A Successful Sermon - My Take on Preaching # 3

Decline, decline, decline. Most polling agencies are reporting that church attendance is on the decline in the United States. The average attendee goes to church less frequently, at an average of 1.9 times per month. This is about 22 times a year, including Christmas and Easter. What I find interesting about these statistics is that more than ever, churches are channeling more resources into production, and fewer and fewer people are attending church.

I wonder if the quality of preaching has also declined with the numbers. In my context, our church is gaining younger members on a regular basis. Our music ministry is good, but by no means a professional production. Our facilities are subpar with little curb appeal. One thing that stands out as we interview our new folks is our emphasis on biblical preaching. This surprises me and encourages me. I am a bit surprised because I can fall prey to the thought that people want to be entertained or do not want a straight shooter. Who knows? Perhaps there is a resurgence of biblical preaching in this generation. Regardless, we are called to preach the word! 

Who Does the Evaluating? 

Stuart Briscoe once said, "Some of the greatest sermons ever preached, by the prophets, for example, have received a thumbs down from the congregation. A pastor needs to pay close attention to who he receives feedback from concerning his sermons. You can always find someone who will tell you what you want to hear. Also, you can find someone who will tell you what you don't want to hear. Maybe the most accurate question is: How do they listen?

We tend to evaluate those who have "a following." When a person gains an audience, others often mimic, evaluate, or criticize them. It is important to ask why we think a sermon is good or not. A sermon in one context can seem to be very powerful and life-altering, but when preached in another setting, it falls on deaf ears. We must recognize that a sermon can have all the critical elements and not be received well by people. 

My Top Five

I believe there are some markers we can use to evaluate an effective sermon. I am sure that there could be more added to the list, but for the sake of brevity, I am going to share with you my " Top Five". This can serve as a checklist to help a pastor stay on track when evaluating their own work. 

Gospel Centered 

A major priority for a preacher should be to glorify God using the Word of God. God is the answer to all of our problems, concerns, and doubts. Truth is found in the scriptures. II Timothy 4:2 says, "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction." Am I accurately presenting the word of God in its proper context, and am I providing proper instruction?

Biblically Based

The Bible is the primary source of a sermon. Sermons need to be delivered in context using a historical, literal, and grammatical interpretation. It is important to do all the work behind the scenes to be able to rightly divide the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15 says, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." It takes work to prepare a sermon. It takes work to prepare a sermon. It takes more work to accurately prepare a sermon.   

Life Related

It is critical to be able to take a passage of scripture, exegete, expound, and apply it effectively. Making the scriptures come to life for the listener is critical. The goal of every sermon is to answer the question, "Why is the text important to know and apply to my life?" Preaching the sermon to myself throughout the week has proven to be an effective way to make the text come alive, personally. 

Passionately Presented

I believe that the difference between teaching and preaching is the attitude or posture of the speaker. Preaching is not a conversation. It is not merely the exchange of information. It is the process of passionately proclaiming the Word of God to impact the lives of the listener from beginning to end. This proclamation should serve as a call to action, inspiring people to become more like Jesus. A sermon should never end with, "and there ya have it... I have explained the text." Life-related Bible exposition should move people to a decision. This is where personal illustrations, stories, and examples all play a part of the presentation. 

Personally Convicting 

II Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness." A good message should be convicting. When a person understands who God is and the standards that we are to live by, the Holy Spirit will convict. I have found that the degree to which the Word impacts me affects how it impacts the audience. Preaching to myself has been a great guard against what Paul describes in I Corinthians 1:17: "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel, not with cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made of no effect." 

I do not claim to be an expert on the topic of preaching. I have dedicated myself to growing, learning, and adjusting my approach through the years. May those who read this join with me to deliver effective sermons. 

Application - My Take on Preaching # 2

 

" As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9

The scriptures are clear. What we hear, learn, and study should be applied to everyday life. The task of preaching requires the speaker to connect the scripture to everyday life. For many pastors, studying the passage is not the difficult part. The challenge comes in delivering a life-transforming message based on the truth of God's word. In this brief essay, I will provide an analysis of why integrating applications into your message can be challenging, why we often fail to apply the scriptures effectively, and how to craft a message that has a greater impact on the listener. 

Why is application integration difficult?

Little Training Much of my time in seminary was spent on learning how to interpret the Bible. This involves breaking down the passage to understand its meaning. I am so thankful for that training and would regret not having it. Many men who enter ministry naturally enjoy reading and studying. It's a great starting point, but it isn't the makings of a great sermon. My homeletics courses focused on extracting the main idea of the passage and explaining it to a modern audience. The application was difficult for most of my professors to teach and for students to grasp. 

Hard Work Preparing a sermon is hard work. Developing an application is even harder. Pressing timelines, administrative duties, multiple preparations per week, and simply running out of time make the application process tough. Often, speakers save the application for last. Last in preparation and last in presentation. 

The audience. Have you ever asked your congregation what you preached the week before? Often, I have, and it came with a spattering of general answers. The audience needs assistance in bridging the gap between the text's meaning and its practical application. As pastors, we study, meditate, and prepare all week. They have thirty to forty minutes to catch up. The more time that passes, the larger the gap becomes in understanding and applying a passage of scripture. 

Isolation. When you disconnect from the local culture, it is more difficult to apply scripture. It is easy to remain within the confines of church culture and overlook the broader community.

