Several years ago, I mentored a young man who ended up preaching his first sermon at our church. As he prepared, I sat down with him to share some insights and encouragements concerning the nature of preaching and the work of preparation. If you are early on in your call to preach, the following observations should help you develop your theology of and effectiveness at preaching and sermon preparation. If you are more seasoned, you also may find some encouragement here.
Three Kinds of Work – Sermon preparation involves at least three kinds of work. First, there is intellectual work – appropriate linguistic, historical, and exegetical research; discerning timeless Biblical principles and how those relate to your people; and thinking through the structure of the sermon. Second, there is devotional work – dwelling on the passage and meeting with God about it for yourself. I recall some years back several times of asking the Lord, “How does this connect with our people?” Immediately, the response in my spirit was, “How does it connect with you?” You and I must deal with the passage before we can, with credibility or integrity, lead our people to deal with it. Personally, I prefer to intersperse the academic and the devotional work, exegeting the passage first so that, as I reflect on it, I make sure I reflect on a correct understanding of the passage, then rounding out the intellectual work in the rest of the preparation time and returning to a devotional approach toward the end of the week. Finally, there is the work of connecting with the power of God’s Holy Spirit as you walk with Him uprightly and humbly pray over your own life, the sermon preparation, the hearers, and the preaching event itself.
The Balance of Teaching and Preaching – Although I don’t know if it was original to him, I recall a pastor friend saying in a sermon long ago, “All good preaching contains an element of teaching, and all good teaching partakes of the spirit of preaching.” I believe solid Bible teaching, like preaching, involves all three kinds of work I mentioned in the previous paragraph. For me, the difference in preaching and teaching is somewhat subtle at times but is multi-faceted, apart from the obvious difference that preaching usually is not discussion-based while good teaching is more interactional. One difference is that preaching conveys God’s message for this people in this time, while teaching conveys timeless truths to this people for this time, allowing them more latitude for discerning God’s message in their own lives. Similarly, preaching exposes people to the claims of God upon their lives and the experience of God in the text, while teaching may also facilitate an experience of God but does more to help learners process and live out the truths of the text.
The Message, the Sermon, and the Call – As noted above, there is a difference in the message and the sermon. Not only is there a difference in delivering a sermon and delivering a message, there is a difference in substance. The message is what God wants said to this people in this time. The sermon is the vehicle by which we convey the message. You may or may not directly state the core message in a single sentence or two, but you must communicate to the people what you are supposed to communicate to them. The sermon consists of the structure and words you use, along with the delivery you use, to help them open up to and grasp the message. So, as we prepare to preach, we must ask, “What does the Lord want said in this time (message), and what is the best way to say it (sermon)?” Similarly, there is something God wants us to do in response to His Word and the message delivered from it. You and I preach for a response that varies a bit from person to person but always has to do with the message. So, as we prepare, we must ask, “What does the Lord want us to do with this, about this, or in response to this?” As I learned from the preaching of a former pastor years ago, you begin delivering the invitation early on in the sermon – at the transition from the introduction to the first point if not sooner. Begin letting them know how they might respond or what the call might be or at least use rhetorical questions to prime them for a response. The aim of your preaching is not simply an increase in their knowledge but a change in their lives.
Multiple Aspects of Discernment in Preparation – We prepare to preach, we must have discernment at several levels.
Discern the passage of Scripture – Pray through and discern what passage to preach and the truths contained in the passage as you consider the Bible, your people, the Lord’s work in their lives, and discoveries in your research.
Discern yourself and the people in your church and its setting – What is happening in your life and spirit as you come to the Lord through the passage? What biases or agendas do you need to guard against? Who are the people and where do they find themselves? What are their life stages? What will they bring to the passage and the preaching event? How does the passage connect with the church in its setting?
Discern the Lord – The Lord is the Source of our life for preaching. How will you remain connected to Him and dependent on Him in the entire preparation and preaching process? How is He moving as you choose the passage, exegete it and the people, discern the message, design the sermon, and preach?
For preaching to be what it needs to be, it is both a human and a divine work. The preacher is in partnership with the Lord and must be empowered by Him. The work of preparation and the time of delivery require your effort and attention enlivened by the Holy Spirit who gives His Word, opens our ears and hearts to it, and opens your mouth to proclaim God’s message.