When I was an associate pastor I preached every four months. The benefit of only preaching every four months was that I had four months of material to use for that sermon. I had four months of principles to share, stories to tell, fresh ideas to bring to our congregation, and four months to study a passage or topic for the message.
But now that I serve as a senior pastor the experience is different. Instead of four months of preparation I get about four days! (I work on my sermons Monday through Thursday and I try to take Fridays and Saturdays off to spend with my family.) In my experience as a senior pastor that preaches fifty sermons a year I’ve come to rely on some great tools to help me in my weekly sermon preparation, and I believe they can help you too.
A STUDY BIBLE
The best resource you need to have if you preach each week is a good study Bible. The study Bible I’ve used for years is the NASB Ryrie Study Bible. I prefer this study Bible because of the succinct doctrinal summaries, outlines of each book of the Bible, as well as the brief footnotes on each page of Scripture. In my opinion, the ESV Study Bible is the most comprehensive and best resource if you are looking for a study Bible. But I prefer my Ryrie Study Bible because I was privileged to have lunch with Charles Ryrie in 2015 and his notes reflect the theology of the Seminary I attended.
There are two primary benefits you will find from utilizing a study Bible as you prepare to preach each week. First, it provides a solid foundation to begin your study. In a study Bible you won’t get bogged down with exegesis or textual criticism. Instead, it will orient you to the issues of the text that are important for an everyday layperson, not a scholar or a pastor. Years ago I was trying to describe how we arrive at the dates we often list for Old Testament events such as the fall of Jerusalem (586 BC) or return from exile (536 BC). I couldn’t find a clear answer when I looked through several of my commentaries and Bible dictionaries. But I found the best description of Old Testament dating from the NLT Study Bible. It described “Regnal Year” dating and “Ascension Year” dating in a simple way that no one else had covered. A second benefit of a study Bible is that whether you find yourself at home, out for coffee, or on an airplane, if you have a study Bible and a pad of paper you can make the most of your time no matter where you find yourself.
A BIBLE DICTIONARY
The second essential tool you need for weekly sermon preparation is a good Bible dictionary. There are lots of these available from different Christian publishers. I use Unger’s Bible Dictionary. A good Bible dictionary will provide you an article on subjects in the Bible that will help you a little dig deeper than a study Bible. For example, this week I was preparing a message on Zacharias from Luke 1. I was curious for extra material about Zacharias in Scripture. I learned that there are 29 different men in the Bible named Zachariah (the Hebrew name) and that my NASB translation refers to him as “Zacharias” following the Greek form of the Hebrew name. This provided me with good expositional material for my sermon.
A THOROUGH EXEGETICAL COMMENTARY
Just as a Study Bible can help you make a lot of progress in your study toward a prepared sermon, an good exegetical commentary can get you almost to the end of your preparation. When I preached through Galatians I used the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Baker, 2013)by Douglas Moo, when I preached through Malachi I used Malachi Then and Now: An Expository Commentary Based on Detailed Exegetical Analysis (Lexham Press, 2016) by Allen Ross, when I preached advent sermons in Luke I used the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Baker, 1994) by Darrel Bock. An exegetical commentary will cover textual criticism notes that are relevant to your passage, incorporate relevant Hebrew or Greek grammar, help you discern your exegetical idea and homiletical idea for the message, and point out any significant doctrines relevant to the passage. Exegetical commentaries can be very technical, so if you have not attended Seminary I do not recommend an exegetical commentary.
A MONTHLY CHRISTIAN PERIODICAL
When you preach to the same people each week they expect you to stay updated on the state of Christianity both locally and internationally. You need to be in touch not just with your people you are speaking to, but with Christians and issues around the world. Because of this, you need to regularly read a Christian periodical. I have my church purchase me a subscription to Christianity Today. It provides relevant news articles related to the Christian church in America and also summarizes some of the significant things occurring in the Christian church around the world. You’d be surprised how many great sermon illustrations or current statistics I utilize in my sermons from simply reading one Christian periodical a month. For you, perhaps your Christian periodical might be your denominational magazine (Light and Life for Free Methodists, Christian Standard for restoration movement churches, Lutheran Witness, Presbyterians Today, etc.)
A SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
I hope that teaching Christian doctrine is a regular part of your weekly sermons. A book that covers systematic theology will help you dig deep when needed. Whether you are Calvinist or Wesleyan, get a resource that will help you expand on the theological topics that are briefly touched on in a passage, but require a more in depth examination. As Jesus closes the upper room discourse (John 13-17) Jesus prays to God the Father about his disciples, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:29-21, NASB). These verses describe the perichoresis of the Father and the Son and how that relationship between the Trinity should be a model for the people of the church too. A good systematic theology book will help you succinctly teach that vital (and complex) doctrine to your church.
A THESAURUS
When you preach to the same people each week you must bring fresh words and phrases to them. If you are not careful you will find yourself falling back into your same “go to” words, phrases, or quotes. A thesaurus will expand your vocabulary and help you find just the right word when needed. When I was preaching about how Jesus told his disciples to “go into the world” in John 17, I wanted a more vivid word to describe our “going into the world” and “being sent out.” A quick look at my thesaurus led me to the synonym “infiltrate” which was a great word that was clear and direct.
There are two thesaurus you should consider. I primarily use Merriam-Wester’s Thesaurus, but I keep a copy of Roget’s International Thesaurus at home. Each works differently. With Merriam-Webster you go to it with a word and it gives you different words to consider. With Roget’s you go to it with an idea and it gives you words to consider.
WHAT’S NOT ON MY LIST
As we wrap up our time together in this article you might be saying, “But what about. . . ?” Here are a few things I intentionally left off the list and why.
Sermon Illustration Books. Preacher, you have lived a life full of experiences and you don’t need a book of illustrations. Furthermore, your people don’t want to hear you tell them the same story they’ve heard from their previous two pastors as well as Chuck Swindoll on the radio. Find your own illustrations. Get fresh material for your people. Don’t rely on others that have been retelling the same stories for a century.
Logos, Accordance, or Other Bible Software. While these can be helpful, they get expensive quickly. You will pay more for those books to have them digitally than you would if you bought them in print. (If you don’t believe me, then check out Daniel Wallace’s Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics for sale on Amazon compared to Logos.) If you need to parse a Hebrew or Greek word, or want to quickly reference BDAG, then Bible software like Logos might be helpful. Otherwise invest your hard earned money in a print library.
Someone Else’s Sermon Outline or Manuscript. Preacher, I pray you don’t copy a sermon from Rick Warren, use an outline from Warren Wiersbe, or preach from a manuscript from David Jeremiah. God has placed you in a church with His people and you should dig into God’s Word, allow His Spirit to speak to you, and bring a message that is relevant to your people.
I preach fifty times a year at our church. While it is difficult and puts a lot of pressure on me, I know God has placed me where He wants me. These are essential tools I keep on my desk at all times to help me feed our church each week. I pray you will find them helpful too.