The first step in sermon preparation is to prepare the preacher. Power in the pulpit comes when the preacher takes the approach Ezra took:
“For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” Ezra 7:10 (NASB)
He set his heart to study the Word of God, practice the things he learned, and then teach them to the people under his charge. That formula cannot fail if used consistently.
Pick Your Dig Spot and Get Out Your Shovel
Before a preacher crafts a sermon, he must select a text. Preaching through books of the Bible will keep you from spending hours each week flipping through the Bible wondering what to preach, and it will ensure that you give the people a “balanced diet” of the different truths contained in God’s Word. The preacher gains much when forced to dig deep into a difficult passage rather than only choosing texts that he feels he already understands. As God brings to my attention an exciting Scripture passage that I feel the church needs, I frequently interrupt the book through which I am currently teaching.
After prayerfully determining the chosen passage for the week, I begin reading the text prayerfully over and over, seeking to uncover both the evident and the hidden truths. You can also diagram the sentences or identify the who, what, when, where, and how, or read each word very slowly. Anything we can do to go from a rapid “drive-by” to a slower “walk-through” will significantly increase our insights into the passage.
Then I look to understand the central truth. What did it mean to the original hearers? What does it mean to us now? Make sure that your determined central truth does not take the Scripture out of context (while it may be true, is it true from this particular text?).
At this point, and often throughout the several-day process, I must bathe the preparation in prayer. One of the blessings of not being brilliant is that I am forced to depend on God throughout the entire process. God is the author, so He knows all the deeper meanings behind the text!
This is a good time for word studies and any other Greek or Hebrew study. I want to unearth other gems, which might be waiting in the original language. I will either go through each word or at least examine the key words in the text. You must either complete your own study of the original texts or avail yourself to the plethora of excellent tools available on the market.
Organizing the Found Treasures
Then I begin seeking the best way to divide the passage and the best approach to explain the text. It is best to let the text determine this. Some weeks I find it easier to explain the text using points (1,2,3, etc.). Other weeks it seems more natural for me to explain the passage all as one large point, building toward the central theme. Whether I use points or no points, I strive to explain the meaning, illustrate the meaning, and apply the meaning to our lives today.
Having determined the central theme of the passage and succeeded in arranging a basic outline, I proceed to commentaries and other similar resources. Unless I am utterly clueless about the initial meaning of the text, I make it my goal to have done my own work before reading what others have said. This sequence preserves my role as my church’s local pastor through whom God is speaking.
There are also cross-references to consider. Are there other verses that will aid in our understanding of the passage in question? If so, then these are added to the outline. However, I don’t want to use so many cross-references that I am no longer digging deep into the current text at hand.
Having now scribbled all over one or two pieces of paper, I begin cleaning things up and arranging the notes in their proper places within the outline (or in the discard pile). At this juncture, things come to a grinding halt. Where are all these truths and thoughts and word meanings and notes going? Have I captured the big picture that God would have me communicate? How will this message become more than just a download of interesting facts? I have a weekly reminder sent to me by email that says, “Application makes it a sermon.” A Bible study presents the truths of God’s Word. A sermon carefully and prayerfully applies it to the workplace, the kitchen, the neighborhood and everywhere in-between.
Then comes the time to think about illustrations. While there are illustration resources, the best illustrations seem to come from life itself. Humor can be appropriate if not overdone. Once again, I often find myself praying to God, asking Him to help me illustrate the explanation or the application in word pictures that transport the ancient truths to the present moment. I endeavor to keep illustrations brief enough as to not overshadow the Scripture text.
From Scribbles to Script
At this point, I go to the computer keyboard. In this process of typing out either an entire manuscript or a very extensive and detailed outline, I discard some of my notes and the Lord gives some new insights. I aim to type in the language in which I speak, which is different than the language used for an essay.
I am then haunted each week by the question, “so what?” What does this message ask the hearer to do in response? How will this message affect Monday? Is there clarity in the prepared sermon and does it point to a clear response?
At times I will opt to “preach” the sermon to an empty room before finishing the preparation process. Since sermons are spoken rather than printed, this practice gives a chance to discover how it sounds when spoken. Does it communicate well? Is there a more succinct or more memorable way to speak these truths?
Then there is the incubation or slow-cooking time. I set Thursday afternoon as the deadline to finish that week’s message. This allows time to think and pray about it for a few days (and it allows me to enjoy my family on the weekend!). As I pray through the weekend, I will remove some content and add other thoughts. This process repeats itself many times up until the time that I enter the pulpit. On weeks where the passage of Scripture calls for somewhat difficult subjects, I am crying out for the Lord to give me the grace and strength to say what must be said and that I can state it with discernable humility. Occasionally I will memorize all or a portion of the Scripture text. Not only does this help me memorize the Word, but it also aids in my understanding of the text.
Package Delivery Time!
On Sunday morning, I am praying for the power of the Holy Spirit. I am praying that I will be faithful to His Word. I am praying that I will be able to “get out of God’s way” and allow Him to speak.
While I will occasionally preach without notes, or with limited notes, most weeks I take a manuscript to the pulpit and know it well enough to not look at it much at all.
Then, finally, one of my favorite times of the week arrives: the moment I have the unspeakable privilege of being God’s delivery boy. In that event, I stand like a midwife, delivering the sweet words of God to the sweet people to whom I speak. If I had 1,000 lives to live, I would wish to live them all as a preacher of God’s Wonderful Word!
]]>Look in any preacher’s library and you will find more than one sermon illustration book. The best thing about some of these books is you simply look up the topic or theme for your sermon and choose one that fits your message. Publishers print these books because they know even the best preachers struggle with finding the right illustration to make the sermon more meaningful.
Also, there are a number of top tier homiletics books that dedicate at least a chapter or two to this development and use of illustrations. Yet, experience suggests that coming up with the right illustration haunts many preachers who otherwise are very skilled at sermon preparation. Because the importance of illustrations cannot be overstated, we will move on to the task itself, yet, in order for preachers to accomplish this task, there are a few illustration pitfalls we should avoid.
