Preaching On Money, Part 4
Now we come to our third “Big Story” question regarding our relationship to the material world: How does Jesus redeem this area of our lives? How does the gospel change our perspective and our practice when it comes to money? Specifically, since we are searching for sermon “seeds,” we are interested in finding specific biblical passages that will help us answer this question.
Preaching on Money, Part 3
When you calculate assets and liabilities, money in your pocket always belongs in the “asset” column, right? According to an accountant friend of mine, this is actually not always the case. The technical term for money that is a liability is “unearned asset.” When a person or business receives payment for services that they have not yet rendered, those funds must be counted as a liability.
A “big story” sermon series first asks the question, “What is God’s purpose?” The next question is, “How has sin mucked it up?” God has given us money as an asset. Sin has made it a liability.
Preaching on Money, Part 2
Preaching a “Big Story” series on money will naturally begin with God’s purpose for our relationship to the material world. Once we understand this, we are more prepared to understand how this relationship has been affected by sin, and how Christ has redeemed it. Here is a list of texts and ideas that could help us tell the story of money.
Preaching on Money, Part I
As a young pastor, I was reluctant to preach about money. At the time, however, I knew several older preachers who relished any opportunity to tackle the subject. I wondered why this was so. Did they just not care who they offended? Were they jaded to the financial demands on their hearers? Did they just not know that they ran the risk of feeding the “money-grabbing-preacher” stereotype that already existed in peoples’ minds?
Now that I’m an older preacher, I think I understand. The longer I live, the more I realize that the only thing that really matters in my ministry is to make disciples. And the longer I try to make disciples, the more clear it becomes that how we use our money is the truest measure of our discipleship, because it reveals where our treasure really is.
Planning a Topical Sermon Series
Many preachers who share my conviction that the best preaching is “expository preaching” would also say that “expository preaching” requires that every sermon series be a meticulous verse-by-verse walk through a book of the Bible. Certainly there is great value and rich rewards in this kind of preaching ministry. However, you may at least occasionally (and perhaps quite often) feel you need to preach a series of sermons on a particular topic. Is it possible to be an expository preacher without limiting yourself to expository sermon series? I believe it is, but how you approach the planning of your topical series is important.