How Do I Know If a Sermon Is Too Long or Too Short?
Chapters
0:00:16 Can a Sermon Be Too Short or Too Long
3:36 .Consider Your Gifts as a Preacher
4:8 Five What's the Situation in Which the Message Is Being Given
00:00:00.000 | (upbeat music)
00:00:02.580 | Well, we finished the week of episodes on preaching
00:00:05.880 | with another question from a seasoned preacher
00:00:07.800 | who wishes to remain anonymous.
00:00:09.940 | And it's a question a lot of people, I think,
00:00:12.140 | wanna ask you, Pastor John,
00:00:13.580 | and I'm surprised we haven't gotten around to it yet.
00:00:15.760 | Here it is, Pastor John,
00:00:17.200 | can a sermon be too short or too long?
00:00:21.200 | How can we know the ideal sermon length?
00:00:23.420 | Is there a single length for all?
00:00:25.960 | Should some be shorter, some be longer?
00:00:27.960 | If so, when, how would you talk to preachers
00:00:30.400 | about how long the sermon should be?
00:00:32.760 | No, there is no one length the sermon should be
00:00:37.760 | that's ideal for every situation.
00:00:40.840 | Yes, some sermons should be shorter and some longer.
00:00:45.540 | Yes, it is possible that a sermon be too long or too short.
00:00:50.300 | Those are my answers.
00:00:51.960 | Now, let me give some factors
00:00:56.580 | that we should just take into consideration
00:00:59.280 | when we're pondering, okay, how long should I preach?
00:01:03.480 | Factor number one, I would say that vastly more important
00:01:08.400 | than length is whether the sermon is faithful
00:01:12.760 | to the biblical text and rich with God-glorifying,
00:01:17.760 | soul-transforming truth.
00:01:21.640 | Far better to have a truth-laden,
00:01:24.960 | Christ-exalting, textually faithful, clearly spoken,
00:01:29.840 | deeply felt 10-minute homily
00:01:33.680 | than to have a totally fascinating,
00:01:36.920 | biblically vacuous, textually unrooted, story-laden
00:01:41.920 | piece of inspirational moralism that lasts for an hour.
00:01:46.740 | Substance is vastly more important than length.
00:01:52.600 | But of course, if there is soul-nourishing,
00:01:55.880 | Christ-exalting, mind-engaging substance,
00:02:00.000 | 10 minutes will ordinarily be too short.
00:02:05.840 | Okay, that's factor number one.
00:02:08.220 | Number two, another factor is the nature
00:02:12.220 | of the biblical text.
00:02:13.600 | We are trying to communicate to our hearers
00:02:15.680 | how long is the text, how complex is the text.
00:02:20.680 | Longer texts may require longer sermons.
00:02:23.080 | Not always, but they might.
00:02:25.240 | And the more complex the text is,
00:02:27.720 | the more time it takes to make it clear
00:02:30.140 | and compelling in practical ways for people.
00:02:33.660 | The logic of some texts and the vocabulary of some texts
00:02:38.520 | demand closer attention and therefore more time.
00:02:42.520 | Factor number three, take into consideration
00:02:46.720 | the nature of the audience.
00:02:48.520 | Are they unbelievers?
00:02:50.600 | Did they choose to be there?
00:02:52.720 | Or was there some kind of compulsion?
00:02:55.400 | Thinking like maybe some chapel setting.
00:02:57.680 | How old are they?
00:02:59.460 | If they're believers, how mature are they?
00:03:02.240 | What are they used to?
00:03:03.440 | How well have they been taught?
00:03:04.700 | What have they been trained in?
00:03:06.400 | How tired are they?
00:03:08.680 | Is this late night service?
00:03:10.120 | They've been working all day?
00:03:12.080 | All of these will affect the length of the sermon.
00:03:15.140 | But I would add that over time,
00:03:18.240 | a pastor may train his people to love
00:03:22.560 | the preaching of the word of God
00:03:24.920 | so that they will be unsatisfied
00:03:27.880 | with a mere 20 or 30 minute message
00:03:30.120 | if they are being fed rich food
00:03:34.160 | that holds their attention and satisfies their souls.
00:03:38.040 | Number four, factor number four to take into consideration,
00:03:42.120 | consider your gifts as a preacher.
00:03:45.000 | Some people are so, some speakers are so compelling
00:03:50.000 | to listen to that the time goes by so quickly
00:03:53.800 | that you hardly even know it's gone.
00:03:56.320 | And we need to know ourselves
00:03:58.440 | and the kind of response we are getting from our people.
00:04:02.580 | Can we hold their attention for 45 minutes
00:04:05.360 | or do we not have that gift?
00:04:08.160 | Factor number five, what's the situation
00:04:12.120 | in which the message is being given?
00:04:13.880 | Is it a wedding?
00:04:15.160 | Probably, keep it short.
00:04:17.320 | I mean, this is one of the hardest situations
00:04:19.800 | in which to preach because people frankly
00:04:21.920 | are looking at the bridegroom or the bride
00:04:25.040 | and the wedding party and their hair
00:04:26.880 | and their dresses and oh, good grief.
00:04:29.440 | And you're supposed to be connecting them
00:04:31.040 | with the living God.
00:04:32.160 | Well, I would much rather preach a funeral than a wedding.
