Upon writing this blog, it is my desire to help the reader in designing and preparing a sermon. If this is our “calling” to preach or to pastor, then we are also called to master the art of sermon design and delivery. I will leave it to other “experts” on helping you with your delivery, but I can help you in your “preparation” and in your “designing” of a sermon. In looking up the word “expert” on the online dictionary, Merriam-Webster had this definition “having, involving, or displaying special skill or knowledge derived from training or experience.”
The preacher or the pastor must be skilled in designing anywhere from one to three or more sermons per week. In reality we are expected to be experts in sermon design and sermon delivery, hopefully we take this serious. I will give the reader some interesting things to ponder in designing a sermon.
Structure and Routine
It has been my pleasure to have been allowed to preach since the spring of 1980 and over those years I have designed 1000’s of sermons. I looked back over some of my sermons from my early years in the ministry and honestly had no clue what the sermon was about or how people sit and listened to it.
In 1985 I was allowed the honor of sitting under a Godly man of God by the name of Walter Hare. He attended Fruitland Bible College and had excelled in “homiletics.” It was under his leadership and mentoring that I learned the art of designing expository sermons. The last 32 years have been spent in perfecting the art of designing expository sermons.
During the last 32 years I have found some structure and routines that work and I will never change them because they have proven to be successful. I will show you how I begin each and every sermon. I used to do this by hand, using a pen and paper or a typewriter; now I use my laptop. If you will consider having structure and routine, you can become an expert.
Step One:
Title:
Theme:
Text: “Luke 16: 19 – 31”
I –
II –
III –
Step Two:
I – The Parable Debate
II – The People Discussed (19 – 21)
III – The Place’s Depicted (22 – 23a)
IV – The Pain Described (23b, 24b, 28b)
V – The Plea Denied (23c – 26)
VI – The Prayer Delivered (27 – 31)
Step Three:
I – The Parable Debate
A) Parables are Noted
B) Parables are Nameless
II – The People Discussed (19 – 21)
A) The Man of Plenty and Stature
B) The Man of Poverty and Sorrow
III – The Place’s Depicted (22 – 23a)
A) One Found Angelic Assistance and Relief (22a)
B) One Found Awful Anguish and Ruin (22b – 23a)
IV – The Pain Described (23b, 24b, 28b)
A) His Torments Defined
B) His Torments Detailed
V – The Plea Denied (23c – 26)
A) His Merciful Cry (23c – 24)
B) His Memorable Change (25)
C) His Massive Chasm (26)
VI – The Prayer Delivered (27 – 31)
A) Object of his Prayer (27 – 28)
B) Outcome of his Prayer (29 – 31)
I make sure my outline is properly designed each and every time before I begin adding my illustrations and commentary to the sermon. This type of outline does not come without having the proper routine and the proper structure, but it is well worth the effort in learning the art of designing an expository sermon. It works and I have not deviated from this design for 32 years and counting.
Separated and Refreshed
It has been my experience that to design the proper sermon outline and the proper sermon, I need to have a place of separation. It is hard to design a sermon when you are being pressed for attention. I have a place that I sit at and I do not deviate from sitting in my “spot” to design my sermon. In this “place” I have my laptop, my bible, my books, and my glasses. This is “my place and my spot” and over the years my wife has realized that this is where “my sermon stuff” is going to be.
It has also been my experience in designing sermons, that there is a point when you have to shut it down and walk off. There may be a point in designing where your mind becomes to cloudy and foggy and during that moment you must shut it down and walk off. I was studying just the other night and I realized, I am not thinking clearly and nothing is coming together, it was late and I was tired so I just shut it down, until I was refreshed. The man of God that learns to be fresh in designing his sermon will be much better in designing his sermons.
Strategy and Resources
Of course those reading this are consumers of all of the excellent material from “SermonSearch” and you have an abundant supply of resources. Over the past 32 years I have strategized and tried numerous sermonic resources and commentaries to help me become knowledgeable of my vocation and calling.
During those 32 years I have wasted lots of money buying resources that proved to be of no value. I have hundreds of books in my library and rarely use 3% of them. Over the years I have learned this “keep it simple and keep it structured.” As I said, I have hundreds of books, maybe closer to a thousand books, but I have my “favorites” and you should have your favorites. I will give you my list and this is what I use “religiously.”
- J. Vernon McGee Commentaries (This is the jewel of my library and the one that I make sure all my newly called preachers have. If I only had one resource along with my bible, this is the one, without debate!!!)
- Blue Letter Bible (www.blueletter.com)
- Biblehub (www.biblehub.com)
- Study Light (www.studylight.org/commentary)
- Warren Wiersbe Commentaries
- John MacArthur Commentaries
If you come to my place of study, you will find me using these resources each and everytime that I design a sermon. I am not a student of Hebrew or Greek, but the Blue Letter bible helps me see things more clearly.
Scriptural and Relevant
In closing, we need to mention that our sermons should be scriptural. The sermon must be designed and designated to the scripture. We have not been called to deliver three points and a poem; we have been called to preach the Word of God. I am a Baptist but I do not preach Baptist “stuff.” I preach “thus saith the Lord.” It is our duty to design sermons that are absolutely based upon the bible and not just the bible, but from the “text” that we read.
The sermon should be relevant and not just a bunch of lofty lingo that is superficial and worthless. We are preaching to people that are sinners, people that are struggling, and people that are suffering, therefore our sermons should be relevant and useful to the hearer.
You might say, that was so simple and if you do I have accomplished my task in writing this blog. It is simple. It is so simple that it works. I now ask you to try it and upon trying it, perfect it and become and expert at it.
View Sermons by this Author: Donald Cantrell
