Sermon searching

Our Library collection contains a huge number of sermons: in print, on audio cassette and video. This collection is fully indexed by the passage of Scripture being discussed. You can search for almost any Old Testament or New Testament text and retrieve a set of sermons, new and old, written about that Bible passage.

Find sermons on a Scripture passage

On the initial search screen, use Search for a keyword; choose Subject. Type in the portion of Scripture you are looking for. To specify the chapter, use Roman numerals. (Several examples of the right forms for scripture passages are given below.) Be sure to click in the little circle beside the word Yes, in order to choose Words adjacent.

Then, notice the drop-down menu beside the words Base to search. From the options on that menu, choose Sermons. You will be searching a subset of our catalog consisting of sermon records. Once all of these choices are in place, you can click on Go.

Because this is a keyword search process, you may retrieve a few irrelevant records. But most of the records will be sermons written specifically about the passage you are looking for.

SOME  SCRIPTURE  EXAMPLES

If there is more than one book of the Bible with the same name, enter the ordinal number (1st, 2nd or 3rd) :

Timothy 2nd III

To search for a text from a Psalm, be sure to type in the name of the book as Psalms, with a final "s" :

To distinguish the Gospel of John from the Epistles, you must explicitly include or exclude the term epistle :

Epistle of John 1st V [First John, chapter 5]

John V [Gospel of John, chapter 5]

Specify verses, if you wish, using Roman numerals for chapters and regular numbers for a verse or range of verses :

Galatians IV 4-7

You might try other ways of expressing the passage you want : for example, a sermon on Galatians IV 1-11 will probably discuss Galatians IV 4-7, which is included within it.

When you have selected a sermon, use the process explained below to find out what book contains it. Or, obtain the sermon in audio or video format from the Instructional Resource Center.

Find sermons on a topic

It is also possible to search our catalog for sermons on a certain topic, rather than a particular Bible passage. On the initial search screen, use Search for a keyword.

Enter a topical term like Moses or incarnation, and choose Keyword Anywhere. For a more precise search, try Title Words instead.

Then, look for the drop-down menu labeled Base to search. Among the choices in that field, you will see Sermons. Click on that word to select it, and then click on Go.

You will be searching the subset of our catalog consisting of sermon records. When you have selected one, use the process explained below to find out what book contains it. Or, obtain the sermon in audio or video format from the Instructional Resource Center.

Find the book containing a chosen sermon

Sermons are usually published in collections -- for example, a book of sermons for the Lenten season, or the collected sermons of Fred Craddock, or sermons on the Gospel of John. When you have chosen a particular sermon, you need to find out what sermon collection contains it.

A record for a typical sermon shows details pertaining to the sermon itself, but not to the book in which it was published. All you see in the sermon record is page numbers. But of which book?

To see the catalog record for the book, look for the line labeled Uplink and find the words Link to Book with this item.

That link will take you to the record for the book in which that sermon is found. The book’s call number is at the top of the record, near the word Holdings. Jot down the call number, and then you can go and retrieve this item from the stacks.

You can also see records for the other sermons included in a particular collection. In the book record, look for the line labeled Down or Down links. Those links will show you records for the other sermons bound together in that book.

If the call number indicates CASSETTE or VIDEO, this sermon is available as an audio or video recording from the Instructional Resource Center. If you wish, you can retrieve only those sermons that we have on audio or videotape. To do this, limit your search by material type (see Limit your search).

When you are finished looking for sermons, be sure that the Base to search option is set back to Entire Collection. You may be stuck inside the sermons subset until you change this!