Oct. 18, 2025

* Unlocking the Power of the 'Why' in Preaching

* Unlocking the Power of the 'Why' in Preaching

Text Bryan

We explore how mindset and emotion shape action and why the most effective sermons start by answering one question: why do they need to know this. Brian shares a practical WHY acrostic, a powerful story from Christmas services, and a framework to turn truth into transformation.

• mindset plus emotion equals action
• positive and negative mindsets as motivators
• speak to the heart to drive memory and decisions
• the game changer question: why do they need to know this
• Michael Jr. illustration of purpose powering delivery
• the WHY acrostic: What truth, High stakes, Your burden
• stakes for you, community, and world to anchor urgency
• crafting burden-driven applications that prompt action

Please take the time to download the worksheet. The link should be in the episode notes. I would love to hear how this is helping you.

Visit our website speakonpurposepodcast.com

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00:00 - Preaching For Life Change

01:39 - Mindset Drives Emotion And Action

05:20 - Positive And Negative Mindsets

08:23 - Speak To The Heart, Not Just Head

09:39 - The Game Changer Question: Why

12:46 - Michael Jr.’s Why Example

15:12 - Emotion As The Engine Of Decisions

17:02 - The WHY Acrostic Overview

17:54 - W: What Truth Are you Revealing

18:52 - H: High Stake Questions

20:13 - Stakes For You, Community, World

22:01 - Y: Find And Own Your Burden

23:46 - Christmas Service Breakthrough Story

24:47 - Download The Worksheet And Share Feedback

25:31 - Apply Why To Stir Action

WEBVTT

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Today, we're talking about preaching for life change.

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The reason some communicators can inspire change and others don't is because great communicators understand the answer to this one question.

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Think about this.

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You might have a great outline with great points, but how do you actually deliver a sermon that sparks people to action?

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Preaching with passion and inspiration is a skill.

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And it's one of the hardest things to learn when you're starting to preach.

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But here's the good news there is a way.

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I listen to sermons every week, including some of the most influential communicators in the world.

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And every great sermon has this one thing in common this question.

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So in this video, I'm going to break it all down.

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This is a proven and powerful question to help you preach for life change.

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And by the way, I'm Brian Cox, and I've been preaching and teaching for over 25 years, and I've helped many pastors put together some great sermons.

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All right, let's dive in and talk about this powerful question.

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Before we can answer this question, we must understand the psychology behind it.

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I call this first point the mindset principle of motivation.

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Because mindset shapes everything.

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It's a simple equation.

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Mindset plus emotion equals action.

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In other words, what you think creates what you feel, and what you feel drives what you do.

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Here's an example.

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Take flying.

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Some people love it.

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Some people are terrified of it.

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The moment they step on a plane, their mind starts racing.

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What if this thing crashes?

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That thought triggers an emotion, which is fear, and fear produces an action.

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Maybe they refuse to fly and take the bus instead.

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Their mindset led to emotion, and the emotion led to action.

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Here's another one.

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I know someone who believes church and religion are nothing more but a scam.

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They actually use stronger words than that.

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So whenever they see a Bible or hear a preacher, it instantly triggers anger and resentment.

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And what action follows?

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They refuse to set foot in a church or be a part of any faith community.

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That's sad.

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But that's the power of mindset.

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It shapes your heart, it stirs your emotions, it pushes you into action.

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Think about it this way: you nor I can read people's minds.

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That's probably a good thing.

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But here's what we can do: we can predict people.

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And if there's one thing I know to be true about people, it's this.

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People are always thinking about themselves.

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I'm not being negative.

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I'm not judging.

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I'm just being honest.

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This truth explains a lot about people and why they do what they do.

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Whether they lean in to listen to you or tune you out completely.

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In fact, you could say we're all shaped by a mindset, a mindset formed over time.

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The way we think becomes the way we believe, and those beliefs end up driving every choice we make.

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To help you understand this on a deeper level, I want to break these mindsets into two categories.

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There's the positive mindset, and there's the negative mindset.

