Watching a seasoned preacher can feel like watching a star athlete. We see the incredible pass, the unbelievable sprint, the flying leap, the dizzying somersault, and the chef’s-kiss-perfect landing. We shout a hearty “Amen!” and drive to lunch thanking God for the message. And if we ourselves are aspiring preachers, we might feel a pang of longing to one day serve as effectively as he.
But there is so much we don’t see.
We don’t see his carefully guarded time of prayer that morning. We don’t see his hours of study, days of preparation, or years of training—his discarded drafts, his writes, and his re-writes of the final message. We see the success, not the struggle. But great preachers are made, not born, and they are made from untold hours of hard work and consistent practice.
So if you feel called to preach, here are eight steps to follow. Follow them for your next sermon, and the one after that, and the one after that, and the one after that. Remain faithful to your craft and your calling, and trust the Lord to work through you as you work in Him.
1. Select the Text
Many times, preachers will select a topic and then go in search of a text. We want to preach on finances, so off we go to the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30). We want to preach on leadership, so up comes Nehemiah. This approach can certainly be appropriate from time to time, but it also carries certain risks. For one thing, if topical preaching is our primary habit, then we can easily fall into a pattern of shoehorning the Scriptures into whatever message we want to communicate that week. The question can change from “What is the Lord saying through this passage?” to “What passage will help me say what I want?” This is no way to treat the holy Word of God. Additionally, an exclusively topical approach makes it so easy to avoid the topics we fear to discuss.
But, if we primarily preach through entire books or sections of the Bible, then the text remains primary. If I’m preaching through the Book of Philippians, then each week, my question is, “What is God saying to my people through Philippians?”, and never, “What do I want to use Philippians to say to my people?” Moreover, if you commit to preach faithfully and systematically through the entire Word of God, then you will eventually and inevitably touch on every topic. There will be no dodging around Leviticus to avoid discussing sexual sin, no skipping over Deuteronomy to avoid discussing the humane treatment of immigrants. Commit to preaching the entire Word of God, and trust that the Word will speak what your people need to hear. And as you choose your passage for the week or the season, saturate your decision in prayer.
2. Read the Text & Record Preliminary Observations
Pray. (A duty you must return to time and time again throughout the process of sermon writing.)
Then, read the passage in your heart language (English, for many of you). Read it several times. Meditate on it. Pray, asking the Lord to open your mind and heart to rightly divide the Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). That’s the Word of the Living God in your hands, so handle it with requisite care.
Now, I’m old school. I like to keep a notepad next to my computer and just bombard the text with questions: What’s the theme in this text? The setting? The timing? Who’s speaking? Who’s listening? Identify your preliminary observations like a journalist, seeking to understand every facet of this passage.
3. Read the Text in Greek or Hebrew
Now it’s time to prayerfully observe the text in its original language. And if you’ve never taken a Greek or Hebrew class, then use a free online source like Bible Hub to study the original grammatical structure of the passage. You can learn a lot just by studying the linguistic structure of a sentence. Is this a verb? What kind is it? An imperative? So it’s a command. What is the command, specifically? Study the grammar of these sentences as an architect would study the blueprint of a house, pointing out the main points and key clauses that form the load-bearing walls of the passage.
And as you study, pray. Remind your heart that God wants to speak to you as He speaks through you.
4. Craft Your Preliminary Thesis
Notice that we haven’t opened a commentary yet. Notice also that I say your “preliminary” thesis should be crafted at this point. These are your initial thoughts, not your final conclusions. Your thesis should answer the question, “If I were to summarize this text, what is it saying in a single sentence?” Aim to get to the heart of the passage, and perhaps jot down a few supporting points as they come to you.
Then, lay your thesis before the Lord and ask Him to continue leading you. Stay open to returning to this point in the process and revising your thesis entirely.
5. Read Commentaries
Yes, it’s finally time to consult some additional scholars. With commentaries, I encourage you to consult multiple sources, but also multiple types of sources, and these in a particular order.
First, seek out some exegetical/technical commentaries, like the New International Commentary or the New American Commentary. These will be more technically complex, dealing with every minute point of exegesis. These will support you as you examine the deep structure of the passage’s language.
Second, find some of what I’d call mid-range or pastoral commentaries. The Preaching the Word series, edited by R. Kent Hughes, is a good example. These will provide you some quality exegesis, but they also offer good examples of application and even a few illustrations to consider.
Third, and finally, review some “devotional-level” commentaries. These would be sermons that others have written or preached, such as classics from C.H. Spurgeon, Warren Weirsbe, or Chuck Swindoll. These sources are excellent places to find quality application for the exegesis you’ve crafted earlier in your sermon-writing process.
6. Write the Sermon
Alright, you’ve read, you’ve prayed, you’ve written and researched, and prayed some more. It’s time! Write your sermon, and write it in a particular order.
First, craft your explanation of the text. This is your exegetical interpretation of the passage, your description of what the original writer was saying to his original audience. Then, formulate a few points of application that draw these timeless truths into present-day life. Next, add in some illustrations to illuminate any particularly difficult points. Resist the urge to use an illustration because it’s interesting or flashy. Illustrations are there to illustrate, not distract. They’re backup dancers, not headliners.
Finally, write your introduction and conclusion. Your introduction is an excellent place to utilize what I call the “now, then, and always” approach. Begin with a “now” illustration that ties into the text and draws its application into the present day. Forecast where the “so, what?” of the sermon is going. After this, move into the “then” portion of your introduction, and provide some historical and contextual background for the passage. Then, round off your introduction with the “always” of the passage, which is the thesis statement of your sermon, the timeless principle expressed by the text. Your conclusion should then do two things: restate this thesis, and summarize the main points. Leave people with a concise round-up of the work you’ve done, tools they can pick up and take with them into the week ahead.
7. Read the Written Sermon Several Times
I recommend writing out your sermon in manuscript form, in full. This will help your preaching stay exact and succinct, making the most of every word you employ. I don’t suggest you preach from a manuscript, since that would require you to constantly break eye contact with your congregation, and eye contact is key to keeping your listeners engaged. I also don’t insist you memorize your manuscript word-for-word. This step is about allowing as much of the specific language of your sermon as possible to sink into your heart and mind, so you can preach with confidence. As you read and re-read, pray for the Lord to not only speak to your people through you, but also to continue to speak to your own heart.
8. Prepare an Index Card
From your manuscript, prepare a single index card to take with you into the pulpit. Summarize your main points and provide yourself guardrails to stay on track throughout your sermon, all with minimal glancing down at your notes.
And before you step onto the podium, take time to pray that your own spirit will move and speak in step with God’s.
Finally, preach. Preach with the gravity that befits the holy Word of God. Preach with the gladness that befits this best of good news we bring to the world.
