Jeff will be in the room.
Sermon Writing Process
DREAM
- Begin with prayer
- Read the text
- CONSIDER: Who is my audience?
- ANSWER: What is the single most important, persuasive thought or idea I want to convey?
- ANSWER: Why am I the one to communicate this?
- CONSIDER: What does my audience currently think?
- DETERMINE: What do I want them to do?
DEVELOP
- Develop the HOOK – one major thought, rooted in the Scripture text
- Develop 1-3 sub-points that are application driven and that support and drive home the hook
- Find and apply a personal story, a relevant illustration, or a visual that props up the content (ideally in the setup)
- Nail down a next step – should be salvation, serving, groups, or another specific action – should point to the vision
DISCERN
- ASK: Is this message clear? If it’s a mist in the pulpit, it’s a fog in the pew.
- ASK: Is this message gospel-driven? Does it point people to Jesus more than our church or myself?
- ASK: Does this message speak to believers and non-believers?
- ASK: Am I being transparent enough in this message?
- ASK: Am I being too opinionated in this message?
- ASK: Am I being bold enough in this message?
- ASK: If Jesus were in the audience, would he be approve and be proud of the message I’m preparing to deliver?
DELIVER
- REMEMBER: Someone is in the room who doesn’t know the hope of Jesus personally… preach the FULL GOSPEL to them!
- PRAYER BEFORE PREACHING: “Anoint me with Your Spirit, Lord, for this strategic hour, that I may preach your Holy Word with pentecostal power.”
- Pentecostal Power: The same power that brought about the supernatural change in the hearts of those who heard the gospel on Pentecost. To preach in the same power is to anticipate the same results: salvation, signs, and wonders!
OFFLINE RESOURCES
Commentaries
Translations
Concordances
Bible Dictionary
Local News
Current Events
AI TOOLS
NotebookLM – Input-only ChatGPT platform
Perplexity.ai – Search for Bible study resources
Bible.ai – Ask faith questions
TheoAssist.com – Bible study tool
Church.tech Ministry Tools – Research, sermon clip generation, etc.
CRAFTING A HOOK
Is there a word picture or metaphor?
i.e. You are the light of the world
Can I use a rhyme to make it memorable?
i.e. I before E except after C
Can I echo words or phrases to help it stick?
i.e. Forgiven people forgive
Will alliteration drive it home?
i.e. Your soul is more important than your stuff
Can I contrast two phrases, words, or ideas?
i.e. Whoever finds his life will lose it
Is there a hook I can repeat again and again?
i.e. Jesus accepts people others reject
Prayer Before Preaching
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