How To Preach Without Notes - The Key is Sermon Preparation

Let me say at the outset, how to preach without notes is not referring to impromptu or extemporaneous preaching.

On the contrary, how to preach without notes is a technique when mastered will help you preach with freedom in the pulpit without being tied to your notes.

Usually, impromptu or extemporaneous preaching involves little preparation; whereas, preaching without notes is all about preparation. That is, preparing your sermon in a way that allows you to preach without notes.

How To Preach Without Notes – The Key

To preach without notes, you must have a good sermon outline. After all, your sermon outline is your road map for your sermon.

Sermon outlines consist of the main preaching point, sub-points and incident points. For example, your sermon outline may look like this: (see preaching sermons that work from romans 13)

There are three reasons why Christians need to service the debt of love. They are:

It is a continuous debt (Romans 13:8)
It is a practical debt (Romans 13:9)
It is a noble debt (Romnas 13:10)

Having a clearly defined sermon outline will free you from your notes in the pulpit. Furthermore, your sermon outline simply expands and explains your main preaching point.

When I preached the sermon above, I simply introduced the main preaching point, which was servicing the debt of love, by sharing a story about the need to love.

Once I introduced the main preaching point, I simply expanded and explained it with the three sub-points. It went something like this:

The first reason why we should service the debt of love is because it is a continuous debt. Then I expanded and explained the first sub- point. Next!

The second reason why we should service the debt of love is because it is a practical debt. Then I expanded and explained this second sub-point by telling a pertinent story. Next!

The third reason why we should service the debt of love is because it is a noble debt. Then I expanded and explained this point.

I concluded the sermon by simply restating the main preaching point and sub-points and by applying the main preaching point with a challenge.

Although I preached this sermon about 10 years ago, nevertheless I think I could easily preach this sermon again without notes. I still can remember putting this sermon together all those years ago. The sermon outline is still etched in my mind. Why? The reason is because I spend the time studying the passage of Scripture and putting the main preaching point into a sermon outline that allowed me to preach without notes.

What technique do you use to preach without notes?