Jump Start # 1767

2 Corinthians 5:11 “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.”

  A discussion came up recently about “What makes a good sermon?” Wow, that’s a great topic. Every preacher ought to be concerned with that. Every preacher wants to preach GREAT sermons. Most fear the opposite. If a sermon isn’t great, then what is it? A dud? Boring? Ineffective? A sleeper?

 

What is interesting, is that everyone has in their own mind what they think makes a great sermon. It’s like cooking stew. Every cook has their own take on just what to add and how long to cook it and just what is good. I’ve tasted stew that had sugar in it—a lot of sugar. Sweet. I’ve had some that had some hot sauce in it. It was like eating fire. The cooks that made those stews, loved it. Not me. Not my taste.

 

So, we talk about what makes a great sermon. Years ago I read a definition that said a great sermon begins with a lightning bolt and then goes up from there. Great. What does that mean?

 

Some will tell you that a great sermon can’t be too  long. It’s got to have a great beginning and a great end and the two ends can’t be far from each other. Shorter the better. For some, that’s it.

 

Some will tell you that a great sermon will run through the emotions. You may laugh. You may cry. You may be challenged. You may be touched. I have a sermon like that. It’s one of the few that I actually like. It’s on death. I used to preach it on Friday nights when on the road. Friday night and death—what a combination. It had a few stories. It had some bullet teaching points. It had a joke or two. It had a long look at what happens and where we go. And it ended with Heaven. It was a journey.

 

Some will tell you that a good sermon teaches you the text. Like sitting in a college class, you learn and learn and learn. Words are dissected. Sentences are explained. Information given.

 

Some like sermons with lots of illustrations, jelly as I refer to it. Toast is good, but it’s better with some jelly on it. How much jelly? Too much and all you taste is jelly and not the toast.

 

Some think a good sermon is all Bible and nothing but the Bible. No stories. No laughter. No illustrations. Just plain ole fashioned Bible. Many grew up on that kind of preaching and it work well for them and that’s what they insist makes a great sermon.

 

Some think a great sermon is marching through a text, verse by verse. For these folks, topical sermons are shallow, weak and a not good.

 

Some measure the greatest of a sermon by the outcome. Did anyone respond to the sermon? Did it change anyone? A sermon, for these folks is only good if good comes out of it.

 

Are you starting to see something here? Do you see where I am going? Just about everyone has their own definition about what makes a great sermon and rarely are those opinions the same. So, in the same congregation sits a guy and he wants a lesson that is upbeat, well illustrated and something he can remember. Sitting behind him is a guy who wants no illustrations and just straight text. Beside him, sits the person who is wanting a lecture. Information. Information. And more information. Sitting beside that person is someone who wants a short sermon. He sits besides the person who is looking around at the end to see if anyone is responding. Was it a good sermon?

 

The poor preacher tries every week to figure out what he is going to do. Standing at the door, as people leave, one will tell the preacher, “That was a great sermon.” The next guy says, “You preach too long.” The next person, “I loved your illustration. I will always remember that.” The next person says, “keep the stories out.”

 

I have preached sermons in which I thought, I will never preach that sermon again. It was a bomb. Then comes a person and they declare, “That was one of the best sermons I have ever heard in my life.” No way. Are you kidding? Somehow it touched them.

 

The reason why there are so many diverse definitions to what makes a great sermon is because of our passage today. Sermons are more than lectures. They are more than just giving facts and teaching things. Sermons are intended to persuade people. The point of a sermon is to move us. Move us closer to the Lord. Move us into action. Sermons are to change our thinking. Sermons are to challenge what we think. Sermons are not a rehearsal of creeds, but the teaching of the word of God. Persuading is what sermons are about.

 

So, then, a better question to ask, is, “What persuades you?” “What moves you?” “What motivates you?” “What makes you change?” The answer is different for each of us. Facts are needed because that is the foundation and the substance of faith. We preach Christ crucified. That’s the platform upon which our faith stands. All the parables of Jesus pointed to Biblical principles. The parables made it easier to see those principles. But facts alone won’t move most of us. We need more. We need to see reasons why. We need to understand consequences if we don’t. We need the dust blown out of our ears so we understand the need for Christ. Preaching is more than just reading verses.

