“Preacher preach to yourself!”
No doubt you could say this to me. Nevertheless, we need to think about preaching from the standpoint of the listener. And I, too, am a frequent listener. I have heard many sermons through the years. I have heard young men and old men. I have heard presbyterians and baptists. I have heard loud guys and quiet guys. I think I have realistically heard over 3,000 sermons in my lifetime after adding them up. This has been from years of morning and evening worship, YouTube, podcasts, midweek services, conferences, seminary, chapels, and several other avenues. I know that we need better preaching (from myself too).
This is not a plea for man-centered preaching. This is a plea from a listener to a preacher to preach the whole Bible so that we might become whole Christians.
As a listener, I need help. When I am listening to good and not-so-good preaching I am having several thoughts about what is helpful and what is not helpful.
Dear preacher, for whatever it’s worth here are some of my thoughts:
Preach for clarity and simplicity. It doesn’t matter what you say if I can’t understand you. When you develop your outline, keep me and my distracted mind in your mind. As a preacher, you are speaking God’s Word to me. Do whatever it takes to organize your sermon in such a way that it’s crystal clear and simple (only within biblical parameters and consistent with what it means to preach).
Get to the text! You are the messenger with a message from God. Don’t waste much time and get to the reading of Scripture. Remind me that this is not your TED talk but rather this is the preaching of God’s Word.
Tell me to keep my Bible open. Honestly, I love you and there are times when I really want your opinion on something but this is the time when I care more about what God has to say. Help me to be like the Bereans in Acts 17 and to weigh your words according to the Word of God. Keep my eyes glued to the text so I can learn how to read the Bible. Show me the wondrous things that are in God’s Word. When you do this, I will see more of the reality of God speaking to me right now.
Preach the message and mood. Don’t just preach the truth but preach the truth in the tone of the text. When it’s a warning text help me to “feel” the mood of the text. Don’t just tell me what it says but show me how it is saying it. I’m not asking for a fire and brimstone sermon like those legalistic “preachers” who come to college campuses and scream at people. They’re not even preaching Christianity because there is no Christ. I am asking that if the text has a warning in it that you preach the warning as a warning (though some who are more spiritually immature might say that it was “fire and brimstone”). Dear preacher, don’t be ashamed to preach God’s Word as it is. If it’s in there then I need to hear it. And I need to hear it the way God says it. If the text has a compassionate mood then please don’t rake me over the coals. Woo me to my God! Preach the truth but preach it in its particular text and context. God has given you this Word to preach to me. Not everything preaches like Romans. Sometimes it’s the Psalms and sometimes it’s Daniel’s visions. Preach it the way God is saying it. Yes, if my conscience is overly sensitive to my own sin then apply the text to me. But, trust God that He knows the best timing for what I need to hear. And if a warning text, an apocalyptic text, or a poetry text is next then I need to hear that text the way it is.
Lead me to Christ! Piggybacking from above, don’t leave me in the warning that keeps me too focused on myself. Show me how the warning ultimately leads to Christ. Whatever the mood of the text is, lead me to Him! Preacher, I don’t care where you are in the Bible. Just give me Jesus! Show me how it points forward to Him or backwards to Him. Don’t assume I know; Show me! That will help me read my Bible better. Help me to feel the burden of getting to Jesus alone for my salvation. Convince that everything I need to grow in the Christian faith is found in Him. Show me His magnificence and beauty! If you give me one thing today then give me Jesus. Is this not my chief end? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever? If it is then show me the One who is the image of the invisible God.
Don't confuse me; Emphasize what the text emphasizes. When we read the text before the sermon we will see that some things stand out. There are times when I need to be corrected but then there are times when the main point of the text is right there. Emphasize what the text emphasizes. When I walk out of church, help me to be tempted to think, “That was so clear that I think I could go and preach that.” Don’t use the text as a launching point for your own ideas. Don’t turn a God-centered text into 40 minutes of me staring at myself. Emphasize the emphases of the text.
