In Preaching Articles: "Listening To God"

Live To Make God Look Good

By SermonCentral .com on Sep 1, 2022

The great tragedy of the universe is that while human beings were made to glorify God because of who they are and what they see, we have all fallen short of this purpose.

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-3, Romans 3:23, Romans 1:23, Isaiah 40:4, Isaiah 42:8, Isaiah 44:23, Isaiah 48:9-11, Isaiah 60:2, Isaiah 49:3  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Sin, glory of God, meaning of life, glorify Christ, what is the purpose of life, Eternal Purpose, Self glory  (view more)  (view less)

The Most Difficult Aspect Of Praying

By Joe Mckeever on Jun 7, 2024

"If we cannot walk by faith and believe by faith–a redundancy, of course–we will stop praying."

Scripture: Psalm 23:3, Luke 18:1, 2 Corinthians 5:7

Tags: Faith, Prayer, God's Will, Confidence, Trust God, God in control, God hears prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching The Power Of The Person Of Christ

By Peter Mead on Sep 11, 2020

When preaching loses sight of the personal God, it drifts into moralism. Captivating preaching flows from knowing and loving Christ.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:23, Genesis 1:26-27, 1 John 1:3, John 15:4-5, 2 Corinthians 5:14  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: love, Kingdom Of God, Love, Prosperity, redemption, God's Kingdom, Kingdom of God, kingdom of God  (view more)  (view less)

7 Steps To Start Becoming A Church People Want To Commit To

By Karl Vaters on Apr 11, 2022

A growing number of people who do go to church don’t want to go, either. If we don’t give them something worth committing to, they’ll be gone soon.

Tags: Learning, inspiration, Leadership Listening, fixing eyes on Jesus, commitment to church  (view more)  (view less)

7 Ways To Tell If It's A God Thing

By Ron Edmondson on Apr 2, 2023

God often calls His people into assignments that seem impossible or irrational. Here are seven marks that may indicate the task before you is truly from Him.

Scripture: Hebrews 11:6, 2 Corinthians 5:7, 2 Chronicles 20:12, 1 Corinthians 1:27, Philippians 4:13  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: opportunity, christian living, Christian Living

Sharpen Your Sermon With A God-Centered Checklist

By Jared Moore on Sep 18, 2025

If you want to help your people focus on God when they leave church tomorrow, here are 11 things that you cannot do.

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: preaching, God centered, God Centered, Preaching, Checklist, joke, Sharpen  (view more)  (view less)

Let's Stop Saying "Yeah, But . . ." To God's Grace

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 10, 2026

"Sit on your ‘but’ and let grace stand alone," says Karl Vaters.

Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21

Tags: Preaching, preaching

John Piper, George Mueller, And The Pleasures Of God

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 8, 2022

God is like a great Niagara Falls—you look at it and think: surely this can’t keep going at this force for year after year after year. It seems like it would have to rest. Or it seems like some place up stream it would run dry. But, no, it just keeps surging and crashing and making honeymooners happy century after century. That’s the way God is about doing us good. He never grows weary of it. It never gets boring to him.

Scripture: Isaiah 65:17-18, Jeremiah 32:39-41, Psalm 119:68, Deuteronomy 30:9, Ephesians 2:7, Philippians 4:19  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Salvation, Unfailing Love, john piper, Endless Grace, Riches of Grace, George Mueller  (view more)  (view less)

How To Preach A Stressful Sermon

By David J. Lose on Jun 28, 2021

Some passages of the Gospels unsettle us because they confront our assumptions about peace and discipleship. Faithful preaching must wrestle honestly with these difficult words.

Scripture: Luke 18:31-34, Proverbs 17:1-5, Luke 12:49-53, Luke 9:23

Tags: Preaching, Stress, Kingdom of God, kingdom of God, preaching, Kingdom Of God, stress  (view more)  (view less)

3 Reasons Why I Give My Listeners Homework (And Why You Should, Too)

By Ray Hollenbach on Oct 20, 2025

When we ask something more of our congregation we will quickly discover whether we are preaching for spiritual entertainment or spiritual formation.

Tags: Discipleship

The Greatest Gift You Give Your Team- Part 1

By Lance Witt on Jul 10, 2024

This week work at paying attention to your soul. Listen to your emotions. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what is going on beneath the surface of all your “doing”.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 7:1, John 16:32, John 16:32

Tags: Approval, Growth in Christ, pastoral leadership, God's Approval, Guarding your heart, motives, soul care, personal holiness  (view more)  (view less)

The Vigil Of Waiting In Advent

By Steve Smith on Dec 12, 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

How To Craft Sermon Openers That Grab Attention

By Tyler Scarlett on Feb 26, 2025

A wandering introduction loses listeners before the sermon even begins. Strong, simple, and compelling first sentences draw people in and prepare them to hear God’s Word.

Scripture: Titus 2:2, Titus 2:1-2, Philippians 4:10-15, Romans 13:11-14

Tags: Pastoral Ministry

When Mission Replaces God: Escaping The Trap Of Missionalism

By Skye Jethani on Jul 28, 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 14, 2021

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

Tags: Preaching, Personality, preaching