The Power of Effective Preaching

When basic principles in construction are ignored it will always lead to ruin. The building must be constructed in accordance with a set of drawings prepared by a trained architect. The materials used in building must meet or exceed specifications. A slab must be poured level with concrete that is strengthened with steel. The walls erected should be plumb. This seems very logical because we have seen how erosion, bad planning, poor quality of construction, or inferior material can ruin a project. Yet when many preachers take the pulpits on Sundays across America, they can make the mistake of ignoring the basic fundamentals of a good sermon. They build according to their own design; their foundation is anything but flat; their walls anything but plumb. It is as if they build their sermons from cream or froth, depending on their mood. Creativity trumps substance, and opinion has replaced truth.

This is not intended to be a rant on the present-day lack of Biblical preaching, but as I listened to a sermon delivered in 1961 I considered it a great sermon. My next thought was, what are the facets of a good sermon? Sometimes we don't know what we are missing. It's like a man who has ordered oatmeal every day for the last 20 years for breakfast at a restaurant. He decides one morning to give some fresh fruit a try. Whoa! Like Jonathan whose eyes were enlightened as he tasted a little honey, when we find spiritual nourishment it invigorates us. Unless you are one of the blessed people who have a Bible-teaching pastor filled with the Holy Spirit, "near-gospel" is all you will hear. And near-gospel has never been the Gospel, nor will it ever be.

As a pastor, I am constantly inundated by ministries who believe their purpose is to make my ministry "easier." For a price they will send you loads of sermons, illustrations, pretty much everything but the stiff up front who regurgitates it. If ministry ever becomes easy, then you are not doing the work of the ministry! Again, there's nothing wrong with using illustrations, even one from a book of illustrations. But too often the windows of the illustration are bigger than the house. Off the top of my head, here are what I see as the foundations of good Bible teaching by a person filled with the Holy Spirit:

• A sermon ought to glorify God. If a man holds forth the Word of God, he must make God's glory his chief aim. The best of men sometimes miss this mark. Since the end of man is the glory of God, His name ought to be made famous by our speech, conduct, and sermons.
• A sermon ought to be saturated with the Gospel. If a man cannot discern the Gospel in a message, how shall he receive of it? Is this not what Paul preached continually, Christ and Him crucified? This is not to say that every message must be evangelistic, but the necessity for confession, repentance from sin, and trusting in Christ should never be left out.
• A sermon ought to magnify the attributes of the Almighty God. Instead of focusing on what a man can obtain from God, a man grows in praise and thankfulness when he is introduced to the Living God! Knowing the character of God is indispensable. When a child lives in another country as his Father, how he relishes hearing of his Father's exploits! How much more do we grow in appreciation of our God by hearing of His grace!
• A sermon should be God's truth, not man's opinion. If opinion is what you want, turn on the television or read a magazine! The purpose of a sermon is to hold forth the Word of God with His authority. A preacher is a messenger who speaks the Word of God from a pure conscience. If he misses the truth, he makes himself a liar.
• A sermon should be simple yet profound in depth. Jesus was able to teach the children with adults, the harlots with the experienced scribes. It was easy to understand His simple illustrations, yet many times the most learned walked away without a word. They were unable to contradict His wisdom. We need not preach to the angels, but to men about what things men and children can both understand.
• A sermon should challenge the listeners. As God is lifted up and glorified, the minister and congregation alike should see their shortcomings. We should be challenged in our level of commitment, devotion, the potential for bitterness, unforgiveness, and pride. John said that if we say we have no sin we make God a liar. Sermons should not be passive or painful, but compelling. Whom God breaks He desires to heal.
• A sermon should have "knots in the thread." As a seamstress knots a thread to prevent it from passing through the fabric without effect, so a preacher must place well-crafted points, quotes, and illustrations in a sermon to cause the discourse to remain in his hearers, to "stick."  A sermon should have a lasting effect.

What kind of spiritual food have you been receiving from the sermons you hear? Of what kind are the sermons that you deliver? Though I have by no means mastered preaching, I know the difference between good preaching and bad preaching when I hear it. Take care that you do not go to church to laugh through a sermon, for none man has laughed himself into the Kingdom of Heaven. If it is the personal stories you love, be sure that you have not become dull to the Gospel. We are careful to look at the nutritional content on boxes to make sure we are eating nutrition our bodies can use to remain healthy and strong, but too often we do not discern what we allow into our ears, minds, and hearts. Paul says in 1 Cor. 3:10: "According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it." We should take heed of how we build our lives on the foundation of Christ, and this applies to sermons as well.