In This Book
Art & Craft of Biblical Preaching
A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Communicators
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The High Call of Preaching
- 1 Core Convictions of Biblical Preaching
- 2 A Definition of Biblical Preaching
- 3 A Weekly Dose of Compressed Dignity
- 4 Overfed, Underchallenged
- 5 Theology of Powerful Preaching
- 6 Preaching That Raises Our Sights
- 7 Leading and Feeding: How Preaching and Leadership Intersect
- 8 John 3:16 in the Key of C
- 9 Spiritual Formation through Preaching
- 10 Preaching Life into the Church
- 11 My Theory of Homiletics
- 12 Staying on the Line
- 13 History of Preaching
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The Spiritual Life of a Preacher
- 14 A Cup Running Over
- 15 The Patented Preacher
- 16 I Prayed for My Preaching
- 17 How Does Unction Function?
- 18 Squeaky Clean
- 19 Required Reading
- 20 Rightly Dividing the Preaching Load
- 21 Preaching Through Personal Pain
- 22 A Prophet among You
- 23 Burning Clean Fuel
- 24 Backdraft Preaching
- 25 Why I Pace Before I Preach
- 26 Preaching to Convulse the Demons
- 27 Holy Expectation
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Considering Hearers
- 28 Preaching to Everyone in Particular
- 29 The Power of Simplicity
- 30 View from the Pew
- 31 Preaching to Ordinary People
- 32 Why Serious Preachers Use Humor
- 33 Connect Hearers through Dialogue
- 34 Self-Disclosure That Glorifies Christ
- 35 How to Be Heard
- 36 Opening the Closed American Mind
- 37 Turning an Audience into the Church
- 38 Preaching to Change the Heart
- 39 Preaching Truth, Justice, and the American Way
- 40 Preaching Morality in an Amoral Age
- 41 The Intentional Bridge Builder
- 42 Connecting with Postmoderns
- 43 Preaching Amid Pluralism
- 44 Connecting with Non-Christians
- 45 How to Translate Male Sermons to Women
- 46 He Said, She Heard
- 47 Connecting with Men
- 48 Creating a Singles-Friendly Sermon
- 49 Preaching to Preschoolers
- 50 Hispanic American Preaching
- 51 African American Preaching
- 52 Asian American Preaching
- 53 Work Wins?
- 54 One Sermon, Two Messages
- 55 The Playful Preacher
- 56 What Authority Do We Have Anymore?
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Interpretation and Application
- 57 Why the Sermon?
- 58 Getting the Gold from the Text
- 59 Faithful First
- 60 God’s Letter of Intent
- 61 Five Bird-dogging Questions for Biblical Exposition
- 62 The Rules of the Game
- 63 Why All the Best Preachers Are–What a Concept!–Theological
- 64 Letting the Listeners Make the Discoveries
- 65 Conviction and Compassion
- 66 The Inadequacy of “Yes” Theology
- 67 What Great Coaches and Preachers Know
- 68 Preaching That Opens Ears and Hearts
- 69 Fundamentals of Genre
- 70 From B.C. to 11 a.m.
- 71 The Big Idea of Narrative Preaching
- 72 Apply Within
- 73 Application Without Moralism
- 74 Blending Bible Content and Life Application
- 75 Showing Promise
- 76 Helping Hearers Practice What We Preach
- 77 The Heresy of Application
- 78 Preaching for True Holiness
- 79 Less Joe, More Jesus
- 80 Preaching That Promotes Self-Centeredness
- 81 The Danger of Practical Preaching
- 82 Grace: A license to Wander?
- 83 The Rich Sound of Grace and Holiness
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Structure
- 84 Set Free from the Cookie Cutter
- 85 Say and Do
- 86 Connecting Biblical Content with Contemporary Audiences
- 87 Clearly
- 88 Skills of Oral Clarity
- 89 Questions That Put Muscle on Bones
- 90 Better Big Ideas
- 91 The Power of Sequence
- 92 Outlines That Work for You, Not against You
- 93 The Tension Between Clarity and Suspense
- 94 Lifeblood of Preaching
- 95 Alliteration Downfalls
- 96 Modulating Tension
- 97 The Purpose-Driven Title
- 98 Why Should I Listen to You?
- 99 Satisfying Conclusions
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Style
- 100 Determining Your Strengths and Weaknesses
- 101 Interesting Preaching
- 102 Crafting an Experience
- 103 Seven Habits of Highly Effective Preachers
- 104 The Sermon’s Mood
- 105 Teaching the Whole Bible
- 106 Dramatic Expository Preaching
- 107 Verse-by-Verse Sermons That Really Preach
- 108 What Makes Textual Preaching Unique?
- 109 Can Topical Preaching Be Expository?
- 110 Topical Preaching Can Be Truly Biblical
- 111 Topical Preaching on Bible Characters
- 112 Topical Preaching on Contemporary Issues
- 113 Topical Preaching on Theological Themes
- 114 Making the Most of Biblical Paradoxes
- 115 Getting the Most from the Sermon Series
- 116 The Next Big Thing
- 117 The Compelling Series
- 118 First Person Narrative Sermons
- 119 Biblical Preaching Is about Life Change, Not Sermon Style
- 120 Seven Timeless Principles for Reaching Lost People
- 121 Evangelistic Preaching in the Local Church
- 122 Felt-Needs Preaching
- 123 How to Preach Boldly in a “Whatever” Culture
- 124 Preaching with a Leader’s Heart
- 125 Critique of the New Homiletic
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Preparation
- 142 Why I Pat the Bible on My Nightstand
- 143 Busting Out of Sermon Block
- 144 Centered
- 145 A Long, Rich Conversation with God
- 146 A Mysterious Impulse to Pray
- 147 Preparing the Messenger
- 148 The Hard Work of Illumination
- 149 Heart-to-Heart Preaching
- 150 Imagination: The Preacher’s Neglected Ally
- 151 Preaching That Magnifies God
- 152 When Is a Sermon Good Enough?
