Many thoughts go through the mind of the congregation during a sermon. Among their thoughts are these 3 questions: 1. If the listener asks in his/her mind: What does that mean? As the preacher, you must explain. The preacher takes the stance of a teacher. 2. If the listener asks in his/her mind: Is that true? As the preacher, you must defend or prove. The preacher takes the stance of an apologist. 3. If the listener asks in his/her mind: What difference does it make? Or in a shorter form: So what? As the preacher, you must apply. The preacher takes the stance of an equipper or exhorter, urging behavioral response. I call this section of the sermon, the Takeaway. Without this, the former 2 are just head knowledge. Haddon Robinson calls them the three developmental questions. They are psychologically sequential. That is, people will often believe what has been clearly explained to them, and they will often do what they believe. Hopefully, the Takeaway section of the sermon helps them to apply/do what they believe. Conversely, they are unlikely to believe what they do not understand; and they will not act upon what they do not believe.