Sermon Outline Template: Build, Print, or Copy

Structure your next sermon with a free sermon outline template — Expository, Topical, Narrative, or Blank — fill it in right here, then print it or copy it into your preparation notes. No sign-up, nothing to download.

An open page for preachers with their own outline system.

The five elements every sermon outline needs

Whatever structure you choose, a preachable outline answers the same five questions.

  1. Hook

    Why should anyone keep listening? The first minute earns the next thirty.

  2. Main Point

    One sentence the whole sermon serves. If you cannot say it in one sentence, you are not ready to preach it.

  3. Scripture

    The text drives the sermon, not the other way around. Every point should be traceable to the passage.

  4. Application

    Specific enough to obey this week. “Love more” is a wish; “call your brother tonight” is an application.

  5. Closing

    Land the plane on the main point. The last thing your listeners hear should be the thing you most want remembered.

Three outlines, three styles

The same sermon idea — God’s provision — outlined three different ways. Notice how each structure shapes the sermon’s feel.

Expository · Philippians 4:10–13

  • Hook: The bill you cannot pay and the prayer you are afraid to pray.
  • Main Point: Contentment is learned, not found — Christ strengthens in lack and in plenty.
  • Scripture: v. 10 Paul rejoices in their care; v. 11–12 he has learned both kinds of circumstance; v. 13 the strength behind the secret.
  • Application: Name one area of discontent and bring it to prayer daily this week.
  • Closing: The secret is not a technique; it is a Person.

Topical · Worry

  • Hook: What did you worry about at 3 a.m. last Tuesday?
  • Topic: What Jesus actually says about anxiety.
  • Main Points: 1. Worry adds nothing (Matt. 6:27); 2. The Father knows (Matt. 6:32); 3. Seek first the kingdom (Matt. 6:33).
  • Scripture: Matthew 6:25–34; 1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6–7.
  • Call to Action: Trade one worry for one prayer every day this week.

Narrative · The Widow’s Oil (2 Kings 4:1–7)

  • Opening Scene: A widow with two sons and one jar of oil, the creditor at the door.
  • Tension: Everything she has left fits in her hands — and it is not enough.
  • Turn: Elisha asks the strangest question: “What do you have in the house?”
  • Scripture: God fills what is surrendered, jar by jar (2 Kings 4:1–7).
  • Resolution: The oil stopped when the jars ran out. Bring God the empty jars this week.

Three common outline mistakes

No single main point

Three sermons glued together edify no one. If a listener can only repeat one sentence on the drive home, decide now which sentence it is.

Points first, verses later

An outline built by hunting verses for your ideas reads Scripture backwards. Start in the text; let the passage set the points.

Application as an afterthought

“Apply it in your life” bolted onto the end is heard as nothing. Weave the response into each movement, and land on one concrete call.

Frequently asked questions

Is this sermon outline template free?

Yes. All four structures are free to fill in, print, and copy as often as you like — no account, no email, no download.

Who is this template for — preachers or listeners?

Preachers. A sermon outline is the structure behind the message. If you listen to sermons and want to take better notes, use our sermon notes template instead.

Can I print or copy my outline?

Yes. Print outputs a clean page containing only your outline; Copy puts the plain text on your clipboard so you can paste it into your preparation notes or slides.

Which outline style should I choose?

Expository when you preach through a book or passage, Topical when the church needs a theme gathered from across Scripture, and Narrative when the text itself is a story. When in doubt, expository keeps you closest to the text.

Can Bible Note help after I preach?

Yes. Record or import your sermon and Bible Note transcribes it with sermon-tuned recognition, timestamps every line, and turns it into notes, a summary, and discussion questions your small groups can use during the week.