Study the Passage: The vital step in preparing powerful sermons
Donald R. Sunukjian
The first step in preparing a biblical message is to study the passage. This large step breaks down into several stages:
• Read the surrounding context for an overview.
• Flag the things you don’t fully understand.
• Use your skills and resources in the original languages.
• Consult good commentaries.
Read the Surrounding Context for an Overview
First, read your specific passage and its surrounding context in several different translations in order to get the author’s broad flow of thought. Determine how your unit fits into his unfolding sequence of ideas. For example, suppose you’re going to preach on James 1:5-8:
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
If you fail to note the flow of thought in James 1, you might be tempted to preach things very differently than what James had in mind. You might find yourself applying James 1:5-8 to a variety of situations:
• A teenager wanting to know what college he should attend
• A young woman needing to decide which suitor to encourage
• A mother wanting wisdom on dealing with a problem child
• A widow needing direction on how to handle her finances
• A husband weighing a job change
Or, you might preach James 1:19?“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry”?as “Advice for Parents of Teenagers” or “Guidelines for Lay Counselors” or “How to Be a Man of Discernment.”
But as you read the entire chapter several times through in different translations, you realize that throughout the chapter James is talking about what you should do “whenever you face trials of many kinds” (v. 2). His flow of thought is as follows:
• You should face trials with joy and persevere through them, knowing they’re producing maturity and Christlike completeness in you (vv. 2-4).
• If you lack wisdom regarding the purpose of the trial or how to persevere through it, ask God, and He’ll give it to you. But you must firmly believe in His sovereignty and love in order to receive it (vv. 5-8).
• Both poor and rich ought to be able to discern the purposes and benefits that come through their trials (vv. 9-11).
• If you successfully persevere through the trial, you’ll receive the crown of life (v. 12).
• But if you respond sinfully to the trial, don’t blame God for pushing you too far. Your sinful failure was due to some evil in you, not because God was tempting you (vv. 13-15).