With a thousand different ways to outline the text, I used to rewrite my outline 10 to 15 times before I landed on a final version. I think I spent more time re-outlining than actually working on sermon content. Everything changed when I decided to toss my conventional main point outline and narrow everything down to one word. I called it a keyword. Not a phrase. Not two words. One word. I was stunned. It not only provided expository focus but also led to homiletical clarity. My study was far more profitable, and my message was far more focused. Here’s how it works. Once you have your keyword, use it in the answer to these questions: 1. What is true? 2. Why do we resist what is true? 3. How does Jesus redeem our resistance? 4. In union with Jesus, what change is now possible? Suddenly, the sermon writes itself. Your exegesis has a target. Your applications become "get to’s" instead of "have to’s." But here's the best part. Your people start to see the same gospel pattern every week. They begin asking these four questions on their own. Your preaching becomes a discipleship tool, not just a Sunday event. Now, I know what some may be thinking. "Won't this be too limiting?" "What if my text has multiple themes?" "Doesn't this oversimplify Scripture?" Here's what I discovered. A single keyword doesn't limit your sermon. It focuses it. You're not ignoring the richness of the text. You're tethering it to one central idea. Think about it. When someone asks a congregation member on Monday, "What was the sermon about?" they're not going to recite three points and multiple sub-points. They're going to say one word. Or maybe a short phrase. So why not give them that word from the start? Why not make it easy on your listener—and on yourself? 🙂 The question to discuss: How have you experienced using the keyword as you build PPGR sermons? How has it helped? Where have you run into challenges?

So glad you made it in! See more👇. What to do right now: 1. Update your profile: Please upload a photo so we aren’t talking to blank avatars. It helps us feel like a real community. 2. Look around: Click on the "Classroom" tab and the "Calendar" tab. How does it feel compared to what we have on Circle? 3. On a scale of 1-10, how easy was it to get in and set up your profile? Let me know below! NOTE: As I mentioned in the email, we are test-driving this platform to see if Skool will provide a simpler, more focused space for us to connect and grow together.

You want to preach grace. But you may be (unintentionally) preaching more law than you think. And yes, law precedes grace. But once the law has done its work, leading us to Jesus, everything changes. We don’t live against the law. But instead of duty and obligation, grace becomes the motivation and the Spirit becomes our power source for change. Do this (if you dare). Listen to a recording of a recent message. How often did you use the words "must," "should," "have to," or "need to"? Yes, these words can be connected to grace. But if that connection isn’t explicit, they are heard by the listener as words of obligation, duty, and responsibility. Words that imply that God's acceptance is waiting on the other side of our obedience. Learning the Grammar of Grace changes everything — especially when doing sermon application. For example, - If the grammar of the Law application is "We must." - The grammar of the Gospel application is "We get to." When you shift your language, you shift the motivational posture of the heart. It seems like a small semantic change. But it really is the difference between law and gospel, a wage and a gift, an obligation and an opportunity. Here’s how to apply the Grammar of Grace to a topic like generosity. Instead of demanding people give more, walk them through this sequence: - Question 1: What is the biblical truth about generosity? - Question 2: Why do we struggle with generosity? - Question 3: How does Jesus demonstrate generosity? - Question 4: What opportunity for generosity is now possible? When you answer Question 3 with the cross, Question 4 (the applicaiton) changes. This means, we’re not called to generosity to prove or secure our standing. We’re called to be generous because (as recipients of mercy) it reflects the greater generosity of Jesus. Good questions people are asking... (1) "But won't people think obedience is optional?" This is the fear that keeps pastors locked into law language.

I think Derwin Gray is credited with that statement. I needed to hear that gospel truth this week. Maybe you do, too. Eventually, you will. Most likely it will be a Saturday. The problem is that I try to curate an image in public, while possessing a deep sense of hypocrisy. But Jesus didn't die for my potential. He died to give me his potential. To put this another way, the only thing I contribute to my justification is my sin. Jesus provides the righteousness. And by grace through faith, I am covered—even the absolute worst version of myself. If you needed that, you're invited to believe it, boast in it, and magnify the grace of Jesus with me.

In sermon prep, we stack the logs, but only the Spirit can bring the fire (gospel light, warmth, and real heart change). Is there anything specific you do on Saturday or Sunday morning to shift your heart from "it's all on me" to a conscious dependence on the Spirit? And, how does/could that change we actually preach?