Stuart on exegetical applications

Sometimes we sit through a sermon and at the end yes there will be an altar call, and then we wonder how did the pastor come up with this-or-that group of people to come forward to respond... Maybe you will wonder to yourself, "did the text really speak to these four groups of people?" But then if the sermon was just an hour or so of personal stories and illustrations without bringing the ancient context of Scripture to bear on today's audience, then we may have all just had our ears tickled...

But if the preaching was spirit-led and responsibly exegeted, should not it have brought us to a crossroad - whereby we are forced to choose either to follow God's way or persist in the sin and folly of our own way?

From Pages 27-28 of Old Testament Exegesis (3rd Edition)

"An application should be just as rigorous, just as thorough, and just as analytically sound as any other step in the exegesis process. It cannot be merely tacked on to the rest of the exegesis as a sort of spiritual afterthought. Moreover it must carefully reflect the data of the passage if it is to be convincing. Your reader needs to see how you derived the application as the natural and final stage of the entire process of careful, analytical study of your passage."