Sermon | Knowable Word

Sample Sermon on Acts 27

September 17, 2021 By Peter Krol

A few weeks ago, I described the process by which I came to a richer understanding of the structure and main point of Paul’s shipwreck narrative in Acts 27, thanks to the help of my colleague Tom Hallman. Well, Tom just preached his sermon on that text this past Sunday, and I think he knocked it out of the park. Some of you might be interested in seeing how he did it.

Here is a link to the audio of the sermon. (We don’t record video for sermons.) Sadly, the sermon’s introduction was lost, so the recording begins with the reading of the first portion of the text. But the sermon is still worth your time, if you’re so inclined to see how this opaque text can be taught compellingly using the essential tools of OIA study.

As you listen, you’ll want to make sure to have a map handy so you can visualize the narrated events. Here is a free one for your convenience.

Photo credit: Sweet Publishing / FreeBibleimages.org, Creative Commons

A Sermon Notes Sheet for Older Children

May 13, 2019 By Ryan Higginbottom

Timothy L Brock (2018), public domain

They’re growing up so fast!

If you’re a parent, you’ve heard this refrain, perhaps from an older friend in your life. And there’s a reason you hear it so often—it’s true!

As children mature, they move through learning stages and require different aids along the way. On this blog we’ve devoted many posts to teaching children how to study the Bible, and we’ve given attention to the nuances of different developmental stages. Today we’ll do the same for helping children follow along during the sermon.

A Resource for Older Children

I’ve previously shared the sermon notes sheet I use for my 8-year-old daughter. The space for both writing and drawing helps her to follow along and enjoy the sermon time.

My older daughter is 12, and today I’m sharing the sermon sheet I made for her. It bears many similarities to the earlier document but with a few strategic differences.

I’ve taken away the instructions for drawing. My 12-year-old is mature enough, for the most part, to process the sermon in writing. (Although she occasionally does include a drawing on her notes!)

I’ve also added a few items to help her follow along with the preacher and process the sermon.

In the instructions that open the area for sermon notes, I encourage my daughter to follow along with the sermon outline in the church bulletin (if one is provided). I also ask her to record the other Scripture references she hears so she can look them up and think through the relationship between different parts of the Bible.
The middle of the sermon sheet is blank, allowing for as many notes as my daughter needs. But the back of the sheet asks her to write down one or two of the most important things to take away from the sermon. I want my daughter to think about the sermon as a whole and try to summarize what the preacher said. This skill requires some maturity that I don’t expect from my younger child.
Also on the back page I point my daughter toward application. I remind her of the three spheres of application (head, heart, and hands) and I ask her to think of some applications that naturally flow from the sermon.

Fuel for Good Discussion

The last two items on this sermon notes sheet have been great discussion-starters for our family. If we are able, we will talk about my daughter’s responses to these questions over lunch or dinner on Sunday. The point here is not to grill her or put her on the spot, but her understanding of and reaction to the sermon helps each of us think about the teaching from the Bible we heard that morning. It can make for good discussions as well as good opportunities to train and disciple our children. Of course, the adults often learn much during these discussions too!

Take it and Use it!

Here is the document my 12-year-old is using. You are free to make a digital copy of your own and adjust it in any way you find helpful. (Instructions for doing this are on the third page of the file.)

The document is landscape oriented and is designed to be printed two-sided and folded in half. (You will likely have to choose “two-sided printing” and then “flip on short edge/side” when printing, though your computer may label these options differently.)

We hope this sermon notes sheet is helpful for you and your children as you carry on the task of reading and studying the Bible.

A Sermon Notes Sheet for Young Children

March 4, 2019 By Ryan Higginbottom

Nils Stahl (2019), public domain

Christian parents have a great privilege and a weighty responsibility. We must teach and show our children how to trust and follow Jesus. What an important calling! (And what a reminder of our need for God’s grace!)

Whether we do so well or poorly, we’re always discipling our children. This happens around the table, in the park, and on the way to school. And it certainly happens at the weekly corporate worship service.

How should we worship God? Why do we sing, or give, or celebrate communion, or pray? Why do we listen to someone talk for thirty minutes? These are natural questions for children to bring to their parents.

The Sermon as Discipleship

The sermon is probably the hardest part of a Christian worship service for young children. And because of this, the sermon is a big source of tension in families and stress for parents.

