“The exclamative is, in effect, the indicative spoken with great emphasis and feeling” (Carrick, The Imperative of Preaching, p. 33).
The Exclamative in Preaching
“It should be observed, however, that several different words are utilized in the Scrptures in the context of exclamation, namely, how, what, oh, and woe, and that the exclamative is often quite simply a word or a phrase uttered emphatically and thus used independently of any exclamative indicators” (Carrick, The Imperative of Preaching, p. 31).
The Way It Is
“The indicative mood states, declares, and asserts. It is, for this reason, the fundamental mood of language; it is the fundamental mood of history; and it is also the fundamental mood of preaching. Good preaching will always tend to operate largely, although not exclusively, in the indicative mood” (Carrick, The Imperative of Preaching, p. 15).
Because the Fire Falls On Something
“Thus it is clearly the preacher’s duty to persuade men concerning the truth of Christianity. Moreover, the fact that the preacher is to undertake this sacred and solemn task in absolute dependence upon the Spirit of God does not mean that he is entitled to sit loose to those means which God himself has ordained …
Mood Preaching, Not Moody Preaching
“To fulfill your responsibility as a biblical preacher, make sure that you preserve both the meaning and mood of the original author” (Edwards, Deep Preaching, p. 137).
Not Optional . . .
“Metaphors are more than just ‘figures of speech’; they are central to how we make sense out of reality. Metaphors are the mental scaffolding that people need in order to reach the next intellectual level. They are a critical component of communication and teaching. You must learn to use metaphors well in order to preach …
Scattered Everywhere
“A significant part of Jesus’ homiletical success was due to His extravagant use of metaphor” (Edwards, Deep Preaching, p. 130).
Homiletics Is Like Making Jam
“You do not understand a passage well enough to preach it unless you can make it a metaphor. If you can’t put the idea of a passage into a metaphor, you don’t really understand it. And you are certainly not ready to preach it” (Edwards, Deep Preaching, p. 126).
Making a Splash
“When we preach abstractions, our words skim off the lives of our listeners like skipping stones across a pond. To make the kind of splash God intends, the truth needs to plunge into the daily lives of our people” (Edwards, Deep Preaching, p. 124).
It Can’t Come Out If It Is Not There
“Superficial sermons result when truth is spooned from shallow hearts” (Edwards, Deep Preaching, p. 11).