In Preaching Articles: "Focus On God"

Preaching Without A Net: Delivering Sermons Without Notes

By Bruce Salmon on Mar 3, 2025

A pastor describes how a forgotten outline pushed him onto the “high wire” of preaching without notes and how that risk opened new freedom, focus, and trust in God.

Tags: Church, Preaching, worry, manuscript, Homiletics, Pastoral Ministry, Expository Preaching, Sermon Delivery, Worry, preaching, church, expository preaching  (view more)  (view less)

The Vigil Of Waiting In Advent

By Steve Smith on Dec 13, 2024

Every 11 months, we get one month of waiting. It’s an interesting rhythm which should affect our cadence of busyness and distraction.

Tags: Advent, God's sovereignty, Waiting on God, advent candle

When Mission Replaces God: Escaping The Trap Of Missionalism

By Skye Jethani on Jul 29, 2024

Skye Jethani: "While a vision for serving God is needed, and the desperate condition of our world cannot be ignored, there is a higher calling that is going unanswered in many Christian communities."

Scripture: Psalm 62:1-6

Tags: renewal, evangelism, Renewal, Evangelism, Missions  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching Is God's Truth Shining Through Your Personality

By Sherman Haywood Cox on May 15, 2021

Sermons are not delivered irrespective of the preacher. We are part of the message as well.

Tags: Preaching, Personality, preaching

Why Passion For God Must Lead Christian Leadership

By Brad Lomenick on Dec 25, 2020

Effective Christian leadership does not begin with strategy or management skills but with a deep and growing passion for God rooted in Scripture and prayer.

Scripture: Joshua 1:8, Psalm 63:1, John 15:4-5, Mark 1:35, Hebrews 4:9-11  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Christian Living, Preaching, Face, Seek, Time, christian living, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Why God Still Works Through Poor Preaching

By Peter Mead on Aug 18, 2021

How God works despite us and our preaching (and we need to be thankful for that!).

Tags: Preaching, poor preaching, gospel, preaching, Paul, God, Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Does Your Preaching Prepare People For God's Kingdom?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Jul 30, 2025

We often fall into the trap of preaching designed to merely provide tools to become more successful in this present world rather than becoming ambassadors of the coming Kingdom.

Tags: Preaching, prepare, Confront, God's Kingdom, gospel, preaching, Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

God Works In Mysterious Ways—through Your Sermon!

By Danny Macmunn on Aug 27, 2021

Sometimes even the messenger is surprised at what the people hear.

Scripture: Mark 15:1-18, 2 Timothy 2:1-15

Tags: Scripture, Preaching, Word of God, mysterious ways, inspired by god, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

From Desiring God Ministries: The Essential Secret Of Preaching

By Tony Merida on Dec 6, 2025

The key to effective preaching is not mastering certain techniques, but being mastered by certain convictions.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

From Desiring God: Beware Of Gluten-Free Preaching

By Phillip Bethancourt on Jan 12, 2026

"The gluten of the gospel must be kneaded into every Christian sermon."

Tags: Christ Centered Preaching

If The Church Is God's Idea, Who Are We To Dismantle It?

By Jeff K. Clarke on Feb 25, 2022

I wonder if we have allowed our contemporary definition, understanding, and experience of the church to be shaped more by the post-modern impulse of individualism and self-centeredness, than by Christ’s and Paul’s emphasis on the gathered community from every race, tribe, and tongue?

Tags: individualism, church community, Listening, unity and diversity

Have Mercy On Me: Four Glimpses Into The Heart Of God

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 8, 2022

God has made the world to turn again and again on fresh revelations of his mercy.

Scripture: Exodus 34:6-7, Exodus 33:19, Luke 1:78, Ephesians 2:3, 2 Chronicles 30:9, Romans 9:22-23, 2 Samuel 24:13-14, Psalm 51:1, Lamentations 4:10, Isaiah 30:18  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: David, Mercy, Moses, God's Character

God Seeks People To Worship Him In Spirit And Truth

By SermonCentral .com on Jul 20, 2022

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

Scripture: John 3:6, John 3:20, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, John 4:4-6, Proverbs 13:14, John 7:37-39, John 4:14, John 14:26, Matthew 15:8, 1 Thessalonians 1:5  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Gospel of John, Dead in sin, Jesus Teachings, Spirit and Truth, Spiritually Dead, Woman at the well  (view more)  (view less)

God Wants To Shape Your Wants: An Invitation To The Psalms

By John Piper on Nov 30, 2022

Try to imagine the Bible without the Psalms. What a different book it would be! What a different place the church would be. And what a different person I would be.

Scripture: Psalm 1:3

Tags: Psalms, Emotions, Heart, taste and see, Delight, Personal Growth, Delight in the Lord, sovereignty of God  (view more)  (view less)

Why Kingdom Preaching Confronts The Status Quo

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Sep 2, 2021

Jesus preached the Kingdom of God, a message that brought hope to the broken and confrontation to the powerful. Faithful preaching still does both.

Scripture: Mark 1:14-15, Matthew 25:40, Luke 4:18-19, James 1:27, Micah 6:8  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: preaching, Kingdom Of God, Preaching, Justice, Good News, Kingdom of God, bad news, kingdom of God  (view more)  (view less)