If most of the sermons you’ve seen have been 30-second clips of someone shouting into a microphone, you may have some questions. Like, is that what a sermon is supposed to be? And what’s actually happening during that part of a church service?
When I used to preach, the high schoolers listening would come up afterward and say, “Nice Jesus speech.” Of course, they were joking around, but “Jesus speech” is actually a pretty good place to start.
A sermon is a talk that helps people understand the Bible and what it could mean for them, ideally in a way that helps them live and love like Jesus. It’s usually the main message during a Christian church service, though you might also hear one on a podcast, livestream, or YouTube.
If you’re new to church or simply curious, we’ll look at why pastors preach, what happens during a sermon, where sermons came from, and what to expect when you hear one. We’ll also explore how different churches approach preaching and what makes a sermon helpful.
What Happens During a Sermon?
Most sermons begin with a Bible passage. The preacher reads it, gives context, explains what they believe it means, and connects it to questions people face today. They may tell stories, use humor, share examples, or suggest a practical response.
In most church services, the sermon comes after some music and prayer. Someone stands up front, reads from the Bible, and talks through what it says. That person may be a pastor, another church leader, or a guest speaker.
There’s no universal formula, but most sermons do a few basic things:
- Introduce an idea or question. Why is forgiveness so difficult? What should we do when we doubt? What did Jesus mean by that?
- Explain a passage from the Bible. The preacher may provide historical context, define an unfamiliar word, or point out something easy to miss.
- Connect it to the present. What could this passage mean for our decisions, relationships, beliefs, or view of God?
- Offer a way to respond. That might mean forgiving someone, asking a difficult question, beginning to pray, or reconsidering something you believe.
Why Do Pastors Preach?
Christians want to keep growing, and part of that means learning how to understand the Bible. Pastors preach to guide people through Scripture, point out things they may have missed, and help a church consider where it might need to realign. At least, that’s what preaching is meant to do: help people keep learning and growing together.
What Should You Expect During Your First Sermon?
You’ll probably sit while a pastor speaks. The teaching pastor may be on a screen or in person. You can take notes if that helps, but nobody’s checking them.
Near the end, the pastor may pray or invite people to respond in some way. That could mean reflecting silently, talking with someone, or deciding to take a next step. You’re allowed to watch, listen, and think about what you heard.
How Long Is a Sermon?
The sermon could last 15 minutes or closer to an hour. And yes, some preachers are more engaging than others. Sermon length also depends on the church. A Pew Research Center study found a median length of 37 minutes, though there are major differences between Christian traditions.
At my church, Life.Church, sermons are consistently around 30 minutes. But I used to attend a church where sermons could be as long as an hour and a half! If you’re researching churches and want a sense of how long the sermon is, check whether they have a YouTube channel or video messages on their site. That can help you know what you’re walking into.
What Makes a Sermon Different From a Talk?
So are sermons “Jesus speeches” or TED Talks with Bible verses? Kind of. Most speeches or talks want you to learn, grow, or feel inspired. Sermons are meant to do that too.
What makes a sermon distinct is its source and where it leads people. The source is the Bible, and the sermon is meant to lead people to live and love like Jesus. Information and inspiration happen, just like in a good speech, but a sermon leads to transformation, becoming more like Jesus.
Christians also believe the Holy Spirit can work through that process, both in the preacher and the people listening.
What if the Pastor Says Something Weird?
How weird are we talking? After all, they’re giving a talk on an ancient book, containing stories of parting seas, slaying giants, and raising people from the dead. So weird comes with the territory.
You're allowed to listen without agreeing.
But what if they dive into an uncomfortable or controversial topic? That can happen. I recently heard my pastor talk about some big questions people have for Christians about what the Bible says about marriage, sexuality, and homosexuality. What I appreciated most was that he pointed out that we can disagree, and still follow Jesus together. He shared how he read the passages on the topic and welcomed disagreement.
So if you go to a church and listen to a sermon, you might hear something uncomfortable. The key is to consider how the belief is presented. Is it with grace and humility? Or with a sense of superiority.
Remember, standing on a stage with a Bible doesn’t make someone automatically correct. Pastors can definitely misunderstand a passage, bring their own assumptions to it, explain something badly, or misspeak and say something unhelpful.
Christians are encouraged to read the passage themselves, consider its context, and ask questions. You can also compare what you heard with other trusted teachers or talk with someone at the church.
What Makes a Sermon Helpful?
Not every sermon is good. So what makes a sermon good? If you asked the students I used to preach to regularly, they’d probably say a good sermon relates to their questions in a funny, thoughtful, and short way.
