Proving Your Point with Argumentation in Sermon Development - Part 3

In your sermon development, you should include 4 essential elements: explanation, illustration, application, and a fourth one that too many preachers leave out. We call it either argumentation or proof.

Each kind of sermon development answers a question:

• Explanation: What does that mean?
• Application: Why does it matter to me?
• Argumentation or Proof: Is that true?
• Illustration: What does that look like?

Why Do We Need to Prove a Biblical Truth with Argumentation?

Have you heard this popular statement among Bible-believing Christians? "The Bible says, I believe it, and that settles it." I've also heard people shorten it to, "The Bible says it so that settles it."

The Bible says, I believe it, and that settles it.

Well-known evangelical quote.

Unfortunately, we preach to people who don't believe things just because the Bible says it. Some guests at your church don't believe the Bible is infallible. Even church members might choose only parts of the Bible to believe and apply. A recent Barna study defined a Biblical worldview and found that most Christians disagreed with that definition. So, we must consider these people as we prepare to preach our message.

Many Christians believe something until it forces them to change their assumptions or behavior; then, they willingly give up their Biblical convictions and choose to live like they want. We must prove to them that applying the Bible in their lives brings them into proper obedience and makes it in their best interest to obey.

My seminary preaching professor, Wayne McDill, wrote:

Sermons are designed to persuade. But if you are to be persuasive, you will have to make a case for your ideas. You will have to demonstrate that your point is reasonable and worthy of belief, that what you are saying makes sense. Argument is that part of your support material in which you give reasons for accepting the principles you are presenting.

McDill, Wayne. 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching.

12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching by Wayne McDill
Click here to get it in Logos Bible Software.

Tying Your Sermon Argumentation to the Context

Advanced preachers use multiple sermon types or outline styles to carry the text's message, and we want to describe where we should place argumentation or proof in our sermon development.

You might call yourself an expository preacher because you work through books of the Bible and take a verse-by-verse approach. It's like a commentary that covers each verse separately. That's a form of preaching, but it's not Expository Preaching.

Truly Expository Preaching follows the Big Idea of the text, as well as the tone and form of the passage. For example, if you preach poetic language and imagery from a Psalm, you won't preach a didactic sermon with few mental images. Use the mental images the Psalmist offers and share them to make your points. Explain the imagery and how it relates to the theological concepts your message presents, following the author's approach in both content and tone. Your sermon development might contain a modern-day version of the psalmist image to explain your idea.

Once you've explained the idea and tied it to the text, you will argue the truth of the concept for your audience. Don't assume they will believe it because David wrote it. This is where we fit proof or argumentation in our sermon development.

An Example of Where Argumentation Fits from Psalm 1

Look at Psalm 1, which includes several metaphors to describe the godly man. We learn that he's like a person taking a walk. He won't walk by ungodly influences and get distracted by them. We get a mental image of someone stopping to look at what the ungodly are doing. Then he sits down with them. The progression of walking by, stopping, and taking a seat is the mental image of being drawn into the sins of the ungodly.

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

Psalm 1:1, NKJV (italics mine)

You will first need to show the hearer what you mean by describing the scene or telling a story about a time when you were distracted by something while taking a walk or driving along the road. You've used an illustration or natural analogy to explain what you mean by the concept of distractions from a spiritual relationship with God.

As the Deer Panteth for My Attention

I once drove home at night along Yellow Banks Road near my home in the rural area of Wilkes County, NC. A home along that road has a huge field in front and to the left. There's a row of trees about an acre off the road. We recently moved here and, at dusk, saw some deer. It grabbed my attention, and my wife counted. The number grew while my speed decreased. Finally, I nearly came to a stop to see for myself. We counted more than a dozen deer in that field.

Those deer grabbed my attention to the point where I nearly stopped. Sometimes, as we walk along God's path, we get distracted and slow down to see something. We stop and might take a seat to examine it for a while.

