The Preacher and…..Prayer

As promised, here are steps 7 and 10 of Stuart Olyott’s 10 step method of sermon preparation as taken from his excellent book, ‘Preaching Pure and Simple’.

Step 7. Deal with your God

• On your knees again, to pray over the completed notes. This is a million times better than rehearsing your message!
• The first time, pray over every line, asking that it will draw people’s attention to the Triune God, causing them to think great thoughts about him.
• The second time, pray over every line, asking that it might bring the unconverted to Christ, and may advance the converted in both grace and knowledge.
• This time of prayer may move you to make certain alterations to your completed notes. Don’t hesitate to do this. Your notes are neither sacred nor infallible.
• Remain on your knees: choose the psalms and hymns, and arrange all the other details of the order of service.
• The service should be a whole. Everything in it should serve and underline the dominant thought (or ‘big idea’) to be proclaimed in the message.

Step 10. (After preaching) Hide away in secret

• Sometime afterwards, find a quiet place to have a sustained time of private prayer.
• Bring out once more your order of service and sermon notes, and pray over them.
• Ask for forgiveness for every point where you could have done better.
• Pray for every truth announced - that the people might call them to mind - that this will cause them to have great thoughts about God - that the unsaved will be converted - that the converted may make significant progress both in spiritual understanding and living.
• Pray for as many specific individuals as you can remember.
• And then leave everything in the Lord’s hands - and start preparing the next message!

Here is the previous post from Olyott’s book.