Sermon Outlines and How to Construct Your Sunday Sermon.
How To Use the Sermon Outlines on this Website
Consider any of the sermon outlines and full-text sermons on this site as a resource for the preparation of your original message. Read the Sunday Sermon outline as it is presented on this site and consult other materials, such as our extensive collection of almost 20,000 sermon illustrations.
It is suggested that you adapt the general structure and approach of the sermon and prepare your version as a detailed sermon outline or full-text message. Consider using two or more sermons on related topics to construct your sermon outline or adapt material from more than one sermon using our topical or scripture index.
Whenever possible, express the thoughts of the sermon outline in your own words. Add illustrations and sprinkle references based on your own experience and the needs of your people.
Above all, never forget that delivering the Word of God to your people is found not in your eloquence but in the hearing of God’s Word. The fundamental difference between a speech and a sermon is that a sermon evolves from the preacher’s encounter with the Word
Elements of the sermon should often include exposition, exhortation, and practical application. Keep these elements top of mind as you create an outline of your message. Think of the outline as the bones of the sermon. The outline sets forth the texture of the sermon and helps to move from one thought to next. In an extensive study of preaching, one recurring complaint from the congregation is that sermons are too complicated. The sermon outline is where you address that complaint.
Start with a strong introduction. The most effective preachers understand the importance of a strong introduction. This is where you grab the listener into the theme of your text.
1. Introduce your sermon: tell your people what you are going to cover and why it’s essential or how it is relevant.
You may include an illustration or humorous story about what it does or does not mean.
Use a starting point related to scripture or an event that propels the main idea.
2. Teach the message by developing it (exposition). Explain the Scripture in ways the congregation can relate to. give examples from Scripture. Provide practical application of the Scripture to everyday life. Use powerful, relevant sermon illustrations, including humor, where appropriate.
3. Conclude with issuing a strong call to action (exhortation) which relates to the Scripture and topic. This is the invitation to the people to carry forth the message in the sermon and apply it to their everyday lives.
To all who labor in this humbling challenge of preaching, it is our sincere hope that these sermon outlines will be valuable to the preaching ministry and a reliable resource for helping to make things happen in the lives of preachers and their congregations, both.
The Editors