Here’s an encouragement to parents: Hang in there! Keep going! Your kids will grow and mature, despite all evidence to the contrary. And the approach you take to the sermon—even from a young age—really matters.

I’ve written before about how to help your children listen to the sermon. In that article I focused on what to do before, during, and after the sermon. In this post, I’ll provide a practical tool to use during the sermon.

As Children Age

If a church offers a nursery and parents decide that is the best option for their young children, that is great! Nursery workers at a church offer a vital and life-giving ministry. The rest of this article will address children who stay in the worship service.

As children move past board books and snacks to puzzles or drawing, parents can tie the activities into the sermon. Every little pointer can train children to listen and pay attention.

After a few more years, parents can encourage a mixture of coloring and note-taking. A thoughtful preacher or children’s ministry director might even provide activity sheets for children that incorporate the sermon’s Bible text.

When children are able to write on their own and listen for longer stretches of time, parents can teach them to take notes during the sermon. A note-taking sheet provides an activity while also training children to listen and record important truths.

The Goal

As a father, I try to instruct my children in age-appropriate ways. Understanding their limitations is crucial, because demanding too much is a recipe for frustration all around.

I’m not expecting my children to understand the sermon completely. I don’t require adult-level processing of the information they hear. I’m not as concerned about the present as I am the future.

I want to develop good habits in my children. I hope they come to the sermon with eagerness and expectation. I pray they will give attention to the Bible and honor God as they attend corporate worship.

If my children hear and remember enough of the sermon that we can discuss it later, that is a victory. Even small snippets of truth can be great fodder for conversation.

Finally, I want my children to learn the practices of mind and body needed to worship God during the sermon. I want them to discern what is true to the Bible and to respond with joy and obedience. These are all learned behaviors that I’m praying my parenting efforts encourage.

For You and Your Children

Here is the document I created for my seven-year-old daughter. We have been using it weekly for several months. Since she cannot process the sermon quickly enough to take copious notes, her sermon sheet has space for both notes and drawings. For her, this mixture is great; she’s been engaged through the whole sermon since we started using these.

But I designed this document to be helpful for you. You can make a digital copy and edit it for your own situation. Create more space for drawing or note-taking, or add an element I omitted. Talk to your children and make adjustments as needed.

A few final notes about the document itself.

The sermon sheet is written in landscape orientation (11 inches wide by 8.5 inches tall). It should be printed out two-sided and folded in half. This makes it easy to tuck into a Bible on the way to and from church.
When printing, you may have to choose “two-sided printing” on your computer and then the option “flip on short edge/side.” (Each printer is slightly different.)

Use It!

Consider this document a starting place; nothing is one-size-fits-all. But I hope this worksheet will encourage parents, grandparents, children’s ministry directors, and pastors to pray and help the young ones in their churches learn how to be attentive during the sermon.

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How to Discuss the Sermon in Your Small Group

June 26, 2017 By Ryan Higginbottom

Jon Flobrant (2015), public domain

Sometimes the best solution is the obvious one.

My small group at church was between books. We finished Isaiah and were about to begin Luke, but we needed a topic to fill a gap. Since we meet on Sunday nights and attend the same worship service on Sunday mornings, I realized the answer was staring me in the face. We could discuss the sermon!

A few people in my group had experience with sermon discussions. They knew this wasn’t just a repetition of the preacher’s outline. This was good, hard work. Like strong hands kneading dough, God can use discussions like this to press the application of his word deep into the lives of his people.

Why Discuss the Sermon?

The preacher isn’t the only one with sermon work to do. He studies, prays, and prepares, but the folks in the pews have a job too.

We need to listen carefully and weigh the sermon against Scripture. We’re also called to apply the Bible, and this is where a small group discussion can be helpful.

Consider the benefits of having a conversation about the sermon.

People who anticipate a discussion like this are more likely to pay close attention during the sermon. This greater engagement naturally leads to greater spiritual blessing.

The small group will focus on application, and when several people work hard to apply the sermon together, powerful things can happen. You might see connections or sense conviction you hadn’t noticed on your own. A friend might mention needs in the church or the community that would be an ideal outlet of application.

Think of the benefits to your church if your small group members were diligently discussing the sermon and applying the Word preached! It would mean quite a transformation.

