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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
A Manual for Preaching by Abraham Kuruvilla
A review of Abraham Kuruvilla’s A Manual for Preaching.
What Is Expository Preaching?
We don’t all mean the same thing.
What Impression Do You Want Your Sermon to Make?
One question we must ask in assessing our preaching is this: "What are my listeners impressed with at the end of my message? Or you could put it this way: "Who are my...
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...
Effective Preaching Begins with Obedient Listening
Effective expository preaching finds it origin and power not so much in clever construction as in detailed, obedient listening to God’s voice in the text. ~ David Jackman...
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....
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...
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...
The 10 P’s of Preaching: A Big-Picture Perspective
I find it helpful at times to take a step back from the nitty-gritty details of weekly sermon preparation and think about preaching from a big picture perspective. There are...
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...
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...
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...
The 10 Commandments of Preaching
After 40 years of preaching Sinclair Ferguson took some time (on a airplane!) to write down his 10 commandments of preaching. Though Ferguson admits his commandments are not...
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...
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...
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...
Christocentric Preaching and a/Authorial Intent
Ignoring the Christ-centered canonical context of Scripture is no less reductionist and problematic than ignoring the immediate context of the human author. A wooden...
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...
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...
Our Calling as Preachers
Our calling as preachers is really very simple. We study, we stand before our people, we read the text, and we explain it. We reprove, rebuke, exhort, encourage, and...
The Risks and Rewards of Preaching an Expository Book Series
Kevin DeYoung discusses the benefits and dangers of preaching consecutively through books of the Bible. http://vimeo.com/87622243 Here are the risks, according to DeYoung:...
Preaching: That Slow, Long-Term But Time-Tested and God-Honored Method of Church Growth
Preaching may be slow work; it often is; it is a long-term policy. But my whole contention is that it works, that it pays, and that it is honoured, and must be, because it...
Devotional Preaching: Worshipping Your Way Through Your Sermon
There's . . . an underplayed devotional aspect to preaching. . . . One of the most powerful things is when your people get to watch you worship your way through your own...
How Can Preachers Receive Compliments Humbly?
"How can young preachers receive compliments humbly?" This was a question posed to Al Mohler on his 02-08-14 Ask Anything:Weekend edition. His answer is quite thoughtful and...