It will save you all kinds of time in your preaching preparation if you make it a habit early on of figuring out the answer to:
- What is my sermon subject?
- What is my desired response?
Every sermon should have a clear subject. The speaker needs to be able to say, “This is what I am talking about.” To not take the time to define what that is will inevitably result in chasing down all kinds of rabbit trails.
Sermons should also call for a clear response. “What I am asking of you is as follows…” If the preacher doesn’t know what that is, you can be sure the listeners won’t either.
Many times I have told ministers after listening to them speak, “This is what I think you were talking about. Right?”
“Oh,” they often respond, “that’s very helpful. Yes, that’s what I was trying to get at.”
Granted, it’s not always easy to zero in on precisely what your topic is. But if you don’t, the message will probably wander.
And again, if you don’t take the time to early on figure out the response you want, you’ll never know whether or not lives are being changed.
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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.
