Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” What if John Owen had said, “Rid your life of sin because it is important for Christian growth,” instead of, “be killing sin, or sin will be killing you”? Both sentences communicate the same truth, but the second sentence is said so well that it leaves a lasting impression on the heart. Write a manuscript to find the right words. Then, when you build your sermon, you can just plug in all of your best notes and you don’t have to go back and try to remember or find something you studied. When you are in your study and have come across something that’s good for your sermon, just write it down, and there you have it. Even as I write this article, in the back of my head I am thinking, “I really should be working on my sermon, or making a phone call, or coaching an intern.” But I would argue that rather than lengthening your time of preparation, writing a manuscript can actually shorten it. I was trying to encourage a pastor friend of mine toward writing manuscripts and he said, “I just don’t have time to write a manuscript.” Many pastors may give time as an excuse, and I understand how busy a pastor’s week can be. Write a manuscript to shorten your preparation time. So allow me to give you four reasons why you should consider writing manuscripts as a part of your sermon preparation. While it’s true that some of the great preachers throughout church history (including favorites such as Charles Spurgeon and Martin Lloyd Jones) did not use and even discouraged the use of the manuscript, I am not as smart as Charles Spurgeon or Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and neither are you. There has long been a debate in preaching circles on whether or not a preacher should manuscript his sermons. While I agree with all five of Thomas’ exhortations, the one I want to focus on in this essay is his third: “Write yourself clear.” But it actually originated with a Welsh Anglican named W. If you’ve read even a few of the many books and articles on sermon preparation, then you’ve probably read the adage that says, “Think yourself empty read yourself full write yourself clear pray yourself hot and let yourself go.” This phrase has been attributed to Alistair Begg, John MacArthur, and others.
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