- 153 How to Build a First-Rate Library
- 154 What Makes a Sermon Deep?
- 155 Before You Preach
- 156 Inspiration Points
- 157 Simplify
- 158 Using Someone Else’s Sermon
- 159 Planning for a Richer, Deeper Sermon Series
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Delivery
- 160 The Source of Passion
- 161 Place of Pathos in Preaching
- 162 Preaching with Intensity
- 163 No Notes, Lots of Notes, Brief Notes
- 164 In the Eye of the Hearer
- 165 No Voice, No Preach
- 166 Eliminating My Um, Um, Annoying Pulpit Mannerisms
- 167 Reading Scripture in Public
- 168 The Importance of Being Urgent
- 169 The Day I Lost My Nerve
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Special Topics
- 170 When You Don’t Look Forward to Special Days
- 171 Preaching the Terrors
- 172 Preparing People to Suffer
- 173 Preaching Hell in a Tolerant Age
- 174 Speaking into Crisis
- 175 When the News Intrudes
- 176 Redemptive Sermons for Weddings and Funerals
- 177 The Landmark Sermon
- 178 You Had to Bring It Up
- 179 Preaching on Contemporary Issues
- 180 Preaching Sex with Compassion and Conviction
- 181 The Ever-More-Difficult Marriage Sermon
- 182 When the Sermon Goes to Work
- 183 Bridging the Marketplace Gap
- 184 Sermons on Giving That People Actually Like!
Writing a great sermon title is an art we must continually work on. I don't know anyone who has mastered it. We all have our hits and misses. But if the purpose of preaching is to transform, not merely inform, or if you're speaking to unbelievers, then you have to be concerned with your titles. Like the cover of a book, or the first line of an advertisement, your sermon's title must capture the attention of those you want to influence.
Will it capture their interest?
In planning appealing sermon titles, I ask myself four questions. First, will this title capture the attention of people? Because we are called to communicate truth, we may assume unbelievers are eager to hear the truth. They aren't. In fact, surveys show the majority of Americans reject the idea of absolute truth. Today, people value tolerance more than truth.
This "truth-decay" is the root of all that's wrong in our society. It is why unbelievers will not race to church if we proclaim, "We have the truth!" Their reaction will be, "Yeah, so does everybody else!"
While most unbelievers aren't looking for truth, they are looking for relief. This gives us the opportunity to interest them in truth. I've found that when I teach the truth that relieves their pain, answers their question, or solves their problem, unbelievers say, "Thanks! What else is true in that book?" Showing how a biblical principle meets a need creates a hunger for more truth.
Titles that deal with the real questions and hurts of people can attract an audience, giving us an opportunity to teach the truth. Sermon series titled "How To Handle Life's Hurts," "When You Need a Miracle" (on the miracles of Jesus), "Learning to Hear God's Voice," and "Questions I've Wanted to Ask God" have all attracted seekers.
Is it clear?
I also ask myself, "Will this title stand on its own—without additional explanation? If I read this title on a cassette tape five years from today, would I instantly know what the sermon was about?"
Unfortunately many compelling evangelistic messages are hampered by titles that are confusing, colorless, or corny. Here are some sermon titles from a recent L.A. Times: "On the Road to Jericho," "No Longer Walking on the Other Side of the Road," "The Gathering Storm," "Peter Goes Fishing," "The Ministry of Cracked Pots," "Becoming a Titus," "Give Me Agape," "River of Blood," and "No Such Thing as a Rubber Clock."
Would any of these titles appeal to an unchurched person scanning the paper? And do they clearly communicate what the sermons are about? It's more important to be clear than cute.
How appealing is it?
Is the title good news? In his first sermon, Jesus announced the tone of his preaching: "The Spirit of the Lord … has anointed me to preach Good News" (Luke 4:18). Even when I have difficult or painful news to share, I want my title to focus on the good-news aspects of my subject.
For instance, years ago I preached a message on the ways we miss God's blessing due to our sinfulness. I titled the sermon, "Why No Revival?" Later I revised the title to "What Brings Revival?" It was the same message, only restated in positive terms. I believe God blessed the latter message in a far greater way.
Here are sermon-series titles I've used to communicate good news: "Encouraging Words from God's Word," "What God Can Do through Ordinary You," and "Enjoying the Rest of Your Life," an exposition of Philippians.
Is it relevant?
Does the title relate to everyday life? Some people criticize life-application preaching as shallow, simplistic, and inferior. To them the only real preaching is didactic, doctrinal preaching. Their attitude implies that Paul was more profound than Jesus, that Romans is deeper material than the Sermon on the Mount or the Parables.
The "deepest" teaching is what makes a difference in people's day-to-day lives. As D.L. Moody once said, "The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives."
I have been criticized for using sermon titles that sound like Reader's Digest articles. But I do it intentionally. Reader's Digest is the most widely read magazine in the world because its articles appeal to common human needs, hurts, and interests. People want to know how to change their lives.
Using sermon titles that appeal to felt needs isn't being shallow; it's being strategic. At Saddleback, beneath our "how-to" sermon titles is hard-core gospel truth. A casual observer will not know that the series "Answering Life's Difficult Questions" was a study of Ecclesiastes, "Stressbusters" was an exposition of Psalm 23, "Building Great Relationships" was a ten-week exposition of 1 Corinthians 13, and "Happiness Is a Choice" was a series on the Beatitudes.
We have the most important message in the world. It changes lives. But for people to be attracted to it, the titles of our sermons must capture their attention.
