DEDICATION
To my Saviour, Whose message I preach.
INTRODUCTION
In Anchorage, Alaska; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia;
Atlanta, Texas; Abilene, Texas; Akron, Ohio; Altoona, Pennsylvania;
Allentown, Pennsylvania; Amarillo, Texas; Ashe- ville, North
Carolina; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Augusta, Maine; and Austin,
Texas.
In Baltimore, Maryland; Bangor, Maine; Barbados, West Indies;
Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Beaumont, Texas; Bemidji, Minnesota;
Benton Harbor, Michigan; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Billings, Montana;
Binghamton, New York; Birmingham, Alabama; Bloomington, Illinois;
Bloomington, Indiana; Boise, Idaho; Boston, Massachusetts; Bradenton,
Florida; Bridgeport, Connecti- cut; Brownsville, Texas; Buffalo,
New York; Burlington, North Carolina.
In Casper; Wyoming; Carbondale, Illinois; Canton, Ohio; Cedar
Rapids, Iowa; Champaign, Illinois; Charleston, South Carolina;
Charleston, West Virginia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chattanoo-
ga, Tennessee; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati,
Ohio; Cedar Lake, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio; Colorado Springs,
Colorado; Columbia, South Carolina; Columbus, Georgia; Co- lumbus,
Ohio; and Corpus Christi, Texas.
In Dallas, Texas; Danville, Virginia; Danville, Illinois;
Dayton, Ohio; Daytona Beach, Florida; Decatur; Illinois; Decatur;
Georgia; Denver; Colorado; Des Moines, Iowa; Detroit, Michigan;
Dothan, Alabama; Dubuque, Iowa; Durham, North Carolina; and Durango,
Colorado.
In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Elkhart, Indiana; Elmira, New
York; El Paso, Texas; Erie, Pennsylvania; Eugene, Oregon; Evans-
ville, Indiana; and Evanston, Illinois.
In Fairbanks, Alaska; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Fayetteville,
North Carolina; Flagstaff, Arizona; Flint, Michigan; Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida; Ft. Worth, Texas; Ft. Smith, Arkansas; Ft. Sill, Oklahoma;
Ft. Wayne, Indiana; Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada; and Fresno,
California.
In Gainesville, Florida; Gainesville, Texas; Goose Creek,
Texas; Grand Bahamas; Grand Junction, Colorado; Grand Rapids,
Michi- gan; Greensboro, North Carolina; Greenville, Texas; Greenville,
Mississippi; Greenville, South Carolina; and Gulfport, Mississip-
pi.
In Hammond, Indiana; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Ham- ilton,
Ontario, Canada; Harlingen, Texas; Harrisburg, Pennsyl- vania;
Hartford, Connecticut; Honolulu, Hawaii; Hollywood, Florida;
Houston, Texas; Huntsville, Texas; Huntsville, Alabama; and Huntington,
West Virginia.
In Indianapolis, Indiana; Islamorada, Florida; Iowa City,
Iowa; Irving, Texas; Ingram, Texas; Italy, Texas; and Itasca,
Texas. In Jackson, Mississippi; Jackson, Tennessee; Jacksonville,
Flor- ida; Jacksonville, Texas; Johnson City; Tennessee; Johnstown,
Pennsylvania; Joplin, Missouri; Jacksonville, North Carolina;
Jas- per; Alabama; Jacksboro, Texas; Jacinto City, Texas; Jasper;
Texas; Jefferson, Texas; Jasper; Indiana; and Jeffersonville,
Indiana. In Kahului, Hawaii, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Kansas City,
Missouri; Kansas City, Kansas; Kinston, North Carolina; Knox-
ville, Tennessee; Kokomo, Indiana; Karnack, Texas; Kaufman, Texas;
Knox, Indiana; Kilgore, Texas; Kernersville, North Car- olina;
and Kankakee, Illinois.
In La Crosse, Wisconsin; Lake Charles, Louisiana; Lansing,
Michigan; Lancaster; Pennsylvania; Laramie, Wyoming; Laredo,
Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; Lincoln, Nebraska; Little Rock, Arkan-
sas; London, Ontario, Canada; Long Beach, California; Long Island,
New York; Longview, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Louisville,
Kentucky; Lewisville, Texas; Lubbock, Texas; and Lynchburg, Virginia.
In Macon, Georgia; Marion, Ohio; McAllen, Texas; Medford,
Oregon; Melbourne, Florida; Memphis, Tennessee; Monterrey, Mexico;
Miami, Florida; Midland, Texas; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Minneapolis,
Minnesota; Moline, Illinois; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Monterey,
California; Montgomery, Alabama; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Morgantown,
West Virginia; Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Marietta, Ohio; and Muskegon,
Michigan.
In Nashville, Tennessee; Naples, Florida; Nassau, Bahamas;
Newark, New Jersey; New London, Texas; New Orleans, Louis- iana;
New York, New York; Norfolk, Virginia; Newport News, Virginia;
North Chicago, Illinois; North Aurora, Illinois; New Boston,
Texas; Nederland, Texas; Niagara Falls, New York.
In Oakland, California; Odessa, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;
Omaha, Nebraska; Ontario, California; Ontario, Cana- da; Orange
County, California; Orlando, Florida; Oak Forest, Illi- nois;
Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Ottawa, Kansas; Oshkosh, Wiscon- sin; Oxnard,
California; Ottawa, Canada; Olney, Illinois; Olney, Texas; Orange,
Texas; Oak Park, Illinois; Oak Lawn, Illinois; and Ottawa, Illinois.
In Paducah, Kentucky; Palm Beach, Florida; Panama City, Flor-
ida; Pensacola, Florida; Parkersburg, West Virginia; Pasco, Wash-
ington; Pascagoula, Mississippi; Peoria, Illinois; Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania; Philipsburg, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; Pitts-
burg, Texas; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Port Arthur; Texas; Port-
land, Maine; Portland, Oregon; Poughkeepsie, New York; Powell,
Tennessee; Pueblo, Colorado; and Port Huron, Michigan.
In Raleigh, North Carolina; Rapid City, South Dakota; Redding,
California; Reno, Nevada; Richmond, Indiana; Richmond, Texas;
Roanoke, Virginia; Rochester; New York; Rockford, Illinois; Rock
Island, Illinois; Rock Springs, Wyoming; and Rowlett, Texas;
Rockwall, Texas; Rockaway Beach, Missoun.
In Sacramento, California; Saginaw, Michigan; St. John, New
Brunswick, Canada; St. Joseph, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri;
St. Paul, Minnesota; St. Petersburg, Florida; Salisbury, Maryland;
Salt Lake City, Utah; San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California;
San Francisco, California; San Jose, California; San Juan, Puerto
Rico; Sarasota, Florida; Sarnia, Ontario, Canada; Savannah, Georgia;
Seattle, Washington; Sheridan, Wyoming; Shreveport, Louisiana;
Sioux City, Iowa; South Bend, Indiana; Springfield, Illinois;
Springfield, Missouri; Springfield, Massachusetts; State College,
Pennsylvania; Stockton, California; and Syracuse, New York.
In Tacoma, Washington; Tallahassee, Florida; Tampa, Florida;
Temple, Texas; Terre Haute, Indiana; Texarkana, Texas; Texarkana,
Arkansas; Texas City, Texas; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Tucson,
Arizona; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Tyler; Texas.
In Urbana, Illinois; Utica, New York; University Park, Texas;
and Uvalde, Texas.
In Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Vale, Colorado; Vicksburg,
Mississippi; Victoria, Texas; Visalia, California; Valley Forge,
Pennsylvania; and Vincennes, Indiana.
In Washington, D.C.; Waco, Texas; Watertown, Wisconsin; Wa-
terloo, Iowa; West Palm Beach, Florida; White Plains, New York;
Wichita, Kansas; Wichita Falls, Texas; Williamsport, Pennsyl-
vania; Wilmington, North Carolina; Windsor; Ontario, Canada;
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Winona
Lake, Indiana; and West Hollywood, Florida.
In Youngstown, Ohio; York, Pennsylvania; and Yuma, Arizona,
and in many other cities, villages, towns, hamlets, neighborhoods
and countrysides across the United States I have preached the
blessed truths of God's Word. In addition, I have opened His
Word and preached from it in many foreign countries.
In December of 1985 I preached my 43,000th sermon. It seems
that with the passing of each year I feel I know less about preaching.
This is because perhaps I have learned more. With the opening
of every door; there are many more doors to open; with the exploring
of every cave, there are many more caves to explore; with the
climbing of each height, there are many more heights to climb;
and with the plunging into each depth, there are many more depths
in which to plunge.
The first little church that I pastored had 19 members. The
church which I now pastor has tens of thousands of members. The
smallest crowd to which I have ever preached was seven. Now each
Sunday I have the responsibility of preaching to thousands at
the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. During these 43,000
times I have represented my Saviour before His people and before
those who know Him not. I have observed some things. Some of
these I have remembered. Some of the remembered ones I share
with the reader in this sincere effort to be a help to God's
servants and those who speak for Him.
I make no attempt at being original. I have often said that
the definition of leadership is, "One who goes from follower
to fol- lower collecting ideas, compiles them, puts them in a
book and sells a copy to each follower." It has been my
privilege for many years to travel the length and breadth of
my country. I have met many men of God who have influenced me
in my preaching. I have collected from them ideas and methods,
and now I have compiled them. I share them with you, my readers.
Someone has said that preaching is pouring back in a flood
what you receive from the audience in a vapor. Thank you for
the vapor. I trust that you are refreshed, and blessed and helped
by the flood.
Chapter 1One Great Truth a Sermon
A preacher lives with his sermons all the time. After the
Sunday evening service ends, I spend 15-30 minutes in my office
alone reflecting on the day I relive the services and try to
figure the needs of my people for the next week. Usually before
I leave the study on Sunday night I know the general direction
of my sermons for the next Sunday From that moment forward, I
am planning next Sunday's messages. They are constantly on my
mind as I prepare my mind and heart to meet the needs of my people
on the next Lord's Day
I must remember; however; that my people do not live with
the sermon. They spend only 30 minutes to an hour a week on each
message; whereas it is in my mind constantly Because of this,
I will remember the sermon for many days to come.
A preacher has no choice during the delivery of the message
but to think about it; the people do not have to listen. The
preacher's mind is totally occupied with what he is saying; whereas
the minds of those who hear him range from being totally aware
of what he is saying to being totally unaware of what is being
said. During the course of a sermon most of the people will no
doubt at least partially listen, but their occupation with the
sermon can in no way compare to that of the preacher.
These things mean that the preacher may never forget the sermon
whereas most of the people will soon forget it. Therefore, I
believe that the fondest hope that a preacher can have concerning
retention of his sermons is to attempt to leave one great truth
a sermon in the minds of his people. The average person will
not remember much of what the preacher has said. Most people
will not remember his outline. The preacher has done well who
leaves one great truth in the minds of his people as they leave
the service for their dwelling places. This is my goal when I
preach.
How may this be done? This chapter is totally devoted to meth-
ods and means that will cause the people, the congregation, to
carry with them from each message one great truth which they
will never forget.
