Chuck Swindoll’s Key Thought When Crafting a Sermon
By IFL Staff
Pastor Chuck Swindoll writes this in his book, Saying It Well (97), “Never speak to a group without providing a truth to ponder, a principle to apply, or a decision to make.”
There’s a way to do that, though, that makes it especially effective. That method causes you to listen to a sermon on the edge of your seat and then, when the preacher arrives at his concluding points, you want to jump up and say, “Exactly!” The final remarks just seem to hit the nail right on the head and articulate precisely what you’re feeling.
Well, there’s a reason we have that kind of reaction during a sermon.
The principle is actually quite simple to understand and it’s Chuck’s key thought when he is crafting a sermon. It’s this:
Write your sermon toward an application.
Let’s explore it before we look at how Chuck does it.
As Chuck is doing his sermon research, his praying, and his reflecting, key theological principles emerge from the biblical passage. Then, as those truths emerge, he thinks through his listeners and how those principles might apply to their lives. From there he forms applications and then begins to craft his sermon.
First the title. Second, the introduction. Third, the body (exposition). 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.
In Saying It Well (97), Chuck explain why he crafts his sermons this way:
“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 application 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.”
Now let’s look at how he does it. This set of applications is from Chuck’s sermon called “Burning Bushes and Second Chances.” He delivered it in his series on Moses. It’s an exposition of Exodus 3 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 shouldn’t return to Egypt. So with those three events in mind, listen to the way Chuck concludes his sermon.
“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. . . .
Number one, those who run before they are sent. Moses did that 40 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’re 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! And God says, “Wait. I haven’t sent you yet. I’ve got to tool you up.” And then when we run before we’re sent, we fail.
So, second response is, those who retreat after they have failed. You ever done that? Just failed royally, and try to find the very smallest mouse hole you can find to get in and to retreat? That’s the problem caused by insecurity. You see, who ever said you’ve got to succeed in everything you do? We’ve gone over that time and again.
And so intensity causes us to run before we are sent. Insecurity causes us to retreat when we have failed. We haven’t met our standard.
And so that brings about, third, those who resist when they are called. That’s brought about by inferiority. And that’s not the same as humility. Moses wasn’t simply humble, he was inferior. And that borders onto a neurosis. With some people it is. There are some of you who have been called but you’re resisting because you feel inferior. And 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, 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’s 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.””
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.
Before we review another example, let’s look at two quotes on the mechanics of this principle.
First, Chuck writes:
“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.” (Saying It Well, 109–110)
As a sidenote, remember that writing a sermon of course 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. But what we’re sharing are fundamentals that you can adapt and use in your own way.
Second, Chuck teaches,
“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.” (Saying It Well, 139)
Isn’t that great?
Now let’s end with another example from Chuck. It’s from his sermon on Jabez in his series called, Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives. Throughout the body of his sermon, Chuck exposits 1 Chronicles 4:9–10:
“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’s ends with these three applications:
“Now 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. No, 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’s a second lesson: No measure of success is safe without the presence of God’s hand on a life. 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. And 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 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. So 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. 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 there is often envy and suspicion and a critical eye leveled at those who are in large places of responsibility.
I read, 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.
You know, I’m going to tell you something. I’ve never said this 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. And when I am around 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. And I just . . . my heart just goes out to them in compassion for what they have to live with.
Now, 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?”
Additional Resources
First, sign up for our Swindoll’s Insights on Ministry email where we bring you Chuck’s best thoughts on preaching, leadership, and ministry each week. By signing up, you’ll instantly receive a one-age checklist with 20 preaching insights from Chuck. See this page’s sidebar.
Second, check out our Preach the Word video series on YouTube where we’re posting Chuck’s best insights on this important calling. Coming early 2026!
Third, if you don’t own a copy of Chuck’s book on preaching, Saying It Well, we highly recommend you add it to your library. It’s his preaching memoir that is also like a practical preaching manual. You won’t be able to put it down.
Fourth, peruse more articles in this church leaders section.
About the author
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IFL Staff
