A ship without a bow has no point, and hence no direction. A sermon without a point is as useful as a bowless ship… it is going nowhere. The distinctive feature of a sermon as opposed to a lecture or other talk is that it aims to bring about change in response to one major point. A Bible study may meander through various verses and draw out excellent application from each, but a sermon looks to bring about change in response to the Truth.

This is where most preachers go wrong from the start. There is a tendency to want to say everything about many things as opposed to saying the most important things about one thing. The contractor starts with footings, and then builds up and out. The cook assembles his ingredients then mixes in proper order. Both are aiming to build something – one a house and the other a cake. There is one big point to it all.

Say What it Says

Every sermon ought to be explained by one sentence. That statement should (mostly) be in the form of an imperative (a command or call to action), since preaching is more than the distribution of information – it is a call to transformation. When you are finished the preparation of your sermon you should be able to quickly answer the question, “In one sentence or less, what is your sermon about?” If you cannot do that, you do not know what your one big point is and you need to do more preparation and study.

The human mind resists confusion and jumbled thoughts – it frustrates the listener if he has to try and hold together many disparate ideas that do not lead to an end. This is like being told a list of 15 chores that do not seem to connect to the overall goal of the work – difficult to remember and hard to stay excited about. But if I show you how each chore helps to complete the one big goal, it is easier to stay motivated. If there is one clearly defined big point to the sermon, then all the other points along the way should be directly related to and supporting that one big point.

Have an Outline

Thus, you should have some form of an outline. The big point, followed by several supporting points of the big point, and under each supporting point, several sub-points that also establish and back the supporting point they are under.

Think of it something like this:

Sermon: One Big Point (preferably an imperative)

1. Supporting Point: This point supports the big point
A. This point explains, defends, expounds the supporting point (and hence, the Big Point)
B. This point explains, defends, expounds the supporting point (and hence, the Big Point)
2. Supporting Point: This point supports the big point
A. This point explains, defends, expounds the supporting point (and hence, the Big Point)
B. This point explains, defends, expounds the supporting point (and hence, the Big Point)

This type of outline does not need to be alliterated. Of far more value is its making sense! You need to fight for simple English that an 8 year old could comprehend. Nor does the outline always have to be stated in the actual delivery of the sermon. Its main purpose is to organize your presentation. I will try to show you next time how the outline comes from the text.

The outline may feel very foreign and rigid, since we typically do not talk to each other in this detailed manner. But you are not just talking, you are preaching. You are aiming to explain to other people what a text means and trying to convince other people to respond to it. It is not conversation, it is persuasion.

So, while you are reading and studying for your sermon, you must keep asking yourself, “What is the point?” Often there are so many great things being said we are tempted to emphasize them all, but if you read the text carefully I think you will observe that the author generally has one main goal. Your job is to find that, then express it in words to your people in a way they will understand.

To do this I think you need a thesaurus. It is helpful to say what the text says without simply parroting the vocabulary of the text. There will be time to explain words and draw out connections, but tell your listeners what the text means in your own words. Sometimes this is one of the most difficult components to sermon preparation. But if a teacher can explain addition to a 5 year old without using advanced mathematical vocabulary, why can’t we explain the Truth of God’s Word in one big point in words that everyone under our charge can comprehend?