We should beware of our sources for illustrations. Today, because of technology, many of us use popular Bible study software in our preparation, but with these tools come access to sermon sharing sites, that place at a keystroke whole sermons on any topic and illustrations to match. This also causes some preachers to lift from these sites word for word sermon illustrations, some with regrettable outcomes. For instance telling personal anecdotes that are not true to the preacher’s family or ministry. This ministerial practice, otherwise called plagiarism. Today, far too many preachers are guilty of such an offense.
We should beware of our personal preference which causes us to default to certain types of illustrations. Some preachers default to their favorite sport or movie for quotes and anecdotes, while others default to literature or random sayings they run across online. None of these are necessarily bad, but they give the preacher an air of predictability, which becomes a source of distraction for our listeners.
There are many things that the ancient schools of rhetoric can teach us when it comes to the use and development of illustrations. Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing or using illustrations:
Our goal is to communicate the main idea of the text as clearly as we can in order that our listeners encounter God through the preaching of the Word and respond to Him rightly. We do this by illustrating when necessary.[3]There is a good treatment of illustrations in the book “The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching: A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Communicators, ISBN 978-0310252481.
References [ + ]
1. | ↑ | Aristotle On Rhetoric: A Theory of Civic Discourse 2 ed. George A Kennedy (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007), 38. |
2. | ↑ | For more on this subject as well as the Five Canons of Rhetoric, see Cicero’s De Oratore. |
3. | ↑ | There is a good treatment of illustrations in the book “The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching: A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Communicators, ISBN 978-0310252481. |
Hear From Your People
One of the best approaches I’ve learned to keeping sermon illustrations simple yet deeply embedded in the imaginations of your people is to use their own daily experiences as inspiration. This does not always mean you repeat things they share with you in confidence or counsel, though you may ask their permission at times to share their story. Or better yet, invite them to share testimony during a service. This can be effective and deeply impactful. It also allows your people to participate in the worship service in a significant way. We always feature the testimony of a member in our congregation during our Wednesday evening message. The testimony most often aligns with our sermon thematically.
To do this you have to know your people. You have to constantly listen and observe their stories. Visit them at their work as you are able. Plug into their daily rhythms so much as you can (and that doesn’t always equal parenting illustrations. Challenge yourself to pause on those!). Ask them how they came to know the Lord Jesus. And think how you might steward and shepherd those stories as living illustrations of this Word of God, living and active. I think that’s a big part of our role, pastors. Steward the stories of life transformation within your church.
Illustrate for Your All People
Another way of thinking about and crafting deep and simple illustrations is to draw for yourself a grid of maybe four lines as you craft your sermon and practice its delivery. I learned this from my own preaching mentor, Calvin Pearson. In these four blanks write the names of four vastly different people in your church. In one blank you may write “Jordan”, age seven, first grader, who is just beginning to sit in “big church” with his parents. How might he be hearing this particular sermon? What simple illustration from his life experience might impact him with the gospel truth?
In the second blank you may write about “John”, a recent college graduate that moved to your town and joined your church. He is single and desires a family of his own. How might this text be hitting him? What simple illustration could encourage him in his life and living? In the third blank you may write about “Helen”, a woman in your church who moved across the country because she knew the Lord was calling her out of a life of lesbianism. She is still learning about what it means to be part of a church, but she’s eager to be part of this spiritual family even as she works through the brokenness of her past. How might this text be impacting her? What simple illustration may help the Word come all the more alive in her mind’s eye?
In the fourth blank you write “Bryan and Robin”, long-time members who met in your church, married each other, desired children for years, suffered multiple miscarriages, became pregnant with twin boys and lost one of them shortly after the birth. They have their only son in the preschool wing across the hall as they listen to you preach. How might this text be affecting them? What is an illustration that would minister to them and be faithful to the thrust of the text?
You get the idea. I think you’ll even have fun with it because it’s what we are called to do as pastors. We are called to smell like sheep. And so too should our illustrations.
Illustrate Pastoral Care
Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in Life Together that “Brotherly pastoral care is essentially distinguished from preaching by the fact that, added to the task of speaking the Word, there is a the obligation of listening.” I think our ministries would be all the better and faithful if we practiced both. Listen, and apply what you learn to your sermon illustrations.
Your people will sniff out if you constantly pull unrelated illustrations from a book or a movie. These can have their place but should be used quite sparingly. Instead focus on the language of everyday life experience that you and your people share. Show them how the Bible impacts them in their specific context. Show them how the Holy Spirit makes the seemingly ordinary extraordinary.
]]>Keep it Honest
The preacher needs credibility with his audience if he is to fulfill his expositional task. The minute his character is tainted and credibility is lost he no longer has the trust of the congregation. They will not listen to a man they cannot trust. In the least they will doubt his observations and he will struggle to help them make application of text. Illustrations must be genuine. The preacher should never claim to have done or been part of something that is not his own. Falsely inserting himself into the illustration never makes it more suitable for the sermon. Borrowed stories can be great illustrations, but they need to be told as they are. Personal experiences resonate with the audience, but if the preacher does not have one that fits he cannot claim another’s experience as his own without losing credibility. Furthermore, stories that are made up can be good illustrations if the audience knows the story is fictional and it connects them to the text. Do not risk your credibility for what you think is the perfect sermon illustration. Keep it honest and the audience will trust your application.
Verify the Details
The age of instant information makes potential illustrations easily accessible. However, this instant access can be a stumbling block. Accuracy demands that every detail of the illustration be verified before using it in a sermon. This goes back to the credibility of the preacher. His intentions may be good, and the illustration may even fit the context of the sermon. Yet, the moment the details of the illustration are exposed as inaccurate or outright false the application is lost. If you do not verify the details of your illustration you can be sure someone listening will. This also applies when using illustrations from areas that you may not know a great deal about. Science, history, mathematics, physics, engineering, and illustrations from all other disciplines are fair game, but make sure you go over the details of any illustration with someone who can make sure you are explaining it correctly. This will ensure accuracy and strengthen the illustration.