1. Picture the invitation and the one thing you want to happen.
Decide on the one thing that you want the members of the congre-
gation to do or to begin to do because of the message. In other
words, plan first the destination. Then plan the best way to
arrive at that destination. It may be a message on stewardship,
the purpose of which is to inspire the people to be good stewards
of their lives, their time, their talent and their money Maybe
it will be a message on faithfulness, the goal of which is to
inspire the members to attend faithfully the services of the
church. It may be a message on prayer during which the pastor
wants to impress his people to make definite decisions concerning
their prayer lives. The wise pastor will decide early the one
thing he wants his people to do, the one decision he wants them
to make, and the one destination to which he hopes to take them.
This, I think, is necessary to the delivery of a good sermon.
The purpose of preaching is not that of delivering a good sermon.
The purpose of preaching is that of delivering a great truth
that will inspire the parishioners to perform a great service.
2. Decide what truth will make it happen. You have already
decided the destination. Now choose the vehicle and the route
that will properly take you to that destination. This is the
truth that must be emphasized over and over again during the
message so as to imprint indelibly in the minds of the hearers
the one great truth that will convey them to the destination
you have chosen for them.
3. Write it down and look at it. Confirm to yourself that
the decision that you want the hearers to make can be inspired
by the truth that you plan to deliver. Be convinced that the
truth will be the proper vehicle to deliver the congregation
to the desired destina- tion.
4. Decide what you think that truth will make happen. First
you have chosen the desired goal and from that choice you have
chosen the truth that will lead the congregation to the desired
goal. Now forget the goal-- look only at the truth. Decide to
what destination that truth will lead. If this destination coincides
with your original destination, you have no doubt chosen the
proper truth.
This is like checking mathematics. When a person multiplies
3 times 9, he gets 27. When he divides 3 into 27 and gets 9,
this proves that his multiplication was proper. When the pastor
starts with the destination and determines what truth will lead
him to that destination, then takes the truth and determines
to what destination it will lead, and finds that they coincide,
he no doubt has found the one great truth that he should emphasize
throughout his sermon.
5. When convinced both ways, decide on the truth to be deliv-
ered.
6. Use the time between this decision and the time of the
preaching of the sermon to convince yourself of the importance
of the truth that you have chosen. By the time the sermon is
delivered the pastor must be totally sold on the fact that he
has the answer. He must be totally convinced that the truth he
is going to deliver is desperately needed by his people and that
their lives will not be complete without the absorption of this
great truth. This is perhaps the key to the delivering of a message.
The pastor must be con- sumed with the idea that this is the
answer and without it his people will flounder in at least one
area of their Christian lives. It must be life or death to him!
He must feel that the delivering of this truth is the most important
thing going on in the world at the time of its deliverance. He
must magnify this truth in his own mind all week so that when
he stands to speak he will be consumed with its importance.
The person who sees a burning house has no problem or thought
of his delivery when he warns the inhabitants of the danger they
are facing. No preacher has preached well until his message becomes
in his own mind life-changing and life-transforming to his people.
Hence, he must utilize wisely the time between the choosing of
the truth that he will soon deliver and the delivering of that
truth. He must be totally consumed with the importance of the
message.
7. Write the truth and place it at several well-traveled places.
If, for example, the truth is "Total surrender to God brings
happiness to the individual," he should write those words,
make copies of them and have them at well-traveled places. Put
a copy on the door of the refrigerator; at the telephone, on
the mirror in the bathroom, on the windshield of the car; near
the dial of your watch and other places that are a part of your
daily schedule.
8. Set times to do nothing but think of the importance of
the truth to be delivered on the Lord's Day Perhaps at least
15 minutes several times a day should be given to such meditation.
At this time sell yourself on the importance of the truth you
have chosen to deliver; dwell on it, convince yourself that it
is vital to the spiritual well-being of your people.
9. Place the truth at the top of your prayer list. Every time
you go to the throne of grace you will be reminded of your sermon
for Sunday and you will pray fervently for God to help you to
convey properly to your people the truth that He has led you
to choose in order for them to arrive at the destination which
He has chosen for them.
10. As you pray, picture in your own mind the invitation on
Sunday Picture one person kneeling at the altar to make the decision
that you feel he needs to make. Fervently ask God to lead you
to present the truth in such a way that this picture in your
mind of the invitation can become a reality.
All of the things that are being listed now are parts of a
recipe that is to convince the preacher of the importance of
the sermon he is going to deliver. He must be consumed with the
desire to help his people. He must be carried away with the awareness
that the truth that he has chosen is the vehicle that God can
use to give this help. He must be lifted out of himself and above
himself and be swept up by this great truth caused by a burning
desire to see his people make the decision in their hearts that
he feels is so necessary to their lives and spiritual growth.
11. Choose a song that conveys the chosen truth, and sing
it often throughout the week. It could be a familiar song. For
exam- ple, if the destination chosen is that of leading your
people "to decide to be unselfish" and the truth chosen
to lead them to that destination is "living for others,"
the pastor could have as his theme song for the week that beautiful
little song, "Others." He could sing throughout the
week those beautiful words, "Lord, help me live from day
to day in such a self-forgetful way, that even when I kneel to
pray, my prayer shall be for others. Others, Lord, yes others.
Let this my motto be: Lord, help me live for others that I may
live like Thee." This song can be used of God to help His
man to lose himself in the message he is to deliver to His people
the next Lord's Day
It has been my policy for many years now to choose a song
for the day Early in the morning I choose a song that I plan
to sing all day I hum it, whistle it and sing it throughout the
day until it becomes sometimes even a subconscious activity.
Usually this song will be one that deals with the truth of my
message for the next Sunday For example, if my message for the
next Sunday is on total commitment, I may sing all day one day,
"Jesus I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee."
The next day I may sing, "All to Jesus I surrender."
These songs lead me to dwell on the truth that I have chosen
as the vehicle to lead my people to the destination that I feel
is best for them.
Sometimes I will make up a little song that will help me to
think about the truth I am to deliver. Recently I was going to
preach on Proverbs 3:6, "In all thy ways acknowledge Him,
and He shall direct thy paths." I wrote a little chorus
using the words of this great verse. Once I was going to preach
on coming boldly to the throne of grace. I wrote a little song
entitled, "Come Boldly" This helped to keep my mind
on the truth that I want to transfer into the minds of my people
on the Lord's Day
12. Read all you can about this truth. Acquaint yourself with
every tool possible that will enable you to convey better this
chosen truth to your people in order that they may arrive at
the chosen destination.
13. Think of its greatness. Many years ago I had an assistant
pastor who came to me and said, "Preacher; you play up your
sermons too much. You make them appear to be more important than
they are." Months later he returned to me and said, "Preacher;
I was wrong. You don't play up your sermons too much. You simply
don't play them down."
The Bible has the answer! The truths of the Bible are ingredients
of that answer. They are life and death. The preacher does not
have to build them up; he has to dwell on them in such a manner
so he can build himself up to realize the magnitude of his preaching
and the importance of Bible truths being conveyed to his people.
There are no live preachers and dead preachers; there are preachers
who convince themselves of the urgency and greatness of their
calling and there are preachers who do not!
14. Repeat the truth over and over again. You have meditated
upon it, you have placed it at well-traveled places, you have
sung about it, you have prayed about it, and you have read about
it; now repeat it over and over and over and over. Let it have
the front seat in your mind so that by the time you walk into
the pulpit to deliver it, it will be the most important event
going on in the world at that time.
15. Think of the ways it can help your people. Picture the
ways it will transform their lives. Think of what they can be
and do if they absorb this great truth. This will enable you
to realize more and more the importance of the sermon and its
delivery. It will put an excitement in the voice, an urgency
in the message, an electricity in the delivery and an attractiveness
to the audience!
16. Remember that you have only one chance. This will be perhaps
the only time you will preach this sermon to this congrega- tion.
They must get it now or perhaps they will never get it. Many
of them will be hearing this truth for the one and only time
in their lives. This realization should lead you to do your best
and give your best as you preach it.
17. Avoid complicated outlines. For example, avoid outlines
that would have Roman numeral one, four subheads; then Roman
numeral two, and under that, four subheads; and Roman numeral
three and four subheads. Such outlining may help to deliver a
good sermon but it gives the people too many truths to retain,
and there is too little emphasis on any one truth in order to
force its retention. If, however; such an outline is chosen,
each point should be connected to the main truth being conveyed.
If you have several points, repeat the great truth as you give
them. For example, suppose the sermon for the day is taken from
Psalm 1:1-3, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the
counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor
sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the
law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not
wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." The truth
could be "how to prosper always." Now there are five
things listed in these verses that are necessary for our prosperity:
(I) not walking in the counsel of the ungodly, (2) not standing
in the way of sinners, (3) not sitting in the seat of the scornful,
(4) delighting oneself in the law of the Lord (the Bible), and
(5) meditating in the Bible day and night. As each of these points
is delivered, the congregation should be reminded of the truth
that we are trying to present; that is, how to prosper. The preacher
could say something like this, "I am preaching this morning
on the subject, 'How to Prosper.' There are five things listed
in these verses that are essential for prosperity. (1) Not walking
in the counsel of the ungodly If you want to be prosperous, you
cannot walk in the counsel of the ungodly If you walk in the
counsel of the ungodly, you will not be prosperous." Notice
the constant mention of the word "prosperous" or some
form of it. Always in every point come back to the truth that
has been chosen as the vehicle to take us to the destination.
18. Have the truth that is being emphasized written boldly
somewhere in the outline. Have it underlined or encircled so
that one glance at the outline will allow you to see the truth
upon the slightest glance at the outline. This will keep the
main truth before you while delivering the message.
19. If for any reason, there is no central truth given in
the sermon, have something very memorable to present. If there
is no reemphasis of the same truth over and over and over again,
driving that truth like a hammer on the head of a nail in the
minds of the people, there should be something in the sermon
that the people will never forget. This could be a startling
illustration. I have accepted the fact that the people will not
carry much home with them. One central truth would be a worthy
goal. If there is no such truth emphasized in the message, there
should be something some- where in the delivery of the sermon
that is startling enough to remain in the minds of the hearers
as they leave. It could be one statement of truth. It could be
one illustration that is very memora- ble.
In my sermon, "The Dignity of Man," I build the
message around a man dressed in rags who came to my office the
first day that I was Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond.
I tell in that message the thoughts that went through my mind
and the lessons that God taught me through the old man. As I
begin each point, I describe again the old man. He was a man
who had long, shaggy hair that was dirty and matted. His face
was dirty and ill- shaven. His neck was caked with filth. His
shirt that once had been white had become yellow. His trousers
were too big and were held up by a rope inserted through the
belt loops. The trousers had patches at the knees. His shoes
were worn and old, and there was a slit across each toe to widen
them. His odor was obnoxious!
In this sermon on "The Dignity of Man" from the
eighth Psalm, I list probably a half dozen things that God taught
me through that man. Before each of those points, I describe
the old man again as mentioned before. People who heard that
sermon 25 years ago still remember the old man. It was not a
sermon that left one truth, but they never forgot it because
of this one illustration repeated throughout the sermon.
