SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF BIBLICAL PREACHING, THE DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY OF EXPOSITORY MESSAGES

BY JIMMY BLYTHE

Table of Contents THESIS STATEMENT ................................................................................................................ 3 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 3 METHOD AND PURPOSE ......................................................................................................... 4 TEN STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EXPOSITORY SERMON ..................... 6 DELIVERY OF THE EXPOSITORY SERMON ................................................................... 11 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 11 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 13

3 Thesis Statement The combination of hermeneutical principles and expository methodology provide the preacher with effective tools for the preparation and delivery of sermons which focus the attention of the audience on the Word of God. Introduction People need the message of the Bible. God has entrusted to His church the humbling task of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Within the church, God has called certain individuals specifically to the task of preaching and teaching the biblical text. These individuals have a mission of significant consequence, so the Holy Spirit provides spiritual gifts necessary to fulfill this mandate. It requires the unique blend of Gods supernatural enablement with the willing, devoted, and obedient believer for those gifts to be effectively used for Gods purposes. Jesus said, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be dammed.1 Therefore, preachers must prepare themselves to effectively proclaim the Word of God, because the eternal destiny of individuals depends upon their obedience. The daunting challenge facing preachers is the reality that most people do not perceive the Bible as the source of fundamental truth. The Bible is under assault in schools. Children and adults, from preschool through collegiate graduate programs, are taught human philosophies and scientific theories are the source of proper truth. The Bible is under assault in churches and seminaries. The liberal theological assault on the inerrancy, infallibility, and inspiration of the Bible has caused the credibility of the Bible to be poorly regarded as the source for religious
1

Mark 16:15-16, King James Version.

4 truth. The Bible is tainted by the sin of members of the clergy. Given the media coverage regarding the exposed sinfulness of some preachers and priests, the profession of Christian ministry is viewed as suspect by an unbelieving world. The combined attack by educational and religious institutions on the Bible, mixed with a poor regard for the religious leadership of our churches, makes the task of the preacher appear untenable. In his book Biblical Preaching, The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages, Haddon W. Robinson provides utilitarian guidance to assist the preacher in preparation and delivery of Gods Word. He starts with an emphasis on the importance of preaching, provides a methodical approach to the development of the message, and concludes with pragmatic advice on how to deliver the message. His book is a no-nonsense, encouraging work which proposes a practical foundation for the work of the messenger of Gods Word. Method and Purpose Before elaborating on his ten stage methodology for the development of a sermon, Robinson emphasizes two key topics: the philosophy for sermon development and the purpose of the sermon. The philosophy is expository preaching2, and the purpose is to communicate a single, overarching idea from Gods Word3. These two concepts form the hinges upon which

the door of Gods Word is opened to the audience by the prepared, Spirit-filled expositor. Expository preaching can be viewed as the integration of three key concepts. First, the expositor is required to base the message on the biblical text and his study on a proper analysis of the biblical context and its historical, grammatical, and literary setting4. Second, the expositor

2 3

Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001), 17-30. Ibid, 33-46. 4 Ibid, 21-24.

5 should realize God uses the preacher to deliver His message5. He cannot escape the impact of his personal experience or the shaping power of the Holy Spirit in his life as an influence on the message. Finally, the expositor should focus on communicating a central concept in a manner that will challenge his audience6. They should clearly understand the primary focus of the message and the application to their lives. Therefore, expository preaching is a philosophy for the development of a biblical message that communicates a clear concept in a manner that has application in the lives of the audience. Special attention is given to the central focus of an expository message, the communication of a single idea7. Robinson states, A sermon should be a bullet, not buckshot8. A sermon should be focused on the communication of a single idea which the audience can clearly discern. Following this point, the author gives a methodology for the development of a single idea from a biblical passage. He outlines the definition of a subject, a complement, and the resultant clarifying question derived from this combination9. This is a powerful tool that guides the primary focus of the sermon and serves to keep the message from straying throughout the ten stages of development. These two principles, the philosophy of expository preaching and the development of a single idea, are weaved into the overall ten stage process. It is clear that Robinson believes these two principles are pivotal in the proper development of an effective sermon since they are doubly emphasized in his book. Both as introductory matter and components of the overall

methodology, they are the elements upon which the remainder of the message is developed.
5 6

Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching, 25. Ibid, 27. 7 Ibid, 35. 8 Ibid, 35. 9 Ibid, 41.

