Effective Sermon Preparation and Delivery

Posted on Feb 16, 2025 in Religion

Seven Characteristics of a Pastor

  • 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 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 to his family, he will not relate well with the church.

Ten Principles of Sermon Planning

  1. Have daily devotions.
  2. Study your Bible.
  3. Study your people.
  4. Avoid odd topics.
  5. Choose major themes.
  6. Include Old Testament topics.
  7. Offer a balanced spiritual diet.
  8. Plan for holidays.
  9. Plan sermons in a series.
  10. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Lessons from the Creation of Mankind

We can learn about creation.

Seven Commandments for Preaching

  1. Show confidence.
  2. Be neat.
  3. Have good posture.
  4. Use your voice wisely.
  5. Pronounce your words clearly.
  6. Make eye contact with people.
  7. Use appropriate gestures.
  8. Observe pulpit manners.

Defining Anointing

It is God’s ability to do the Lord’s work and to live a Christ-like life. It is also referred to in scripture as grace and power and is uniquely expressed by each preacher.

Anointing in Relation to a Preacher

The preacher should depend on the anointing of the Holy Spirit to anoint him for daily living, seeking 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.

Types of Illustrations

Stories, Poems, Proverbs, Parables, Riddles, Comparisons, Contrasts, Events.

Using Illustrations

  • Illustrations Clarify: They help us clearly explain what we mean.
  • Persuade: They increase the preacher’s ability to persuade people.
  • Shorten: They can shorten sermons.
  • Build Bridges: They bring the preacher and the listeners closer together.
  • Inspire: They make sermons come alive emotionally.
  • Relax People: They allow people to rest mentally.
  • Apply Truth: They are useful for bringing heavenly truth down to earth.

When to Avoid Illustrations (Examples)

  • When time is too short.
  • When they are too hard to tell.
  • When they are too childish.

Guidelines for Using Illustrations

  • Be Discreet: Do not use family members or church members as illustrations.
  • Be Honest: Avoid telling someone else’s story as if it happened to you.
  • 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

  1. Introduction

  2. Problem: Bribery

    Reason: Bribery destroys justice

  3. 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 societies destroy justice (Leviticus 19:15).

  4. 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 (Proverbs 15:27).

  5. 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 (Exodus 23:2-3).

The Master’s Method of Communication

The Lord’s main method of communication was through illustrations. He used parables, comparisons, contrasts, and proverbs.

  • Which truth should you illustrate? The major truths.

  • What is the purpose of an outline of a sermon? To organize thoughts.