(Part 1)

JBTM Paul D. Wegner
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7. Establish the Theological Context and Meaning
Discover what theological concepts the prophetical book touches on and whether
God reveals any new elements through this passage. See how the chosen passage fits
into the broader theological context—what is being newly revealed here and how it
compares with similar concepts in Scripture. This is extremely important for modern
congregations since few have enough theological training to make these connections
on their own. Pulling together similar ideas from the Bible can help us see the bigger
picture of the topic being discussed. For instance, when a prophet mentions the “Day
of the LORD,” explain how this concept continues to work out in the rest of the OT
and its final outcome in the NT.
8. Apply the Passage to Our Lives Today
This crucial step is the point of spending time on exegesis—to help people
understand what the prophet is saying, why, and how God’s timeless principles in
his message apply to our lives today. A good example of a “timeless truth” in Isaiah
6 is that God is holy (v. 3)—a characteristic of God that never changes and one that
influences much of the rest of the book. The title “the Holy One of Israel” is used for
God twenty-five times in this book, often in contrast to the wickedness of his people
(Isa 1:4; 5:18–19, 24; 17:4–8). The rest of Isaiah 6 speaks about Isaiah’s calling and
commission, from which we learn such timeless principles as: God uses unworthy
vessels (v. 5); God’s messengers must be cleansed before they can be useful to
him (v. 6); seeing a holy God shows us how unholy we are (v. 5); God needs willing
messengers (v. 8); and a messenger’s job is not always easy (vv. 9–13).
Guidelines for Biblical Homiletics
The final and most important step of all this exegesis is to bring it together in a sermon
that not only is true to the text, but also has application and relevance to today’s audience.
A careful balance is needed—the text must be explained in today’s terms so that people
can understand the prophet’s message, how it contains a timeless truth, and how this truth
applies to the problems we face today.
Determine How to Preach the Passage
At the start, you need to decide how long to spend in preaching a passage or book. Some
books lend themselves to a series (Isaiah, Ezekiel, or Daniel), but others are better handled
in one sermon (Jonah, Habakkuk, Joel). Sometimes even large books have one primary
theme to convey (e.g., the book of Job) and so would not be a good candidate for a lengthy
series. Determine first what the book teaches before deciding how many sermons to devote
to the book.