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How to Trim Your Sermon for Maximum Effectiveness

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Giving your message a good trim can turn a good sermon into a great one. In a great sermon, every word is solid, lean meat; it’s all muscle. You don’t have filler or fluff. Don’t try to squeeze everything into your sermons. It’s important to have far more material than you can possibly use. But make sure every piece of your sermon—from the Scriptures you use to your illustrations and quotes—has a purpose. The point of preaching is transformation, not information. When I sit down to edit a sermon, I focus on the following four areas.

I trim the number of verses I use.

I struggle with this part because I usually collect far more Scriptures than I could possibly use in my sermon. In fact, I often study four to five times as many verses than I actually use. You would probably agree: Once you’ve finished the hard work of studying the Scriptures, it’s tough to give them up. I often lean on my wife, Kay, to be an objective, second set of eyes on the verses I use. When you’re so close to the sermons you preach, it helps to have someone do surgery on the parts you want to keep, then smooth out the rest so your sermon isn’t too long.

I trim background material.

Your members may not be nearly as fascinated by archeology and linguistics as you are. Here’s a rule that has helped me when thinking about background material in my sermons: Do as much background study as you can during your exegesis, but share as little as possible in the message. The background is really more for you than them. Your purpose isn’t to teach them the background of every passage. Your purpose is to change lives. Just because something comes up in the text doesn’t mean you need to explain it in every detail. Your congregation can actually miss the point of the message because you share so much detail and share it all as if it has equal importance. People aren’t looking for information today. They can find information in a simple web search. People are looking for meaning.

I trim my points.

I enjoy reading Puritan preachers because they were so exhaustive. They’d often have more than 30 points in a single sermon. You can’t do that today. Exhaustive sermons will exhaust your congregations, so you’ll need to limit your number of points. Anything you can compress becomes more powerful. That’s why a slogan has more power than a paragraph. If you want a powerful sermon, try reducing the number of points. You may give up a good point, but you’ll make it easier for your congregation to digest the truth. You can’t pile everything into a sermon and expect your congregation to digest it.

I trim my illustrations and quotes.

You water down your illustrations when you stretch them beyond where they need to be. Most illustrations can be either two minutes or five minutes, depending upon how many details you include. To be effective, your illustrations should be as short as possible. Trim your illustrations so they still illustrate the point of your sermon—without any of the fluff. Also, sometimes you'll find an archaic quote with a kernel of truth in it on the Internet or in a book. Don't quote the whole piece. Your congregation doesn’t know who the person is anyway. Just summarize it in a simple 50-word statement. Remember, the length and detail of your sermon doesn’t equate with its depth and value. You’re not simply transmitting information. You’re trying to change lives.

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Faith Before the Miracle

Ministry often feels like standing on the edge of a fast-moving river—uncertain, overwhelming, and too deep to cross. You know what God has called you to do, but the next step still feels risky.That’s where Joshua found himself as he prepared to lead Israel into the Promised Land. God had given him the assignment, but it required courage. That’s why God said not once, but three times: “Be strong and courageous. . . . Be strong and very courageous. . . . Be strong and courageous!” (Joshua 1:6-7, 9 NLT).Fear can keep you from starting.Discouragement can keep you from continuing.But God has already given you what you need to move forward:God is with you. No matter what meetings, hospital visits, hard conversations, or leadership decisions await you this week, you won’t face them alone. “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you” (Joshua 1:5 NLT). God keeps his promises. He hasn’t brought you this far to abandon his work in you or through you. “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance” (Joshua 1:6 CSB).God has called you to this. This isn’t a job you picked for yourself. You’re not in ministry by accident. “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 CSB).When the priests arrived at the Jordan River, God didn’t stop the water in advance. He told them to step into it—and then the waters would stop. He asked them to trust him, not the circumstances.Sometimes the miracle happens after the step, not before.Pastor, is there something you’re hesitating to do because you’re waiting for God to clear the path first? Is there a conversation you’re avoiding, a change you’re delaying, a vision you’ve shelved?Be strong. Be courageous. God has not changed. He is with you.And he’s still parting rivers when his people step forward in faith.

Is God Waiting on You?

