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Formulate an outline

Now that we know where we are going, an outline will help us to get there. Put together an outline that will help your audience remember the logical progression of your teaching. There are several techniques that may be helpful:

Alliteration: the first word of every point begins with the same letter, which is a good memory device. For example, I once used this outline when teaching about Ehud the left-handed judge of the Old Testament:

Creativity
Courage
Collaboration

Parallel structure: Every point would be a single word, phrase, verb/noun pattern, or simple sentence. In teaching on the commandment against murder, I used this outline:

Understanding the command
Violating the command
Recognizing murder
Enhancing life

Acronym: the first word of every point will spell a word. That way, if your listeners can remember one word, they might be able to remember every point. I taught three sessions once at a women's retreat for which a spa theme had been chose. My outline was this:

Simplify
Purify
Attach

If they could remember, the word spa, they could remember the points I wanted them to walk away with.

Repeating: a key word in each point of your outline will also aid memory. Once when I was emphasizing the necessity of total commitment to God, I used this repetitive outline:

Radical perspectives
Radical relationships
Radical rewards

Even if the class did not remember the details of the lesson, I hope that they remembered that God wants us to be radical for him!

Word picture: allow your points to form a word picture much as Paul did with the armor of God in Ephesians or in his descriptions in of the members of the church being as parts of a body.

Fill in the details

Now that you know your topic and have an idea of a logical progression of thought, you need to fill in the substance of the message. If I have to give a timed presentation or one that is more formal than the lecture-discussion-type presentation that I normally engage in with my ongoing Bible study groups, I write out every word that I plan to say. I never say it exactly as I have written it, but at least by writing it out I can think through every transition of thought and explanation so that my audience can follow with ease and clarity the progression of the teaching. At this stage, too, you will find supporting passages of Scripture. The power is in God's Word, not in our presentation; therefore, we want to be sure that every point we make is supported in the Bible and not just something we thought made sense.

Also, to bring a point home with impact, stories and illustrations are essential. This is the stage in your preparation where you begin to look for just the right story or example to drive home the points you are making. Sometimes these stories come straight from Scripture—a parable, a biblical character, or a historical event. Sometimes they come from the news, from collections of illustrations, or from your own files. Keep on the lookout until you find just the right stories to engage the imaginations and emotions of your listeners as you present your key points. The stories will help them remember.

Plan the ending

This is where we go back to the summary sentence that we wrote earlier. As we review the outline, we ask if everything in that progression of thought helps the listener to understand the primary point we are trying to get across. If it doesn't, we need to revise our plan until it does. Then, we need to think and pray about finding a way to conclude our message in a way that will ensure that the listeners will understand and remember the main point, and that at least some of them will feel compelled to change their lives in some way because of what they have learned.