20. If you have a sermon with points, repeat all when the
new one is given. In my sermon, "God's Calls to Soul Winning,"
the outline is as follows:
1. The call from within.
2. A call from without.
3. A call from above.
4. A call from beneath.
As I give each point, I remind the listener that each is a
call to us beckoning us to soul winning. When I mention point
1, I simply say, "There is a call from within." When
I mention point 2, I say, "There is a call from within and
a call from without." When I mention point 3, I say, "There
is a call from within, a call from without and a call from above."
When I mention point 4, I say, "There is a call from within,
a call from without, a call from above and a call from beneath."
People who heard that sermon a quarter of a century ago always
remember the outline. In my sermon entitled, "Others,"
the outline is:
1. Jesus died loving others.
2. Jesus died caring for others.
3. Jesus died saving others.
When this outline is used, not only do I repeat the previous
point or points when I introduce another one, but I also use
the song, "Others," as mentioned earlier in this chapter.
Repetition is one of the most important things in preaching,
or for that matter; in any public speaking. A famous preacher
from Scotland said that the curse of the Scottish ministry is
its un- willingness to be repetitious. Brother Bill Harvey, who
was my music director for two years, in describing my preaching
once said, "Jack Hyles is willing to be repetitious of the
obvious." This is why I think that one-point sermons are
so effective. The same point is hit over and over and over again.
Each time it is hit, it drives itself deeper into the heart and
mind of the hearer.
21. It is often advisable to have the people repeat the points
aloud. This will help them remember the outline if there is more
than one point in a sermon. For example, I have a motivational
message I preach called, "Seven Steps to Success."
The outline is as follows:
1. A dream.
2. A desire.
3. A decision.
4. A dare.
5. A direction.
6. A dedication.
7. A devotion.
When I bring this message I ask the people to repeat the outline
with me as it unfolds. For example, if I am on point 5, "a
direction," I will have them repeat the first four points
along with the fifth point. Not only do they remember the points,
but they remember their order.
22. Do not change your direction while preaching a sermon
if you are feeling like it is a failure. You may be equating
failure with cloudiness of mind. Sometimes you're not following
yourself well, but the people are following you well. A few months
ago I was preaching in a southern state. For the first 15 or
20 minutes of my message I felt that I was not succeeding. My
mind was not clear. I was tempted to change directions but did
not. Soon something happened that got my attention and something
I said excited me and pulled me into the sermon. After the service
the pastor of the church, who is a dear friend, said to me, "Dr.
Hyles, I have heard you preach hundreds of times, but that is
the greatest message you have ever preached in my presence!"
Little did he realize that I almost ditched the sermon in order
to flee to another.
One Sunday morning several years ago I was preaching in my
own pulpit. About ten minutes into the sermon I went totally
blank. I simply could not think! For some reason or other I was
just unaware of what I was saying. I became frantic but kept
right on plodding through the outline. To be quite frank, I was
afraid I was having a mental problem. When the invitation came,
I was barely aware of where I was. After the service I fled to
my study, threw myself on the floor and begged God to give me
a clear mind. By the time the evening service rolled around I
had returned to normalcy. Several months passed. I was preaching
in Atlanta, Georgia. Our oldest daughter; Becky, and her family
were living there at the time. They asked me to go out to eat
with them after the service. While we were fellowshipping, Becky
said, "Dad, I recently heard a sermon of yours on tape that
was the best sermon I ever heard you preach on tape."
I said, "Well, thank you, Puddin'."
She said, "Dad, it was not only the best sermon I ever
heard you preach on tape; it was the best sermon I ever heard
anybody preach on tape."
Well, I increased my expression of gratitude to her.
Again she said, "Dad, it was not only the best sermon
I ever heard anybody preach on tape, but it was the best sermon
I have ever heard anybody preach on tape or in person."
"Well," I said, "Puddin', I guess I better
know what sermon that is so I can preach it again." She
gave me the title. Was I ever stunned! It was the sermon I preached
a few months before when I lost my coherence. I could not believe
it. I returned to my room that night and praised God well into
the night that He can use simple things to confound the wise
and that it is still true that when we are weak, then we are
strong.
Of course, every preacher has his own style of outlining and
his own style of preaching. To be sure, each of us will, on occasion,
preach sermons of different types, but it is the opinion of this
preacher that the most effective preaching is that of determining
before you choose a topic or a truth where you want to go. Picture
the invitation. Decide what you want the people to do. Then find
the truth that can be used as a vehicle to take the hearers to
the desired goal. Then over and over again in the sermon emphasize
the same truth, driving it deeper and deeper and deeper into
the hearts and minds of the hearer until it is so indelibly and
firmly positioned in his mind that he not only will respond as
you had planned, but he will never forget the truth and the sermon.
Chapter 2The Outline
There are two things that the preacher sees as he delivers
his message. He sees first his people and second, his outline.
Only one of these can he control-the outline. Sometimes the people
Will inspire him as he speaks; sometimes they will not. So the
only predictable thing that catches his eye as he speaks is his
Outline. Hence, it is vital that the outline do the purpose that
it is intended to do. Different preachers use different types
of outlines.
One day I was sitting talking to Mrs. Billy Sunday, whom we
affectionately called 'Ma" Sunday. She was telling me about
Billy Sunday. I asked her what kind of outlines he had. She told
me that each letter in his outline was an inch tall. I asked
her why, thinking perhaps that he had poor vision. She told me
that his letters were so big because: (1) He seldom came near
the pulpit, and as he would run by he glanced at his outline.
The letters had to be big in order for him to read them while
running by (2) The big letters made him speak louder. In other
words, the fact that the letters were written an inch high put
him in the shouting mood, and he liked to preach With enthusiasm
and a loud voice.
For 22 years I traveled extensively with Dr. John R. Rice
and shared pulpits across America with him. Over 2200 times he
and I have sat on the same platform together and preached on
the same program. Dr. Rice did not use old outlines. He would
use sermons that were old, but right before each sermon he would
outline his message again! It would be the same outline that
he had used many times and the same sermon that he often preached,
but he always outlined it again just before preaching it. We
were in Ohio together. I was noticing just before the service
that he was outlining his sermon. I asked him why he did that.
He replied that it helped him to keep his mind on the sermon
and to remember the outline if he wrote it down right before
preaching it. It made it fresher in his mind.
Some great preachers use simple outlines of less than one
page. Some use many pages of outline. I am thinking of one of
America's greatest preachers whose sermons sometimes have thirty
pages of outline. My sermons are usually from two to four pages
of outlines. They are not usually typewritten but rather are
written in longhand.
This is the most important paragraph in this chapter. It deals
with the purpose of an outline. AN OUTLINE IS PRIMARILY TO PUT
THE SPEAKER IN THE SAME FRAME OF MIND WHILE PREACHING AS HE WAS
WHILE PREPARING AND STUDY- ING. A preacher goes to his study.
He prepares his message. The Bible begins to burn in his heart.
His message baptizes him with its truth. He is lifted to the
heavenly places. He cannot wait until the time comes for its
delivery so he can share with the congregation the great truths
and great experiences he enjoyed while walking with God in his
study Then the sermon time comes. He stands to speak. The truth
does not seem nearly as sweet; the Scripture no longer burns
in his soul; he is disappointed and that sermon that he had so
anticipated preaching becomes drudgery instead of delight. What
has happened? He has failed to transfer the spirit of his study
to the pulpit. He has failed to realize that the only tool he
has while he is in the pulpit to remind him of the ecstasy of
the study is his outline. Because of this, the outline and its
purpose is not only to capture the truths that the preacher learned
in study but the spirit and joy with which he learned them. The
outline is to remind him not only of what he learned but how
he learned it. It is to carry him back to the same joy and thrill
of preparation and transfer it to the delivery. His failure was
caused by his unawareness of the purpose of his outline. He thought
that the outline was simply to remind him of what he learned.
This it did. He did not realize that the outline was supposed
to remind him of the spirit he felt while he was learning it.
So the outline fulfilled the purpose that the preacher had for
it, but its purpose was not large enough.
When the preacher looks at his outline from behind the pulpit,
it should remind him of the great truths he has learned, but
it also should remind him of the heavenly places in which he
walked while he learned those truths so that he may not only
transfer the truths he learned alone to the people but he may
transfer the heavenly places in which he walked while he learned
those truths.
With that in mind we will examine the outline.
1. The first thing at the top of the outline should "grab"
the preacher. It must get his attention. The first part of the
sermon is not primarily for the preacher to get the people's
attention but for the preacher to get his own attention. If the
pastor can get his own attention, the people will listen. People
love to listen to someone who is listening to himself, someone
who is caught up in his message and is totally involved in the
truth he is presenting. If he can get his own attention, the
attention of the people will come. This is the reason I rarely
use humor in the introduction of a sermon. Now I may use it in
the introductory remarks before I begin the sermon, but once
the sermon is begun I rarely use humor in the introduction. I
want to use something that will lift me out of myself and totally
involve me in the sermon. It is important that my mind not be
on two things. It should not be on the sermon and also wondering
how I am doing. It should not be on the sermon and wondering
if the lady in the middle section is going to carry her baby
out or sit there with him during the entire service. I must be
totally lost and involved in the message. If I get involved and
the people know it, they will get involved.
In my sermon "Is There Not a Cause?" I begin as
follows: "Several years ago I was on an airplane flying
to the south. It was a flight with a stopover in Lexington, Kentucky
On the one-hour flight between Chicago and Lexington, I looked
across the aisle and saw a familiar face. I turned and spoke
to him and asked, 'Sir, aren't you Adolph Rupp?' He replied in
a beautiful southern drawl, 'Yes, suh, I am Mr. Rupp.' (Adolph
Rupp was for many years the coach of the University of Kentucky
basketball team. During his career his teams won more basketball
games than those of any other college coach in history.) I said,
'Mr. Rupp, I have been for a long time a fan of yours. My name
is Jack Hyles.' He replied, "Yes, suh. I have read of you.
You pastor that large Baptist church near Chicago.' For almost
an hour we talked together in a delightful and stimulating exchange
of ideas. We landed in Lexington and said goodbye. I got off
the plane to take a walk and go to the washroom. I was washing
my hands at the lavatory when I looked over and saw that Mr.
Rupp was washing his hands at the lavatory next to mine. I said,
'Mr. Rupp, could I ask you a question? I understand that you
will soon retire because of the mandatory retirement at the age
of 70.' A tear invaded his eye as he said, 'Yes, sub. Soon I
will have to retire.' I asked, 'Mr. Rupp, what do you plan to
do when you retire?' A tear escaped his eye as he replied, 'Sub,
I guess I'll just die.' Several months later Mr. Rupp retired.
Not long after his retirement I picked up the sports page of
the Chicago Tribune to see the big headlines which read, 'ADOLPH
RUPP IS DEAD!' Why did he die? He died because he had lost his
cause-that thing for which he got up in the morning, that thing
that lifted him above himself that made him forget himself, that
pulled him out of himself in which he lost himself-it had been
removed. He had lost his cause!"
That is the introduction to my sermon, "Is There Not
a Cause?" Now it may or may not be a good introduction as
the reader sees it, but it is the kind of introduction that gets
my attention. By the time I finish that introduction, I am ready
to preach on the subject, "Is There Not a Cause?"
