Preach The Word

Chuck Swindoll: Declare the truth as you have been built to declare it. Explanation of the meaning and the application of Holy Scripture. It is the most effective method of getting knowledge from the page of the Bible into the hearts and minds of the believers.

Aaron Massey: I think I speak for many on this. There have been numerous sermons from Pastor Chuck Swindoll where I've listened the whole way, and he has me on the edge of my seat. And then when he makes his concluding point, I just feel like jumping up and saying, "Exactly!" His final remarks just seem to hit the nail right on the head and articulate precisely what you're feeling, but you yourself haven't expressed it yet in words.

There is a reason we have that reaction during his sermon. In this video, I want to share Chuck's principle that helps make that happen. By the way, I'm Aaron Massey. It's my joy to serve at Insight for Living and to bring you this special Preach the Word series. Through it, we're offering insights on preaching based on the preaching of Chuck Swindoll.

Here is the key principle: write your sermon toward an application. Let me explain it before I show you how Chuck does it. As Chuck is doing his sermon research—his praying, his reflecting—key theological principles emerge from the biblical passage. Then as those principles, those truths emerge, he thinks through his listeners and how those principles might apply to their lives.

From there, he forms applications. Only after that does he begin to craft his sermon. First the title, second the introduction, third the body or exposition, and fourth the conclusion. Through his crafting, he writes toward an application. He knows exactly where he wants to go, and he's preparing his audience to get there.

Here is why he does that. I want to read you what he says in his book *Saying It Well*, which is Chuck's preaching manual that also goes into his preaching journey. If you don't own a copy, we highly recommend it. Chuck says this:

"A sermon targets the heart of the listener to create a crisis of the will and then presses the individual for a decision. Whether to place one's trust in Christ for salvation or to make a specific substantive change to live out that earlier decision. A sermon that doesn't do that falls short of the mark. Preachers, therefore, must have specific applications as their goal throughout every stage of preparation and delivery.

A speech that neglects to call for specific action or fails to inspire substantive observable change is little more than lighthearted entertainment. While you must be interesting to keep your audience engaged, your communication must achieve a greater purpose—impacting those who gather to hear you. Never speak to a group without providing a truth to ponder, a principle to apply, or a decision to make."

Next, I want you to hear Chuck's applications from a sermon in his series on Moses. The sermon is called "Burning Bushes and Second Chances." It is on Exodus 3 specifically and the beginning of Moses' story in general. By the time Chuck reaches the end of his sermon, his audience is very familiar with three events in Moses' life.

First, he killed the Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew. Second, he fled after killing the Egyptian because the Hebrews rejected his leadership. Third, he had a long conversation with God at the burning bush about why he should not return to Egypt. With those three events in mind, listen to the way Chuck concludes his sermon.

Chuck Swindoll: I want to share with you three responses to God's will that I've never read anywhere else. I hope it was God that gave these to me this past week when I thought through the matter of responding to God. The three mistakes most often found among us, who are the bushes, are these.

Number one, those who run before they are sent. Moses did that forty years ago. God hadn't sent him yet, but he ran ahead. That is the problem caused by intensity. Intensity causes us to run ahead before we are sent.

Some of you are just chafing at the bit in school, chafing at the bit in seminary. Just panting like crazy, ready to run. God says, "Wait, I haven't sent you yet. I've got to tool you up." When we run before we're sent, we fail.

The second response is those who retreat after they have failed. Ever done that? Just fail royally and try to find the very smallest mouse hole you can find to get in and to retreat. That is the problem caused by insecurity. Whoever said you've got to succeed in everything you do? We've gone over that time and again.

Intensity causes us to run before we are sent. Insecurity causes us to retreat when we have failed. We haven't met our standard. That brings about, third, those who resist when they are called. That is brought about by inferiority, and that is not the same as humility. Moses wasn't simply humble, he was inferior, and that borders onto a neurosis. With some people, it does.

There are some of you who have been called, but you're resisting because you feel inferior. God, all He asks is that you be available and burnable, flammable. Not spectacular—as a matter of fact, broken. I believe, frankly, that because of this misunderstanding in the call of God, there are many who have not yet responded positively to God's voice.

You are waiting for some curious sign or some chrome-plated, blazing, mystical whatever rather than just saying, "God, I'm yours, thorns and all. Just set me afire." It is like Amy Carmichael closes that piece: "Give me the love that leads the way, the faith that nothing can dismay, the hope no disappointments tire, the passion that will burn like fire. Let me not sink to be a clod. Clods don't burn. Make me thy fuel, flame of God."

