To be effective, the pastor must preach to the needs of his people. If the preacher does not apply the spiritual truth of the text to the day in which his audience lives, the preaching becomes an exercise in futility and the church becomes a glorified country club.
The preacher should take four steps to assure spiritual application in the sermon. The preacher must first attempt to explain the truth in its biblical context. Then he must illustrate that truth and show how that truth can be applied and worked out in contemporary living. Then he must call upon his people to act upon that truth. Through application, the congregation will leave the sanctuary to live out the truth that has been preached.
One of God's great ways of communicating spiritual truth so it is easily understood is by use of illustrations. I [Adrian Rogers] attempt to include an illustration with every outline point of the sermon. I preplan all of my sermon illustrations through careful selection from my files.
*This question and answer were extracted from "Love Worth Finding: The Life of Adrian Rogers and His Philosophy of Preaching.”