After explaining the concept using an illustration, you must prove it to your modern hearers who don't assume the Bible's truth. This leads us to the next step in proving your point with Biblical argumentation.

Consider Arguments People Might Make Against the Big Idea and Answer Them

You've shown the audience what you mean and explained how it relates to the text. Next, brainstorm possible arguments against the Big Idea. How might someone object to the text and your statement of the idea?

You could write the idea at the top of a page or type it into your sermon notes. Then, use bullet points to list arguments against it.

You're not writing or typing what you believe are valid arguments against the idea; you're brainstorming what a listener might say in response to the Biblical truth. Imagine a teenager or a young mother who might struggle with the issue. Picture people who might sit in the congregation listening.

Using our example above, consider the following possible arguments against the truth. Sinful influences won't easily distract a godly man living for God.

Sinful influences won't easily distract a godly man living for God.

We'll clean up the above statement in a future part of our sermon design to make it pithy and memorable. At this point, it's a good idea to write it out in detail to give you a complete idea of your concept, which will help you brainstorm. List the possible objections. Consider these two.

• I won't get distracted because I've been a strong Christian for many years.
• Didn't Jesus tell us not to neglect lost people?
• I get easily distracted by sins. I can't stop ... (fill in the blank with any sins people might habitually commit).

Answering Arguments Against a Truth

You might think of other arguments against the truth. Let's consider an answer to one of the arguments listed above.

You're at a coffee shop with a friend. You discuss the concept found in verse one of Psalm 1. He looks at you thoughtfully, looks away, and then says, "I get distracted by sin all the time. I find it really hard to resist certain temptations."

We need to convince the person that they can walk with the Lord, and this helps us overcome temptations as we continue in the faith. Where would you find a convincing argument to help your friend trust that they can overcome sin if they do something new?

Is the Bible a Valuable Source for Argumentation?

We're tempted to rush to other passages that will prove our point. I immediately thought of a passage in 2 Peter 1 that says...

5- But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6- to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7- to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8- For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9-For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

2 Peter 1:5-9, NKJV

That passage might help someone who trusts God's word. When you first believe God can answer your problems, this kind of faith adds virtue. We progress from virtue to knowledge. You find great self-control when you learn about God's love, grace, and support through His Holy Spirit. That brings perseverance and less failure. The more perseverance you find, the more godliness you gain in your behavior, and you can better resist temptation. That leads to an abundance of fruit-bearing behavior.

However, this alone won't help the skeptic. Scripture is powerful, so use passages like this to support your argument. However, you will usually need more for an unbelieving person and even for Christians who don't yet submit willingly to the Word just because "God said it."

Other Sources for Argumentation in Sermon Development

You can find many sources for proof or argumentation in your sermon development. Statistics, examples, stories that show the truth applied effectively, and quotations from trusted people all help the preacher prove the truth.

For example, I used a Barna Research stat to prove that believers might not trust Scripture alone for proof in a sermon. I could strengthen my argument with an example of someone I knew who claimed to serve Christ but didn't believe some clear Biblical idea.

Returning to Psalm 1:1, we see that our friend at the coffee shop didn't agree that living for God can help them fight off the distractions of temptation. What if we used 1 Peter 1, an example or testimony from our own lives, and a quote from someone the person trusts? Together, with the conviction of the. Holy Spirit, might convince our friend.

Find Argumentation or Proof for Sermon Development in Bible Software

I use Logos Bible Software to study passages and topics found in those passages. You could open Logos Bible Software and run a Topic Guide from the Guides menu. Type the topic in the search box and wait while Logos returns content from your library. Look through the results to find some possible support material.

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Sermon Development Always Include These Four Essentials

I don’t care how entertaining, interesting, or exciting your sermon seems to your audience. You fail your congregation if you don’t include these four essential elements in your sermon development. They are essentials because you have to include them. Can I make it any clearer? You have to do these four things!! They help you learn how to develop a sermon outline effectively.

