I remember one time trying to make some dry beans. I had been used to the frozen beans that cooked very quickly. I didn’t realize that the dry beans need much more time. It felt like they cooked and cooked and cooked. But they were never done. Finally, they got to the point where they were ready for eating. A little seasoning and the outcome was much better than the frozen beans I was used to eating.
Charles Koller’s excellent book entitled How To Preach Without Notes devotes chapter 16 to the topic of The Basic Appeals in Biblical Preaching. We will work our way through these appeals in the coming days.
Charles G. Adams provides a discussion of his sermon preparation method in Cleophus LaRue’s book Power in the Pulpit. It is detailed and comprehensive.
Pastor Adams first emphasizes that prayer is at the beginning of the sermon. In addition, the preacher must have a text from the Bible and a subject from the preacher.
The last general principle Cleophus LaRue writes about in his book before walking through the methods of the great preachers is Preaching Out of the Overflow
Be not deceived, great preaching requires sustained study and great discipline. Cleophus LaRue notes this fact in his book Power in the Pulpit.