PRACTICE WILL NEVER MAKE PREACHING PERFECT

This blog is quite different from previous blogs in that I want to answer some questions that I have been recently asked regarding sermon preparation/delivery. First of all, let me say that the things I will share certainly do not reflect the fact that I have a monopoly of the art of preaching or preparation. These just represent things that have come to me, both natually, as well as those I have had to work at.

1. PLAN It OUT! By that I mean, don't open up the Word and decide to preach on whatever your index finger lands. Have a systematic approach to preaching. I love to preach through books of the Bible. Truth is progressive; thus, by the time you are at the conclusion of the book, you have built upon the truth presented in the opening of the book. Also, sermon series are an excellent way to avoid the pitfall of random thoughts. Although I am not an avid fan of topical series, they do serve a purpose in the right setting. Whether it is a book or a series, plan toward it. Map it out. Know where you're going; how you're going to get there; and, how long it will take.

2. PLOW It IN! In other words, when God settles on your heart what to preach, allow the plow of the Holy Spirit to plant it deep within your soul. Allow the truth of the passage to sink in. Meditate upon it. Dwell upon it. Feast upon it. Fill yourself so full of it that it overflows when you give it to your people. God forbid that we, as preachers, take the most exciting Book of history and BORE PEOPLE WITH IT! However, you cannot properly give out what you have not personally taken in. Thus, may it never be said that we went to the pulpit unprepared. God honors the study of His Word. I believe the anointing of the Spirit begins in the study.

There are a variety of options, and preferences in this area. Some preachers are "note-free" preachers who take no notes with them to the pulpit. Other preachers, like myself, take a manuscript to the pulpit. To be honest, I wish I were more able to be "note free," but I have become so accustomed to having my notes, that I would be handicapped. However, I would say this, if you use notes in your preaching, don't let them sound like the script of a telemarketer. Make it flow. Know where you are. Know where you're going. Know how you're going to get there.

3. PRAY It THROUGH! This is the hardest part of sermon preparation. For me, I'm not often willing to take the time to pray over my sermon. But, I have found the difference to be eternal in the sermons that I have prayed over, and the ones I have not. Something that I have made a personal practice is, that once my study is complete, before I go to the pulpit to deliver the message; I take my sermon notes, I hold them up, and I offer them as a sacrifice to God. I ask Him to leave out what He wants to leave out, and to put it what He wants to put in. I give it back to its rightful owner, and say with Moses, "Lord, I don't want to go out there if you don't go with me." The BIG preacher can do far better than we little preachers.

Referring back to sermon notes, although many of my sermons will contain a number of pages, I am not totally dependent upon them in the pulpit. I have looked over them many, many times before I preach; and, when I pray, I ask God to brand them into my heart and mind. I don't want to limit God to my sermon notes. There have been many times, while preaching, when God has given me something not in my notes. This is often referred to as "pulpit inspiration." Whatever the case may be, I believe it is the direct result of prayer.

4. PREACH It FORTH! Once you have labored over a passage, and have allowed the Holy Spirit to cultivate it deep within your soul; and, once you have prayed God's blessing upon it; go forth into your pulpit with a backbone like a saw-log and PREACH, PREACHER, PREACH! I mean, LET IT RIP! Leave nothing in the pulpit, or on the platform. As Richard Baxter said, "Preach as a dying man to dying men." Spurgeon was right when he said, "The purpose of preaching is not to explain a subject but to acheive an object. Preachers have become so wrapped up in 'content' that we've forgotten about "intent."

I once heard Chuck Swindoll say that preaching is 4 simple things: PRESENTATION, APPLICATION, ILLUSTRATION, INVITATION. While every preaching must hone his own skills to develop his own plan, personality, and preparation; I believe there is one common denominator: little preachers cannot make it without the BIG preacher.

Holding Forth the Word of Life,

Pastor Steve