Homiletics: Effective Sermon Preparation and Delivery
Seven Characteristics of a Pastor According to 1 Timothy 3:1-7
- Blameless: A pastor must be blameless in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. A pastor who lives to a high standard is enabled to preach to a high standard.
- Husband of one wife: People expect a leader to be a one-woman man. If they discover you are not faithful to your wife, they lose their trust in you.
- Hospitable: By being generous with what they have to both the saved and unsaved, a pastor is able to open people’s hearts as he opens his home to them.
- Able to teach: He must be a constant student of the Bible, as humble as a servant, gentle as a mother, and as kind as a grandmother.
- Not a slave of alcohol: Ephesians 5:18 tells us that we should be filled with the Spirit, not with wine.
- Not a lover of money: He should first seek the kingdom of God, and He will meet his needs. He should not serve two masters or he will fail.
- Good manager of his home: A pastor’s household should be a good example of how believers should live. If he does not relate well with his family, he will not relate well with the church.
Ten Principles for Choosing a Sermon Topic
- Have daily devotions
- Study your Bible
- Study your people
- Avoid odd topics
- Choose major themes
- Include Old Testament topics
- Offer a balanced spiritual diet
- Plan for holidays
- Plan sermons in a series
- Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit
Lessons from the Creation of Mankind
We can learn that God planned many things in advance for us to see, talk, and hear. He also planned the night and day, sun and rain, water and land. Pastors must also plan ahead if they are to lead people to spiritual maturity.
Seven of the Ten Commandments of Preaching
- Show confidence
- Be neat
- Have good posture
- Use your voice wisely
- Pronounce your words clearly
- Make eye contact with people
- Use appropriate gestures
- Observe pulpit manners
Anointing and its Relation to a Preacher
Anointing is God’s ability to do the work of the Lord and to live a Christ-like life, referred to in scripture as grace and power, uniquely expressed by each preacher. The preacher should depend on the anointing of the Holy Spirit to anoint him for daily living. He should seek a relationship with the Holy Spirit that is renewed daily. The Holy Spirit gives the message from God to the preacher and convinces the listeners of the message.
Seven Types of Illustrations
- Stories
- Songs
- Proverbs
- Parables
- Riddles
- Comparisons
- Contrasts
- Events
Six Reasons for Using Illustrations
- Illustrations Clarify: They help us clearly explain what we mean.
- Persuade: Increases the preacher’s ability to persuade people.
- Shorten: They can shorten sermons.
- Build bridges: Brings the preacher and the listeners closer together.
- Inspire: They make sermons come alive emotionally.
- Relax People: They allow people to rest mentally.
- Apply truth: Are useful for bringing heavenly truth down to earth.
Reasons Why Some Preachers Use Few Illustrations
- Time is too short
- They are too hard to tell
- They are too childish
- They are too hard to find
Guidelines for Using Illustrations
- Be honest: Avoid telling someone else’s story as if it happened to you.
- Be discreet: Do not use family members or church members as illustrations.
- Be creative: Do not use the same illustration often.
- Be moderate: Do not speak too slowly or too quickly.
- Be clear: Use words that everyone understands.
- Be accurate: Do not exaggerate.
Illustrating the Truth: Bribery Destroys Justice
Introduction
Problem: Bribery
Reason: Bribery destroys justice
Illustration 1: Bribery causes wrong judgment when people twist legal matters by favoring the poor or by being partial to the rich and mighty. Wrong judgment in societies destroys justice.
Illustration 2: Bribery brings blindness. When people practice the giving and taking of bribes, they become addicted and can’t do without it. They are blinded by it, bringing ruin to their households, but those who hate bribes will live.
Illustration 3: It corrupts the heart and makes us fools by confusing those who are to judge fairly. It is given to hurt those who tell the truth and help those who oppose the truth. People who take bribes are fools, no matter how wise they thought they were before taking it.
The Master’s Method of Communication
- Which truth should you illustrate? The major truths.
- What is the purpose of an outline of a sermon? To organize thoughts.
- What are the three parts of an outline? Roman numerals that identify the five main steps of the sermon, capital letters that identify major truths, and small letters that identify the illustrations.
The Importance of the Problem Step
It is logical. It is hard to make people drink, but easy to make them thirsty. As a pastor, you must discern people’s needs.
Five Questions About the Problem Step
- Must I always preach about a problem?
- Should I preach on a problem when they already know it is a problem?
- Suppose I am sure everyone in the church knows that something is a problem. May I skip step two?
- Why don’t more preachers use the problem-and-solution method?
- Will people get rid of this method?
Three Ways of Using the Result Step
- Develop a future good result
- Develop a future bad result
- Contrast the future good and bad results
Giving an Invitation at the End of a Sermon
You can give an invitation by asking people to:
- Come to the altar
- Raise their hands as a sign of commitment
- Bow down their heads wherever they are and pray to God
- Write their names on a piece of paper to volunteer for something
- Make a financial promise