The Rephidim Project exists to support those on the frontlines of spiritual battle with the resources to be refreshed through the study of Scripture to spread God’s Word in this world more effectively.
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MARCH 4, 2021
Preparing and Preaching the Funeral Sermon
by Rev. Daniel Coffin
You just woke up, and you are racing to sort out and capture the thoughts flooding your mind. Today is the funeral you have been asked to lead. The circumstances of this service are unusually difficult because you have known and loved the deceased for years, and you are experiencing your own grief. Sadness overwhelms you as you acknowledge the truth – you do not want to deliver this funeral sermon. Welcome to the real-world Pastor; we do not get to choose when someone dies, so we do not get to schedule the difficult tasks of ministry. If you are reading this article, I suspect that you are a pastor, and in your heart, you know the importance of leading a family group through the time of their final earthly goodbye.
Ironically, I woke up just now with my mind doing the very thing described above, except this time, the thoughts were about writing this article. Many good things came back to me as I reflected on the multitude of times when I sat down to prepare a service and the sermon for a funeral. As pastors, we must keep in mind the importance of ministering to all who will attend the funeral. My goal for this article is to share some insights from experience with the hope of assisting you in your endeavors. There is no expert source to turn to for help, only the experiences of others who have walked this path.
ONLINE COURSES
COST: $10.00
This course introduces the student to the principles of sermon preparation by focusing on the biblical unit of thought, often called “the upper room discourse” (John 13-17). The student studies the exegetical and theological framework of these chapters through video lectures and personal assignments. Team taught by Dr. David Lambertson and Dr. David Christensen; the student will watch video lectures on topics like “The Theology of John” and “A Chronology of the Upper Room Discourse.” Other lectures explain aspects of sermon preparation using specific examples from John 13-17. Class assignments help students implement the information presented in the lectures. The course is self-paced, so students have the freedom to learn according to their personal schedules. Students should improve their abilities to preach expository sermons through the study of this rich section of Scripture, which examines the intimacy of our relationships with Jesus.
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BOOKS
Resources can be purchased online in physical or electronic formats. Please find the following books below.
Perdonar no es fácil, aunque así lo parezca en los cientos de sermones que hablan de ello. Luchamos por perdonar nuestras heridas. La amargura y el resentimiento llegan a amenazar nuestras almas cuando no dejamos que el veneno se libere ante Dios. El pastor David Christensen afronta con honestidad el dolor que sentimos, mientras nos enseña el camino a una liberación maravillosa que nos permite disfrutar de dar y recibir perdón. El libro se enfoca en la metáfora de las caras del perdón para enseñarlo desde este punto de vista. Son los rostros de quienes experimentan la sanidad los que forman el trasfondo para una teología del perdón. Existen frentes verticales y horizontales según nuestra mirada, si va a Dios o a los demás. Existen frentes judiciales o relacionales del perdón, según si nuestro trato es con Dios o con los demás para experimentar la sanidad que el perdón trae a nuestros corazones. David prepara los pasos que debemos dar para experimentar el poder sanador del perdón. Debemos aprender a aceptar la gracia, confesar la culpa y liberar el veneno que causa la falta de perdón y que impide la sanidad de nuestras heridas.
How can we preach persuasively without huckstering, manipulating, or coercing people? Sadly, we are seeing the fall of many pastors not for reasons of sexual immorality, but the pursuit of pride and power. The skillful use of marketing methods creates celebrity pastors who become significant influencers in the evangelical church. The lure of success is seductive, turning pastors into hucksters and Christians into consumers. We need to heed the warnings of the New Testament about the pride of rhetoric and the pursuit of power. David Christensen carefully analyzes the biblical warnings of Paul about the temptations of rhetorical sophistry in the first-century church and applies them to pastoral ministry today. God calls preachers to be ethical and effective persuaders. David develops an ethical grid for pastoral persuasion using principles drawn from the Bible and social science along with practical illustrations from his years of ministry. He calls preachers to be ethical and effective persuaders by emphasizing the centrality of the word of God while depending on the power of the Spirit of God.
Our Heavenly Father has adopted us into His family and our adoption is the foundation for our transformation. Spiritual transformation is a gradual process of change as we learn the ways of our Father. Christians want to live a victorious life immediately. Talk of being radical or revolutionary Christians excites us but these descriptions imply that other Christians are lesser members of the family of God. Many consider the normal Christian life inferior to the higher Christian life. What is a normal Christian life? The Apostle Paul describes a normal Christian life in Romans 6-8.
Is your Christian life dull and dry, full of rituals and responsibilities without any passion or joy? Has your obedience become a duty and your faith turned into an obligation? Renew your relationship with Jesus through this study of John 13-16. Jesus invites you to be His friends not merely His servants. Kindle the passion of fresh friendship with Jesus as He opens His heart to you in these chapters. His self-disclosure encourages your transparency as you explore what it means to be friends with Jesus.
Expository preaching exposes the ideas in the biblical unit of thought, so the sermon follows the flow of the passage. The hearers should be able to think their way through the passage after the sermon has been preached. The preacher seeks to visualize the flow of thought – to picture the structure of the passage. The sermon should expose the hinges on which the passage swings by developing an outline based on the structure but written in contemporary language. This workbook provides a structural diagram based on the Greek text side by side with a format for the expositor to develop an outline from the passage. Short, practical insights add exegetical depth and sermon seed thoughts to help the preacher flesh out the message.
Forgiveness is not easy despite the pictures painted in many sermons. We all struggle to forgive the hurts we feel. Bitterness and resentment threaten our souls if we do not release the poison to God. Pastor David Christensen deals honestly with the pain we feel while pointing us to the wonderful release we can enjoy when we give and receive forgiveness. The book uses the metaphor of faces to teach about forgiveness. The faces of those who experience healing form the backdrop for a theology of forgiveness. David lays out the practical steps we must take to experience the healing power of forgiveness.
Expository preaching exposes the ideas in the biblical unit of thought, so the sermon follows the flow of the passage. The hearers should be able to think through the passage after the sermon has been preached. The preacher seeks to visualize the flow of thought – to picture the structure of the passage. The sermon should expose the hinges on which the passage swings by developing an outline based on the structure but written in contemporary language. This workbook provides a structural diagram based on the Greek text side by side with a format for the expositor to develop an outline from the passage. Short, practical insights add exegetical depth and sermon seed thoughts to help the preacher flesh out the message. The workbook encourages the preacher to mine the riches of 2 Corinthians 2:14-7:4 for personal growth and sermon preparation.
SERMONS
These sermons are downloadable, can be listened to online, or subscribed to via an RSS feed (e.g. as a Podcast on your mobile device.) Our sermon podcast “Honey from the Rock” is available on iTunes.
Arrows of Victory – 2 Kings 13:14-19 by Pastor David Christensen
Additional Sermon Series
1 John:
Fellowship With God
1 Samuel:
Integrity, The Fulcrum
Hebrews:
The Supremacy of Christ
Titus:
Healthy Church Practice
Romans:
Sanctification
Judges:
Culture Wars
Philippians:
Living Fellowship
1 Peter: Living in a
Hostile World
Ecclesiastes: Meaningless!
Life Without God
Acts: His Church and
Our Mission
Genesis:
The Book of Beginnings
Revelation:
Final Judgement
Luke:
To Seek and to Save
Micah:
Social Justice
