Learning Objectives

By Tony Turner

A preacher will not long hold the interest of the church if he preaches only out of the fullness of his heart and the emptiness of his head. If he is to feed the flock faithfully week after week, he must recognize the weight of the work before him. He may be called upon to prepare well over one hundred messages in a year when Sundays, midweek assemblies, funerals, devotionals, and special occasions are all counted together. That kind of output will expose a shallow man very quickly. The safeguard against poverty of thought is steady, disciplined, continual replenishment. The preacher must keep returning to the sources of sound preaching material so that his teaching remains fresh, faithful, and useful to the church. [2 Timothy 2:15; Acts 20:27 — etr]

Perennial freshness in the pulpit does not happen by accident. It requires preparation. More particularly, it requires a clear process. A preacher must order his time, build and use a trustworthy library, and follow sound methods of study and development in sermon preparation. If he neglects these things, his preaching will eventually become repetitive, thin, careless, and weak. But if he gives himself to them with discipline, his preaching will be marked by depth, clarity, and continuing usefulness. [1 Timothy 4:13–16 — etr]

The first major step in preparing sound sermons is the right ordering of time. Many people wrongly assume that the preacher’s time is public property, but if he is to reach worthy goals and maintain productive study habits, his hours must be carefully arranged. At the beginning of the year, he should set definite objectives for himself. He may determine to read the Bible through completely, outline several books of Scripture, study key doctrinal themes, and write out careful research papers or sermon studies on important subjects. These larger goals should then be broken down into monthly, weekly, and daily tasks. A preacher who begins each week with an ordered plan is far more likely to make full use of his time than one who drifts from interruption to interruption. [Ephesians 5:15–17 — etr]

Within that schedule, the morning hours are often the best hours for difficult study. Harder work should be done when the mind is freshest. Easier duties may be left for later in the day. This does not mean the preacher ignores people. His work must still leave room for counseling, visitation, teaching, and giving biblical guidance. But it does mean that he cannot allow every demand of the day to crowd out serious study. A carefully arranged working schedule helps ensure that he will have time both to serve people and to prepare himself to serve them well from the word of God. [Acts 6:2–4 — etr]

The second major step in sermon preparation is the gathering and maintenance of reliable resource material. The Bible stands first and above all. It is the great inexhaustible reservoir of God’s truth, and no library can compensate for neglect of Scripture itself. Daily reading of the Bible gives the preacher a constant supply of themes, truths, warnings, promises, examples, and illustrations. If a man wants fresh preaching, he must be a man of the Book. [Psalm 1:1–3; 2 Timothy 3:16–17 — etr]

Still, while the Bible must remain central, the preacher is also helped by sound study tools. Because the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek, a preacher benefits from Bible dictionaries, encyclopedias, concordances, language helps, and works that explain historical background. Knowledge of kingdoms, empires, customs, geography, and archaeology can sharpen understanding and prevent shallow treatment of the text. Good commentaries may also serve a useful purpose, provided the preacher remembers that they are only the words of men and must always remain beneath the authority of Scripture. He must be selective and conservative in what he buys, but he should aim to build a library that truly helps him understand and teach the word of God. [Nehemiah 8:8; 1 Timothy 4:13 — etr]

The third major step in sermon preparation is the actual method of study and development. A preacher should spend concentrated time in reading and study on a regular basis. He should begin with the Bible, because it is the only proper starting place for sermon work. From that beginning, questions arise, themes emerge, problems demand answers, and lines of thought begin to form. As he studies, he should keep pen and paper nearby so he can record observations, questions, cross-references, outlines, and possible applications. Good preaching is often built from faithful accumulation of good notes. [Psalm 119:97–104 — etr]

Once material has been gathered, it must be arranged in an understandable order. Information should not be dumped carelessly into a sermon. It must be organized. A preacher may move from the simple to the more difficult, from the known to the unknown, from cause to effect, or in a chronological order depending on the text and subject. The point is that truth should be presented clearly. A confused sermon may contain true statements and still fail to help the hearers. A sound sermon has structure, movement, and purpose. [1 Corinthians 14:8–9, 33, 40 — etr]