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Let's start with the positive mindset first.

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Here's a good definition.

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Positive thinking is a mental and emotional attitude that focuses on the bright side of life and expects positive results.

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For example, every year my family and I go on vacation.

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And here's the thing: I never have to convince myself or talk my family into going.

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Why?

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Because I already know what's waiting for me.

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Great food, the beach, a book in my hand, time with family and friends.

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That's a positive mindset in action.

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I don't dread it, I don't fight it, I look forward to it.

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Why?

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Because I know why.

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And that why creates a mindset that motivates me, then I want to be there.

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Then there's the negative mindset.

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Here's a good definition.

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A negative mindset is a pattern of thinking that focuses on problems, failures, and potential outcomes.

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Here's how a negative mindset can be good for us, though, and it can motivate us to action.

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It's like stepping on a scale and realizing all right, it's time to exercise.

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Getting a bad grade in school, that motivates you to hit the books harder, or even going through a traumatic event that shifts the way you think about life.

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Both of these mindsets, positive and negative, are what push us to action.

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Here's another way to say it change your mindset, and you'll change your motivation.

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As preachers and communicators, we must always keep the mindsets of people in mind with every sermon we create.

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Think through each point, through each scripture verse, knowing the people who are listening have already been programmed to think a certain way.

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Our job is to help them see the truth and take action to a better life.

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That point was super important, but if you don't couple it with this, the magic is lost.

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I call this the game changer question.

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When you ask this question correctly, it will make any sermon inspiring.

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But before I reveal this question, let me ask you this.

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What makes some leaders' sermons inspire action while others struggle to connect?

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Think back to time you heard a speaker who really moved you.

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Chances are it wasn't just because of what they said or how well they explained it.

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It was because you felt their passion.

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You caught their why.

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See, that's the difference in speaking to the head and speaking to the heart.

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Even 2,000 years ago, Aristotle taught that persuasion connects both.

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And now science backs that up.

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Emotions don't just color our choices, they shape our memory and they guide our decisions.

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So if you want people not only to listen, but to remember and act, you can't just focus on what the how or the what.

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You have to start with why.

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Why should they listen?

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Why this matters to me and why this should matter to you.

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This emotional part leads to every decision.

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This idea, this powerful question, this game-changing question is this.

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Why do they need to know this?

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Let me say that again.

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Why do they need to know this?

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Because the why, it goes straight to our emotions.

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It can stir up joy, it can stir up anger.

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Either way, it moves us.

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And once emotion gets involved, action always follows.

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Here's the truth.

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If someone has a why that's bigger than their fear, they'll do it.

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If someone has a why that's bigger than their fear, they'll do it.

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And I want to show you an example of how powerful a why can be.

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I was watching a clip from an incredible comedian, Michael Jr., and he was demonstrating the power of why in his concert.

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I want to show you that.

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I think you're going to enjoy it.

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Watch this.

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Yo, how do I know?

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A lot of people, when they think of the phrase, how do I know, they always want to put the what behind it.

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How do I know what I'm supposed to do?

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The question that you really should ask is, how do I know why I'm here?

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Because when you know your why, your what becomes more clear and more impactful.

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If you know, like for instance, um, people know that I do comedy, but that's what I do.

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My why is to inspire people to walk in purpose.

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So I can do comedy, I can write books, I can be in a movie because all of it is motivated by my why.

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In fact, I have a new uh a new web series out called Michael Junior Break Time.

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Uh we probably just did the sixth episode.

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It's on YouTube.

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So every single Wednesday at 3 o'clock, we drop a new episode on YouTube of Michael Junior Break Time.

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What it is, is it's me.

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I travel around the country and I do stand-up comedy, in case you didn't know.

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And in the middle of my comedy set, sometime I'll stop and just talk to my audience.

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And we've been filming this, and it's, you know, it's it's pretty cool.

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So we're in Winston, Salem.

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I'm gonna show you a clip from Winston, Salem.

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And I'm just talking to this guy in the audience, and he tells me that he's a uh a musical instructor at a school.