In my sermon, "Others," I get my attention as follows:
"Many years ago in the city of London, England, the Salvation
Army was conducting its annual convention. The giant auditorium
was filled with delegates, but for the first time in the history
of the Army its founder and leader, General Booth, was unable
to attend. He was old, nearly blind and in poor health. Gloom
spread across the floor of the convention as the delegates realized
that for the first time they would conduct their annual convention
without the presence of their leader and founder. Someone suggested
that General Booth send a message to be read at the opening session.
This he agreed to do. When the moderator engaged his gavel to
the podium he said, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, as I call to order
the annual convention of the Salvation Army, I regret to inform
you that our leader and founder, General Booth, is for the first
time unable to attend. He has, however, agreed to send a message
to be read at this time, as follows: Dear Delegates of the Salvation
Army Convention: Others. Signed, General Booth."
Now, this may not get the attention of my congregation, but
this illustration always gets my attention. When I use it, I
am ready to preach. It puts me in the right frame of mind, captures
me and loses me in my sermon.
In my sermon, "The Lust of the Holy Spirit," I begin
as follows: "Months ago in the city of Seattle, Washington,
I was enjoying a time of Fellowship at a luncheon of Christian
workers. After the luncheon there was a question-answer session
where the pastors and full-time workers were allowed to interrogate
me. One pastor asked this question, 'Dr. Hyles, what in your
opinion are the four spiritual highlights of your life?' Now
normally I would not answer a question that involved such a lengthy
answer, but for some reason that day I did answer that question.
I said, 'The first spiritual highlight in my life took place
in August of 1937 when I, as a little lad nearly 11 years of
age with bare feet and ragged clothes, received Christ as my
Saviour. The second great highlight of my life took place on
New Year's Eve just before the dawn of 1944 when as a timid,
introverted teenager I felt the call of God to preach the Gospel,
and now for these many years I have been proclaiming the message
around the nation and around the world and, yes, around the block.
The third great highlight of my life took place on the grave
of my father after he had died a drunkard's death. I returned
to the grave and threw myself face down upon the dirt that covered
it and stayed there until God did a work in me. I believed then
and believe now that that was the first time in my life I was
filled with the Holy Spirit. The fourth great event of my life
took place when I was a young preacher. I was pastoring a little
country church in east Texas. It was 6:05 in the morning. I was
standing in an empty auditorium preaching from behind the pulpit
on my morning broadcast called, 'The Old-Time Religion Broadcast.'
I was speaking that morning on the indwelling presence of the
Holy Spirit. Up until that moment, however, I had never spoken
to the Holy Spirit. I had never told Him I loved Him; I had never
asked Him to guide me. I knew He lived in me. I knew Romans 8:9;
I Corinthians 6:19, 20, etc., so theoretically I knew the truth,
but practically I had never experienced fellowship with the Holy
Spirit. That morning, suddenly for the first time in my life,
the Holy Spirit became more than an influence; He became a Person
to me! I began to tremble while I was speaking. When I finished
the broadcast I knelt behind the microphone and apologized to
the Holy Spirit for neglecting Him through the years and told
Him that I would never do so again. I got on my knees beside
my little car that morning and told the Holy Spirit to guide
me what route to take home for breakfast. After breakfast I begged
Him to lead me to know what route to take back to the office
and from that happy day until this, I have never neglected the
Holy Spirit in my life, even for one entire day I always talk
to Him, tell Him I love Him and seek His guidance."
Now this introduction may or may not capture the attention
of the audience, but it captures my attention, and once my attention
is captured, the audience will listen.
2. Do not worry about how many points there are in the outline.
I am basically a one-point outliner, but I know some great preachers
who are not. Dr. John Rice had many points. An example of this
is his famous sermon, "The Sevenfold Sin of Not Winning
Souls." My good friend Dr. Bob Gray uses points and sub-points.
That wonderful soul winner, Dr. Jim Vineyard, often has as many
as 25 points. The important thing is that you fit it to yourself
with whatever you are comfortable.
3. Use different type outlines as far as writing is concerned.
For example, if I preach on Heaven, I make the Outline orderly
and beautiful. I may type it or print it very carefully or write
it with the best of script. This is because Heaven is orderly
and beautiful. If I preach on Hell, I will scribble the outline
and make it messy If I preach a hard sermon, I will often use
a bold magic marker to remind me that I am to be bold.
If I preach a soft sermon, I will use a fine-line pen.
If I preach a commencement address, I will make an immaculate
outline.
If I preach a sermon in which I want to become excited, and
in order to remind myself that I was excited in my study, I will
underline the main points or capitalize them. Bear in mind, the
purpose of this outline is to carry the spirit that I had in
the study to the pulpit. If I was excited in the study, something
in the outline should remind me of that excitement. If I was
tender in the study, something of the outline should remind me
of the tenderness. If I wept in the study, something in the outline
Should remind me of how I felt at the time I prepared my message
and my heart.
When I have an illustration in my outline, I write the abbrevia-
tion, "Ill." to remind me that this is an illustration.
If I have an especially good idea that I want to set apart
in my outline, I will put a circle around it.
I always put a bold line between points. This line is very
bold to let me know that one part of the sermon is ending and
another part is beginning.
When listing things, I always number them. This makes it easier
for me to keep my place in the list.
When I want to whisper in my message, I use tiny writing.
When I want to shout, I use bold print. Bear in mind that the
purpose for the outline is to transfer the spirit of the study
to the pulpit. It is so much easier to get excited when alone
with God and His Word than it is when standing in front of hundreds
or maybe thousands of people. This is not being hypocritical
or mechanical; it is being honest. You prepared the contents
of your message in the study; your outline is to remind you of
what you learned. You prepared your heart in the study; the outline
should remind you of what you felt, and it should help you to
feel that same sweet fervency that you felt when you were alone
with God in the study
When using familiar illustrations, I just put a word or two
that remind me of them and circle them in my outline. For example,
I have mentioned so many times in my sermons the death of my
drunken father, I will just write the words, "Dad's death,"
and put a circle around them in the outline. I often use the
illustration of the Sunday school departmental superintendent
who told me when I was five years of age that Jesus loved me.
Her name was Mrs. Bethel. When I put that in my outline, I simply
write the words, "Mrs. Bethel," and encircle them.
I also write out my text at the top of my outline and encircle
it. This is not just the reference but the very words of the
text so I can refer to them easily and remember them readily
If I am using a one-point sermon, I will write down that point
several times throughout the outline so as to remind me to keep
emphasizing and repeating that single point that I am trying
to stress.
4. I use an 8 ½ x 11 piece of paper for my outline.
I fold it and place it in my Bible. This covers two pages. In
other words, when the Bible is open, the page to the left and
to the right are covered with outline. Then I draw a bold magic
marker line down the center to be sure that the pages are divided
in my mind.
5. Let your outline tell you how you felt as you prepared
it. If while I was studying, I wept over a certain truth, I may
preface that truth in my outline with a statement like this,
"Nothing moves me to tears faster."
If I was unusually excited about a truth in my study, I may
put in my outline a preface to that truth like this-"Thank
God I can still get excited about If something irritated me in
my study, such as some sin that is so prevalent, I may preface
that statement with, "Nothing upsets me more than.
If I get happy in my study and want to laugh because of the
goodness of God, I may remind myself in the outline that I laughed
at that particular point.
If at a certain time in my study I was overcome with thanksgiv-
ing, I may put in the outline something like this: "Thank
God...."
I simply want to deliver to my people from the pulpit what
God delivered to me in the study I want them to feel what I felt.
I want them to be thrilled as I was thrilled, to be moved as
I was moved, to weep as I wept, to rejoice as I rejoiced, and
to share with me the ecstasy of the experience that I had of
walking with God as He gave me His message for my people.
6. Wait until you are moved and have entered into the heavenly
places before you make your outline. No outline should be made
coldly, but only after God has moved the heart of the preacher.
If you make your outline on the mountaintop, you will identify
it from the pulpit with the mountaintop.
Hypocrisy is twofold: If you express something you do not
feel, that is hypocrisy Likewise, if you feel something you do
not express, that is hypocrisy Not only should the sermon transfer
the facts learned in the study but the emotions enjoyed in the
study The outline can remind you of both; it should call to your
mind what you learned and to your heart how you felt so that
you may accurately transfer the feeling of your heart when you
became acquainted with the truth to the people so that they may
have the same feeling when they become acquainted with the same
truth.
7. Outline your sermon no earlier than 48 hours before it
is preached. If you do this, it will be fresher and it will be
easier for the outline to fulfill its purpose.
8. If using an old outline, read and reread it right before
preaching. As mentioned elsewhere in this manuscript, Dr. John
Rice always re-outlined his messages right before preaching.
This is a good idea. However, if this is not done, it certainly
is wise for the preacher to read and reread his outline so that
it may be fresh in his mind when he walks in the pulpit.
9. Use ditto marks in a list. Suppose, for example, that in
the outline you are listing some things for which you are thanking
God. Do not write for each thing the words, "I thank God."
Write the words, "I thank God," for the first one and
put ditto marks under those three words down through the outline.
This will make the outline a little bit less messy and less confusing
while you are preaching.
10. Write yourself instructions on your outline. Suppose you
have a certain Scripture in your outline that you feel the people
should read with you. Then beside the Scripture write some words,
like, "Read in unison," or "Entire congregation
to read." Suppose that there is a Scripture that you want
the congregation to quote with you. You may forget that while
you are preaching. Write it down in the outline.
There may be a Scripture that you want to look up and read
to the people. Make yourself a note like this: "Look it
up." In other words, if there are certain things that in
the study you feel the Lord is leading you to do while you preach,
make a note of them. To be sure, while a person is preaching
the Lord may lead him to do certain things, but it is my feeling
that the Lord can lead better while you are on your face before
God in the study than while you are on your feet before your
people in the pulpit. This is not to say that God does not lead
in the pulpit. It is simply to say that God also leads in the
study
11. It is often good to use verses that outline themselves.
There are some verses that just form an outline, such as these:
II Chronicles 7:14, "If My people, which are called by My
name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and
turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heav- en,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." John
14:12, "Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth
on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works
than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father." John
5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My
word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, bath everlasting life,
and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death
unto life." John 3:16, "For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Psalm
1:1-3, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel
of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth
in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of
the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And
he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not
wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Romans 8:28,
"And we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."
Each of these verses outlines itself. For example, look at
the outline in II Chronicles 7:14.
I. The people's part.
1. Humble themselves.
2. Pray
3. Seek God's face.
4. Turn from their wicked ways.
II. God's promises.
1. He will forgive their sins.
2. He will heal their land.
The same is true with Psalm 1:1-3. Notice the natural outline.
I. Man's part.
1. Walk not in the counsel of the ungodly
2. Do not stand in the way of sinners.
3. Do not sit in the seat of the scornful.
4. Delight in the law of the Lord.
5. Meditate in the Bible day and night.
II. God's promises to that man.
I. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters.
