How to Preach Cross-Tethered Application

If you struggle with sermon application, welcome to the club.

But the problem is much deeper than you might think.

The real danger isn’t shallow application.

It’s preaching to the cross (which is good), and then presenting good advice, ideas, and takeaways that are disconnected from the cross (which undermines the power of the gospel).

Of course, this doesn't mean we shouldn't do application.

It just means we need to learn what "cross-tethered" application looks like—and how to do it.

The fix is easier than you think.

If you're using the Preach360 sermon studio, whatever specific issues you identify in the Problem movement becomes the "negative" application—the old way of the flesh—that turns into the "positive" application in the Response movement—the new way of the Spirit.

But you'll notice there's a movement between the Problem and the Response—the Gospel!

This is why we talk about preaching to the cross and through the cross.

And why we don't do our "positive" application before we're securely tethered to Jesus as Justifier.

Here’s what this means.

When we pass through the cross, we don't have to invent application.

We just copy, paste, and reframe the negative application in the Problem movement as the grace-motivated, Spirit-empowered "opportunity for change" in the Response.

Same issues. Same struggles. But with different motivation and a different power source.

This keeps application from being "here's what you should do" and turns it into "here's what you get to do."

Not "here's how you should change" (by trying), but "here's how you can change" (by abiding).

𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀:

(𝟭) 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲. What's a specific old-way struggle in the text that we brought up in the Problem Movement?

(𝟮) 𝗡𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀. Nail the issue to the cross in the Gospel movement. Tether the issue to Jesus as Justifier before you ask for any change.

(𝟯) 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲. Take the old-way struggle and recast it as a new-way response that isn’t a law-driven “have to” but a grace-motivated, Spirit-empowered "get to."

If you need help, check out Preach360™. The online sermon studio walks you through the process step by step.

Try it out and let me know what you think!