Pastor, as you step into another week of shepherding God’s people, remember this: God wants to bless you and your ministry. But he ties his blessings to a condition—obedience.The Bible contains over 7,000 promises where God essentially says, “If you do this, I will do this.”If you confess your sins, I will forgive you.If you call upon me, I will save you.If you obey me, I will bless you.When it feels like you’re waiting on God to move in your church, he may actually be waiting on you—to trust him more deeply, to walk in obedience, and to follow his lead in your ministry.Take Deuteronomy 28:2-6 as an example. Notice the blessings and the condition: “You will experience all these blessings if you obey the LORD your God: Your towns and your fields will be blessed. Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed” (NLT).You may not tend fields or flocks, but you do tend the flock of God. This promise still applies. God will bless your family and the work of your ministry. He will sustain you in preaching, in counseling, in leadership, and in carrying the unseen burdens of your congregation.God not only wants to bless everything you do in service to him—he also wants those blessings to be visible to others. His goodness in your life becomes a testimony to his faithfulness.Psalm 31:19 reminds us: “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you. In the presence of everyone you have acted for those who take refuge in you” (CSB).God already has blessings stored up for you as a pastor—encouragements, provisions, fruitfulness—that he intends to pour out as you walk in obedience.As Ezekiel 34:26 says: “I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing” (NIV).That’s what God wants for your life and ministry: showers of blessing.So don’t miss what he wants to do this week. Lean into obedience. Follow his directions. Trust that he is faithful—and watch him fulfill his promises in your life and your church.

Why Your Quiet Time Is a Pastoral Lifeline

“Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.” Proverbs 8:34 (NIV)Mondays can feel like a deep exhale for many pastors. The adrenaline of Sunday is gone, the sermons have been preached, the conversations had, the crises handled—and now you’re left with both the joy and the fatigue of pouring yourself out for your people.That’s why God’s promise in Proverbs 8:34 is so vital: “Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway” (NIV). He blesses those who daily come to him, not just for personal refreshment, but for the sake of the people they lead. Shepherding God’s flock is never meant to be done on yesterday’s strength.Your “quiet time” is more than a devotional habit—it’s a lifeline. Whether it’s five, 10, or 15 minutes, set aside time today to meet with the Lord. Find a quiet place and ask him, “Father, what do you want to say to me as I lead your people this week?” Bring him the names and needs that weighed on you yesterday. Lay before him the decisions you face.Read his Word slowly, letting him speak through it. Be still enough to listen for his guidance. Let him shepherd you before you shepherd others.For many, mornings are best for this sacred appointment. But if your Monday mornings are slow to start after a long Sunday, don’t force it—find the time of day when you can be most alert to his voice. The key is consistency.Psalm 31:19 reminds us, “How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world” (NLT). That “watching world” includes your congregation, your community, and even your family.When you give God the first and best of your time, he blesses you with wisdom, peace, and strength that overflow into every sermon you preach, every meeting you lead, and every hurting heart you comfort.

When You Hurt But Still Have to Lead

“Since Christ suffered and underwent pain, you must have the same attitude he did; you must be ready to suffer, too. For remember, when your body suffers, sin loses its power.” 1 Peter 4:1 (TLB)Pastor, let’s be honest: When you’re hurting, it’s hard to think about anyone else. That’s true of all of us—it’s human nature. When you’re in pain, everything in you wants comfort. You long for rest. You wish someone would just stop and care for you. And that’s completely normal.But as a pastor, you’re not just called to endure pain—you’re called to minister through it.Jesus models this for us on the cross. In his final, agonizing moments—while carrying the full weight of the world’s sin—Jesus looked around and saw others. He prayed for his executioners: “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing” (Luke 23:34 GW). He gave assurance to a dying thief: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 GW). And he made sure his mother would be cared for.Even while suffering more than we can imagine, Jesus wasn’t consumed by himself. He noticed the hurting around him—and responded with love.Paul tells us to adopt the same attitude: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 NKJV).That’s not easy. Especially when you're leading a church while carrying hidden pain of your own—grief, disappointment, anxiety, or spiritual exhaustion.But with God’s grace, you can lift your eyes. You can choose to see the pain of your people. You can comfort others, even as you wait for comfort yourself.And something happens when you do: Sin loses its grip. The self-centered pull of pain loosens. You become more like Jesus. And your suffering becomes sacred ground where healing begins—for you and for those you lead.So as you start this week, pastor, take heart. Jesus sees your pain. He’s using it. And through it, he’s shaping you into a shepherd who reflects his own heart.You’re not alone. You’re not forgotten. And your pain is not wasted.

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