A preacher lives with his sermons all the time. After the Sunday evening
service ends, I spend 15-30 minutes in my office alone reflecting on the
day I relive the services and try to figure the needs of my people for
the next week. Usually before I leave the study on Sunday night I know
the general direction of my sermons for the next Sunday From that moment
forward, I am planning next Sunday's messages. They are constantly on my
mind as I prepare my mind and heart to meet the needs of my people on the
next Lord's Day
I must remember; however; that my people do not live with the sermon.
They spend only 30 minutes to an hour a week on each message; whereas it
is in my mind constantly Because of this, I will remember the sermon for
many days to come.
A preacher has no choice during the delivery of the message but to think
about it; the people do not have to listen. The preacher's mind is totally
occupied with what he is saying; whereas the minds of those who hear him
range from being totally aware of what he is saying to being totally unaware
of what is being said. During the course of a sermon most of the people
will no doubt at least partially listen, but their occupation with the
sermon can in no way compare to that of the preacher.
These things mean that the preacher may never forget the sermon whereas
most of the people will soon forget it. Therefore, I believe that the fondest
hope that a preacher can have concerning retention of his sermons is to
attempt to leave one great truth a sermon in the minds of his people. The
average person will not remember much of what the preacher has said. Most
people will not remember his outline. The preacher has done well who leaves
one great truth in the minds of his people as they leave the service for
their dwelling places. This is my goal when I preach.
How may this be done? This chapter is totally devoted to methods and
means that will cause the people, the congregation, to carry with them
from each message one great truth which they will never forget.
1. Picture the invitation and the one thing you want to happen. Decide on the one thing that you want the members of the congregation to
do or to begin to do because of the message. In other words, plan first
the destination. Then plan the best way to arrive at that destination.
It may be a message on stewardship, the purpose of which is to inspire
the people to be good stewards of their lives, their time, their talent
and their money Maybe it will be a message on faithfulness, the goal of
which is to inspire the members to attend faithfully the services of the
church. It may be a message on prayer during which the pastor wants to
impress his people to make definite decisions concerning their prayer lives.
The wise pastor will decide early the one thing he wants his people to
do, the one decision he wants them to make, and the one destination to
which he hopes to take them. This, I think, is necessary to the delivery
of a good sermon. The purpose of preaching is not that of delivering a
good sermon. The purpose of preaching is that of delivering a great truth
that will inspire the parishioners to perform a great service.
2. Decide what truth will make it happen. You have already decided
the destination. Now choose the vehicle and the route that will properly
take you to that destination. This is the truth that must be emphasized
over and over again during the message so as to imprint indelibly in the
minds of the hearers the one great truth that will convey them to the destination
you have chosen for them.
3. Write it down and look at it. Confirm to yourself that the
decision that you want the hearers to make can be inspired by the truth
that you plan to deliver. Be convinced that the truth will be the proper
vehicle to deliver the congregation to the desired destination.
4. Decide what you think that truth will make happen. First you
have chosen the desired goal and from that choice you have chosen the truth
that will lead the congregation to the desired goal. Now forget the goal
- look only at the truth. Decide to what destination that truth will lead.
If this destination coincides with your original destination, you have
no doubt chosen the proper truth.
This is like checking mathematics. When a person multiplies 3 times
9, he gets 27. When he divides 3 into 27 and gets 9, this proves that his
multiplication was proper. When the pastor starts with the destination
and determines what truth will lead him to that destination, then takes
the truth and determines to what destination it will lead, and finds that
they coincide, he no doubt has found the one great truth that he should
emphasize throughout his sermon.
5. When convinced both ways, decide on the truth to be delivered.
6. Use the time between this decision and the time of the preaching
of the sermon to convince yourself of the importance of the truth that
you have chosen. By the time the sermon is delivered the pastor must
be totally sold on the fact that he has the answer. He must be totally
convinced that the truth he is going to deliver is desperately needed by
his people and that their lives will not be complete without the absorption
of this great truth. This is perhaps the key to the delivering of a message.
The pastor must be consumed with the idea that this is the answer and without
it his people will flounder in at least one area of their Christian lives.
It must be life or death to him! He must feel that the delivering of this
truth is the most important thing going on in the world at the time of
its deliverance. He must magnify this truth in his own mind all week so
that when he stands to speak he will be consumed with its importance.
