Servant of the Lord, I want to encourage you through this instruction so that your ministry might fulfill all that
is in the heart of our Father for you.
As you know, you are an important link between the Throne and the pews in your church. God has called
you to deliver His good Word to those who sit at your feet, which is an assignment of divine significance.
What you serve your church family is the topic of this teaching. I want to draw a comparison of your sermon
with the manna that fell from heaven to feed the nation of Israel while they were in the desert. (Exodus 16)
The Bible tells us that the instructions the people received from God were quite explicit; He told them to
gather only what was needed for today and nothing more. In fact, what the people discovered who
attempted to store up more than a day’s ration was that what was good the day before now was less-than-
tasty!
This is not the place to explain the ramifications of faith that are learned from the passage nor the aspects
of obedience towards God, which is also a viable lesson here, but rather to simply look at the nourishment
itself and learn from it. Manna was God’s divine food given to His covenant people. It sustained them fully.
So it is with Truth that you serve from your pulpit. What you serve does spiritually what manna did physically.
Years ago I was preparing for my Sunday morning sermon. I remember heading for one of my file cabinets
(this was before the personal computer with digitalized files) filled with my sermon files, but as I reached for
the drawer there was a check in my spirit. You know that feeling that comes when something is not quite
right and you realize it is the Holy Spirit telling you not to do something. At first it was unclear to me what was
wrong, but it did not take long after praying in the Spirit and seeking God to understand that I was about to
make a mistake, and that mistake was to feed “day-old manna” to God’s covenant people. And we know how
day-old manna smelleth!
I began the practice of developing a file for each sermon and for each teaching because I had seen my
pastor do this. So, all of the research and notes that go into sermon development could be found in these
files. I suggest this as a good practice because it preserves your research for future use. However, what I do
not recommend is that you attempt to preach that sermon you preached (the one that was so very effective
and fruitful) back in April of 1996. What was wonderful then is not a fresh word from God for today. It
touched the hearts of the people and it was used mightily by God to work His work in them, but that sermon
was for then and God wants to do the new thing today. There are different people sitting there now with
different ways of receiving and different levels of spiritual maturity, that is why it makes no sense to try to
use yesterday’s stuff on a different congregation. The topic may be the same and you might even entitle the
sermon the same, but it is very important to receive a fresh revelation from God so you can impart exactly
what is needed in your people today.
You will develop the system that works for you, but I will relay how I do it and hopefully it will help you. First of
all, once I know the general topic or passage the Lord desires for the sermon, I immerse myself in that truth
or passage, asking God to open my spiritual eyes to see deeper into it and I purpose to receive His
understanding about it. Once this spiritual work is complete, I often find myself returning to my sermon files
that deal with the subject at hand. This study of past material helps firm up the foundation of that truth upon
which I will add the present revelation. I do not rely upon what is in the file because I know that there is more
God wants to deliver this time. Not only is the depth of my understanding greater but I have grown and
spiritually matured beyond where I was back in April of 1996; therefore, I fully expect this ”feeding” will far
exceed the former one. It is only then that I actually develop sermon notes or outline. I personally have
never written a sermon to be read word for word. Some of my good friends use this method, and that is OK.
The important thing is to be so fully developed in the present truth that it literally flows from your pores. The
Spirit of God will take care of the delivery.
I might add at this point that herein are we primarily dealing with pastors of local churches. For the itinerate
minister (evangelist, teacher, or prophet) it is different for you. God will more than likely give you “a word for
the Church” that you will deliver over and over again as you administer His truth in various churches and
meetings. Of course, you will discover that even with the same sermon or teaching new revelations and
insights will be added to the body of knowledge you now possess and minister. You should expect your
depth of understanding to expand with each delivery, and thus greater and greater fruit to come from as you
progress.
In training young ministers for pulpit ministry I always emphasize the filling of the vessel over the delivery of
the sermon. I make the same recommendation to you. When you truly know the truth (really know the truth)
you are preaching God can bring forth the message in greater power because He is drawing from the pool
of revelation that is within you, otherwise you are just drawing from head knowledge you possess. I
encourage you to spend less time in preparation of the sermon itself (concerned over how the structure of
the sermon, how it will sound, or how it will be received) and more time on you and on the truth itself. My
experience says that when I am at peak level spiritually and when the truth I am preaching is fully developed
within my spirit and mind, great and wonderful things happen! This approach to sermon preparation usually
takes more time, which is one reason why some might reject it, but I assure you that this is time well-spent.
Another reason to spend this time now is for future benefit. You will undoubtedly preach many more
sermons on this topic or passage in the years to come. The wider the foundation you build today in you, the
greater will be the new revelations through you then.
Please indulge me one more thought on this subject of sermon preparation. Avoid trying to preach another
man’s sermon or using another man’s outline. Each of these is a good source to help establish you in the
present truth, but they fail for you because God did not give them to you. What is produced will be only a
religious activity, and that is not what you are about. Each moment in the pulpit is an extremely important
treasure. Deliver only what He gives you and use the time only under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to
the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Be blessed in your pulpit ministry!
THE FRESH WORD FROM THE LORD
|