(Part 1)

JBTM Paul D. Wegner
100
If you choose to do a series, then you will need to divide the book into preachable units
with clear and unique themes. Be sure to allow plenty of time to read the book through
several times until these preachable units emerge. It is not as easy to preach through the
OT verse by verse as it is in the NT. Many of the books of the prophets are long with a
number of judgment oracles that often sound very much alike. For those of you who wish
to preach verse by verse through the book of Job, remember that at the end God declares
that Job’s friends were wrong. I would recommend that if you choose to preach a series on
a book, spend the first sermon providing an overview of the book and the big picture as to
what the prophet is trying to communicate. It is also helpful to prepare an overarching title
for a series that pulls together all the sermons in a meaningful and applicable way.
Prepare the Structure of Each Sermon
Not every sermon needs to follow the guidelines mentioned here, but it is helpful to
keep a good structure and flow.
Title: A title should be a concise and easy-to-remember statement of the key theme of
the sermon. Questions often work well to get people thinking.
Transitional Statement with a Precise Key Word: A transitional statement is the critical
sentence between the introduction and the main part of the sermon. It sets the structure
for your sermon and features a key word to tie together the main points. Each of the
main points should reflect the key word. For example, if the key word is “reasons,” then
each of the main points should be a reason. This can be a difficult concept to grasp. For
instance, “forgiveness” or “God’s love” may be the key idea of the sermon, but key words
for a transitional statement would be “reasons,” “steps,” “concepts,” or “exhortations”; but
“things” is not specific enough to be a key word.
Main Points: The main points must be parallel (i.e., whatever the key word is), clearly
stated, and as memorable and applicable as possible. I remember Dr. Warren Wiersbe, a
masterful preacher, telling his class that the sermon points should already start to apply
themselves. Thus a main point such as “Habakkuk complains to God” is not as strong as
“God can comfort even the staunchest complainers.” Ideally, each of the main points should
come from the main points of the section’s paragraphs (or strophes) and should be stated
in the form of a timeless principle. While there is no set rule about the number of main
points for a sermon, presenting five or more makes them difficult to remember. Work on
these main points until they convey the biblical truth of the passage in the most meaningful
way possible for your listeners. Next, add subpoints underneath the main points, following
the grammatical structure of the passage. Avoid making too many subpoints or including
too much detail.
Summary Statement: Summarize the passage into one sentence that is concise and yet