The person who sees a burning house has no problem or thought of his
delivery when he warns the inhabitants of the danger they are facing. No
preacher has preached well until his message becomes in his own mind life
changing and life transforming to his people. Hence, he must utilize wisely
the time between the choosing of the truth that he will soon deliver and
the delivering of that truth. He must be totally consumed with the importance
of the message.
7. Write the truth and place it at several well traveled places. If, for example, the truth is "Total surrender to God brings happiness
to the individual," he should write those words, make copies of them and
have them at well traveled places. Put a copy on the door of the refrigerator;
at the telephone, on the mirror in the bathroom, on the windshield of the
car; near the dial of your watch and other places that are a part of your
daily schedule.
8. Set times to do nothing but think of the importance of the truth
to be delivered on the Lord's Day Perhaps at least 15 minutes several times
a day should be given to such meditation. At this time sell yourself
on the importance of the truth you have chosen to deliver; dwell on it,
convince yourself that it is vital to the spiritual well-being of your
people.
9. Place the truth at the top of your prayer list. Every time
you go to the throne of grace you will be reminded of your sermon for Sunday
and you will pray fervently for God to help you to convey properly to your
people the truth that He has led you to choose in order for them to arrive
at the destination which He has chosen for them.
10. As you pray, picture in your own mind the invitation on Sunday
Picture one person kneeling at the altar to make the decision that you
feel he needs to make. Fervently ask God to lead you to present the
truth in such a way that this picture in your mind of the invitation can
become a reality.
All of the things that are being listed now are parts of a recipe that
is to convince the preacher of the importance of the sermon he is going
to deliver. He must be consumed with the desire to help his people. He
must be carried away with the awareness that the truth that he has chosen
is the vehicle that God can use to give this help. He must be lifted out
of himself and above himself and be swept up by this great truth caused
by a burning desire to see his people make the decision in their hearts
that he feels is so necessary to their lives and spiritual growth.
11. Choose a song that conveys the chosen truth, and sing it often
throughout the week. It could be a familiar song. For example, if the
destination chosen is that of leading your people "to decide to be unselfish"
and the truth chosen to lead them to that destination is "living for others,"
the pastor could have as his theme song for the week that beautiful little
song, "Others." He could sing throughout the week those beautiful words,
"Lord, help me live from day to day in such a self forgetful way, that
even when I kneel to pray, my prayer shall be for others. Others, Lord,
yes others. Let this my motto be: Lord, help me live for others that I
may live like Thee." This song can be used of God to help His man to lose
himself in the message he is to deliver to His people the next Lord's Day
It has been my policy for many years now to choose a song for the day
Early in the morning I choose a song that I plan to sing all day I hum
it, whistle it and sing it throughout the day until it becomes sometimes
even a subconscious activity. Usually this song will be one that deals
with the truth of my message for the next Sunday For example, if my message
for the next Sunday is on total commitment, I may sing all day one day,
"Jesus I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee." The next day
I may sing, "All to Jesus I surrender." These songs lead me to dwell on
the truth that I have chosen as the vehicle to lead my people to the destination
that I feel is best for them.
Sometimes I will make up a little song that will help me to think about
the truth I am to deliver. Recently I was going to preach on Proverbs 3:6,
"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." I wrote
a little chorus using the words of this great verse. Once I was going to
preach on coming boldly to the throne of grace. I wrote a little song entitled,
"Come Boldly" This helped to keep my mind on the truth that I want to transfer
into the minds of my people on the Lord's Day
12. Read all you can about this truth. Acquaint yourself with
every tool possible that will enable you to convey better this chosen truth
to your people in order that they may arrive at the chosen destination.
13. Think of its greatness. Many years ago I had an assistant
pastor who came to me and said, "Preacher; you play up your sermons too
much. You make them appear to be more important than they are." Months
later he returned to me and said, "Preacher; I was wrong. You don't play
up your sermons too much. You simply don't play them down."
The Bible has the answer! The truths of the Bible are ingredients of
that answer. They are life and death. The preacher does not have to build
them up; he has to dwell on them in such a manner so he can build himself
up to realize the magnitude of his preaching and the importance of Bible
truths being conveyed to his people. There are no live preachers and dead
preachers; there are preachers who convince themselves of the urgency and
greatness of their calling and there are preachers who do not!
