Saturday-Manuscript: Conclusion
By completing the corresponding Saturday tasks you have finished all the preparation related to the sermon outline or sermon manuscript. You will have accomplished your main objective and reached Saturday’s goal:
- Objective: Fill in the outline with introduction, conclusion, complete paragraphs and illustrations.
- Goal (Mile-Marker 5): To have finalized the outline or complete manuscript that you plan to use when you preach.
However, as we will see in the assignments for Sunday, it is not yet time to rest on our laurels. The sermon is entirely written, it is true, but it still needs to be preached, and that requires a few important tasks, but somewhat different from what has been the work up to this point. It is not primarily mental work, but one of expression. And that requires getting ready for a “communicative event”. It requires making sure that you can verbally “interpret” that written content in the most natural and dynamic way possible.
Additional Ideas
As possible useful extensions that could enrich the Sabbath tasks, here are a couple of additional ideas.
- Interview believers about their path towards spiritual maturity with an eye to the practical application of biblical truth. It would be of utmost interest to take notes (with their permission, obviously, and anonymously) on the discipleship and spiritual development of committed, “normal” believers. If one were to write up and label the experiences lived and lessons learned, it would be possible to develop quite a pool of truthful examples of how important biblical truths can be put into practice. Especially in view of Lowry’s Phases 4 and 5, “Experience the Gospel” and “Anticipate the Consequences” these true stories can be extremely powerful as examples of how other believers have been transformed by what the Scriptures teach. (Biographies of well-known people of faith can also serve very well in this regard, but there can always be a certain sense of “distance” between them and your listeners as they are considered “exceptional” people).
- See how other preachers have illustrated some point of the passage. This would not be my first recommendation. In fact, it is almost the last one I make, in this whole weekly process. However, there are times when I simply find myself at a loss for an idea to illustrate a particular point in a sermon. In some of these cases I have resorted with some success to sermons that others have shared (for the passage I am preaching) via Logos Bible Software. As it presents outlines from various contributors on the same passage I am preaching, on a few occasions I have found that someone has used just the example I was looking for.
Download: Quick Summary Guide: Saturday-Manuscript