A Hillbilly/Mountaineer Sermon Preparation Guide

By Ronald E. George Jr.

2Tim 4:2   Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

 Why the term Hillbilly?  That's what I am.  I am a West Virginian.  I was recently told by a brother that we were mountaineers and not hillbillies.  But that was before I wrote this paper, so I would have to say now that this is a Mountaineer sermon prep. guide.  Anyway it is a short compilation of stuff that I have gotten down through the years.  I learned these things through several ways, but the greatest way I learned to preach was from a man named Ronald George Sr.  My dad taught me much of what I know about delivering the Word of God.  The top of the list is that the sermon is ineffective and powerless if it is not first lived by the preacher.  So, remember we have to practice what we preach if we want to reach people for the Lord.  I am sure you do.  That is why you are reading and searching.  In this paper I don't intend to answer all the questions, but I did want to raise a question and get you to think.  Here it is...

Sermon preparation is an art.  These helpful hints are a few of the thoughts that I have when I seek to prepare a sermon.  Here are a few questions to guide the one who chooses to preach the Word and seek to deliver the message of the gospel from God.  Hillbilly or not.

1. Have you prayed about it?

2. Have you prayed about it and read the Bible?

3. Have you prayed about it, read the Bible, and wrote about it before consulting the commentaries and the usual sermon outline (internet) resources.  

4. Is the message from God or?

5. Is it Biblically based?

6. Does the sermon thought come from the passage used as the text or is there another text to preach from?  Are you using your scripture to jump off on another sermon?  Then why not change your scripture?

7. Does it give too much scripture for one average person to follow?

8. Is the message coherent throughout or does it hop like a rabbit?  Better get the shotgun then?

9. Does the message make sense in light of the congregation/listeners?

10. Does it ask the right questions or am I asking questions the congregation isn’t?

11. Is it too long?  How much is too much?  When they quit you should.

12. Does the introduction invite the congregation to listen or take a nap?

13. Does the intro. go with the body? Or is it just a joke?  Are you preaching the word of God or trying to make the people laugh?  Do the two go together?

14. Does the message have too many points?  How many is enough?  How much of your last sermon do you remember?

15. Is it well illustrated?  Can the people see it?  Will they get the point? 

16. Does it ask for a decision?  Does the message have a point?  If not why preach it?  Call for the verdict. 

17. Does it give too much information?  Does the message leave room for the Spirit to work or have all the questions already been answered by you?  Leave some?

18. Does the message invite the listeners to go along for the ride?  Or are you by yourself?

19. Does it start with and end with God?  Is your God the Bible or the author of the Bible?  Do they know that and hear that?

20. Is it timely?  Does it go with the times or are you preaching someone else’s sermon? Is it current?  Is it relevant? 

21.  Is it positive, hope giving, and up lifting?  Are you feeding the sheep or skinning them again?  How many times can you skin a sheep? 

22.  Does it ask people to think and face God? 

23.  Will it bring glory to God and the gospel? 

24.  Can someone come to experience God through following the direction you give in the message? 

25. Are you shooting a shotgun or a high-powered rifle?  Which will have the most effect? 

26. Be sure to live it before you preach it!