After arranging the material, the preacher must test his conclusions. He must make sure that what he plans to say is actually true and solidly supported by evidence from Scripture. He cannot rely on assumptions, traditions, emotional impressions, or weak inferences. If he speaks, he must speak as the oracles of God. His conclusions must arise from the text, agree with the whole counsel of God, and be supported by plain biblical proof. [1 Peter 4:11; 2 Timothy 2:15 — etr]

A strong filing system is also part of this process. Notes, outlines, illustrations, word studies, clippings, subject files, and sermon ideas should be kept in orderly form so that the preacher can return to them when needed. Such a system may make the difference between a meager preaching life and an abundant one. A man who studies but never preserves his work wastes much of his labor. A man who studies, files, builds, and returns to his material over many years is steadily laying up reserve for future preaching. [Proverbs 10:5; Proverbs 21:5 — etr]

When these steps are taken together, the process of sermon preparation becomes clear. The preacher first orders his time so that study is not pushed aside. He then gives himself daily to the Bible and uses trustworthy resources to deepen and sharpen his understanding. As he studies, he records what he finds, gathers what is necessary on the subject, arranges it carefully, tests his conclusions by Scripture, and preserves useful material for future work. That process does not merely produce one sermon. It builds a life of preaching. [Ezra 7:10 — etr]

In the end, laying up reserve material is the work of years, not days. There is no substitute for prolonged preparation, steady meditation, and disciplined exposure to sound material. Fresh sermons are not produced by last-minute pressure alone. They grow out of a life shaped by study, order, reflection, and faithful labor in the word. If the preacher cultivates widely and faithfully, he will not be forced to glean thin ears from an empty field. He will be able to feed the church with substance, clarity, and freshness week after week. That is what the work demands, and that is what the church deserves. [Jeremiah 3:15; 2 Timothy 4:1–2 — etr]

[Bracketed Scripture references added by Ed Rangel.]

Thesis

God’s word must be heard, believed, obeyed, and applied faithfully because man will answer to God for how he responds to divine truth.

Introduction.

I. God’s Word Must Be Heard and Obeyed.

II. Man Must Respond to God in Faith.

III. The Church Must Hold Fast to the Truth.

Application.

Conclusion.

Invitation.

Word Study.

|---|---|---|---| | Worship | προσκυνέω / proskyneō | To bow before, reverence, or offer homage. | Frames worship as submission to God rather than self-expression. | | Sing | ᾄδω / adō | To sing praise. | Identifies the vocal action God authorizes in New Testament worship. | | Doctrine | διδαχή / didachē | Teaching, instruction. | Shows worship must be governed by apostolic teaching. | | Heart | καρδία / kardia | Inner person, mind, will, and affection. | Locates true worship in reverent inward submission. | | Truth | ἀλήθεια / alētheia | Truth, reality, what is revealed by God. | Keeps worship tied to revelation rather than preference. | | Obedience | ὑπακοή / hypakoē | Submissive hearing, obedience. | Connects hearing God’s word with doing what He commands. |

Scripture Interlock Table.

|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Old Testament | Genesis 1:1 | God is revealed as Creator. | Establishes God’s authority over man. | Shows that man answers to God. | Useful for grounding the lesson in divine authority. | | Old Testament | Psalm 119:105 | God’s word guides His people. | Shows Scripture as the rule of faith and conduct. | Supports Bible-based application. | Useful for calling hearers back to the word. | | Old Testament | Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 | Man’s whole duty is to fear God and keep His commandments. | Connects obedience with final accountability. | Supports the need to obey God. | Useful in conclusion and invitation. | | New Testament | Matthew 7:21–23 | Jesus warns that not all religious people will enter the kingdom. | Shows the need to do the Father’s will. | Refutes empty profession. | Useful for pressing obedience. | | New Testament | Romans 10:17 | Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ. | Shows how saving faith begins. | Supports the invitation. | Useful for gospel response. | | New Testament | Acts 2:38 | Peter commands repentance and baptism for forgiveness of sins. | Shows the apostolic answer to convicted sinners. | Supports baptism for remission of sins. | Useful in invitation. | | New Testament | Revelation 2:10 | Christians are called to be faithful until death. | Shows the need for endurance. | Supports faithful Christian living. | Useful for closing exhortation. |