It was not my intention to turn my original "Preaching 101" post into a series of any sort. However, as I was meditating on the things of God this afternoon, I couldn't help but dwell on preaching. My memory started to take a little trip recalling various sermons I have heard preached recently, both the good and the bad. As I was meditating, I thought about what really made a sermon good, and what really made a sermon bad. Then my thoughts locked onto some bad preaching I heard recently, and it really made me think, "How could that sermon have been better? What made it bad? What would've made it good?"
Now, by "good," do not think I envision somebody who has outstanding oratorical skills. I do not imagine a sermon that is well planned, though it might be. I do not imagine a sermon that has exactly three points, though it might. I do not imagine a sermon that has stories in it that will make you laugh, and stories in it that will make you cry, though it might have these as well. Rather, I imagine something else altogether.
It occurred to me that one of the last preachers I heard who did rather badly, he constantly talked about "some people" in his sermon. "Some people do this... some people do that..." I remember thinking to myself during that sermon while I was sitting through it, "For God's sake, stop telling me about some people and start telling me about Someone!!!" For good preaching, no matter what subject matter it might be on, no matter what stylistic features may compose it, should ultimately be preaching that is centered around who Christ is and what Christ has done.
For it says in 1 Peter 2:9 "But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" (NASB) We are called, not to preach hell, fire, and brimstone (though we might), or how to be a better husband (though we might), or any other number of things (though we might). It should be clear that our preaching, no matter what topic we preach, is focused on proclaiming the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. For when we proclaim His excellency and His brilliant majesty, people will see just how bad off they are. The Light will shine on their darkness.
Two examples come to mind of this very thing. Namely, that of the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah 6, we read of how Isaiah had a revelation of a thrice holy God to whom the angels would not even look upon. When Isaiah had this revelation, he instantly saw not only his own corruption, but the corruption of the world around him. Or, one could compare it to a rich man living in a mansion inviting somebody who has lived in a trailer park their entire life to come over for dinner. The poor person will not need to be told anything of their condition, for when they see the excellencies of the rich man, they will have a revelation of their own poverty.
Therefore, whatever you preach and however you preach it, take great pains to exemplifying the excellencies of Christ. In doing so, no matter what you preach on, you will expose your hearers to His greatness, which will immediately cause them to see their own lack. Men will forever be lost so long as you proclaim what is wrong with them and what they need to do with their life. However, the lives of men can forever be changed so long as you keep your preaching focused on the excellencies of Him. For when His excellencies are proclaimed, your hearers are thereby called by Him to come out of their darkness into His marvelous light.