2. His leaf also shall not wither.
3. Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Now go through John 5:24; John 3:16; and Romans 8:28 and let
them outline themselves. Before doing so please note that the
purpose of these Scriptures is to try to get God to act. That
means the outline should emphasize what man can do in order to
propel God's action.
Years ago a very old man was a member of our church, and he
passed away I was called to his bedside. The last words the old
man said before his spirit was taken to the presence of his Saviour
were these: "Thank you, Preacher, for walking with God all
these years and telling me on Sunday what God said." This
cannot be done unless the walking with God while we are alone
is transferred to the pulpit while we stand in front of the people.
The only things we have that will transfer the spirit of the
study to the pulpit are the memory and the outline. The memory
is often clouded by circum- stances in the service, but the outline
can be and should be a reminder of the heavenly walk that we
enjoyed with God during our hours of preparation and research.
for the outline to remind us of that walk is not critical; but
to deliver with a cold heart and dry eyes the message that was
received through tears and a burning may be!
Chapter 3Preparing to Preach
It is time to preach. In a few minutes I will be representing
God as His man before His people. I am to deliver His message.
I am about to walk to the platform. I must remember to walk correctly
I must remember to stand correctly I must remember to sit properly
I am now walking through the door. I am praying a simple prayer.
"Lord, help me to preach today as if it were the last sermon
I would ever preach."
I must take time to remember how much I wanted this in days
gone by I must remember that I am where I wanted to be. I must
remember how I felt when I was sitting in the pew. I must remember
that I am God's man. I must realize that I may not have many
more times to do this. I must give my best. I must give my all.
lam about to do something that angels covet. I am appearing in
Christ's stead. I am His representative. I am His ambassador.
I must not forget it.
I am now standing on the platform. The scene has begun. In
just a few minutes I will be doing~ the most important thing
that a human being can do on earth, ~so I must spend the time
between now and then to prepare.
1. I must examine the pulpit. I must see and decide where
I can place my hands or if I can place my hands on the pulpit.
I must decide what to do with my hands before I preach. If the
pulpit is too high for me, I would be wise just to stand behind
it with my hands beside me or clasp behind me; or' I could use
my hands for gestures, but it would not be a help to me to place
my hands on the pulpit if it is a tall pulpit and obviously built
for a taller preacher than I.
I am about to represent God. I must do it properly I must
not be intimidated by a pulpit.
2.1 must observe the platform. I hope it is about six inches
high for every ten feet of depth in the auditorium. If it is
a low platform, I must speak a bit louder, be a bit more dynamic
and more assertive because I will be in a position not conducive
to leadership. If the platform is too high, I must say something
early in my message that will identify me with the congregation
so that I will not feel too far removed from them. I am God's
man. I must give my best. I must be my best. I must do my best.
I am representing God. I am His ambassador. I must be prepared.
In a few minutes I will be standing between the living and the
dead. "Oh, God, help me to prepare myself."
3. I must check how far I am from the people. I wish that
the front row were within seven feet of me as I speak, for it
is harder to interact with the people if they are far from me.
It is more difficult for the pulpit and pew to communicate if
the people are at a great distance from me. If there are more
than seven feet between me and the audience, I must realize that
I will not be as aware of their response. I must not plan on
a response, for distance has divided the speaker from the people.
I must remember that I may not be able to hear their "Amens."
I may not be able to hear their laughter as easily as I could
if they were closer to me. If they are ten feet or more away
from me, it might be more difficult for me to preach. Maybe I
should consider preaching a familiar sermon, one in which I can
totally lose myself and be more oblivious to the audience response
and participation. I am God's man. I must leave no stone unturned.
The time is getting closer when I am to preach. The choir is
singing. Soon will come the offering; then the special number;
then I will enter into the holy place and represent my God. "Oh,
God, may I give my best, be my best and do my best."
4. I must check the lighting. I wish it were a bright, cheerful
auditorium so I could easily see the people and feel apart of
them, for when I feel identified with the people, I can best
represent my Saviour, for He certainly identified Himself with
the common man. I must remember that if the lighting is subdued,
I will not be able to see the people as well. I will not know
as quickly of their laughter. I will not see them nodding their
heads in agreement. I must remem- ber that most of my inspiration
must come from within because the dim light has separated me
from the congregation. "Oh, God, help me to be Your man
today This is the only Sunday morning sermon that these people
are going to hear today I am their only chance to receive God's
message. Please help me. I yield myself to Your Holy Spirit and
present my body a living sacrifice. Please use me."
5.1 must check the temperature. If it is too warm, I must
realize that the people could become a bit drowsy and they may
fall asleep more easily while I preach. They will not be as alert
as they would be if the building were not uncomfortably warm.
No doubt it will be a little more difficult for me to keep their
attention. Perhaps I should use a touch of appropriate humor.
I must be a little more dynamic in my presentation and delivery,
and maybe I should consider keeping my message a little more
brief. "Oh, God, do not let the warm building hinder me
from delivering Your message, and do not let the warm building
hinder the people from receiving Your message. You have given
me a truth to give them that is vital. It could revolutionize
their lives. Give me wisdom as I seek to blend and adjust to
the various circumstances of the service."
6. I must check the shape of the auditorium. I must decide
with which people to make eye contact. I realize that if the
auditorium is big, there is no way that I can have eye contact
with everybody If the building is very long and narrow, I would
be wise to preach mainly to the front half of the congregation.
This will keep my eyes pointing toward the entire congregation,
but I must be aware mainly of the front half. However, I must
be sure to project my voice so that the last row can hear me.
If the building is fan-shaped, my body must not oscillate
offen- sively I must decide to keep eye contact basically with
the two center sections, with an occasional glance to the sides.
I realize that it would be unwise for me to constantly be oscillating
from side to side, but I must make everyone feel a part of the
service. However, for the sake of the message, my main contact
will be with the two center sections. If there is a center section
and no center aisle, I must then give most of my attention to
the three center sections.
"Dear God, if I am placing too much emphasis on mechanics,
it is a sincere mistake. I want to be today what You want me
to be, and I want the people to hear and understand Your message.
I have spent hours preparing my message. I have spent hours preparing
my heart. Now I must not allow circumstances to prevent the message
from being transferred from my heart to the hearts of the people."
7. I must check the crowd. I must watch during the announce-
ments to see if they are responsive. If they are, perhaps we
can have some interaction while I preach. I can ask them questions
and expect some "Amens" and laughter. I am trying to
decide now whether it is best for me to use them to help me in
the presentation of the sermon. It may be best for me to realize
that they are not responsive and not depend on them at all for
help during the message. At any rate, I pray, "Dear Lord,
I want my inspiration mainly to come from You. May Your Holy
Spirit fill me. May Your love engulf me. May Your grace sustain
me, and may Your people hear me!"
If the crowd is small, I must not be discouraged, for it is
an honor beyond measure for me to deliver a message even to one
person. I must be aware that all of Heaven is watching, that
that cloud of Heavenly witnesses is observing!
I must remind myself of what God has done in the past in a
small gathering. I must remember that little crowd that gathered
in Atlanta, Georgia, many years ago, but one person in that small
crowd was named Curtis Hutson, who has become one of Amer- ica's
greatest preachers.
I must remember that small gathering in Kankakee, Illinois,
where it would have been easy to be discouraged, but I must remember
that one of the few people there that night was a young man named
Wally Beebe, who has become one of America's great preachers
and has influenced millions to attend church and hun- dreds of
thousands to come to Christ.
I must remember that the great message in John 3 on the new
birth was preached to one man. I must remember that the great
message of John 4 on the living water was preached to one woman.
I must remember the small beginning of the Fulton Street prayer
meetings and of Moody's revival in England. I must remember that
only 120 prayed before Pentecost. I must remember that the entire
destiny of mankind was changed by a little group of disciples
who followed Jesus and heard Him speak.
I must not depend on the crowd for my inspiration. If they
do inspire me, I must let that be bonus, but I must be inspired
by the fact that I hold in my hand the eternal Word of God. There
lives in my body the eternal Spirit of God, and I have in my
mind and in my heart and in my soul a message from the eternal
God, even the true and the living God. I am about to stand between
the living and the dead. That is enough to inspire me. If the
people choose to add to that inspiration, well and good, but
the inspiration of the God Whom I represent, the message which
I preach, and the fact that I am standing between the living
and the dead is all the inspiration I really need. I must remember
not to let the crowd lead me; I must lead them. I must not let
them discourage me. I must not let them divide my mind and get
it off of my message. "Oh, God, the offering is being taken.
The time is getting closer. It is becoming difficult to wait.
I long to present Your message. May I do it in Your power, and,
dear God, if I am being too finicky, forgive me, but I just want
to be sure that nothing distracts or hinders me from conveying
the truth that You have for these people to them through Your
servant."
8. I must fall in love with these people. I am looking around
now. I see down in the front some older ladies. "God, bless
them." I wonder what they have done this week. I imagine
that this trip to church is the highlight of their week. "May
I be what they need." Back in the back I see some teenagers.
"Dear God, it will be difficult for them to listen. Please
help me to use every tool at my disposal to keep their attention.
Some of them may wreck their lives this week if they do not hear
Your message. Help me as I present it.
"Dear God, I see numbers of men in this room who are
viously laboring men. They have worked hard this week. This is
their only day off They have chosen to use it to hear me preach.
I notice that some of them have greasy hands. They have toiled
hard all week. They need to hear from Heaven. May I be the vessel
this morning that will allow them to do so.
"Dear God, I see a little crowd of people back in the
back who are singing with their hands. They are deaf Tell them
that I love them. Near them I see some people who have canes,
and they don't seem to be facing me exactly They must be blind.
Convey to them my love. Dear God, there are some little children.
A 45-minute sermon seems like hours to them. Help me to so represent
You that it will be easy for them to listen. Let me be simple
enough so that the smallest child can understand me, and yet
may my message be profound enough so that it will challenge the
most mature Chris- tian. lor the next few minutes, God, I will
be looking over the audience and loving them. Oh, by the way,
I thank You for them. Please help me to be what they need today"
9. I must not be distracted from my message. I must keep on
course. I must use that part of the service that will help my
message and be oblivious to that part of the service that will
not help. I must not allow anything to offend me or upset me.
I must not develop a spirit of criticism about any part of the
service.
10. I must be careful about my stance. Dear God, sometimes
it is easy for me to slouch a bit and oftentimes I shift my weight
from one foot to another. I must be careful to stand like Heaven's
representative should stand. I must not carelessly lean too much
on the pulpit. I am sure that I can better represent You if I
stand up straight and equally distribute my weight on both feet.
11. l must be careful with my eyes. I remember how Mother
used to tell me to be careful about people who had shifty eyes.
I believe that sincerity will care for this, but I must not look
to the ceiling while I preach or spend too much time looking
to my outline. I must have a straightforward look as I preach.
12. I must be careful about the use of my hands. I must not
fiddle with something on the pulpit. I must use my hands for
gesturing or keep them comfortably on a part of the pulpit, hold
them to my side, or clasp them behind my back. "Dear God,
I hope You're not thinking now that I am emphasizing little things
too much. I remember reading one time that someone said to Michelangelo,
'You spend too much time on trifles.' Michelangelo replied, 'Trifles
make perfection, and perfection is no trifle!"'