6 Ten Stages in the Development of an Expository Sermon The core of Biblical Preaching is an explanation of the ten stage process for the development of an expository sermon. The majority of the stages articulated by the author are common sense elements used in the development of any effective public speech. Selecting a topic, studying the supporting information, selecting a central theme, arranging the flow of your argument, developing an outline, preparing an introduction and conclusion, and effective delivery are not new concepts. These elements are intuitive to those who have experience in the development and delivery of any sort of message to a public audience. The primary divergence from the art of general public speaking is the source of the message, the Bible. No message is as important as one that is derived from the Bible and focused on communicating a biblical concept. Therefore, the expositor is encouraged to understand, utilize, and perfect the prescribed process in order to be a good steward of the task of preaching the Word of God. The first stage indicates the expositor should choose a biblical passage to preach.10 At first glance, the reader may perceive this principle to be too elementary to require such a focus. Unfortunately, some preachers use everything but the Bible as the basis for their sermons. It is impossible to accomplish the mission commanded by Jesus if the preacher does not use the Bible as the source and focus of his sermon. Reminding the reader of the first premise of the definition of expository preaching, Robinson emphasizes the Bible as the basis for the message. The second stage indicates the expositor should study the passage and gather notes on the selected text.11 First, the passage should be well understood within its context. Biblical concepts have been misunderstood by theologians, preachers, Christians, and the unsaved when interpretation is not predicated on an understanding of the context. At an early stage in the
10 11

Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching, 53. Ibid, 58-66.

7 development of the message, both Robinson and Virkler12 agree that a contextual analysis is a mandatory element of understanding a biblical passage. The expositor should understand a passage in the immediate and general context, the historical/cultural milieu, and the overall theological setting of the Bible. Next, the expositor should study the details of the focal passage. In this portion of the book, Robinson reviews the various tools which can be used to study textual details. After this overview, he moves on to the next stage in the process leaving this as one of the weaker portions of the book. Virkler gives more attention to this part of the process, so knowledge of his work is beneficial. His review of lexical-syntactical, theological, and genre analysis assists the expositor in this stage of the overall process.13 Regardless, the work

accomplished in the second stage of the process gives the expositor the fundamental background from the passage necessary to perform the remaining steps. The third stage requires the expositor to relate all the information accumulated regarding the biblical text to a single exegetical idea.14 This concept was emphasized in the beginning of the book and is reinforced in this stage of the process. Robinson reviews the process for the development of the subject, complement, and the key question which serves as a basis for the central idea of the message. Additionally, the various parts of the message derived from the indepth study of the passage should be readily related to this central idea. It is important at this stage to set aside those pieces of information that are orthogonal or tangential to the focus of the message. The statement of a single exegetical idea is the foundation for success in the remaining steps of the process.

12 13

Henry A. Virkler, Hermeneutics (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1981), 75-89. Ibid, 93-209. 14 Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching, 66.

8 Robinson calls the fourth stage The road from text to sermon.15 This is a critical transition in the work of developing the expository sermon. At this point in the process, the expositor has identified a central idea based on a biblical passage and has developed supporting information which can be used to validate that concept. That exegetical idea must pass through the sieve of three key questions: What does this mean?, Is it true?, and What difference does it make?16 The purpose of these questions is to help the expositor identify how the biblical concept relates to the lives of the audience. This is important because the purpose of preaching is to help people understand the concepts of the Bible and apply those concepts to daily living. The expositor can expect some listeners to be skeptical regarding the biblical message; therefore, he must be able to explain, validate, and apply the exegetical idea. He must consider the perspective of the audience and relate the biblical truth to their lives. The fifth and sixth stages require the expositor to state the exegetical idea in a simple, memorable, specific sentence17 and then determine the purpose of the sermon18. The ordering of the stages may feel awkward at this point, but the discipline enforced by the methodology becomes more apparent. After studying the passage and testing an exegetical idea, the expositor is now ready to state the memorable point of the message and correlate that point to a purpose. The preacher begins a proverbial slide down the slippery slope if he starts with an idea and tries to force the biblical passage to fit that idea. Virkler warned of this error and defined it as eisegesis or the reading of meaning into the text19. The expositor should be exegetical;

accordingly he should read the intended meaning of the biblical author out of the text20.

15 16

Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching, 73. Ibid, 77-96. 17 Ibid, 103. 18 Ibid, 107. 19 Henry A. Virkler, Hermeneutics, 73. 20 Henry A. Virkler, Hermeneutics, 73.

