* Unlocking the Power of the 'Why' in Preaching

Today, we're talking about preaching for life change. The reason some communicators can inspire change and others don't is because great communicators understand the answer to this one question. Think about this. You might have a great outline with great points, but how do you actually deliver a sermon that sparks people to action? Preaching with passion and inspiration is a skill. And it's one of the hardest things to learn when you're starting to preach. But here's the good news there is a way. I listen to sermons every week, including some of the most influential communicators in the world. And every great sermon has this one thing in common this question. So in this video, I'm going to break it all down. This is a proven and powerful question to help you preach for life change. And by the way, I'm Brian Cox, and I've been preaching and teaching for over 25 years, and I've helped many pastors put together some great sermons. All right, let's dive in and talk about this powerful question. Before we can answer this question, we must understand the psychology behind it. I call this first point the mindset principle of motivation. Because mindset shapes everything. It's a simple equation. Mindset plus emotion equals action. In other words, what you think creates what you feel, and what you feel drives what you do. Here's an example. Take flying. Some people love it. Some people are terrified of it. The moment they step on a plane, their mind starts racing. What if this thing crashes? That thought triggers an emotion, which is fear, and fear produces an action. Maybe they refuse to fly and take the bus instead. Their mindset led to emotion, and the emotion led to action. Here's another one. I know someone who believes church and religion are nothing more but a scam. They actually use stronger words than that. So whenever they see a Bible or hear a preacher, it instantly triggers anger and resentment. And what action follows? They refuse to set foot in a church or be a part of any faith community. That's sad. But that's the power of mindset. It shapes your heart, it stirs your emotions, it pushes you into action. Think about it this way: you nor I can read people's minds. That's probably a good thing. But here's what we can do: we can predict people. And if there's one thing I know to be true about people, it's this. People are always thinking about themselves. I'm not being negative. I'm not judging. I'm just being honest. This truth explains a lot about people and why they do what they do. Whether they lean in to listen to you or tune you out completely. In fact, you could say we're all shaped by a mindset, a mindset formed over time. The way we think becomes the way we believe, and those beliefs end up driving every choice we make. To help you understand this on a deeper level, I want to break these mindsets into two categories. There's the positive mindset, and there's the negative mindset. Let's start with the positive mindset first. Here's a good definition. Positive thinking is a mental and emotional attitude that focuses on the bright side of life and expects positive results. For example, every year my family and I go on vacation. And here's the thing: I never have to convince myself or talk my family into going. Why? Because I already know what's waiting for me. Great food, the beach, a book in my hand, time with family and friends. That's a positive mindset in action. I don't dread it, I don't fight it, I look forward to it. Why? Because I know why. And that why creates a mindset that motivates me, then I want to be there. Then there's the negative mindset. Here's a good definition. A negative mindset is a pattern of thinking that focuses on problems, failures, and potential outcomes. Here's how a negative mindset can be good for us, though, and it can motivate us to action. It's like stepping on a scale and realizing all right, it's time to exercise. Getting a bad grade in school, that motivates you to hit the books harder, or even going through a traumatic event that shifts the way you think about life. Both of these mindsets, positive and negative, are what push us to action. Here's another way to say it change your mindset, and you'll change your motivation. As preachers and communicators, we must always keep the mindsets of people in mind with every sermon we create. Think through each point, through each scripture verse, knowing the people who are listening have already been programmed to think a certain way. Our job is to help them see the truth and take action to a better life. That point was super important, but if you don't couple it with this, the magic is lost. I call this the game changer question. When you ask this question correctly, it will make any sermon inspiring. But before I reveal this question, let me ask you this. What makes some leaders' sermons inspire action while others struggle to connect? Think back to time you heard a speaker who really moved you. Chances are it wasn't just because of what they said or how well they explained it. It was because you felt their passion. You caught their why. See, that's the difference in speaking to the head and speaking to the heart. Even 2,000 years ago, Aristotle taught that persuasion connects both. And now science backs that up. Emotions don't just color our choices, they shape our memory and they guide our decisions. So if you want people not only to listen, but to remember and act, you can't just focus on what the how or the what. You have to start with why. Why should they listen? Why this matters to me and why this should matter to you. This emotional part leads to every decision. This idea, this powerful question, this game-changing question is this. Why do they need to know this? Let me say that again. Why do they need to know this? Because the why, it goes straight to our emotions. It can stir up joy, it can stir up anger. Either way, it moves us. And once emotion gets involved, action always follows. Here's the truth. If someone has a why that's bigger than their fear, they'll do it. If someone has a why that's bigger than their fear, they'll do it. And I want to show you an example of how powerful a why can be. I was watching a clip from an incredible comedian, Michael Jr., and he was demonstrating the power of why in his concert. I want to show you that. I think you're going to enjoy it. Watch this.