Show me a picture but don't make it about the picture. I need times where I can see a particular truth. It’s the paint that colors a drawing. Don’t make the sermon about the illustration. Don’t just find a way to tell a story. Choose an illustration that paints the picture of the truth of the text. And this includes the mood of the text. There are times when I might appropriately laugh at an illustration but don’t be a comedian. There are times when a story is so amazing that it doesn’t need to outshine the text. I just need to see something that helps me understand the text better. Illustrations are very important! But, they are servants of the Word. Preacher, illustrations are like a museum tour guide. They walk you around and tell you stories about the truths you’re learning. Use stories and word pictures to paint the picture of what’s happening.
Preach covenantally. This is not a time where I can pick and choose what I want to embrace. This is not a talk that I can just sit back and critique. Preaching is God speaking to me. He demands a response. As a listener, I am either living in the Covenant of Works or the Covenant of Grace. I need to respond to this text from God. Show me how it reaches out and grabs me. And preach like that! Please don’t adopt the modern model of the “chill” preacher. If I was about to fall off a ledge to my death would you be chill? If your child was running out into traffic would you be relaxed? If your friend was invited to the most extravagant banquet of the year would you not be excited for them? God’s Word reaches out and grabs us and wrestles us like Jacob in Genesis 32. I need that for my own heart. Especially when you preach about the graciousness of grace, preach in such a way where I know the Word is saying: “This is for you!” My heart has times where I struggle to believe. I believe in Christ but at times I function like I’m back under the Covenant of Works. Preacher, preach in such a way where I know God is reaching out towards me.
Preach as a herald. This is not Sunday School or a personal counseling session. This is not the seminary classroom or a breakout session at a conference. This is preaching! To be sure, you’ll definitely see some overlap here and there. But you are a herald so preach like it. I’m not saying you need to scream or anything but I need to know that you are truly proclaiming something that’s the most important truth in the world. As Jason Meyer said about Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: “The main term for ‘preacher’ in the New Testament is the word for a ‘herald.’ In the ancient world, the ‘herald’ was the town crier that spoke with the forceful tone of ‘hear ye, hear ye.’ Heralding is a distinctive type of delivery. It does not have the feel of a literary essay or the tone and tenor of a fireside chat. In other words, the herald made his proclamation with a rousing ‘attention-getting noise’ that could not be ignored.” And I need to hear the rousing attention getting noise that points me to the infinite beauties that are in Jesus Christ.
Show me our Triune God and how to commune with Him. I want to know God more. It’s hard to remember how to commune with Him throughout the week. When you preach will you show me what it looks like to remember this truth throughout the week? Will you show me how the means of grace can be implemented in my life for the week? The God of this text desires for me to draw near to Him. Show me how to do that amidst my schedule and my family’s schedule.
Show me the "Whole Christ" for in this text. I need to know that my justification is in Him. I also need to know that my sanctification is in Him. Keep me coming back to my union with Him. I remember you recommended this book called The Whole Christ. And as the author Sinclair Ferguson says, “When we see salvation whole—its every single part is found in Christ, we must beware lest we derive the smallest drop from somewhere else.” Show me how my “enoughness” is in Him and show me how the power to live out a new life is also in Him. No matter how gruesome my sin is lead me to Jesus who alone is enough for my justification. No matter how deeply rooted my sin is lead me to Jesus who is powerful enough to help me mortify every sin (even if it takes my entire life). Help me to stop looking to myself for justification and sanctification. Help me abide in Him so that I might bear fruit.
Show me the graciousness of grace. I am tempted every week to believe that I have to add something to God’s grace. I might “know” it in my head but my sinful heart, the world’s influence, and the devil’s lies constantly dilute my view of biblical grace. Don’t ever think it gets repetitive or boring. I need repetitive! Shock me with God’s grace. Show me that grace really is grace. Help me to grow in a solid Law-Gospel distinction.
Speak to my conscience. Every day I am confronted with mine and others’ sin and suffering. At times my conscience is ignoring my sin and other times it is buried with guilt from sin. It is a good saying that the preacher needs to “afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted”. Reason with my conscience. Persuade my conscience. Teach, train, rebuke, reprove, comfort, and equip my conscience with God’s Word. Root up the defensive arguments that lie deep within. Speak the words of grace to my heart when I doubt. Take the scalpel of God’s Word and cut deep when I am downplaying my sinfulness. I need spiritual surgery every week and you are the Surgeon’s assistant in this weekly procedure.
