Let’s think about two defining moments in sermon preparation that tie into the transition between passage study and message formation.

Every little detail of your preparation will build the character of the message, but the defining moments will fundamentally change the outcome of your process. 

The risen Jesus is both impressively powerful, and intimately present in the church today.  We need not despair at what we see around us. 

Homiletics lies at the heart of church ministry.  The privilege of the preacher is  soul care, both evangelistically and in edification.

The Gospel is not a self-starting life-change program, it is good news that involves us introducing listeners to God in Christ.  

Jesus calls us to live a radically new life as His followers. We are called to be with Him, enjoy time together, learn from Him, and be transformed from inside to out. 

This Easter let’s celebrate all that the Resurrection of Jesus means for us, not only in our anticipation of the future, but also in our experience in the present.

Not all topical sermons are created equal. What is the difference? Whether or not it is expository topical.

We are invited to identify with the perfect One hanging on that cross, for in that act He was most wondrously identifying with us.

The reason that we should take Jesus’ demand so seriously is because His mission cost Him everything.

We need to be careful not to let our egos creep in and turn an opportunity to serve others into a self-patting exercise.

The preparation of a sermon will be a privilege, an opportunity for God to mark your life profoundly.

It is not the preacher’s job to “make the text relevant”, but to underline, to emphasize how it is relevant to the particular listeners before us.

We should look at the text and learn what it says and means and consider how it is stirring us to love God and live for God in this world.

Are we setting a good example of observing the passage closely, interpreting accurately, and applying appropriately?

Is your Bible old and static, or dynamic and relationally connecting?

It does not mean much to acknowledge that Satan is real and active if we then immediately deny that he could be at work in almost every layer of human authority and influence. 

Perhaps the greatest challenge is humanity’s counterfeit god-complex by which we act as if we are gods. 

It is too easy to march on to the drum beat of urgency and not take time to give thanks to God, who has made every breath possible this year.

As we preach Christmas, lets think about tapping into the reality of that first Christmas, and to look toward Jesus and all that He means.

Joseph and Mary face the stigma of sin because the child was Jesus, the One who would save His people from their sin, Immanuel, God with us.

The Bible is ultimately about God, it presents itself with characters on the page, and it was written to real people in real situations. 

It is critical that we keep clear the ultimate purpose of Scripture, to reveal the living God, his heart, his plan, his Son.

It is not possible to rightly handle God’s word if the love dimension is missing.

While some are stronger on the “back then” nature of the text, others are too quick to rush to a “for today” impact. Good Bible handling requires both mindset.