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So I was like, all right, you're a musical instructor, you know.

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Can you sing?

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Let me hear you sing a song.

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So this is what happened at the last episode of Michael Jr.'s break time.

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Check it.

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So you're musical director.

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Yes, sir.

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All right, so um, let me get a couple, let me get a couple bars of like uh amazing grace.

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Can you do the first part of that?

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Let me go ahead.

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Like me.

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That brought a sing.

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You know what I'm saying?

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Now, won't you give me the version is if uh your uncle just got out of jail, you got shot in the back when you was a kid.

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I'm just saying, let me see the hood version real quick if you know which version I'm talking about.

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Just see if that exists.

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Let me see what you got.

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Okay.

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Um here's what I want you to catch.

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The first time I asked him to sing, he knew what he was doing.

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The second time, he knew why he was doing it.

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When you know your why, your what becomes more impactful because you're walking towards or in your purpose.

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You can just feel the emotion in his singing because he found his why.

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I know what you're thinking.

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I'm not that emotional.

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Okay, but here's the truth: you're more emotional than you think.

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We are all emotional beings.

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Let me prove it to you.

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Have you ever been driving down the road when someone cuts you off?

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What happened next?

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Did you wave politely and start singing, oh, how I love Jesus?

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No, probably not.

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My guess is you got frustrated.

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Maybe you whispered a few words under your breath or offered a hand signal that supposedly points people toward heaven.

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Think about it.

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We all feel the same six core emotions: sadness, happiness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust.

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And those emotions, they shape our choices.

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They can determine who we fall in love with, who we can't stand, the house we buy, or the car we drive.

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Why do I bring this up?

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What does road raids have to do with speaking?

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Simple.

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Emotion drives everything.

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It's the single biggest motivator in our lives.

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Emotion hits us at the heart of our why.

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Why am I here?

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What is my purpose?

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And when you speak to the heart of the people you're teaching, it changes and inspires them.

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Understanding this about your audience makes it a game changer for your sermons because now you're speaking to the heart, not just the mind.

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I've read many books on communication.

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I've listened to hundreds of sermons, and I've come up with this practical way to answer this question, why?

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I want to show you this.

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I think if you apply this to your sermons, it will make it easier and simpler to find that answer to why.

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Some of you may have heard this before.

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It's an old preacher trick.

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It's called an acrostic.

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You take a word, then you use each letter in that word to help you remember something important.

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I created an acrostic with the word why.

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I break it down like this.

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The first letter stands for what truth are you sharing?

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What piece of God's truth will your audience take with them and hold on to?

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So let me give you an example.

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Recently I was preaching from Joshua 1.8.

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And some of you may know this verse.

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It talks about when we read and meditate on the word of God, if we'll do that daily, day and night, we will be successful.

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So after reading that and understanding the context, I came up with this statement of truth.

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When you read and meditate on God's word, we will be successful and prosperous.

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That's the simple truth I want my audience to know.

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That's the gold I want them to carry home.

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So now that we know this, we move on to the next letter in our word, which is H.

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And it stands for high stake questions.

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Next, you must ask these three high stake questions.

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And when you do this, you'll begin to find your why.

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You should think about everyone in the room, young, old, from every walk of life.

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Also keep the two mindsets in mind, the positive and the negative, as you ask these questions.

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So here's our first high stake question.

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What's at stake for you as the teacher if you don't apply this truth?

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You have to own this truth before you can teach this to anyone.

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You have to live it, not just teach it.

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Here is our truth again.

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Let me share it with you.

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When you read and meditate on God's word, you will be successful and prosperous.

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You must ask yourself, what does this mean to me personally?

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Well, here's a few examples.

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Here's what's at stake for me if I was teaching this sermon, my spiritual walk.

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If I'm not reading the Bible and I'm not meditating on it, then I can't be effective in my teaching.

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See, I'm responsible to carry and lead people spiritually.

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And if I show up unprepared, I could actually point someone in the wrong direction.

