Preaching | Steven W. Smith

Psalm 119 A Text-Driven Life 3: The Blessed Life

by Steven Smith on February 23, 2016 in Preaching

A text-driven life is a blessed life. In this way, God promises prosperity. Scripture is clear about this and yet while these characters form on my monitor I hesitate feeling the collective cringe of friends who repulse at “prosperity preaching.” And for good reason. Prosperi... Read More »

Psalm 119: The prayer a Text-Driven Life (2)

by Steven Smith on February 18, 2016 in Preaching

All In Psalm 119 is a prayer of a text-driven life. As stated in a previous post, a text-driven is a life that responds to God through His Word. Here is a helpful infographic on the content of Psalm 119.[1] When examined graphically, something becomes clear. This is about being a... Read More »

Psalm 119: A Text Driven Life

by Steven Smith on February 16, 2016 in Preaching

At Southwestern Seminary, we teach text-driven preaching, believing that text-driven preaching not only leads to text-driven living, but flows from it. A text-driven sermon is one that allows the substance, structure, and spirit of the text to drive the sermon. It is not one ba... Read More »

When God is Deathly Quiet

by Steven Smith on February 4, 2016 in Preaching

Father, if you are willing remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done. Luke 22:42 This might be the most audacious prayer ever prayed: the prayer of Jesus in the Garden. It had always been the case in the unseen plans of God that He intended t... Read More »

All the Rest

by Steven Smith on December 28, 2015 in Preaching

Here is an end of the year update and sabbatical report. The sabbatical taken this year was one of the greatest gifts I could have ever received. It was motivated by some pending writing projects and some much needed help for the family. I’m forever grateful to Dr. Patterson fo... Read More »

A Christmas Walk

by Steven Smith on December 18, 2015 in Preaching

A Christmas Walk This advent season I am supremely grateful for this class of 2015 who have sacrificed much to walk across the graduation stage. What they do not realize is that it means much to those sitting and watching. This ceremony is as much about those who have invested in... Read More »

A Tribute to T.W. Hunt

by Steven Smith on January 15, 2015 in Preaching

My friend Donald Whitney, Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Associate Dean of the School of Theology at Southern Seminary, wrote a warm and compelling tribute to the praying life of SWBTS alum T.W. Hunt. Hunt passed away recently, after leaving a rich legacy of personal lead... Read More »

God in Us

by Steven Smith on December 31, 2014 in Preaching

As we settle into the new year the inevitability of new year’s resolutions looms over us. Personally, I like goals built around a birthday rather than a new year. Still, a new year forces us to consider a new personal era of a life lived for God. So as we consider the New Year,... Read More »

Recapturing the Voice of God

by Steven Smith on November 26, 2014 in Education, Pastors, Preaching

This past week I had the opportunity to interact with colleagues at a gathering of the Evangelical Theological Society in San Diego, CA. I presented a paper entitled, “Recapturing the Voice of God: Sermons Shaped by Reanimation of the Genre of the Text,” where I argued simply... Read More »

Preaching When You Don’t Feel Like It

by Steven Smith on November 10, 2014 in Preaching

There are times when preaching is, from the start to finish, a joy. The text is clear, and the sermon just bubbles up from the Bible, making the structure clear; illustrations and applications emerge from hidden places and drop graciously into place. This happens, but it’s rare... Read More »

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