What four elements should you include in your sermon development, regardless of what kind of sermon you preach? Developing an idea means making it understandable, memorable, and visible. Then, the truth needs to be doable. So, we explain, illustrate, and prove an idea. Finally, we show them how they can apply the truth by doing something, believing something, or understanding something.

Why are these so important to call them essential? A listener must understand what the preacher means and where the scripture says what the preacher said. Then, if I don’t see it, regardless of how much you explain it, the idea won’t come to life and plant itself in the audience's memory.

Not every listener will believe a statement just because they understand it and see it in scripture and they see examples. However, the more concrete the preacher makes their idea, the more the listener will believe it. Eventually, he must prove it’s true for a skeptical listener to accept and live the truth. If they do, we need to help them understand how they can live the truth.

Sermon Development Includes Clear Explanation

There’s a reason why “plain” is at the heart of Explanation. Not really, but that’s one way to think about it. When you state a truth, you must explain what it means. This becomes more important when using creative sermon ideas or sermon points. It’s best to avoid cutesy or gimmicky sermon points if they make things less clear and require you to spend extra time explaining the statement.

Please see part 1 of this series on Explanation.

Explanation is the Sermon Development that appeals to the mind and answers the question, "What does it mean?" Explanation makes things more clear.

To explain an idea, you need to make it clear or plain. What does it mean to say, “Discipleship is the heart of growth in Christ?” What do you mean by discipleship, heart, and growth?

The heart could mean something that pumps blood throughout the body. It illustrates driving growth and giving life to your spiritual existence. But most of us would likely mean that it’s central to our spiritual existence, like the heart sitting at the center of the body and circulatory system.

In a recent sermon, I said, “Jesus Empowers Us to Fulfill Our Purpose,” from Matthew 28:18, where Jesus said, “All authority is given to me in heaven and on earth.” Jesus empowers us thanks to his authority. He gave us the proper authority to go and make disciples and teach them.

An Example of Explanation

My sermon answered, “Why did God leave us behind after saving our souls?" We make disciples and stay in communion with Jesus until he returns, or we go to Him in death (v. 20).

To effectively clarify a spiritual truth like the one from my sermon on the Great Commission, the preacher should explain each part of the idea that a listener could misunderstand without it. What do we mean by empowering us? How does empowering us aid in fulfilling our purpose? If the sermon hasn't explained that the Great Commission is part of our purpose, we must do so now.

One tool a preacher reaches for when explaining ideas is natural analogies. These are real-world things that make abstract ideas clearer. We also call these sermon illustrations. So, let's look at that category of sermon development.

Sermon Development Includes Illustration

We've all seen or even used one of those books of stale old sermon illustrations. Back in the nineties, I used a program on my computer that collected sermon illustrations in a database. The illustrations in those books or that program often told stories of 19th-century missionaries or historical figures from the Civil War or Revolutionary War. They were boring and out of date.

Your life and experience provide the best source for natural analogies or sermon illustrations.

Illustration helps us see the idea. It appeals to our creativity and answers, "What does it look like?"
Photo by Kenaz Nepomuceno on Pexels.com

A sermon illustration includes anything that one can visualize. Illustrations in books show what the words say. A human anatomy book might illustrate how blood flows through the heart and to the extremities. A book about auto repair will show the proper fuel pump installation on a 2017 Honda Ridgeline.

A sermon illustration aims at the imagination. It shows what an idea looks like. It tells a story about how to live a life of kindness by telling how a friend showed the preacher kindness even though he didn't deserve it. The hearer can see how they might apply this truth, or they can see what the preacher means by kindness.

Illustrations will explain an idea, showing what it means. This clarifies the idea and gives examples of how to live out an idea by applying it. In other words, an illustration can explain, prove, and apply the truth.

Examples of What Many Call Sermon Illustrations

Before we move on to the sermon development element we call proof, let's look at an example of what is not a sermon illustration.

Too many of those sermon illustration websites, books, or databases include quotes by famous Christians or historical figures. Unless that quote includes a natural analogy or a story that shows us something, it isn't a sermon illustration. It might explain, prove, or apply an idea, but quotes are not illustrations unless they appeal to the imagination.

