truth of this text. Remember, God is the ultimate author of the text. We want to honor what He put there. A good message should have a one sentence statement that summarizes the passage being taught. If you cannot come up with this sentence, then go back and do more work in the text until you find it. The task is not always easy, but if undertaken, it pays rich rewards. Here are three of those dividends: First, the preacher will avoid the often-heard criticism that expository sermons (and teaching)