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7 Practical Ways Preachers Can Get Ideas for Sermons

by Jerry Smith  
2/21/2024 / Leadership

Preachers are tasked to deliver sermons at least once a week. At times, this requirement increases to two or even three messages per week. That places a heavy load on pastors who may run out of ideas for messages in the long haul.

As a result, preachers can stress over this, which ends up working against him gaining fresh ideas. That is the downside of the situation. The upside, and you may not realize it, is that new ideas are all around you. The following references may give you fresh perspective on an old dilemma.

1. Observe Creation

In Psalm 1:1-3 we read that the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handywork; that day and night they show knowledge and can be heard by all. Psalm 139 also speaks of the wonder of God’s works. So, if you are attentive to the world around you, you may find that it declares God in His Creation. Observe the mountains and how they may have been formed in a worldwide flood, or observe the sunset, look up at the stars, examine a tree, a bird, or a nest, or some human parts or processes. The world is filled with the wonders of God’s wisdom and understanding. What a great subject to develop then point people to Christ. Paul did it in Acts 17, and it worked.

2. Observe People

Solomon wrote about a young man he was watching from his window that was “void of understanding” (Proverbs 7:6–27, KJV). Solomon noted how this young man went down the wrong path and the consequences thereof. Eventually, those words became part of the book of Proverbs for all of us to learn from. The idea: Look around you for both positive and negative examples of spiritual truths that align with Scripture. Keep a pen and paper handy to write down ideas as you see them or have your cellphone available for recordings.

3. Observe Situations

Solomon also wrote about going by the field of a slothful (lazy) man and receiving instruction from it (Proverbs 24:30–34). How did he do that? He approached the situation with a mind that was receptive to instruction. Again, those words are found in the book of Proverbs which people have read and learned from over the centuries. What can we learn from this? Be tuned in to sermon ideas by seeing biblical instruction in the circumstances around us. Consider what the Bible says about a situation you observe. Ask the Lord to teach you something about it. Meditate on it in light of the word of God. You never know, someone in your congregation may be struggling with something similar, and the Lord wanted them to hear that message.

4. Read the Bible

Sermon ideas are available to us from God and His word. David wrote that God taught his hands to war in Psalm 18:34. Second Timothy 3:16 tells us that we can find instruction in the word of God. We read in 1 Corinthians 2:13 that the Holy Spirit teaches us. Why not listen? Proverbs 16:23 says that the heart of the wise teaches himself: The caveat being the wise person is the one who fears the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). Proverbs 1:5 tells us that a wise man will hear and increase learning. But we also read that the LORD gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding (Proverbs 2:6). Second Peter 3:18 (KJV) supports this by the command that we are to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” So, if you are not sure what you can preach, look to God and His word for instruction that can lead to sermon ideas.

5. Examine the Attributes of God

We read in Isaiah 6:5 the angels proclaiming day and night, “holy, holy, holy,” to the Lord. This is the chief attribute of God but not the only one. We read God is compassionate. We read He is Merciful; that He is love. We can imply from Genesis 1:1 that He is solitary, and from Exodus 3:14 that He is eternal as “I AM.” Nehemiah 9:5-6 expresses that His name is above our praise, that He is self-sufficient. A short study of the Bible can reveal multiple attributes of God. Each attribute is worthy of deeper study and can be presented as individual messages. I know because I’ve done it, and it enriched the church.

6. Observe Movies

If you are a movie watcher, you have a message resource available to you. Whether it is the Christian experience that embraces God, the corrupt human experience that rejects God, or the fictional experience where God could be working. If you cannot see anything in the world around you, movies can provide both positive and negative content. I have found certain movies to be rich sources of sermon ideas because you can see attitudes and behaviors to construct sermons from. Movies are something that people can relate to, to show them a new perspective of God, spiritual life, or their walk with Christ.

7. Walk with Christ

In 1 John 1:3 (KJV), the apostle John wrote: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” He wrote from his own personal walk with Jesus Christ. The Lord, before ascending, told His disciples: “ye shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8 KJV). Again, this “witnessing,” or sharing, is based on a personal walk with the Lord. Not sure what to preach about? Then look to the Lord and how He has been working with and in you. Ideas can come from lessons learned, scriptural revelations, answered prayers, fellowship, and personal examples that follow biblical truths.

These are practical ways for new or veteran preachers to gain fresh sermon ideas. They are practical because they are not far from preachers who should be walking closely with the Lord, who are interacting with people and the world around them, who should be reading and studying the Bible, and who should have the word of God available in their hearts and minds for the Holy Spirit to draw out.

Jerry is a bi-vocational missionary pastor-teacher in the Philippines with educational attainments ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields. He has been writing since he was a child and continues to this day through articles, blogs, devotions, e-books, and more.

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