Illustrations can effectively prove ideas. So, what do we mean by proof?

Sermon Development Includes Proof

If explanation appeals to the mind and illustration appeals to the imagination, then proof appeals to the will. We explain by answering, "What does it mean?" We illustrate by answering, "What does it look like?" We prove a truth by answering, "Is this true?"

Click the image above or the link below to buy the book.
Image = hardcover and link = Logos Bible Software link.

Haddon Robinson wrote in Biblical Preaching, my favorite text on Expository Preaching:

An initial response of those of us who take the Scriptures seriously is to ignore this question. We assume that an idea should be accepted as true because it comes from the Bible. That is not necessarily a valid assumption. We may need to gain psychological acceptance in our hearers through reasoning, proofs, or illustrations. Even the inspired writers of the New Testament (all of whom believed that the Old Testament was a God-breathed witness) sometimes established the validity of their statements, not only by quoting the Old Testament but by referring to common life as well.

(Robinson, Haddon W. 2001. Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. p. 80)

Strategies for Proof

Some effective strategies for proving a truth include:

• Illustrations that show how an event validated the truth in someone's life.
• Quotations from a trusted source that the hearers would believe.
• Statistics, facts, and figures.
• Logical arguments, which philosophers interestingly call proofs.
• Appeal to "a prior" knowledge, which means using ideas we all assume are true.

Most preachers will assume a truth that comes directly from scripture carries enough weight that it should not need proof. "The Bible says it, that settles it." However, if a church does a good job of appealing to non-believers, then a preacher might address people who don't believe the Bible is necessarily true. Also, believers might struggle to maintain their faith in the authority of the Bible. These people need proof! A modern preacher will appeal to Scripture and rely on the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, but will also appeal to the above kinds of proof to bring people to the point of trusting Scripture.

Once the hearer understands what we mean, can see what it looks like, and understands that the ideas are true, then we need to help them see and understand how to live what the Bible says.

Sermon Development Includes Practical Application

One preaching professor said, "If you don't apply the text, you didn't really preach it." I fully agree with this.

Imagine you take your car to a mechanic and he diagnoses the problem. You need to replace the fuel pump. The mechanic explains that the car won't run properly without a new fuel pump. He convinces you with a fantastic argument proving the need for a new pump. Then, the mechanic explains what the fuel pump does and what fixing it would do for the engine. He convinced you, and you're ready to swipe your credit card.

If you don't apply the text, you didn't really preach it.

Unknown Preaching Professor

The mechanic then turned around and walked away, saying, "Thanks for stopping by."

What do you do now? He never explained how you could get the fuel pump fixed or what it would cost. You can't fix it without direct application from the mechanic.

A sermon must also include application for the same reason. If the listener doesn't know what to do now, then you failed in the preaching task. "You didn't really preach."

Examples of Practical Application in Sermon Development

Sermons always include clear, concrete examples of how to apply the truth of the text. My sermon on The Great Commission from Matthew 28:18-20 ended with four ways the listener could apply the text. I told them to begin praying for one person they knew needed to hear the Gospel. Second, I suggested they learn how to share the Gospel. Third, I offered a tool called Life on Mission, an app that takes a person through the Gospel and invites the person to trust Jesus for salvation and forgiveness. You can also buy the book that shows how to present the 3 Circles Gospel Presentation (affiliate link at Amazon). Finally, I suggested that they ask the Lord to give them a chance to be a witness to their friend, not by inviting them to church, but by inviting them to trust Jesus.

Get the Life on Mission app from your app store.

Application can take on multiple forms including doing something. That's the most common form of Application as Sermon Development. You ask the congregation to do something based on the message you preach.

Application also means believing something. Sometimes, the passage simply asks us to believe something about God or his Kingdom.

Finally, some sermons ask us to understand something that we need to understand to change our behavior, character, or beliefs.