Tell me how this changes my Monday. Sundays are often great days where I can readily recall what I heard. It’s even better when I hear it in the mornings and evenings. But, Mondays are when I struggle to live it out. Each morning I wake up in my Romans 7 life. I meet with other people who are sinners. I am confronted with life’s circumstances and the news. I have friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances. I am bombarded with bad news on social media. I am “catechized” by modern entertainment. For your sermons, preach to me for my Mondays. Make your sermon like a ticking time-bomb that will go off during the week. When you preach to my conscience I will remember the truth when I come across particular moments during the week. Please don’t stay merely in the cognitive realm in your sermon. Show me how this actually changes the way I respond to my child who makes me so angry or how they walk down the hallways past students who tempt them with sin or how I can learn how to think through the news I listen to this week.
Preach timelessly but preach to me right now. This is similar to what’s above but somewhat different. I need tried and true truths. I need what Christians have fed on throughout two thousands years of the Church. The times might be different but my heart is the same. Ideas might sound new but they’re just repackaged. Preach to me these truths that have sanctified Christians throughout the ages. But, preach to me right now. Show me how that stuff that the Gnostics believed affects us today. Show me how Baal might be seen today. I need help navigating these times. I love Augustine, Athanasius, Luther, Calvin, and the Puritans but show me how those same beloved doctrines that they taught speak to me today.
I won't remember everything but don't preach to me like I'm dumb or can't handle it. Pack your sermons with incredible truths. Let me feel how “weighty” that text is. It might take me a long long time till I can teach it to others but don’t stop teaching it to me. I won’t remember everything you say but don’t dumb it down. It’s in the moment I am listening to it that matters most. Be clear and simple but show me the wonders in that text. I will remember the weight even if I can’t recite the sermon.
Define your terms so I can be on the same page. You might use words like Trinity, sin, justification, sanctification, or even propitiation. I might have an idea of what they mean but I might not. I might not be thinking about it in a biblical way. There might even be times when I am thinking about it accurately but I need to be reminded of what it is. I have noticed that I am very refreshed when you quote the creeds, confessions, and catechisms. It’s also helpful when you find good definitions from others. Those things are like diamonds that are more beautiful the more you turn it. Keep defining your terms so I can be on the same page as you.
Help me worship God in the moment of preaching. Remind me that this is the central part of corporate worship. Preaching is meant to make us worship. Please don’t describe singing as “worship” and the sermon as something else. Show me that I am meant to worship as the Word is preached. So, preach to help me worship! Paint the picture of how awesome our God is. Help my soul have a posture of worship as I hear about the glorious truths of the gospel.
Preach to my affections but also help me realize that my emotions don't always tell me the full story. We live in an age that focuses so much on emotions and “the feels”. But, if I’m honest, I don’t always feel the love of God or the sovereignty of God. Would you remind me that my emotions are affected by The Fall? Would you remind me that God’s Word rather than my emotions tell the most true story? At the same time, would you preach to my affections? Help me to accurately feel the truth. Patiently stoke my heart with coals for the fire. Sometimes my heart is like smoking flax and it needs to be revived. I’m pretty sure I remember you using this quote from John Owen: “No man preaches that sermon well to others, who doth not first preach it to his own heart.” When you study about the holiness of God it helps me. When you let it affect you then it will have a better chance of affecting me.
Show me that the Word & Spirit does the work! I’ve read that God’s Word was the agent of creation. Would you show me that His Word is also the agent of recreation? Preach in such a way where I see that you are confident that the Word and Holy Spirit will do the work. Put the emphasis on it. There are lots of other churches that are trying all these other strategies but we need to be rooted in what’s truly powerful. Preach in such a way where I will take confidence that God will produce in me what I need.
