Preaching Wednesday: Becoming a Better Preacher (Suggestion Number One)

Every preacher has a favorite preacher. I know a few pastors who admire John Piper, but did you know John Piper also admires a preacher or two himself? John Piper admires Jonathan Edwards. Piper also admires Sinclair Ferguson. He said that if he had to choose a pastor for himself, it would be Sinclair. Tim Keller admires Edmund Clowney, as well as, Dick Lucas.

Is it any wonder great preachers listen to great preachers? So the question is, how can you become a great preacher?

One caveat before I answer this question, even though this small suggestion can/will help you prepare your own sermons and help you become a more engaging preacher of God's Word, this is no substitute for your own hard work as you prepare your sermons. I am not proposing a scheme to plagiarize from these great preachers. I am suggesting that plunging yourself in the realm of great preaching is to help you become a great preacher. But above all, do not sacrifice biblical fidelity to become an engaging preacher. Add to and build upon your biblical fidelity.

With that said, on top of the blood, sweat, and tears comprising the hard work required to be a faithful, Christ-Centered preacher, I believe a helpful key in honing in on your skill is not only to listen to great preachers, but to study how they preach.

Compare, for instance, John Piper, Tim Keller, Sinclair Ferguson, Al Mohler, Mark Dever, CJ Mahaney, Mark Driscoll, Mark Lauterbach, David Fairchild, among many, many, many others. Each preach differently than the rest, yet each are great preachers.

The key is to figure out how each takes the building blocks of a sermon and puts them together; by building blocks, I am referring to various components such as reading of Scripture passages, explanations of passages, illustrations, examples, main points, minor points, connection(s) of Christ, opening statement, closing statement, segues, among other building blocks.

Ask questions such as,

• What building block is he using at this point in the sermon?


• what makes this point so compelling?


• What inflection is he using? Why is he using this inflection?


• What kind of illustration is using to convey his point?


• How many times did he restate his point(s)?


• What are his restatements?

Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list. However, the more you go through this analyzing, the more questions you'll begin to ask. This, in turn, will help you understand how to prepare your own sermons better. Pick a preacher and listen to as many of his sermons as possible. Analyze them and figure out how they function in part and in whole. But don't limit yourself to one or two preachers. Do this with as many preachers as possible.

What other tips and suggestions do you have to enhance your gift of preaching?