I was asked to do the sermon this Sabbath and I told them that I did not did not feel I could do it as I did not have that particular spiritual gift, others yes but not that one. I could teach and present a lesson with participation of a class, but to give a sermon and be able to make it presentable is of a different level altogether for me. Well I brought together my topic which was on a subject close to my heart which I wanted to share, it was on Christ and I called it 'Understanding Christ, the Son of God'. I worked on it for days which stretched for weeks and took out page after page but it didn't seem to grow smaller, and reshaped it and could not decide on the opening text as so many seemed to apply, and the biggest question was how long it would take to present as I had no idea.

Well I know they would have sat there till I was done, but we have some limits due to other reasons that constrain our time, so I marked some verses to be able to give, and then read so everyone could look them up and some verses just to refer to which most members would know by heart such as "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." and "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me." I presented the sermon and went by what I had prepared and continued till I saw my close friend give a sign that I knew was because of time, and I then brought it to a close without missing any of my main points which I had prepared. My friend had given me a book on sermons and many others had looked over my presentation and given insight and advice, but I had to pray and rely on God to guide me and show me what should be presented.

Has anyone come across a how to on presenting sermons that they would like to share, I know it really can be something helpful for those not given this particular gift for edifying the church.

Brother Rick.

I have seen many "how to"s on giving a sermon, but there is something flawed about learning what should be motivated by the Spirit. I have heard the most eloquent sermons fall flat because someone was reading it from a prompter or piece of paper.

To give a truly great sermon you should have all of the premise firmly established in your heart. A man could be a great lecturer but if he doesn't know the subject it sounds practiced no matter how much you try to sound natural.

The one thing needful of giving a great sermon is prayer.

I have seen pastors go out to the pulpit without ever kneeling before God for His work. This should never be the case. If you truly want the Holy Spirit to motivate others to receive the message, you should give the people plenty of time to pray for God's intervention. Let them know that you are asking for God to do the talking through you. Ask them to pray for you, for God to accompany your words and reach others hearts. This is the most important thing. Then God will provide the Spirit of Remembrance to motivate you to speak a word in due season.

Leave yourself room to speak. Do not time your sermon to the second because then you have to stay to the script. Watching men like Doug Bachelor you can see that he has several main topics in his sermon but he gives himself room to share amazing facts that seem to pop into his mind while in a sermon. This is a perfect approach to giving a sermon that keeps people engaged. Leave at least 30% of your time to touch on points that spring to mind in the process. Don't be a slave to each topic, but Always make sure to bring the topic home.