Sometimes a term is used so much that it loses its sparkle. We live in a day when everything seems to be “purpose- driven.” However, many sermons are still preached without a clearly defined purpose. Jay Adams begins his book Preaching With Purpose with these words:
“The amazing lack of concern for purpose among homileticians and preachers has spawned a brood of preachers who are dull, lifeless, abstract and impersonal; it has obscured truth, hindered joyous Christian living, destroyed dedication and initiative, and stifled service for Christ.”
Perhaps it is better to avoid the term “Purpose-Driven,” but as preachers we can’t avoid the consequences if we neglect this critical element of biblical preaching. As you prepare your next sermon, write down a clear and specific statement of your sermon’s purpose.
Quoted: Jay Adams, Preaching With Purpose, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan), 1.
Peter has commented on this post.
Biblical Preaching 
I always find this writing a purpose really difficult, as either I seem to end up with such a wide and abstract purpose that it doesn’t mean anything in real life, or I end up with a really narrow purpose that seems to make the text small and only important to one small area of life.
Could you blog a bit more about purpose. Perhaps give some examples? Thanks.
I might not be reading you correctly but I think in some sense the “only important to one small area of life” might be the point. when you get concrete it forces you to limit or cut out other possibilities that are totally true, but not in line with my 30 minute presentation today (yeah I know I only preach 30 minutes but many others preach longer)
We are not trying to say everything that the text means, but only a small segment of what the text means. The meaning of the text is so infinite that all of us who have ever preached still have not touched all the implications of the text, and yet so practical that all of us can say something of what it means…
I think the key is to let people know that you are not trying to exhaust the meaning, but demonstrate a small part of the meaning.
It’s easy to get into semantics, but I think it is helpful to distinguish the meaning of the text and the possible applications of the text. While the text is indeed infinite and can never be exhausted, it is fair to say that our goal is a good level of comprehension of the author’s intended meaning. We seek to get this through the exegetical process using good hermeneutics. Then as preachers we have to explain the text to give some level of understanding of the meaning. However, as well as seeking to understand and explain the meaning of the text, we also seek to apply the text. Even if we can never fully plumb its depths, a text has one meaning. However, it has innumerable possible applications. So in our preaching we seek to demonstrate, as specifically as possible, several of the better possible applications of a passage for our particular listeners.
I see the difference between one meaning and many possible applications, but where does purpose come into this?
Is the purpose close to one of the many possible applications – e.g. ‘I want people to pray more for persecuted Christians in North Korea’? Or is the purpose close to the meaning of the text, like ‘I want people to understand and apply the meaning of this text.’
Is purpose general, close to the general meaning of the text, or specific, close to one of the many possible applications?