The One Thing Every Great Sermon Has In Common
Every great sermon has this in common.
Have you ever wondered what separates good sermons from truly transformative ones? The answer isn't found in seminary textbooks or public speaking courses.
A simple yet profound quote revolutionized my entire approach to preaching: "You can preach a good sermon without loving your people, but you will never preach a great sermon without loving them." This insight was like putting on glasses I didn't know I needed, bringing everything into sharp focus. While technical skills matter—proper interpretation, effective delivery, perfect timing—they're merely beautiful wrapping on an empty box when love is absent.
00:00 - Intro
02:31 - Main Thought
05:55 - #1 You Must Love God
07:04 - #2 You Must Love People
07:49 - Think Of It Like This
08:21 - 1st Corinthians
I once heard a quote and it changed the way I see preaching. It changed my entire way of thinking when I plan my sermon. And it wasn't from a seminary class, it wasn't from reading a public speaking book, even though I love to read and learn. Even though I love to read and learn. It actually came from a pastor teaching at a conference and he said this this is so good. He said you can preach a good sermon without loving your people, but you will never preach a great sermon without loving them. And hearing that quote wow. When I hear that quote again, it reminds me. It's like somebody handed me a pair of reading glasses I didn't even know I needed and all of a sudden things come into focus. And all the technique and all the training in the world, as good as it is, to help us see the text clearly, what matters most is that people see Jesus clearly. And when we love, when we truly love like Jesus, people will see him. When we teach or when we preach, that, to me, is the most important thing we can learn as communicators and I know many pastors out there that love to preach. They just don't love the people they're preaching to. They love to preach, they just really don't love those in front of them.
Speaker 1:
Well, here's our main thought for today yes, you can preach a good sermon without love. Yes, you can get the timing right, you can deliver with energy and, yes, you can interpret Scripture correctly. But think about it this way Imagine someone handing you a gift at Christmas. The bow is beautiful, the wrapper is perfect and flawless, and you open the gift and you look down inside with all this excitement and there's nothing there. And that's what preaching without love feels like. It's impressive on the outside, but it's empty at its core, and a good sermon is all it will ever be, because something is missing. It's something you can't measure At its core, and a good sermon is all it will ever be Because something is missing. It's something you can't measure, only something you can feel, and that is love. This is something I've come to understand over my years of preaching. Polished sermons don't move hearts. Love does. Then there are other pastors that I know who preach the same sermon, less polished, but they have a genuine love and a passion for the people they're preaching to.
Speaker 1:
I've seen this happen at a funeral that I was preaching. One time I got up and did my part and I did it well. I had good scriptures, I had a story or two. But the pastor that came up after me, he knew the family very well and when he began to speak you could feel it in the room. His love for them was evident and it's not your knowledge so much as it is the love you have for the people in the room. It's like when my youngest daughter I guess she was around four years old came running up to me on Father's Day around four years old, came running up to me on Father's Day, she handed me a crumbled piece of paper covered in crayons. The words were misspelled, the drawing didn't look anything like me I'm much bigger than that but I didn't care because behind that messy piece of paper was love, and that's all that mattered to me. I'm not going to lie. I might have teared up just a little.
Speaker 1:
And when a preacher loves, it's obvious. It flows through them. You can hear it in their voice. You can hear it in their voice. You can see it in their body language. Everything they say says I love you.
Speaker 1:
The way they preach, it really can't be taught, but it is easy to see. How can we love people when we preach. I'm going to give you two ways to do that today. Number one you must love God. Now that part seems obvious, right, but you can tell.
Speaker 1:
When a pastor isn't close to God the words might be correct, the timing is all good, but everything they say has no weight to it, and I know this to be true. If your own relationship with God is not good, it will be obvious. It will be obvious in the pulpit. When your connection with Him is dry, your preaching will be dry in the pulpit. That's why I believe the first thing we need to do as pastors is not work on the sermon, but work on our relationship with God. That is the foundation of every sermon you will ever preach. The second thing we need to do you must love people. Real love for people will turn any good sermon into a great sermon.
Speaker 1:
When you love your people, you understand them. You know their struggles, their needs, their lives. That changes the way you preach. Your words connect on a deeper level because they come from this core understanding of your people. Think of it like this the way I talk to my wife and my daughters is very different from how I talk to a stranger With my family. I know them, so I know what they need to hear. With a stranger I can be polite, but it's not on the same level. There are many great preachers that I've heard that can spin a great story, turn a phrase. They're engaging, they're amazing to listen to, they're energetic and interesting, but without love they will never reach their full potential.
Speaker 1:
I think Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians. He said if I speak in the tongues of men and angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and I have all faith to remove mountains but have not love, I want you to get this I am nothing. Don't miss this point. Without love, it's all useless.
Speaker 1:
A preacher without love is nothing. You're really just one of the noisemakers out there. You're making a lot of noise but you're not making a real difference. Do you really love the people in front of you? Do you really love the people in front of you? Do you really love them the way Jesus taught you? Or has ministry become so hard that you stand up there every Sunday and you preach angry and frustrated? Maybe you're dealing with your own pride and you're making it about you, when it should be about serving others. Your love for God has to come first, your love for people has to come second, and it should show every time you preach, because here's the truth your preaching might be good, but without love, it will never be great.
