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What if one of your most spiritually formative sermon series was also one of your most attractional?

Pride, lust, greed, envy, sloth, wrath, gluttony — these aren't just ancient categories or Roman Catholic relics. They're principal vices, the thick branches from which countless other sins grow. And when you preach them well, something powerful happens: people don't just feel convicted, they feel dissatisfied with the status quo and hungry for a different way of life.

Here's the distinction that changes everything: The seven deadly sins aren't just morally wrong but they're bad for you. They don't just earn you a bad grade on the heaven test. They ruin your life. And when you preach that with good argumentation, people start to go, "I don't want to live this way anymore."

This episode unpacks everything you need to consider before preaching a series on the seven deadly sins:

• Four preliminary questions you'll need to answer (and why your congregation is already wondering about them)
• The historical origin of the list and why it's not a Roman Catholic thing
• How to pair each vice with its corresponding virtue for a "don't do this, do this" framework
• Why this series demands personal sanctification from the preacher, and how to navigate vulnerability with integrity
• The surprising attractional quality of confronting sin head-on

The seven deadly sins don't just exist in grotesque, extreme forms. They show up in ordinary life... in your scrolling, your striving, your silence. And just when you think you've beaten pride, here comes vainglory knocking on the door.

If you're looking for a series that offers both spiritual depth and missional intrigue, this one belongs on your preaching calendar.

Mentioned Resources

Glittering Vices by Rebecca K. DeYoung

Seven Deadly Sins Sermon Series (Ironwood Church)

Seven Deadly Sins Resources from Ironwood

The Preaching Lab Cohort

Related Episodes

Preaching Through the 4Gs

Preaching Through Argumentation

Preaching Through an Annual Theme

Evergreen

Discover all of our free resources: https://faithfruit.us/podcast-links

Additional questions about this topic? Email us at info@faithfulandfruitful.com.

Preaching Through is powered by Faithful & Fruitful, leadership resources for pastors so they can have a faithful and fruitful ministry over the long-haul.

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What do you do when you've done everything you know to do—and it's just not working? When attendance is flat, baptisms are sparse, giving fluctuates week to week, and you can't point to any clear sign that God is actually moving? Or worse: what happens when your own soul feels dry, and you still have to get up and preach about a God whose goodness you're struggling to feel?

Here's the distinction that changes everything: This isn't "Preaching Away Stagnation"—it's preaching through it. Stagnation is coming. The question isn't whether you'll face seasons of spiritual dryness or ministry plateau. The question is: when it happens, how do you keep showing up?

"Healthy things grow" sounds right until you realize: only one of the four seasons is harvest. A lot of faithful ministry looks like planting, watering, waiting—and wondering if anything is happening underground.

This episode unpacks two types of stagnation every pastor will face:

• Church Stagnation
• Personal Stagnation

The Psalms are full of people crying out to God when things feel stuck. This conversation charts a way forward for you to do the same — and practical handles for how to keep preaching when you don't feel like it.

📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Spurgeon's Sorrows by Zach Eswine
• John Piper's biographical talks (search "The Swans Are Not Silent" or "Men of
• Whom the World Is Not Worthy" on Desiring God)
• Authentic Masculinity Podcast hosted by Seth Troutt
• Accidental Pharisees by Larry Osborne

Evergreen

Discover all of our free resources: https://faithfruit.us/podcast-links

Additional questions about this topic? Email us at info@faithfulandfruitful.com.

Preaching Through is powered by Faithful & Fruitful, leadership resources for pastors so they can have a faithful and fruitful ministry over the long-haul.

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What do you do when your passage is four chapters long—or when one chapter has five completely different stories?

The temptation is to cover everything. Hit every verse. Explain every detail. But that's not how compelling preaching works. The difference between a message people remember and one they forget often comes down to this: did you linger on what's obvious, or land on the "oh wow"?

This episode unpacks how to preach through long passages of scripture without losing your people—or yourself. There's a case study on how the plagues of Exodus became one of the most energizing sermons ever preached (hint: God wasn't picking random punishments—he was dunking on Egypt's idols). And a breakdown of Luke 18 that reveals an unexpected thread holding five scattered parables together.

Not all of God's word is equally interesting. Knowing that might be the key to preaching it more faithfully.

It is possible to preach long passages in a way that's both faithful and genuinely compelling and we'll share with you one approach to do just that.

Resources Mentioned

Romans For You by Tim Keller

The Preaching Lab Cohort

Related Episodes

Preaching Through a Sermon Calendar
Preaching Through a Capital Campaign
Preaching Through the Book of Revelation
Preaching Through Judges

Evergreen

Discover all of our free resources: https://faithfruit.us/podcast-links

Additional questions about this topic? Email us at info@faithfulandfruitful.com.

Preaching Through is powered by Faithful & Fruitful, leadership resources for pastors so they can have a faithful and fruitful ministry over the long-haul.