How to Lead a Sermon Discussion

It doesn’t take much to lead a sermon discussion in your small group or Sunday school class. With a little preparation and some good questions, you’ll be ready to go.

Announce it. Let your group know your plans to discuss the sermon. This will encourage them to listen carefully and take notes in preparation.
Apply the sermon yourself. To lead a good discussion, be sure to prepare yourself. Listen to the sermon, think about the connections and implications, and pray for insight and conviction from the Spirit. Bring some personal applications to share in case the group discussion slows down.
Read the Bible passage. If your group meets directly after the worship service, this might not be necessary. But if your group meets hours or days later, reading the Bible passage will start your discussion with the proper focus.
Ask open-ended questions. Begin the discussion by asking for broad takeaways from the passage or sermon. This gives an opportunity for people to share what God is teaching them. Conversations that drift into criticism of the preacher aren’t usually productive, so be prepared to steer the conversation back to the Bible.
Ask application questions. Here is the heart of the discussion. Most of the work of observation and interpretation should be completed by the preacher during the sermon. Your small group provides a great setting to go deep on application. Ask your preacher to write two or three application questions for the congregation to consider; these can be printed in the bulletin along with the sermon outline. Use these questions as starters, but follow the conversation naturally into other areas of application. (You might need to remind your group about the two directions and three spheres of application.)
Ask about obstacles to application. We can dream up all the applications we wish—putting them into practice is the difficult part. Once the group discusses a few concrete applications of the passage, ask what might get in the way of the changes you’re proposing.
Pray! Real change in our lives doesn’t happen because of a sermon, an insight, or a small group discussion. We need the Holy Spirit’s powerful, transforming work to help us glorify God. Before your small group adjourns, be sure to commit your applications to God.

If you use your church’s sermon to propel your small group into the Bible, you’ll have lots of time to wrestle through applications. As you’re confronted with ways you need to change and encourage others to change, it won’t be easy, but it will be worthwhile.

Thanks to Peter for his help in preparing this article.

Teach Your Child to Listen to the Sermon

February 22, 2016 By Ryan Higginbottom

A trip to the beach is the high point of my family’s summer, and we think about it for weeks before and after our feet hit the waves. My children bubble with excitement when we stuff the car with kites and sand toys. Lovingly prepared lunches and snacks stay untouched in the cooler as they splash and dig and run and build. Back at home, they pore over their shell collections and the pictures we’ve taken.

Ulrike Mai (2014), public domain

Most parents naturally use these three phases mentioned above (before, during, and after) to help their children get the most out of many experiences. These categories provide a useful structure to help our children listen to the weekly sermon at church.

Before the Sermon

Start by introducing the sermon text to your child during the week. If your son has personal devotions, give him the relevant passage for a day or two and see what observations and questions he generates. For younger ones, read them the passage or play the audio version a few times during meals or at bedtime.

Family devotions are a great way to help your children learn to study the Bible. Why not take a night or two each week to prepare for the sermon? This helps both parents and children think through the passage, understand its context, and pray for Sunday morning.

During the Sermon

As with adults, the main challenge for children during the sermon is to listen.

Though children usually enjoy the singing and can hang on during prayer and the offering, the sermon can be tough. How much we should expect from our children varies with age and development. Parents can train their children to sit and listen by providing direction and materials.

When children are very young, tap into their love of crayons and markers. Provide some pictures relevant to the sermon text for them to color. If they like to draw, encourage them to create a picture inspired by the sermon. (Plant picture ideas as you discuss the Bible passage during the week!)

When my oldest could read and write but was not yet able to listen for long stretches, I made a sermon worksheet for her each week. These sheets had some short-answer questions, some blanks to fill in, and some questions requiring more thought. During the sermon I asked her to read the relevant passage and fill out her sheet. After that, she could read or color something else of her choosing.

Older children should be able to pay attention to most sermons. Taking notes usually helps them to focus. Parents can nurture this skill by providing some examples of note-taking and some simple instructions.

After the Sermon

To help your child process the sermon, talk with him about it afterward. Lunchtime on Sunday is perfect for this.

Read the passage again as a family and ask your child to explain his drawing or notes. Find out what he remembers from the sermon. Expand the conversation so that parents and siblings have a chance to share their thoughts.

