The Fundamental Elements of Good Preaching

A lot of what passes for preaching today is more like spiritualized motivational speaking.

It’s a motivational speech in church clothes.

So what’s the difference between good preaching and just giving a motivational speech?

In this episode, we’ll talk about the two fundamental elements to good preaching and why you need them in every sermon.

Resources Mentioned

• For more preaching help, check out my preaching books or preaching course.

Key Takeaways

Here’s a quick list of some of the big takeaways from this episode. Check the timestamp to see when each point is discussed.

• This may seem basic to you, but don’t hear the word basic and think easy. If we don’t work on the fundamentals, we will drift. [1:25]

• A sermon needs to be Bible-based and Christ-centered. [2:36]

• I tell my story of being turned down on my first attempt at ordination, and what I learned from it. [3:08]

• The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. [6:06]

• The Bible commands us to preach the Bible. [6:48]

• The Bible keeps us grounded. [8:32]

• I talk about three myths of expository preaching. [11:09]

• For over 2,000 years, Christians have had one message with a million applications. We call it the gospel. [16:01]

• The gospel helps us interpret Scripture because all Scripture is fulfilled in Jesus. [16:40]

• When you look at the sermons of the early church, they’re all preaching one message—the gospel. [20:40]

• The gospel helps us avoid preaching works righteousness. Morality apart from the gospel is not faithful preaching. [23:30]

• All good, faithful preaching needs to be Bible-based and Christ-centered. If you miss one or both, you’re not fulfilling your duty as a preacher. [29:49]

Subscribe and Review

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | And just about everywhere else you get your podcasts.

Subscribe today to never miss a new episode.

You can also help the show by leaving a review on iTunes. I’d love to read your feedback, and reviews also help others discover the show.

Click here to browse more episodes.