Sermon Tips

Here's a few tips for that next sermon:

• Check your zipper. Every time. Seriously, I've already saved one fellow preacher with this advice.
  
• Starting with a prayer or a joke are two ways to deal with nervousness. If you can handle the nervousness, I'd suggest you skip the prayer 'til the end. At the end, your prayer can re-state your point of application and tie-in nicely, but a prayer to start often steals your own thunder.
• A good principle in crafting a sermon is the DT (Dominant Thought). Have one main point that you can sum up in one phrase or sentence. Everything you say needs to fit under this DT and everyone who hears your message ought to be able to clearly get your DT, even if you never state it (though you probably will, more than once).
• This DT is where you're going. The intro can start out by asking or looking for this point, the body can unpack the point, and the conclusion can apply the point. Once you've made the point, you're done. Say a prayer and get out, leave them wanting more.
• Don't chase rabbits too often. If you tell them everything you've learned or studied or experienced, the audience will forget your DT. Less is more.
• Whenever you teach verse by verse, take the time you have for that section and divide it by the number of points/verses you want to cover. You'll be shocked at how little time per verse you have… unless the congregation likes two-hour sermons!