How To Prepare a Short Sermon For Beginners? I am often asked to share short sermons for special occasions. How do I prepare short sermons? I follow the five steps below.
How To Prepare a Short Sermon For Beginners
I am constantly asked to share short sermons for devotions at retirement villages, men’s ministry, children’s story, staff devotions at Christian Schools and so forth.
There is no right or wrong way to prepare a short sermon but I usually followed these five steps below.
1. Select An Appropriate Scripture Verse or Passage
There are many ways to select an appropriate Scripture verse or passage.
Recently I was asked to share a short sermon for the men’s ministry. I selected a specific Scripture verse from Proverbs: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (27:17 NIV). I crafted a short sermon around this verse that lasted about fifteen minutes (I will explain how I did this below).
I was asked to share the children’s story in our church service. I was reading through the Psalms in my daily devotions and discovered a short sermon (about twelve minutes) that would be appropriate from Psalm 119:97-104. I crafted a short sermon around the topic: “Why we need to learn to love God’s word as children!” (I will explain how I did this below).
I was asked to share a very simple short sermon at a fellowship afternoon tea. I selected John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” I proceed to craft a short sermon of twelve minutes around the topic: “The Greatness of God.” I simply wanted to share the gospel message with these people ( I will explain how I did this below).
2. Study the Scripture Verse or Passage
Once you have selected the appropriate verse or passage, you will need to take some time to study the verse or passage in order to understand the biblical information at hand.
Proverbs 27:17 is not a difficult passage to interpret and understand. The image of iron sharpening iron is transferred to a person sharpening another person. This can be easily related to a person mentoring another person. This verse has one big idea and that big idea is this: “We need a spiritual friend and mentor.”
John 3:16 is not a difficult verse to interpret and understand. However, there are several interrelated ideas in this verse. This verse expresses information about God’s love, God’s sacrifice and God’s promises.
The best way to discover the interrelated ideas in a verse or passage of Scripture is by diagramming or sketching a mechanical layout (see mechanical layout below).
Psalm 119:97-104 is more difficult and it will require more work to interpret and understand the biblical information.
I would definitely sketch a mechanical layout of these verses. I sketched a mechanical layout and I discovered the following related ideas: The Psalmist loved God’s word (119:97). God’s word made him wiser than his enemies, his teachers and his elders (119:98-100). God’s word kept him on the right path (119:101). God’s word meant God was his teacher (119:102). God’s word was sweet to his taste (119:103) and God’s word kept him from the wrong path (119:104).
When you study the Scriptures, you are looking to interpret and understand the biblical information at hand. Once you interpret and understand the biblical information, you will be able to sketch a sermon outline.
If you want to learn more about interpreting and understanding the biblical information, you may want to consider Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks (Check It Out At Amazon) and Grasping God’s Word by J. Scott Duvall (Check It Out At Amazon).
3. Sketch a Brief Sermon Outline
The sermon outline is the skeleton of your short sermon. It is a roadmap for your short sermon. I never write a sermon until I have sketched out the sermon outline.
We all do this differently. When I sketch out the sermon outline, I have three features in mind. First, I develop the main preaching. Second, I expand the main preaching point with sub-points and incidental points. Third, I find the key word or hinge to swing all the sub-points from the main preaching point.
Example One: Proverbs 27:17
There are three REASONS why we all need a spiritual friend or mentor.
1. We all need someone to keep us sharp for God
2. We all need someone to watch our backs
3. We cannot do it on our own or alone
Example Two: Psalm 119:97-104
There are five REASONS why we need to learn to love God’s word.
1. It makes us wise (98-100)
- Wiser than our enemies (98)
- Wiser than our teachers (99)
- Wiser than our elders (100)
2. It keeps us on the right path (101)
3. It finds God to be our teacher (102)
4. It is sweet to our taste (103)
5. It keeps us from the wrong path (104)
Example Three: John 3:16
There are three magnificent PICTURES of the greatness of God.
1. The Greatness of His love
2. The Greatness of His sacrifice
3. The Greatness of His Promise
The sermon outline simply crafts the biblical information into a message that has one predominant idea. The sub-points and incidental points expand and explain that idea.
When I spoke to the men, I spoke about why we all need a spiritual friend or mentor. I gave them three reasons.
When I spoke to the children, I spoke about why we need to learn to love God’s word. I gave them five reasons.
When I spoke to the people at the afternoon tea fellowship, I spoke about the greatness of God. I drew for them three magnificent pictures.
4. Script a Sermon Manuscript
Scripting a sermon manuscript brings the whole message together from beginning to end.
The sermon manuscript has three parts, the introduction, the sermon outline and the conclusion.
First, I put content to the sermon outline with illustrations and application. Second, I write the sermon introduction and conclusion.