Aaron Massey: Did you see what Chuck was doing there? How he tied Moses' experiences back then with ours today and then offered us a strong reason to say yes to God's call? That was the action he was calling them toward: a positive response to God's call. I want you to hear one more example, and it is from Chuck's sermon on Jabez.

Before that, let me share two quotes on the mechanics of this principle. First, Chuck writes this: "Having written my introduction and knowing where I want to carry the audience, I then make a quick outline of the logical steps I want to take from beginning to end. Think of the introduction as a statement of where we are now and the application as the destination. I ask myself, what information would I need to be convinced? And I place the answer to that in reasonable order."

That is his thought process as he writes his sermon toward an application. As a side note, let me just say writing a sermon is not pure science. We're giving you principles and tips in this series, and then so much of it becomes spirit-led and instinct. What we're sharing are fundamentals that you can adapt and use in your own way.

The second quote, Chuck says this: "Having presented the information, offer specific actions individuals can take. Make the actions easy to accomplish. Explanation leads to action. Those who are motivated by your presentation are ready to get involved. Help them do that."

Isn't that great? To end, I want you to hear Chuck do it one more time. This closing set of applications are from his sermon on Jabez. Throughout the body of his sermon, Chuck exposits 1 Chronicles chapter four, verses 9 and 10. Let me just read it for you.

"Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, 'Because I gave birth to him in pain.' Now Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that you would greatly bless me and extend my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it would not hurt me.' And God brought about what he requested." After teaching through those verses, Chuck ends with these three applications.

Chuck Swindoll: There are three lessons that I find when I study this wonderful story. Three lessons and then a question that I want to ask you. The first lesson is this: a small, struggling start doesn't necessitate a limited life. Let me repeat that. A small, struggling start doesn't necessitate a limited life.

If you're not careful, the adversary will convince you that because of your past, you can face a future that's just like it. You will have to live with the restrictions of where you've come from. Jabez clearly began in sorrow but ended in a place of honor because God granted him what he requested. A small, struggling start doesn't necessitate a limited life.

Here is a second lesson: no measure of success is safe without the presence of God's hand on a life. I spoke with a lady several months ago who told me the tragedy of their home. It wasn't the kind of tragedy that you would commonly hear. You would look at their home as a neighbor and think, "My, how prosperous they've become. How wonderfully blessed."

It looks as though they have no financial limitations. The man has gone from one place to yet another and still another, and each place he's sort of made tracks and succeeded. But she said, "I noticed in the process there is less and less time for God. There is a greater, greater emphasis on himself—his image, his position, his possessions."

No measure of success is safe without the presence of God's hand on a life. Just as you pray for the Lord to enlarge your border, don't stop until you've included, "May Your hand be with me that You might keep me from harm."

Third lesson: when it is God who prospers and blesses a life, there is no place for guilt. I find that there is less and less tolerance for those who have large places to fill. I find that there is often envy and suspicion and a critical eye leveled at those who are in large places of responsibility.

If I may apply this to the world of athletics, I read of a few superstars as they describe living in the community where they have their home and the difficulty of just living a normal life because of their role on the team that they play for and the demanding public and the expectations of the world and the suspicion of their lives.

When it is God who prospers you, there's no reason for guilt. As a matter of fact, I have enormous compassion and tender feelings for anybody who fills a large place. I'm going to tell you something I've never said publicly. I've said it to Cynthia many times. Every time I see high-ranking people deliver an address, my heart goes out to them.

When I'm around a few of them—which is not very often, I can assure you—but when I'm around them, I sense a pressure and I sense this enormity of responsibility, this enormous presence. My heart just goes out to them in compassion for what they have to live with. Be that as it may, I want to ask you a question. Here it is: what large thing are you asking of God these days?

Aaron Massey: That's it for this video. Remember, write your sermon toward an application. Again, I'm Aaron with Insight for Living, and it's our privilege and joy to serve you as you lead God's people and preach His Word. Before we go, let me point you to a few resources.

Be sure to like this video, subscribe to our channel, and check out our Preach the Word playlist, where we're posting Chuck's best insights on this important calling. Second, if you don't own a copy of Chuck's book on preaching, *Saying It Well*, we highly recommend you grab it. It's a practical preaching manual where he also goes into his preaching journey. You can find it through insightforliving.org. Trust me, you'll love this book; you won't be able to put it down.

Third, Insight for Living has a section on our website for church leaders where you can find hundreds of articles and sign up for our weekly email bringing you an insight from Chuck. One week, you'll get a technical tip for preaching, and the next, you might get a biblical principle for shepherding. Find all the info you need in the description. Thank you so much for listening. Preach the Word and say it well.