What application is NOT

Application is not just relevant illustrations. Illustrations give us insight into how others have navigated similar situations. Illustrations shed light, but they might not bridge into the life of the listener. 

Application is not mere understanding. Just because a person can intellectually understand something does not mean they will apply it. My doctor explains the effects of sugar and salt in my diet in a clear and straightforward manner. This does not mean that I will stop incorporating it into my diet. 

Application is not just motivation or inspiration. I have coached college soccer for many years. Just because I give an inspirational speech does not mean my players will apply it to the game plan. We all have left Sunday services feeling like we were about to turn things around, only to get into the car and forget what we were inspired to do. 

What application IS

Application answers questions. The first question is, what is the importance of this text to my spiritual journey? The application extends beyond the explanation of the text and delves into how the listener receives the message and puts it into practice. Other questions that need to be answered are: 

• Do they understand what was said? 
• How can the message change their life? 
• What should they do about it? 
• What should they do first? 
• What is one step the listener can put into action to make a move forward?       

Keeping these questions in mind will help craft a well-prepared sermon with plenty of points for application. 

Tips for Preaching for application

• Provide tools for application. I like to provide printed notes with application exercises for each sermon that I preach. This gives the audience another way to connect. They see concepts, questions, and examples of how the scriptures work in everyday life. 

Slow down. Recently, I spent two weeks preaching on a single passage. In the first week, I primarily explained the passage. The second week, I worked through the personal applications for the congregation. In a day of podcasts, radio, and live streams, many congregants listen to as many as four or five sermons per week. While hearing the Word of God preached daily is a wonderful thing, we need to make sure we are taking the time to apply the abundance of information.

Read the Room. For me, this has been incredibly helpful. Being in the same place for over twenty years has afforded me the opportunity to capture the spiritual vitality of the congregation. Allowing the message to marinate throughout the week has provided many points of application based on areas of application facing the congregation. Here are some key categories to remember as you consider your sermon's application: relationships, conflicts, burdens, opportunities, and responsibilities.

• Work to arrange your outline in an application-oriented manner.

In summary, do not miss one of the most important parts of preaching! We are merely tasked with exchanging information. Application is a vital tool that helps our people change and grow. 

You Gotta Be You - My take on Preaching # 1

 

The late, Pastor Warren Wiersbe once said of preachers, "The experiences we preachers go through are not accidents; they are appointments." He confirmed what I have experienced as a preacher for over thirty-two years. It is amazing how many times the week's circumstances, events, and lessons personally fell into place as practical illustrations for the Bible passage I was addressing. 

People connect with stories. Applying what I was learning through the week has often connected me with my audience. The longer I have served in one place, the more meaningful the illustrations have become. I have often wondered why things work out the way they do. My sermon have taken shape at the last moment. Early on, I assumed I was not very good at preparing. But over time, I realized it would take all six days after my last sermon to prepare for the next one. 

I embrace the process now. God uses my personality, experiences, and difficulties to connect with my audience. Philips Brooks said it best: "Preaching is the communicating of divine truth through human personality. The divine truth never changes; the human personality constantly changes and this is what makes the message new and unique." This truth has helped me think about preaching in an entirely different way. I enjoy hearing others preach. It is not necessarily about just the content but rather the delivery. 

The best preachers are themselves in the pulpit. They have embraced who God has made them to be. Once a person realizes that God has put them in front of the right group of people at the right time, he can speak freely. There is a never-ending quest for men to follow men. I have seen people who attempt to talk like someone else. They use other guys' stuff; some even attempt to mimic another's tone, rate, and expressions. 

There is so much more to preaching than exegesis, hermeneutics, and scholarship. Those things are essential, no doubt! But, preaching is also about God preparing you. There is a big difference between a recipe and a meal. Every household has books filled with recipes. The best cooks don't get caught up in recipes because they are more concerned about the chief end of delivering a meal. Similarly, I  recommend that all those who prepare sermons prioritize evaluating the meals they deliver rather than following the recipes. 

Martin Luther once said three things that make a preacher: prayer, meditation, and temptation. If he is correct, it will take attentiveness during the week of preparation to identify what God is teaching you about the text you will deliver on Sunday. There are no accidents. Even the apostles spoke about what they had seen and heard (Acts 4:20, 22:15). 

Discovering who you are is critical to become an effective preacher. I am an introvert. Most people are surprised to discover this. I need time to recharge and usually, I do it alone. I need time to sort my thoughts and revive my spirit. 

I can become very distracted, so working on a sermon in one setting is nearly impossible. I need a whole week to produce a finished sermon. I've also learned I work best in the late hours of the day. (I am writing this at 12:32 a.m.). These discoveries have helped me. I now lean into them instead of attempting to change because someone else does it differently. 

II Corinthians 10:12-13 says, For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God appointed to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. 

Comparing yourself with others is a dead- in street. It will feed your insecurities and cripple you from being able to use your personality, experiences, and circumstances while preaching the word of God. Don't do it! 

We have to strike a balance. Some might think this is a permission slip for cutting corners. I strongly believe the preacher is to interact, study, and meditate on the biblical passage(s). Do all the behind-the-scenes hard work but do not forget to be yourself. We must never forget to bring our personalities, shortcomings, stories, experiences, and challenges to our people.  You gotta be you.