Introduction “Practice what you preach” has become an adage so overused that it is in danger of becoming a cliché. Yet now more than ever, preachers need to recognize the importance of walking the walk, not just talking the talk. Putting one’s feet where one’s mouth is, the preacher becomes a genuine representative of Christ and a role model for the congregation. When the preacher’s lifestyle and comportment corresponds with the substantive content of sermons, the preacher acts with integrity and thereby ensures the trust of the community. In Preaching That Changes Lives, Fabarez (2002) discusses the ways preachers change lives, starting with their own. Vines & Shaddix (1999) dedicate an entire section of Power in the Pulpit to how preachers can develop their bodies and their minds, as well as their souls. Likewise, Lloyd-Jones (2011) claims that integrity needs to be reintroduced to the role and function of the preacher. Preachers must embody the principles of Christian living and Christian virtues to accomplish the goals of their mission.

The Importance of Humility

The process of self-preparation for a preacher is ongoing. Not a one-time learning experience, becoming a preacher is instead a matter of lifetime personal spiritual, social, and psychological development. The preacher continually engages in an honest process of self-reflection, accomplished by deep meditations on scripture and how scripture relates to one’s own life, soliciting and listening to advice from others, and also reflecting back on one’s own sermons. These and related processes of self-reflection encourage self-awareness through the act of humility, a central tenet of Jesus’s teaching. “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love,” (Ephesians 4:2). If a preacher is to put into practice and embody Biblical teachings, he must remain “completely humble and gentle,” able and willing to make necessary changes to lifestyle and behavior to better reflect the principles being promulgated. Pride is the opposite of humility. As Fabarez (2002) points out, “Jesus reveals what may be the single most important insight into why some preachers don’t practice what they preach. It is pride,” (p. 27). Preparing to preach means putting aside pride and recognizing that while the word of God is infallible, the preacher is not.

The Pitfalls of Perfectionism

“We are imperfect beings,” and to recognize such is an important part of cultivating humility (Vines & Shaddix, 1999, p. 106). When considering the importance of lifestyle and behavior to preaching, the preacher also need to retain the humility needed to recognize their own sin and also be willing to take action to change. After all, the preacher aims to deliver life-changing sermons; those same sermons need to change the preacher’s life too. The preacher can aim for perfection as an idealized goal but perfection is neither possible nor expected of a preacher; command of the Bible is, and the preacher’s primary objective is to deliver the Word of God in a serious and expository manner.

When preparing to preach, it is also important to concentrate far more on the content and meaning of a sermon than on some imaginary idea of perfect delivery. Lloyd-Jones (2011) warns preachers to be far less concerned about their showmanship, or “ceremonial form and ritual” and more concerned about accuracy and Biblical truths (p. 24). Likewise, Vines & Shaddix (1999) show how the preacher’s sermon is not an informal conversation but a formal discourse. Even though preaching is about the pure, objective delivery of God’s word in the form of an expository sermon, though, the preacher nevertheless needs to put the word of God into direct action. There are theological and practical reasons for why the preacher should cultivate the right state of mind, body, and soul.

Theological Bases for a Preacher’s Integrity

Jesus preached extensively on integrity, as he exposed hypocrisy in the Pharisees. Matthew 23 remains the definitive passage in scripture showcasing the theological imperative for practicing what one preaches. Jesus recognize and then exposes the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, something that actually inspired many of his own sermons and also garnered his initial following. A preacher can learn from this by exposing hypocrisy, but also not mistaking the message for the messenger. It was not that Jesus objected to the content of the Pharisees’ instruction, but that the Pharisees were hypocritical. They were preaching the law while disobeying the law. Jesus offered a new framework for moral integrity, subverting the hypocrisy of the old order in order to deliver a new moral code based on truth and justice.
Fabarez (2002) quite cleverly points to the lesser-known book of Ezra to substantiate the theological underpinnings of the preparation of the preacher. “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel,” (Ezra 7:10). The word “observance” is the keyword here; the preacher is not just a mouthpiece, but an exemplar. A preacher is ethically obliged to observe the word of God.

Using the Sermon for Personal Guidance

While many earnest preachers may come to believe their sermons are for other people, the wise and humble preacher dedicated to lifelong learning understands that the sermon exists as much for him as for the congregation. When preparing a sermon, a preacher operates on several different levels at once. First, the preacher applies the principle of faith towards the spiritual preparation that welcomes the Holy Spirit—the anointing that can only come from faith and grace (Lloyd-Jones, 2011). Simultaneously, the preacher develops a sermon on the intellectual level. Based on what the preacher already knows of scripture, and of the preacher’s training and practice in Biblical scholarship, the sermon becomes the clear, academic, expository body that is transmitted to the congregation using the medium of language. Finally, the preacher functions on the emotional level while preparing the sermon. Reflecting on universal human experiences, the pain and suffering of the world or of individuals in the community, or on the simple existence of sin and distance from God, the preacher interjects the heartfelt power that reaches individuals in the audience and thereby has the potential to transform lives. These mutually reinforcing levels of sermon preparation are personally transformative for the preacher, even before they are communicated and conveyed to the congregation. If the sermon does not affect the preacher first, then it may need to be revised and revitalized until it makes that meaningful impression. The preacher needs to internalize the message of the sermon as part of his work.

Preachers can use their sermons—as well as the sermons of others—to learn about ways to improve or to better represent Christ on earth. To reflect on the sermon is to practice humility, and to build one’s strength of character. “The importance of submitting yourself to the principles you teach cannot be overstated,” (Fabarez, 2002, p. 27). Reflecting on the sermon is a different act than the act of self-reflection; it is reflecting on the Bible to develop dependence on God. Self-reflection is important, too. When preparing sermons, the preacher can take advantage of the opportunity for self-reflection—looking in the mirror to discern ways that one can become a better person as well as a better preacher.

Sermon preparation begins and ends with scripture always, but from there the preacher can take the opportunity to reflect not just on the hermeneutics of textural correspondences but also on the self-conscious application of scripture to daily life. Some of these acts of self-reflection take place on…