SPEAKER_02: 9:39

Yo, how do I know? A lot of people, when they think of the phrase, how do I know, they always want to put the what behind it. How do I know what I'm supposed to do? The question that you really should ask is, how do I know why I'm here? Because when you know your why, your what becomes more clear and more impactful. If you know, like for instance, um, people know that I do comedy, but that's what I do. My why is to inspire people to walk in purpose. So I can do comedy, I can write books, I can be in a movie because all of it is motivated by my why. In fact, I have a new uh a new web series out called Michael Junior Break Time. Uh we probably just did the sixth episode. It's on YouTube. So every single Wednesday at 3 o'clock, we drop a new episode on YouTube of Michael Junior Break Time. What it is, is it's me. I travel around the country and I do stand-up comedy, in case you didn't know. And in the middle of my comedy set, sometime I'll stop and just talk to my audience. And we've been filming this, and it's, you know, it's it's pretty cool. So we're in Winston, Salem. I'm gonna show you a clip from Winston, Salem. And I'm just talking to this guy in the audience, and he tells me that he's a uh a musical instructor at a school. So I was like, all right, you're a musical instructor, you know. Can you sing? Let me hear you sing a song. So this is what happened at the last episode of Michael Jr.'s break time. Check it. So you're musical director. Yes, sir. All right, so um, let me get a couple, let me get a couple bars of like uh amazing grace. Can you do the first part of that? Let me go ahead.

SPEAKER_01: 11:29

Like me. That brought a sing. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02: 11:39

Now, won't you give me the version is if uh your uncle just got out of jail, you got shot in the back when you was a kid. I'm just saying, let me see the hood version real quick if you know which version I'm talking about. Just see if that exists. Let me see what you got. Okay. Um here's what I want you to catch. The first time I asked him to sing, he knew what he was doing. The second time, he knew why he was doing it. When you know your why, your what becomes more impactful because you're walking towards or in your purpose.

