How to Prepare Sermons

Some preachers memorize their sermon and others preach from notes.

One of the most important tasks of the preacher is to learn how to prepare a sermon. The effectiveness of any sermon depends on the care that the preacher takes during the preparation stage. The primary source used to prepare a sermon is the Bible, and the preacher's task is to use its content to point people to God. The preacher should prepare a sermon that suits not his own needs, but the needs of the people. It should reach non-Christians and help Christians grow and mature.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Bible, Scratch Paper, Another Paper for Final writing, Bible dictionaries, and a pen!

1. Pray to God that He will help you choose the appropriate scripture, and help you prepare it and deliver it in a way that honors Him.

2. Choose the scripture from which you plan preach. You may have already planned your sermons for the current year. In that case, you already know the scripture and can immediately begin preparing the sermon. Other preachers receive inspiration regarding the scripture to preach for the week.

3. Read the scripture multiple times to make sure you understand its meaning and context. Study the scripture over the course of many days. You should be intimately familiar with the scripture by the time you preach the sermon.

4. Consult commentaries to determine whether others agree or disagree with your approach. Commentaries are not free of error, but you can evaluate whether you misinterpreted the scripture if most scholars disagree with your approach.

5. Refer to Bible dictionaries or Bible encyclopedias to learn helpful background information about Biblical people and places. For example, you may want to look up background information on the city of Corinth if you are preaching from 1 Corinthians.

6. Outline the sermon using all the information you've learned in your studies. The outline details how you plan to present the information you've learned. It includes the introduction, primary points, how you will transition from one point to the next, illustrations and anecdotes and the conclusion.

7. Choose the sermon's title if you haven't done so already. You can perform this step at the beginning of the sermon preparation process or at the end. It is helpful to title the sermon after you write it because you will be clearer about the direction of the sermon. However, many preachers start with inspiration for the title and build the sermon around it.

8. Type or write out the entire sermon. This step is not mandatory, but it helps clarify your thoughts and reveals any gaps in content. Some preachers memorize their sermon, and others refer to a written copy while they are preaching.

Tips & Warnings

• Begin a very simple topic that is very relevant in the needs of the audience.

• Do not forget to pray!

References

• "Steps to the Sermon: An Eight-Step Plan for Preaching With Confidence"; H.C. Brown Jr.; 1996