In part one of this two-part series, the author gave the first two stages in the preparation of topical, expository sermons on theological themes. Here Warren shows the final three stages.

To maintain biblical authority, sermons must fully expound each passage preached. Doing full expositions for multiple texts/paragraphs simply takes multiple amounts of time and work. There is no substitute. Many preachers avoid topical exposition for this reason. Others skip the discipline of exposition—but compromise their authority along the way.

As you get into your exegetical/theological exposition, you may discover that a certain passage doesn't really deal with your topic after all. Scratch that text and go on to the next. Your increasing understanding of each passage may also cause you to narrow the subject of the sermon. Instead of preaching one sermon on rewards, you may decide to preach a series of sermons on rewards: What are rewards, who gets rewards, who gives rewards, on what basis are rewards given? Preaching a series could help cut your weekly preparation significantly.

As I exegeted the three "Be of good cheer" passages in their different contexts, I found that Jesus consistently used the imperative to encourage a sinner he was forgiving (Matthew 9:2), the disciples for whom he had just appeared (Matthew 14:27), and the apostles he was sending into the world (John 16:33). From a theological perspective, I determined these three commands of Jesus were not merely accidental parallels. They were clearly intended words of encouragement to the readers of the Gospels.

The question of what biblical passages mean and whether they are intentionally speaking to the proposed sermon topic will be answered in your exegetical/theological exposition. While different interpreters will discover different meanings and intentions for the same passage, your use of a text/paragraph must be honest and defendable.

Until you can express the synthesized message of all the passages you've pulled together under the same topic, you cannot expect to preach a clear, single-subject, topical exposition.

My first try at a theological proposition for my topical message was, "The good cheer of God's forgiveness, presence, and victory encourages needy sinners, disciples, and apostles." I abstracted it further to, "The good cheer of God's blessing encourages needy people."

Apply the single, timeless truth to your own and your listeners' lives. Try to keep your homiletical proposition simple. Simplicity isn't always possible because topical sermons often have multiple complements to the same subject.

My homiletical proposition was longer and more complex than I prefer, but taken point by point, I think it was clear. The way to get God's good cheer of encouragement into your life is:

I had noted that the sinner's problem was guilt, the disciples' problem was fear, and the apostles' problem was despair. These three needs were relevant to my contemporary audience. In fact, these needs are universal. Those universal needs and the specific responses to those needs lead to this outline: