sermon

How Preparing Your Sermon is Like Spaghetti Sauce-And I Don’t Mean that it’s Spicy!

/ Richard Bargas / 1 Comment

If you’re a pastor, you’ve more than likely heard the analogy of your sermon being like spiritual meat or spiritual milk. After all, those are pictures taken from the New Testament. But have you ever considered that your sermon has some similarities with spaghetti sauce?

My wife is part Italian, but she learned how to make spaghetti sauce from my dad-at least the sauce I prefer. I’m not sure where he learned to make it, but it is so good that my mouth is watering as I write this. Anyways, I have noticed something about spaghetti sauce—it is always better the second or third day after it is made (assuming there is any left over).

I think is is most likely because all of the ingredients—the spices, tomatoes, and meat—all have time to meld together in a way that they don’t have time to do when the sauce is fresh. Sure, the sauce is good when it is freshly made, but when it has time to sit for a while, it is so much better.

The same is true for sermons. A sermon that is preached is good when all of the “ingredients” are present—solid exegesis, helpful application, a pinch of humor, a sprinkling of illustration, a solid introduction and a passionate conclusion. But if you let that same sermon sit for a few days in the mind and heart of the preacher, the Holy Spirit will continue to do His work and the Word will become richer and deeper as all of those ingredients continue blending together in harmony, resulting in a richer sermon.

So, the next time you go to preach a message, make sure that you have some time to let it sit and soak in for a while. Don’t become a preaching machine that simply spits out sermon after sermon. Not only will it become less appetizing to those that listen, it is dangerous for your own soul.

For those of you that have listened to your pastor preach for a while, have you noticed that there are days when God really grips him and it affects his delivery and excitement? What do you think made the biggest difference? Share this with us in the comments.

Help For New Expositors: 10 Do’s and Don’ts of Sermon Introductions

/ Richard Bargas / 3 Comments

Preaching

Yesterday I shared my Sermon Prep Checklist [Find it here]. Since many new expositors struggle with how to begin a sermon properly, I thought that these 10 Do’s and Dont’s of Sermon Introductions might be helpful to some. Please make sure to post any questions you might have in the comments below.

Do:

  1. Be clear, and concise. Make an impact that will leave your listener wanting more.
  2. Be creative. Introducing every sermon in the same manner gets as tedious as a bologna sandwich every day for lunch. Mix it up.
  3. Be careful in your use of sensational or shocking introductions. They may distract from the message itself, and if over-done will desensitize your listeners over time.
  4. Be brief. Don’t repeat yourself or use multiple illustrations. Get to the main idea and transition into your proposition as quickly as possible. Your job is to exposit the text—so move on to it!
  5. Be energetic. Nothing invites a wandering mind and a good nap than a boring preacher.

Do not:

  1. Make your introduction disproportionate to the sermon. Your intro is like a porch to your sermon (the house). Make the porch fit the house.
  2. Cram details into the introduction that should more properly be placed into the sermon under a main or sub-point.
  3. Avoid eye contact or read your intro. Eye contact is important to engage your listeners. Know your intro so well that you will not need to read it. With that said, lengthy quotes are seldom appropriate in an introduction.
  4. Introduce your first point, or a sub-point or idea in your sermon. This is confusing. Introduce the main idea of the sermon, which should cover your proposition and outline.
  5. Introduce the book, genre, author or audience. This material is background, but not the main idea of the text.

Help For New Expositors: A Simplified Sermon Preparation Checklist

/ Richard Bargas / 5 Comments

Checklist

Over a decade ago, I was frustrated with my lack of methodology in sermon preparation. It seemed that every time I sat down to prepare a message, that I started in a slightly different way or I would do things in a different order. I was taught the exegetical method in seminary, but there are some things that only practice and experience can teach. I knew that I needed some sort of a form or checklist to help me move from one stage of preparation to the next. I don’t use this as much any more, but it served as a great training resource until I was so used to the movements of sermon prep that I didn’t need it any more. Below is what I came up with. If it helps you, great! If you have any questions about how each part functions, let me know in the comments. (By the way, my version has check boxes after each step, so I could get the satisfaction that comes from finishing each step with a “check.”)

 

Text: ____________________ Date to Preach _____________

 

1. Read the text in its context.  (Read 25x. Hash marks:)____________

Take notes on observations, questions, and cultural/historical issues that you need addressed later in your study.

2. Read the text 1x in alternative versions:

    • ESV
    • NASB
    • NIV
    • KJV
    • NKJV
    • NLT
    • The Message

3. Translate the text from the original language.

4. Diagram the text (either line or block). Understand the relationship of phrases and words to one another.

5. What is the major theme of the passage? 

6. Read available commentaries on the passage.

    • _____________________
    • _____________________
    • _____________________
    • _____________________
    • _____________________
    • _____________________

7. Outline the passage (Exegetical outline)

8. What is the doctrinal focus here? ________________

9. Form the preaching proposition.

10. Outline the proposition (Homiletical outline)

11. Clothe it with illustrations and applications.

12. Form introduction, conclusion and title.