Tom Carter
How to Take Your Preaching to the Next Level
I’ve been a pastor for more than 44 years, and people have always given me positive feedback about my sermons and Bible studies. In the early years, I kept my focus on four things:
1. Preach Christ. “A sermon without Jesus as its beginning, middle, and end is a mistake in conception and a crime in execution.” —Charles Spurgeon.
2. Preach the Bible. Expositional preaching through passages of Scripture is what our people are hungry for. God uses the Bible to change lives.
3. Share illustrations from my own life. Be personal and transparent.
4. Prepare and preach in prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit. Bathe your study, preparation, and delivery in prayer. Depend on the Holy Spirit to speak to people’s hearts.
I still do those four things.
In 1986, I enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program in Preaching at Westminster Theological Seminary California, and that’s when I learned how to take my preaching to the next level in a way I had never discovered before. You can read about this method of preaching in Jay E. Adams’ book, Preaching with Purpose. I have well over a dozen textbooks on preaching, and Adams’ book is in a class by itself. Jay Adams was the Director of Advanced Studies at Westminster Theological Seminary when I was in the Doctor of Ministry program there, and I studied under him. His book revolutionized my preaching. I consider it a gargantuan step forward. It gave me a fifth step to incorporate in my preaching. And what is that fifth step?
5. Preach in the here-and-now, not in the there-and-then. In other words, start with the world your people live in rather than the world of the Bible. Then move them into the world of the Bible.
“Life-changing preaching does not talk to the people about the Bible. Instead, it talks to the people about themselves—their questions, hurts, fears, and struggles—from the Bible.” —Haddon Robinson in Mastering Contemporary Preaching
Note the differences between the two styles:
There-and-then format:
Scripture: 1 Kings 18:41-46 Sermon Title: Praying Elijah’s Way
1. The premise of Elijah’s prayer
2. The privacy of Elijah’s prayer
3. The posture of Elijah’s prayer
4. The precision of Elijah’s prayer
5. The passion of Elijah’s prayer
6. The persistence of Elijah’s prayer
7. The positiveness of Elijah’s prayer
Now for the same sermon in the here-and-now format:
Scripture: 1 Kings 18:41-46 Sermon Title: Prayer Is a Skill You Can Learn!
1. Claim God’s promises in prayer.
2. Get alone with God in prayer.
3. Humble yourself before God in prayer.
4. Make specific requests of God in prayer.
5. Pray with all your heart.
6. Don’t be discouraged if God doesn’t answer your prayers right away.
7. Expect God to answer your prayers in ways that glorify him.
Why the here-and-now format is better than the there-and-then format:
· The there-and-then format is all about Elijah, but no one today cares or worries about Elijah. But they do care and worry about themselves. This isn’t all bad. Refer to Haddon Robinson’s definition of preaching above.
· The there-and-then format turns your preaching into a guided tour through an ancient museum (the Bible). The here-and-now format makes the Bible a living book through which God speaks to the believer today. The person who hears the first sermon goes home, and his wife asks, “What was the sermon in church about?” He answers, “A prayer that Elijah said.” She thinks, Sounds irrelevant to me! The person who hears the second sermon can answer, “It was about how I can learn the skills of prayer and what those skills are.” Now the wife thinks, I wish I had been there to hear that sermon!
· The there-and-then format makes your preaching sound like a Bible commentary, and Christians find that boring. The here-and-now format is interesting, because it’s all about the listener.
· The there-and-then format usually reserves personal application for the end. In the here-and-now format, the personal application begins in the title and comes out in every point.
· In the there-and-then format, the title and the outline points are concepts. In the here-and-now format, the title and the outline points are sentences. Concepts are vague; sentences are messages that people understand. When your points are sentences, every point is a lesson. Lessons are usually reserved for the end of a sermon, but they should be woven into the fabric of the entire sermon. Example: In the above there-and-then format, the preacher would say at the end of the sermon after 30 minutes, “What, then, is God saying to us in this passage? He’s saying that prayer is a skill we can learn!” And everyone would wake up and go, “Wow!” But that’s the title of the sermon preached in the here-and-now format! Try to keep your title and points as sentences. Try to make your sentences include or imply the word you.
· In the there-and-then format, you’re talking about the Bible and very little about your listeners. In the here-and-now format, you’re talking about your listeners and their need to learn to pray, and you’re using the Bible as your foundation.
· The there-and-then format sounds like a lecture. It speaks about someone (Elijah) who lived centuries ago and far away. The here-and-now format is the way you would talk to someone across the kitchen table while having coffee together. You’re speaking directly to his or her situation in life.
· Your listeners will be much more tuned in when you speak in the here-and-now. They’ll find your preaching much more interesting. This has been my experience.