Do Not Force the Square Peg
The preacher should search for new sermon illustrations like a squirrel hunts for nuts. He should constantly observe the creation in which he lives, look behind every bush of current events, search the limbs and branches of good books, turn over every leaf of media, and remain alert with pointed ears as he listens to other sermons. In these places and others, he will find those precious sermon illustrations that he can store in his stash for later. Good illustrations beg to be used, but they must fit with the outline of the text or they will not help your people connect with the sermon. If you are in doubt about whether the sermon illustration works with the text, discuss it with another pastor or trusted friend. Trying different illustrations is part of healthy sermon preparation. Make sure you find the one that fits and accomplishes the task of helping your people understand the text. The day will come when that amazing illustration you found can be used, but do not force it. If you find in your preparation you feel like the frustrated toddler trying to bang the square peg through the round hole on the shape board, move on. Go back to your stash and try another illustration until you find one that fits with the outline and applications from the text.
Practice
Good illustrations deserve to be shared with excellence. Do not ruin all the valuable time spent on exegesis by failing to practice the delivery. Few things in preaching are as frustrating or disappointing as having a sermon illustration fall flat and knowing your audience missed the application. Practicing illustrations helps us ensure they will be accurate when we present them to our people. This applies to all types of illustrations. Stories should be rehearsed aloud to yourself and possibly even to a friend. Scripture used to expound and highlight the sermon text needs to be studied and correctly applied. Media presentations such as Power Point and videos should be timed with thought given to smooth transitions. The use of visual aids and demonstrations need to be repeated until they are flawless. Illustrations are more effective when they are rehearsed and well planned. Practice will help ensure accuracy.
]]>Pastoral ministry is a preaching ministry and a preaching ministry is a pastoral ministry. You cannot separate the two. A preacher must know his people. He must know what makes them tick, what they do for a living, what hobbies they have, etc. A preacher who does not know his congregation may be entertaining, but he won’t be effective.
So what can make sermon illustrations appealing? That question in many ways can only be answered at a congregational level. A congregation filled with mostly internationals would probably not have much interest in story about a player of American Football. However, if you share a story about a soccer player (football to the rest of the world), they might be more interested. If you have a congregation that has many that have recently lost their jobs, a sports analogy would not draw their interest like one that speaks to their situation.
What makes sermon illustrations appealing? Since a human being is not merely a mind, but also an emotional creature with a will, illustrations cannot stay in the abstract. Your aim should be to add as much concreteness to your story/analogy as you can. Help people see with their ears. Emotions are not bad things, as Nathan the prophet could attest. David was not convinced that his lifestyle was evil until Nathan shared a detailed, blood-boiling story about a rich man stealing a poor man’s lamb (2 Samuel 12:1-15). That story had details. They were familiar details to David. The story involved lambs which David, the former shepherd, knew all about. The story centered around an injustice which David, the king, sought to eliminate in his kingdom. The Holy Spirit used those familiar details in the parable to lead David to repentance.
When I come home from work my three-year-old son usually comes to greet me with a big hug and then goes about playing with his toys. I try to converse with him by asking “how was your day?” or “what did you and mommy do today?” but he usually just keeps doing what he’s doing without a response. However, when I ask the question “Do you want to go outside?” his head pops up, his eyes turn to me, and he gives me an emphatic “YES!” I know what will get his attention. I know he loves to go outside and play. I know him very well. I know what interests him. The same can be said about anybody to whom we preach. The more you know them and their interests, the more appealing your illustrations will be.
]]>Here are three methods to help you craft memorable illustrations.
An illustration moves your listeners from the world of the unfamiliar to the familiar. In fact, think of your illustration as a bucket; you want it to carry a familiar truth to the listener and return to you with a new understanding of a previously unfamiliar truth. Let me show you.
If you were lecturing on how the tax system works in America, you would need to communicate many abstract financial principles to an audience who does not know the difference between macro- and microeconomics. If you failed to utilize skillfully chosen illustrations throughout your lecture, you would lose many in your audience.
For example, during the 2008 presidential elections, both President Obama and Republican hopeful John McCain would often refer to “Joe the Plumber” when discussing the complicated nature of tax brackets. “Joe the Plumber” served as an ongoing illustration during discussions about the abstract financial principles in play. “Joe” was a metaphor for middle class Americans to better understand how the proposed tax codes affected them personally. While many of us do not navigate the unfamiliar world of economics, we do understand how much money the government takes from our paychecks in taxes. “Joe the Plumber” moved our understanding of the unfamiliar tax implications back to the familiar, helping us understand a little more about economics.
Similarly, if you are communicating the need to be justified by faith in Jesus Christ and how this faith serves as your imputed righteousness, unless you take time to illustrate this concept, you will equally lose your listeners. It will take some thoughtful strategy on your part to effectively communicate this biblical principle.
Perhaps you can ask your listeners to imagine that the bank recently made a mistake in your checking account. While the balance earlier in the week was a little more than $100, later in the week you discovered you had more than $75,000 dollars. Everyone in the room could connect to this and understand how Christ’s imputed righteousness found in Romans 4:22-25 works in his/her favor. We have an infinite amount of righteous deeds in our account because of Christ’s work on the cross – this is the good news of the gospel.
Again, an illustration should move the world of the unfamiliar to the familiar, so that the unfamiliar is better understood. Make sense?
Illustrations come in many forms including stories, analogies, and figures of speech. Because stories are so popular, many Bible teachers fail to appreciate how an analogy or a figure of speech can powerfully communicate a message. As a result, we overly rely on stories at the expense of analogies and figures of speech to communicate biblical truth.
Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” in Enfield, Connecticut on July 8, 1741. The reaction to his sermon was overwhelming as people cried out for mercy during the middle of his usual staid sermon delivery. One enduring aspect of this excellent sermon was Edwards’ use of the analogy of a spider web and a falling rock. He told the congregation that their righteous deeds were no more capable of keeping them out of hell than a spider web could stop a falling rock. Here, Edwards chose a simple analogy to communicate the biblical truth of the reality of hell and the need for faith in Christ. Everyone knew that a spider web was too flimsy to stop a falling rock.
