Mastering Your Sermon: From Notes to Natural Delivery

Pray and Prepare

Would you like to break away from your notes? The first step is to pray over your preparation. Once you've done that, begin your research. After you have completed your research, write a first draft of your message. Don’t be concerned with the opening or closing at this stage; those are better written after the body of the message is completed.

Refine Your Draft

Let it simmer. Come back to it a little later and read it out loud to yourself with a pen in hand. Strike out what isn’t working and underline what you believe is particularly strong. Write a second draft based on your marked-up document. Let it simmer again and repeat the process.

Identify Key Words

Once you've refined your draft, go through the document and underline key words with a color marker. These key words will serve as springboards to help you move away from your notes.

Practice Your Delivery

Now, you have written it and read it twice. For the next big step, preach it out loud without worrying about timing. Pay attention to how it sounds, and make any necessary additions or subtractions. 

Create an Outline

Next, outline the message. I like to take a landscape page and create two columns. Using a fairly large font can be helpful. Go back to those key words and make sure they stand out prominently. Use bold red for Scriptures and bold black for very important points. Preach it again. And again. And again. Pray over it. You'll know it so well you can almost see the notes in your sleep!

Embody the Message

C.H. Spurgeon once said, and I paraphrase, “If the message doesn’t move you during the week, please don’t expect it to move the people on Sunday.” You and the message become one.

Final Preparation

One last thought: go to your table, pulpit, or platform and practice there. Be fully prepared. On the day of proclamation, ask the Lord for a fresh anointing to feed His sheep. 

By the way, the opening and closing are so important that I will dedicate another time to explain how to add those to your message. 

Be blessed.