· The Old Testament prophets, New Testament apostles, and Christian witnesses spoke to their people in the here-and-now.
Here’s a second example:
There-and-then format:
Scripture: John 1:19-28 Sermon Title: John the Baptist—What a Man!
- John the Baptist’s first denial: “I am not the Christ.”
- John the Baptist’s second denial: “I am not the prophet.”
- John the Baptist’s affirmation: “I am a voice in the wilderness, crying, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord.’”
Now for the same sermon in the here-and-now format:
Scripture: John 1:19-28 Sermon Title: Who Do You Think You Are?
- God has not made you the center of attention. (Some Christians have a Messiah complex.)
- God has not made you an inspired prophet.
- God has called you to be a voice that speaks of Jesus Christ.
Why the here-and-now format is better than the there-and-then format:
· The there-and-then format is all about John the Baptist, but no one today cares about him. Nor does anyone worry about the Israelites, the Corinthians, blind Bartimaeus, the woman at the well, or even the apostle Paul. Instead of preaching about those people, preach about the issues those people faced from their experience that are the same issues your people are wrestling with. The latter format is about your listeners. This will keep them tuned in. When Scripture speaks about John the Baptist, it’s speaking to us!
· The wife who hears the first sermon goes home, and her husband asks, “What was the sermon in church about?” She answers, “John the Baptist.” The husband thinks, Maybe I should care about John the Baptist, but I don’t. The wife who hears the second sermon can tell her husband, “It was about the way God wants me to think about myself.” Now the husband thinks, I’m glad my wife heard that message—and I wish I had heard it, too!
· The there-and-then format makes your preaching too much like a classroom with personal application reserved for the end. In the here-and-now format, the personal application begins in the title and comes out in every point.
· Your listeners will be much more tuned in when you speak in the here-and-now. They’ll find your preaching much more interesting. This has been my experience.
Unfortunately, not all of my sermons on this website use the here-and-now format. That’s because my website includes sermons I wrote before 1986, when I began my studies in my Doctor of Ministry program at Westminster Theological Seminary California. But most of the sermons on my website illustrate how the “here-and now” style—as well as the other four indispensable ingredients—look in a biblical message.
One more example. This one comes directly from Jay Adams’ book, Preaching with Purpose (p. 52).
There-and-then format:
Title: The Gifts of the Spirit
- The source of the Corinthians’ spiritual gifts
- The function of the Corinthians’ spiritual gifts
- The purpose of the Corinthians’ spiritual gifts
Now for that same sermon in the here-and-now format:
Title: Use Your Spiritual Gift!
- God has given you a spiritual gift.
- God has given you a spiritual gift to use.
- God has given you a spiritual gift to use for the benefit of othes.
Why the here-and-now format is better than the there-and-then format:
· The there-and-then format is all about the Corinthians’ spiritual gifts, but no one today loses any sleep over the Corinthians. The second format is all about the people hearing your sermon. That keeps them tuned in. When Scripture speaks about the Corinthians, it’s speaking to us!
· The wife who hears the first sermon goes home, and her husband asks, “What was the sermon in church about?” She answers, “The spiritual gifts that the Corinthians had.” The husband thinks, Maybe I should care about the Corinthians, but I don’t. The wife who hears the second sermon can tell her husband, “It was all about the spiritual gifts God has given me and what he wants me to do with them.” Now the husband thinks, That sounds practical and interesting! I’m sorry I missed it!
· The there-and-then format is about what happened centuries ago and far away. The here-and-now format is about what God is doing today in the lives of your congregation.
The first format is in an unemotional, uninvolved, and reporting style. The second format is emotionally involved. It’s exciting!
Objections to the here-and-now style:
- I don’t want to change from the style of expository preaching. You won’t be changing from expository preaching! You’ll still be exposing the truths of Scripture. It’s just that you’re starting with the listener’s world rather than the biblical world.
- I don’t want to sacrifice word studies and exegetical details. You don’t have to! You can do just as much of that. Just don’t put your word studies and exegetical details in your main points or sub-points.
- I don’t want to sacrifice content. You don’t have to! You can and should put just as much content into the here-and-now style of preaching. It’s just that you’re connecting to your listeners in a much more personal way.
- I don’t want to sacrifice alliteration in my outline. Alliteration is 1970s-ish. The Hebrew psalms sometimes used it, but that was because people had no books and therefore had to be given memory aids. Today people don’t need alliteration to remember what you said.
For Further Study Read:
· Preaching with Purpose by Jay E. Adams. I have dozens of books about preaching in my personal library, but this is the most unusual book, because it’s all about preaching in the here-and-now format. This is by far the most valuable book on preaching you can read.
· Between Two Worlds by John Stott