 

We are not all the same nor are we all at the same place in our journey. For some, a simple reminder is all that they need. They know, they just forgot. Others don’t know. They have to be taught. They have to see it. They need explanation, reason and purpose. The faith of some is strong. The faith of another is weak.

 

What persuades you? Pressure? Fear? Guilt? Seeing all the dots connected? Understanding the big picture? Going through things slowly and step by step? Looking at the little picture? Explaining things with modern applications? Spelling things out so plainly that you can’t miss it?

 

It’s troubling when someone tells a preacher that only one way works. No stories. No illustrations. No levity. Just facts, facts, facts. Well, that might work well for one person. But that alone may not persuade another. There isn’t one standard format for all sermons. Some preachers use just a few verses and others use a lot of verses. Which is better? Some stay in one text and others bounce around throughout the Bible. Which is better? The gifted preacher will use his talents, wisdom, and knowledge of people to shape a sermon that fits his personality. I use a lot of illustrations. I use humor. I use short bullet points. Those that know me would say, “That’s Roger.” That’s the way I am in and out of the pulpit.

 

We all need Jesus, but we are wired differently. We have different backgrounds and different needs. What works for you may not work for me. I have listened to some sermons and heard people say that it was an amazing sermon, one of the best. What I heard, didn’t do much for me.

 

Persuading people to follow Christ is the goal of sermons. It’s more than giving information. That’s the difference between a speech, a college lecture and a sermon. A sermon is intended to convince you and move you to obedience in Christ.  The preachers of long ago would scare their audiences and shout at them.  That wouldn’t work well with our times today. People don’t like to be screamed at. Preachers today don’t pound the pulpit much anymore. I heard of a guy who was so passionate in his preaching that he put his fist through a chalkboard. I expect folks remembered the hole in the chalkboard more than they could tell you what the sermon was about.

 

So there is no one formula for a great sermon. The is not a certain number of verses that make it right. Below that number is too few and above that number is too many. There is no “rule” about illustrations, levity or even length. The preacher must understand that the power of conviction is in the word of God and not in him. It’s not his ways that are convicting, but the message of God. The preacher must remember that he is not a standup comedian, nor in a dramatic role in a play, but is a preacher of God’s word. Long ago, Indiana preacher, Knowles Shaw, was known as the “singing evangelist.” He was gifted as a singer. He wrote many hymns. He was known right in the middle of a sermon to break into a song. He didn’t lead the congregation in that song, he sang a solo. Folks gathered far and near to hear him sing. No one knew just when or what song, but before the night was over, he’d give a free concert. On this side of history, it seems that he was giving too much attention to himself and not the Cross. The expression, “Hide yourself behind the cross,” simply means, at the end of the day, we need to see Jesus and not you, Mr. Preacher. You are not in the spotlight. This is why we do not applaud sermons. It’s not about the preacher. This is not a performance on stage. His voice is simply persuading us to follow Christ. The sermon is all about Christ. First, foremost and the end, it is Jesus. Don’t forget that, Mr. Preacher.

 

Be careful with younger preachers. They are tender and learning. A thoughtless loudmouth going out the door, can crush the heart of a young preacher all because he told a joke and the person doesn’t like jokes in a sermon. Be careful that we don’t make our definition of a great sermon the only way a sermon can be preached. Be thankful that the person is  pouring his heart into trying to teach God’s word. At the door is generally the worst time for a critical review. Let a day pass. Call the preacher for lunch. Talk kindly with him. Express your concerns. Don’t destroy him. Help him. Maybe he needs to pull back on illustrations. Maybe he chose the wrong way to say something. Be his friend, not his enemy. Polish him. Improve him. But be careful that your definition of a great sermon doesn’t become the only definition of a great sermon.

 

Persuading people—that’s what it is all about. This preaching stuff is a lot harder than some realize, especially when you stand before hundreds of people and everyone has their own definition of what makes a great sermon. And there is the preacher, and he has his own definition as well.

 

In every sermon there are five factors:

1. There is the sermon that the preacher wants to preach

2. There is the sermon that the preacher studied to preach

3. There is the sermon that the preacher actually preached

4. There is the sermon that the audience heard preach

5. There is the sermon that the audience wish he had preached

And on a good day, all five are the same.

 

Persuade people…

 

Roger