In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul issues a solemn charge to Timothy: “preach the word.” This is every true preacher’s divine assignment. We must preach the word. Note that Paul did not merely charge Timothy to preach. He also instructed him what to preach. Preach the word. Paul’s specific language reminds us that the importance of preaching rests in its content, not in its function. Our preaching is not the reason the word works. The word is the reason our preaching works. So Paul tells Timothy that he must preach. But he also tells Timothy what he must preach. Preach the...

Why? Why do we do what we do? What is our ultimate goal? Why do we dress as we dress? Why do we allot time as we do in our services? Why do we preach as we preach? Why do we sing, and why do we sing it the way we do? Do we care about what the world will think of our activities? Where is God in all this? Do we seek to meet Him in His truth, begging the Spirit to use the word to reveal to us the depths of our on hearts so that we may...

The preacher reads a text. He states his title. He gives the introduction. He states the point. He then prepares to move to the main body of the sermon. He announces this transition to the congregation by saying, "Let me say three things about this text." Not good. You have chosen a specific text. You have worked to craft the point of the message in a clear sentence. You have chosen an attention-grabbing title. You have crafted a compelling introduction. You have a powerful message to deliver. Don't stumble into the text by tripping over "things." Don't get into an accident...

I am a student of expository preaching. I believe in expository preaching. I am convinced that expository preaching - preaching that explains what the text means by what it says - is the most faithful way to preach. Yet I cringe when someone brings up the subject. Expository preaching is a new buzzword. Everyone is doing it. But not really. They used to sing, "Everybody talking about heaven ain't going." New verse: "Everybody talking about expository preaching ain’t doing it.” That’s fine. Really. It is. If your preaching is not expository, that’s okay. But it is not okay to be...

The sermon title is not the most important part of a sermon. And choosing a title is not an essential part of sermon preparation. Some preachers slap any title on the sermon after the hard work of preparation. Others decide not to give the sermon a title at all. This is understandable. It is also unwise. Your sermon needs and deserves a good title. To present a sermon without a title is like trying to sell a book with no title. The title promotes the content. It is the first impression the congregation will get of your message. It gives...

On the day of judgment preachers will not be asked where they went to seminary or whether they earned any advanced degrees. They will not need to present membership statistics or submit their annual budgets. It will not matter how popular they were or whether they could make people laugh. instead, when they stand before the heavenly tribunal they will be asked, "Did you preach the word?" Those who followed their own agenda - or even worse, the world's agenda - will hang their heads in shame. But many humble preachers, who were held in little esteem, will shine in...

Humor has its place: We use it to slice open hypocrisy, to keep our audience awake, to disarm our critics. But its place is always subordinate. We are funny to accomplish some end other than being funny. We are missionaries, not comedians.- Sue Nichols, Words on Target: For Better Christian Communication, p. 13

I am sometimes asked how I developed my style of preaching. I laugh inwardly. The question assumes I have an intentionally developed style. I don’t. I just do what I do every week. After doing it for years, certain characteristics have formed in my preaching. Yet I believe there are ways you can establish your own voice in preaching. How can you develop your “style” in preaching? Preach. Preaching is caught as much as it is taught. You learn to preach by preaching. Take advantage of every opportunity to teach and preach. And take every preaching assignment seriously. Preach as...

We were hanging out at the church, waiting for the afternoon service. An unidentified woman pulled up. She was there to pick me up for the service I was schedule to preach at her church that afternoon. My father had told her pastor I would preach the meeting. But he forgot to tell me! So there I was. On my way to preach. Barely in my teens. Scared out of my wits. I preached the story of David and Goliath. This was my introduction to preaching without notes. A baptism by fire. More than twenty-five years later, I am used...

The pastor left his sermon manuscript in the pulpit. When the janitor found it, he couldn’t resist the urge to read it. He was impressed, until he stumbled over a note in the margin: “Argument weak here. Start yelling!” Old story. Timeless truth: Passion is never a substitute for clarity. If you write yourself clear, you won’t have to yell to cover up a weak argument. I am a manuscript preacher who cheats. Most weeks, I write a complete manuscript. Most weeks, I do not carry anything to the pulpit but my Bible. I believe both practices sharpen the preacher...

I want to introduce another new feature of this blog. Each week, I plan to publish a guest post on the subjects of biblical preaching and pastoral ministry. Invitation: If you would like to submit a guest post for this blog, please email it to me for consideration. The following post on "Power in Parables" was written by Sherman Haywood Cox II. Sherman teaches homiletics and is the found and primary contributor to the helpful website SoulPreaching.Com. I have referred to the power that lies in the parables. They are like dynamite that can blow up at any time. We...

I was preaching on Youth Sunday. I was fourteen, maybe fifteen. As I sat down, no one could have told me that I did not just preach a great sermon. My father stood up and did just that. He was supposed to be giving pastoral remarks. He started talking about me, instead. Literally, he was talking about himself. But he was still talking about me. “Pray for me, church,” he said. “I have a long way to go with my son.” “He’s not going to go far,” Dad continued, “until he recognizes that there are many other preachers that can beat him...