3, 2, 1, Preach!

By Gregory Cochran

Would you like a clear, simple guide that gives you confidence to preach God's Word? This powerful little book is exactly what you need.

 

Dr. Cochran teaches students how to preach their first sermons. This little book distills the essence of biblical preaching into three achievable tasks. This book is perfect for anyone who wants to learn how to preach. The book will also help preachers understand better what their preaching can (and should) accomplish. 

 

Students and pastors praise this book as a genuine, practical help for those hoping to preach God's Word faithfully. From a pastor in Scotland to preaching students in southern California, the common review of this book has been, "This was an exceptional book, exactly what I needed to read."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Applied Theology Press
• Release date: Oct 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781737611806

Gregory Cochran

Gregory Cochran is Professor of Theology and the Director of the Applied Theology program at California Baptist University. He publishes books and articles in theology, ethics, and pastoral ministry. One of Dr. Cochran's most popular courses is Introduction to Biblical Preaching. His lectures form the core ingredients of this volume. Dr. Cochran lives with his wife in southern California. Together, they have 7 children and a growing number of grandchildren. Dr. Cochran also serves as a pastor in Riverside, CA.

Book preview

Are you ready?

Imagine that you’re enrolled in a preaching class. You are terrified because you have to preach a sermon. Worse, you will be preaching to your classmates in a crazy awkward classroom setting. You’re anxious. Can you really do this?

Or maybe your student ministries pastor just put you in charge of the Junior High Youth at your church. You’re scheduled to be the lead speaker this Sunday. Are you ready?

Maybe you are in a healthy church that develops future pastors and ministry leaders. Your pastor thinks you may be suited for a ministry, so he has asked you to preach on Wednesday night... or Sunday morning. What do you do?

If you are reading this book, you are probably facing the terrifying thrill of proclaiming God’s Word to a congregation. Notice the use of these words— terrifying and thrill. Preaching is both. On the one hand, we who preach should never lose the awe and majesty of the task. As Paul says in Ephesians 3:8, To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ... What grace!

Preaching is a thrill—a deep and humbling thrill. How amazing is it that God would be so gracious as to empower us to be instruments through whom his word goes forth? Never lose sight of the awesome, humbling delight of this call to preach.

Preaching is also terrifying—especially in the early days of learning how it’s done. This book cannot take away all of the fear, but it is designed to equip you for the task of preaching God’s word.[1] This book is designed to be your first book on preaching—certainly not your last. This book will equip you with the confidence you need in that moment when the singing has stopped; the prayers have been prayed; you have been announced; you are walking forward to your place on the platform; you step on the third step, the second step, the first step...

You’re on in 3, 2, 1, Preach!

Chapter One

Introduction

Before getting into the main message of this book, I first want to thank you. Thank you for your service to your church.

Chances are, if you’re reading this book, you are serving in your church. You may be a preacher/ teacher of God’s Word (or simply aspiring to be). Either way, you are serving Christ’s church faithfully. What a blessing! You are blessed by God to preach the good news to others. That’s amazing grace to you from God. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given... (Eph. 3:7-8). How blessed you are to minister God’s word!

You are a great blessing to others from God, for God has determined that his word should go forth through preachers and teachers like you. Nothing substitutes for the work you are doing. A very famous theologian once said,

God does not wish to be heard but by the voice of his ministers.

God is indeed speaking to others through you! Isn’t that marvelous? I cannot imagine any work being more impactful than sharing God’s word. In the beginning, God created everything by his word. He sustains all things by the word of his power. And his word never returns void.

You want to share God’s Word. You also hope your sharing is making a difference. You want your messages to penetrate hearts and stay with your people. What would be the point of speaking if the words simply went in one ear and out the other? You want to impact the hearts, minds, and ultimately the lives of your hearers, right?

You don’t want people to hear a series of boring, mumbling words, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! That’s not good preaching. Have you ever had the fear when you look out over the people gathered around you that you might be sounding like a Charlie Brown telephone conversation: wah, wah, wah?

Did you know the wah, wah, wah, sound in the classic Charlie Brown episodes was created by a trombone? The creators thought the sound mimicked how children hear adults speaking.  Let’s hope that’s not how our people hear us. That’s a nightmare, right? That’s not what we want. We want folks to hear a message from God on Sunday which changes the way they think and act on Monday morning, on Wednesday afternoon... and on Saturday night!

So how do you make your Sunday message stick through Saturday night?

