What is a good process for preparing a sermon?

Answer

As all pastors know, preparing a sermon is challenging work. According to research compiled by Thom S. Rainer in 2012, pastors dedicate a significant amount of time to sermon preparation each week: 69 percent of pastors surveyed spend over 8 hours a week preparing their sermons. Only 8 percent spend less than 5 hours a week.

Different pastors employ various methods for preparing their sermons, and there is no single process that will be optimal for everyone, but there are some effective steps that can assist in crafting a biblical sermon. Before we explore some of those steps, here is some foundational work that needs to be done:

Pray. The effectiveness of a sermon does not depend on educational background, oratorical skill, or rhetorical prowess; the power lies in the Word of God and in the Holy Spirit: “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” «And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: », (1 Corinthians 2:4). Pray for yourself; pray for your congregation, remembering their needs and specific concerns.

Commit yourself to the authority of the Word. The content of preaching should be the Word of God. One of Paul’s final instructions to Timothy was simply “Preach the word” «preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. », (2 Timothy 4:2). Preaching the Bible is a noble calling, and your messages should be Christ-centered and thoroughly biblical (1 Corinthians 1:23;1 Corinthians 2:2).

Plan to start early. Avoid procrastination.

Get started on the next Sunday’s sermon as early in the week as possible. The truths you present to others need time to percolate in your own heart and mind first. Devote enough time to develop the sermon properly.

Now, here is a process of the actual preparation of the sermon:

1) Read the passage prayerfully and humbly and allow it to speak to your own heart.

2) Read the passage again, taking notes on impressions that it gives you. Write down the overall theme or lesson of the passage.

3) Research the background, setting, and context of the passage. To whom was it written? What was the occasion of the writing? What leads up to and follows the passage, and how does that affect one’s understanding of the passage?

4) Read the passage again, outlining it into main points and sub-points. Double-check to see that you’re being true to the text. Exegesis is the goal, not eisegesis.

5) Using a concordance or cyclopedic reference, cross-reference the themes developed in the passage with other parts of Scripture. If your passage deals with intercessory prayer, study other passages that address intercessory prayer or that give examples of it. Keep the whole counsel of Scripture in mind as you prepare your notes.

6) Read the passage again, using a word-study help or Hebrew and Greek dictionary to bring out further meaning in the original language.

7) Flesh out your outline with details of how you will communicate the meaning of each section of the passage. Do this with your audience in mind. How do I best relate God’s truth to this group of people? How does this passage impact their lives?

8) Consult various commentaries and sermons to see what other students of the Bible have said about the passage. What insights do they have? Is there something you can glean from their work that will enhance your sermon?

9) Add illustrations or examples that will resonate with your audience and clarify the meaning of various points of the sermon.

10) RevisRefine and polish your outline, paying special attention to the logical flow, transitions between points, focus on the theme, and overall clarity. Eliminate anything that does not contribute to the main purpose of your sermon.

11) Prayerfully compose an introduction and conclusion. Draft these sections. Focus on application—what is the follow-through? What action should follow the message? (Application can be integrated throughout the sermon, not solely presented at the end. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7 provides a good illustration of continuous points of application within a sermon.)

12) Practice. And continue to pray. Pray for clarity, intensity, honesty, practicality, and wisdom “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”, (James 1:5). Pray for God to be glorified and for the Lord Jesus to be magnified.

Charles Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers,” emphasized the importance of maintaining a Christ-centered focus in preaching: “Whatever subject I preach, I do not stop until I reach the Savior, the Lord Jesus, for in Him are all things.”