more about my beliefs with regard to the Bible, church, ministry, and other things, please visit my blog. To find out more about the church where I am Pastor, please visit our website.