14 - Step Three - Concentration

In this episode, I speak about the process of concentrating on a text. This means studying the text to locate the natural breaks in the text. The natural breaks will form the basis for our expository outline of the text. This process will also help reveal the subject and theme of the text. The subject and theme will become the subject and theme of our sermon.

The natural breaks in the text are found by developing a mechanical outline of the text. This process may sound complicated, but it isn't hard. Making a mechanical outline takes concentration and time. As you read and meditate on the text look for conjunctions like, as, so, or but, nor, for, and, because, therefore, wherefore, etc. These words will help identify the natural breaks within the text. These conjunctions signal a continuation of a thought, a change of direction, or that what is being said now relates to what was previously been said. 

To help you in this process, I recommend you get a copy of the book Living By The Book by Howard G. Hendricks, and William D. Hendricks. The authors do a great job of explaining and illustrating this process. The book can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Book-Science-Reading-Bible/dp/0802408230/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3KH4WQHXDNES3&keywords=living+by+the+book&qid=1652453291&sprefix=living+by+the+book%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-1

I will also post a mechanical outline of Psalm 1 on our Facebook page, located here: https://www.facebook.com/ThePreachingMattersPodcast

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