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In a sermon aimed at evoking Faith in the hearer, the wording of sermon divisions is very important. The way you state sermon “points” can make the difference in the way the sermon is understood and received. Once the preacher has the division statements clearly in line from the text, he will be a long way toward a viable structure for the sermon.

These sermon division statements should be theological in nature. They should also be complete sentences rather than one word or phrase. One-word or phrase divisions are like sub-titles that do not make a complete statement. These statements should divide the main thought of the sermon, presenting various aspects or elements of that thought as they are derived from the text. They should be as brief as possible while still clearly presenting the necessary idea.

Several types of sermon division statements can meet these tests. Here are four types, historical, theological, applicational, and exhortative. The passage in Genesis 22 about Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice will serve as an example.

One type of division statement can be called historical. A statement like this from the Genesis 22 text could be, “In his faith, Abraham was open to God’s voice.” This statement is primarily historical in that it deals with Abraham. It is particularized, in that it tells about the faith of one man. Here are six division statements from the text written in the historical format. The subject of the sermon would be “The faith of Abraham.”

Even though the implication is that others can have a similar faith, and if they have faith it will be of this sort, it is still a commentary on one man’s faith. I do not recommend that you use this kind of division statement. The historical background of the text can be given as explanation of the theological idea you are presenting. But the historical particulars should not be stated in your subject and division statements.

A second type of division statement is the presentation of theological principles. In this case you state a biblical idea in general, present tense terms as it applies to everyone in this generation and for all time. You might state the point about Abraham mentioned above in this way, “Daring faith is open to the voice of God.” That is a statement of theological truth that may be found in any number of texts in the bible. It is universal in its application and timeless in its relevance. This is a general theological statement of what is revealed in the particular experience of Abraham. The sermon from the Genesis 22 passage could be entitled “Daring Faith.” In the theological format, the division statements might be as follows.

A third type of division statement is worded as application. Whereas the historical statement speaks of Abraham and his faith, and the theological principle speaks in general and timeless terms, the applicational statement addresses the audience in particular about what they can do. The subject of the sermon, “Daring Faith,” would not have to change with the use of different division types. The six divisions in the applicational format would be stated as follows.

A fourth kind of sermon division statement is the exhortative. In this kind of division statement you speak directly to the hearer, but not with a statement of what he might do, as in the application type. This time you give him a direct command. You have already established that the subject is “daring faith.” Your division statements are ways to express daring faith. The first one, following the pattern we have already set from Abraham’s experience, is this, “Listen for the voice of God.” That is an exhortative statement urging, even commanding the hearer to express daring faith in this way.

Let’s review these four kinds of sermon division statements. In the first place, we recognize that some commonly used sermon points have been eliminated already. We did that early on by insisting on theological statements of a complete sentence derived from what is revealed in the text. Beyond that you can notice a pattern in the order of the four kinds of statements I have suggested here.

In the first place, these four types of statements move from the historical toward the personal. Type one is fully historical in that it is stated in the past tense about a particular historical character or group of people.

Type two, the theological statement, is more personal and contemporary because it is stated in the present tense and applies to all people at all times. Though it is more personal than the statement about Abraham, it is still very general and abstract in nature.

Type three, the applicational statement is much more personal and not historical at all. It addresses the audience directly in terms of what can be done about the theological truths identified in the text.

While each of these types will “work” for sermon divisions, which one do you think the audience is more likely to write down and try to remember?

Whichever type of sermon division you use, you will want to show the hearer where in the text that idea is revealed. You will want to explain the historical background and some of the language as you see it will help you accomplish what you want to do in the sermon. You will also want to show the hearer reasons why the idea makes sense and is necessary to daring faith. Beyond that you will want to illustrate the truth of the statement with contemporary analogies and biblical stories. You will also want to apply it to the everyday life of those in your audience, being very specific and realistic in your application.

As a general rule, a sermon is designed to persuade the audience. Though the sermon derives it ideas clearly from a biblical text, its focus is on the audience and how they can put those ideas to work in their lives. If the preacher plans his sermon in such a way that it only presents historical and theological material, he is failing to focus adequately on the audience.

Remember that without the audience there is no need for a sermon. Neither is there any need for a preacher. Nor, we may be so bold to say is there any need for a bible. It was because of God’s love for the people sitting in your audience, as well as billions of others, that he made himself known in Scripture and ultimately in the atoning work of Christ.

If the sermon does not connect with the lives of the people in a practical way it is a failure. Of course, God can redeem even a failing sermon and speak to his children through it. But why should the preacher be satisfied to prepare a sermon that misses the purpose of God’s revelation?

We must not think that any application to the lives of the people will be acceptable. The application must be directly derived from the theological truths revealed in the text. I have heard preachers whose sermon application came back to the same themes over and over, no matter what theological ideas in the text were. They would come back to “getting the sin out of your life,” “trusting Christ as your savior,” “being a faithful person or witness,” “being a tither,” and so forth.

Unless these applications are clearly connected with the theological truth of the text, the pastor should not automatically go to them, just because that’s what he likes to talk about. This approach gets very old with the people. They sense that you are not preaching what the bible says, but you what you want to say to harangue the audience.

Our normal tendency as preachers is to focus on the human drama in the text, particularly in narrative passages. In the epistles we tend to see the ideas in the text in terms of our duty as believers. We usually want to preach about the moral obligation of the Christian, or his need to be more dedicated to God, or his need for faithfulness. We see in the text material the sin of mankind and the need for repentance. For that reason, most of our sermons take on a moralistic format. They are about what we should do for God.

The Bible was not written primarily to reveal man, but to reveal God. Even the moral requirements of Scripture reveal Him. Our texts are not intended as the story of ancient religious people and how we are to try and be like them. They are written rather to tell us about the God who intervened in their experience. The Bible is written to make Him known.

If that is the case, perhaps we should approach every text with the intention to discover what it tells us about God—his character, his intentions, his capabilities, and his track record. Every text can be interpreted in either an anthropocentric (man-centered) or a theocentric (God-centered) way. The text is the constant. The truth is there. The variable is the interpreter. What we bring to the text may overshadow its intended meaning.

Let’s revisit our four models for writing sermon division statements. First, consider how the historical format could be worded in a theocentric way. The change is the focus on what God’s intention and action in the text rather than that of Abraham.

It is a variation on the propositional format. But this time we will word it as God-centered rather than man-centered. Using the same text and following the same basic outline, the wording for a God-focused interpretation makes a great deal of difference in the outcome for the sermon.

Though the wording can be adjusted somewhat as you wish, you can see that these statements shift the attention from Abraham to God and what He is doing in the story. Now, let’s look at the applicational format for wording our division statements. How could they be worded from a theocentric perspective?

As we come to the final format for division statements, you may wonder how we can make a God-centered statement exhortative. This model for division statements is to take the form of a command or exhortation. We are to speak directly and personally to the hearer about what he should do in response to the truths of the text. Here is a way those statements might be worded.

As you can see, we have rewritten the wording of the application statements for a direct charge to the hearer to trust God. The emphasis is still on the character and faithfulness of God rather than the religious obligation of man.

God-centered preaching evokes faith in the hearer. The man-centered sermon concentrates on what believers should do. But the God-centered sermon focuses on who God is and what He has done, what He promises, what He will do, what He can do. That kind of information builds faith. Preaching what Christians should do for God does not build faith. How the preacher words his truths from the text can make a real difference.