Over the years I’ve taught preaching in university courses and mentored a number of preaching apprentices and preachers-in-training. This series summarizes some of the most basic yet most useful preaching points I’ve emphasized in these settings.
Preaching point #6: Determine whether this message is aimed at the listener’s head, heart, or hands.
A message is aimed at the head if its primary purpose is to explain information or provide insight regarding an issue or topic. A recent example of this was a four-part series I did on hell. Most of these messages were aimed at the head–tackling four myths our culture believes about hell and explaining what the Bible actually says about hell.
A message is aimed at the heart if its primary purpose is to provide inspiration, motivation or comfort. A recent example of this was a sermon I preached on Jesus’ statement in Jn. 14:6 – “I am the way…” The sermon attempted to comfort people whose hearts were troubled. I told them that even when it seems there is no way out of trying times, Jesus is the way.
A message is aimed at the hands if its primary purpose is to call listeners to action or urge them to change behavior. A recent example of this was a sermon I preached from Col. 3 about putting sinful things to death. At the end of the sermon I encouraged people to write down one sin they’ve not yet put to death and to put that paper in a casket we had on stage.
Most messages will minor in more than one of these three. But the best will major in only one.
Another way of putting this is to ask three questions:
- What do I want the listener to know?
- What do I want the listener to feel?
- What do I want the listener to do?
How about you? As you think about the listener, what are you aiming at?
