Preaching is an art form. It takes an ancient written word and prepares it to be understood, remembered and acted upon. In all of its artistry, it will transcend eras, societies, cultural backgrounds and enter the soul of humans who will be so deeply moved and touched, that their lives will never be the same again. It is a Kerygma, the proclamation of eternal, timeless truths. God’s Word comes to life like a symphony, each note in tune with the essence of the Message.
Preaching is not for the faint of heart. James, the leader of the first Jerusalem church, Jesus’ own brother declares “Not many [of you] should become teachers [serving in an official teaching capacity], my brothers and sisters, for you know that we [who are teachers] will be judged by a higher standard [because we have assumed greater accountability and more condemnation if we teach incorrectly]” (James 3:1 AMP).
Preaching has the power to sway the course of one’s life, to change eternal destinies as the Scriptures won’t “come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them” (Isaiah 55:11 MSG). Knowing “…the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, both joints and marrow, and able to judge the reflections and thoughts of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 LEB).
It is a privilege to bring the Word of God to the people of God. As the prince of preacher, Charles Spurgeon, once said “We cannot play at preaching. We preach for eternity” for “We are not responsible to God for the souls that are saved, but we are responsible for the Gospel that is preached, and for the way in which we preach it”.
In this short article, you will discover what you must do before you start writing your outline, use the perfect tool to write it and get ready to preach it. This system is adaptable (you can use it for any different type of message), scalable (it can be used for series as well) and simple. You will find an explanation for the terms used and then see the simplified version of the template.
Before You Preach
In order to preach efficiently, fully empowered by the Holy Spirit, become a P.R.O.
- Pray and Listen
- Read and Understand
- Observe and Meditate
Like every preacher, you have developed the habit of proximity with your Savior. In these moments, pray the Lord of the Work to reveal to you through the Holy Spirit what He wants to communicate to you first, and through you secondly. After all, “God’s Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10 CEV).
Read the intended text you want to preach on. Let it permeate you. Read it in different versions, read the previous chapters and the following ones. Read it daily for a few days (or weeks even). Gain understanding, perspective and depth.
Observe the text, the important words, the repetitions, its style. Is it poetry, a historical narrative or a theological statement? Your perception and text conclusions will help you craft your outline.
Preparing Your Outline
1. Whether you preach an expository, topical, textual or narrative sermon, the first step is to choose your text(s). Maybe the text chooses you because you’re following a series or preaching from a Bile book. The fact remains the same: the Sacred Text remains your main ingredient.
2. Ask yourself these five different questions, which will direct your message and communication:
- What is the text saying and communicating: the Meaning
- What is the text about: the Idea
- What does your audience need to learn from the text: the Lesson
- What do you want your audience to remember from the text: the Point
- What do you want your audience to do about the text: the Action Steps
You can call this the MILPAS.
Your Outline
In order to prepare a spiritual meal worth digesting, your outline will be comprised of these components
- The title
- The text
- The main idea: present in every point
- Introduction
- Points (1 to 4 maximum)
- Point 1
- Argument 1 to prove your point
- Argument 2 to prove your point
- Point 2
- Argument 1 to prove your point
- Argument 2 to prove your point
- Point 1
- Conclusion
For the purpose of an example, we will use Matthew 11:28-30 as the main text. This would be a textual message. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (NLT)
As you look at this text, a few things can pop up.
- It’s the word of Jesus himself
- “rest” is an important word and needs to be learned!
- people get tired, weary, burdened and not only physically
- Note other things you might see.
- TITLE: The invitation
- TEXT : Matthew 11:28-30
- MAIN IDEA: Invitation to rest
- INTRO:
- Talk about different invitations: to fight when you were young, to join a sports team, to go on a date, to purchase a product you didn’t need. Some invitations you accept, some you refuse.
- POINT 1: Jesus sends the invitation
- God is used to sending us invitation
- Revelation 22:7 “The Spirit and the Bride say: “Come”
- Isaiah 55:3 “Come everyone”
- Isaiah 45:22 “Come to me and be saved”
- God is used to sending us invitation
- POINT 2: The invitation is for all
- Those who are weary, tired, heavy burdened
- Jesus is there for those who are sick, not the healthy (Luke 5:31)
- POINT 3: The invitation is for R.E.S.T. “I WILL give you rest”
- R: Relationship= Jesus is sending that invitation to come with Him: Solemn Prayer, Scripture, Solitude and Silence
- E: Exchange= your heavy burden for His yoke of freedom
- S: Soul = you will find rest in the depths of you, something a good night sleep can’t give you
- T: Teach = learn new ways of finding this rest, change habits
- Conclusion
- When you respond to the invitation of being with Him, you will find rest. What is your next step?
As you can envision, the simplicity of use of this template will permit you to communicate with ease, freedom and assurance.
John Maxwell says that leaders do the hard work of making things simple. Don’t be simplistic but make it simple for people to understand and take action steps.
Here’s the Simplified Tool
- Be a P.R.O.
- Use the biblical Text
- M.I.L.P.A.S.
- The title
- The text
- The main idea: present in every point
- Introduction
- Points
- Conclusion: Next steps
Go preach your best sermon yet and “Proclaim the Word of God and stand upon it no matter what! Rise to the occasion and preach when it is convenient and when it is not. Preach in the full expression of the Holy Spirit” (2 Timothy 4:2 TPT) and you’ll be able to quote for yourself the apostle Paul when he says “I’ve done my best for you, given you my all, held back nothing of God’s will for you.” (Acts 20:27 MSG)