SPEAKER_00: 13:24

You can just feel the emotion in his singing because he found his why. I know what you're thinking. I'm not that emotional. Okay, but here's the truth: you're more emotional than you think. We are all emotional beings. Let me prove it to you. Have you ever been driving down the road when someone cuts you off? What happened next? Did you wave politely and start singing, oh, how I love Jesus? No, probably not. My guess is you got frustrated. Maybe you whispered a few words under your breath or offered a hand signal that supposedly points people toward heaven. Think about it. We all feel the same six core emotions: sadness, happiness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust. And those emotions, they shape our choices. They can determine who we fall in love with, who we can't stand, the house we buy, or the car we drive. Why do I bring this up? What does road raids have to do with speaking? Simple. Emotion drives everything. It's the single biggest motivator in our lives. Emotion hits us at the heart of our why. Why am I here? What is my purpose? And when you speak to the heart of the people you're teaching, it changes and inspires them. Understanding this about your audience makes it a game changer for your sermons because now you're speaking to the heart, not just the mind. I've read many books on communication. I've listened to hundreds of sermons, and I've come up with this practical way to answer this question, why? I want to show you this. I think if you apply this to your sermons, it will make it easier and simpler to find that answer to why. Some of you may have heard this before. It's an old preacher trick. It's called an acrostic. You take a word, then you use each letter in that word to help you remember something important. I created an acrostic with the word why. I break it down like this. The first letter stands for what truth are you sharing? What piece of God's truth will your audience take with them and hold on to? So let me give you an example. Recently I was preaching from Joshua 1.8. And some of you may know this verse. It talks about when we read and meditate on the word of God, if we'll do that daily, day and night, we will be successful. So after reading that and understanding the context, I came up with this statement of truth. When you read and meditate on God's word, we will be successful and prosperous. That's the simple truth I want my audience to know. That's the gold I want them to carry home. So now that we know this, we move on to the next letter in our word, which is H. And it stands for high stake questions. Next, you must ask these three high stake questions. And when you do this, you'll begin to find your why. You should think about everyone in the room, young, old, from every walk of life. Also keep the two mindsets in mind, the positive and the negative, as you ask these questions. So here's our first high stake question. What's at stake for you as the teacher if you don't apply this truth? You have to own this truth before you can teach this to anyone. You have to live it, not just teach it. Here is our truth again. Let me share it with you. When you read and meditate on God's word, you will be successful and prosperous. You must ask yourself, what does this mean to me personally? Well, here's a few examples. Here's what's at stake for me if I was teaching this sermon, my spiritual walk. If I'm not reading the Bible and I'm not meditating on it, then I can't be effective in my teaching. See, I'm responsible to carry and lead people spiritually. And if I show up unprepared, I could actually point someone in the wrong direction. See, the stakes aren't small, they're real. And that's why for me, preparation, study, personal applications aren't optional. They're essential. Now that I understand what is at stake for me, I move on to the next question. What's at stake for the community? This is our second question. What's at stake for the community? You must make this real for the people you're speaking to. Think about your own neighborhood, your town, your church. What's at stake for them without this truth? I listed a few thoughts on what our community could look like without this truth applied. Without the church, without the Bible, a lack of hope. A community without God can feel dark and empty. Make it tangible. Share examples your audience will recognize. Show them the cost of inaction. What's at stake for the world? Our third question: what's at stake for the world? Step back and see the bigger picture. A lost world, millions of people who may never experience Jesus if we don't meditate and learn and pray on God's word. That's a big deal. If we as Christians don't embrace this truth, the world loses. The world will never know God if the church doesn't step up and embrace the word and live it out. See how that works. Now that I understand what's at stake for me, my community, and the world, now I can get closer to why this matters so much. And you can see once we tie that emotion in with the truth, it's powerful. So let's move on to our next letter in our cross stick, the letter Y. The Y stands for your burden. What if someone listening to you will hear this for the last time? What would you say? A few years ago, I learned this from myself. It was two days before Christmas, 2023. Now, this is a true story. And I was at the church sitting on the stage, just staring at an empty chair or chairs in front of me. And this was the first time I was preaching multiple Christmas services, and I had been rehearsing my sermon for a couple of hours, and I had my main idea, my outline was good. I felt like I had a good plan, but each time I would rehearse, I felt like I was lost. My words were all over the place. I couldn't make sense of what I was saying or trying to say. I was just freaking out. Okay. I had heard many Christmas sermons my whole life, right? How hard could it be? It's a simple story that never changes. Jesus is always born in a manger. Angels sing to the shepherds. The wise men bring gifts. I know what you're thinking. You're a preacher, man. Call by God. Teach. You know? And I'm thinking to myself, I shouldn't feel this way. I know, but I did. I was terrified. I honestly couldn't wait for it to be over. And I hated myself for feeling this way. So I began to pray, Lord, You gotta help me. What is wrong with me? And I sat there for the longest time, just waiting for some kind of clarity. And in that moment, something came to my mind. I remembered a story Andy Stanley told in one of his books, Communicating for Change. His dad, Charles Stanley, one of the greatest communicators of our time, he told Andy, you must have a burden. You can't preach unless you understand the burden. In other words, why do they need to hear this? And that hit me like a ton of bricks because this could be somebody's last Christmas service, their last chance to hear the gospel, their last opportunity to hear that God loves them. And suddenly it wasn't about me. It wasn't about my outline or whether I sounded polished. It was about the people. And I started to picture them a single mom just trying to hold her family together, a teenager crushed by their parents' divorce. This got me here. An older man sitting in grief because he lost the love of his life. Each one of them carrying a mindset of pain and fear or loss. And when I thought about them, when I really thought about them, my heart broke. My passion came alive, and I couldn't wait to preach. And that weekend I was so overwhelmed that I had to hold back tears the entire time because I knew this might be someone's last chance to encounter the love of Jesus. That, my friend, in my heart is the power of the why. What burdens you most about this truth? What's at stake? Let your heart, not just your mind, get involved in this sermon. Before we go today, please take the time to download the worksheet. The link should be in the episode notes. I think it will help you so much when learning and applying this to your sermon prep. And please send me your feedback on the podcast. I would love to hear how this is helping you. Again, thanks so much for listening and remember to speak life with your words.