Again, we all do this differently. By this time I know the manuscript inside out. I could easy preach the short sermon without the sermon manuscript. However, I do take sermon notes with me when I preach. It helps me stay on track.
5. Score the Sermon Manuscript
Scoring the sermon manuscript is simply marking up the sermon manuscript so that I can see where I am going with the short sermon.
I do not read the sermon manuscript. I think it is important that we do not read the sermon manuscript.
The sermon manuscript should only be there to keep the preacher on track. That’s why you need to mark the key parts so that you can see where you are going, especially for beginners.
When I spoke to the children from Psalm 119:97-104, I didn’t take any notes with me. I spoke for ten to twelve minutes.
When I spoke to the people at the afternoon tea fellowship, again I didn’t take any notes. I spoke for twelve minutes or so.
When I spoke to the men, I took the sermon manuscript but only as a guide. I spoke for fifteen minutes or so.
However, if you are a beginner, you should take the sermon manuscript with you. It will give you confidence to speak well and it will guide you if you get nervous.
Example Sermon Manuscript On How To Prepare A Short Sermon For Beginners
I have included a partial sermon manuscript on how to prepare a short sermon for beginners.
“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17 NKJV)!
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (NIV).
INTRODUCTION STORY:
The local mayor and his wife were sitting at a McDonald’s restaurant one day when the mayor noticed his wife in deep conversation with a clown that was doing a birthday party. As they were leaving the mayor asked his wife if she knew the man. “Know him?” she said, “I used to date him!” The mayor smiled in a self-satisfied sort of way. “You could have been married to a clown!” he said. “That’s not the way I look at it,” his wife replied. “If I’d married him, he’d be mayor!” (Source Unknown)
Who are the people who influence you?
Who are the people who keep you sharp for God?
Who are the people who help you along in your spiritual journey?
We all need someone to keep us focused?
We live in a world filled with distractions and we need someone to keep us focused, especially as men when it comes to our spiritual journey!
If you have no one, then I want to encourage you to find someone who will be your spiritual friend and guide.
I want to suggest to you this morning that there are three reasons why we all need a spiritual friend and mentor.
The first reason is because …
1. We all need someone to keep us sharp for God.
I meet with my mentor once a month.
And he asks me questions like:
- How is your walk with Jesus?
- How are you going with your daily devotions?
- How are things at home with your family?
My mentor asks me the tough questions of life? Questions that need to be asked of me regularly! And the reason he asks the tough questions is because he cares for me and my spiritual journey.
We have acquaintances … people we see now and then.
But the greatest influence in our lives usually comes from those who are close to us, those who care for us and our spiritual journey.
Who is the hardest person to lead? It is usually us!
That’s why I need someone to mentor me.
- to ask me the tough questions about my life and where it is going
- to be totally honest with me and to say it as it is
- to challenge my thoughts and behavior
WHY? Because God said as iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another!
We all need a Paul, a Barnabas and a Timothy.
- Paul – an older person willing to invest in your life
- Barnabas – a friend who is always there for us to encourage us
- Timothy – a younger person in which we can invest our lives to help them reach their potential for Jesus Christ
Summary: We all need someone to keep us sharp for God.
The second reason is because …
2. We all need someone to watch our backs
As Christian we are in a spiritual battle. Peter said that we have an adversary who wants to devour us who wants to destroy our testimony and our witness for Jesus.
Sometimes as Christians we think that it is the big things that destroy our testimony and witness for Jesus.
I want to suggest to you it is the little things.
The enemy is so subtle and he usually begins with little things.
And we all need someone to watch our backs. We all need someone to warn us when we put ourselves in spiritual danger … to be honest with us. To tell us exactly what we need to hear!
Not everyone can do this for you – only your closest friends and mentors can be truly honest with you when it is desperately needed.
The Bible says “Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:5-6).
Summary: We all need someone to watch our backs.
The reason is because …
3. We cannot do it on our own or alone
Quote: “In our culture today, individualism rules and it’s with this framework we come to the Bible. Yet, the Bible was written in a time and culture that was soaked in family and community.”
We cannot do it on our own we need each other.
“As iron sharpens iron so people sharpen one another”
Conclusion:
So what do this mean?
We need a Paul, a Barnabas and a Timothy in our lives!
- Pray about it: “Lord, I need a friend, someone who will sharpen me.”
- Be pro-active: Look for someone … pick up the phone or stretch out your hand in friendship. Someone has to take the initiative. Why not you.
“As iron sharpens iron so people sharpen one another.”
Resources For How To Prepare A Short Sermon For Beginners
How To Preach Without Notes by Charles Koller (Check Out At Amazon Books)
Communicating For A Change by Andy Stanley (Check Out At Amazon Books)
Preach and Deliver by Brandon Hilgemann (Check Out At Amazon Books)
For more preaching books to consider, click on this link – 12 Best Books On Sermon Preparation Tips.