13. I hope lam dressed properly "Of course, God, it is
too late now, for I cannot change clothes this late, but I hope
that I am dressed appropriately I am aware that young men who
are God's representatives must be a bit more conservative than
the average young man. Help me always to be appropriate in my
dress. I have not worn anything new today because I do not want
to have my mind on my clothing, nor do I want my apparel to detract
from the message that You have given me for my people today"
I must consider my voice, my speech and my pronounciation.
I must remember that the larger the crowd the slower the speech
should be. I notice that the song leader makes larger gestures
as he leads the singing when the crowd is larger.
14.1 must be conscious of my facial expressions. I must remem-
ber that the smaller the crowd, the easier it is for me to use
facial expressions; but in a large crowd, facial expressions
are less effec- tive. I also must take into consideration the
lighting and the distance of the people from the pulpit. I also
must take into consideration the width of the center aisle. If
it is too wide, my eye contact will not be as good. I must be
aware of this so as not to be disappointed if the response is
not what I want it to be.
"Dear God, it is almost time. The people are waiting.
I have prepared my heart and my message through the week. I am
trying now to prepare myself so that I may be the best representative
for You that I can possibly be."
15. 1 call on someone to pray, I must remember the size of
the audience. Can he be heard if he prays from the altar? Can
he be heard from the place where he is sitting? If not, I must
remember to call him to the platform and have him lead us in
prayer behind the microphone. The same is true with testimonies.
16. I must be proper in my pulpit behavior. I must remember
to participate in the singing. I must be careful not to talk
to those on the platform. It might show an indifference to the
service and lack of respect for others who are on the program
and a part of the service. I must stand when the congregation
stands or I might cause a distance to develop between us.
"Dear Lord, I understand that You can overcome any circum-
stance, interruption or inconvenience. I just want to be sure
that I do not cause a hindrance in the service."
I remember when I used to preach on the streets. We had no
pews; we had no piano; we had no organ; we had no public address
system; we had no pulpit, and I remember how You blessed. I remember
how I used to stand in the back of a little pickup truck and
preach to crowds. Ah, what sweet memories!
I remember that time when in an evening service all the lights
went out; I preached in total darkness, and over 20 people got
saved in a small church in south Texas!
I remember the brush arbors with the mosquitoes and the ex-
treme heat with people sitting in their cars around the edge
of the arbor listening to the sermon.
I remember the time when the PA. broke when I was preaching
to 5,000 people, yet what a good service God gave us.
I remember preaching at the Bill Rice Ranch years ago, back
in the days when their tabernacle was open on the sides. As I
stood to preach, a torrential rainstorm came. I remember how
nobody could hear, but dear Dr. John Rice simply walked outside
and lifted his hands up and the rain stopped. I remember how
sweet the service was, and then I remember when Dr. Rice came
back in, he looked at me and said, "I took care of it while
you were preaching, now you go outside and care for it while
I'm preaching!" He had that impish, little-boy type grin
on his face. God bless him. I loved him so much, and I have so
many sweet memories that are built around him.
I remember that tabernacle in Ft. Worth, Texas, that was built
just for revival meetings. Dr. Harvey Springer preached one week,
and I preached the other. I remember that night when a cold front
came through. My, was it ever cold! The tabernacle had no heat,
but somebody borrowed a gas heater and placed it in the back
in the middle of the tabernacle. Only ten people showed up that
night in that 1000-seat tabernacle, and all ten of them were
gathered around the heater, holding their hands over the top
in an effort to get some warmth! Nothing went right! There was
no piano; there was no pianist; there was no organ; there was
no organist! Only the pastor, congregational song leader and
I were on the platform, and I remember that I was preaching that
night on Hell. I thought perhaps that would warm the service
up somewhat. Nobody looked at me! It appeared that no one was
listening, but I went ahead and preached the entire message as
if the tabernacle were filled, while the little crowd of 10 people
gathered around the heater in the back. I remember leaving the
service thinking I had been a total failure and that I had wasted
my time.
Years passed. I was preaching in Birmingham, Michigan, in
an afternoon service. A tall, good-looking young man stood to
intro- duce me. He said, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my
privilege to introduce you to Dr. Jack Hyles. He doesn't know
it, but it was through his preaching that I was saved. Years
ago he preached a week of meetings in a big tabernacle in Ft.
Worth, Texas. One night a cold front came through. Only ten people
showed up, and they gathered around a little heater in the back.
I was one of the ten. Dr. Hyles did not think that any of us
were listening, because we were all looking at the heater and
trying to keep warm, but I'll never forget his sermon! He preached
on the subject, 'To Hell and Back.' I got saved that night. I
didn't go forward in the service to profess publicly my faith,
but I was saved that night. I would like for Dr. Hyles to know
that I love him and I would like to thank him for being faithful
in preaching in a 1000-seat tabernacle when only 10 were present,
and they were gathered around a little heater in the back."
I remember that time in Garland, Texas, when we had a big
tent service on a Sunday morning; 3,163 people were there and
right in the middle of the sermon the back row of the choir fell
off. There had been faulty construction of the risers for the
choir!
Then I remember that time when I was preaching to several
thousand people at the First Baptist Church of Hammond. It was
Sunday night; the building was packed, and suddenly about a third
into the message a well-dressed man stood up in the back, ran
about halfway down the aisle and made the time-out signal. He
called time out! One of the security guards came and took him
to the back and asked him what he was doing. He said, "That
fellow has preached long enough." In spite of it, God blessed
in that service.
Then I remember that tuberculosis sanatorium in Tyler, Texas,
where as a young preacher I used to go every Thursday night and
preach to the dying. I remember how some Thursday nights we would
have conversions and then find them missing the next Thursday
night when we returned. They had passed away during the week.
"What I am saying, Lord, is that I know that You can
overcome circumstances and difficulties, but in spite of this,
I don't want to be a difficulty. I want to be my best. Lord,
I have the idea that the only difficulties You overcome are those
that are beyond our control. I have an idea that when we cause
them You are not as ready to overcome them."
17. I must be very wise concerning any child that might mis-
behave or baby that might cry. Of course, the best thing to do
is to have adequate nursery facilities and ask the people to
please leave the babies in the nursery, to have trained ladies
in a clean, sanitary place. I must remember not to let a baby
destroy the service. I only hope the pastor has trained the people
to remove the child imme- diately when he misbehaves.
I hope that the children have been trained not to walk in
and out of the service while the sermon is being delivered.
I trust that the ushers have been properly trained to sit
down during the sermon, for they, like all of us, need preaching
too. I hope that they will not disturb by moving around during
the sermon. I hope they will not be doing such unwise things
as counting the attendance while I'm speaking. I trust the pastor
has not been so unwise as to have someone out of the services
counting money "Oh, God, I want everybody to hear my message,
or should I say, Your message."
I hope there is not a telephone nearby that when it rings
can be heard in the auditorium.
I hope that the people are trained not to interrupt the service
by calling folks out of the auditorium. I hope that they realize
the most important thing in the world is the preaching of God's
message and that nothing should interfere with that preaching.
"Dear God, I hope that no one is carelessly using a tape
recorder that might interfere with the service. Now, Lord, if
any of these things do happen, I'm going to deliver Your message
anyway, and I believe that You can and will overcome obstacles
unless we are the obstacles. Don't let me be a hindrance in any
way in the delivering of Your message today, and dear Lord, please
help the fellow who has that video camera not to be interrupting
during the sermon. Help him to sit down and listen like everybody
else. There are so many folks behind him that will be distracted
if he moves around during the sermon.
18. I must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. "Help
me to use humor in good taste. Remind me to be proper in every
way and not to be presumptuous in my opinions of people in the
audience."
I remember that time in Mesquite, Texas, while I was preaching,
a lady was grimacing on the second or third row from the front.
All during the sermon she made faces and grimaced. I thought
she was angry. I told the pastor alter the service to watch her.
I thought she was a troublemaker. The pastor smiled understandingly
and said, "Brother Hyles, that woman is not a troublemaker.
She has a husband who beats her every time she comes to church.
Tonight he beat her across the back. While you were preaching,
her back was bleeding and her blouse was sticking to her back.
The reason she was grimacing was that she was in pain."
To think I judged her as being a troublemaker when she was simply
suffering for her Saviour!
"Now, Lord, if hindrances come, I will accept them. I
will not be offended. If I can correct them, I will. If I cannot,
I will do my best through them, but I just do not want slothfulness
to cause hin- drances. This is Your hour. These are Your people.
This is Your Word. I am Your man. This is Your message. I believe
I have done my best.
The special music is now over. I am approaching the pulpit.
I am now standing behind the pulpit. I am now preaching. What
joy! What total joy! What ecstasy! What total ecstasy! "Oh,
God, use me just now!"
Chapter 4Keeping a Warm Heart
as You Preach
A preacher must realize that crisis preaching will last only
so long. Issue-oriented preaching will take the church just so
far. Sooner or later, warmhearted preaching must take over. A
preacher must have his heart warm at all times especially those
times when he stands before his people to proclaim to them the
truth that God has given him for them. Perhaps we can discuss
some things that will enable the preacher to keep a warm heart.
First we will explore ways to keep a warm heart while preaching.
1. Use words that warm your heart. Each of us has a little
special vocabulary of words that are very dear to him and that
move him to certain emotions. For example, I like the word "Mama."
When I speak of my mother, it warms me if I call her Mama.
When I speak of the Bible, it warms my heart if I say, "the
Book." While I am preaching, the little statement, "Thank
God!" moves me to emotion. I can simply say, "Thank
God for all He has done to me. Thank God for all He has done
through me. Thank God for all He has done for me." Just
the repetition of the little phrase, "Thank God!" warms
my heart. I also love the words, "our Lord." There
is something about the possessive pronoun before the name of
Jesus or before the words, "God, Lord," etc. that moves
me. I especially love to say "our Lord." I also love
the word "wonderful." It has a ring to it that warms
my heart when I use it. When I speak of my people I like to use
the words, "precious people." When I pray for a group
of people I often say, "God bless these precious people."
Another statement that stirs me, especially to excitement, is
the phrase, "the army of people," or "an army
of people." The wise preacher will learn the words that
are very sweet and dear to him. He will use them often. They
will help to warm his heart.
2. Use superlatives that warm your heart. When used honestly,
superlatives are a great aid to a speaker. Such statements as
"the most amazing thing I ever saw," "the greatest
day of my life," and "the most wonderful thing in the
world," if spoken in truth and not through exaggeration,
can be used to warm the heart of the speaker.
3. Use experiences that warm your heart. Each of us has stored
away in his mind some wonderful memories concerning events that
have transpired in our lives. Just the thought of some of them
can move us to excitement or move us to tears. There are about
a dozen things that have happened to me, the thought of which
always warms my heart and makes me a better preacher. I have
a list of those. When I find myself preaching with a heart less
than warm, I revert to one of them. Sometimes when I am preaching
I feel so ashamed, I often think while preaching, "How can
my heart be less than warm when I am preaching about such a marvelous
truth? How can I preach on Hell without tears? How can I preach
on Heaven without shouting? How can I preach on salvation without
weeping for joy Yet, there are times when I do. At such times
I pull out of my bank of memories an event that will warm my
heart, and I speak of it. For example, it doesn't matter where
I am or what I am doing, if I think about how good God has been
to me through the years, my heart warms and my eyes moisten.
