Three Reasons to Include a Concise Summary of the Gospel in Every Sermon

You’ll tend to be more faithful to whatever text you choose, as hints of the Gospel show up in the craziest places in Scripture.

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.

A pastor friend of mine was called by a local funeral home to do a funeral for a stranger with no church affiliation. After the Saturday funeral, the widower thanked the pastor and told him that he’d be in church the next day. He came Sunday morning and, as he left, said he’d be back Sunday night. He didn’t return Sunday night. Monday morning the pastor got a call from that same local funeral home to perform the funeral of the widower.

There is always the possibility that the brief Gospel explanation inserted in your sermon will be the only (or last) one that someone hears.

"Some things are of that nature as to make one's fancy chuckle, while his heart doth ache." John Bunyan