The preacher was a well-respected pulpiteer. The sermon was doctrinally sound. He seemed to preach with sincerity, reverence, and passion. But the sermon felt like we were driving on a flat tire. What went wrong? At the end of the service, the friend sitting next to me leaned over a said, “He had four alliterated points with three sub-points each. I don’t care what you say, he had sixteen points!” Yep. That’s what went wrong. A good sermon has purpose, unity, and movement. Well-crafted structure makes this possible. But an overcooked structure messes up the whole meal. On the other...

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned his followers not to practice spiritual devotion with ulterior motives (Matthew 6:1-18). Do not give to the needy to be celebrated for your generosity. Do not pray to be heard by men. Do not fast so people will consider you spiritual. How do you avoid practicing Godward acts with man-centered motives? Jesus teaches that acts of devotion should be done in private, before God not man. Preachers also struggle with the temptation to make their charge from God a performance before men. But we cannot overcome this temptation by moving the pulpit...

Preachers are getting in shape. Social media is littered with pictures of preachers exercising to get or keep their weight under control and live healthy lives. Way cool! In the crucible of my schedule, I often neglect to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen. But the noted milestones of exercising preachers challenge me to “get it in,” as they say. I once read about a preacher who worked himself to death. On his deathbed, he lamented, “God gave me a message and a horse. I have killed the horse! What will happen to the message?” I think of this...

The church was growing. The threat of persecution could not stop it (Acts 4). The threat of corruption could not stop it (Acts 5). But the enemy still had another trick up his sleeve: internal division. The Greek-speaking Jews complained against the Hebrews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. The apostles called the church together and directly addressed the matter: "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and...

It is time to study the word of God. You pray for illumination (Psalm 119:18). You select a passage of scripture to study. You then… This is where many people get stumped. Every time. They come to the text with good intentions. But they do not have a clear process for properly understanding the text. To get the right answers in your study of scripture, you must ask the right questions. This is called inductive Bible study. Here are five fundamental questions to ask as you study a passage of scripture. OBSERVATION: What does the text say? Just because you...

Have you seen The Preacher’s Wife? It is a 1996 movie starring Denzel Washington and the late Whitney Houston. I went to see this movie when it came out in theaters. But I checked out during an early scene. The pastor was preaching his sermon. It was not going well. The preacher’s wife – Whitney Houston – who was also the music director, decide to save the day. The preacher made another point. His wife then led the choir in a musical response. It happened several times, until he gave her the look. I felt that way recently, preaching away...

“You remember the three Hebrews boys in the fiery furnace…” “You remember when Jesus stilled the storm on the Sea of Galilee…” “You remember what Paul said about justification by faith alone…"  My sermons were filled with statements like these, as a young pastor. I took for granted that the congregation knew and understood these passing references. So I skipped the explanation and rushed to the point I wanted to make. That all changed with a conversation with a member. I considered her one of the most mature young adults. But I had to hide my surprise when she told...

  I publicly pray before I start my sermons. I also privately pray as I preach. Can you preach and pray at the same time? You better! Multiple things go through the preacher’s mind as he preaches. I’m not sure the preacher thinks about multiple things at the same time. Rather, the mind quickly and constantly shifts from one thing to another – consisting of good and bad thoughts, true and false, wise and foolish. This is why I pray as I preach. There are three fundamental things I need God to do for as I preach. I Need God...

Check out the new Shiloh Church Sermon Podcast. This podcast features sermons I preach during the Lord's Day Worship Services at the Shiloh Church. Make sure you subscribe to the Podcast to receive automatic downloads of the sermons as they are added to the podcast. And please share the link to the podcast with your friends. NOTE: This podcast is different from my On Preaching Podcast which is also available on iTunes. Enjoy!

The following is a guest post by Dr. Melvin V. Wade Sr., who has served as the Senior-Pastor of the Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California, for forty years. Check out the Melvin W. Wade Sr. Interview: Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3. The grace-given task of proclaiming the riches of a kingdom that is sure to come is an arduous task. No matter what one’s preaching niche or mode of presentation might be, preaching the gospel is a strenuous assignment. It is a physical, mental, and emotional drain. So how does the preacher develop and maintain the...

After I study the text I plan to preach, I craft a sermon skeleton. A sermon skeleton is a statement of the sermon’s content, purpose, and structure. It includes the title, text, point, outline, transitional sentences, and other elements of the sermon. I used to state the sermon objectives in the skeleton, as well. I still think and pray about the objectives of the sermon, even though I don’t put them on the skeleton. But it is a good practice I commend to you as you prepare to preach (or listen to preaching). The objectives of the sermon are the...

One Friday evening, he died on the cross for your sins and mine! They buried him in Joseph’s new tomb! But early Sunday morning, he rose from the dead with all power in his hands! The church tradition I grew up in expected the preacher to end the sermon by going to the cross. My father ended his sermons with a summarizing illustration of whatever text he preached. But many other preachers I heard closed their messages with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some claim if you do not go to Calvary at the end. And you...