The church of God is like a tree. Some branches are healthy, bearing much fruit. But other branches become sick and diseased, requiring special attention to be nursed back to health.

Unfortunately, a few branches might be completely dead, and need to be pruned from the tree so they don’t sap energy and corrupt the fruitful parts.

Last Sunday, we concluded a six-month tour through the book of Titus, and saw what it takes to keep a church healthy. Paul closes out his letter with some final instructions and greeting . He asks Titus to come quickly to rejoin him on the mainland, while urging him to deal firmly with any members still in the body who are stirring up division.

Why is unity so important in the Body of Christ? How do we practically exercise church discipline? Click here to listen to last Sunday’s sermon.

Photo credit: bwhile

With Ted Haggard back in the media spotlight, we should all pause to take heed of ourselves lest we too stumble (1 Cor. 10:12).

Mark well these words from 19th century pastor and professor Robert L. Dabney about the preacher and his character…

Without a sacred weight of character, the most splendid rhetoric will win only a short-lived applause; with it, the plainest scriptural instructions are eloquent to win souls. Eloquence may dazzle and please; holiness of life convinces…No counterfeit will avail [in the pulpit], but the living faith and spirituality which are cultivated at the throne of grace, in the chambers of the afflicted and dying, and by the study of God’s word. (Evangelical Eloquence, pp. 263-68)

At the end of a long day, the mechanic looks at the car he repaired, and feels satisfied. At the end of a long season, the farmer looks at the crop he harvested, and feels joy. At the end of a long year, the teacher looks at the children she educated, and feels gratified. But when does the preacher feel a sense of fulfillment?

Hopefully, every preacher does receive regular encouragement from his spouse and parishioners. But I believe our greatest gratification will come when we arrive in heaven. Paul says of the Thessalonians, “For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?” (1 Thess. 2:19) How I long to see my flock standing in the presence of Christ, perfected in glory, and to feel the joy of having been an instrument used by God! But that day is still in the distant future.

Preaching is, by and large, an act of faith. Rarely — if ever — do I immediately see the full fruit of my labor. Nevertheless, over the long haul, preaching is one of the most fundamental and important aspects of my ministry as a pastor.

When I study, pray, and preach, I’m trusting that God will use His Word to convict, convert, encourage, and accomplish all His divine purposes. The results may not be instantaneous, but as the years go by, I can expect that God will progressively sanctify people through the preaching of His Word. Some effects, I may witness in my lifetime. Other effects, I may never see this side of heaven. But this much I know: God will use His Word to bring results:

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (Is. 55:10-11)

I am watching over My word to perform it. (Jer. 1:12)

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor. 1:18)

For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. (1 Thess. 2:13)

These Scriptures help me not to grow discouraged or distracted from preaching. They remind me that I serve God’s people best on Sunday when I serve them a steady diet of God’s Word.

I find that two of the hardest steps in sermon prep are coming up with a sermon title and sermon outline. The sermon title is difficult because it requires creativity, and must be selected early enough in the week to be printed in the bulletin, often before my sermon is actually finished! The outline is tricky because it needs to be clear, concise, memorable, and true to the text. Both of these elements illustrate why preaching is not only a science, but also an art.

Cal Habig on his blog shares four ways to alliterate a sermon outline, which he gleans from a brochure by John Butler:

1. Same Beginning (Letter)
Passion of God’s love: “so”
Perimeter of God’s love: “the world”
Proof of God’s love: “He gave”
Price of God’s love: “gave His only begotten Son”
Prerequisite for God’s love: “believeth”
Protection by God’s love: “shall not perish”
Provision of God’s love: “have everlasting life”

2. Same Beginning (Prefix)
unwanted, unable, unfaithful.

3. Same Ending (Suffix)
Psalm 119: information, obligation, regulation, compensation, adoration.

4. Same Ending (Subject)
Genesis 15:1
Word of God: “Word of the LORD came to Abraham”
Comfort of God: “Fear not”
Shield of God: “I am thy shield”
Reward of God: “I am…thy…great reward”

5. Same Sound (Assonance-Rhyming)

Obviously, alliteration is not always necessary or even desirable. Sometimes it feels downright forced and distracting. But when it can be done in a natural way, I think it is a good mnemonic tool for both preacher and congregation, and brings a sense of poetry and symmetry that is pleasing to the human ear and mind.

And what about sermon titles? Homiletics books don’t usually give much guidance on entitling the sermon, but I did find these helpful principles in Power in the Pulpit, by Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix, pp. 140-42:

• The threefold purpose of a title is to get attention, to reinforce the sermon proposition, and to aid in memory.
• Several qualities that make for an effective sermon title: tantalizes the potential listener; brief and easy to remember; a catchy word or phrase that will stick; appropriate in both taste and integrity; deliverable and realistic in what the sermon will accomplish; relates to the proposition and falls within the scope of God’s Word.
• Types of titles: a key word or phrase that describes the essence of the sermon proposition; an imperative statement that emphasizes an action or command the sermon will put forth; an interrogative statement that the sermon promises to answer; a declarative statement or claim which the sermon proposes to support, sometimes couched in a play-on-words.

To illustrate, here are the last ten sermon titles in a Gospel of Mark series by Steven Lawson. Lawson is pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church, and is probably one of the greatest expository preachers of our day:

• Why You Must Follow Christ
• A Preview of Future Glory
• Silence Commanded and Elijah Coming I
• Silence Commanded and Elijah Coming II
• The Healing of the Epileptic Boy
• Jesus Foretells His Death
• Greatness in the Kingdom
• Jesus Confronts Narrow-mindedness
• Radical Repentance
• Radical Repentance II

Keep in mind, clever outlines and catchy titles never replace the more fundamental elements of prayer, interpretation, exposition, and application of God’s Word. Yet the homiletical outline and sermon title can serve to strengthen the lasting impact of a message.