I recall a pastor challenging what I was teaching regarding getting a handle on what your basic subject is early on in your church sermon preparation. His argument was that Jesus obviously didn’t do this. For example in His famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about many topics.
I was just ready to respond when another minister attending the seminar spoke up. “Oh, but Jesus did,” he exclaimed. “In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord’s subject was the new Kingdom lifestyle. If people were going to follow Him, those many topical sermons you referred to all fit under how they should live as His followers. And our Lord’s conclusion was that if they obeyed His words they wouldn’t wash out, even in the great storms of life. But to hear His instructions and fail to obey them would be like building on sand, which as a foundation would not stand up to such storms.”
The two men continued talking back and forth for a while, after which the first pastor seemed to be satisfied, and the class continued.
I’m not altogether sure it’s necessary for me to have the backing of Jesus on this point about church sermon subjects, because nobody’s eternal destiny is at stake. But I can vouch that it helps immensely to early on in your sermon series preparation know what the subject is you plan to talk about, and the sooner you nail that down, the better off you are.
