Cutting It Straight: The Key to Dynamic Expository Preaching and Powerful Biblical Presentations

By James A. Byrd

If three points and a poem no longer keeps listeners from snoozing during your preaching, teaching, or Biblical presentations, Cutting It Straight will help you fine-tune your lessons.

Evangelist Dr. James A. Byrd explores how to develop dynamic expository sermons or powerful Biblical presentations that will be remembered by those who hear you in this resource guide for preachers, Bible teachers, church leaders, and Bible presenters.

He explains that “cutting it straight” means rightly dividing the word of truth by preaching the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27 NKJV) that requires expository preaching from the Old Testament canon that is uniquely Christian.

If preachers desire to accomplish that which God proposes, they must perform expository preaching from the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. They must “rightly [divide] the word of truth.” They must perform their duties while cutting it straight.
Find God’s divine solution to the human problem in Scripture and preach, teach, or present it in a powerful, relevant way by applying the lessons in this guide.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664282063

James A. Byrd

Dr. James A. Byrd is an evangelist who lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan and preaches for the Church of Christ. He has been a presenter on the South West Michigan Lectureship, the Michigan State Lectureship, and the National Lectureship for the Churches of Christ. He earned doctorate and master’s degrees from the Theological University of America. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and is a certified satellite Bible school administrator of the Sunset International Bible Institute.

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CUTTING IT

STRAIGHT

The Key To Dynamic Expository Preaching

and Powerful Biblical Presentations

JAMES A. BYRD

Copyright © 2022 James A. Byrd.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

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except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher

make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book

and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Scripture marked (KJV) taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture marked (NKJV) taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright

© 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New

International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,

Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.

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registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible,

English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry

of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text

may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative

Commons license. The ESV may not be translated into any other language.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) taken from the (NASB®) New American

Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman

Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8207-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8208-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8206-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022919599

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/21/2022

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:1(KVJ) But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 54

I thank God the Father of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the sanctifying Holy Spirit who convicted me when I heard the glorious gospel of God that saved me through faith in Christ when I believed and obeyed. I also thank all the men and women who allowed God’s grace to work thorough them on my behalf.

I thank my dearest wife Leatta, who has been with me through all my trials, listened to all my dreams, and supported all my endeavors. I must not forget to thank Betty, a Godsend who proofed and typed my manuscript.

I hope and pray that the readers of this guide will consider my humble attempt to share my Biblically based thoughts. The intent of this guide is to encourage the herald of God’s Word to speak as His oracle, forsake all human inventions of the mind, and speak the Word of God in sincerity and truth.

May God find favor with all of us so that our preaching will call men and women out of the darkness of despair into the marvelous light of salvation.

Dr. James A. Byrd

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 - The What And Why Of Expository Preaching From The Old Testament

Part I: Preparing The Messenger

Chapter 2 - Cutting It Straight By PluggingInto The Power Source

Part II: Researching The Message

Chapter 3 - Cutting It Straight By Anchoring The Message In The Word Of God

Chapter 4 - Cutting It Straight By Sharpening The Sword