I thought I’d share this list of five major failings of many preachers, according to the book that I am currently enjoying:
“1. Multiplitus – Using too many points until the sermon becomes a starburst that dazzles rather than communicates.”
Well put. When we try to preach more than one point, we quickly move from communication to fireworks.
“2. Elephantine Introductions – Huge ten or even fifteen minute introductions that contain the guiding imagery to control the rest of the sermon. Trouble is that the imagery is either tiresome, prosaic, or just misleading.”
I’ve been accused of this at times, sometimes with justification. I suppose that not having the entire reading up front can sometimes confuse people somehow searching for the end of the introduction. Nonetheless, the last line is especially important – tiresome, prosaic, or just misleading. We need to be careful with our introductions. Essentially we need to “meet the people” and then “motivate them to listen” and without further ado, “move into the message/passage.” (I don’t know why I used quotation marks there, the ‘meet, motivate and move’ alliterative language is my own – until someone publishes it first.)
Ok, tomorrow I’ll share the other three major failings according to this writer, along with my own comments.
Biblical Preaching 
Hi Peter,
I love your blog, great stuff and really helpful!
I just preached my 2nd sermon in seminary, and it was a great learning experience for me in what not to do! I strayed from the main thrust of the text and over-explained what it means to “be saved” – too much info and just ended up overwhelming the rest of my sermon. During preparation and practice, I thought I was serving the listeners by being clear and explaining everything, but it ended up just being too much and straying from the text.
The good thing is I know exactly what I’d do to improve it, and hopefully I’ve learned a lesson that will stay with me!
I was wondering if you have any of your own sermons available for listening? Or, do you have any preachers you would recommend as good examples of the preaching you advocate here?
I listen to a lot of sermons by well known pastors, but I’ve had trouble finding ones that really follows this – one unifying big idea and purpose, combined with intro, illustrations and applications that all serve that one point and really drive it home.
Most of what I listen to is more text based – walking through the text with varying observations on the text and applications from it, but not necessarily one unifying idea or any introduction beyond “let’s read the text…”
But I’d really like to actually hear more of the type of sermons that you talk about so well here!
Any help?
Thanks!
Joe
Loved this post… multiplitus….exactly. When I started preaching one point sermons each week I had more reaction to the sermons as well as people remembering what was taught.
Hoop
Ok Joe, some links for you . . .
I would suggest you listen to Haddon Robinson sermons. He has spoken many times at Gordon-Conwell in chapel, which is available here. You might like to listen to some of the others on the list too. Not every one will follow what I advocate on this site, but certainly I would expect Jeff Arthurs and Scott Gibson to follow the Haddon Robinson approach.
There are other speakers worth listening to above me, but if you want to hear me, here are a few messages that are in line with what I am suggesting here:
Here’s an Easter Sunday message on the resurrection from Luke (deliberately Lukan rather than jumping over to 1Cor.15). Here.
Habakkuk in a single message – here. (I also preached Zephaniah and Haggai in the next couple of weeks – you could find those on the same site.)
I would gladly offer other names as better examples than myself, but I’m hesitant as I don’t want to create any sort of “definitive list.” What if I include Joe Stowell, David Jeremiah, Bruce Fong, but not Preacher XYZ? Anyway, hopefully this is a start.