Philosophy of Preaching
In Defense of Preaching
Why do we need to preach God’s Word? Is it really necessary?
John Broadus on Continuous Exposition
Counsel from the past on preaching through books of the Bible
What Is Expository Preaching?
We don’t all mean the same thing.
Fact-Checking Your Sermon Illustrations
Regardless of what you think of Roger Olson's theology, this excerpt from his book The Story of Christian Theology serves as an important reminder for preachers to...
God Is Not Boring: Preaching to Awaken God-Honoring Emotions
What is the difference between preaching that works the crowd and that which awakens God-honoring emotions? That's the question Voddie Bauchum, John Piper, and Miguel Nunez...
Pastors, It’s Time to Preach through 1 Peter
For a number of reasons 1 Peter has suffered from neglect of interest. In 1976 John H. Elliot wrote these classic words regarding 1 Peter which still ring true today (though...
Go Up to the Pulpit the Same Way You Come Down
H. B. Charles shares this lesson and story to encourage preachers to guard their hearts from pride in the pulpit: The pulpit is a dangerous place. It can fill the preacher...
Be Clear, But Don’t Dumb Down the Bible
Is the average person today living in a post-Christian world really capable of understanding the theology of the Bible? Should a pastor avoid doctrinal themes and terms in...
Give the Text a Voice Not a Makeover
Jason Meyer has some good thoughts on the need for preachers to rely on the power of the Word and not on their artistry and personality: Many a good book has suffered at the...
Preaching for My Own Ego
Gary Burge shares this account in his book Interpreting the Gospel of John: As a newly-ordained Presbyterian minister I served as interim pastor at a small church in...
Rhetorical Goals and Strategies: The Why and How of Preaching
It's easy to get in a rut. I know from experience. Sermon after sermon comes off the production line packaged in the standard format with little to no clear purpose driving...
Popery in the Pulpit
The preacher has neither authority nor right to use the pulpit as a place to express his own opinions on anything: the pulpit is not a soapbox. Too many preachers have...
Practice of Preaching
Stop Thief! (Should I Have Put That in Quotes?)
Students regularly ask me when and how to cite sources in their sermons. There is, of course, no easy, one-size-fits-all, black-and-white answer to their question. As J. D....
Leaf Looking or Tree Shaking? Text, Context, and Sermon Preparation
Okay, so you have your preaching text selected for this Sunday and you're ready to dig in and start studying. Question--where should you start? Should you begin by studying...
Preacher, Doodle. Doo.
David Prince is one of my favorite contemporary authors in the field of homiletics. His blog posts, book Church with Jesus as Hero, and dissertation on "The Necessity...
The Power of Example: Paul’s Rhetorical Strategy in Philippians 2
What is the best way to develop the idea of a text in a sermon? Often the idea itself becomes clear to us after we follow the standard exegetical process and consult the...
How to Select a Preaching Text, Part 2
(This post is the second in a two-part series. You can read Part 1 here.) Sunday is over and another sermon is in the books. Now it’s Monday and you can take a break, right?...
How to Select a Preaching Text, Part 1
(This is the first a two-part series on selecting a preaching text within an expository book series.) There are a number of factors involved in selecting a text (or topic or...
Frag-men-tar-y Ex-po-si-tion
In a sincere effort to emphasize the text of Scripture and to keep their messages biblical, some preachers engage in what we could call "fragmentary exposition." Here is the...
How to Make Sure Your Sermon Applications Don’t Eclipse God’s Wisdom
Knowing how to apply an ancient text of Scripture to a contemporary audience can be a risky enterprise. There are many "dangers, toils, and snares" along the pathway. There...
Show Your Support! Your Main Points Need It.
How often do we simply assert our main point in a sermon, read a couple of supporting verses with little to no comment, and then move on to illustrate or apply the concept?...
What Is the Foundation of an Expository Sermon?
In a recent Preaching Points podcast Jeffrey Arthurs argues that the exegetical idea is the foundation of an expository sermon. What is the exegetical idea? It is...
Resources for Preaching
A Manual for Preaching by Abraham Kuruvilla
A review of Abraham Kuruvilla’s A Manual for Preaching.
The Story Behind Christ-Centered Preaching
Have you ever been deeply disappointed with your own preaching, felt like a failure, and considered leaving the ministry? Bryan Chapell did, and in a recent Faithlife Today...
Top 5 Posts of 2013
I began this blog back in April. At the time I had no idea where it would go, or, frankly, if it would go anywhere. But I'm thankful for a good friend who encouraged me to...
Am I Called to Preach?
"Am I called to preach?" On occasion a young man will come into my office asking that very question or one similar to it, like, "How would I know if God is calling me to...
Sermon Illustration: Viewing Tragedy through the Lens of the Cross
In light of this recent example of gut-wrenching human tragedy, I found an illustration from Bryan Chapell helpful for visualizing what it looks like to view human tragedy...
Reviewing the Main Points 07.12.13
Here are a few preaching-related articles and resources that surfaced this past week. The Biggest Mistakes Young Preachers Make - Matt Smethurst Tullian Tchividjian, Voddie...
Reviewing the Main Points 06.28.13
Here are some preaching-related resources from this past week all nicely packaged up on one page. Let the Tone of Your Sermon Match the Tone of Your Text - Trevin Wax Giving...
Reviewing the Main Points 06.21.13
Here are some preaching-related resources that surfaced this past week. The Biblical Preaching of John Calvin - Steven Lawson We must have Calvins again. And by God’s grace,...
Reviewing the Main Points 06.14.13
Enjoy these preaching-related links and summaries from the past week. Especially note Peter Mead's helpful 3-part series on explanation in preaching. 9 Teaching Methods of...
Reviewing the Main Points 06.07.13
The web was alive with preaching resources this past week, especially with discussions related to Christ-centered preaching. Enjoy! Christ-Centered Preaching (Part 1): The...
Christ-Centered Homiletics or Human Author-Centered Hermeneutics?
I don't get excited about reading too many dissertations, but here's one I hope to tackle soon. In 2011Â Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,...
Reviewing the Main Points 05.31.13
Looking for something to read this weekend related to preaching? Here are some links and "main points" collected from recent blog posts and other online resources. When Your...