Westminster Evangelistic Ministries

In explaining pieces of a text in a sermon, you must limit your explanation to what is necessary for the congregation to understand the text and to carry you forward to make the central point of your sermon. It is impossible to go into everything you have learned about a text in your study of the text. You must be disciplined-

Oral presentations differ from written presentations. Oral presentations are episodic. Listeners hear oral presentations as a series of episodes. Sequential outlines are best suited to how listeners actually hear a sermon.

Two sermon details are application and transition. This lesson gives examples of both using Psalm 110. Although exposition involves explanation, preaching requires application.

This lesson discusses how to frame, relate, and connect illustrative material to explanations and the point being made within a sermon. An example of Calvin from Acts 2-40 highlights the presentation. See chapter 12 of my book, -So Pastor, What's Your Point--

This lesson illustrates the use of explanation, illustration, application, and transition, sermon details, within the first point of my sermon on Psalm 110. Listen to the complete sermon under the title -Freely Serve Jesus Christ Your Priest and King.-

Sermon details for each point, part, or move of your sermon outline are explanation, illustration, application, and transition. These details are tailored to the sermon outline and must not govern the sermon.

A traditional outline is a series of topics derived from the text, each topic pointing back to a central topic, idea, or question. Such outlines usually fail to achieve either unity of purpose or sense of progress and movement within a sermon.

The best way to work toward and preserve unity and progress within your sermon is to develop a sequential outline leading the congregation into an active understanding of your sermon point.

So that our sermons have unity of purpose and progress toward a single end, we must determine the main point of our text and then formulate a sermon point applying the text. This lesson uses Psalm 110 as an example finding the point of a text and deriving the sermon point.

Determine your sermon point by applying the main point of the text to the congregation. Expository preaching involves both explaining and applying texts of Scripture. -Without explanation, it is not expository- without application is is not preaching- -T. H. L. Parker-.

Every text has one main point. Sermons apply the main point of their sermon texts. And so, every sermon should have one main point. Homileticians and good preachers agree, as I seek to show in my preaching book, So Pastor, What's Your Point-

Every text of Scripture has one main point. Yes, there are sub-points and ancillary point. However, a good preaching text has one main point. Determining this point gives you a lens through which you can properly view all the details of the text.

In studying your text, determine the overall structure of your text whether a poem, a narrative , or piece of an epistle. Structure helps understand meaning.

When selecting your text for an expository sermon, find the complete thought or argument expressed by a text. I use Romans 4-1-8 as an example.

In selecting your text, know the type of sermon you are going to preach, topical, textual, or expository.

This lesson gives a summary of my basic approach to Sermon Preparation. The details of this approach are given in my book, -So Pastor, What's Your Point--

Genesis 14-17-20 introduces Melchizedek. Hebrews 7-1-10 unfolds this passage and show us that this Melchizedek is greater than Abraham, points to Jesus Christ as the greatest of all, and calls us all to see Jesus for who He is, the divine Son of God.

David predicts a Priest coming from the family of Kings -Psalm 110-4-. This Kingly-Priest is your Lord- He affects a change in the law -Verses 11-14-. Since His life is indestructible, your Kingly-Priest also abrogates the law -Verses 15-18-. And so, your Kingly-Priest ushers in a better hope -Verse 19-. With God's oath, your Kingly-Priest also ushers in a better covenant -Verses 20-22-. As a result, your Kingly-Priest forever saves and prays for you -Verses 23-25-. Behold your Kingly-Priest who saves you and prays for you.

The Father appointed Jesus Christ as your King -Verse 1-. Your King accomplishes all the Father's purposes -Verses 5-7-. Your King does so by ruling over all the nations -Verse 2-. The Father also appoints your King as your Great High Priest -Verse 4-. The result is that Jesus Christ made you His own -Verse 3-. Serve Jesus Christ, your Great Priest and King.

Paul concludes his argument for the priority of love as the preeminent evidence for the presence of the Holy Spirit in our loves, This final lesson in the series explores very 13, -So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three- but the greatest of these is love.-