14. Repeat the truth over and over again. You have meditated
upon it, you have placed it at well traveled places, you have sung about
it, you have prayed about it, and you have read about it; now repeat it
over and over and over and over. Let it have the front seat in your mind
so that by the time you walk into the pulpit to deliver it, it will be
the most important event going on in the world at that time.
15. Think of the ways it can help your people. Picture the ways
it will transform their lives. Think of what they can be and do if they
absorb this great truth. This will enable you to realize more and more
the importance of the sermon and its delivery. It will put an excitement
in the voice, an urgency in the message, an electricity in the delivery
and an attractiveness to the audience!
16. Remember that you have only one chance. This will be perhaps
the only time you will preach this sermon to this congregation. They must
get it now or perhaps they will never get it. Many of them will be hearing
this truth for the one and only time in their lives. This realization should
lead you to do your best and give your best as you preach it.
17. Avoid complicated outlines. For example, avoid outlines that
would have Roman numeral one, four subheads; then Roman numeral two, and
under that, four subheads; and Roman numeral three and four subheads. Such
outlining may help to deliver a good sermon but it gives the people too
many truths to retain, and there is too little emphasis on any one truth
in order to force its retention. If, however; such an outline is chosen,
each point should be connected to the main truth being conveyed. If you
have several points, repeat the great truth as you give them. For example,
suppose the sermon for the day is taken from Psalm 1:1-3, "Blessed is the
man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the
way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight
is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth
forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever
he doeth shall prosper." The truth could be "how to prosper always." Now
there are five things listed in these verses that are necessary for our
prosperity: (1) not walking in the counsel of the ungodly, (2) not standing
in the way of sinners, (3) not sitting in the seat of the scornful, (4)
delighting oneself in the law of the Lord (the Bible), and (5) meditating
in the Bible day and night. As each of these points is delivered, the congregation
should be reminded of the truth that we are trying to present; that is,
how to prosper. The preacher could say something like this, "I am preaching
this morning on the subject, 'How to Prosper.' There are five things listed
in these verses that are essential for prosperity. (1) Not walking in the
counsel of the ungodly If you want to be prosperous, you cannot walk in
the counsel of the ungodly If you walk in the counsel of the ungodly, you
will not be prosperous." Notice the constant mention of the word "prosperous"
or some form of it. Always in every point come back to the truth that has
been chosen as the vehicle to take us to the destination.
18. Have the truth that is being emphasized written boldly somewhere
in the outline. Have it underlined or encircled so that one glance
at the outline will allow you to see the truth upon the slightest glance
at the outline. This will keep the main truth before you while delivering
the message.
19. If for any reason, there is no central truth given in the sermon,
have something very memorable to present. If there is no re-emphasis
of the same truth over and over and over again, driving that truth like
a hammer on the head of a nail in the minds of the people, there should
be something in the sermon that the people will never forget. This could
be a startling illustration. I have accepted the fact that the people will
not carry much home with them. One central truth would be a worthy goal.
If there is no such truth emphasized in the message, there should be something
some- where in the delivery of the sermon that is startling enough to remain
in the minds of the hearers as they leave. It could be one statement of
truth. It could be one illustration that is very memorable.
In my sermon, "The Dignity of Man," I build the message around a man
dressed in rags who came to my office the first day that I was Pastor of
the First Baptist Church of Hammond. I tell in that message the thoughts
that went through my mind and the lessons that God taught me through the
old man. As I begin each point, I describe again the old man. He was a
man who had long, shaggy hair that was dirty and matted. His face was dirty
and ill shaven. His neck was caked with filth. His shirt that once had
been white had become yellow. His trousers were too big and were held up
by a rope inserted through the belt loops. The trousers had patches at
the knees. His shoes were worn and old, and there was a slit across each
toe to widen them. His odor was obnoxious!
In this sermon on "The Dignity of Man" from the eighth Psalm, I list
probably a half dozen things that God taught me through that man. Before
each of those points, I describe the old man again as mentioned before.
People who heard that sermon 25 years ago still remember the old man. It
was not a sermon that left one truth, but they never forgot it because
of this one illustration repeated throughout the sermon.