Every sect, denomination, and individual church might define a good sermon differently, but I find these to be some of the unified principles that make a sermon helpful:
- Jesus-Centered: Jesus isn’t in every Bible story by name, but the whole book points to Him. Christians believe Jesus is God in human form. He gives us a fresh start and shows us how to live with care, forgiveness, justice, and grace. So a helpful sermon uses the Bible to show people practical ways to live like Jesus today.
- Biblically Thoughtful: The Bible is an ancient collection of books that Christians have studied for 2,000 years. Yet, somehow, we still disagree on a lot of what it says. A helpful sermon acknowledges the nuance and beauty of reading an ancient book, using its words thoughtfully to help people get to know God.
- Engaging: Imagine two sermons. One is well researched, thoughtful, uses tons of big words, but is incredibly boring. The other is shorter, still thoughtful and well researched, and contains a few memorable quotes and takeaways. Which sermon do you think would have more impact? The goal of a sermon isn’t to entertain, but a sermon where people zone out isn’t changing anyone.
- Grace-Filled Yet Challenging: Jesus showed grace to people who messed up and invited them to grow. Good sermons do that too. If a pastor spends their whole time screaming about how we’re all rotten sinners going to hell, that’s a bad sermon. Regardless of how many Bible verses they quoted, they didn’t reflect Jesus. At the same time, a pastor who doesn’t challenge their people to grow is missing something too.
There’s a Bible story about Jesus meeting a man named Zacchaeus, who built his wealth on exploiting others. Everyone hated him, but Jesus ate a meal with him (a cultural sign of respect). Zacchaeus then repaid everyone more than what he stole from them. Though Jesus didn’t preach a sermon here, it’s a good picture of what a good sermon can do: help someone experience grace that changes how they treat others.
Where should you start reading the Bible?
What Are the Different Types of Sermons?
Christians don’t all preach the same way. Broadly, Christians categorize sermons into two types: topical and expository.
- A topical sermon begins with a subject, such as anxiety, generosity, doubt, or forgiveness. The preacher then uses one or more Bible passages to explore what Christianity teaches about it. These sermons can be an accessible starting point if the topic is already on your mind. Here's an example of a topical sermon on dating.
- An expository sermon (also called an expositional sermon) begins with a particular Bible passage. The preacher works through the text, sometimes verse by verse, explaining what it meant in its original setting and what readers might learn from it now. Some churches spend weeks or even months moving through an entire book of the Bible this way. Here’s an example of an expository sermon on Esther.
One isn’t better than the other, and plenty of sermons combine the two. A preacher might begin with one passage, explain it closely, and then connect it to a larger question or other parts of the Bible.
The format can change, but the basic purpose remains to open the Bible, help people understand it, and invite them to consider how they’ll respond.
Are There Sermons in the Bible?
Yes, although they don’t always look like the sermons you’d hear in a church today.
Old Testament Sermons: In Deuteronomy, Moses gives a series of long speeches to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah publicly challenged people who had wandered from God, ignored injustice, or treated worship like it excused everything else.
Jesus’ Sermons: By the time of Jesus, Jewish communities regularly gathered in synagogues to hear Scripture read and explained. Jesus participated in that tradition, but He also taught on hillsides, in homes, from boats, and wherever people gathered.
His best-known teaching, and the most famous biblical sermon, is the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7. In it, Jesus talks about what it means to be blessed, loving enemies, prayer, worry, judgment, and life in God’s kingdom.
Sermons From the Early Church: After Jesus’ death and resurrection, His followers continued teaching publicly. In Acts 2, Peter uses Israel’s Scriptures to explain who Jesus is and invites the crowd to respond. About 3,000 people do. You can read the full story of Peter’s Pentecost sermon here.
So, Christians didn’t invent sermons because church services needed a “Jesus speech.” They grew out of the ancient practice of gathering to hear Scripture, understand it, and decide how to respond.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sermons
What’s the difference between a sermon and a homily?
Homily is the term often used for a shorter sermon in Catholic, Orthodox, and some Protestant churches. Homilies usually connect closely to one of the Bible readings from that day’s service. In practice, though, people sometimes use sermon and homily interchangeably.
What’s an evangelical sermon?
Evangelical sermons often emphasize the authority of the Bible, the gospel, salvation through Jesus Christ, and a personal response of faith. That describes a very broad family of churches, though, so an evangelical sermon in one congregation may sound quite different from one in another.
What’s a pulpit?
A pulpit is the raised stand or platform where a priest, pastor, or preacher traditionally delivers a sermon. Many churches still use one. Others use a music stand, a table, or an empty stage.
Are sermons written in advance?
Usually, at least in some form. Some pastors write every word, while others prepare an outline and speak more freely. Increasingly, churches also use premade sermon series from resources like the Open Network from Life.Church, which provides a great selection of free sermon outlines, videos, graphics, and other materials that pastors can adapt for their own congregations.