Don't make me be overly introspective; Point me 10x more to Jesus! We live in an age where we are obsessed with ourselves. I need to be drawn out of myself to see Jesus. I think you’ve quoted a guy named Robert Murray McCheyne when he said, “For every one look at yourself take ten looks at Christ.” That’s what my heart needs in every season. That’s how I’m going to grow in faith. I know I need times of self-examination and help me to do that. But, when you take me through appropriate self-examination do so in a Jesus-centered way. I’m not wanting to ignore my sins or weaknesses but I am asking that you would spend more time showing me Jesus.
Show me the dynamics of my heart. Sometimes I have no idea why I sin the way I sin. I don’t understand my thoughts. I don’t understand my desires. Temptation just seems to be so sneaky. Can you help me understand my own heart? Can you preach to me so that I can see what it looks like to repent? Can you show me how to keep my heart? And I have found that when you have done this that I am better able to counsel my friends.
Don't just show me the sin act but show me the sin heart. This is similar to what’s above. But, I have noticed that many preachers can sometimes only name the act of sin and forget the heart of sin. Jesus seems to get at the heart in the Sermon on the Mount. In today’s world, we often hear that it’s not sin as long as you don’t live it out. But, that seems to not match up with the Bible. If I’m going to repent and mortify sin then I need to know how deep it goes. I know some people might say this sounds depressing but this is when I am reminded that God’s grace goes even deeper. If I merely try to stop a certain action then my sinful heart will just overflow into another area. I need the depths of sin to be killed in my life. But, I need wisdom for how to do that.
Show me how theology matters! Be my pastor-theologian and show me what it means to be a true theologian. I don’t understand when some people say theology doesn’t matter. I would never tell my spouse that knowing her more is useless. I think we would need you to give us a lot of marriage counseling if we got to that point. So, why would we say that about God? I’ve seen in 1 John 4:8 that “God is love.” Wouldn’t this mean that the more I know theology that I can love people more appropriately? I know that there are people who only have head knowledge. That’s not what I mean. Show me that a true theologian is the person who studies who God is and delights to implement those truths in real life. On the flip side, show me that thinking rightly matters. Show me that right thinking promotes right living. Don’t reinforce the idea that is sometimes promoted that we need less theology and just need to love others more. Show me that I need the truth. Show me that my affections need to be informed by biblical assertions. Convince me that my doxology will flow from the theology.
Preach to my kids. I know you aren’t saying this but my kids aren’t dumb. Sometimes preachers preach like this. Sometimes churches seem to communicate to kids that the sermon is boring and that kids need to do their own thing. They might get distracting at times for me and for you. But, they aren’t dumb. They know what preaching is. The session has admitted some of them to the Lord’s table so how can we say that they can’t handle the preaching of the Word? What a contradiction! I know they need the preached Word in order to grow. Would you make applications to them? At times, even use an illustration that they would relate to. You might think that older listeners like myself might think it could be silly or immature but often we grow in childlike faith whenever you preach to our children. I want to be able to talk about the sermon with my kids. And by the way, the kids can pick up on when the sermon is actually a sermon and not just a lecture.
Give me a sermon, not a lecture. I remember a seventh grade boy coming up to me after corporate worship one Sunday talking about the guest preacher’s “sermon”. He came up to me and said, “That was a great lecture!” He said it to imply that it wasn’t a sermon at all. Listen, if middle school boys can pick up on that then we can too. I’m not able to totally describe the difference between a lecture and a sermon but I know when it is a sermon rather than a lecture. I don’t need to know all the facts you’ve learned. I need you to preach that message to me. Give me what I need and drive it home to my heart. Preach with passion. You’re the herald.
Sometimes I'm tired, distracted, and cold. Forgive me when I yawn because it’s not a personal shot at you. Often times you’re really “bringing it” but I’ve gotten an average of 5 hours of sleep this week. Other times my heart feels weighed down by despair. When my head is down, it’s not like I’m ignoring you but rather I’m inwardly wrestling with this truth. If I seem distracted then compassionately reel my back in.
