These notes were brought to light in November 2008. They were typewritten and annotated by Ray in 1957. These are the earliest of his writings that we have on the site and pre-date the tapes and printed messages. They provide a facinating glimpse into how Ray prepared to preach. As the years went by, Ray required less and less notes to teach, and most all of his messages online were transcribed from reel-to-reel tapes recorded at Pennisula Bible Church (PBC) in Palo Alto, California.
To those who knew him, Ray was a very ordinary man. He did not like being called Reverend, or Doctor, or even Mr. Stedman. He did not stand at the back door of the church at the end of the service to shake hands with the people as they exited, but he did stand near the front to answer questions and greet people who sought him out after the service.
Ray had an encyclopedic mind. On the spur of the moment he could recall from memory poetry, ancient history and literature. Asked to speak impromptu, he would scribble a couple of notes on the back of the envelope and deliver a polished message on a brand new topic.
Ray told interns at PBC that they ought to study at least 20 hours for every hour in the pulpit. He was committed to Expository preaching, (see On Expository Preaching and The Primacy of Preaching) —but what is often called "Expository Preaching" nowadays is a far cry from Ray's high standards.
In deciding what to preach Ray would often spend time with members of the congregation asking them all sorts of questions so as to determine the issues the flock was wrestling with and their needs. Ray then sought the mind of the Lord in prayer and finally picked a book of the Bible which would speak into the congregation's life with relevance and effectiveness. He was committed to teaching the whole counsel of God, not leaving out any of the books of the Bible.Ray never boasted, and one would think him a very ordinary person until you heard him speak awhile. Many preachers today “talk down” to their audience as if they held a high office and knew more than everyone else. This is very demeaning to God’s flock. Ray always tried to be “one of the people” and he fought against the non-Biblical division of clergy and laity. He spoke in plain English and each sermon was like a huge table of food laid out for everyone. Thus all ages could learn something and no one would ever fall asleep. He rarely used big words which some people use all the time to show they know much more than everyone else.
Early in his ministry at PBC, the elders agreed that Ray should spend a considerable fraction of his time each year away from Palo Alto. Ray's heart, and most of his time away, was devoted to teaching young pastors around the world how to preach effectively. This means that we do not have sermons by Ray on many books of the Bible. His extant sermon notes, presented here, help bridge that gap. The earliest recorded sermon online (38 minutes) is The Body of Christ; it is as fresh and applicable today as it was in 1958!
Ray looked at commentaries last of all in his sermon preparation. He read the complete text from the Bible over and over again, pondering difficult sections and praying for clarity in the delivery. He gently corrected the translators of some newer Bibles when he saw they had missed the nuances of the original Hebrew of Greek. Ray did rely heavily on the meaning of the original languages, giving it much more credence than many commentators. He anticipated possible questions or comments on the text and he welcomed these from everyone. Ray was subjected to critique by his staff and others, and seriously considered their comments. Since he did not seek to be elevated in status over them, this was like an interchange between brothers.
When it was time to preach, Ray simply stood up and started talking in an ordinary voice. His preaching notes consisted of several 3x5 cards which mainly contained the quotations he planned to use. His sermons were so flawlessly delivered they seldom needed editing before being put into print. (For many years the previous Sunday's sermon was available the following Sunday in a handy rack at the back of the building.)
Ray's widow, Elaine, saved these sermon notes, scarcely imagining they would be of interest to anyone. It's easy to read between the lines in these notes and develop a sermon of one's own using these notes as an outline. Please feel free to follow Ray's model.Many thanks to Lambert Dolphin for helping with these comments!
Please click here for the 8-page PDF file (3.4 MB): Galatian Sermon Notes
Created Dec 11, 2008, Added to website Feb 14, 2009