Preaching God's Word


Course Description

People in churches today are hungry for a word from God. Preachers need to prepare and deliver sound biblical sermons that connect with their audiences in a meaningful way. Whether you are a student new to preaching or a veteran looking to brush up your preaching skills, the Preaching God’s Word course is a valuable learning opportunity, assisting you with developing and delivering biblically based expository sermons relevant for the twenty-first century.


Good preaching begins with good exegesis. In Preaching God’s Word, professors Terry Carter, Scott Duvall, and Daniel Hays walk you through the steps of the “Interpretive Journey” from the biblical text to contemporary application.


Yet the science of solid biblical interpretation must also be married to the art of contemporary communication in order to bring the message home. Carter, Duvall, and Hays also show how to understand your audience, develop powerful applications, use illustrations well, and deliver sermons effectively. The concluding units discuss unique preaching challenges presented by various biblical genres, providing interpretive keys, things to avoid, and numerous examples.

By completing this course, you'll gain:

  • guidelines for studying Scripture passages carefully and deriving sound applications
  • a greater grasp of effective communication principles for delivering sermons
  • insight into understanding your audience, employing illustrations, and crafting strong sermons
  • confidence in your growing knowledge through unit assessments and personalized review sessions that include award-winning memory building tools

Course Instructors

J. Scott Duvall

Ph.D., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary


J. Scott Duvall is professor of New Testament at Ouachita Baptist University. He has coauthored several books, including Biblical Greek Exegesis: A Graded Approach to Learning Intermediate and Advanced Greek; Grasping God’s Word; Preaching God's Word; and Journey into God’s Word.


J. Daniel Hays

Ph.D., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary


J. Daniel Hays is dean of the Pruet School of Christian Studies and professor of Old Testament at Ouachita Baptist University. He is the author of From Every People and Nation, and he has coauthored Grasping God's Word; Preaching God's Word; Journey into God’s Word; The Story of Israel: A Biblical Theology; Iraq: Babylon of the End Times?; Apocalypse; and The Dictionary of Biblical Prophecy. He teaches adult Sunday school at his local church in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and preaches frequently throughout the nation. 


Terry G. Carter

Ph.D., Southwesterrn Baptist Theological Seminary


Terry G. Carter is chair of the department of Christian ministries and holder of the W.O. Vaught Chair in the Pruet School of Christian Studies at Ouachita Baptist University. He teaches homiletics, pastoral ministry, Christian history, evangelism and church growth, missions, and survey of the Bible. He is author of The Journal and Selected Letters of William Carey.

Course Outline

1.   Preaching a Biblical Sermon

2.  Discovering Biblical Truth: The Interpretive Journey

3.  Preaching the Meaning in Their Town

4.  Exegeting the Audience

5.  Communicating the Meaning in Our Town

6.  Applying the Message

7.   Illustrating Biblical Truth

8.  Delivering a Biblical Sermon

9.  MIDTERM EXAM


10.  Preaching Letters

11.   Preaching the Gospel and Acts

12.  Preaching Revelation

13.  Preaching Old Testament Narrative

14.  Preaching the Law

15.  Preaching the Prophets

16.  Preaching Psalms and Wisdom Literature

17.   FINAL EXAM

Course Textbook

This Course is based on the book Preaching God’s Word by Terry G. Carter, J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays. While taking this course, you will have online access to most of this book's contents. However, if you want offline access or want this book in your personal library as a long-term reference, you may purchase it by clicking on the button to the right which will link you to amazon.ca.

Course Details

Preaching God's Word

by J. Scott Duvall, J. Daniel Hays, and Terry G. Carter


15 Units, Self-paced

7.5 Hours of Video

12 Months of Access to All Online Course Content

3 Credits toward a Certificate, Diploma or Degree

Support by a Clearwater College Professor


Cost: $510 CAN