Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Thoughts From a Short Sermon

My sermon on Sunday clocked in at 24 minutes.  That's the shortest message I have preached in years.  But the message also connected.  It's hard to describe, but any preacher will tell you that he knows if the message connects or not.  It's not a hard thing to discern.

A short, and yet effective, sermon.  Kind of a novel idea, huh?

I'm not about to promise a 24 minute message every week, but I do think that my message on Sunday proves a point that every preacher…and every follower of Christ…needs to heed.

The fewer your words, the greater your impact.

Jesus said, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." (Matthew 6:7, NIV, emphasis added)

A lot of people seem to be in love with the sound of their own voice.  They feel the need to pontificate on any and every subject.  And for a preacher, it's doubly dangerous.  After all, I am speaking for God, so it is acceptable if I ramble on and on and on.

Um…no.

God is the master of brevity.  In the Old Testament, He gave his people 10 Commandments that were of the utmost importance.  Not 1,000.  Not even 100.  Just 10.

And in the New Testament, He summed up the entire Bible in just two commandments.  If the God of heaven and earth can get right to the point, then we had better learn the art of brevity, too.

I realize that most of the people reading this aren't prepping a sermon for Sunday.  But the principle holds true for all followers of Christ. Words have power…if they are used sparingly. If we talk too much, the law of diminishing returns kicks in.

If you don't believe me, check out the Word of God for the confirmation that you need.

Proverbs 10:19

Ecclesiastes 5:2

James 1:19

If you have something that is worth saying, then it is worth the effort that it takes to say it succinctly.  The people that I listen to the most are the people who often say the least.  They have learned to measure their words so that, when they do speak, it makes an impact.

I think I've made my point.  I'd better stop now, before the length of this post negates that point.