So What goes into a sermon? (part 1)

I have the great opportunity next Sunday to preach the riches of God's Word!! So I thought I would blog my Journey of Sermon prep. Of course all sermons are birthed and bathed in prayer ,one should hope. This sermon started several weeks ago in simple prayer: God show me what you would have me to preach on. last week I had very clear dream about a video called cardboard testimony on Tangle.com. Let me start by saying that dreams to me are last in my book on how God speaks to us and should be met with some scepticism. So I prayed and asked God for some confirmation through his Word and any other means. So God gave me many confirmations through people and circumstances, plus this past Sunday we sort had a spontaneous testimony time. So basically I knew that my sermon was to be about sharing your testimony to people. So immediately I thought of Paul and how he shared his testimony all throughout the book of Acts. I had blood work drawn yesterday and while waiting I was drawn to the Gideons bible on the table. I thumbed through Acts being familiar with the book and wanting Paul's later testimony in the book of Acts, because I felt many were use to his early testimony. Acts 26 was perfect and I knew that this was the text. So now I am at the research stage and getting my self familiar with the text with prayer and mediation. Questions now race through my mind like ,Who was the author and what was the historical/cultural background? How does the book of Acts fit into the New Testament and who are the main characters in the text. So now I will pour over the text. I only wish that people would know about the riches I am about to mine.