A Good Sermon

by Terry Wane Benton

A sermon is good if it is scripturally full and accurate because all scripture is good (II Timothy 3:16-17). The delivery may be lacking in some way because of human weakness both on the delivery end and on the receiving end. That always needs constant attention on giving the best effort, but the sermon needs to be organized well and taken from the scriptures in order to please God and do the most eternal good for the hearer. A sermon is not good if it is devoid of scripture and only tickles ears (II Timothy 4:1-4) as interesting, humorous, or motivational as a temporal kind of pep talk.

Does it motivate one to seek God's word and His will for greater understanding and change of direction (James 1:18-21)? If not, it is not a good sermon. It may entertain and motivate toward some worldly goal but does not present the mind of God and express His will for our transformation into His image, which is the correct goal.

A sermon is not good if it is geared to feature oratory skill (glorifying the speaker) instead of glorifying God. It must be about the Father's will and that to His glory, not about bringing the most compliments to the speaker's style of delivery (I Corinthians 2:2). Paul did not want it to be about his oratory skill, but about centering on Jesus, getting the focus on the Lord and the message of the cross. It is not a good sermon if it is a fishing expedition for human compliments and praise of men. A good sermon is aimed at pleasing God, pointing people to Jesus, and bringing glory to God.

These are a few things to remember in preparing sermons. But all must prepare themselves to be ready and hungry to hear and obey the will of God as it is rightly presented. Let us all hunger for the word of God, and those who publicly present lessons to souls should preach the word diligently (II Timothy 2:15).