Another one of the sources of Biblical Preaching is literature of all kinds. The preacher should have a knowledge found only in reading a wide variety of literature. This would include “devotional readings, some bibliography, poetry, fiction, archeology, studies in arts and sciences, and other general reading.”
After having looked at Scripture, one can find help in preaching the Biblical message from the next source for Biblical Preaching is History. This includes both an understanding of the history of the empires and people who interacted with the Biblical characters.
Charles Koller’s book How to Preach Without Notes is a goldmine of homiletical insight in a short amount of space. Not only does it attempt to teach how to preach without notes, but it also provides information on how to preach any kind of sermon.
The Expository Thoughts Website has an article that graphs the Daily Devotions of to the ESV devotions site. We see that there is, as you might expect, a spike in January and then a drop that only goes up at another huge spike in December.
The appeal to reason is the final appeal that Charles Koller writes of in his book How To Preach Without Notes. Koller notes that Samuel “reasoned with his people.” (1 Samuel 12:7). In addition Isaiah says, “Come now and let us reason together.” (Isaiah 1:18).
Charles Koller’s next appeal is the appeal to love. Koller notes that all appeals can be reduced down to one of three possible appeals to love: “love of self, love of others, or love of God.”
All three are implicated in the great commandment, Love God….others…thyself. (Luke 10:27)
Charles Koller’s next appeal that he finds in scripture is the appeal to fear. Koller notes that this appeal has been greatly neglected. I would concur and say that among many it is no longer heard at all.
Learn to preach with stories. Pastor Cox describes a method for preaching stories in this Audio post.
Charles Koller continues his look at the basic appeals of Biblical preaching by his description of The Appeal to Duty.
The next appeal that Koller speaks of in his book How To Preach Without Notes is the appeal to Curiosity. This is a “susceptibility to that which appears novel, unfamiliar, or mysterious.”
One of the most persistent models of preaching has been termed “Three points and a Poem.” What it means is that the preacher makes three points and then ends with a poem. Some preachers have termed the same sermon method as “Three points and a celebration.”
The next appeal that Charles Koller speaks of in his book entitled How to Preach Without Notes is The appeal to Aspiration. This is the hunger of both “spiritual happiness” and “completeness.”
