How to Prepare Your Sermons/Bible Studies

This isn't a homiletics book, but I wanted to share a little about my sermon preparation in the hope that it might bless someone or perhaps help a pastor refine his sermon process. I always start with the text. This should be obvious, but I feel compelled to emphasize that the primary objective of any sermon is to expose the text—by explaining it, illustrating it, and applying it to the lives of the people.

I preach through entire books of the Bible, so I always know where I am in the book and what my next text will be. I find that many ministers waste a ridiculous amount of time just figuring out which text they are going to preach. As a bi-vocational pastor, I simply can't afford to waste time.

Each morning during my devotional time with breakfast, I try to read the text I'll be preaching. Sometimes this doesn't always happen, but it's my goal. I know that when Thursday rolls around, I need to get serious about my sermon prep. Thankfully, I don't have a Sunday night or Wednesday night service, so all my time is devoted to preparing for Sunday morning.

By Thursday (if not before), I begin by jotting my thoughts down in my journal. I find that a simple composition notebook works best for me. I start by asking questions about the context: the who, what, when, where, and why of the text. I write down the main points that stand out. I also try to connect the current text with the previous and next texts. I ask myself, "How does this relate to the text I preached last week, and how will it connect to the text I'll preach next?"

Once I've written my thoughts, I move on to the Greek. Let me clarify that I know just enough Greek to be dangerous, and I'm certainly no scholar. But I don't let that stop me from trying. I write each word of the verse in Greek vertically, using one page for each verse. I use the Gateway Bible app for this, which is very handy. I purposefully avoid using an interlinear at first because I want to translate as much as I can on my own.

After I've written each word of the text in Greek, I open my Bible Hub app and refer to the interlinear. Both Bible Hub and Gateway Bible apps are free on the Google Play store. I go through and translate each word into English. I pay close attention to the verbs, as Dr. David Allen once taught me at Criswell College: "Verbs are like the load-bearing walls of a text." I also look for other insights, like word origins and how the word is used elsewhere in the Greek New Testament.

After translating each verse, I diagram it. I turn the page horizontally to examine the sentence structure in the English translation. I use the NASB and NKJV because they are word-for-word translations of the original Greek and Hebrew. Throughout this process, I'm constantly jotting down ideas—whether it's a significant word or a thought that emerges from the text.

I should pause here and say that the bulk of my textual work never actually makes it into the pulpit. Though I want my congregation to understand the Bible, they're coming to church, not seminary. These first steps help me understand the text deeply, and that's my main goal during the first hour or two of the process.

Once I have a solid grasp of the text, I move on to my commentaries. Right now, I'm preaching through the book of Matthew, and I have about 20 commentaries on this book. These range from devotional to analytical, and I have commentaries from various theological perspectives—Baptist, non-denominational, Anglican, Lutheran, Calvinist, non-Calvinist, and even a Catholic commentary for good measure.

The purpose of using commentaries is not to simply parrot someone else's work. By now, I've already started forming my ideas for the main message and supporting points. However, I want to see what others have written on the text because God has revealed timeless truths through faithful scholars. I typically quote two or three authors every Sunday, as their insights are often far more powerful than anything I could come up with.

I always try to quote my sources when I use someone else's material in my sermon. First, it's the ethical thing to do, and second, I don't want to take credit for inspiration that God has given someone else.

After spending 2 to 3 hours with the commentaries, I'm ready to develop my main idea and points. I write a full manuscript for my sermon every Sunday. Some ministers might accuse me of not leaving room for the Holy Spirit. To that, I respond that the Holy Spirit is just as alive and present with me in my study as He is on Sunday mornings.

Once I have my main idea, I work on my introduction. This part is always challenging for me. I've been at the same church for almost four years, and I don't want to sound repetitive. I try to use history, movies, songs, or funny stories—anything that connects the audience to the message. One preacher said, "If you don't grab their attention in the first 30 seconds, you'll lose them for the next 30 minutes."

I try to keep my introduction short because I want to introduce the text as quickly as possible. My introduction is like chips and salsa, while the text is the steak. The text is the star of the show, and I want the majority of my time to focus on it.

Here's a confession I have to make, though my preaching professor would rebuke me for it: I often don't have a clear outline. I stick as closely as I can to the text, choosing three or four main points to emphasize, but I rarely have a neat outline with points, subpoints, and alliteration. I envy pastors who can effortlessly distill a text into three powerful, alliterated points. God didn't gift me in that way, so I don't force it.

No matter what, I always incorporate the gospel into every sermon. After preaching, we often invite guests and visitors to respond, but they may not fully understand the content of the gospel. I talk about the cross, the resurrection, and the forgiveness of sins almost every Sunday—if not every single one. I also make a point to give a well-thought-out and effective invitation at the end of the message. Whatever the sermon topic, I always bring it back to coming to Jesus.

During the invitation, I give another gospel presentation, explaining what God requires of us. I talk about being born again, about repentance and faith in Jesus. Sometimes, I ask the congregation to indicate that they've accepted Christ by raising their hands or making eye contact. Other times, I invite people to come forward to make a decision for Christ.

Finally, I want to end this chapter with a plea to my bi-vocational brothers in Christ: Don't let poor time management cause you to neglect your study. God has entrusted each of us with a certain amount of time, and we are responsible for how we manage it. You owe it to your people, who have entrusted you with the role of shepherd, to invest the necessary hours to develop solid, text-driven, God-honoring sermons. There's no shame in asking for help. There are plenty of books on sermon preparation and delivery, and I'm happy to discuss ways to improve your study habits or delivery method—feel free to contact me by email. But please, be prepared.