Preachers, do you ever find yourself having the congregation turn to the same book or passages over and over again? Do the same four or five Scriptures always seem to be part of your sermons, week in and week out? Is this type of preaching keeping you and your audience from growing? I think many of us revert back to our “comfort Scriptures” that we have memorized, preached, and know so well. However, when we carefully examine our preaching, it would be good to challenge ourselves and our audiences. Here are some tips for bringing variation into your sermons:
- Read the Bible more. This will help you vary your preaching. Keep reading your favorite books, chapters, and verses, but do not neglect the sum of God’s Word (Ps. 119:160). Read the Old Testament and the New Testament.
- Expand your memory verses. If you have memorized Luke 13:3 and 5, challenge yourself to memorize and quote verses like Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 1:18-19; Acts 3:19; 2 Corinthians 7:8-10; or similar passages. Remember, Revelation 2:10 is not the only passage in the Bible that speaks of our eternal reward.
- Keep passages in their context. Our country does not value the Bible like it once did. The good brethren (and ourselves!) need to be reminded of the context of our passages. When we preach out of the book of Jeremiah, allow Jeremiah to be the primary spokesperson for Jeremiah. Once we clearly know and have taught what Jeremiah did, then expand to other passages which may or may not be our “comfort Scriptures.”
When God’s Word is studied and proclaimed, it is good. Even if we remind of the same Scriptures over and over, God will still bless this preaching. But, if we are willing to examine our preaching, grow in our preaching, and challenge ourselves, then we and our audiences will be blessed!