When I think of my childhood when poverty was mingled with the
love of my mother, and add to that what God has done for me,
through me and with me through the years, I am always moved.
When I remind myself that I owned my first pair of new shoes
bought for me at the age of 14, I ate my first hamburger at the
age of 14, I ate my first egg when I was 14 years of age and
remember how God has cared for me through the years, I find it
easy to weep and to shout at the same time. If I am preaching
a sermon and find my heart a little cold, I simply begin to speak
about one of these subjects. It always gets me in the mood to
preach, and then I can revert back to my sermon and go at full
speed.
4. While preaching, mention names that warm your heart. I
often mention the name, "Proctor Boyd," my Sunday school
teach- er while I was a teenager. He was the best Sunday school
teacher I ever had! Just the words, "Proctor Boyd,"
give me a warm heart. I often mention the name, "Dr. Rutherford."
He was my Sunday school teacher when I was a junior high lad.
I can see him now standing in front of the class with tears streaming
down his cheeks saying, "Boys, I'm not going to let the
Devil have a one of you" Just the thought of that dear man
standing before my class warms my heart. I often mention the
name, "Jesse Cobb," the Chairman of the Board of Deacons
at the Hillcrest Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and the man
who introduced me for the first time to soul winning. Just the
mention of his name warms my heart. I use their names often.
It gives me the kind of heart that my people deserve for their
pastor to have-the kind of heart that will help me to preach
with fervor and compassion.
5. While preaching, look at places that warm your heart. Glance
at the altar and think of all the marvelous things that God has
done there. Look down to the place where you are standing and
realize that that is the place where God has put you to proclaim
His truths. Let your mind think of the privilege of standing
there to preach. Every Sunday I look to the fourth row from the
front near the center aisle where my mother used to sit. My heart
is warmed to think of her and her faithfulness to church as she
came when she felt good and when she felt bad and sat there listening
to and praying for her boy. Let places become important to you
Have many little sacred shrines where you can go to remember.
While you are preaching you cannot go physically to those places,
but in your mind you can go anywhere you want to go that will
warm your heart.
6. Remember those who once were with you. The pastor who wants
to have a warm heart must remember those people with whom he
once served who are now in Heaven. A part of the pastor's schedule
should be a time to remember. As I preach, I often look back
to the spot where Bill Sallade used to sit, and I love him for
awhile. I then glance to the place where Henry Rose once sat,
and I love him for awhile. During the Lord's Supper, I always
remember George Huisenga, who was the deacon in charge of serving
the Lord's Supper. During the Lord's Supper, I always look at
the place where Blanford Duff used to sit; he was a loyal, faithful
deacon. Every month I take time to love him for a few minutes.
When I walk through the choir ready room behind the choir loft,
I think of Mr. Brueck, one of our men who had cancer. He became
so weak that he could not walk, stand or even sit. He would crawl
on his hands and knees into the choir ready room and lie there
so he could hear me preach just on the PA system. When I think
of those with whom I have served who are now in Heaven, it warms
my heart and helps me preach better.
7. Watch your people as you preach. Look at the widows who
need your encouragement, the elderly facing the sunset years
of life who need courage, the young people who need strength
to resist temptation, the bus kids who need love and others who
need you As you watch them, realize their need of you It will
warm your heart, give you a purpose in preaching and throw you
at the mercy of the Holy Spirit that He may help you to be what
your people need you to be.
8. Develop rituals that warm your heart. Every Saturday night
before I go to bed, I take a picture of my father, who died without
Christ in 1950, put the picture on the floor; make an altar of
it and kneel before it, asking God to help me to preach with
the same fervor that I wanted my pastor to have the first and
last time that my dad ever sat with me in church.
It was a Sunday afternoon. My father announced to me that
he was going to church with Mother, my sister, Earlyne, and me
that night. My little seven-year-old heart leaped with joy, and
I made a mad rush down to the only house in the neighborhood
that had a telephone. I asked the Wyatt family if I could borrow
their tele- phone. I called my pastor and excitedly told him
that my daddy was coming to church that night, and I asked him
please to do his best to get daddy saved. That night Daddy, Mother;
Earlyne and I walked for the only time in our lives into a church
building. We walked two miles down Fernwood Street to the Fernwood
Baptist Church. We sat on the second row from the back on the
left side facing the pulpit. My big 235-pound giant of a dad
stood beside me as we sang and sat beside me as we listened.
I prayed that God would do something to my dad to transform his
life and save his soul. Following the offering, the pastor stood
and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, there will be no preaching
tonight. This is the night of our annual cantata. The choir will
present it to us at this time." My heart broke! I sat during
the entire cantata and wept as my daddy slept. I could not believe
that my daddy didn't mean more to my preacher than that! That
was the only time he ever sat in church with me. I think of this
every Saturday night and ask God to help me not to disappoint
the little seven-year-old boys whose daddies are in the service.
There are other rituals that I have that warm my heart. As
I walk into the auditorium I always pray the same prayer.
Every Monday morning I leave the office to go to the airport
to fly somewhere across America to preach Monday night and Tues-
day night. Before I leave the office I go into the waiting room
and look at a big picture of Dr. John R. Rice on which he wrote,
"To my buddy, Jack Hyles. Signed, John R. Rice. Psalm 126:5,6."
I look at the picture and relive the 22 years that we traveled
together and shared pulpits across America. I tell him that I
miss him. My heart is always warmed as I think of this great
giant with whom I traveled and whom I loved.
Weekly I go to the mausoleum at Memory Lane Cemetery, which
is owned by First Baptist Church of Hammond. Just inside the
door on the left there is my mother's burial place. When I go
there, I have a ritual. I read her favorite chapter in the Bible,
Psalm 103.1 take out her picture and tell her that I love her
and then I sing the song that she sang as she rocked me to sleep
when I was a boy, "Brighten the Corner Where You Are."
Then I sing the last song that we sang together before she went
to Heaven, "The Unclouded Day"
The preacher who has little rituals that help him to remember
to love, to appreciate and to think will have a warmer heart.
9. Think of the effort spent by the people who come to hear
you. Often on Sunday morning, about 8:00, I stop to realize all
the time and effort expended by the people of my congregation,
the hun- dreds of thousands of hours spent in preparation. This
warms my heart as I prepare to preach.
10. Think of the labor that went into the offering that is
dropped in the collection plate on the Lord's Day Think of the
greasy mechanic, the tired and weary steel worker; the lady that
cleans houses, and of all the others who earned their money by
hard laborious toil, and your heart will be warmed.
11. Think Whom you represent. II Corinthians 5:20, "Now
then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did be- seech
you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to
God." Pause to realize that you are there in the place of
Jesus, representing Him. I John 4:17, "Herein is our love
made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment:
because as He is, so are we in this world."
12. Be publicly expressive of your love and appreciation.
Say, "I love you," to your people. Be grateful to them.
Express that gratitude openly It will warm your heart and bring
tears to your eyes as you publicly express your love to the people
whom God has given to you and to whom you are a gift from God.
13. Think where you are. You are where you dreamed someday
you would be. You are where you will wish someday that you could
be again. This is it! This is the culmination of all your study
and preparation. This is the fulfillment of all your dreams and
plans. You are now there-- God's man, God's representative. Always
think of it! It will warm your heart!
14. Think of what "the Book" is. Realize as you
preach that you are preaching the very Word of God, the Word
that is eternal, which always was and always will be. It is the
Book written by your Creator; given by divine revelation, word-by-word.
It is God's eternal, never-dying Word, revealing Himself and
His plan to man. Think of it! Think of it! Think of it!
15. Think of those watching from Heaven. This will warm your
heart as you preach. I never preach on a Sunday morning or Sunday
night in my own church or somewhere else around the country on
a weeknight without realizing that my mother's eyes are fixed
on me. The eyes of my two little sisters join my mother's, there
are many other precious saints of God who are in Heaven who watch
me in that great cloud of witnesses. There is my pastor; I C.
Sizemore. There is my friend, fellow-worker and buddy, Dr. John
R. Rice. There are my deacons who preceded me to Heaven and others
of my people. They watch me. I must never forget it! It will
warm my heart as I preach.
16. Think of those pleading in Hell. In Luke 16 we have the
story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man is in Hell, first
crying for water; then crying for someone to go and tell his
brothers not to come to that place of torment.
A few years after my father died without Christ, my sister
knocked on my study door one Sunday after midnight and asked
me if I would lead her to Christ. This I did. After I led her
to Christ, I asked her why she came that night. She said to me
that shortly after Daddy died she had a dream. She dreamed that
she was taken to the second floor of a big building. She dreamed
that she saw that entire building lined with caskets. In every
casket there was a body She was taken by this creature to every
casket, and she looked in the face of every corpse. On every
face there was a smile of peace until she came to the last one.
The creature tried to keep her from the last corpse. She could
only see two hands rising above the casket. She said, "Jack,
I could tell in my dream that those were Daddy's hands. I rushed
to look into his face, and there was no look of peace. There
was no smile, but a look of anguish and pain. His hands were
raised toward me, and he was crying, 'Sister, sister,' and then
he would make some kind of noises that I could not understand.
I tried to understand him and begged him to speak more plainly.
He just kept crying, 'Sister, sister,' and making those strange
noises. Finally, the creature took me away from the casket."
My sister told me that night after I won her to Christ that
she had wondered for all those years what Daddy was trying to
say to her. Then she told me that that night I had preached on
the rich man in Hell and told how he asked Abraham to send the
Gospel to his brothers on earth. Earlyne told me then that she
realized that Daddy was trying to tell her not to come where
he was. The dream of several years before had been explained
in my sermon that Sunday night. Following the sermon she came
to my study and was saved. For many years now she has been in
full-time service for the Lord.
I have been aware for all these many years that my father
died without Christ, and I must tell people that story so that
they will avoid and evade the torments of Hell.
The preacher with a warm heart must make himself aware that
he stands between Heaven and Hell; yes, even between the living
and the dead!
17. in order to have a warm heart, the preacher must remember
that someday it will end. Someday he will walk in his pulpit
for the last time. Someday he will stand before his people for
the last time. Someday he will present the truth of God for the
last time. It will end someday It may be tomorrow; it may be
today May my heart be warm while I have this opportunity, for
it too will pass away
18. Think of the investment that others have made in you.
Many a dear Sunday school teacher's rewards will be increased
according to your fruitfulness. Others have invested in you;
you must use their investment wisely. Think of it while you preach.
It will warm your heart.
19. Think of the judgment seat and the fact that someday you
will face Jesus. Think of the day when you will face Him con-
cerning the sermon you are preaching. It will warm your heart
and stir your soul.
20. Realize all of the work that has gone into the service
by those who labor with you. Think of the nursery workers caring
for the babies. Think of all the time spent by the choir, the
choir director and the accompanists in preparing for the services.
