Is there a temptation in preaching to become a one-note messenger? To be so singularly focused on a particular issue or doctrine that every sermon ends up sounding the same...
Philosophy of Preaching
What Kind of Shape Is Your Sermon In?
There are a lot of things to think about when preparing a message. But how many of us think about how we think? And let me go one step further--how many of us think about...
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount Underscores the Importance of Application
What is your view of the significance of application in preaching? If you were forced to put a price tag on "application," what value would you assign it? Oddly enough,...
Is It Really About Him, or Is It Mostly About Me?
In a chapter entitled "Less Joe, More Jesus," Joe Stowell reminds us that it's easy to become preoccupied with ourselves as preachers. Preaching has a way of sucking us down...
The Divinely-Defined Content of Divinely-Approved Preaching
In one of the classic New Testament texts on preaching, Paul commands Timothy to "preach the word." It's easy to gloss over familiar, oft-quoted texts like this without...
You’re Invited to a Wedding!
There's a wedding that should be taking place in every church on every Sunday from every pulpit. It's the wedding of biblical content and passionate delivery. Unfortunately,...
Bullmore on the Critical Necessity of Biblical Exposition
http://vimeo.com/61181592 Mike Bullmore begins his 9Marks at Southern 2013 session with this "strong claim:" Preaching God's word is the fundamental task of pastoral...
Lloyd-Jones on the Golden Rule of Biblical Interpretation
The first thing you have to do [in sermon preparation] is to deal with the meaning of your text. At this point there is one golden rule, one absolute demand— honesty. You...
Is My Sermon Preparation Steeped in Prayer?
A good reminder from James Rosscup: Prayer is not an elective but the principal element in the kaleidoscope of spiritual characteristics that mark a preacher. These traits...
Your Sermon Text Is Not Just a Text
What is your sermon text for tomorrow? Of course, when we hear the words "sermon text" we immediately think of some passage of Scripture. That's all well and good. But have...