Other forms of a powerful illustration are comparison and contrast. Often, I gain a better understanding of what something is when I understand what it is not. This is a negative definition, but it helps tremendously.
I will share a personal example of how I used this form of illustration. Several years ago, I was preaching on 1 Corinthians 3 when I described a self-centered Christian as a hammer made of glass, or a glass hammer. The only good thing a glass hammer makes is a horrendous mess. In essence, this was a memorable way to remember what self-centeredness does in our lives because it fails to deliver on what it promises. I compared and contrasted self-centered living with a useless glass hammer.
I recently asked about a dozen pastor friends about the weight they give illustrations in their sermons as opposed to exposition or even application. Most indicated they aimed to keep sermon illustrations between 15% – 25% percent of the sermon with exposition hovering around 60%-70% of the message.
If you were to analyze your last sermon or Bible study, how much attention did exposition receive compared to application or even illustration? If the oral presentation of your sermons were analyzed by a computer and it produced a colored pie chart of your content, would you illustrate far more than explaining the Scripture itself?
Years ago, I asked a man who I respected to preach for me while I was away from church on a Sunday. Upon my return, I listened to the recording of his sermon and was surprised to hear that he told one ineffective story for six to seven minutes in his opening. The problem with the story was not the illustration itself, but rather its length and lack of engaging detail. As a result, I did not want to listen to any more of the message because of his lack of efficiency in communicating his illustration. It was an average anecdote that stretched on for nearly fifteen percent of his sermon. A memorable illustration needs to “take me there,” describing the account with efficiency and detail. In addition, a pastor must ask himself, “Is this story really worth 15% of my Sunday morning message?”
Personal confession for a moment – as pastors, many of us overestimate the amount of illustration and application we use and underestimate our explanation and exposition. I believe there are two reasons for this.
First, many in our congregations honestly long for more application and illustration than they do biblical exposition. We attempt to do biblical exposition to a room full of people who are yawning with disinterest. We recognize intuitively that something must change so we start telling a story about our children “on the fly” and everyone laughs as a result. While we feel better because the people are responding to our message, have we really changed anyone with the gospel in the process of preaching?
The second reason biblical exposition receives so little attention is because too many preachers think the Bible needs a lot of help. We must remember it is the gospel that saves and NOT our ability to communicate an effective illustration.
The power is in the Word of God. Until you have confidence in the very words of God, as evidenced by how you handle it week after week, you will not arrive at a proper weight between exposition, illustration, and application.
]]>Sermon Preparation
I am a part of a preaching team that preaches at different services on different campuses, but we all operate using the same text, same title, and same sermon series. Having a sermon series is helpful not only for the person hearing the sermon, but also helpful for the preacher. He can approach each week ready to prepare instead of trying to figure out what to preach. Assuming the text, title, and topic are identified, here is a sample outline of my weekly preparation schedule:
Monday
This is primarily a day of recovery and gathering. I use the term “recovery” because a preacher is coming off of the emotions and experiences of the day before. In light of this, I refrain from any intense studying or thinking and work on any follow-up items from the weekend. From there, I move toward gathering my resources for the upcoming weekend. This involves pulling commentaries, books, files, illustrations, and other sermons. I use the following resources as my primary “go to” spots to find my study and support material:
Tuesday
This is a day of meetings (staff, personal, planning, etc), so little thought is given to the weekend sermon.
Wednesday
This is a big study day. Since I already have my material ready, I simply cut and paste the passage into a blank Word document with each verse spaced out from the other to allow room for notes. Then, through the process of personal study of the passage and reading support material (commentaries, word studies, theology books), I make notes on each individual verse. As ideas come to me such as illustrations, message direction, or even questions of the text, I will type those into the Word document directly under the verse. I never want to assume a thought or idea isn’t useful to the direction of my message, so I always record it. It is my goal to go through most or all of my personal study and support material by lunch, leaving me with a fairly good idea of the passage with answers to questions that have come up from my study.
Thursday
This is an intense day of framing my message. In the morning, I transition from my academic study to the shaping and framing of the sermon. I read over other sermons on the passage (sermon databases available in Logos Bible Software, Preaching Source) and make notes in the same larger document used on Wednesday. As I read and develop ideas for illustrations or preaching points, I record them and begin to formulate the message direction.
On Thursday afternoon, I focus on the structure of the message. I develop a detailed sermon outline, including an introduction, transitions, preaching points, illustrations, and a conclusion. I spend a significant amount of time identifying the purpose of the message, but once this is articulated and crafted, the sermon outline flows more naturally from it.
Friday
This is a writing day. I manuscript all of my messages which helps me determine the length of the sermon, helps the media team craft screen support, and helps prepare me for future opportunities to preach on this passage again. The actual writing out of the message comes rather quickly (1.5-2.5 hours), assuming my detailed outline is thorough. Once the message is written, I will read over it a few times, make necessary changes, and evaluate it for length and flow.
Saturday
I rarely, if ever, look at the message on Saturday. This lets me be fully present with my family. There is confidence in knowing the work has been done and deters me from feeling like it needs more tweaking or changing.
Sunday
I arrive early to church and spend time reading over my message at least 4-5 times. Occasionally, I preach certain sections out loud to myself, but my main goal is to get the sermon into my heart and mind before delivering it. I pray as I read over the message, asking God to use it and guide me in my delivery. I want to master the manuscript, not memorize it. While I use it and read from it at times, I try to preach as free from notes as possible.
Ultimately, a preacher needs to find his own rhythm of preparation that suits his schedule, personality, and style best. There is no ‘perfect’ method, but everyone needs a plan because…as the great preacher said, “Sunday’s coming.”
]]>As a sports fan, I’m a sucker for a good locker room speech. Perhaps one of my favorites as a child was Coach Gordon Bombay’s brief but inspirational words to his junior hockey team in the Disney movie “D2: The Mighty Ducks.” Tasked with coaching Team USA, Bombay has to wrangle and unify players from all over the country to work together as a team. During the intermission just before the final period of one of their games, Bombay asks players “Who are you?” to which players respond with their names and the cities/states from which they hail. He concludes, “We are Team USA, gathered from all across America, and we’re going to stick together. Do you know why? Because we are ducks … and ducks fly together. Just when you think they’re about to break apart, ducks fly together … And when everyone says it can’t be done, ducks fly together!”
