Who wrote the text? What was their background and biography? • When was the text written? Did any important historical events occur around this time? • To whom was the text written? Were they Jews or Gentiles, or both? Where did they live? What challenges were they facing? • What prompted the writing of this text? What is the overarching purpose of

Walk them through the sermon. It’s amazing how talking through your sermon in this early stage begins to embed it deep into your heart and mind.

You first need to determine the specific content of your closing. Are you closing with a final insight or idea? Are you closing with a story meant to make a point? Are you simply reviewing where you’ve been? How will Christ be the hero of the sermon? Don’t make this up on the spot.

How you say what you say has everything to do with the way it’s received and how it makes people feel as a result. Will you conclude with an encouraging tone? Will you close with urgency by creating a crisis moment and calling people to a decision? Will your tone be confrontational? This is not to be glossed over.

He then stomped back down the stairs and back to what he had been doing before. My heart didn’t exactly swell with pride during this moment. Sure, my son had done what I asked, but he hadn’t done it with a great attitude. Agreed? I don’t want my kids to simply obey; I also want them to want to obey. God is the same way.

So what is the difference between appealing to people’s emotions and trying to manipulate them? The biggest difference has to do with the motive of the preacher. When you start to utilize a formula meant to invoke the “right response” from people, you’ve crossed the line from appealing to manipulating. If you preach long enough, you’ll start to

If your sermon is confusing, it means you haven’t worked diligently enough on behalf of your listeners.

When it comes to applying God’s Word, it is one thing to have a general idea of what you’re supposed to do and another to know how to do it. James 1:22–25 is an essential and necessary warning about the importance of applying the truth of God’s Word:

highlight all my main points or anything that will be on the screen in blue. Illustrations are in green. Textual comments are in yellow, while all my points of application are marked in pink. Lastly, I highlight all my word-for-word transitions in orange.