After writing sermon outline for many years, you develop and refine your method of preparation. Hopefully, the information below will give you some ideas for preparing sermon outlines.
How To Create a Sermon Outline explains the ins and outs of writing a sermon outline so that your sermon has structure and flow when you preach it to your congregation. Sermon outlines should have: 1) a main preaching point (topic), 2) a key word, 3) sub-points and 4) incidental points.
How To Create Sermon Outlines?
Generally, a sermon has three parts – the sermon introduction, the sermon body or content and the sermon conclusion.
It is important to note that the sermon outline is the sermon body – the message you are going to preach.
I usually create the sermon outline first and then add content to the sermon outline. Once I finish creating the sermon outline and writing content to sermon outline, I usually write the sermon introduction and conclusion.
There are several ways to create a sermon outline. You can create a deductive sermon outline (Check it Out), an inductive sermon outline (Check it Out) or a bit of both. However, I will be showing you how to write a deductive sermon outline.
I usually create sermon outlines by developing a topic or main preaching point for the sermon outline. For example, I developed the topic Devoting Our Lives To God from Romans 12:1-2.
Once I have a topic or main preaching point, I usually look for an angle or perspective to the topic or main preaching point. I do this by asking the how, when, where, what or why questions.
With this topic from Romans 12:1-2, I asked the how question. How to devote our lives to God.
In other words, we devote our lives to God by giving ourselves totally to God (12:1), by putting aside the things of this world (12:2a) and by allowing God to change our thinking (12:2b).
The Structure of Sermon Outlines
When I structure a sermon outline, I always keep three structural features in mind.
These three important features help me maintain cohesion and sequence in the presentation of the sermon.
In other words, the sermon outline allows the message to flow in a natural progression.
1. The Main Preaching Point (Topic)
The topic or main preaching point is the subject or the big idea of your sermon. I take my time to get this absolutely right.
The topic or main preaching point should be the source of everything you talk about in your sermon.
With the topic above, the sermon outline is going to expand and explain how to devote our lives to God.
2. The Key Word or Hinge Word
To expand and explain the topic or main preaching point, I usually look for a hinge word or key word to swing all the subpoints from the topic or main preaching point. The hinge word or key word must be a plural noun.
With the topic above, I used the hinge word ways. There are three WAYS to devote our lives to God. The first way involves… the second way involves… and the third way involves….
When I get up to preach, the congregation know what I am going to preach on and they know what I am going to say about what I am preaching on. There is no confusion here.
3. The Sub-points and Incidental Points
The subpoints expand and explain the main preaching point. This structure allows your sermon outline to have cohesion and sequence. The subpoints flow from and interact with your main preaching point.
If you have incidental points, they should expand and explain your subpoints. In other words, they should flow from and interact with your subpoints.
Here is a sermon outline of Romans 12:1-2. As I said before, there are several ways to create sermon outlines. However, this is one way that I find easy and enjoyable for me.
- Give Yourself Totally To God (12:1)
- This is the right and reasonable response(12:1a)
- This is the basis for spiritual worship (12:1b)
- Put Aside The Things of The World (12:2a)
- Allow God To Change Your Thinking (12:2b-c)
- God wants us to see life as He sees life (12:2b)
- God wants us to know His will for our lives (12:2c)
Once I have created the sermon outline, I spend time writing content to the sermon outline and adding appropriate illustrations where necessary. When this is finished, I write an introduction and a conclusion to the sermon outline.
To preach this sermon outline with introduction and conclusion would take about forty (40) minutes.
Sermon From Romans 12:1-2
Keith was born into a Christian home and by the grace of God was saved at the age of five. That is, he became a Christian at the age of five. His walk with the Lord since that time was one of ups and downs. He said, “I can remember times of absolute intensity, my desire to serve the Lord as strong as ever, however, these were as small islands surrounded by a raging sea. Most of my life would be characterised by the term ‘lukewarm’. I claimed to be a follower of the Lord but I didn’t always look like one.”
You know, Keith’s struggle is not unique. After all, at times we all struggle with our devotion to God.
So, how do we devote our lives to the Lord so that we can love the Lord our God with all our heart and serve Him faithfully?
There are three WAYS we can devote our lives to God.
1. We give ourselves totally to God (12:1)
Look at verse one, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God.”
What does all that mean?
Let me explain it this way: There’s a pig and a chicken walking down the road. As they walk along, they read a sign advertising a breakfast to benefit the poor. The chicken turned to the pig and said, “You and I should donate a ham and egg breakfast.” The pig replied, “Not so fast, for you an egg is just a contribution, but for me a ham is a total commitment.”
Two REASONS why we need to consider this.
A. It is the right response (12:1a)
Look at verse one again, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God/or in view of the mercies of God, that you present your bodies…”
When you reflect on God’s mercy (Paul said) and all that God has done for us we should be motivated to give our all to God.
As Dr David Livingstone said, “People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my time in Africa. It’s not a sacrifice but a privilege. When I reflect upon God’s mercies, I count it a privilege to give myself totally to Him.”
B. It is the basis for spiritual worship (12:b)
Look again at verse one, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service [or spiritual worship].”
Sometimes, we think of spiritual worship as going to church, singing songs, and prayer; but according to Paul, spiritual worship is giving ourselves totally to God.
And it is out of this giving that we go to church, sing songs and pray. Our devotion to God requires a commitment of giving ourselves totally to God.
The second WAY we can devote our lives to God involves …
2. We put aside the trappings of the world (12:2a)
Look at verse two, “And do not be conformed to this world…”
You know, one of the greatest hindrances to our devotion to God is the trappings of this world or better still the things of this age in which we live.
As one writer said, “When we come to the kingdom of God, we should abandon [put aside] the thought-patterns and lifestyles of the world.”
When I read that statement, I thought, yes, we definitely need to do that…but in reality it’s not always that easy because we are conditioned (if we like it or not) by our society and the age that we live in.
It is a battle but a battle we can win with Jesus on our side!
The third WAY we can devote our lives to God involves …
3. We allow God to shape our thinking (12:2b-c)
Notice what it says in verse 12, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”
When we become Christians, God wants to transform our thinking. He wants to re-shape how we see life.
There are two reasons for this…
A. God want us to see things as he sees things (12:2b)
Someone said this: “God transforms our minds and makes us spiritually minded by using His word. As you spend time meditating on God’s word, memorizing it, and making it a part of your inner man, God will gradually make your mind and thinking spiritual.”
Spending time with God and His word helps me to see things as God sees them. It helps me to see life as God sees life.
B. God want us to know his will for our lives (12:2c)
Look at verse 2, “That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
As God shapes our thinking by the word of God, we will know what God requires of us in all situations.
Solomon said to his son, “Son, I want you to trust the Lord with all your heart, [and then he said this] and lean not on your own understanding [in other word, don’t just trust God but also trust His word]; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Will you devote your life to the God?
- by giving yourself totally to Him – it requires a commitment
- by laying aside the trappings of this world – don’t let this world dictate your devotion to God
- by allowing God to help you see things as He sees things – read your bible and pray