Preparing and Delivering Sermons

Biblical Exposition and Homiletic Helps

By M. K. ECKENROTH, Minister, Indiana Conference

Convictions of a young minister regarding

In considering the topic, How to Prepare and Deliver an Evangelistic Sermon, I shall draw most widely from the experi­ences of Jesus, the great Master Evangelist. Jesus set the standard. He led the way. And it is His way that will still command the re­spect of the throngs. Twenty centuries have failed to produce more efficient methods. Jesus was the greatest of all evangelists. The poor­est of all heard Him gladly, while the greatest thinkers of His time were moved by His mes­sage. He put His words in the simplest and most easily understood form, even though He dealt with the most profound truths of life and death, time and eternity. He was a teacher of little children, One whose gracious words gripped and held multitudes in silent, absorbed attention.

Jesus was always earnest, arid sometimes profoundly impassioned. There was no levity in His manner, no trifling with great subjects. He sometimes used irony, but in this He never offended His audience. Probably the most notable method He employed was the method of conversation. This method indicates the basis of the popularity of Jesus. His forceful delivery was appealing, personal, and conver­sational. He was the master of His audiences.

In order to produce a sermon of conviction, the evangelist must just as positively and defi­nitely feel His call to the work as did Jesus. The words He gave were not His own. They were God's. He was not an extremist. He never based His sermons upon the sensational. They were timely, and were drawn from the situations around Him, but they were never unbalanced, prosy, or stiff. His appeals were always compassionate. He threw His entire life into His sermon. He was entirely free from fear. In every one of His sermons He presented the details of life that He keenly ob­served. From these observations He drew His illustrations. This is the Master's method of producing soul-winning sermons.

In His sermons Jesus displayed an amazing imagination. They were vivid in context, sub­lime in adaptation. He was no idle dreamer, but displayed very practical conceptions. Jesus was always positive, never doubtful. He did not "suppose." He knew!

In order to save a soul, we must have a bur­den for it. Men can tell at once if the evan­gelist is genuinely in earnest concerning their salvation. Christ's interest in men was a con­suming passion. He was sincerely interested in those for whom He labored. His appeals were heart stirring. He was intensely per­sonal, and deeply sympathetic to every appeal. Weary, sinful, oppressed souls knew that His sermon was intended for them.

How I would that I could have heard Him preach ! His sermons contained infinite tenderness and love, and that is the real secret of the preparation and delivery of an evan­gelistic sermon. All of us undereyangelists would go far today if we would strive to acquire His gentleness of persuasive speech. Such must come from a truly gentle heart. The prime essential, then, of all evangelistic work today, which is to be modeled after His divine example, is that the heart and the life be completely surrendered to Him and fully controlled by Him.

We must seek earnestly for the simplicity and clearness which characterized all that Jesus said. If we would win men to God's truth today, we must give our message clearly and with definite power. The evangelistic sermon must adhere to the laws of clarity and unity. There must be no distracting doubts, no confusing theories, no foggy speculation.

There is no style of evangelistic preaching more effective than that of simplicity. In making up the sermon, it is always advisable to avoid quoting long passages. Jesus made short sword thrusts with pointed verses. He looked to the word of God for His source.

What the preacher is will always influence his ministry. If the preacher's experience is dynamic, his preaching will be dynamic. The directness of Jesus was a most valuable asset. His sermons were direct, and did not ramble.

The most effective sermon to the congregation is the one that the evangelist has already preached to himself. Let us linger with our message until it becomes ours in living experi­ence. We will then move men Godward as did Jesus.

The evangelist should never become con­tent with his present acquirements. He should never rest in his efforts to learn and use the very best methods of reproducing his message in the lives of his hearers. No preacher has the right to allow his own personal idiosyn­crasies and repulsive habits to impair the effect of a message which comes from God. The evangelistic sermon must be true and coherent, a perfect rendition of God's message, simply but passionately delivered. We are not wan­dering in the mists of doubt. We are not confused with uncertainties and questionings. We have a message to give. The man must be secondary. Humanity soon wears out, but the message will endure.

In presenting our evangelistic sermon, we should never overlook the powerful appeal of curiosity. Jesus most aptly used this method. This is one element that secures attention.

Arouse curiosity with the very first word. Attention is held by plain statements, an un­compromising attitude, and words of authority. The most appealing attention-provoker is the evangelist's own personality. One who is vague in speech and imprudent in action will find difficulty in holding the confidence of the masses.

