Does Your Sermon Have Movement?

If you’ve been in a car driven by someone who frequently slows unexpectedly, lurches forward, or turns unpredictably, you know what it’s like to listen to a sermon lacking steady movement. While the preacher takes you on a journey through a biblical passage, his sporadic stops, restarts, and repetitions unsettle you as you try to understand his main point. Here are five ways to ensure your sermon has seamless movement from introduction to conclusion:

1) Have A Clear Proposition And State It Often

Every sermon should have one main point derived from the primary concern of the biblical text. Most homiletical textbooks and teachers refer to this main point as the proposition. The proposition is the sermon reduced to a simple statement such as “Why we can trust God in uncertain times” or “There are right ways of thinking when suffering for Christ.” Like entering a destination on a GPS, the proposition charts our course and tells our hearers they are, in fact, going somewhere. As a general rule, state the proposition in the introduction, with each sermon point, and in the conclusion.

2) Use Helpful Transitions

Transitional statements make for smooth turns in the sermon from one road to the next. Like a thoughtful tour guide, the preacher communicates where the hearers have been and tells them where they are going next. While there are many kinds of transitional statements, perhaps the most effective is the simple “Not only, but also” transition: e.g., “God’s providence not only blesses Christians (Point I), but also blesses non-Christians (Point II).” Transitional statements move the message steadily forward in the right direction.

3) Write Out Your Sermon

Taking time to write down what you plan to say allows for greater clarity in sermon delivery. Whether writing out a full manuscript or a weighty and substantive outline, you can visually inspect your work and see whether your proposition is clearly stated in the introduction, coheres with the sermon points, and runs seamlessly through to the conclusion. Thoughtful writing tends to result in better movement in the sermon.

4) Consider Writing The Conclusion First

Occasionally, it may be helpful to write out the conclusion before writing the rest of the sermon. This unconventional practice helps the preacher stay on message, preventing his straying from the “main road” of the exposition. Mapping out the final destination in advance means the preacher is more likely to stay on course and steadily move his hearers along to a meaningful conclusion and response.

5) Review Your Sermon Frequently Before Preaching

Going over the sermon again and again provides the preacher numerous opportunities to think through the logical flow of his message and determine whether there is continual movement from introduction to conclusion. Sermon review allows the preacher to fix unclear statements, adjust his rate, and ensure his hearers are being driven purposefully toward a specific call for response.

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