Preparation of the Sermon
A Lecture on Preparing a Sermon
Scripture
Sermon Description
The charge to stand in front of God’s people and faithfully deliver God’s word is a serious calling. Congregations can understand and sympathize with the sheer weight of this task. Often, however, what is missed by Christian laypeople is the mental labor of sermon preparation from which faithful sermons emerge. The Christian minister is overwhelmed with decisions during this time that he may not be prepared for through theological education alone. And an honest minister might wonder if he is doing this part of his job correctly. In this lecture on preparing a sermon, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones considers some of the mechanics of sermon preparation such as topical preaching, expository preaching, and tips for covering the whole counsel of God’s word. Working under the framework of Christian liberty and the freedom of the Holy Spirit, Dr. Lloyd-Jones talks about the pros and cons of other topics such as preaching through a catechism, the mechanics of sermon series, evangelistic opportunities through the church calendar, and holiday sermons.
Sermon Breakdown
- The preacher must always prepare himself before preparing the sermon. This is the most important part of preaching.
- Decide on the type of sermon: evangelistic, edificational, or instructional. This is a major decision that influences the rest of the preparation.
- There are no absolute rules for preparing a sermon. The preacher must be led by the Spirit.
- Do not preach on subjects or catechisms. Preach from Scripture.
- Decide between preaching on odd texts or a series of sermons. Spurgeon believed in preaching on odd texts as the Spirit leads. The Puritans believed in preaching sermon series. Either can be led by the Spirit.
- Special occasions like Christmas, Easter, etc. should be observed in preaching. They bring people back to the foundations of the faith.
- Take advantage of any special occasion to preach the Gospel. For example, preach on the fleeting nature of life on New Year's Day.
- Break into a sermon series for special occasions or if the Spirit leads in a different direction. But each sermon should still stand alone.
- A sermon series can be long or short. It depends on the preacher and congregation. Constantly assess yourself and your people.
- When preaching on odd texts, use texts that have struck you in your personal reading and study. Also use texts that the Spirit brings directly to you.
- Expository preaching should always come out of Scripture, not the preacher's own thoughts.
- Types of sermon series: preaching through a book of the Bible, a section of a book, a topic like spiritual depression, etc.
- In preparing a sermon, first determine the meaning of the text. Be honest with the text. Do not force it to fit your own ideas.
- Check your understanding of the text with lexicons and commentaries. But spiritual understanding is most important.
- Ask questions of the text to determine its meaning and thrust. But do not force the text.
- Make sure you determine the main message and thrust of the text. Many preachers miss this. Let the main thrust be the burden of your sermon.
Sermon Q&A
What Did Martin Lloyd-Jones Teach About Sermon Preparation?
How important is the preparation of the preacher himself before preparing the sermon?
According to Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, the preparation of the preacher himself is the first and most important thing before even beginning to think about preparing a sermon. He emphasizes that "he's always got to prepare himself before he even begins to think about preparing his sermon." This personal preparation is something ministers must struggle with for the rest of their lives, as no one can do it perfectly or even describe it adequately.
What types of sermons did Lloyd-Jones identify?
Lloyd-Jones identified several types of sermons that preachers must decide between: - Evangelistic sermons - Sermons for edification and comfort of believers - Sermons for general instruction in scripture teaching
He emphasizes that making this decision about the sermon's purpose is a major matter that arises at the beginning of preparation.
What was Lloyd-Jones' view on preaching from subjects versus scripture?
Lloyd-Jones advised against preaching on subjects as such. He gave the example of a man who "decided to give them my sermon on justification by faith," showing this approach starts with the subject and then finds a text to match it. Lloyd-Jones called this essentially giving a lecture rather than true preaching. He also expressed caution about preaching through catechisms, believing this "tends to produce a theoretical attitude to the truth, an over intellectual attitude." He believed preaching should arise directly from the scriptures, not from formulations made by men.
What did Lloyd-Jones teach about preaching series versus individual texts?
Lloyd-Jones took a balanced approach, stating "it seems to me to be quite wrong to be rigid in this matter and to lay down any hard and fast rule." He explained that:
- The Spirit can lead a preacher to both series and individual texts
- We must preserve "the freedom of the Spirit" in our decisions
- Even when preaching a series, it should be possible to break into it for special occasions
- Series should be adaptable based on congregation needs
- A series can be interrupted if special circumstances arise
He noted that Charles Spurgeon opposed series preaching, while the Puritans favored it, yet Lloyd-Jones believed both approaches could be valid depending on the Spirit's leading.
What special occasions did Lloyd-Jones believe warranted special sermons?
Lloyd-Jones believed in preaching special sermons for: - Christmas Day/Advent season - Good Friday - Easter Sunday - Whit Sunday (Pentecost) - The first Sunday of a new year - Special events like natural disasters, significant world events, etc.
He stated: "Anything that happens in the world, anything striking, any phenomenon, is something we should always take advantage of," noting how preachers like John Fletcher used events like floods and earthquakes as sermon opportunities.
What did Lloyd-Jones teach about handling biblical texts honestly?
Lloyd-Jones strongly emphasized honesty with biblical texts. He warned against approaching a text "just to pick out an idea which interests you and then deal with that idea yourself." He provided examples of popular preachers who misused texts, such as one who preached on "turning the place of your crucifixion into a garden" from John 18's mention that "in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden." Lloyd-Jones called this "utter dishonesty."
He instructed preachers to: 1. Take texts in their context 2. Discover the correct meaning of words and the whole statement 3. Determine the spiritual meaning and the main thrust of the passage 4. Ask questions of the text: "Why did he say that? Why did he say it in this particular way?" 5. Never force or manipulate a text to fit your idea
Sermons: Preaching and Preachers
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.