Forgive me when I lose my focus and help me come back into the sermon. Once again, this flows from what’s above. Structure your sermon in a way that helps me find those “on ramps” back onto the highway of the text. I’m growing as a listener and I need help with that. Use illustrations, quotes, questions, and applications. Change your tone and pace at times. Don’t just preach to thin air but preach to me right in front of you.
Help me to see how God woos me to Him through the gospel. God is love (1 John 4:8). He won’t beat me over the head with His love but He will woo me. At times He loves me so much that He’ll wrestle me. But, He is also tender-hearted. Help me to hear Him! Help me to see Him doing this! Preach to my conscience and show me how the infinite love of God begs me to draw near to Him. Show me the loveliness of His love.
Help me to see the sin really is sin. We are like fish swimming in the ocean and forget that we live in water. We’re that sinful and affected by sin. Awaken my conscience with God’s Law to see my sin. It needs to die. It needs to be uprooted. It also leads me to Jesus who alone can take care of it. Don’t water down sin. Don’t downplay it. Call it for what it is even when it stings. I know that some people will get upset and that is often the purpose of God’s Word. But, we can’t be healed if we neglect the presence of the disease.
Remind me that none of my sins are exempt from His grace. I am often like the woman who just wanted to touch the fringe of Jesus’ garment and then hide. At times I can be very aware of my “uncleanness”. In those times, I am tempted to think that some of my sins are too much for Him. I might not say that but I think that. I might not voice that but I feel that. I’m not asking that you water down your doctrine of sin. Remember what I just wrote above. That won’t help me! I’m asking that you show me that even though my sin increases His grace abounds all the more. I’m asking that you persuade me that I can bring the entirety of who I am to Jesus and find free and full forgiveness.
Root me in the timeless truths preached through the ages. Sometimes I am tempted to think of the truths you preach as modern like so many other ideas today. But, you help me when you quote people from the last 500 years. Still there are times when I wonder if these truths have always been what the church believed since the days of Jesus. Would you quote the “old paths”? I know we recite the creeds at times and I find that very helpful to know that I stand in a long line of godly men and women. That helps me know that what’s been passed down to us is true. It also helps me see God’s love for me in the fact that He brought those truths to me here in America in the 21st Century.
Pray! And remind me to keep praying for you before, during, after. I don’t know how to describe it but I have often heard preachers speak well but don’t preach with power. They might even have great doctrine and exposit the text but the power seems to be missing. I don’t always remember to pray but I know we need prayer. Honestly, I am asking that you would prioritize prayer and specifically prayer for your sermon. There are times when there is an added weight and force to the things you preach. My heart needs that help. My life needs reforming. There are remnants of sin within that need divine power to destroy. I need you to pray for your sermon so that you might be able to preach in the power of the Holy Spirit. (And, I know you might be tempted to think that we might think you’re being self-centered in asking this but…) Tell us to pray for you and the preaching. We need that reminder for our own hearts. This is the central time for my Christian life. It’s not the only time but it is the central time when God speaks to me. I need to pray for myself and whoever else will be there to listen. I need to pray for you that you might preach this text to yourself before getting up to preach it to us. And I need to pray that the Holy Spirit mightily move amongst us so that we might hear the proclamation of the Word.
Preach in the power of the Spirit. Forgive me if I am sounding repetitive but I know this is hugely important. This is not like any other speech. It’s not even like Sunday School, seminary classes, or counseling sessions. This is preaching. The Holy Spirit always attends the Word. But, I need you to preach with boldness like they did in the Book of Acts. I need you to preach in the power of the Holy Spirit like Paul says in 1 Corinthians. Seek Him. Seek Him for yourself and for us. I see prodigal children and broken marriages. I see addictions and hidden sins. I see struggling believers and unbelievers who don’t have the power in themselves to believe. We need God Himself. We need the Holy Spirit to bring the Word to us like a skilled doctor with healing medicine.
Keep studying preaching. It's the most important time for me all week. Every preacher needs to grow as a preacher. I remember my dad saying that just because you graduate from Veterinary School doesn’t mean you’re a Vet. It just means you now have a license to learn how to be one. It is the same with seminary. You’re not done learning how to preach just as I am not done learning how to listen. For the sake of my Christian life, keep studying good preaching. I’m not asking you to be “great”. I’m asking you to have a pastor’s heart to grow in ministering to me.
