As a seminary professor (and a pastor) I spend a lot of time helping students grow and develop as preachers. After hearing a student preach, I will often get coffee or lunch with that student and we will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the sermon and how it can be improved.
Over the years, I have learned to ask students a key question that can reveal a lot about how they are developing as a preacher.
“What did you leave out?”
Most of the time that I ask that question I am met with a blank stare. Students expect to be asked about the content of the sermon—i.e., what was left in. But, they are not prepared to answer the question about what is left out. And there is a reason for that. Often, very little is left out.
One of the key mistakes of young preachers (and even some older preachers!) is to take all that they have learned during their sermon prep and to put it in their sermon. Every exegetical observation, every textual nuance, every connection with OT (or the NT), every analogy or illustration, makes it into the final version.
Of course, this is why sermons from seminary students are known for being extremely detailed, overly technical, and, often quite lengthy.
Why do seminary students tend to do this? Positively, it is because they are textually-oriented. They care about content. They care about theology. They care about getting it right. And these motives are to be commended.
But, if sermons are going to be effective, and if one is going to grow as a preacher, there needs to be another factor guiding one’s sermon prep beyond concern for content. And that something is the congregation.
God calls us to preach the word, to be sure. But he calls us to preach to people. Real, living people. People with a distinctive set of issues, needs, and problems.
And once you have your God-given audience in mind, then suddenly you have a reason to hone, shape, mold and craft the sermon to connect with the people to whom you are preaching. And when you do that, some things get left out. Some points aren’t as important as others. Some illustrations just don’t work.
And this is, by far, the hardest part of sermon prep. It is one thing to sweep together a bunch of information about a passage. It is quite another to shape that content with real people in mind.
Put simply, preachers need to make a distinction between mining and sifting. Mining is the hardcore research that draws the raw material of a passage together. Sifting is the hard work of picking the jewels out of that material that are needed by your congregation.
We do mining because we are textually-oriented. We do sifting because we are people-oriented. Good preachers do both.
It is the same with those who make films. A director may have countless hours of footage at the end of the production process. But, no one puts all their footage into the movie. A good film is due not just to many hours spent filming. A good film is also due to many painful hours spent editing.
When we are done with our sermon prep, we should be surrounded by many good points, observations, and applications that just didn’t make it into the final version. And that is a good thing.
So, what is a key sign of a maturing preacher? Scraps on the cutting room floor.
Larry Whichard says
Well said. I preached John 15:1-11 two weeks ago and tried to cram everything in that sermon. I left the pulpit thinking I gave a lot of information to the congregation but I am not conveinced I made a solid point.
Jacob Gerber says
This is good—thank you for this.
Warren Wiersbe always used to say, “The Preacher’s best friend is the waste-paper basket.”
Lewis says
Love this posting! Years ago, when I was struggling how to fit everything in a sermon, the Lord gave me the picture of a movie editor and 80% of the film on the floor and 20% retained. I shared this with a first-time speaker while he was preparing his first message a couple months ago and he said it helped. Thank you for sharing it here. I’m sure it will be a blessing to many and it has blessed me to be reminded.
Treg Spicer says
Absolutely! I believe much depends on the culture of your congregation. There are some truths that simply would be taught to make me look smart and put my people to sleep!
Jim Pemberton says
The authors of Scripture do this as well. We can see this as the different authors of the Gospel accounts left out some details in an effort to bring to their initial intended readers what was most important for them. So we will see details in one account that aren’t in another account. This is good communication.
Paul does this as well, although it’s harder to discern. However, there are some areas where he is teaching similar things and places details in one that he leave out of another in order to apply it to the particular church or issue that he is addressing.
While sound and thorough exegesis and systematic theology is necessary for a good sermon, the details of these things need not be covered in a sermon. Sermons are ultimately practical theology, not exegetical or systematic theology. Something of it can be mentioned where it’s appropriate, but much ends up left out. I’m reminded of the statement of Morpheus to Neo in the Matrix when they were talking about the Oracle. Neo states, “But the Oracle said…,” and Morpheus interrupts, “She told you what you needed to hear.” Wise advice for pastors crafting sermons. Clear away the brush so the congregation can see the forest. Tell them what they need to hear and save the rest for a small group Bible Study.
Neil Rogers says
Well said! The Saviour Himself was the master of the ‘unfinished’ sermon
John 16:12 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”
I am slowly learning that preaching it mid-week, before Sunday, to a select audience of loving critic(s) can slim down a sprawling sermon into something that nourishes the congregation and does not constipate their souls. The regular preacher can always come back next week and add a teaspoon more.