Parents should lead a brief discussion here: What is the main point of the passage? How does this relate to Jesus? How can we apply the passage individually? As a family? As a church?

Be gracious and understanding as you lead your child through this process. Listening, focusing, and remembering are difficult skills that take practice and maturity to develop.

A Final Note to Preachers

Preachers, remember there are young sheep in your flock. They may wiggle and fidget more than most, but they need the Shepherd too.

I’m not advocating you turn your sermon into a ten-minute Vacation Bible School message, complete with song and costume. But keeping the whole flock of God in mind will affect your preaching.

Take care in your vocabulary. Don’t use unnecessarily complicated words. Define terms that might not be familiar.
Choose illustrations that will capture children’s attention. Don’t be ashamed to pull from nursery rhymes or fables. Throw in some animals, princesses, or battle scenes from time to time.
Finally, remember the children in your applications. Prepare several applications and include some specifically for children. Don’t tire of repetition—children need to hear the commands to obey parents, love siblings, and tell others about Jesus over and over. And remember Jesus in all of your applications! We communicate a lot about God’s grace in the way we frame applications of the Bible.

In some churches, children make up almost half the congregation. By helping them to focus on the Bible through the sermon, we train up the next generation of Christians and add to the Bible study culture of the church.

3 Stages of Listening to a Sermon

February 8, 2016 By Ryan Higginbottom

jacinta lluch valero (2012), Creative Commons License

Want to know which way the wind is blowing? Just look at a weather vane.

Want to know how a church approaches the Bible? Just listen to a sermon.

A sermon won’t give a complete picture. But if a church has a robust Bible study culture, the sermon is a good indicator.

Now a sermon is not like an IV drip, where you passively receive nourishment. Rather, a sermon is like a hearty meal—the cook labors in the kitchen to measure and mix and simmer. He sets down the food and urges you to eat. But you won’t enjoy or benefit from the meal unless you raise a fork and tuck in.

With a sermon, this happens in three stages.

Before the Sermon

To get the most from a sermon, consider two important activities in the preceding week: prayer and study.

Both the preacher and the hearer need God’s help. Pray for your pastor as he studies the Bible and prepares to proclaim it. And pray for yourself and your fellow listeners, that you would understand and be changed by God’s word.

During the week, there’s another way to plow up your heart to prepare for the Sunday morning planting. Find out the Bible passage for the sermon and study it on your own. (If you aren’t sure how to study the Bible, start here.) Take a stab at the author’s main point, connect that to Jesus, and write down some applications. If Sunday morning is the second time you’ve grappled with the preacher’s text, God’s word is more likely to take root and sprout up in you.

During the Sermon

Honoring God during the sermon is straightforward, if not easy: Focus and listen.

We should give our full attention to the preaching of God’s word. Grab a Bible and locate the relevant passage. Think carefully with the preacher as he talks through the text.

For some, taking notes is essential. Writing helps these people follow the main ideas of the sermon and gives them a record to consult later.

For others, note-taking is a distraction. Trying to listen and write leaves them with scattered scrawlings and murky memories. These folks should consider jotting down their thoughts after the sermon, so those God-given impressions and applications don’t flit away.

We all have difficulty listening to sermons from time to time. This may have nothing to do with the preacher! Late nights, a difficult week, restless children, illness, or a hundred other factors may make it hard to concentrate. We should do our best to pray and prepare and focus. Beyond that, remember that God knows his children. His love for us doesn’t increase or decrease based on our attentiveness during the sermon. It is full and secure because of Jesus.

After the Sermon

When the preacher finishes his post-sermon prayer, your obligations are not over. Like The Carpenters, you’ve only just begun. The best ways to promote a Bible study culture in your church after the sermon are to apply and discuss the Bible.

Assuming your preacher handled the Bible faithfully and connected his applications to Jesus, now it’s your turn. With the help of the Holy Spirit, take your pastor’s suggestions, mix in your own, and apply this passage to your head, heart, and hands.

If you question the preacher’s interpretation, study the passage again. Request a meeting later that week. God brought this passage to your attention and you should pursue understanding and joyful obedience.

In addition to applying the sermon text yourself, talk about it with others in your church. If you do so right after the worship service, you have a ready-made entrance to fruitful conversation.