But in real life game situations, the best locker room speeches are not merely inspirational; they’re also instructional. Coaches remind players of the basics of the game—the skills and fundamentals they already know—and lay out the game plan so the team is unified around common objectives. What’s interesting though is that a coach rarely addresses individual players in these scenarios. If he does, it is always linked to how that player affects the entire team. For example, a basketball coach may single out a player to improve his defense or to take more shots, but it’s in the context of how that affects other players on the team as well as the team as a whole. In football, a coach may draw up specific plays involving a key player or two, but it’s always in conjunction with how the individual’s performance coordinates with his teammates responsibilities and helps the team to win. But, most often, these locker room speeches focus on the team working together as a unit.
Expository preaching can be like a locker room huddle. Sure, there are differences. For example, a sermon addresses eternal matters while a sporting event is just a game. Additionally, pastors can’t simply rely on a rah-rah, emotional speech; there has to be substance to the message. But the analogy applies in that every Sunday a pastor speaks to a team of individuals, a congregation of Christians, a body of believers. Every week, the church gathers to hear from the Word of God, and the pastor must seek to unify, encourage, instruct, and inspire these Christians to work with one another to achieve a common goal or set of objectives presented in the Scriptures (see Ephesians 4:11-16 and 2 Timothy 4:2).
However, I’m afraid that too often, sports coaches get it right where evangelical pastors get it wrong. Rather than deliver messages that encourage and equip church members to live out the Scriptures corporately, much of the preaching I hear today is solely focused on individuals, coaching people up on their own personal games. Sure, we could pick on seeker-sensitive, self-help sermons at this point, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about how evangelical, expository preachers often neglect the congregational nature of the Christian life in their sermons. We tell people there are no “Lone Ranger Christians,” but we typically preach “Lone Ranger sermons.” We do a bang up job of explaining the Scriptures and applying it to the individual Christian’s life (as we should), but we fail to explain and apply how that passage addresses the corporate nature of the Christian life—how their life together in the church should look and how they fulfill the mission of God together. In short, our sermons are all about the “me” and absent of the “we.”
Ironically, this misses the whole objective of expository preaching. The Bible itself is a congregationally shaped book. It is written about God’s people, to God’s people, for God’s people. Because expositional preaching exposes God’s Word to His people and helps them live out the truths found in the Bible, it too must be congregationally shaped. And I’m not just referring to passages that instruct the church on matters of ecclesiology. Every passage of Scripture has both individual and congregational implications, and so must every expositional sermon.
What about your preaching? Are your sermons solely aimed at explaining how the Bible applies to the individual Christian, or do they also promote a congregationally shaped view of the Christian life? Do your church members see applications from the text that guide their personal walk with the Lord as well as applications that instruct them on their role in the body of Christ?
When you preach a passage related to forgiveness, do you explain how forgiveness plays out in your local church and demonstrates the gospel to a watching world? When you preach on temptation, do you show how temptations toward gossip, pride, and immorality impact the congregation? When you preach on the Lord’s Prayer, do you emphasize it’s congregational nature—“Our Father … Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”?
Let me be clear. I’m not talking about jettisoning the individual aspects of the Christian life in our sermons. But I am advocating for an increased emphasis on the congregational aspects. We are saved into a family, and the church is God’s primary tool for transforming the world. God’s Word gives life to His people, so as we preach it, we must allow it to shape and define our congregations. It should instruct us on how and why the Lord organizes us together in local faith families for the spread of the gospel. It should help us understand how our life together, defined by love, is one of the key ways we display the glory of Christ to the world (John 13:35).
As you sit down to prepare your next message, take some time to think through how the text applies to your congregation as a whole. As you begin to add this focus to your sermons, you will be “equipping the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness” (Eph. 4:12-13).
Keith Collier serves as pastor of First Baptist Church in Groesbeck, Texas.
]]>Early on in my Bible college days I had the opportunity to do pulpit supply. For several years, I enjoyed preaching in different churches – week-to-week and month-to-month. Each one had a specific culture and of course each had their challenges. Some had just lost their pastor while others had been without a preacher for years. Maybe the pastor was out just for one Sunday or maybe he was sitting on the front row. In any case, I loved it. But honestly I was simply, “winging it.” No one told me how do it, how to prepare, or what to do when a church called me to preach for them. From my experience I want to provide you some things to consider when a church calls you to do pulpit supply.
If Your Schedule Allows, Always Say “Yes.”
So the call comes on a Tuesday from a pastor or a deacon asking you to preach at the “Backwoods Baptist Church” this coming Sunday morning and evening. It’s a small independent church off of Po-Dunk County Road with about 30 people on Sunday morning, if it isn’t raining. You check your calendar and you’re free – so say yes. The reality is it doesn’t matter the size of the church as long as you’re faithful to preach the Word. I believe if God has called you to preach, He will open up the doors for you to preach. When God places this call upon your life, you have that burning desire to preach the Bible. So when that door opens, walk through it. The more we preach, the better we preach. Surrender to His will and say “yes.”
Ask About the Culture of the Church
What is the attire on Sunday mornings? What translation does the pastor typically use? Is the pastor currently preaching through a series? Is there anything in the congregation that needs to be addressed? These questions are important as they give you an idea about the church. When it comes to attire, many millennial preachers scoff. However, in many established churches the dress is still important. When it comes to translation, be attentive to what version the congregation uses. If the congregation is KJV only, then out of respect, preach from it. Don’t be a jerk and give them a copy of the King James Only Controversy. If you feel called to preach, then you’ll preach from the Baptist hymnal if you have to. When it comes down to preaching, at least in my experience, you’ll hear “just preach what the Lord lays on your heart.” But it is better to ask than to re-preach what was preached the week before. Be sensitive to the needs of the congregation and seek to be an encouragement.
