COM310 Exam

1. Name at least one passage of Scripture that supports why we use an FCF.

a. 1 Cor. 10:13 - "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man."

1. What do these three places in Scripture tell us about preaching Jesus from the Old Testament? (Luke 24:27-45, Hebrews 1:1-8, Colossians 1:28)

a. All of Scripture proclaims Christ, so we should always look to interpret the Old Testament in light of Christ. He is the fulfillment of the Scriptures.

1. After you illustrate your point and before you apply it, what must you do?

a. Anchor the illustration back to the text

1. What is an Apologetic Hint and how does it differ from an Apologetic moment?

a. Apologetic hint - a one to three sentence recognition of cultural backtalk that acknowledges the resistance but defers the conversation until another time b. Apologetic moment - a three to four minute response to cultural backtalk that rises in response to what the text says c. A moment differs from a hint in that it actually takes time to respond to the cultural backtalk as opposed to just mentioning that you will discuss it later

1. What is a common misconception about boldness? What is boldness? Cite at least one Scripture reference.

a. Boldness does not mean confidence or arrogance. 1 Thess 2:1-9

1. What is Cultural Grammar? Cite an example from one of Paul's sermons in the Bible.

a. Cultural grammar are the words, stories, artifacts, mental maps, and talk that a person or group uses to make sense of God, ourselves and the world. These ways of putting together meaning may or may not resemble the way God interprets reality for us through Jesus and his word. b. Example: Acts 14:8-18 - "The gods have come down to us...Zeus and Hermes..."

1. Define both denotation and connotation. Why are both necessary for preaching/teaching?

a. Denotation - making intellectual sense of what a word or concept means b. Connotation - making cultural sense of what a word or concept means c. Both are necessary because when trying to communicate the meaning of a word or concept, you must take into account how your hears intellectually and culturally understand that word or concept

1. What are the two sides of a Big Idea?

a. Divine provision - what God believes or does b. Human response - what we do in response to the divine provision

1. What is a Human Response Consistent Communication Outline?

a. Divine provision is the anchor and your main points are human responses to the divine provision

1. Name the four kinds of FCF.

a. Fallen condition focus b. Finite condition focus c. Fragile condition focus d. Faltering condition focus

1. Why does our gentleness matter when preaching and teaching? cite at least one Scripture.

a. Gentleness invites our hearers to actually hear us. It humbly puts us on an even playing field with our hearers. Gentleness is also one of the fruits of the spirit, so we should seek to embody it in our communication. Gal 5:22-23

1. What do we mean by Locating the Vine and what passage from Scripture do we turn to establish what we mean?

a. Hebrews 13:22 - "A word of exhortation" b. Locating the vine is anchoring every part of our sermon in Christ and his work in the story of redemption

1. What is a Divine Provision Consistent Communication Outline?

a. Human response in the anchor and main points are the divine provisions that precede the human response

1. Differentiate Direct and Indirect Speech and give examples of both.

a. Indirect speech is inductive storytelling or metaphoric language that attempts to communicate our message. One example would be Jesus' parables b. Direct speech is trying to communicate our message as clearly as possible through words that directly describe what we're trying to communicate. An example would be Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount

1. Name and describe at least four of the five basic overarching moves that we make when preaching or teaching and what repeated phrase from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount reveals these five moves?

a. It - this is the subject or "big idea" of the sermon b. You have heard said - this is how your local culture thinks and talks about the big idea c. But - this is the hole in our soul that needs the grace the big idea reveals from God d. I say to you - this is the vine or the provision of Jesus that saves us from our disregard for the big idea, and it empowers us to take hold of the big idea

1. Why does prayer matter for preaching? Cite at least one Scripture we used to establish prayer as part of preaching.

a. It helps us know what to say and what not to say; so that our manner reflects the wisdom of the passage we are trying to preach b. Romans 1:9-10 Paul prayed for the churches amidst his anxieties

1. What is Near and Far Application? Give an example of both.

a. Near - how the text applies directly to our situation as Christians b. Far - how the text tangentially applies to us as Christians c. Example - James 1:14-17. Near application would be talking about greed, which is within the context of the passage. Far application would be talking about how this paradigm can be applied to other types of sin, sexual sin for example.

1. What is Cultural Backtalk? Cite an example from one of Paul's sermons in the Bible.

a. Rival beliefs or counter narratives in a particular locality, generation, or individual that create objections, doubts, or hostilities toward Jesus and his gospel. Acts 28:22-24 "others disbelieved"

1. What is a Worldview Window?

a. Shows the distinctiveness of Christianity in light of other worldviews and religions

1. What are the four categories of hearers? Cite the primary Scripture passage we use to establish this principle.

a. Soft-hearted Christian b. Soft-hearted non-Christian c. Hard-hearted Christian d. Hard-hearted non-Christian e. Scripture: parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1-9

1. Give a full definition of the COR and name why is it important?

a. Takes into account the pressures outside of us that make living Christianly difficult and requires the wisdom of God in Jesus. External pressures can be cultural, geographical, or seasonal.

1. What is the first source you must look to in order to find illustrations for your message?

a. The Bible itself.

1. What is the Big Idea?

a. The Big Idea is the thesis of the sermon. It's a short statement that expresses what you are going to talk about and what the sermon will call the hearer to do about it.

1. What do we mean by "the Garden Lens?" How does it help us in our preaching/teaching?

a. The Garden Lens is taking a moment to look at the text through the lens of the Garden of Eden. This helps us in preaching because we can communicate that this is not how the world was originally meant to be. God created good things that sin has tainted.

1. What is the dual voice in preaching? Cite at least one Scripture.

a. The dual voice is the testimony of Scripture about God's presence in preaching b. 1 Thess 2:13

1. Give a full Definition for the FCF?

a. The mutual human soul condition that contemporary believers and unbelievers share with those to or about whom the text was written that requires the grace of the passage for God's people to glorify and enjoy him or for those who resist God to properly regard him or to be reconciled to him.

1. The two aspects of redemptive vulnerability are treasure talk and clay jar talk. Define the difference and cite at least one Scripture passage that shows this.

a. Treasure talk - How God delights in us and saves us b. Clay jar talk - We are weak and frail human beings c. Scripture - 2 Cor. 12:9-10 We face weaknesses but God says his grace is sufficient for us and his power is made perfect in weakness

1. What do we mean by equivocation when applying the text? Give an example.

a. Using two definitions for the same word, leading to over-spiritualizing the text. An examples would be "what are the giants in your life?"

1. Name at least two ways that a Big Idea goes wrong.

a. We can have a human response posing as a divine provision ("God tells us to be joyful") b. We can have a character in the story be the hero, not God ("Be like David")

1. What do we mean when we say that we communicate with redemptive vulnerability?

a. We use our brokenness to make God the hero of the story. Our vulnerability should leave people more in love with Jesus and his saving grace. Also, our stories need to be anchored with the biblical text we are preaching from.