Preaching Sermon Outlines | Ready To Preach Sermon Outlines

I have been preparing sermons for over thirty years or so and I have found that preaching sermon outlines are imperative for longevity in ministry. To able to put ready to preach sermon outlines together each week is paramount to ministry health!

Preaching sermon outlines is a brief explanation of how to prepare sermon outlines that are easy to preach to any congregation. Preaching sermons outlines include: 1) an introduction, 2) main preaching point or topic, 3) subpoints and incidental points, 4) the key word, and 5) a conclusion.

Ready To Preach Sermon Outlines

How do you put together preaching sermon outlines that are easy to deliver and engaging for your congregation?

There are different ways to construct preaching sermon outlines. However, over the many years of preaching, I keep three feature in mind when I structure a preaching sermon outline.

Before I share those three features with you, let me also say that there are three parts to a sermon: the introduction, the body of sermon and the conclusion. When I refer to the preaching sermon outline, I am referring to the body of the sermon. To put it another way, the body of the sermon is your preaching outline.

Let’s returns back to the three features I keep in mind when I am constructing preaching sermon outlines. They are: the main preaching point (topic of the sermon), the key word or hinge word and the subpoints and incidental points.

Let’s look at these three features individually.

1. The Main Preaching Point (Topic)

I usually develop the main preaching point from a topic or subject. This topic or subject is usually found in a passage of Scripture that I am studying at the time.

For example, I recently preached a sermon from James 5:13-20 on the subject of prayer.

Once I have a topic or subject, I look for an angle or perspective from which I can preach that subject or topic.

After much thought, I developed the topic of prayer into the main preaching point of Christians Sharing Together in Prayer.

2. The Key Word or Hinge Word

Now that I have the main preaching point, I look for a key word or hinge word that will help me expand and explain the main preaching point (Topic of the Sermon). By the way, the key word or hinge word must be a plural noun.

The key word or hinge word usually comes from asking the how, when, where, what or why question of the main preaching point.

For example, is this passage in James telling me how Christians Share Together in Prayer or is it telling me why Christians Share Together in Prayer or is it telling me when Christians Share Together in Prayer and so forth?

Of course, it is telling me how Christians Share Together in Prayer. I decided to use the word examples as the key word or hinge word. There are four examples of Christians Sharing Together in Prayer.

When you deliver this sermon, you simply say: The first example of Christians sharing together in prayer involves… The second example of Christians sharing together in prayer involves… The third examples of Christian sharing together in prayer involves… and so forth. When you preach like this, there is a natural flow to your sermon because you are simply expanding and explaining your main preaching point (the topic of your sermon). In many ways, you have ready to preach sermon outlines.

3. Sub-points and Incidental Points

Once you have your key word or hinge word, you start to develop your sub-points. Your sub-points should expand or explain your main preaching point.

For example, if you are looking at examples of Christians sharing together in prayer, then your sub-points should provide that information.

In James 5:13-20, I saw four examples of Christians sharing together in prayer. They involve prayer in times suffering, prayer in times sickness, prayer in times of conflict and prayer in times of waywardness.

Below is the preaching sermon outline of James 5:13-20 with main preaching point, key word and sub-points.

There are four examples of Christians sharing together in prayer. They involve…

Prayer in times of suffering (5:13)
Prayer in times of sickness (5:14-15)
Prayer in times of conflict (5:16-18)
Prayer in times of waywardness (5:19-20)

Once you develop your sub-points, you can then add your incidental points. Incidental points expand and explain your sub-points.

Here is my full preaching sermon outline for James 5:13-20!

INTRODUCTION

There are four examples of Christians sharing together in prayer. The involve …

Prayer in times of suffering (5:13)

Prayer is encouraged (5:13a)
Prayer is a comforter (5:13b)

Prayer in times of sickness (5:14-15)

Prayer is for the sick (5:14)
Prayer is for the weary (5:15)

Prayer in times of conflict (5:16-18)

Prayer is sharing (5:16a)
Prayer is healing (5:16b-18)

Prayer in times of waywardness (5:19-20)

CONCLUSION

Once you have finalized your sermon outline, you will need to add content to your sermon outline. Of course, this will include illustrations. Illustrations are a very practical way to powerfully present your sub-points and incidental points.

With all this finished, you simply need to add an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction introduces your main preaching point and your conclusion summarizes what you said about your main preaching point.

As I said before, there are many ways to construct preaching sermon outlines, but I find this way helpful to me.

Some Resources

Free Topical Sermons: Free Topical Sermons provide sermon information on what is a topical sermon and how to write a topical sermon.
How To Create A Sermon Outline: 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.
Topical Sermon Outlines: Topical Sermon Outlines explain how to create sermon outlines so that you can preach topical sermons to your congregation.

Ready To Preach Sermon Outlines

1. The Main Preaching Point (Topic)

2. The Key Word or Hinge Word

3. Sub-points and Incidental Points

More Ready To Preach Sermon Outlines

Some Resources