How To Write a Sermon


Writing a Sermon: My Four-Step Process

I commonly hear two questions about writing a sermons:

How long does it take?
Answer: Most pastors spend 10-15 hours writing a sermon. I am usually in that ballpark; perhaps averaging 12 hours per sermon. If you are consistently pushing past that fifteen-hour mark, it may be because you don’t have a process.

What’s your process?
Answer: I follow a four-step process every time I prepare to preach. I owe this approach to Haddon Robinson, Don Sunukjian, Jerry Vines, and my professors at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Using this method has greatly reduced my sermon preparation time and brought clarity to my messages.

The process of sermon preparation varies significantly from preacher to preacher. Some bathe in the text, read commentaries, and then word-vomit all their thoughts on Friday. And it works! Not for me. If you are looking for a structured approach, keep reading.

Step 1: The Exegetical Idea

The first step is the most important step. Great sermons are built upon great exegetical ideas.

An exegetical sermon is one that draws its meaning directly from the text rather than reading an idea into the text. If you are in the habit of reading a text of Scripture, picking three things that catch your eye, and then turning those thoughts into a sermon outline; you are practicing eisegesis, not exegesis. For more explanation about exegesis, see this article about my philosophy of preaching. 

As taught by Haddon Robinson, an exegetical idea has two parts: A subject and a complement.
  • Subject: What is this passage about?
  • Complement: What is the text trying to say about the subject?

By way of example, I recently preached from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. The writer compares spiritual life to an athlete’s training. He uses two different Greek words for training to contrast physical training with spiritual training: Self-Control (v.24) and Self-Discipline (v.27).
  • Subject: Training for an eternal prize. (This is what the text is about.)
  • Complement: This requires two types of training: Self-Control and Self-Discipline. (This is what the writer wants us to know or do with the subject.)

In this example, my exegetical idea was as follows: Training for an eternal prize requires self-control and self-discipline. 

Step 2: The Homiletical Idea

My exegetical idea is often long and clunky, especially if I am preaching from a longer text. Therefore, as a second step, I write out a homiletical idea.

Also called a “preaching idea,” this is a simple, catchy, memorable phrase. Part of a sermon’s success, in my view, hinges on whether the audience can quickly and succinctly explain what they heard to someone who wasn’t present.

Returning to my example from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, this was my homiletical idea: In order to run well, we have to train well. I repeated that exact phrase several times throughout the sermon in hopes people would remember it.

Step 3: The Outline

Every good sermon needs structure. Throwing a bunch of applications, quotes, stories, and principles at people without a clear order is a recipe for forgetfulness. And if they can't remember the sermon, they certainly won't be able to apply it.

My sermon preparation involves rotating through six different outline structures. If you preach infrequently, your focus should be on mastering one of these methods. Teaching pastors, I encourage you to experiment with different outlines. This will revitalize your preaching and prevent your audience from boredom.

One-point sermon

This outline requires an incredible homiletical idea; something catchy and memorable. You need to repeat your homiletical idea numerous times - like eight times - during the sermon. State it, repeat it, explain it, argue with it, say it again, have the audience repeat it… Use every opportunity to drill down on your one point.

These sermons can be very memorable. Below are examples of homiletical ideas I’ve used effectively:

Me-We-God-You-We.

I learned this outline from Andy Stanley. It is similar to the one-point sermon, but the outline has a linear approach. For a thorough explanation of this method, check out his book Communicating for a Change.

Problem-Solution-Application.

This outline is effective with Proverbs and parables, but can also be employed with narrative passages. Other forms of this outline include the following:
  • “Then-Always-Now”
  • “Story-Principle-Application”
  • “What? Why? How?”

Thematic Outline

Thematic outlines are best when you are trying to teach theology or praxis. They are most effective with New Testament letters, especially Paul’s letters. You may choose words, phrases, or themes from the text to form your outline. Here are some of my examples:
  • “We have been saved (Justified), we are being saved (Sanctified), and we will be saved (Glorified).” (A sermon from 1 Peter 1:3-7.)
  • “We all need (1) Someone to Look Up To and (2) Someone to Look Out For.” (A sermon on imitation from 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10.)

Step-by-Step Outline

In a Step-by-Step outline, each point builds upon the last point. In other words, you must complete step one before moving on to step two (as opposed to “Three Ways to Pray”). Below are two examples:

Topical

I rarely preach topical sermons. Practically speaking, they take a lot of time and research to teach effectively. But more importantly, when you pick and choose your points from all over the Bible, it is easy to teach your own ideas as opposed to the Bible’s ideas.

Nevertheless, topical sermons can be effective when used sparingly. Below are two examples:
  • “Jesus and (1) Sexual Design, (2) Sexual Desire, and (3) Sexual Deviation.” (From a sermon entitled “Jesus on Sex.”) 
  • “Two Principles about Money: (1) Money will drive you towards greed. (2) Money can be redirected towards godliness.” (From a sermon in Proverbs about money.)

Step 4: Manuscript

Once my sermon is firmly grounded in a solid exegetical idea and outlined, I manuscript. And yes, I type out nearly every word of the sermon.

In my early years of pastoring, I wrote out bullet points rather than manuscripting every word. Soon, however, I ran into two problems: First, I would stumble over my words in the pulpit. Because I had not meticulously written out my argument, I would find myself trying to form words in real time. Second, when I went back to refer to an old message, I had no idea what “Cat illustration” meant in my notes!

Manuscripting forces you into clarity. You’ll be able to read your manuscript and think “That doesn’t make much sense” and then fix it. Manuscripting reveals gaps. Repetition of key ideas, lists of examples, and transitional statements polish a sermon and give listeners the best chance of remembering and applying the message.