![]() But push yourself toward simplicity and brevity. The length is less important than the clarity with which you capture the thrust of the text. Even as you do this, you’ll realize that often the main point must be several sentences or a paragraph. Push yourself to synthesize what the author is saying into a coherent, main point. As you seek to isolate this thesis, you will likely realize that your text is saying more than just one thing. ![]() Though Paul was writing to Philippi and you are preaching to a congregation in Modesto or Manhattan, your thesis must be tethered to Paul’s. The thesis of your sermon must be inseparably tied to the author’s thesis. Try to leave this step with one clear, compelling sentence that isolates the sermon’s intent. Your job at this stage is to work until you can articulate what this sermon is about and why this sermon matters. This step revolves around a few simple questions involving reason and rationale: What exactly is this sermon about? Why should your congregation listen to this sermon? You must figure out why the author’s intent matters to every person in your congregation-to indifferent teenagers, to distracted souls, to the unconverted, to tired fathers. ![]() After identifying the intent of the text, your next task is to write your sermon around that intent. At some point, you will have a clarified idea of the meaning of this text, its structure, and overall thrust. You have mined the depths, studying words, phrases, clauses, backgrounds, grammar, theology and lots more. ![]() You have now arrived at the top of the ladder. ![]()
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