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See, the stakes aren't small, they're real.

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And that's why for me, preparation, study, personal applications aren't optional.

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They're essential.

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Now that I understand what is at stake for me, I move on to the next question.

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What's at stake for the community?

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This is our second question.

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What's at stake for the community?

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You must make this real for the people you're speaking to.

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Think about your own neighborhood, your town, your church.

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What's at stake for them without this truth?

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I listed a few thoughts on what our community could look like without this truth applied.

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Without the church, without the Bible, a lack of hope.

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A community without God can feel dark and empty.

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Make it tangible.

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Share examples your audience will recognize.

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Show them the cost of inaction.

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What's at stake for the world?

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Our third question: what's at stake for the world?

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Step back and see the bigger picture.

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A lost world, millions of people who may never experience Jesus if we don't meditate and learn and pray on God's word.

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That's a big deal.

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If we as Christians don't embrace this truth, the world loses.

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The world will never know God if the church doesn't step up and embrace the word and live it out.

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See how that works.

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Now that I understand what's at stake for me, my community, and the world, now I can get closer to why this matters so much.

00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:33.839
And you can see once we tie that emotion in with the truth, it's powerful.

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So let's move on to our next letter in our cross stick, the letter Y.

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The Y stands for your burden.

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What if someone listening to you will hear this for the last time?

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What would you say?

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A few years ago, I learned this from myself.

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It was two days before Christmas, 2023.

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Now, this is a true story.

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And I was at the church sitting on the stage, just staring at an empty chair or chairs in front of me.

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And this was the first time I was preaching multiple Christmas services, and I had been rehearsing my sermon for a couple of hours, and I had my main idea, my outline was good.

00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:36.880
I felt like I had a good plan, but each time I would rehearse, I felt like I was lost.

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My words were all over the place.

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I couldn't make sense of what I was saying or trying to say.

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I was just freaking out.

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Okay.

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I had heard many Christmas sermons my whole life, right?

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How hard could it be?

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It's a simple story that never changes.

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Jesus is always born in a manger.

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Angels sing to the shepherds.

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The wise men bring gifts.

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I know what you're thinking.

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You're a preacher, man.

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Call by God.

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Teach.

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You know?

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And I'm thinking to myself, I shouldn't feel this way.

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I know, but I did.

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I was terrified.

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I honestly couldn't wait for it to be over.

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And I hated myself for feeling this way.

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So I began to pray, Lord, You gotta help me.

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What is wrong with me?

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And I sat there for the longest time, just waiting for some kind of clarity.

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And in that moment, something came to my mind.

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I remembered a story Andy Stanley told in one of his books, Communicating for Change.

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His dad, Charles Stanley, one of the greatest communicators of our time, he told Andy, you must have a burden.

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You can't preach unless you understand the burden.

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In other words, why do they need to hear this?

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And that hit me like a ton of bricks because this could be somebody's last Christmas service, their last chance to hear the gospel, their last opportunity to hear that God loves them.

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And suddenly it wasn't about me.

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It wasn't about my outline or whether I sounded polished.

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It was about the people.

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And I started to picture them a single mom just trying to hold her family together, a teenager crushed by their parents' divorce.

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This got me here.

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An older man sitting in grief because he lost the love of his life.

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Each one of them carrying a mindset of pain and fear or loss.

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And when I thought about them, when I really thought about them, my heart broke.

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My passion came alive, and I couldn't wait to preach.

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And that weekend I was so overwhelmed that I had to hold back tears the entire time because I knew this might be someone's last chance to encounter the love of Jesus.

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That, my friend, in my heart is the power of the why.

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What burdens you most about this truth?

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What's at stake?

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Let your heart, not just your mind, get involved in this sermon.

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Before we go today, please take the time to download the worksheet.

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The link should be in the episode notes.

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I think it will help you so much when learning and applying this to your sermon prep.

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And please send me your feedback on the podcast.

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I would love to hear how this is helping you.

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Again, thanks so much for listening and remember to speak life with your words.