Good Preaching

A Good sermon! What makes a good sermon?

Reading: Bible:Acts 2:22-40

Date: 10th June 2001

A preacher should have three principles, first, to make a good beginning and not spend time with many words before coming to the point; secondly, to say that which belongs to the subject, and avoid strange and foreign thoughts; thirdly, to stop at the proper time.
-- Martin Luther

Preaching!! We should all be preaching! But it doesn’t sound right. Has overtones of condemnation. Look at this preaching from Peter. Preaching should be a positive and uplifting experience that we all do. You can tell me afterwards whether this preach is positive, uplifting or …….. neither! Preachers and sermons have an incredibly bad rap don’t they?

It is said that sermons usually remind people of the peace and love of God! it reminds us of the peace of God because it passes all human understanding and it reminds us of the love of God because it endures forever!"

We are all preachers. Well we should be! Sermons should not be confined to church and should be lively descriptions of how God wants to work in our lives.

What tips can preachers and Christians learn from this story?

Peter wasn’t a vicar, but through the strength of the HS he preached. He becomes an orator instantly. Should we be watching out for those times?

Christmas, births, marriages, times of grief, moments of distress, witnessing something awesome, questioning our purpose, criticism of religion, discussion of the weekend on Monday morning!

Something had stirred the interest, these days, either God or us. The crowds had arrived but they did not know it was happening. Natural to speak to them. How do we generate interest?

Peter uses their past, (prophecies) and sin (crucifixion) to get to them, what is our angle? It is a good one!

Language, what language are we talking? Peter speaks their language. What is the language of today. We need the people of Leeds to flock to us saying, wow those Christians speak in a way we understand. They may well be as shocked as the people back then over a miracle. We need the HS and it would be a miracle

Do sermons convict us of sin? They should make us feel bad or mad, people should be converted. Otherwise they are not working.

A sermon must contain meat for mature Christians evangelism and practical application.

At the end the people say, what shall we do? Application

I’d like to give a Modern day version of Peter’s sermon. Here it is.

Men and women of this church, Jesus' suffering and death were not tragic events that happened to a "nice guy," but planned out by God a long time ago as part of his gracious plan to save sinful you and me. God used the evil and wicked acts of sinners like you and me as part of his plan. OK, so these ancient Jewish leaders unjustly sentenced him to death a long time ago. But actually I killed him…… My sins nailed Jesus to the cross……. He died for me…… But look at how God used the bad for my good! He washed my sins away by the bad of the cross ... and it turned out good for me! Therefore, God can use the bad in my life and work it out for good ... even when at the present moment, I can't see how tragic events will work out for my benefit! In the same way Jesus was raised to life, even though the disciples could not see the good consequences through the bad of the moment.

People, I can tell you that this country has produced some famous people over time and many were said to be ‘good’. Many great religious leaders have lived and changed lives,….. but none have changed death……. They are all in their tombs and everyone knows it.

If Jesus did not rise from the dead, the Christian faith is a foolish fantasy. However, if the resurrection of Christ did occur, it confirms His life, message, and the forgiveness of our sin. It is the basis of our hope of life beyond the grave. Jesus is alive, and the evidence is overwhelming.

This resurrection was not a fluke; Jesus actually talked about it. That act was a fulfilment of thousands of years of prophecy. We Christians may not have physically witnessed this resurrection but we know it to be true. Although it is a fantastic story no one has ever proved it false, even at the time it occurred. It is clear from the experiences of Christians that Jesus does what he promises and he promised to rise and he promised to remain with us. Both of these things he has done and his name and his power still have a powerful effect over people in a way that is inexplicable to our modern world.

"Therefore let all of you be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

"Brother, what shall we do?"

"Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call."

NB we are not given a list of what to do, just that we need the HS and then we will know what to do!

Conclusion

How will we preach from now on. Watch for opportunity. Might not be a wind and fire etc.

We will use the people’s own language. Remove religious vocabulary.

We will talk about past and sin, not condemning but convicting.

(by Chris Chorlton)

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