Preaching 101: Remember the Stakes

There's always a reason to lose focus of why you're doing what you're doing.

• You're nervous
• You're busy
• You've been doing this a long time
• You're doing it because you have to
• You're tired

However, there's no good excuse for losing focus when dealing with the Word of God. The stakes are too high to forget the reason why you're preaching.

Remember the stakes:

• There is a Heaven and a Hell and everyone hearing you preach is headed in one direction or the other. You're preaching the message which saves souls.
• You are preaching to an audience who is addicted to sin. You're preaching the power to overcome them.
• You are preaching to people who are about to make decisions which will affect the rest of their life. The messages you preach can and will alter the decisions they make.
• There are prodigals who have packed their bags and chosen to abandon the church listening to you preach. This could be the last sermon they ever hear.
• There are non-Christians (whether they know it or not) hearing you preach. This could be the first, last, or only time they hear the gospel.

Never preach with reminding yourself of the stakes. Preaching isn't just a job a responsibility, a waste of time, or a good moral lessons. Eternity is on the line.