I was lifting weights this morning in the gym and a friend inadvertently told me how to write a sermon.
He said, “Randall, a lot of pastors have a ton of Bible knowledge. They just aren’t very good at communicating that knowledge.”
My friend was spot on. In essence he was saying:
A sermon is much more than just an explanation of biblical facts.
Giving your listeners a ton of biblical information may be a lecture, but it ain’t a sermon.
Most pastors don’t have a filter that tells them what to include (and what NOT to include) in their sermons.
They study the scripture passage.
They discover all this wonderful biblical information.
But they don’t know how much of that should go into the sermon.
They think, “I know Abram lived in Haran. Do I need to give the details about Haran in the sermon? It could be helpful.”
Or, “Paul’s arguing with the Judaizers in Galatia. How much background info do I need to give about the Judaizers so my listeners understand why Paul is so upset?”
Some sermons you will need to give extensive background on the Judaizers.
Other sermons you will not.
Some sermons your listeners will need to know some specifics about Haran.
Other sermons they won’t.
So how do you know what info to include and when?
When I learned what I’m about to tell you, it made answering that question so much easier.
Your sermon outline (or structure) determines what you must include in the sermon.
Here’s what I mean.
Say you’re preaching on Exodus 18:13-23. You’re sermon title is, “The #1 Mistake of Pastors.”
You’ve created a brief sermon outline of the passage. A portion of it looks like this…
I. A Common Mistake Pastors Make is They Try to Be All Things to All People (vv. 13-18).
A. Moses made this mistake.
1. Moses tried to be the main judge for Israel.
2. The people didn’t receive help in a timely manner.
3. Moses was worn out from too many responsibilities.
B. Many pastors repeat Moses’ mistake.
So, you wonder to yourself:
“Do I need to include much background information
about Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro?”
“What do I need to say about the Exodus from Egypt in this sermon
since that happened earlier in the book?”
The way you determine what info you need to include in your sermon is to return to your sermon outline and ask three questions of each point in your outline.
Look at each point and ask:
1. Is there something about this point that my listeners won’t understand? (You will need to EXPLAIN more then).
2. Is this point something that my listeners will disagree with? (If that’s the case, you’ll need to invest time in the sermon to CONVINCE them).
3. Will my listeners wonder how this point shows up in real life? (If so, DEMONSTRATE it for them).
Think about your congregation. Look at each point in your outline and try to think what questions your listeners would ask.
Let me show you what I mean by returning to the outline. I’ve put their questions in parenthesis.
I. A Common Mistake Pastors Make is They Try to Be All Things to All People (vv. 13-18).
A. Moses made this mistake.
1. Moses tried to be the main judge for Israel.
(Your people may ask, “What does it mean to be a judge? Is this the same as our kind of judge?”)
2. The people didn’t receive help in a timely manner.
(Your people may ask, “What kinds of problems would people bring to Moses for him to solve? Are these just legal issues? Financial issues? Spiritual questions?”)
3. Moses was worn out from too many responsibilities.
B. Many pastors repeat Moses’ mistake.
(How? Show me examples of how pastors make this mistake.)
Make sure you answer THOSE questions in your sermon outline.
You need to share enough biblical information so that your congregation understands the passage. No more, no less.
So your new sermon outline might look like this:
I. A Common Mistake Pastors Make is They Try to Be All Things to All People (vv. 13-18).
A. Moses made this mistake.
1. Moses tried to be the main judge for Israel.
a. Explain what it meant to be a judge in Israel.
b. Explain how it is different from a judge today.
2. The people didn’t receive help in a timely manner.
a. List the kinds of problems and questions the people could bring to Moses.
3. Moses was worn out from too many responsibilities.
B. Many pastors repeat Moses’ mistake.
1. Contemporary Example: Pastor thinks he has to be the one to visit each church member in the hospital
2. Contemporary Example: The pastor assumes she is the only one qualified to help a couple in the church who is having marriage problems.
3. Contemporary Example: The pastor believes he has to attend every leadership meeting of the various ministries in the church.
There you have it. Now you have a filter that helps you decide what info to include and what NOT to include in your next sermon.
Implement these principles. I know it will make a HUGE difference for you.
I hope this helps you as you are learning how to write a sermon!
Blessings,
Randall Garing
