PPGR Keywords

McKay Caston

Discover the power of the keyword in the PPGR preaching system. Learn how a single word can provide expositional focus and sermonic clarity, making your messages simple, focused, clear, substantive, practical, and redemptive. Explore methods for developing keywords, including explicit and implicit approaches, and a pro-tip to avoid rushing the process.

Transcript

00:00
If there is a game changer, if there's a secret sauce to the PPGR preaching system, and I think there are a number of them, but if one stands out is the concept of the keyword.
00:12
Because there are three sermonic values that run through the entire PPGR preaching system.
00:18
One is simple, not simplistic, but simple.
00:22
Second is focused, meaning not scattered, but really focused.
00:26
Laser.
00:27
Third is clear, easy to understand.
00:31
We want to craft messages that are simple, focused and clear.
00:36
And so the concept of the keyword helps us do that.
00:40
There are two primary purposes of the keyword.
00:43
One is it provides expositional focus because you can't study everything equally in a text, but you can study something deeply.
00:55
And this focus gives us something to study deeply so that our sermons are simple, focused and clear, but still substantive, practical, and most importantly, redemptive.
01:10
So expositional focus.
01:12
Secondly, the keyword provides sermonic clarity or homiletical clarity.
01:18
If you have one word, one concept driving the message.
01:24
A word to which everything is connected.
01:28
Your principal problem, gospel and response.
01:30
Your, your promise for change, and also your gospel stamp and your invitation.
01:36
Everything is connected to this.
01:38
It will help both the listener, but it will also help the presenter.
01:44
It'll help the preacher in huge, huge ways.
01:48
So keywords may be explicit from the text or implicit in the text.
01:55
Explicit is a word that, well, it's right there.
01:58
Philippians 4, 6 and 7 speaks of having peace with God.
02:01
So the keyword peace would be an explicit keyword.
02:06
However, keywords can also be implicit.
02:08
They can be drawn out of the text.
02:11
For example, In Isaiah, 55, 8 and 9, God's ways are being described as higher than our ways.
02:18
So an implicit keyword there could be better.
02:21
That's the idea, that his ways, his wisdom, they're, they're better than ours.
02:29
It's as if we're like 2 year olds and he is the wise parent.
02:32
His ways are higher, meaning they're better.
02:35
So you can use that as a keyword.
02:36
both explicit and implicit keywords are legitimate.
02:41
They, they both reflect the expository n of the sermon that we want to preach.
02:48
Now, there are several ways to develop a keyword.
02:51
We can do that by just initial study and reflection, by, looking at themes and topics, by doing word studies, by just doing our exegesis.
03:01
We may also, and I hesitate, but I do think it is really a powerful way to get a keyword is lectio divina.
03:07
If you have a theological foundation and you can read scripture not just academically or intellectually, but read the scripture devotionally, the way it was intended, listening for the voice of the Spirit in the Word to speak and to reveal to you what could very well be the word for that sermon, the word the people need to hear.
03:31
I provide that to you as a suggestion.
03:33
There's actually a bonus video about how to do that responsibly.
03:38
Okay.
03:38
Lectio Divina as a way to generate keywords.
03:43
as a pro tip, I really want to suggest you not rush the keyword process.
03:49
It seems so simple.
03:49
Okay, I just need to get a word, one word.
03:51
But don't rush it.
03:52
That's why I love the lecture of being a part of it, because it requires you to slow down and listen and be present with the Lord as you are preparing your sermon.
04:06
So don't rush the keyword.
04:08
And there are times when you'll have several, and you'll test them each out to see which one might work the best.
04:15
And as you do that week after week after week, I suggest keeping a spreadsheet of the keywords that you've used so that you're not duplicating unnecessarily.
04:26
And the beauty of using the keyword is that you can go through an entire book, preach section by section by section, and plan out those sermons with keywords in mind.
04:39
Because a lot of times if we're preaching through a book of the Bible, the themes are so similar and often repeated that it's challenging to preach a back to, back to back to back sermon without it sounding repetitive.
04:52
What the key word does is it gives you expository focus as well as homiletical clarity.
04:58
So each sermon can be unique and distinct and targeted while still having appropriate overlap with what came before and with what is coming afterward.
05:09
that's just a brief overview of the keyword concept.
05:12
We have a lot of bonus training on this, but I simply want you to think about a word that will drive and guide the entire message.
05:22
It's going to give you expository focus and homiletical, sermonic clarity.
05:27
Don't rush the process.
05:29
When you find your word, you'll know it.
05:32
And that will make the rest of the sermon building process not only easier and more efficient, but it will make your sermon, I believe, so much more effective.
PPGR Keywords — Tella