Encourage others with the truths of the Bible you’ve just heard, especially the good news about Jesus Christ. Brainstorm necessary and creative applications, both for yourself and for your church. Confess the barriers to obedience in your own heart and offer help and support to your friends. We need community to apply the Bible.

Make sure your discussions about the sermon aren’t an excuse to criticize your pastor. Talk about the Bible and how best to understand and apply it, but don’t become an Olympic figure-skating judge.

Imagine the growth you would see if even half your congregation invested time before, during, and after the sermon to give attention to the Bible. It would transform your church.

So, what’s on your menu for this coming Sunday?

How the Sermon Can Shape a Church’s Culture

January 25, 2016 By Ryan Higginbottom

A church with a healthy Bible study culture is a blessing to members and visitors alike. Though all aspects of a church contribute to this culture, the sermon is among the most noticeable.

by William Hamilton (1788), license

Evaluating the sermon in this context demands that we move past the good-or-bad question asked over bowls of Sunday soup. How can a sermon help create a Bible study culture?

The Importance of the Sermon

In evangelical churches, the sermon is the centerpiece of weekly worship. Singing, giving, praying, testimonies—these are often seen as appetizers before the main course.

Without minimizing other elements of the worship service, the sermon is critical. For thirty or so minutes, God’s gathered people focus on hearing and understanding his word. The way the preacher handles the Bible communicates the church’s values and shapes the culture.

A Slight Departure

At Knowable Word, we’re committed to helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible. We rarely target preachers. But as preachers prize God’s word and encourage its study, “ordinary people” will flourish.

So, a word to non-preachers: This post is for you, too! Through the sermon, you can recognize a church with a Bible study culture. You should also find ways to pray for and encourage your preacher(s).

Nine Strategies

Enough jibber-jabber. Here are nine strategies for a sermon that can help create a Bible study culture in your church.

Pray and trust God — A preacher should soak all his study and preparation in prayer, relying on God’s strength and grace. The preacher must recognize the power of God’s words, for the flavor of a sermon indicates whether he believes God’s power lies in the Bible or in his own words. Sermons lead people into greater reliance on one or the other.
Choose the text carefully — When preachers expound a passage of the Bible (instead of hopping around based on a topic), they plant the sermon in rich soil. Over weeks and months, preaching consecutively through a book of the Bible builds familiarity with the author’s main point and helps God’s people to see the place of that book within the Bible’s big story.
Show the work — A sermon should both explain and equip, but many focus only on the former. Instead, the preacher should communicate both his conclusions and the way he reached them. OIA (Observation, Interpretation, Application) terminology isn’t essential, but the preacher should have language to describe what he’s doing. One metric for the success of a sermon is this: Are people replicating the preacher’s Bible study process and reaching the same conclusions?
Minimize quotation from commentaries — Preachers often consult commentaries when preparing a sermon, and this is valuable if one avoids common mistakes. But when a sermon is full of quotations from commentaries, the preacher teaches that Bible study is best left to professionals and academics.
Study and prepare — Sermon preparation skills can be divided in two: getting it right (studying the Bible) and getting it across (public speaking). Both categories are crucial! If you need help in the first, start here.
Include application — A sermon without application is like visiting the beach without touching the sand. A preacher should bring applications to his congregation that have already produced fruit in his life. In this way he avoids hypocrisy and his vulnerability (which is hard work!) shows that application is for everyone.
Prune “proof texts” — A preacher shouldn’t pluck Bible verses and wave them around like so many garden flowers. If a preacher needs the support of another Scripture passage, he should take the time to read it and interpret it in context. We all need help with correlation.
Warn against dangers — There are pitfalls associated with every step in studying the Bible. When appropriate, a preacher can highlight any relevant hazards. (Peter has written about the danger of familiarity when observing, the dangers of relativism, presumption, and observation when interpreting, and the dangers of insight and inertia when applying.)
Make a resource sheet — Churches often tuck a sermon outline into the bulletin; why not use this to also recommend excellent resources? A preacher can encourage his people to study other relevant Bible passages and point them to the best commentaries, biographies, histories, and websites. Including the exact wording and source of any extra-biblical quotations from the sermon could also bless the congregation.

Many thanks to Peter for his help with this post. He uses the categories in point 5 but does not claim them as his own—he has seen them in places like the Simeon Trust.