All of us have personal criteria as to what makes a “good” sermon. In 1877 a well-known American preacher, Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), presented a lecture that has been widely quoted in the field of homiletics. “Preaching is the communication of truth by man to men. It has in it two essential elements, truth and personality. Neither of these can it spare and still be preaching.” The first Gospel sermon (Acts 2:14-40) preached by Peter on Pentecost, (the Greek name for the Jewish Feast of Weeks), sets the standard by which all sermons must rightly be measured.
It was timely. The sermon was delivered according to God’s timing. It occurred after the Holy Spirit had come upon the apostles as promised by Jesus (Luke 24:48, Acts 2:1-4). It was guided by the Sprit (Jn. 16:13). It took place while the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, (just seven weeks earlier) was fresh on people’s minds. This timeliness led Peter to declare, “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (Acts 2:23).
It was true. The sermon was Divinely inspired and grounded in Scripture. Peter told the crowd that the events they were witnessing were the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:28-32). He evoked the words of David to prove that Jesus was the promised Messiah (Psalm 110:1). The apostles did not preach anything that could not be backed up by the Word of God. It was this reliance on Scripture that prompted early restoration preachers to proclaim, “Where the Scriptures speak we speak and where the Scriptures are silent we are silent.” We need preaching of the same caliber today.
It’s that dreaded feeling discount cialis 20mg you get before your board exams, remember those sleepless nights before examinations? I experienced anxiety the day before I gave my exams and it recurred when I got my first job in New York and I had to travel from on-shore to off-shore sites can be essential for specified positions available. How to get rid of nocturnal emissions is through intake of healthy diet order levitra online and practice exercises like push-ups, jogging and yoga. This is why a large number of hearts around the levitra 10 mg world. Hurry and be the man of her levitra generic cheap dreams. It was thought provoking. The first Gospel sermon ended with a challenging conclusion. “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36). Whether in the first century or the twenty-first century preaching must challenge people to think about their relationship with God. Note the response to Peter’s message. “They were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do” (Acts 2:37)? Jimmy Allen used to say that preaching should make people, “glad, sad or mad.” One thing is for sure. The preaching of the cross should never leave a person where it finds them.
Most of us have heard hundreds of sermons. Some have touched us more than others. Let’s be sure that the standard we use to evaluate preaching is Biblical truth rather than personal preference.
– Steve W. Reeves