Sermon Central
-
H.b. Charles Rembers The Time He Shipwrecked His Sermon
By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Jan 19, 2016
It seemed like a good idea when he thought of it, but the reality in the pulpit was something very different!
It was early in my first pastorate. There were two Sunday morning worship services. My father’s custom had been to preach two different messages. So that’s what I did.
It wasn’t long before I found myself in a jam. Before I started pastoring, I wrote a new sermon every couple of weeks. But it was a whole other thing to produce two new sermons every Sunday.
I needed a second sermon idea one week. Reading through a book of sermon outlines (Can one actually read a book of sermon outlines?), I stumbled across one entitled, “Other Little Ships” from Mark 4:36. In the King James Version it reads: “And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.”
Jesus was on the main ship. But there were other little ships traveling with Jesus to the other side. So it is in Christianity, went the argument. When you get on the ship with Jesus, there are other little ships that must go with him, like church membership, discipleship, worship, fellowship, and stewardship.
Get it?
I thought this idea was brilliant. I preached it confidently. And I thought it went over well. After the service, however, a sister walked up to me and showed me her Bible. I don’t remember what translation it was. But it read “other little boats,” instead of “other little ships.” I couldn’t say anything. She smiled knowingly and walked away.
I learned several lessons from this “shipwreck.”
* Do not preach someone else’s outline or sermon without giving him credit for the work. (After being embarrassed, I wish I had given the author credit for that outline!)
* Sermon outline books may be helpful to see how another preacher handles the text, but they should not be used to steal material. Warning: Sermon outline books thrive on lazy preachers. So do sermon websites.
* Do not preach a message that can be easily trumped by a just simple comparison of translations. Focus on meaning. Don’t play with wording.
* Textual preaching, which lifts words, phrases, or sentences from the text without considering the context of the passage, is not the most faithful way to preach the word of God.
* Do your homework. Study hard so that you will be fully ready to preach and will not have to take shortcuts.
Have you ever had an “Other Little Ships” moment? What do you do to avoid taking shortcuts in preparation? Join the conversation in the comments section.
Related Preaching Articles
-
Dave Stone’s 8 Principles To Great Preaching
By Brandon Kelley on Sep 6, 2017
Dave Stone’s 8 Principles to Great Preaching
-
Do This And Improve Your Preaching This Sunday
By Peter Walters on Aug 2, 2017
We have a new family in our church with no church background at all. When I prepare to preach I think of them and go the extra mile to make my message as understandable and relatable as possible.
-
Using An Ipad Pro For Ministry
By Joe Hoagland on Aug 2, 2017
See, a Chromebook or even a laptop or desktop only helps you with the content creation side of ministry: preparing sermons, writing lessons, writing blog posts etc. Whereas an iPad Pro can do both sides: content creation as well as presentation.
-
The 10 Commandments Of An Effective Sermon Introduction
By Brandon Kelley on Jul 31, 2017
If you haven’t grasped this yet, your sermon introduction is vitally important. But what does it look like to knock the introduction out of the park? What are some things to avoid? What are some things to ensure are a part of it? Let’s dive into the 10 commandments of an effective sermon introduction!
-
3 Essentials For Pastoral Preaching
By Rich Villodas on Jul 25, 2017
I think I’m starting to learn to preach not as a preacher but to preach as a pastor. There’s a world of difference between the two.
-
3 Reasons Good Preaching Is As Important As Ever
By Joe Hoagland on Jul 25, 2017
People love to tell you that preaching is irrelevant in this day and age. But contrary to this kind of thinking, good preaching does remain important. In fact, preaching remains as important as it has ever been.
-
Preaching God’s Word Is Timeless (Find The Timeless Truth)
By Joe Hoagland on Jul 24, 2017
The Bible is wholly relevant to the modern person’s life sometimes it just takes some work for us to figure that out. The idea of making a “timeless truth” central to your sermon is important in communicating God’s Word in a postmodern age.
-
Pulpit Humour: Five Pointers
By Peter Mead on Jun 29, 2017
5 Tips on how to avoid landmines when using humor in the pulpit.
