Three Elements Of Every Good Sermon

One hundred years ago the invention of the radio completely changed the way people communicated. Television took this communication to another level in the latter half of the 20th Century, adding video to make the experience even more accessible. Both of these media, though reluctantly adopted by the Church, eventually became a staple in many of the major ministries over the last fifty years. Now since the turn of the Millennium, the internet has once again changed the landscape of communication and ministry, adding the ability to view messages on demand at one’s own convenience.

The adoption of these forms of media made the proclamation of the Gospel easier and more accessible. However, along with this, came pastors and ministers who did not or do not always seem to have the best intentions for their listeners. In fact, if you randomly select a sermon from the radio, television, or online today you’ll likely find it riddled with poor exegesis, man-centered theology, and lacking in any real Gospel presentation. 

As such many of those who attend either your local church or local churches in your area don’t know what actually makes up a good sermon. When asked to describe one, many would likely use words like ‘engaging’, ‘attention-grabbing’, ‘applicable’, or ‘helpful’. But though none of these are by any means negative, if these are the only words used in response then there are some red flags that should pop up right away. Paul writes to Timothy saying that scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness, the purpose of which is that the people of God will be equipped for every good work(2 Tim 4:16-17).

For a sermon to be defined merely by how enjoyable or engaging it is demonstrates an off-track understanding of what should happen during the preaching. . If this is the case then what can we do to be better students, not just of the scriptures, but of the pastors that teach them?

I propose that there are three very simple standards by which we can assess sermons. View the following as a baseline from which to gauge if the sermons we are hearing are sound scriptural teaching, or are simply motivational TED Talks with some Bible verses sprinkled on top..

The first of the three key elements we should look for is the reading of the scriptures. This seems simple enough and is something arguably every pastor does. However when I ask the question, “Was the text read?” I’m not simply asking if someone reads words from a few verses from a random portion of scripture. I’m asking if the pastor read the text in such a way that it is clear that the verses he read are connected to a much larger body of text, a body of text that dictates how these few verses must be read. 

This brings us to our next element, context. All scripture has context and reading the scripture in such a way that we understand its context is key to understanding what that text means, why it is being said, and how to make appropriate application. To help hearers understand this, pastors should include  cultural context, understanding of the words used within the text, and other scriptural texts when needed that provide helpful clarification.

If each of the first two elements are executed correctly then we are left with the last and arguably most important part of the sermon: the Gospel presentation. While this will look different depending on the passage in question, there is a need for Christ’s life, death and resurrection to be named regularly in our preaching. Whether it be an Old Testament passage preparing for His arrival, or a New Testament one looking back, let us not allow the excesses of the ‘gospel-centered movement’ - which was often light on application - to deter us from proclaiming this truth week in and week out.  The Gospel Of Christ remains the most powerful message in the history of the world. Our reconciliation with God the Father through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection really is promised and proclaimed throughout the scriptures. It is essential to us as we evangelize the nations and should still be taught by those whom God has placed over His Church. Let us teach in accordance with what the scriptures say so that believers can be effective in all they do.