Tips for Sermon Prep

Sermon writing can be hard. There is a lot to consider. How deep should I go into the original languages? How much historical data should I include? What type of sermon am I trying to preach? How many jokes are too many jokes? That last one is a trick question, there’s no such thing as too many jokes if you do them right (this could also explain why people don’t want to hear me preach).

Seriously, preaching can be a very nerve racking experience. I’ve done dozens of sermons and still get that sinking feeling in my stomach before it’s go time. But we lead with prayer and trust God with the result. My method is a fairly simple one that was taught to me by a close friend and personally one of my favorite preachers.

I don’t remember the name of it but I took the general principles and modified it to suit my own style. I start with prayer. I pray for God’s wisdom, instruction, and for the people I am going to preach to. I ask God for the right words to say to them and ultimately for Gospel clarity. Prayer is pivotal to good preaching. Our aim is not to communicate our message but the Lord’s and therefore we must start with talking to him first and keeping that conversation going throughout the process.

Chefs have a term they use called mise en place, which basically means everything in its place. Here are the steps I go through to achieve that:

  1. Summary:

    1. I summarize each verse in the passage.

  2. Original translation, key words:

    1. I use Logos Bible Software to look up the Greek, Hebrew, or Aramic translations. I find key words and get their original meanings. This is important for discovering the nuance that is found in language and expression.

  3. Questions of text:

    1. It is important to ask questions of the text. What does this mean? Who is the original audience? Why this, why that? 

    2. Think of any questions you can ask of the text and then go back and answer them.

  4. Main theme:

    1. What is the main theme of this text? 

    2. What do you want your audience to walk away with?

  5. Why this matters:

    1. Why does the main theme matter? What is the significance of it?

  6. What does my audience need to hear:

    1. Now that you know what the theme is and why it matters, think of what your audience needs to hear

      1. What are they struggling with? How does this speak to where they are?

  7. Objections:

    1. Think of the ways in which people would object to this text

      1. i.e. How can the Bible tell me not to be anxious when I have all of this going on in my life?

        1. Anticipate these questions and then answer them in your sermon

  8. Benefits: 

    1. What are the benefits of this text?

      1. i.e. Because Jesus tells us not to be anxious about tomorrow, I can live freely today

  9. Points: 

    1. With all of these things in mind, now you want to think of your sermon points

      1. I like to write down 2-3 for each verse and then pick out a total of 3 or 4 that I want to hone in on for the sermon

  10. Illustrations: 

    1. All of the jokes and analogies go here

  11. Applications:

    1. These are the action items you are going to deliver to your audience

      1. i.e. Because you are not anxious about tomorrow, go and live a bold and generous life. 

        1. A bold and generous life looks like this: give examples and encourage your audience to follow them

  12. Commentary:

    1. People are very divided on when to consult a commentary. I typically go to them near the end. They are good tools to see what you’ve missed, get further ideas, or simply explain difficult texts.

  13. Other sermons:

    1. I personally like to listen to 1 or 2 sermons on the same subject if I have the time. I like to hear how other people have preached the passage and see if there are any tips I can glean from them, however, I don’t do this until after my sermon is written.

      1. This is actually a controversial position. I know many preachers who think you should never listen to someone else. Clearly, I am not one of those people. I am here to preach the Word of Truth to people who need to hear it. The message is no less authentic, poignant, or powerful if I heard something I liked and used it (and gave proper credit duh). 

  14. Quotes: 

    1. If you read anything or hear anything quotable that will fit into your sermon, add those here. 

There you have it. This is my 14 step process for sermon writing. I hope you found this helpful. 

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