The One Thing Every Great Sermon Has in Common

The Quote That Changed Everything

This quote reveals to us the one great thing every sermon has in common.

It didn’t come from a seminary class.
It didn’t come from a public speaking book.  

It came from a pastor teaching at a conference, and here’s what he said:

“You can preach a good sermon without loving your people.
But you will never preach a great sermon without loving them."

Hearing those words was like someone handing me a pair of glasses I didn’t know I needed. Suddenly, preaching came into focus. I realized all the training in the world might help me see the text clearly—but only love helps people see Jesus clearly through me.

And that raised the question: Can pastors really preach great sermons without love?

Good Sermons Without Love

The truth is, yes—you can preach a good sermon without love.
You can get the timing right.
You can deliver with energy.
You can interpret Scripture correctly.

And people will walk away saying, “That was good.”

But good is all it will ever be.

It’s like being handed a beautifully wrapped gift. The bow is perfect, the paper flawless. But when you open it, there’s nothing inside. That’s what preaching without love feels like—impressive from the outside, but empty at the core.

Because the one thing you can’t measure, but people can feel, is love.

Why Love Matters

Polished sermons don’t move hearts. Love does.

I remember one Father’s Day when my daughter came running up to me with a crumpled piece of paper covered in crayons. The words were misspelled, the drawing didn’t really look like me—but I’ll tell you what: I didn’t care. Because behind that messy little card was love.

That’s what makes the difference. You can hear it in a preacher’s voice, you can feel it in the stories they tell, you can even see it in their body language. Preaching with love can’t be manufactured or taught—it just flows out of a heart that genuinely cares.

Where Do We Start?

1. Love God first.
That part’s obvious, right? But you can always tell when a pastor isn’t close to God. The words may be accurate, but they’re hollow. When your own walk with Him is dry, your preaching will be too. Great preaching starts not in the pulpit, but in your personal time with God.

2. Love people second.
Real love for people turns a good sermon into a great one. When you love your people, you understand them. You know their struggles, their fears, their needs. That changes the way you preach. Your application lands differently because it comes from care, not just from notes.

Think about it: the way I speak to my wife and daughters is totally different from how I speak to a stranger. Why? Because I know them. I know what they need to hear. And love shapes my words. That’s what happens when pastors preach with genuine love for their people.

The Warning From Paul

Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians 13:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal… If I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

Without love, it’s all useless.
A preacher without love is just noise. Loud, polished, maybe even impressive—but not life-changing.

The Final Question

So let me ask you: Do you really love the people you’re preaching to?

Do you love them the way Jesus told us to love? Or has ministry grown so heavy that frustration, pride, or anger have crept into your sermons?

Your love for God must come first.
Your love for people must come second.
And it should show when you preach.

Because here’s the truth: Your preaching might be good without love. But it will never be great.