Developing the Sermon

I’ve noticed something in my years of ministry…Monday comes every week.  For a pastor, that means all of the hard work, all of the buildup and all of the effort starts over again.  Next Sunday is only six days away.  It is time for the pastor to begin thinking through the next sermon.  What will it look like, are you in a series, have you planned ahead?  And, if you know where you are headed, how do you get there?  Well, I wanted to take a bit of time and share how I develop my sermons.  My method is a compilation of things I was taught in seminary and from reading.  I first read Biblical Preaching by Haddon W. Robinson.  Other books that I have read include Power in the Pulpit by Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix, and Preaching:  The Art of Narrative Exposition by Calvin Miller.  There have been many others but these are the ones that stand out.  As a result of reading these books I have developed a ten step process to my sermon preparation.

1. Read the text and then read it again and then again.  Before reaching for the commentaries or pulling up the latest sermon on your topic that is on the internet, read the text and allow it to speak to you.  Read it numerous times.  I have found the most simple of all text will say something to me on a tenth reading that it did not on a first reading.  If you are capable, this would also be the place that you would want to do your original language work.  If you are not, I would not sweat it, last time I checked God is still capable of speaking to your heart in any language, except maybe ig-pa atin-la.

As you read the text be sure and record what God is saying to your heart.  Make good notes of the things that stand out to you.  If parallel scriptures come to mind, go ahead and jot those down because you will want to look at those a little later.  Outside the Bible, your most powerful tools at this point will be a pencil and paper.

2. Check the Commentaries.  After you have read the text multiple times, have allowed it to speak to you, and have recorded your thoughts, then and only then will you want to reach for the commentaries.  I like to use an array of commentaries.  Some of the ones I use are more academic and some are geared more toward application.  All of these commentaries help me to narrow in on what God would have me say to my people. 

  

 3. Examine related text.  Whether the verses have come to me through the prompting of the Holy Spirit or if the commentaries have pointed them out, I like to take time to examine related text.  Very often the word of God does a better job of shedding light on itself than any other book can do.  Be careful not to skip the related text.  Look at them and see if the strengthen or reaffirm a point that you feel God would have you to make.

 

      4. Read other sermons related to your text.  How they did this prior to the internet I have no idea but, I can tell you that you can quickly and easily find any number of sermons related to your text with a quick Google search.  Reading other sermons are intended for one reason and one reason only, to help you clarify what God would have YOU say to YOUR people.  Please do not preach another man’s sermon.  That sermon was written for a specific group of people in a specific place.  God has something to say to YOUR people and most likely it is not the same thing he said to others.

      5. Determine the Central Idea of the Text (CIT).  In 15-18 words, stated in the past tense, summarize what the text meant to the original readers.  How they came up with “15-18” words I will never know but I can tell you that this is one of the most beneficial exercises there is as one attempts to narrow in on what God has to say.

      6. Answer the question, “How will this help the people of God?”  As you determine what the text meant to its original readers and determine how this text can be of help to the people you, will be on your way to actually writing the sermon.

      7.  Answer the question, “What message does God want the people to know?”  The answer to this question will focus the sermon.  I think that too often we try to throw too much at our people.  While they may walk away saying good sermon, I wonder if they can possibly remember all that was said.

      8. Develop “The Big Idea”.  The Big Idea rolls right out of the CIT.  Often the CIT can be restated in the present tense to develop the Big Idea.  The big idea should be 15-18 words stated in the present or future tense.  This statement is your sermon summarized in one sentence.

      9. Develop the title for your sermon.  I’m very weak in this area.  The title needs to be short, attention grabbing, and memorable.  It also needs to be true to what will be communicated.  I am always cautious of titles that over promise, such as “Four Principles that will Change Your Life.” 

      10. Write the sermon outline.  I think you will find that this will actually be the easiest step of all if you have done the preceding work well. 

Powerful and effective sermons take time.  I cringe when I hear pastors speak of writing their sermons on Saturday.  I try to be done no later than Thursday.  I want the sermon to have time to work in my heart and mind.  When I stand to preach, I want to preach out of the overflow of what God has said to ME through the message.  So, make the commitment, set the priority, and whether you use my method or another, realize that there is little that happens in the church that is more important or that provides a greater opportunity to impact lives than the sermon.