Think of the PA men, the ushers, those who work in the baptismal
dressing rooms, the Sunday school teachers and the countless
others that have spent many, many hours preparing for the service
that you are now enjoying which culminates in the sermon which
you are now preaching. You will find your heart strangely warmed.
In spite of all the advice given above concerning the obtaining
and sustaining of a warm heart in the pulpit, the pastor will
not all of a sudden get a warm heart when he enters the pulpit.
He will eventually become in the pulpit what he is all the rest
of the time, so he must constantly be striving to keep a warm
heart 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whatever spiritual temperature
the preacher possesses during six days, he will possess the seventh
day There is also the fact that it will be somewhat hypocritical
to obtain a warm heart for the preaching of a sermon and then
lose it the rest of one's week. There are some things the busy
pastor can do that will help him obtain and retain a warm heart
all the time.
1. Schedule time to praise. Have a set time in the schedule
for the praising of God. This time should be started by the making
of a list. Think of the good things that God has done for you.
Make a list of them. Then go back through them one at a time.
Think on them and realize the goodness of God. If your mind is
fixed upon His goodness and His blessings to you, sincere praise
will come. Praise should not necessarily be the result of a spontaneous
stimulus; it should be the result of a heart that is aware of
God's goodness. This awareness should be scheduled. I have a
set time in my schedule when I do nothing but praise God. I make
my list of all the things that God has done for me recently;
then I go through the list to thank Him and praise Him for His
goodness. It isn't long until I'm having a "real spell."
This sincere praise to God is caused by a planned awareness of
God's goodness and blessings on my life.
2. Schedule a time to worship. Praise is thanking God for
what He has done. Worship is thanking God for what He is. There
should be a scheduled time in the life of every child of God
when he comes before his God to be still and know that He is
God, to hear the still small voice and to look up to our great
Creator and exalt Him and love Him for who He is and what He
is. I am not talking here about a formal worship service with
chanting and liturgy I am talking about a Christian being alone
with his God to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
3. Schedule a time to meditate. It is interesting in the Bible
to find how many times meditation is a prerequisite to God's
bless- ings. Psalm 1:1-3, "Blessed is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of
sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight
is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day
and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers
of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf
also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
Notice that one of the five prerequisites to prosperity is to
meditate in the law of the Lord day and night. When God came
to Joshua when he succeeded Moses as the leader of God's people,
God listed meditation as one of His prerequisites for success.
In order to keep a warm heart, the Christian, especially the
pastor, should have a scheduled time of meditation.
4. Schedule a time to confess your sins. Several years ago
I was sharing the platform with Dr. John Rice. We were in Atlanta,
Georgia, for a Sword of the Lord Conference. It was time for
our driver to pick us up for the evening service. I went down
to Dr. Rice's room to wait with him for our driver. The door
to his room was open and the door to his bathroom was open, and
Dr. Rice was on his knees at the commode. I asked him what he
was doing. He said, "I'm confessing my sins." Then
he tore some paper up in little bitty pieces and flushed it down
the commode. I asked him what that paper was. He said it was
the list of his sins. I said, "What do you mean, Dr. Rice?"
He said, "Well, I have a set time every day to confess
my sins. What I do is write my sins on a piece of paper. Then
I go through them one at a time asking God to forgive me for
them. Then I tear the paper on which it was written into many
pieces and flush it down the commode." I asked him why he
did this. He grinned and said, "Do you think I want folks
to find out what my sins are?"
I learned something that day I learned that one of the great
secrets to the great John R. Rice was the fact that he confessed
his sins daily, by schedule, and he listed them before confessing
them. The preacher who comes to God asking forgiveness for his
sins will obtain that forgiveness, and this is one of the great
ways to keep a warm heart.
5. Sing and whistle throughout the week. Every morning I choose
a song for the day I sing it and whistle it throughout the day
My song for today is, "Jesus, Saviour; pilot me over life's
tem- pestuous sea." I hum it. I whistle it. I sing it. I
choose songs that warm my heart. One day I will choose for my
song of the day, "God Will Take Care of You." Another
day it will be, "Blessed As- surance." Another day
it will be "Standing Somewhere in the Shadows You'll Find
Jesus." When I sing and whistle some great song of the faith,
it helps to keep my heart warm.
6. Do not be around negative people. Make it a habit to avoid
fellowship with those who are critical and negative. There is
no way my heart can stay warm if I am around those who talk about
negatives, who criticize people, who spread bad things even if
those things are true. No preacher will walk with critics during
the week and preach with a warm heart on the Lord's Day
7. Dwell on the effort spent on nice things done for you.
When somebody brings me a batch of cookies, I pause to think
for awhile as to all the work that entered into their preparation.
If someone prepares a meal for me, I try for a time to think
of the effort expended in its preparation as well as in its planning.
The pastor has many nice things done for him. It is so easy for
him to lapse into a professionalism concerning his gratitude.
The warmhearted pastor will pause to think of the effort expended
by people who love him and are thoughtful of him.
8. Think for a little while before eating every meal. I never
sit down to a meal without pausing to think of those little Egyptian
children who begged me for a penny while I was touring Egypt.
I see their little swollen stomachs. I see the expression on
their faces as they beg for something to eat or a bit of money
with which to buy food. I think of the starving people in Ethiopia,
and yes, I also think of the poverty that I once knew as a child.
No one should ever eat a meal without his heart being filled
with praise and warmed before his God because of the goodness
of God as manifested in His provisions for us.
9. Think of the blessing of being able to get up in the morning.
When the alarm sounds and you rise for a new day of activity,
pause for just a moment to think of those who will never get
up again. Think of those in rest homes, in hospitals and in bedrooms
in America and around the world who would give all that they
own just to get out of bed one more time. When you arise in the
morning, lift your heart in holy hosanna and praise to God and
say, "Hallelujah, I'm able to get up!"
10. Praise God as you walk out the door every morning. Think
of those whose world is four walls, whose sun is a 60-watt light-
bulb, whose sky is a ceiling and whose horizon is a window. Think
of those who will never walk neath the stars again. Think of
those who will never see another sunrise or sunset. Think of
those who will never hear another bird sing or watch the blooming
of a rose. Think of those who will never again breathe the freshness
of outdoor air. Then lift your heart in holy praises to God with
the warmth of gratitude bubbling in your soul.
11. Praise God as you begin the day's work. Think of the millions
of unemployed who would love to have your job. Think of those
whose poor health will never give them the privilege of another
day's work. Think of those who would give all that they possess
for the privilege of being strong enough to work just one day
Thank God for work to do, and thank God for strength with which
to do it.
12. Think as your leaders stand before you. When those to
whom God has given spiritual leadership stand before you, think
of the load they carry, of the responsibilities they have and
of the price they have paid. Love them. Spend a few moments thanking
God for them and whisper a prayer for God to bless them and to
encourage their hearts. This will aid in the developing of a
warm heart.
13. Think of those who follow you. Think of what they mean
to you. Think of how hard they worked. Think of times that they
pray for you, encourage you and lift up your hands in the battle.
Realize that as a pastor you are God's gift to them, and they
are God's gift to you. Realize the sweetness and closeness of
the tie that binds you as spiritual leader and spiritual followers.
Let this awareness of what they mean to you create a stronger
tie which will in turn aid you in having a warm heart.
14. Every day spend some time thinking of the fact that soon
you will see Jesus face to face. There was a day when Dr. John
Rice and I traveled together. Now I continue to travel. He is
beholding the face of the Jesus Whom he preached. There was a
day when my mother and I sat together in the same room and shared
a mutual love. I continue to do the work that God has called
me to do while Mother is beholding the face of the Christ she
loved. There was a day when Brother Lester Roloff and I fellowshipped
together and preached together and prayed together. I continue
to preach and fellowship and praise and pray He now beholds the
face of his blessed Saviour. There was a day when my heart would
thrill as I prayed with Dr. Ford Porter. How sweet was his fervency!
How close to Christ was his fellowship! How wonderful was his
compan- ionship! Now I continue to pray and to serve. Dr. Porter
beholds the face of the One with Whom he loved to talk and fellowship.
Those who once walked with me now walk with God. Those who once
beheld me now behold Him. Those who once fellowshipped with me
on earth now fellowship with Him in Heaven. Soon I shall join
their number. It is just a matter of a few days. That blessed
thought warms my heart and propels me to preach through tears
of joy and ecstasy, for soon I shall see Him face to face. I
shall see Him as He is and behold Him Who made all good things
possible.
15. Visit cemeteries and the gravesides of those whom you
loved. I regularly go to a cemetery where many of our people
are buried. I go from grave to grave and remember sweet experiences
that we shared together. Soon the tears come-tears of joy because
of victories we have known, tears of loneliness because I miss
them, tears of praise because "there is a land that is fairer
than day, and by faith we can see it afar; for the Father waits
over the way to prepare us a dwelling place there." The
pastor who wants a heart that is warm should often visit the
graves of those whom he loved and with whom he served.
16. Savor the "now." How often do I hear people
say, "I didn't appreciate her until I lost her!" or
"I didn't appreciate him until he was gone!" I vowed
years ago I would never have to say that. I did not wait until
my mother was gone to appreciate her properly I did not wait
until the years during which I traveled with Dr. John R. Rice
were gone before I appreciated him. Through these years I have
savored the present and realized what I have, not just what I
used to have! Be aware. Stop while you are having fun and realize
how much fun you are having. Stop while history is being made
and realize that history is being made. Stop while God is blessing
in mighty power and realize that God is blessing in mighty power.
Do not wait until the history of this generation is written to
know what happened! Know it now. It will warm your heart.
17. Read the Psalms. There are three books from which I read
every day I read some of the Psalms every day, some of the Proverbs
every day, and some of the book of Acts every day The Psalms
give me love; the Proverbs give me wisdom; the Acts give me power.
These three things top my prayer list-love, wisdom and power.
If your heart is a bit cold, hear the Psalmist say, "He
that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide
under the shadow of the Almighty." If the tears do not come
easily, read, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want."
Live in the Psalms, and they will help you to have a warm heart
when you come before your people to deliver the truth which God
has given you for them.
18. Pray for your enemies. There is a unique warmth that comes
only to the child of God who loves those that hate him, blesses
those that curse him and prays for those who despitefully use
him. There is a certain taste about forbearance, patience and
love for enemies that nothing else can give!
19. Think of good things to do for your enemies. Realize that
people may not be all bad because they dislike you-- ~ Look upon
them as being broken rather than being bad. I have a watch on
my wrist. Sometimes the battery gets weak and it begins to lose
time, or perhaps it will stop running altogether. I do not get
mad at the watch; I realize that it is broken. I do what I can
to fix it. When somebody does not like me, it may be that the
battery is weak. I should not give him my hatred, vengeance,
revenge or vindication. I should rather look upon him as being
broken and not bad so that I may love and not hate him, do good
to him and not ill! There is nothing that quite warms the heart
like this, and once you have tasted the heavenly manna of forgiveness,
you'll never again enjoy the bitter taste of revenge.
20. Look for people to help. "Look all around you, find
some- one in need. Help somebody today Though it be little, a
neighborly deed. Help somebody today Help somebody today Somebody
along life's way Let sorrows be ended, the fr
