Below you will find Pastor Jason Cruise’s “Sermon Gauntlet”Find out more about Pastor Jason Cruise at jasoncruise.com
Description For Web
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Scripture:
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Passage:
Supporting Passages:
Tuesday: Heart Preparation through meditation
Wednesday: Head Preparation through study
Thursday: Hands Preparation through arrangement
Friday: Close it out.
Exegetical:
[]Step 1: Pray For Illumination“I’m not looking for someone who knows what they are doing. I’m looking for someone who knows what I am doing.” – from Dave Sylvester in York as the Lord spoke to him in sermon prep
Ask for insight.
Ask for clarity.
Ask for Spirit power to hear His voice.
God give me the ability to see this passage as You meant for it to be seen. To understand it as You meant for it to be understood. To apply it in a way that moves people into living practically in Your power.
Refuse to chase the information first.
Chase His heart about the passage first.
Prepare my heart first with His heart
Prepare my head next through study
Prepare my hands for outline and delivery and digital imagery
ARRANGE:
[]Step 6: Pray over the arranging that it would make sensePray for the introduction
Pray for the arranging
Pray for the closing – for the ability to bring it home.
[]Step 7: Choose The Communication Model []Step 8: Arrange it in a skeleton – get the bones laid outTYPEOUT:
[]Step 9: Type Out Sections []Step 10: Write the intro []Step 11: Write the conclusionImages:
[]Step 12: Craft The ImagesBackground Work:
If I was standing there when this passage was unfolding what would I see ?
What would I feel ?
About what does the passage talk?
What is the driving Biblical principle – the timeless truth?
What was The Spirit’s intent for inspiring this passage? What does it reveal?
What core doctrine does this sermon address?
Does This Passage Contain Any:
Recurring words?
Loud adjectives?
Word Pictures?
What did it mean to the people when the author wrote it?
what the biblical writer was saying to the biblical audience
it can never mean what it never meant
Is this a story or parable ?
If so, briefly describe the characters.
Look at it from their position:
Is there tension anywhere in this passage?
Find the tension and you have a real story.
Theological tension?
Relational tension?
Does the passage itself create tension in me or in the world around me?
If this passage were a town, what’s the Main Street?
How does this find its fulfillment in Jesus
“In every village and hamlet in England there is a road that leads to London.” – Spurgeon
Why does this issue matter to God?
The Shouting Line:
DO NOT REST until I can put this sermon – not the exegesis – into one simple thought.
What’s the shouting line? If they drug me off the stage and I had to shout something to remember – what is it?
Bridge Work:
What does it say now to the people who read it today – in timelessness generally?
What does this passage teach me about who God is?
What does this teach me about who man is?
What is this telling me to do?
What Do They Need To Know?
What’s the one thing?
Why Do They Need To Know It?
What Do They Need To Do?
Why Do They Need To Do It?
Imagine what would happen if we actually did this.
Example: If you actually made a list of debt for people that you owe gratitude and you told them what would happen?
What will happen to the person who never discovers the truth or principle you are about to address?
What Can I Do To Help Them Remember What’s Being Taught?
Is there one core phrase I can use to describe this passage in a single sentence?
Is there a compare/contrast to explain the dominant thought?
“A life devoted to self ultimately leaves you alone.”
Is there a metaphor that can describe the passage?
Is there a rhyme to make the domain thought more sticky?
“You can be tender without surrender”
Is there are structure or a rhythm to the passage?
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of counsel of the wicked, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers (Psalm 1)
Why this story ??
Of all the ones that could be chosen, why this one?
Application Work:
[]What’s the goal of this sermon?What do I want them to think, feel, or do … when it’s over?
[] If I actually did what this passage is saying how would my life look differently daily ?If I had hidden shame how would this passage affect me?
If I were chasing status how would this passage affect me?
If I were divorced how would this passage affect me?
If I was a teenager how would this passage affect me?
If God is only a part of my life but not the authority of my life how would this affect me?
[]Where can I show God’s mercy in this situation?Exegetical Notes:
ARRANGE THE SERMON FOR HEARING:
what’s the most effective way to package the sermon so that it can be heard?
What Model Am I Using?
[]Problem. Agitate. Solve. (PAS)Get them to agree with me on a problem or an issue.
Agitate it. Stir it up.
Solve it with Scripture.
Paint a picture of what it could be like or gets attention
Capture the promise of the passage
Prove it with other Scripture
Push for a commitment or action
The hero/villain goes through a problem and here’s how they solved it or here’s how they failed
[]PASTORPerson. Start with a person, problem, or pain
Amplify the consequences of NOT solving it
Story. Insert story, solution, or a system
Testimony
Offer
Response
[]Before, After, BridgeBefore: here’s your world now
After: imagine having this thing gone or solved
Bridge: here’s how to get there
[]Introduction []How can I be as visual as possible to engage their mind immediately in the beginning? []The Contrast:Positive – Negative – Positive
We all want to ___________ (positive) but the problem is _______________ (negative) the good news is that _________________
[]If … then []If you don’t do anything, it gets worse []What most people do … []Imagine … []If the only thing you got is …“if the only thing you got from this sermon today was a better understanding of God’s heart for Ethopia, it would be worth it.”
[]Don’t let this happen to you: []What if … []You’re standing at the crossroads.KEY TRUTH TRANSITION:
[]Ask them to write down the key truth
What’s the CTA?
What do I want them to think, feel, or do?
What’s the take-home in all of this?
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