20. If you have a sermon with points, repeat all when the new one
is given. In my sermon, "God's Calls to Soul Winning," the outline
is as follows:
1. The call from within.
2. A call from without.
3. A call from above.
4. A call from beneath.
As I give each point, I remind the listener that each is a call to us beckoning
us to soul winning. When I mention point 1, I simply say, "There is a call
from within." When I mention point 2, I say, "There is a call from within
and a call from without." When I mention point 3, I say, "There is a call
from within, a call from without and a call from above." When I mention
point 4, I say, "There is a call from within, a call from without, a call
from above and a call from beneath." People who heard that sermon a quarter
of a century ago always remember the outline. In my sermon entitled,
"Others," the outline is:
1. Jesus died loving others.
2. Jesus died caring for others.
3. Jesus died saving others.
When this outline is used, not only do I repeat the previous point or points
when I introduce another one, but I also use the song, "Others," as mentioned
earlier in this chapter.
Repetition is one of the most important things in preaching, or for
that matter; in any public speaking. A famous preacher from Scotland said
that the curse of the Scottish ministry is its unwillingness to be repetitious.
Brother Bill Harvey, who was my music director for two years, in describing
my preaching once said, "Jack Hyles is willing to be repetitious of the
obvious." This is why I think that one point sermons are so effective.
The same point is hit over and over and over again. Each time it is hit,
it drives itself deeper into the heart and mind of the hearer.
21. It is often advisable to have the people repeat the points aloud. This will help them remember the outline if there is more than one point
in a sermon. For example, I have a motivational message I preach called,
"Seven Steps to Success." The outline is as follows:
1. A dream.
2. A desire.
3. A decision.
4. A dare.
5. A direction.
6. A dedication.
7. A devotion.
When I bring this message I ask the people to repeat the outline with me
as it unfolds. For example, if I am on point 5, "a direction," I will have
them repeat the first four points along with the fifth point. Not only
do they remember the points, but they remember their order.
22. Do not change your direction while preaching a sermon if you
are feeling like it is a failure. You may be equating failure with
cloudiness of mind. Sometimes you're not following yourself well, but the
people are following you well. A few months ago I was preaching in a southern
state. For the first 15 or 20 minutes of my message I felt that I was not
succeeding. My mind was not clear. I was tempted to change directions but
did not. Soon something happened that got my attention and something I
said excited me and pulled me into the sermon. After the service the pastor
of the church, who is a dear friend, said to me, "Dr. Hyles, I have heard
you preach hundreds of times, but that is the greatest message you have
ever preached in my presence!" Little did he realize that I almost ditched
the sermon in order to flee to another.
One Sunday morning several years ago I was preaching in my own pulpit.
About ten minutes into the sermon I went totally blank. I simply could
not think! For some reason or other I was just unaware of what I was saying.
I became frantic but kept right on plodding through the outline. To be
quite frank, I was afraid I was having a mental problem. When the invitation
came, I was barely aware of where I was. After the service I fled to my
study, threw myself on the floor and begged God to give me a clear mind.
By the time the evening service rolled around I had returned to normalcy.
Several months passed. I was preaching in Atlanta, Georgia. Our oldest
daughter; Becky, and her family were living there at the time. They asked
me to go out to eat with them after the service. While we were fellow shipping,
Becky said, "Dad, I recently heard a sermon of yours on tape that was the
best sermon I ever heard you preach on tape."
I said, "Well, thank you, Puddin'."
She said, "Dad, it was not only the best sermon I ever heard you preach
on tape; it was the best sermon I ever heard anybody preach on tape."
Well, I increased my expression of gratitude to her.
Again she said, "Dad, it was not only the best sermon I ever heard anybody
preach on tape, but it was the best sermon I have ever heard anybody preach
on tape or in person."
"Well," I said, "Puddin', I guess I better know what sermon that is
so I can preach it again." She gave me the title. Was I ever stunned! It
was the sermon I preached a few months before when I lost my coherence.
I could not believe it. I returned to my room that night and praised God
well into the night that He can use simple things to confound the wise
and that it is still true that when we are weak, then we are strong.
Of course, every preacher has his own style of outlining and his own
style of preaching. To be sure, each of us will, on occasion, preach sermons
of different types, but it is the opinion of this preacher that the most
effective preaching is that of determining before you choose a topic or
a truth where you want to go. Picture the invitation. Decide what you want
the people to do. Then find the truth that can be used as a vehicle to
take the hearers to the desired goal. Then over and over again in the sermon
emphasize the same truth, driving it deeper and deeper and deeper into
the hearts and minds of the hearer until it is so indelibly and firmly
positioned in his mind that he not only will respond as you had planned,
but he will never forget the truth and the sermon.