Remember The Essentials
The morning of be sure to remember the essentials: Bible, Breath Mints, and Blazer. Ok, this sounds strange but I know guys who have been asked to preach but forgot their Bibles. Whatever you do, bring your Bible. Also bring a breath mint…or five because you last thing you want to do is preach a good sermon and then saturate church members with your funky breath while you’re greeting folks at the door. This will help your voice before and after you preach. Lastly, err on the side of respect and bring a blazer (or sport coat) to wear. Again in many established churches the dress is still important. In many of the churches I did pulpit supply in it wasn’t necessary but out of respect I didn’t show up as if I had just rolled out of bed. You don’t have to put on a fashion show but you want to present yourself nicely. It’s important to ask about this before arriving.
Be Considerate of Time
This should go without saying but if you are invited to preach, please show up to preach on time. I’ve heard horror stories of pulpit supply preachers showing up 5 minutes before the service started, causing Deacon Don to sweat about preaching a sermon. Get the church’s information (website, phone, etc) and make sure you know where you’re going. Find out who the contact person is in case there is an issue getting there. Don’t make my mistake by taking the wrong turn only to wind up in the cemetery that was 10 minutes away from the church (I assumed the church was next to the cemetery). Arrive at least 30 minutes before the service starts. Also always ask when the service is typically over. If the service ends at noon, then if possible land the plane before that time. Most folks will forgive a bad short sermon but many want forgive a bad long sermon.
Be a Blessing and Preach Faithfully
Don’t be cute. Don’t be a theologian. Don’t try to impress with your novice Greek skills. Just be faithful. I would advocate preaching a simple text from an epistle or a well-known narrative. Simplicity is the key to effective text-driven preaching. Call your text and preach it. Make it clear! Regardless, whatever text you preach, just be sure to preach the gospel. You have been invited to declare Jesus so be sure to tell the old, old story. You aren’t invited to “wow” people with your amazing delivery; you are simply called to preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2). Go, be a blessing, preach the Bible, give them Jesus. As a side note, ask about the invitation. Does the pastor typically give an invitation? If so, ask about the process.
Pulpit supply is an exciting part of ministry. I enjoyed driving to that one church out in the middle of the county just to preach to 20 people – they asked me back the next two Sundays. That church 3 hours away for one Sunday night, what a blessing. The larger First Baptist a few miles away, they made me feel like family. Pulpit supply created a love for the local church and a greater desire to preach the Bible. I look back and rejoice at how God shaped my preaching. Mostly importantly I am thankful that the Lord forgive my mistakes (and the churches as well). I pray that the Lord will open up the door for you to do effective pulpit supply.
Michael Cooper is the Pastor of Grace Community Church in Mabank Texas. He has preached in various churches throughout East Texas for 10 years. Michael has earned a B.A. in Biblical Studies and a M.A. in Theological Studies from Criswell College. He is the recipient of the Paige Patterson Expository Preaching Award for the class graduating class of 2016. He and his wife Kailie have been married since June 2012 and they are the proud parents of two little girls, Sophia Grace and Lydia Joy.
]]>This kind of thinking is becoming a “big deal” primarily because of the increased availability of resources on the internet, the promotion of professional academics and the movement away from the pastor-preacher who is responsible for feeding his congregation three plus “meals” a week. (Not to mention all of the weddings, funerals, meetings, classes, etc. the pastor has to oversee every week.)
This “problem” is somewhat of a novel issue in Baptist life. Charles Spurgeon published his sermons weekly in the London Newspapers, and not just for the benefit of lay people. He even published expositions with preaching points “for the Village preacher” in his Treasury of David. Warren Wiersbe’s commentaries are little more than his sermons put into print. John Phillips, the same.
Being a student of history and preaching, I’m very familiar with who some of our most influential preachers have read after and what resources were used in their sermonic process. It’s certainly eye-opening to know where the most effective preachers of today and yesterday pulled their sermon material.
I heard an old story about a young seminary student who walked out of preaching classed and vowed to be “original or nothing” – he was both.
I so appreciate the practical wisdom of Dr. Adrian Rogers when he said, “If my bullet fits your gun shoot it, but use your own powder.” We don’t hear enough of that kind of practical, pastoral insight in today’s academically saturated church-world.
So, how should a pastor who has to preach multiple times every week to the same congregation handle the issue of preaching and plagiarism?
What does that mean? What does that look like?
The power in your preaching doesn’t come for your persuasive personality, but the power of God’s Word bathed in prayer. Before I even open the first book to research the text, I read the passage and pray. I ask the Lord to illumine my mind. I ask God to guide my preparation. I ask God to allow me to prepare the sermon in such a way that it will teach God’s people and confront sinners with their need to repent. So, slow down, pray and ask God to guide you as you prepare your message.
If you can read and work out of the original languages, start there. If not, read your text from several good translations. Read your commentaries and make sure you understand the context and content of the passage. Only after you have read the passage and studied your commentaries do I recommend reading or listening to sermons on the passage, but I do certainly recommend feeding your soul and priming your preaching pump by reading after other preachers.
As you read the text, you will begin to notice natural divisions or progressions in the text. These natural seams will become the hooks on which to hang the meat of the message. Also, as you study your commentaries and read related sermons, you will likely notice similar seams. That’s to be expected if you’re following the flow and preparing a text-driven message. Remember, it is the text that determines the flow and drives the message.
Read those resources you agree with and those you don’t. Listen to preachers you trust, who feed your soul and stir your heart. Make a note of stories, jokes or illustrations that can be used to apply the truth of the text or connect the message to the hearers. In my sermon preparation, I normally have more sermonic material than I could use in half a dozen sermons. My job is to understand the truth of the text and pull from all of my resources those materials that will help me communicate the Scripture most effectively to my congregation.
Often those who break my rule regarding lying and laziness do so unintentionally. The problem comes from only consulting a couple of commentaries or preachers’ sermons. Don’t do that. I believe that it is not only permissible but advisable to listen and learn from other sermons. However, if you don’t read widely and listen broadly, you will probably find yourself following one or two familiar resources too closely.