Keep studying theology. For me to reject knowing more about God is like rejecting to know more about my wife (See, I’m like you and can be repetitive at times but we need repetitive). And if that were the case then I’m sure you would convince us that we need some significant marriage counseling. I need theology! I need to know my God. Theology is what determines my worldview. Theology is what helps me love my stubborn children. Theology helps me fight against deeply rooted sin. Theology is how I interpret the news, treat my coworkers, seek forgiveness, extend mercy, establish ethics, mentor young people, defend the faith, be a peacemaker, counsel others, take care of my home, make future plans, and much more! Theology is the most practical thing in the world! I need you to be a true theologian because true theology is not merely head knowledge but also heart and hand wisdom. Preacher, you are our local theologian. We need you to teach us. Bring it out when the sermon text teaches it. Apply those doctrines to all of our lives and godliness. Please don’t settle for fluff. We need milk and meat so don’t give us cotton candy. The more you study theology the more you can speak to my children! They’re bombarded with social media all day. They need help sifting through what’s true and what’s not. When you study theology you are better able to correct faulty thinking, strengthen weak hearts, give realistic expectations in the Christian life, and establish a true worldview. Read the best systematic theologies. Keep up with some of the current debates. I know you can’t do everything and you shouldn’t try to do everything but don’t forget that maybe the most basic responsibility you have as our pastor is to be our theologian.
Keep studying the heart. There is no such thing as theology that doesn’t hit the heart. That’s the way God designed it. Preacher, please don’t believe the lie that you are not a counselor. When you preach you are counseling all of us at the same time. Take time in your week to study good works on the human heart. Study the timeless art of soul caring. Don’t listen to people who say that preachers don’t counsel or that theology isn’t necessary for counseling. That’s like saying that God and His Word aren’t relevant to speak into my life. You are His messenger and He is wanting to speak to me in my life’s circumstances. And God is the greatest of all counselors! Preacher, please study what preachers through the ages have studied. Get to know us and get to know the timeless dynamics of the heart. I need to hear God proclaim His particular text to my particular heart.
Keep studying history and how it interacts with today. There is nothing new under the Sun; It’s just been repackaged in another Amazon or FedEx box. I keep trying to tell younger people that even when things seem more intense in the world (which can be true at times) it is still the same issues that we have dealt with since the Fall. I don’t always have time to study Church History. But, I consider it part of your job for you to do so. You’re the shepherd of the sheep. You protect us against wolves. That means you need to study and know how to defend the gospel in season and out of season. I know that in the history of the Church we have dealt with so many issues. Thoughtful men and women have addressed these issues with timeless truths from Scripture. I need you to show me how that applies with us today.
Keep your heart warmed with the gospel so I can be warmed. Sit by the divine fires and invite me to come sit with you. It’s been cold this week. I’m sure at times you’ve felt even more of the cold than I have. You are in a bad news profession because you are constantly bombarded with people’s sins, world events, tragedies, and difficult counseling situations. For you and for me, I need you to soak in the good news for yourself. Spend time in it. When you do it then you will overflow with it.
Have a child-like imagination and wonder so I too can come alive to the beauties of God in His gospel and His world. I’ve heard a story about a theologian being asked: “What’s the greatest theological thought you’ve ever had?” He replied, “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.” Please don’t give into the lie that modern evangelicalism promotes that somehow spiritual maturity means less childlike wonder at the simple truths. Help me to be like the chef who discovers how dynamic an onion or a potato is. Help me to see the beauty in the most simple truths of the gospel. Help me to see that I am in my Father’s world wherever I go. The world is trying to show us what true beauty is but it never gets the job done. Show me how amazing grace really is.
Major on the majors and minor on the minors. So many people are being distracted from what matters most. I’m hearing about many people who are leaving their churches because they aren’t hearing the gospel anymore. I know that you might have a lot of us asking for you to talk about A or B or C. There are times and avenues for that. But, please keep us on course. Major on the majors and minor on the minors. When you do that in your sermons then I will learn to do the same thing. This is what will promote more unity amidst diversity. This is what will help us live in light of our Christian freedom.
