So you heard a great sermon yesterday? Now what? The busyness of today can quickly crowd out what God was doing in your heart yesterday. Before you know it, you can barely recall what the sermon was about.
Let me give you seven keys of sermon application which you can use to get the most out of a sermon for your life.
1. Watch or listen to the sermon again.
Today's technology makes it easy to view or hear a message after it has been delivered. Our church is preparing to video record each of our sermons. But, you can listen to the audio right now from our church website, app, or iTunes. Or click HERE to listen now.
- Listening to the sermon a second time will help you think more about the message.
- You will pick up on statements you missed or misunderstood the first time you heard the sermon.
- And listening to the message again will help you to hear what God wants to say to you.
2. Write down the bottom-line of the message.
I preach with a goal of stating the bottom-line of the message in a single, memorable statement. This statement must be true to the Scripture. My goal is not to say something new. I want to say what the Scriptures teach in a way that the listener can understand and apply.
I preached a message yesterday titled, "When Love Comes to Town." My text was 2 Corinthians 5:14–15.
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (2 Cor 5:14-15, ESV)
The bottom line of the message was, "Jesus' love for me makes me want to live for Him."
As you review a message listen for the speaker's bottom-line. What is the key truth of the passage he is communicating?
Write it down and review it during the week.
3. Re-read the Scripture passage.
Open your Bible and read the Scripture passage. Read it from different translations. Read the context of the passage by reading what is around it.
Your goal in reading the passage is to understand what the writer was trying to communicate.
4. Review your notes.
If you jotted down some notes during the sermon, go back and review them.
- What stood out to you during the sermon?
- Was there a statement or story the preacher shared that grabbed your attention.
- Was there a question you thought of as you listened that day?
- Were there additional Scriptures mentioned in the message that you want to look up?
5. Pray.
The most important thing you can do as you listen to a sermon is to pray.
- Ask God to help you understand His Word.
- Ask God to show you how His Word should be applied to your life.
- Ask God if there is a sin you need to repent of.
- Ask God if there is a promise He wants you to believe.
- Ask God if there is an example He wants you to follow.
6. Apply the message to your life in a practical way.
I agree with the statement that the Bible was not given just for our information, but for our transformation. To hear a message from God's Word and not apply it to your life is like looking in a mirror and not doing anything about what you see that needs attention (See, James 1:22-25)
I always end my messages with a few examples of how a person should apply the message to their life this week. In yesterday's message, I asked the congregation to reflect on the love of Christ displayed on the cross. I suggested they do one or more of the following:
- Read the crucifixion accounts in the Gospels.
- Read Isaiah 53
- Read Psalm 22
- Watch the movie, The Passion of the Christ.
- I also asked them to write down areas where they are not living for Christ.
I was trying to reinforce the bottom-line, "Jesus' love for me makes me want to live for Him."
7. Discuss the message with others.
- Share with others what God is doing in your life as a result of the sermon.
- Use conversations with your family members or friends to review the way God spoke to you through His Word.
- Use social media to highlight the bottom-line of the message.
- Share a link to the sermon and invite others to listen to a message that was meaningful to you.
What are other ways you get the most out of a sermon? Leave me a comment below. I would love to hear from you.