Another method of holding attention is to use striking figures of speech. Obvious analogies are bound to produce interest. As an illustration, Jesus spoke of prophets in sheep's clothing, but with hearts as ravening wolves. The evangelist who can express truth in clear, straightforward, beautiful language has a great advantage over the evangelist who cannot. The successful evangelist will use illustrations drawn from surrounding instances that the people understand. He will be loath to use "book" illustrations. Good illustrations are the leaven in a sermon that is well pre­pared, and an invaluable aid. Knowledge that is fresh, inclusive, systematic, and clearly conceived, gives evangelistic power to its nesse ssor.

In considering the question, "How are we to start the sermon?" the best answer can be found in the answer to the question, "How did Jesus start His sermons ?" He al­ways began His presentation by talking about subjects in which His hearers were already interested. As a series of meetings progresses, this interest must be stimulated and fostered by arousing curiosity.

We hear much today of visual education. Jesus made constant use of this art. He did not confine all His illustration to word pic­tures. He used object lessons. When asked about tribute money, He immediately illus­trated it by a coin. When speaking of lilies, He was in the midst of a field. Jesus was very dramatic in the use of visual education. Through visual illustrations He sought to im­press solemn things on the church, and make available truths that were too deep for man to understand in any other way.

One of the most successful methods that Jesus employed in His ministry was the ques­tion-and-answer method. His questions went right to the heart of things. "Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" When Jesus preached an evangelistic sermon. He did not assume an attitude of "Take it or leave it," but wrought a wonder­fully forceful appeal at the conclusion. He pleaded for the acceptance of His truth. He appealed with mingled admonitions and warn­ings, rewards and punishments. The sermon on the mount, for example, closes with a most solemn appeal. It is clear that a successful evangelistic sermon must contain more than the presentation of spiritual truths. It must contain the elements of warning, with most earnest appeal and persuasion.

When we preach, we ought to speak clearly and distinctly. Our enunciation must be clear, with every word pronounced so that our listeners will not need to guess what we are say­ing. We ought to avoid a faulty pronunciation of the vowels. It is easier to use the vowel sounds correctly than it is to make the conso­nants understood. There must be a proper use of the vowels, and a distinct articulation of the consonants in each word, if we expect our congregation to understand. Sometimes we may speak too rapidly, or our sermon may be too long. It is imperative that a man speak deliberately, and with deep feeling. Much energy is wasted, and the ultimate appeal often fails, because men do not understand us.

It is most unfortunate when the evangelist stands before the people and apologizes for physical disabilities. Why should one ask a congregation to sit and listen to a man preach who publicly confesses that he is not qualified to preach ? No man ought ever to speak unless he has qualified himself by preparation, physi­cally as well as intellectually. If we tell the congregation we have failed to qualify for the service, they lose respect for us. For another thing, it is not well to assume a ministerial twang, a sepulchral tone, when one begins to speak. Be yourself. Don't adopt a pious tone. At one time it may have been popular, but it is not considered in good taste now. Never fall into the habit of speaking in a mono­tone. This is a decided disadvantage to an evangelistic sermon.

Never mimic another man, or imitate a human being. No matter how eloquent or how great another speaker may be, do not try to imitate him. Regard him as a worthy model, but do not try to be like him. Do not use his flowery words and eloquent figures. Be perfectly natural. Do not use the word "cataclysm," unless it fits in properly and naturally. If it doesn't come naturally, then the word "flood" will do just as well. Avoid an undue display of gestures. Let gestures come spontaneously with the sermon.

After we have prepared our sermon, its power depends largely on our delivery. We have prayed that we might choose the right text and the right material. Now the crucial hour comes—the delivery of the sermon. Let us put ourselves into it with faith and consum­ing zeal, and speak for God, focusing all we have done in a lifetime into the effort.

Do not become discouraged in your work. You may have Pilate and Herod, Annas and Caiaphas, all combined against you, and Judas standing by you ready to sell you for a few pieces of silver. You may wonder why all these things come upon you. Can you not see that the whole thing is brought about through the craft of the devil, to draw you off from your work and hinder your obedience to God? Keep about your work. Do not flinch because the lion roars. Do not stop to stone the devil's dogs, or fritter away your time chasing the devil's rabbits. Let liars lie, sec­tarians quarrel, corporations resolve, editors publish. But see to it that nothing hinders you from fulfilling the work God has given you. He has not sent you to make money, or commanded you to get rich. He has never bidden you td defend your character. He has not asked you fo contradict the falsehoods of Satan. If you do these things, you will do nothing else. You will be working for your­self, and not for the Lord.

Keep about your work. Let your aim be as steady as a star. Let the world brawl and bubble. You may be assaulted, wronged, in­sulted, slandered, wounded, and neglected. You may be abused by foes, forsaken by friends, and despised and rejected by men. But see to it with steadfast determination and unfaltering zeal that you pursue the great purpose of your life until at last you can say. "I have finished the work which Thou gayest me to do !"


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By M. K. ECKENROTH, Minister, Indiana Conference

May 1941

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