Preach the gospel! I want to hear the gospel! You heard me say it earlier and I’ll say it again: People are leaving their churches (even in “solid” denominations) because they aren’t hearing the gospel. I remember hearing a story about a group of pastors preparing for the sermons series for the year and one of the men said, “Why don’t we do a series called ‘What Is The Gospel?’” Supposedly the lead pastor said, “Our people already know the gospel.” I have been in numerous places where that has been the case. Never stop preaching the gospel. In every sermon, preach like this is actually Christianity. And when I say preach the gospel here is what I don’t mean. Don’t just say the word “gospel”. Don’t just tag it on at the very end of your sermon. Don’t assume we know it. Don’t confuse the covenant of grace with the covenant of works. Don’t say that something is a gospel issue when it is not. Don’t say that something isn’t a gospel issue when it is! We’re losing the gospel today and we need to reclaim it. Please preacher, preach the gospel! Don’t be fooled by these modern ideas that some theories or ideologies or analytical tools can be helpful for us to really understand the gospel. Get back to the Bible! If it’s in the Bible then we don’t need it because we have the Bible; If it’s contrary to the Bible we shouldn’t listen to it. In every sermon and in the ways that the text proclaims, preach the gospel! It takes the whole Bible to proclaim the whole gospel. Preach it all and always preach the gospel. Bathe your sermons with the good news. I need to walk away from your sermon knowing that the Triune God and His good news were the main focus.
Be bold and address issues when appropriate. You can’t say everything about everything. And it’s often not wise for you to do so. The pulpit has limitations. But, when the text calls for it then we need you to be bold. We need you to call it as it is. Lots of us might indulge in different ideologies not because we’re outrightly rejecting Scripture but because we don’t know what’s true or not. You are our shepherd. We need to be protected from wolves and wolf-ish teaching. Don’t make it a hobby horse. Don’t be a culture warrior. Be a pastor. But, as a pastor, there are times when something is so obvious that we need you to address it. And when you address it, address it with the gospel. I know we live in a polarizing world. We don’t want to be conservative or progressive just for the sake of being conservative or progressive. We want to be gospel men and women. If that might label us as one or the other then so be it. We will always invite anyone and everyone to ask curious questions. But, address these issues with the gospel. Keep bringing us back to the gospel because even when we might align with several things on one “side” we need to always be evaluating issues on either “side” in light of the Scriptures.
Don't make this your personal journal entry. Help me to see that this is not YOUR message but God's message to us (which includes you). I have tended to see this in young ministers more but please do not treat your sermons like your personal diary. There are times when stories from your life are incredibly useful and they help me know you more. I do love that! But, please don’t twist your position from being about God to being about you. You’re merely the waiter. I’ve come to feast and I need the food to be brought to me. Describe it to me. Help my mouth to water for the living waters. Talk up how awesome the Chef is. I’ve come to delight in Him and His Word through your proclamation of it. No offense and I love you but please be like John the Baptist. He must increase and we must decrease.
Preach for as long as it takes to explain the Word and apply the Word. TED says you have 18 minutes. Others say that we have even less attention span. Your calling is to preach God’s Word to us. He determines what’s necessary. Sometimes we can handle 45-60 minute sermons. Other times you might have to work us up to that. Sometimes it might be wise to preach only 30 minutes because we will come back for the evening service to hear another sermon. Preacher, you need to preach however long you need to in order to explain that text and apply that text. The main diet of corporate worship is the preaching. Organize the liturgy around it. Know your own gifting but remember that we desperately need preaching. And when you preach in the power of the Holy Spirit then often times 40 minutes will feel like 4 minutes. But, even when it doesn’t keep working with us. We are living in an age of biblical famine. We need to learn to give you enough time to explain the Word and apply the Word. Yes, you don’t need to be long winded or improperly take advantage of our time. But, you need the happy medium of keeping us focused and letting God speak.