Five Lessons I Couldn’t Learn About Preaching in a Classroom

I have been preaching weekly for almost 10 years. That means that I am not a veteran preacher, but I am also not a rookie. I still have much to learn about preaching, but the amount of “firsts” I am having in preaching decreases every year.

Small and large crowds, indoor and outdoor settings, formal and casual weddings, celebratory “home going” funerals for elderly saints, and devastating wakes for 4-year-old children. I have preached at suburban luncheons for wealthy retirees and in homeless shelters. I have preached while sick and feverish, distracted and discouraged, underprepared, overprepared, too long, too short – with manuscripts, long outlines, short outlines, and with no notes at all.

Over the years of preaching in all these ways, I have noticed certain pieces of practical preaching advice that I find myself repeating. These are not the traditional lessons that are taught in homiletics classes of how to explain, illustrate, and apply (as important as those are). Instead, these are the lessons that I have learned while preaching that I believe are only learned by preaching.

As I grow in my experience, these are the pieces of advice I say most often:

1. “Just Preach”

One of the greatest enemies of preaching is self-consciousness. “Is this working?”, “What are they thinking?”, “How do I look?”, “Why did they make that face?”, “Am I talking too fast?”, “What do my fellow pastors think of this?”

This is an enemy of authentic preaching. In fact, one of my most frequent prayers for myself is this: “Lord, please give me the gift of self-forgetfulness while I preach this morning.” My dear brother, weighed down with worries about your quirks, your presentation, your style – just preach.

Has your heart been moved by His Word? Do you love these people? Are you on fire to give God’s Word to His people? Then, brother, just preach.

I was once in a room with several Christian leaders before a worship service. The preacher for the service was in the room. We prayed together, and before walking into the auditorium, one leader said to the preacher, “Are you ready to bring the Word?” and the preacher of the morning said, “I am not sure about my sermon, but I am excited about this text!”

Don’t obsess over yourself as you preach. Just preach.

2. “Don’t Underestimate the Power of ‘Reps’”

Preaching requires patience. When Paul envisions Timothy’s ministry, he pictures something that will be observed over time: “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15).

Yes, some skills in preaching can be learned in lectures, books, and quick adjustments. But I have found growth in preaching happens through constant practice over time. This means that there are some weaknesses that will not be overcome until you preach your 100th sermon. Some not until your 200th.

Should you manuscript? Should you outline? Extemporaneous? Not sure? You probably just need more reps preaching. Understanding this principle gives you patience and hope. You will grow in skill, confidence, and in the trust of your people. But it will happen over years and hundreds of sermons.

This is why aspiring preachers should seek as many “reps” as they can. Say “yes” to every opportunity to preach, teach, and communicate the Word: kids ministry, student ministry, homeless ministry, Bible studies, nursing homes, street preaching. Know that every time you get a “rep,” you are making progress.

3. “Your Sermon Isn’t a Sermon Until You Preach It”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones once wrote: “…the mere research and writing of a manuscript or sermon outline cannot be considered preaching. Preaching is both the sermon and the act of delivering the message.”[1]

To preach a sermon, obviously, includes having a sermon. But your sermon is not your notes on Saturday night. A sermon isn’t a sermon until you preach it.

Every preacher knows this to be true. Every preacher has had the experience of God taking our measly “loaves and fishes” sermon and anointing it with his power in the moment of preaching – and suddenly, its fruitfulness multiplies. I can’t tell you how often I look over my sermon notes on Saturday night and feel desperate. I have worked hard at exegesis, illustration, explanation, and application. I have wrestled with the text, but still don’t feel like I have a “sermon”

That’s because I don’t. It’s not a sermon until I preach it.

This should encourage you that God will often meet you in the pulpit in surprising ways. He will warm your heart to the truth. He will help you speak with greater clarity. He will use your sermon to save someone.

Work hard in preparation, and then trust God to make it a sermon as you preach.

4. “Look Them in the Eye”

It is not wrong to look down at your notes (I preach from a manuscript!), but it is a serious mistake not to look at your people when you preach to them. Don’t look above them. Don’t look in their general direction. Look them in the eye.

This is not a TED Talk tip to make you a more engaging rhetorician. Instead, I’ve learned that doing this helps me love my people more as I preach. Do you see your people when you preach?

That couple who just miscarried and is living in the valley of the shadow of death. Do you see them there in the back? That elderly man caring alone for his dying wife. Do you see him over there in the corner? That child who told you they want to be baptized. Do you see them looking up at you?

Looking people in the eye is transformational. It’s awkward at first, but if you press into it, you’ll not only have the heart of a preacher, but also the heart of a shepherd.

5. “Talk It Through”

Almost every week I get “stuck” with my sermon. I understand the text, I have read my commentaries, I have thousands of words of notes, illustrations, and application ideas. Sometimes I have three different outline ideas. It’s a mess, and I need clarity.

One of the most helpful exercises is talking it through with someone else. My fellow pastors at the Nocatee Campus can tell you stories of being called into my office or getting phone calls so I can run an illustration by them, test an outline, or check a doctrinal explanation. My wife is often the patient listener for Saturday night feedback.

Their feedback always helps. But even more, the act of talking clarifies my own thinking. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help.

Conclusion:

I believe that ten years from now, if I look back on this article, I will smile and think, “There was still so much you didn’t know, Spencer!” The beautiful (and sometimes frustrating!) reality of preaching is that we never “arrive.” We carry this treasure in jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7), and every week the Lord teaches us this lesson over again.

But, by his grace, we will make progress in our preaching as we do it. He does it as we devote ourselves to his Word, immerse ourselves in loving ministry to our people, and pursuing faithful (not perfect!) preaching. Keep going, brother pastor. Just preach God’s Word. Get more reps. Trust God for his blessing as you preach. Focus on your people. Ask for help. God will humble us, grow us, and glorify himself.

And as he does, both we as preachers, and our people as listeners will be all the better for it.

[1] https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/preaching-and-preachers/preaching/

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