One of the “Five Acts of Worship” is the sermon. Why do we typically have a sermon in worship?
According to scripture, studying God’s Word is an important part of worship. We have the example of the early Christians who, “were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Paul told Timothy, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Tim. 4:2). We have an example of Paul doing just that. Luke writes in Acts 20:7:
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.
Paul said he preached, “so that we may present every man complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28; See also 2 Tim. 3:16-17). Preaching helps to develop the Christian into a more complete servant of God. This includes developing the ability to be teachers of the Word (2 Tim. 2:2).
Preaching helps us to be better Christians. Prepared lessons from the Bible help us learn God’s will, including what He wants us to do and not to do in our day-to-day lives, and how to be good servants of Him. Well-delivered sermons also encourage us to be strong in face of temptation and trial and to “serve the Lord with gladness (Ps. 100:2).