D.L. Moody Sermon Notes: Where to Find Them (+ How to Make Your Own)
Dwight Lyman Moody (1837-1899) had no seminary training and a thick Boston accent, and reached more people in person than any preacher before him — an estimated 100 million across his American and British campaigns in the pre-microphone era. He founded Moody Bible Institute in 1886, and because his sermons were taken down by stenographers at his crusade meetings, hundreds of them survive in shorthand transcript. He died in 1899, so the texts are public domain, and the Moody Bible Institute Library and BibleBB host large free archives.
Moody's preaching style is the opposite of Edwards's formal Doctrine-Reasons architecture or Wesley's essay-like Standard Sermons: it is plain, conversational, story-driven and built around a single direct question put to the hearer, such as 'What think ye of Christ?' or 'Where art thou?' He preached the same handful of messages hundreds of times across his campaigns, refining them by ear rather than by revision on the page, which is part of why they read so simply even at more than a century's distance.
This guide covers where the free texts live, and a note method built for Moody's plain, question-centered style rather than for a more formally structured sermon.
Where to find official D.L. Moody sermon notes
Because the works are public domain, the sources are ministry and text archives rather than a current publisher:
Moody Bible Institute Library
The institution Moody founded maintains one of the most complete free archives of his sermons and writings, drawn from the stenographic transcripts taken at his campaigns.
BibleBB — D.L. Moody Sermon Archive
Hosts a large collection of individual Moody sermons in free, reproducible text, including 'What Think Ye of Christ?,' 'Where Art Thou?' and 'The Blood.'
Modern audio readings
Volunteer recordings of Moody's sermons exist because the text is free to record. A transcript of a reading is simply a copy of a public domain text, useful if you prefer to listen.
A note on copyright: D.L. Moody's sermons and any official notes remain the intellectual property of Moody Bible Institute Library & BibleBB. Everything below is about making notes for your own study — not about republishing the ministry's content.
How to create your own sermon notes from any D.L. Moody sermon
The text is already free, so the work is capturing the single question each sermon turns on and the plain illustrations that support it:
Get the sermon text
Find the sermon at the Moody Bible Institute Library or BibleBB. Note the title as a question where one exists — Moody's most memorable sermons are literally named after the question they ask.
Or transcribe an audio reading
If you are working from a recorded reading of a Moody sermon, upload the audio and get the text in minutes, first sermon free.
Transcribe an audio readingRecover the question and the answers
Run the text through the free outline generator. Moody's sermons are plainly organized around one central question and a short set of plain-language answers or illustrations, so the outline generator recovers the shape easily even though Moody himself wrote nothing down in advance.
Generate sermon notes freeKeep the illustrations, not just the points
Moody taught in ordinary stories and direct address rather than technical argument. Write the illustration in one line next to the point it makes, the same discipline used for Tony Evans's Cornell-style pairing above.
The Plain Question Method
Question, Text, Answer, Appeal
Moody built sermons around a single question put directly to the hearer, answered plainly, and closed with a direct appeal. Four sections on one page:
The one question the sermon exists to answer, in Moody's own words where the title states it — 'What think ye of Christ?', 'Where art thou?'
The verse the question comes from or is anchored to. Moody's texts are usually short and repeated through the sermon as a refrain.
The plain answer Moody gives, along with the illustrations he uses to make it concrete. One line per illustration, with the point it carries.
The direct call at the close, addressed to the hearer personally. Moody's appeals are usually simple and immediate — write exactly what he is asking for.
Tip: Read the sermon's title as its question and keep asking it as you read. Moody's sermons are built to make you answer that one question by the end, and the notes that work best are the ones that keep returning to it too.
Study tips for D.L. Moody's preaching
Remember these are stenographic transcripts
Moody preached without a manuscript, and what survives comes from stenographers at his crusade meetings rather than his own written text. Read them as records of spoken evangelism, not composed essays, the same caution that applies to Whitefield.
Notice the repetition across campaigns
Moody preached the same core messages hundreds of times over decades, refining the wording by what worked with real audiences rather than by editing on paper. If you can find two transcripts of the same sermon from different years, comparing them shows you what he kept and what he cut.
Keep the plain language plain
Moody deliberately avoided technical theological vocabulary so an uneducated audience could follow him. Resist the urge to translate his notes into more sophisticated language than the original — the plainness is the method, not a limitation of it.
Frequently asked questions
Are D.L. Moody's sermons public domain?+
Did Moody write his own sermons?+
Where can I read 'What Think Ye of Christ?' or 'Where Art Thou?' for free?+
What's the best note format for a Moody sermon?+
Why are Moody's sermons so plainly written compared to Edwards or Wesley?+
Transcribe any sermon free
Moody's plain questions still land because a stenographer wrote them down word for word. Do the same for your own pulpit. Your first full sermon is free — no credit card to start, then $19/month for unlimited sermons.
Start Transcribing FreeThen turn the transcript into notes with the free sermon outline generator.
Want the bigger picture on D.L. Moody's ministry and most notable messages? See our D.L. Moody sermon archive guide in the Famous Sermons library.
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