Sermon Outlines

Brief sermon outlines from our weekly Preaching Ideas newsletter that will spark your sermon preparation. If you are looking to speed up your sermon preparation, or are just interested in sparking your creative thought process for the pulpit, these outlines and sermon seeds will do it. Our sermon outlines are categorized under general, Old Testament, New Testament, and topical sections so you can easily find what you need. You can also mark each lesson as “used” so you can keep up with what you’ve preached from the Bulletin Digest website!

Sermon Outline: Anything is Wrong That is Almost Right

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This devotional or sermon outline is by Bill Dillon, a gospel preacher for many years. He left this earthly life in 2020, but his lessons and sermons still live on. This one is found in his book, Gospel Gems Volume 1.] Introduction. Men’s choices in religion are limited to two: the right way…

Outlines: Five W’s of the Second Coming

From God’s Perspective: WHO: Jesus (Matt. 25:31; Acts 1:11; 2 Thess. 1:7)WHAT: Coming Again (John 14:3; Heb. 9:28; 1 John 3:2)WHEN: The last day – a day that God has appointed (John 6:40; John 12:48; Acts 17:30-31)WHERE: In the clouds (Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 1:7).WHY: To judge the world and to deliver the…

Outline: Plant the ‘Let Us’

With spring around the corner, early season crops can be seeded in the garden, such as lettuce. Using a play on “lettuce,” a sermon on the “let us” passages could be used in a sermon encouraging Christians to take action. Hebrews uses the phrase 13 times. Hebrews 4:1 — let us fear lest any of…

Outlines: Four Arguments Against Gambling

Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12). In order to win, someone must lose their money. If you don’t want to lose your own money, you shouldn’t take that of others. Stewardship (1 Chronicles 29:10-15). Since every good gift comes from God (James 1:17), and all things belong to Him (1 Chronicles 29:14), we are duty-bound to use…

Outlines: Why Christians Sing

1. To Teach (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; Acts 16:25) 2. To Imitate Jesus (Romans 15:8-9; Hebrews 2:11-12; Matthew 26:30) 3. To Worship (Hebrews 13:15; Genesis 4:3-4; John 4:24; 1 Corinthians 14:15; 1 Corinthians 14:6; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16) 4. To Express Our Joy (James 5:13; Psalm 28:7)… This content is for Annual and Lifetime Members…

Outlines: Why It Is Important to Persevere

1. Salvation Requires Continuous Faith (1 John 1:7; Rev. 2:10). 2. Life is Uncertain (James 4:13; Job 14:1-2; Psalm 102:3). 3. Jesus is Coming Back (2 Peter 3:10; Rev. 1:7). 4. Judgment is Ahead (Heb. 9:27; 2 Cor. 5:9-10). 5. God is Worthy of Our Obedience (Rev. 4:11; 1 John 4:19; John 14:15)…. This content…

Outline: The Five B’s of Baptism

1. Buried — Buried or immersed in water (Romans 6:3-4) 2. Believers — For those who are able to understand and believe (Mark 16:16) 3. Before — Baptism comes before forgiveness (Acts 2:38) 4. Birth — Baptism is the new birth, the birth of a Christian (John 3:5) 5. Blood — The blood of Christ…

Outline: You Never Know Where It Will Grow

[EDITOR’S NOTE: With spring just around the corner, it might be a good time to encourage your congregation to engage in seed planting! Here’s a sermon that discusses the different ways that seeds are planted.] Introduction. A man planted some cherry tomato plants in his back yard. Instead of removing the entire plants at the…

Outline: The Cross Speaks

According to Romans 5:6-10, the cross says: 1. God Had a Plan (5:6) 2. Man is Sinful (5:6) 3. Man Cannot Save Himself (5:6) 4. Man is Condemned (5:9) 5. Man is Separated from God (5:10) 6. God Loves Man (5:8-9) 7. There is Reconciliation Because of Christ (5:10-11)… This content is for Annual and…

Outline: Tools for Effective Prayer

Reverence (Matthew 6:9, Psalm 111:9). Faith, Trust, Confidence (James 1:5). Sincerity (Matthew 6:5-6). Thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:20). Humility (Luke 18:9-14). Forgiving Spirit (Matthew 6:14-15). Confidence (1 John 5:14). … This content is for Annual and Lifetime Members only! Please log in or register to use our free church bulletin resources, or start an Annual Membership and…

Outline: Things That Aid Our Prayers

Proper living (1 Peter 3:12). Proper authority (Colossians 3:17). Proper frequency (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Proper motivation (James 1:5-7). … This content is for Annual and Lifetime Members only! Please log in or register to use our free church bulletin resources, or start an Annual Membership and get bulletin articles weekly by email, our exclusive Preaching Ideas…

Outline: Things That Hinder Our Prayers

Lack of faith (James 1:5-7) Full of iniquity (Psalm 66:18) Addition of selfishness (James 4:3) Damaged relationships (1 Peter 3:12))… This content is for Annual and Lifetime Members only! Please log in or register to use our free church bulletin resources, or start an Annual Membership and get bulletin articles weekly by email, our exclusive…

Outline: Winning Against Self

One of the biggest competitions we engage in is the struggle against self. To win this contest, implement these phrases from Luke 9:23. 1. Decision — “If anyone desires to come after Me,”2. Discipline — “let him deny himself”3. Devotion — “and take up his cross daily”4. Determination — “and follow Me.”… This content is…

Outline: Winning Against Negativity

There are many forces in this world that try to influence a Christian toward negativity. Victory happens by… 1. Your Decision (Deut. 30:19)2. Your Devotion (Psalm 119:11)3. Your Diligence (Proverbs 11:27)4. God’s Direction (Psalm 32:8)… This content is for Annual and Lifetime Members only! Please log in or register to use our free church bulletin…

Outline: What Would Unity Look Like?