I’m going to do my best to answer that question. The lessons in this book have been learned mostly the hard way over the last twenty-plus years. These lessons will help you preach sermons that don’t sound like wah, wah, wah. Following the simple steps in this book will help you preach messages that stick throughout the week. Let’s call them sticky sermons. Don’t worry if you aren’t technically a preacher. The lessons you learn here translate to any message you teach. The principles you learn in this book will apply whether you are teaching in a small house group or preaching in a megachurch setting—whether you’re speaking to high school sophomores or to adult college women.

I have been preaching and teaching for more than 25 years. Perhaps that means I was preaching before some of you were born. Regardless, everyone who preaches or teaches can benefit from this little book. While anyone can benefit from reading it, this book is primarily focused on teaching Christians to preach for the first time.

God has given me many different preaching experiences. I have taught in several countries across four continents. I have preached a funeral service for a six year-old boy in a Filipino barangay, and I have preached to audiences in megachurches in southern California. I have preached in African-American churches, Asian churches, and Anglo churches. I have taught hundreds of Sunday School lessons in churches of all shapes and sizes. I’ve taught seminary courses, and now I am a college professor.

In fact, I teach a preaching course as a professor at CBU in southern California. This book contains some of the practical wisdom I share each year with my preaching students. Though I teach preaching, I continue to be a student of preaching, constantly learning more and more about this lofty privilege of heralding God’s good news.

If you are a teacher, you know what I mean. Yes, you teach others, but you also learn a lot through teaching, right? Teaching turns out to be a great way to learn! Preaching is like teaching; it’s one of the most practical ways to grow in wisdom and knowledge. Teaching others to preach while being a preacher myself has helped me think through what makes a message stick. So, back to the question posed above: Why do some messages satisfy the listener like Uncle Herschel’s Favorite breakfast at Cracker Barrel, while other sermon points flitter away like a startled bird? Three simple strategies make all the difference.

3 KEYS TO MAKE THE Message Stick

There are three key strategies for making a message stick:

Unifying the content.

Clarifying the intent.

Adding a little window tint.

These three strategies will be covered as three steps. Think of the steps as leading to the platform to preach. Your foot goes on the third step, the second step, the first step, and then you’re preaching! The third step is closest to the ground. The third step is unifying your content. The second step builds on the lower one. The second step is clarifying the intent. Finally the first step—the top step—is providing a little window tint to finish off your delivery. Step three, step two, step one... preach!

Of the three steps, the content and intent steps stand out as the truly critical ingredients of a sticky sermon. Master these two steps and your message has a great chance of lasting from Sunday morning through Saturday night.

We’ll start with unified content. The next chapter will explain why it’s so important to unify your content around a single point. Screwy content will lead your listeners into aimless mental wandering. Unable to grasp the central theme of your message, your listeners will instead think of work projects coming due or of various entrees on the afternoon’s lunch buffet. Regardless of where their thoughts go, they will have left your message. You might as well be making the Charlie Brown wah, wah, wah sound. You don’t want that. You want them leaving on Sunday satisfied—filled with God’s word. So, unify your content! Turn the page to embark upon the journey toward unified content.

Chapter Two

Single Shot Sermons

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Why is it important to unify your content around a single theme? Because people who hear you can’t remember everything—even if they are taking notes (most are not). But folks can remember one thing. Make sure your hearers remember one thing well each time you speak.

Preaching and teaching regularly is a process—like a game of darts. Have you ever played a game of darts? You know... the real game with heavy, brass barrels, etched grips, sleek shafts, colorful flights, and sharp tips? My family and I routinely get into darts. The game we’ve played most often is called 301.

In 301, each player starts with 301 points. Each time a player hits a number on the dart board, that number is subtracted from 301, until the player hits zero points. The first person to hit zero wins the game. The trick, however, is to hit exactly zero points. The dart thrower cannot go less than zero, so the last dart must be an exact match. If, for example, the player is down to one point, he or she cannot finish the game by hitting the 20 spot. To win, the one spot is the only option.

At the beginning of the game, players sometimes get cute and throw all three darts at once, not caring which numbers are struck. Of course, this causes the darts to fly all over, sometimes hitting the ceiling or the wall instead of the dartboard. Needless to say, it’s not a winning strategy.

To win the game, a player must have a strategy for each particular dart—even at the beginning of the game when it seems a long way from 301 to zero. Smart players will probably aim for the bull’s eye. Sure, the dart might miss the bull’s eye, but it will probably still hit the board and score points. Be smart. Have a strategy. Make every dart count.

Approach preaching with a strategy, just as you would in a game of darts. Aim for the