posted by Joel Southerland

One of the secrets to making preaching “go the extra mile” is making sure there is something in your sermon that is memorable.

Now, don’t get your hopes up if you’re thinking that I’m about to tell you how to get them to remember all three points, every illustration, every Greek word you define, and the title.  Sorry to burst any potential bubbles - they’re not going to remember all that.  They can’t.  It is too much information. You can’t either. Most who read this cannot remember the points to their sermon three weeks ago!

But that is not the way sermons work anyway. Sermons preach for change right now.  They are preached for decisions in the hour. Yes, we hope those decisions last for a lifetime, and they often do, but rarely will they know to attribute it to a Spirit-inspired sermon.

So, what do you do?

Here is how I approach preaching.  I want them to have something that they can go to work the next day and look at the guy or gal next to them and say, “Let me tell you what my Pastor said yesterday!” I don’t care if it is an explanation of the text, a current event news story, a funny or sad illustration, or anything in between.  I just want them to remember something.

Because, if they remember something, it will trigger the meaning of the entire message if the sermon was constructed properly.  And herein lies the blessing:  if they have something they are telling someone on Monday about your sermon on Sunday, they are functioning as evangelists!

Before you preach your next sermon, look it over.  See what is going to really stand out.  What is “remarkable,”  that is, what can they easily remember and remark about?  What can they repeat that will remind them of the big idea of the sermon?

When you begin to hear statements like, “Pastor, I was telling my friend what you said,” you will know you are multiplying your ministry and preaching effective sermons.