As found in John 17, true unity would look like: 1. Separation from the World (John 17:14-19)2. Agreement on the Word (John 17:20-21)3. Loving as Christ Loves (John 17:26)… This content is for Annual and Lifetime Members only! Please log in or register to use our free church bulletin resources, or start an Annual Membership…

Outline: All the Will of God

This sermon starter was contributed by Randal Matheny. “Epaphras greets you. He is one of your own and a servant of Christ Jesus. He is always wrestling in his prayers for you. He wants you to stand complete, totally sure of everything that God wants” (Colossians 4:12 PEB) 1. Maturity brings full conviction and not…

Outline: Don’t Fool Yourself

Three times in the first chapter of James we are warned about being deceived. A sermon on this topic might contain these three points: 1. We deceive ourselves when we blame God for our sin and the consequences thereof (James 1:16). 2. We deceive ourselves when we hear the word of God but fail to…

Outline: Starving Christians

Hopefully we are coming out of the Covid era, time will tell. But during the last two years, many Christians have been starving themselves. A man named Nisraddin Hoca lived in Asia about 700 years ago, and he had a donkey with a big appetite. He wondered if by gradually reducing the animal’s food every…

Outline: Spiritual Checklist

Dwight Fuqua wrote a bulletin article entitled “Spiritual Checklist.” In that article he stresses the importance of making lists to make sure we get things done. He said he has a fondness for Bible passages where a number of characteristics or goals are grouped together in a single passage. Perhaps one could fashion a sermon…

Outline: Forbidden Love

With Valentine’s Day coming up, a lot of people will be thinking about the concept of love. Among the usual kinds of sermons for the month of February, maybe a sermon on “forbidden love” might draw some interest. Using 2 Timothy 3:1-5, three kinds of forbidden love: 1. Love of Self (2 Timothy 3:2) 2.…

Outline: Refuge, Strength, Help

Psalm 46 is a powerful statement about God’s protection for His people. A sermon on verse one could have the following points, with a few suggested scriptures to spark further thinking: 1. God is our refuge (Psa. 91:1-2; Prov. 18:10; Heb. 6:18). 2. God is our strength (2 Sam. 22:17-20; 2 Tim. 4:17; Eph. 3:16;…

Outline: The Increase of God

Increasing with the Increase of God (Col. 2:19) 1. We are to increase in love (1 Thess. 3:12-13) 2. We are to increase in knowledge (Col. 1:9-12) 3. We are to increase in faith (2 Thess. 1:3)… This content is for Annual and Lifetime Members only! Please log in or register to use our free…

Outline: Do You Have Need of Perseverance?

Has the topic of “perseverance” been on your mind during these pandemic years? You can bet it has been on the mind of your local Christians, as well! Here is a quick outline you can develop on the qualities we need for “keep on keeping on.” Things We Need for Perseverance • Faith (Heb. 11:8-19;…

Outline: Attitude for Growth

Since congregations are more willing at this time of year to thing about growth projects, it may also be a good time to remind everyone of the type of attitude it takes for congregations to grow. Tom Moore preached a sermon once that included these main points. Flesh them out for your own localized version.…

Outline: Benefit of Memorizing Scripture

Now that the New Year has come, many Christians are still thinking about what they can do differently this year. One thing we are starting at Judsonia church of Christ is committing to memorizing a book of the Bible together in 2022. To kick things off, we had a lesson on the Benefit of Memorizing…

Outline: Location in Christ

Introduction. It is said in real estate “location, location, location.” It is interesting to note the number of times the location “in Christ” is mentioned in the New Testament and what is found at that location. All Spiritual Blessings (Ephesians 1:3) An Inheritance (Ephesians 1:11). No Condemnation (Romans 8:1). A New Creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). Redemption (Colossians 1:14).…

Outline: Classify Yourself

2 Corinthians 13:5 The apostle Paul told the Christians at Corinth to “examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5). What sort of Christians are we? Dead Christians. Their activities for the Lord have ceased and are in danger of being overcome again (2 Pet. 2:20-22). Lukewarm Christians. Pride, worldly…

Outline: Judgment Day Excuses

But, Lord, what about all of the good that I have done? Read Matthew 7:21-23. But, Lord, I was just doing what other folks were doing. Read Matthew 7:13-14. But, Lord, I was always so busy with work and everything that I didn’t have time for church. Read Mark 4:19. Lord, I am sorry for…