Though I preach with the tongues of Wesley and Whitefield, but do not have a sermon worth preaching, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Though I can fathom politics, philosophy and psychology, and though I exegete the congregation, community and culture, but do not have a sermon worth preaching, my preaching is nothing.
Though I preach with clarity, compassion and conviction, and though I illustrate, invigorate and alliterate, but do not have a sermon worth preaching, the congregation gains nothing.
Worthwhile sermons are biblical. They do not simply refer to the Bible. They derive their message directly from it.
Worthwhile sermons are good news. Even if they rebuke or instruct, they do so in the light of the gospel.
Worthwhile sermons are about Jesus Christ. The good news of the Bible is not about the great things that we are doing. It is about what God has done, and what God has promised to do, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And now these three points remain: worthwhile sermons are biblical, they are good news, and they are about Jesus Christ.
Preacher, before you even begin to think about how you deliver your message, ask yourself this about the message itself: Am I preaching good news about Jesus Christ from the Bible?