James Leo Garrett Jr. and the Southwestern Theological Tradition
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 65, No. 1 - Fall 2022
Editor: David S. Dockery
By Jesse L. Nelson. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2022, 143pp., $16.99
Desiring to assist preachers in the tasks of sermon preparation and delivery, Jesse Nelson magnifies the life-changing capacity of preaching and offers six practical steps for sermon preparation and delivery. As Robert Smith Jr. notes in the book’s Foreword, Nelson writes with a hermeneutic of assumption. The assumption is that “pulpit work” begins with the perspective that the biblical text undergirds both the development and delivery of a sermon. Addressing the need for yet another preaching book, Nelson identifies five reasons for readers to take up and read this volume. Two of those reasons focus on African-American preaching and preachers. Nelson notes that his book includes information on African-American preachers, a subject missing in most preaching books, and that it treats some nuances of African-American preaching. The remaining three reasons center on his desire to bring the seminary classroom to the pastor’s study through a practical and simplified approach for sermon preparation and delivery.
Arguing that the way to avoid preaching confusing sermons is to preach the text of Scripture, Nelson proposes six distinct steps in six chapters which are intended to facilitate preaching of text-based, life-changing sermons. The six steps are: seek the Spirit, select your Scripture, study the Scripture, structure your sermon, speak in the Spirit, and share the Savior. Within each chapter, Nelson includes personal illustrations, a profile of a preacher who models the particular step well and words of wisdom from a preacher on the implementation of the step.
The emphasis in the first chapter on the role of the Holy Spirit in preaching is a refreshing reminder. After appropriately identifying the Spirit as the author of Scripture, Nelson challenges the reader to seek the Spirit through prayer, expressing his conviction that it is the most neglected discipline for preachers. In the following chapter, the matter of Scripture selection is addressed. Here, the author’s five reasons for preaching through books of the Bible are illuminating and merit careful consideration from all who are tasked with a preaching assignment.
In a chapter devoted to the study of Scripture, Nelson addresses the elements of observation, interpretation, and application as a part of the exegesis of a preaching text. Additionally, a striking strength of the book, given its stated practical and introductory focus, is his section on preaching from different Bible genres. Preachers, both veterans and novices, often are guilty of imposing “three points and a poem” on every text of Scripture. Heeding Nelson’s advice can alleviate the peril of genre insensitivity. The book’s fourth chapter treats the matter of the structuring of one’s sermon. The reader will find accurate guidance with reference to the understanding and development of the sermon’s main idea. Ideally, Nelson notes, it should be a single sentence that includes both subject and complement. After offering helpful insights relating to the functional elements of the sermon body (explanation, illustration and application), he addresses variations of sermon structures. The proposed variations, while helpful and consistent with text-based preaching, do not reflect the text-driven approach of letting the text itself dictate the structure of the sermon.
The final two chapters of the book include practical principles for sermon delivery and for extending a biblical invitation. Exhorting readers to deliver their messages in the power of the Holy Spirit, Nelson’s treatment of the Spirit’s anointing is commendable and noteworthy, given that it is neglected in most preaching texts. Additionally, his three steps for being a Spirit-filled preacher (asking, believing, and complying) exemplify the many practical and applicable insights which pepper this book. Regarding the use of notes or manuscripts in sermon delivery, this reviewer would have preferred a greater emphasis on the need for delivery with few or no notes. Nonetheless, the author’s commitment to Spirit-filled preaching is clear. In particular, the reader will benefit from sustained reflection on Robert Smith’s primer for sermon delivery. Nelson’s inclusion of it serves to remind readers of one of the many key contributions of historic African-American preaching. The book’s final chapter is devoted to a discussion of sharing an effective gospel invitation. In his emphasis on sharing the Savior, Nelson rightly observes that, while expository preaching is Christ-centered, the preacher should not bend every Scripture toward Christ. Rather, the goal is to reveal Christ in the Scripture. Ideally, the invitation itself should reflect and flow out of the content of the passage one preaches. Then, once the transition from sermon to invitation is accomplished, the preacher also may desire to include personal testimony as a part of his concluding remarks.
Finally, while the author does include basic resources for a preaching library in the third chapter, a more extensive bibliography, with a particular focus on expository preaching texts, would be a helpful addition to the book. Nelson does offer helpful guidance for begin- ning preachers through three appendices which contain examples of sermon outlines and sermons. Ultimately, he accomplishes his objective in writing this volume. His emphases on solid biblical content and effective delivery will serve well both the beginning and veteran preacher.
