I’m afraid that many of our hearers would respond to the title of this post by pleading, “Please don’t!”
To be sure, if preachers are brave (or foolhardy) enough to think that they have something worthwhile to say, then they are going to have to work hard during the first 30 seconds of the message if they hope to take any of their hearers with them.
As usual, Bryan Chapell offers sound advice.
To arouse interest in the message. …
Bryan Chapell suggests that preachers should ask four questions if they are to offer faithful application:-
Preachers answer the question, What does God now require of me? by providing instructions that reflect the biblical principles found in the biblical text. This instructional specificity translates the text from ancient history to present guide. For the guidance to reflect accurately the Bible’s intent, a preacher must discern the biblical principles reflected in the text that were directed to the people of that time and then apply them to the people of this time.…
I’m probably not the only preacher who sometimes finds it difficult to know how to end a sermon.
Bryan Chapell has some helpful hints. Here’s a summary.
The modern hearer tends not to appreciate high literature. And, in any case, why give the final word to someone else?
…Unless the poem says precisely what you intend, says it better than you could, and touches a deeper chord than you can reach, frame your own final words.
Bryan Chapell puts it well:-
Christ-centred preaching: redeeming the expository sermon…