It’s amusing for those of us who’ve spent most of our lives studying preaching to see where another preacher makes a statement we know was actually, originally, said by a pulpit hero of a previous generation. In your study and research, you will likely come across a pithy statement. Don’t just say it like it’s yours. Take the truth of the statement and communicate it in a fresh way for today’s hearer.
There are those who teach that you have to cite every thought you didn’t come up with all on your own. I find this utterly ridiculous. Preaching is an oral art and shouldn’t be bogged down with verbal footnotes every time you share a truth you gleaned from your commentary or sermon mining. I do believe, however, that there are times when it is beneficial to attribute a quote or story, especially if it is unique or was spoken by someone whose reputation gives added force or credibility.
We’ve all heard the proverbial “preacher story,” and if you’ve been in the ministry very long, you will likely have similar experiences as other preachers. In your sermon preparation, you may read or hear a story that helps communicates the truth of the text or aids in application. You may recall having had a similar experience. If so, share your story, but don’t tell another’s story like it happened to you. It’s better, and really the only honest course, to say something like, “I heard about a preacher who….” or “Pastor ____________ tells the story.”
Dr. W.A. Criswell was a powerful preacher who loved to invest in young preachers. Once, at his “School of the Prophets,” a young preacher asked Dr. Criswell if he’d ever preached another preacher’s sermon. He answered, “No, but let me explain. I could take your sermon, and by the time I get through ‘Criswellizing’ it, it will no longer be your message, it will be mine.” The most important part of moving the prayed-over and compiled research from your study from the paper to the pulpit is making sure that you first get it in your heart.
I love sharing how I prepare a sermon and get ready to preach. I often will place those books that I’m using for resources in a given series on the front row of the church for people to peruse. Most honest church members don’t care that you read and study after other writers and preachers. They just want to know that you’re diligent in your study and effective in your delivery.
Article reposted with permission from Brad Whitt
]]>Their lenses are filled with silicone oil and form a chamber bounded by polyester film. Turning a small frame-mounted pump changes the amount of oil in the lenses and, therefore, the power of the glasses. Users adjust the oil levels on each side until they can see clearly, a process that takes about 30 seconds. The glasses do not correct astigmatism, but they are effective against nearsightedness and farsightedness.
People, billions of individuals, desperately need help in their spiritual blindness. “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving” (2 Cor. 4:4 NASB). Just like the idea of fluid-filled lenses has existed since the eighteenth century, the notion of Jesus being the correction for spiritual astigmatism has existed for two thousands years.[1]
[1]Ramesh Richard, Preparing Evangelistic Sermons: A Seven-Step Method for Preaching Salvation, reprint (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2015), 39-40.
]]>You’ve heard the term before. It is used to describe a hollow enclosure that, based on the shape of the structure, allows sound to reverberate. An echo chamber can be used by scientists to test sound waves or by musicians to produce certain effects. The simple idea is that sound is not lost. The voice once spoken comes back. Stated in a double-negative, in an echo chamber you cannot not hear the sound. From the moment of the echo, it is the only thing you hear.
Metaphorically the term has come to describe an environment, a business, university, institution, or a news outlet that has created its on environment where all they can hear is the sound of their own voice. The voice of the speaker is so loud that it is the dominant voice and any other realities are ambient noises and little more than distractions to the main voice. Again, you hear nothing new, you just hear your own voice.
Echo chambers are’t limited to businesses, universities, and news outlets. Sin produces an echo-chamber like effect in our own hearts. Our prideful hearts want to drown-out the clear voice of God. We desire to hear ourselves, not God. In short, our stubborn hearts do not want to assume the posture of sitting down to hear God speak. But, it is only when we open-up the Word of God that the Word of God opens-up us.
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The Associated Press reported several other circumstances where crowds were banned from sporting events:
FROZEN OUT
March 8, 2015 – Stony Brook’s baseball team played a doubleheader against Fordham that was closed to the public. The snow build-up surrounding Joe Nathan Field was deemed too high and dangerous for people to attend. Stony Brook won the opener 6-1 and lost the second game 9-6.
March 11, 2015 – UConn’s baseball game against Sacred Heart had to be moved to Stony Brook, where no fans were allowed because of the ice in the bleachers. The Huskies won 8-4.
WASHED UP
June 23, 2008 – The Triple-A Iowa Cubs played Nashville at Principal Park at the extremely flooded confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. No fans were allowed in. The I-Cubs beat the Sounds 5-4.
NOBODY NIGHT
July 8, 2002 – Hundreds of fans of the Class A Charleston Riverdogs gathered outside Joe Riley Stadium as part of a promotion designed to set the record for professional baseball’s lowest attendance. Everybody except employees, scouts and media was barred from entering the stadium on “Nobody Night.” The Columbus Red Stixx beat the Riverdogs 4-2. All the runs were scored before the fans were let-in during the fifth inning when the game became official.
SOCCER PENALTIES
Closed-door matches are a common penalty issued by European soccer’s governing body in response to fan behavior.
Last October, CSKA Moscow was ordered to play two Champions League matches behind closed doors for fan racism and told Serbia to play a pair of European Championship qualifiers without fans because of crowd disturbances and fireworks and missiles that were set off during a game against Albania.
In the Russian Premier League, Torpedo Moscow was ordered on April 7 to play two home games in an empty stadium after fans displayed a banner with a Nazi symbol, the club’s fourth racism-related punishment this season.
France’s Ligue 1 announced in March that Bastia must play a home game in an empty neutral-site stadium after fans lit flares and threw projectiles at visiting players during a game against Nice.[1]
Mass audiences should not affect our actions. A Christian’s source of motivation is not derived from applauding crowds. Our contentment comes from the Lord. He alone is our audience of one.
[1] http://abc7chicago.com/sports/orioles-beat-white-sox-8-2-in-empty-stadium-game/686869/
]]>The human heart, like Captain Johnson’s steering compass, has the propensity to drift. The slightest two-percent drift can produce catastrophic consequences. Our hearts need constant recalibration. We need to be set on a rightful trajectory. We need a sufficient compass.
