Jump Start # 4066
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
Throwback Thursday: an article written from the past
Thoughts on Sermon Making
Preachers do all kinds of things. They teach classes on Sunday. They write bulletin articles. They visit hospitals. They conduct weddings and funerals. They visit people in their homes. But of all the things that preachers do, they are most known for preaching sermons. A preacher who doesn’t preach isn’t much of a preacher.
There are all kinds of sermons. In the past year I preached 121 sermons. Making sermons isn’t easy. Ask some of the men who preach when I’m gone. There is a lot of thinking that goes into making a sermon. Verses must be looked up and studied. Often, individual words will be looked at. Dictionaries of English and Greek words will be opened when making a sermon. Background studies, commentaries, other versions of the Bible, and history books will be looked at to make a sermon. Rough drafts, outlines and the final copy must be made. Many words are written down that will later get crossed out. Trying to find just the right thing to say in just the right way is hard. A great sermon can be killed because it went on and on. A great idea can be wasted because it was not expressed clearly. What makes sermon preparation harder is when the preacher is tired, moody, cranky, stressed, mentally blocked or just doesn’t feel like writing a sermon, when he has to.
People have asked, “Where do you get all your ideas for sermons?” And the answer I give is, “Everywhere.” I’m also asked, “How long does it take to make a sermon?” Under normal conditions I have only one week to make two sermons and that is how long it takes.
Now there is something interesting about sermons. Many of you have heard me preach for some time now. You have heard dozens and dozens of sermons. Some you remember, many you don’t. Some were really good, and others were duds. Some of the sermons helped you. Some of the sermons had no effect upon you. Every week the process starts all over. The preacher finds some interesting idea, explores it, develops it, writes about it, makes a sermon, and then preaches it. All those sermons are then filed away, most to never be preached again. Sometimes that makes this preacher sad. A lot of time, work and heart went into making a sermon that lasted thirty minutes and then it’s over and won’t be used again.
God has always used preachers. Old Noah was called a “preacher of righteousness.” We remember the prophets who God called, rising up early in the morning to go preach His message. John the baptist and our Lord were preachers. The apostles were preachers. Preaching is God’s chosen way of getting His divine message proclaimed. Paul stated that preaching “persuades men.”
Very few sermons are ever collected and published in a book. Other than preachers, not too many are interested in those things. Sermons are not given awards like a “Gold Record.” And the honest preacher realizes that some people will have forgotten everything that was said, before they take that first bite of Sunday lunch. So why do it? It sure is a lot of work for such a little amount of time and it is so quickly forgotten. Good preachers continue to write sermons because they know that this is what God wants. They also know that people are being influenced, taught and motivated. We may not remember every meal we ate last month, but those meals nourished us and helped us. The same is true with sermons. We may not remember them very long, but if they help us and nourish us and bring us closer to the Lord then they have served their purpose.
Thank you for letting me share this with you. Some weeks, the sermon ideas flow easily. Other weeks, it is a real struggle and the preacher feels like he didn’t do a good enough job. You make preaching a pleasure and this preacher feels honored to stand before you.
Roger
February, 2003