Part 2: Practical Preaching Tips

As stated in Part 1, I spent the last week at a Simeon Trust preaching workshop that was incredibly helpful. In the first post, I documented the proper pathway for preaching, and in this post I’m simply going to record all the random nuggets of wisdom from the workshop. This post is poorly organized, just to lower your expectations.

Jesus Juke Sermon vs. Gospel-Driven Sermon:

One of my biggest takeaways was how to properly preach a sermon in a way that makes a legitimate connection to the Gospel. In the past, I believed it was the job of the preacher to shove an evangelism minute into the sermon, and by doing so they would have “preached the Gospel.” This is a very limited way to view gospel-centered, or gospel-driven, preaching.

Rather than doing the “Jesus Juke” in your preaching (or what I realized is more often the “atonement juke”), our job is to find New Covenant connections that amplify the original point of the author. Meaning, if the book of Jonah aims to challenge the prideful hearts of the Israelites, it is our job to amplify that point with a gospel connection.

To use an example, let’s imagine that you’re preaching on the seventh commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.” Rather than immediately moving to, “But you’re forgiven because of the work of Christ,” the preacher must realize that this ethic is upheld and supported by Jesus in Matthew 5:27–29 when he says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it …away.” Jesus upholds this ethic in the New Covenant and applies this commandment to his audience. Essentially, Jesus “preaches” this verse and doesn’t nullify it by saying, “But you’re okay, no worries.” He amplifies the imperative for his audience.

Now, it’s important to note that humans are horribly inclined toward a works-based righteousness, and it’s worth repeating often that we are accepted purely by God’s grace through the work of Christ on Calvary. However, we must also stay true to the intention of the author of Scripture and not undermine imperatives, but uphold them through Christ.

So my first lesson was this: don’t “atonement juke” every one of your sermons. Find the closest New Covenant connection to your passage (this assumes you’re preaching the Old Testament) that amplifies the original point of the author, and bring that forward so that your audience understands the main point of the passage through a gospel lens.

On Sermon Structure

During this workshop, we were working through prophetic literature. This was especially helpful for me as I realized that narrative “preaches” very differently than discourse (e.g., Colossians or Romans). An easy way to think about the difference when it comes to preaching (this is very broad and generalized, not a rule, but a personal mental guide) is that when tackling narrative, you:

  1. Survey the text and shed light on the story as you go. This means your points will feel more like movements in a story than formal points.
  2. Make the point.
  3. Apply the point.

Of course, there will be truths and applications sprinkled throughout the survey section. A common approach to preaching discourse, on the other hand, might look like this:

  1. Proposition (thesis).
  2. Truths (with explanation, illustration, and application woven throughout).
  3. Application/Exhortation to be transformed in light of the main point or proposition.

Shedding Light

One question that often comes up for me, especially with narrative preaching, is how you build out your movements without simply repeating exactly what the author said. Here are a few tools I picked up:

  • Shed light on the text by bringing in helpful context.
  • Shed light on the text by comparing and contrasting with other parts of Scripture.
  • Shed light on the text by asking leading questions (read the verse and then say, “Now some may wonder why the author says it like this,” or “Now some may say, ‘That is so outdated and traditional—how do you expect me to live like that?’”), then answer the question for them.
  • Shed light on the text by using illustrations to demonstrate what’s being taught or experienced.
  • Shed light on the text by rephrasing what was said to bring better understanding (other Bible versions can also be helpful here).
  • Shed light on the text by leaning on interpretive help, either from other biblical authors or from commentaries. This is where quotes can be helpful.

Another important thing I learned regarding sermon structure is that the way the author expresses his point and the way you express your point “don’t have to be identical twins, but they should share a family resemblance.” There is room to reframe the main point to make it communicable to your audience, but it should still resemble the main point of the original author to the original audience.

As an example, the author of Jonah may be saying, “Israel, you are wrong for your prideful sense of ‘ownership’ over my mercy and your neglect to extend it to others,” and our point might be, “God’s people should extend the same mercy they’ve received.” As you can see, those points are related, but the second is contextualized for our preaching audience.

On Application

Application is vital because it’s the hard work of establishing the proper target for our sermon. What concrete situation are we driving our main point/spiritual truth into? (Imagine an arrow being shot into a target) Ideally, the application is a parallel to the situation of the original audience, but this isn’t always a perfect mirror since we live in a very different day and age. To use the example of Jesus and adultery, we may apply that teaching to how we use or don’t use a phone. That wouldn’t be a mirror of the original audience, but the point is the same. Application is a vital stage because preaching is far more than a transfer of information. It is a call to transformation by the power of the Spirit through the Word.

There are four angles for application:

  • Connect: Get in the boat with them and invite them to the truth, beauty, and goodness of God as better and more fulfilling than what they’re currently chasing or serving (Side Point – I don’t have this one fully nailed down yet in my head).
  • Comfort: Use your point to bring comfort to those who are struggling or hurting.
  • Challenge: Challenge common thinking and invite consideration of a different way of processing.
  • Confront: Call out wrong, evil, or sin, and call people to repentance.

Random Notes

  • Idolatry is socially transmitted.
  • There are three transcendentals: truth, beauty, and goodness. We often make the mistake of only using truth when applying our text.
  • The past is a template for how God is going to act in the future. Look back on God’s goodness and be encouraged that he is faithful and good.

Delivery Notes

  • Use the pregnant pause. It causes your audience to turn inward for a moment and consider.
  • Get the audience involved: “Everybody say ______ with me.”
  • Don’t assume people know the simple stuff.

Leadership Notes

  • Pastoral ministry is all about making decisions.
  • Regularly commend brothers for the good you see in them.
  • Before you start a project, define what a “homerun” is. Define success so everyone has a clear goal to aim for.