Three Secrets of Powerful Preaching

Tucked in the middle of 1 Peter 4 there is a hidden gem.  A verse that contains the three secrets of powerful, effective preaching.  Any preacher who wants to be used by God in a greater way must know and apply these to his life.  

If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.  1 Peter 4:11

First Secret:  Speak God's words, not your own.  Give God a voice.  Don't preach your own ideas.  Don't preach the ideas of another preacher.  Don't preach what people want to hear.  Don't preach your favorite subjects.  Don't preach what is safe.  Don't avoid the touch subjects, and the difficult texts.  Don't preach what you want the Bible to say.  Preach the word.  Stick to the text.  Read the text, explain the text, and apply the text.  The best way to be faithful to the text is to preach verse by verse through books of the Bible.  

Second Secret:  Depend on God's strength, not your own.  Apart from Christ you can do nothing of any spiritual good (Jn 15:5).  You need spiritual power, and it is only given to those who fulfill certain conditions.  1) Prayer (1 Thess 5:17).  The preacher must do his best work on his knees.  2) Holiness (2 Tim 2:20-21).  God does not use dirty vessels.  

Third Secret:  Seek God's glory, not your own.  The goal of the sermon must not be to tickle the ear, to impress, to increase attendance, or to entertain.  Don't preach to keep people, but to change people for God's glory.  The goal of the sermon is to lead people to become mature followers of Jesus Christ.  The goal is not for people to say, "That was a great sermon," but "That is a great God!"  The goal of the sermon is not to make you look good, but to make God look good.  The question is not "Is the congregation pleased with my sermon," but "Is God pleased with my sermon?"