A conversation with a pastor who no longer has ongoing weekly commitment to preach, and so hears more sermons remains with me.
One main point really.
He observed that the big takeaway from most sermons he heard was ‘try harder’.
Of course that exhortation was applied in lots of different ways.
But the sermons he heard ended up focussing on what people should be doing.
I’m mentioning this more and more.
And when I think over my sermons it is that question which echoes in my mind.
Am I just telling people to try harder?
Or am I helping them to know how that which Jesus has done for his people opens up all sorts of opportunities and freedoms into which they can enter?
mgpcpastor's blog 
nice one.
Bryan Chapell (recently at Christ College Sydney) is masterful in helping preachers get the indicatives (what God has done) and imperatives (what we must do) in right order and well-expressed.
I found Zack Eswine’s Preaching To A Post-Everything World a helpful continuation of Chapell’s work.
Anything to do away with people coming away from sermons week after week feeling they have to try harder.