Just as a building needs an entrance, a symphony needs a prelude, and a book needs a preface, even so the sermon outline needs some basic introductory elements.  Without a proper introduction, the sermon will come off as a stranger to the congregational bystanders.  Though it happens from time to time, it is a rare occasion for most people to spontaneously engage someone whom they have never met. The same principle holds true for the sermon outline. When the expositor haphazardly plunges into the depths of the text without any preliminary notions or opening thoughts, the congregation will feel displaced,

“That’s not what I meant.” Have you ever heard someone make that statement? Somewhere along the line their thoughts, their ideas, their intent was misconstrued so that others grossly misunderstood what was being said. It can be dangerous, you know. One misplaced word in a text message, one nuanced inflection in the voice, one misinterpreted pause in a conversation and suddenly things are perceived in a way that was never intended.

“That’s not what I meant!” I wonder how often God says that during the preaching hour?

Nothing is more dangerous to the church of Jesus Christ than taking a

The most compelling, heart-stirring messages are those which bring to light the truth of God’s Word in the heart of the hearer. This is the primary task of the expositor: To take biblical truth and communicate it in such a way that the congregation has a clear understanding of the meaning of Scripture.  Such a process will force men to make decisions about their lives in consideration of the truth that has been revealed.  Perhaps there is no more effective way to do this than by using illustrations.

The act of illustrating comes from the Latin word illustrare which literally