A Guide on How to Write a Sermon: The Basics
I. What are the Basic Requirements for Writing a Sermon?
II. How to Start Writing Sermons
III. Give Your Sermon a Title
IV. Decide on the Main Message of Your Sermon
V. Choose a Bible Verse That Reinforced Your Message
VI. Organize Your Thoughts with a Sermon Outline
In this article, I will provide a guide on how to write a sermon through use of the basics.
If you are called to be a preach the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ, preparation is key.
First, the Bible has something to say about you which be of surprise: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isaiah 52:7)
Your God, and my God, says that we have beautiful feet. I am no longer ashamed to walk around in flip-flops!
Nevertheless, let’s deal with something quickly. Are you truly called by God? Unfortunately, there are many claiming to be called to preach the gospel, but whose call came from THEMSELVES. They believe the ‘call of God’ is a “vocational career.”
This is the problem, among many more, with the Catholic church. Priests “wanted’ to go into the priesthood without ever being called by God to do so. Those not called, will NEVER understand the seriousness of what they are doing.
Before writing your sermon, talk to Jesus. If He truly called you, He will affirm it in ways you understand.
When called to preach, you will have to do so on a regular basis. Preaching is a challenging task for most people. It requires a lot of preparation and practice.
Let’s get to the basics.
A sermon is an address given by a preacher during a faith-based service where the congregation listens to his words and intent. We all know that preaching is not everyone’s cup of tea, but there are some among us who feel particularly called by God to do so.
So, if you’re one of those people whose “feet are beautiful on the mountain,” keep reading!
What are basic requirements for writing a sermon?
There is no set rule on how many words your sermon should be. It depends on the context, the congregation, and how much time you have to deliver it.
However, it is important to keep the following things in mind while writing a sermon.
First, your sermon needs to be short and concise. People are not in the mood to listen to long sermons anymore. Further, as a Pastor, I have seen incredible growth in our congregation with shorter, more concise sermons.
Another item to address is what style of sermon writing is best for you. Although there can be other styles added, two are “script” and “que-card.”
These are terms I use. There is no seminary or theological support for them!
Script preaching is writing a sermon as an essay, and reading it to the congregation (word for word).
Que-card preaching, of which I am an adherent, is more “outline” based and allows greater flexibility in presentation. Neither is better than the other, however.
There are also preachers who get up with no notes whatsoever. Personally, I don’t trust these sorts of ministers. They say getting up, behind the podium, and just going for it is what is required of them.
I would not argue this as an “off and on” occurrence. Yet, as a lifestyle it demonstrates laziness. There are instances when we are called on, last minute, and must do this.
However, the Word of is more of a “drip-drip-drip” sort of thing.
It is more like a ‘novel’, which unfolds over an extended period of time. The point is, if the Holy Spirit revealed something on Wednesday, and it is not recorded, what guarantee do we have it will be remembered by Sunday?
While I would never go as far to say they are unprepared, it is simply irresponsible to not record what the Holy Spirit has revealed. Where would we be had not the Bible writers faithfully recorded?
Next, keep the sermon crisp and punchy enough to make a lasting impact on your listeners. It needs to be relevant to your listeners as well. What are the issues they are facing currently? What are their concerns? How can you use religious scriptures to address them?
When you write your sermon, make sure to include elements that affect your congregation directly.
It should be written in the present tense as well. Avoid using words like ‘should’ or ‘used to.’ Instead, you should use words like ‘will’ or ‘are.’ Using the present tense gives importance to what you are saying right now.
It should also be written clearly and concisely. Make sure that there are no grammatical errors or typos in your sermon. It is extremely important to make your sermon easy to read and understand so that everyone can understand it properly.
I prepare my weekly lessons as if someone else will shortly be reading and grading them. Not on “content,” on spelling and grammatical errors.
How to start writing sermons?
When you are writing sermons, it is important to remember that you are not writing a novel or a research paper. You are writing a speech that will be delivered in a limited amount of time.
Keeping this in mind, you should write your sermon in an easy and clear style.
Choose a sermon topic with which you are familiar. This will help you to write your sermon with ease and confidence.
