James 1:22-25 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed 1) Application helps your members obey, follow, and trust God from the text you have explained and illustrated.

    • When asked about what the hardest part of writing a lesson is, many pastors will acknowledge several challenging aspects such as exegesis, outlining and delivery, but the clear winner is application.
    • Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary said, “Application is the process whereby the expositor takes a biblical truth of the text and applies it to the lives of his audience, proclaiming why it is relevant for their lives, and passionately encouraging it to make necessary changes in a manner congruent with the original intent of the author.”
    • We need application because all sermons involve a “so what,” and a “what now” aspect.
      • We have not preached a great message if all we have done is provide biblical information to our members.
      • Howard Hendriks said, “Application is the most neglected yet most needed stage in the process. Too much Bible study begins and ends in the wrong place: It begins with interpretation and it also ends there. The Bible does not exist to satisfy your curiosity: it is written to transform your life.”
      • Spurgeon said, “Where the application begins, there the sermon begins.”
      • Most of your members do not come to church having lost sleep over the Canaanites.
        • They have lost sleep over spiritual, family, financial, health, school or job issues.
        • If your sermon did not make any difference in any of those issues, your members may feel the Bible is not relevant to them.
        • Your members need know the Bible speaks to their lives.

2) Application builds a bridge from the sermon text to where your members live.

    • To accomplish this you must know your members as well as you know your text.
    • Application helps your members close the gap between what they are and who they know they need to be in their relationships with the Lord and the people in their lives.
    • Text-driven application is necessary because it requires a decision on the part of your members.
    • Application is more than just pointing out a problem.
      • You need to help your members understand exactly what the text says the problem is.
      • You need to show your members what to do about the problem that is consistent with the truth in your text.

Sources Sermon Application: How Does It Work? – Sermons & Articles (preaching.com) Sermon Application | Preaching Today Hans Finzel in Unlocking the Scriptures Published by David C Cook Aboundms@gmail.com