You will have unity when you can demonstrate that the elements of the passage support the theme of your message and you can state that theme in a form simple enough to pass the “3 A.M. test.” The 3:00 A.M. test requires you to imagine a spouse, a roommate, or a parishioner waking you from a deep slumber with this simple question: “What’s the sermon about today, Preacher?” If you cannot give a crisp answer, the sermon is probably half-baked. Thoughts you cannot gather at 3:00 A.M. are not likely to be caught by others at 11:00 A.M.