Let me be clear: you do not EVER have to ask a Pastor, or congregation, what they would like to hear a sermon on. That is cowardice, weak, and disobedient to God.
If you believe you should collaborate on sermon topics, I will ask you to reconsider IF Jesus sent you at all.
This is the strategy of a “vocational,” uncalled minister who is in the pulpit as a career choice.
Next, organize your sermon in your mind before you sit down to write it. Jot down the points that you want to include in your sermon. This will make the writing process much easier. I
t is also important to keep the length of your sermon in mind.
You need to break down your points and include pauses after each one of them. You must make sure that your listeners are paying attention and following the flow of your sermon.
This is not me suggesting they should AGREE with the sermon! As long as it is biblical, I never care what anyone thinks about the content.
Give your sermon a title
The title can either make or break your entire sermon. It can be the deciding factor that influences whether or not your congregation listens intently. A catchy or intriguing title will make your listeners curious about what you have written.
For instance, I wrote a six-part sermon series titled: “Lord I am Struggling.” This was catchier than I could have realized. The reasons why are beyond the scope of this article. However, grab their attention early.
Catchy titles compels God’s people to “listen a little longer.” This can result in them staying until the end of the sermon. While creating a title, you should make sure it is relevant to your sermon, and includes the main message you want to convey.
Decide on the main message of your sermon
Every sermon has a central theme that serves as the main message. It is the lesson that you want to teach your listeners. Your sermon title, and introduction, should help your listeners understand what your main message is.
Once you have decided on the main message, you can begin structuring the writing.
For instance, my style is to provide two separate scripture references, from divers’ books in the Bible, which are saying the same thing. Once identified, I write, for example: “In our Matthew portion of text we find…”
For the second: “in our Philippians portion of text, we find…” I would then combine them with a question: “where do these two texts meet?”
Make sure your message is clear, concise, and easy to understand. You don’t want to confuse your congregation with a jumble of ideas and thoughts.
Choose other verses that reinforces your message
You must incorporate other Bible verses into your sermon, beyond even the reference texts. By “verses,” I mean “packages.”
Be warned preacher: anyone who reads one verse, closes the Bible, and begins to preach, should be re-evaluated as a future speaker at your church.
There is a reason the Bible has so many books. The mind of God isn’t known in one verse or scripture. Package it with others to produce a bigger idea. Doing so will help you to support your main message.
It will also help your listeners understand your sermon better and remember it for longer.
While selecting a Bible verse for your sermon, make sure that it is relevant to your topic and that it reinforces your main message. It is also important to make sure that the texts are easy to understand.
Organize your thoughts by making a sermon outline
If you are preaching in a church or other more formal setting, it is important to follow certain formats and practices. However, if you are preaching outside the church or a religious setting, the format should depend on your audience.
There are many formats that you can use for writing. Depending on the format used, you will have to write an essay outline or a summary outline. We spoke about these earlier.
However, here’s an example of sermon outline formats you can use: Problem and Solution. This format focuses on the issues that exist in the world and how the Holy Bible can help to solve them. It can also be used to discuss how people can incorporate religious scriptures in their daily lives.
Another is Definition and Example. This format can be used to explain a certain term in detail with the help of an example. A further example is the Inverted Pyramid.
This format is ideal for journalists who have a limited amount of time to write their article. Nevertheless, this format can also be used by preachers who want to keep their sermon short and crisp.
A favorite of many is Quotations. Quotations are short, memorable sayings from famous people. You can use these quotations to inspire your audience or to make a point.
Finally, though not exclusively, is the Narrative. This format is like the inverted pyramid format. You can use this to tell a short story.
Conclusion
Writing sermons requires a lot of Holy Spirit guidance, effort, time, and practice. If you are new at writing sermons, expect it to take time to master the craft until you are satisfied.
Just a word of wisdom: if Jesus Christ truly called you to preach, you will NEVER be satisfied with how these turn out.
The “why” is saved for another article entirely.
You must make sure your sermon is relevant and reveals the Divine Word of God in a clear and concise manner.
It is important to keep these things in mind while writing sermons.
Download Ready Made Sermons Packages HERE!
Header Image Courtesy of Pixabay ID 1285851