00:04:37.160 | I'll mention why maybe in a minute.
00:04:40.000 | But here again, know your audience.
00:04:43.360 | There are some weddings where the spiritual maturity
00:04:47.120 | is so deep that they want a rich feast
00:04:50.400 | about the glories of covenant married love.
00:04:53.100 | At funerals, people are usually tender and hungry
00:04:58.100 | for truth, some strong, clear word from God
00:05:02.280 | about death and hope and resurrection.
00:05:05.080 | However, even here, the emotional nature of the day
00:05:10.080 | is such that a long drawn out service can be uncharitable.
00:05:15.080 | Preaching out of doors at the quad, at the university
00:05:18.160 | may call for something shorter than Sunday morning
00:05:20.620 | to the people of God.
00:05:22.240 | Preaching at a businessman's gathering once a week
00:05:25.240 | over the lunch hour will probably demand
00:05:27.000 | a 20 or 30 minute limitation.
00:05:29.640 | Having three services on Sunday morning
00:05:32.080 | with difficulty clearing the parking lot
00:05:34.080 | between services is gonna affect the sermon length.
00:05:36.400 | And never forget the dear nursery workers.
00:05:39.280 | Yeah, they get the most important job
00:05:40.800 | according to Mark 9 37.
00:05:43.920 | Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.
00:05:46.760 | Good night.
00:05:48.840 | That's the most awesome verse in the Bible
00:05:50.680 | for a nursery worker.
00:05:51.880 | Remember them too.
00:05:53.800 | But I would end by simply saying that what I have found
00:05:58.520 | in particular, my particular cultural setting
00:06:02.400 | after years of experience with the same people
00:06:05.760 | is that both they and I would be frustrated
00:06:10.760 | if I didn't take the time while preaching
00:06:14.840 | to do the serious explanatory work of exposition
00:06:19.840 | as well as appropriate application.
00:06:24.620 | And in my experience, this simply seldom could be done
00:06:29.620 | in less than 40 minutes, more often 50.
00:06:33.720 | And that's just where we settled in as a church
00:06:36.920 | and I mentioned it for consideration.
00:06:39.040 | And it seems to me as I look around the nation
00:06:41.800 | that there are many hundreds, maybe thousands
00:06:45.280 | of growing churches where pastors preach,
00:06:48.560 | rich, Christ exalting, God-centered, Bible saturated,
00:06:52.240 | textually rooted, intellectually challenging,
00:06:55.320 | emotionally moving, life altering sermons
00:06:59.240 | for 50 or more minutes and very few people get frustrated
00:07:04.240 | that they are too long.
00:07:07.520 | It is a mark of immaturity in a congregation
00:07:12.280 | if we live by the clock in such a limiting way
00:07:16.760 | that we don't give time for extended lingering
00:07:21.120 | in the presence of God in singing
00:07:23.120 | and lingering in the presence of God
00:07:26.580 | in expository exaltation.
00:07:29.320 | So know yourself, know your people,
00:07:33.520 | know your text, know the situation
00:07:37.200 | and pack as much as you can into the time you have
00:07:40.840 | for the glory of God and the good of your people.
00:07:44.680 | - Yeah, such a good episode on Preaching Length.
00:07:46.600 | Thank you, Pastor John, for your decades
00:07:48.800 | of thinking about these things.
00:07:51.080 | And this closes out our week of episodes on preaching,
00:07:54.120 | celebrating the new book by John Piper
00:07:56.240 | titled Expository Exaltation.
00:07:59.120 | Preaching is the theme of this new book
00:08:01.780 | which caps a 1,000-page trilogy of books
00:08:05.060 | which answer three really critical questions.
00:08:08.040 | Question number one, can we trust the Bible?
00:08:10.360 | That was answered in book number one, A Peculiar Glory.
00:08:13.480 | And then question number two,
00:08:14.740 | how should I go about reading the Bible
00:08:16.520 | to get God's meaning?
00:08:18.340 | That was answered in book number two,
00:08:19.920 | Reading the Bible Supernaturally.
00:08:21.840 | And now finally, question three,
00:08:23.180 | what should I expect from my church and from my pastors
00:08:26.040 | when they proclaim this book to me?
00:08:28.480 | That's answered in book number three, now out,
00:08:31.160 | titled Expository Exaltation,
00:08:33.360 | Christian Preaching as Worship.
00:08:36.520 | Well, speaking of sermons,
00:08:38.680 | Sunday marks the 18th anniversary
00:08:41.160 | of one of John Piper's most famous sermons ever,
00:08:44.200 | the Don't Waste Your Life sermon,
00:08:46.280 | also known as the Seashells sermon,
00:08:48.340 | which was delivered outdoors in Memphis
00:08:50.300 | at a Passion Conference gathering on May 20th, 2000,
00:08:54.080 | 18 years ago.
00:08:55.780 | And I'm gonna ask John Piper to reflect on the occasion
00:08:58.680 | and the book that resulted, Don't Waste Your Life.
00:09:01.560 | I cannot wait for this episode, but I must.
00:09:03.880 | I'm your host, Tony Reike.
00:09:04.960 | We'll see you on Monday.
00:09:06.160 | (upbeat music)
00:09:08.740 | (upbeat music)
00:09:11.320 | [BLANK_AUDIO]