Sermons That Work

There are several attributes to sermons that work.

1. Sermons that work are biblical sermons.

They are sermons that teach a biblical truth or principle.

These types of sermons are often referred to as expository sermons because they teach a biblical truth or principle from the text of Scripture. Of course, this does not exclude the topical sermon that teaches a biblical truth or principle.

However, it does exclude what I call the three point contempory preacher. 1) he starts with a biblical text; 2) he moves away from the biblical text and 3) he never returns to the biblical text. These types of sermons are usually agenda driven and have very little to do with a biblical truth or principle.

2. Sermons that work have structure.

Let's fact is, there is nothing so agitating as a preacher who is wondering all over the place.

I call this type of preacher the A to Z preacher. He starts at A and finishes at Z and anything goes in between. Usually the A to Z preacher has no structure and speaks for a long time about several different topics. This type of preaching can be quite frustrating for the congregation.

A. Sermons have three parts

• The Introduction - the introduction introduces the main preaching point.
• The Body - the body of the sermon expands and explains the main preaching point.
• The Conclusion - the conclusion reinforces the main preaching point.

B. Sermons are either deductive or inductive or a bit of both

A deductive sermon usually begins with the main preaching point followed by the sub-points and the incidental points.

An inductive sermon usually starts with the incidental and sub-points leading to the main preaching point.

A sermon that uses deduction and induction can be either a deductive sermon with some induction or an inductive sermon with some deduction.

3. Sermons that work are well illustrated

Illustrating the point you are making in your sermon is very powerful in presenting a biblical truth or principle.

Seasoned preachers know how important this part of sermon preparation is in presenting biblical truth.

Related Resources

Sermons That Work From Colossians: Sermons That Work From Colossians are brief sermon outlines from the book of Colossians. The following sermon outline explains a the passage of Scripture from Colossians 1:15-20. The topic of this Sermon That Works is The Greatness of Jesus Christ.