In 'The Great Sermon Series', Tim Challies Terrifically Analyzes Some Prominent Modern-Day Sermons

What makes a great sermon?  Author, blogger, and pastor Tim Challies attempts to answer this question by taking a closer look on some remarkable modern-day (20^th century and 21^st century) sermons in an absorbing 8-episode web series called The Great Sermon Series.

I’ve seen and been blessed by most of its featured sermons, as they (or clips from them) have gained Internet popularity in recent years, but Challies’ cerebral and heartfelt analyses and thorough explanation of the contexts of the situations in which they were delivered – most of which I’ve only learned for the first time – have given me a deeper appreciation for them (I was even compelled to re-watch some).

The series kicks off with an episode on Paul Washer’s “shocking message”, the viral footage of his sermon to 5,000 young people during a 2002 evangelization conference in Montgomery, Alabama, in which he made his iconic, searing remark, “I don’t know why you’re clapping; I’m talking about you.”

The second episode is on John Piper’s sermon during the 2000 Passion One Day conference in Memphis, Tennessee, wherein he makes the “seashells” illustration in order to emphatically portray how worldly pursuits are fundamentally incompatible and miserably fail in comparison to the eternal glory found in making one’s life count for Christ.

In the third episode, by using Matt Chandler’s thought-provoking “God Is for God” sermon to Steven Furtick’s liberal Elevation Church in 2012 as case study, Challies demonstrates this thesis: “It takes two ingredients to deliver a message that really sticks.  It takes the right message and it takes the right time.”

This is followed by an episode on how the late R.C. Sproul managed to bless a new generation of Calvinists by ironically giving them a curse-themed sermon during the 2008 Together for the Gospel Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

The fifth episode is about John MacArthur putting faithfulness to the text over outline eloquence when he set the tone for his pastorate in Grace Community Church, starting an impressive 42-year journey of preaching through the New Testament verse-by-verse.

Challies then deconstructs in episode six why one of the most powerful calls for missions in the last two decades is David Platt’s sermon at the 2012 T4G Conference, which is about God’s divine sovereignty being the fuel of death-defying missions.

In the penultimate episode, the point of focus is the 1985 SBC Convention in Dallas, Texas, wherein W.A. Criswell delivers an impassioned message urging the Southern Baptist Convention to stay true to the Scripture in the face of rising liberalism within the denomination.

With the eighth and final installment, the series takes a unique, surprising approach.  Challies decides to show what a great sermon is not by analyzing the most viewed sermon of all time in Youtube, Joel Osteen’s infamous “The Power of I Am.”

In conclusion, The Great Sermon Series is absolutely a must-see for all Christians.  It’s incredibly stimulating, insightful, and humbling.    It’s a pity it only has eight episodes.

The entire series can be watched in one sitting, clocking 1 hour and 48 minutes in total.  It’s available for free in Tim Challies’ website, Facebook page, and Youtube channel.