In Preaching Articles: "Preaching Tips"

3 Mistakes Pastors Make With Commentaries

By Peter Mead on May 6, 2025

Commentaries are resources for preachers, not sources for sermons. Watch out for these three pitfalls when using commentaries in your sermon prep and delivery.

Tags: Preaching, Prep, Commentary, preaching

How To Handle The Gore Of Good Friday

By Peter Mead on Mar 22, 2021

The crucifixion is bloody. Should we shock people out of a religious view of crucifixion, or is it better not to overwhelm people with the gore?

Tags: Good Friday, Preaching, preaching

A Christmas Sermon 1,700 Years Old

By Brian Orme on Dec 17, 2024

Help can come from the most unexpected places: You can look to the Church Fathers to help prepare your Christmas message.

Tags: Christmas, Preaching, ancient, preaching

The Perfect Length For A Sermon

By Thom Schultz on Nov 7, 2020

When it comes to determining the perfect sermon length, we need to know the limitations of the medium.

Scripture: Psalm 37:1-4

Tags: Preaching, limit, length, preaching

Derwin Gray: I Prepare My Sermons By Dancing

By Derwin Gray on Dec 16, 2020

Are your dance moves timeless or hopelessly out of date? Pastor Derwin Gray has five suggestions.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-24

Tags: Preaching, dance, teach, preaching

Why Great Sermons Also Include Listening

By Ryan Huguley on May 31, 2025

Listening is a lost art in our culture, so how should we listen to a sermon?

Tags: Preaching, Listen, Great, preaching

Do Pastors Avoid Teaching On Heaven?

By Toni Ridgaway on May 5, 2023

Scholars and authors say the church does not often present the topic of heaven anymore, and they wonder why.

Tags: Heaven, Truth, Preaching, preaching

The Hardest Part Of A Sermon

By Joe Mckeever on Jul 23, 2021

The Lord gives His message to those who seek Him, who wait upon Him, who are willing to do His will.

Scripture: Jeremiah 32:1-15

Tags: Preaching, difficult, hard, preaching

Is He Crazy To Share His Pulpit?

By Larry Osborne on Oct 12, 2024

"The notion of sharing my pulpit was unthinkable, tantamount to a denial of my calling."

Scripture: Zechariah 5:1-4

Tags: Preaching, pulpit, Share, preaching

Build Your Sermon Like A House

By Greg Stier on Oct 16, 2024

Greg Stier learned to exegete a text at the same time he learned to swing a hammer. It paid off.

Scripture: Luke 14:22-33

Tags: Preaching, House, build, preaching

A Preacher's Gut-Check: Seven Hard Questions About Your Sermon

By J.s. Park on Jun 20, 2025

After you have your three points, consulted all the commentaries and fit in your illustrations, then it's time to get real.

Scripture: John 14:1-6

Tags: Preaching, Good, questions, preaching

Do We Owe Every Wedding Ceremony A Fresh Sermon?

By Nathan Aaseng on Jun 5, 2023

The challenge is to make the wedding couple feel that the homily is not just a canned one, pulled out of the file and dusted off for the 35th time.

Tags: Preaching, preaching, Wedding, Fresh

5 Integrity Traps Waiting For Every Preacher

By Peter Mead on Aug 30, 2021

People long for the preacher to have a deep sense of consistency.

Tags: Integrity, Plagiarism, preaching, Preaching

Four Sharp Questions To Whittle Your Sermon Into Shape

By Tyler Scarlett on Jul 21, 2025

The sermon's not done until you sharpen the point. Here are four excellent ways to do it.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:22-24

Tags: Preaching, points, Sharpen, preaching

5 Things You Can Do Today To Sharpen Tomorrow's Sermon

By Erik Raymond on May 30, 2025

If you want to make tomorrow's sermon shine even more, START HERE.

Scripture: Genesis 42:20-38

Tags: Preaching, Tension, Transparency, preaching