Align your ever-so-drifting heart to God’s heart and recalibrate your mind to the sufficient magnetic compass of Holy Scripture.
[1]James K.A. Smith, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2016), 20.
]]>Political scientist Ivan Arreguin-Toft analyzed statistical data over the past two centuries and calculated that the army with more extensive resources would win only 71.5 percent of the time – a far less percentage than some may guess. But why?
Arreguin-Toft concluded that when less-resourced armies abandoned traditional tactics and engaged in guerrilla warfare, their chances of winning increased greatly. In fact, Arreguin-Toft showed that underdogs who fought in conventional ways lost 119 times out of the 202 battles. But when underdogs fought with unconventional means, their chances of winning skyrocketed.
Take for example:
All of these underdogs fought with traditional tactics – and lost.
On the contrary, George Washington fought Great Britain in the Revolutionary War with non-traditional tactics and won.
So what can we learn from Arreguin-Toft’s research:
The church must not rely on programmatic and conventional strategies divorced from a sincere reliance on prayer and dependence of God’s Spirit. The world may see the verbal proclamation of the Gospel as unconventional. Weak. Antiquated. Lacking modern appeal. Perhaps even foolish. But to those who are being saved, it is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18).
[1]Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and The Art of Battling Giants (New York: Back Bay Book, 2013), 21-31.
]]>They are both creative. They are both effective and brilliant, but the brilliance comes at a different pace. Sociologists refer to these two types of creativity as conceptual creativity and experimental creativity. Conceptual song writers pen songs as they come to them in a few minutes. Experimental song writers poor over multiple drafts to get it right. Often experimental creatives are tortured by the process. They know there is a song there, but it is going to take them multiple draft to get it write. The story is told about Leonard Cohen, the author of the song “Hallelujah” is said to have worked on the song for years and penned around 70 verses before he got it right! He could not leave the song, and the song would not leave him.[1]
Perseverance is the melody and patience is the harmony of life’s chorus.
[1] Malcolm Gladwell Podcast, “Hallelujah” Wednesday, July 27, 2016.
]]>After three minutes of playing, a middle aged man noticed the violinist. The man slowed his pace, stopped for a few seconds, and then continued on to meet the demands of his day. After four minutes, the violinist received his first dollar. However, the woman who gave him the tip didn’t stop to appreciate the musician’s talent. After six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to the violinist, only to look at his watch and start walking again. After ten minutes, a three-year-old boy stopped briefly to observe, but his mother rushed him along.
In total, six people stopped to listen to the violinist. He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded. Nor was there any recognition. He received a meager $32.
The fascinating twist to this story is that The Washington Post arranged the scenario as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and people’s priorities. Playing incognito, no one knew the real violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written there in the Metro Station on a Stradivarius violin worth $3,500,000 ($3.5M).
Joshua Bell arrived as an internationally acclaimed virtuoso. Three days before he appeared at the Metro station, Bell filled the house at Boston’s stately Symphony Hall where seats went for $100. Two weeks later, at the Music Center at Strathmore, he would play to a standing-room-only audience so respectful of his artistry that they stifled their coughs until the silence between movements. But on that Friday in January, Joshua Bell was just another mendicant, competing for the attention of busy people on their way to work.
Do we perceive beauty in a common place environment? Do we stop and appreciate perfection? Do we recognize great talent in such an unexpected context? Jesus’ own people didn’t recognize Him as Messiah when He visited them in an unexpected context.
[1] GeneWeingarten. Pearls Before Breakfast. Washington Post, Sunday, April 8, 2007, W10.
]]>Several weeks passed and, in the middle of the night, a powerful storm ripped through the valley. Awakened by the storm, the owner jumped out of bed. He called for his new employee, but the man was sound asleep. The owner dashed to the barn and to his amazement, the animals were safe with plenty of food. He hurried to the nearby field only to see that the bales of wheat were already bound and wrapped in tarpaulins. He ran to the silo. The doors were latched and the grain was dry.
And then the owner understood, “He sleeps in a storm.”
“My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of “I could have, I should have.” We can sleep in a storm. And when it’s time, our good-byes will be complete.”[1]
[1]Mitch Albom, Have a Little Faith: A True Story. New York: Hyperion, 2009, 93.
]]>Fast-forward two centuries later and Carey is universally recognized as the father of modern missions. His name is synonymous with the heroic age of the Protestant missionary movement which began with his 40-year ministry in India. He founded schools, missions, and preached all over India. He translated the first Indian Bible which spread the Good News throughout the Bengali people.
However, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, he wrote this humble letter to his son:
“I am on this day seventy years old, a monument of Divine mercy and goodness, thought a review of my life I find much, very much for which I ought to be humbled in the dust; my direct and positive sins are innumerable, my negligence in the Lord’s work has been great, I have not promoted his cause, nor sought his glory and honor as I ought, not within standing all this, I am spared till now and still retained in his work, and I trust I am received into the divine favor through him I wish to be more entirely devoted to his service, more completely sanctified and more habitually exercising all the Christian Graces, and bring forth the fruits of righteousness to the praise and honor of what that Savior who gave his life a sacrifice for sin.”[1]
[1]Timothy George. Faithful Witness: The Life and Mission of William Carey. Birmingham: New Hope Publishing, 1991, preface and pp. 155.
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A few days passed and another family that had just moved into the neighborhood came looking for their lost black dog with white steaks on its tail. The family knocked on the preacher’s front door. He opened it and engaged his new neighbors in conversation. Overhearing the conversation, the two boys took shoe polish and turned the white streaks on the dog’s tail black. The boys then carried the dog to the front door to show its rightful owner that “their” dog did not possess any white streaks. The preacher looked at his neighbors and asked “How could this be your dog, for our dog doesn’t have any white streaks on its tail?” The preacher dad lied and covered for his boys. The dad kept a dog, but later lost his boys.
The names of these two boys were Frank and Jesse James, two of the most notorious gang members in American history.[1]
[1]“Jesse James: Facts, information, and articles about Jesse James, confederate solider and famous outlaw from the Wild West,” Accessed on August 4, 2016. http://www.historynet.com/jesse-james
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