9 Robinsons methodology helps to guard the expositor from the tendency of eisegesis by forcing the explicit statement of the exegetical idea only after extensive study and thoughtful analysis of the biblical text. Additionally, stages five and six force the expositor to validate the exegetical idea and the related application. The main idea and the application are closely coupled as the development of the sermon progresses. In the seventh stage, the expositor determines the best structural methodology to use in the presentation of the exegetical idea and the application21. Robinson gives a thorough

treatment of deductive, semi-inductive, and inductive sermon arrangements. Deductive sermons state the exegetical idea during the introduction and proceed to prove the idea with points in the body of the message. Inductive sermons make strong transitions from point to point, leading the audience to understand the exegetical idea by the end of the sermon. Semi-inductive sermons bring together components of both arrangements to lead the audience to an understanding of the exegetical idea. This stage requires the expositor to think about the best structural arrangement which will lead the audience to an understanding of the exegetical idea and the application. In stage eight, the expositor is directed to outline the sermon22. The outline provides the overall framework of the sermon and serves to organize the exegetical idea, sermon purpose, and supporting details in the selected structural arrangement. Robinson gives some important

guidelines for the development of an outline.23 First, the outline should assist the speaker with the overall unity of the message, observe the relationship between concepts, guide the order of delivery, and assist in positioning supporting material. Second, the outline should be written using ordered numbering and indention for readability. Third, the outline should be as simple as

21 22

Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching, 116. Ibid, 131. 23 Ibid, 132-135.

10 possible, and each idea should be captured in grammatically correct sentences. The outline serves as the skeleton upon which the body of the entire message is supported. Once the outline has been completed, the expositor is ready for stage nine, the addition of supporting material which explains, proves, applies, or amplifies the main points of the message.24 Robinson covers several types of supporting information the preacher can use to fill in the outline: restatement, definition and explanation, facts, quotations, narration, and

illustrations. He elaborates on the effective use of each of these types of information but, in general, encourages the expositor to properly and effectively use these methods to reinforce the exegetical idea and the application. Finally, in stage ten, the expositor is directed to author the introduction and conclusion to the sermon.25 This order may seem counter-intuitive since some speakers begin writing the speech by first authoring the introduction. Writing the introduction at this stage is sage advice, since it helps the expositor avoid eisegesis. The introduction should draw attention to the sermon instead of a sermon being developed from an introduction. Robinson indicates the introduction should get the attention of the audience, uncover needs in the audience which causes them to listen, and orient listeners to the body of the message.26 The conclusion should produce a feeling of finality27 in the audience. They should understand the exegetical idea, its application to their lives, and have a sense of the action required. The introduction and conclusion are key elements of the sermon and the expositor does well to develop these portions of the sermon with thoughtful intention.

24 25

Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching, 140. Ibid, 166. 26 Ibid, 166-172. 27 Ibid, 176.

11 The ten steps in the development of an expository sermon are the main focus of the book, and Robinson gives careful attention to the description of each stage. His process has been carefully developed and serves as a methodical guide to assist in the development of expository sermons. When combined with the fundamental philosophy presented by Virkler, the expositor has a clear framework for developing effective biblical messages. Delivery of the Expository Sermon The concluding chapters of Biblical Preaching provide the expositor with practical guidance on the presentation of the sermon. Much time and effort goes into the preparation of the sermon, and the expositor should recognize his delivery of the message is the conclusion of the process. The audience hears the sermon presentation; therefore, the expositor should equally prepare for the preaching of the message. Robinson gives guidance on the mechanics of the delivery of the sermon.28 The

expositor should be clear in his presentation; therefore, the sermon should be well organized, delivered using simple language, and crisp in transition between key points. The expositor should be dressed appropriately, have a direct and personal style, and be vivid in his delivery. Gestures should reinforce the points of emphasis in the sermon and not be a distraction. Body language should emphasize enthusiasm and confidence, and the expositor should connect with the audience using direct eye contact, personable expressions, and proper use of voice inflections. The mechanics of sermon delivery are important, and influential modes of

communication require careful attention in delivery. Conclusion

28

Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching, 183-220.

12 Robinson concludes Biblical Preaching with a thoughtful and appropriate message. He reminds the expositor his role in the preparation and presentation of the sermon is important, but he is like the young boy who presented his small lunch to be used by Jesus to feed the multitude.29 The real power in preaching is the power of God to take the message and transform the lives of people. The expositor should faithfully and diligently perform his duties with love, commitment, and passion, but he must depend upon God to change lives. The methodology presented by Robinson is a useful framework for the development and delivery of expository sermons. The preaching of the Word of God is an essential work in this generation. People need to hear Gods message in a clear, concise, and applicable manner. Paul wrote, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth30 Just as Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel, neither should the modern expositor view Gods Word as insufficient. It is an amazing privilege God has given the preacher and teacher to proclaim His Truth. Diligent preparation and effective delivery of the Truth is essential for the mission of the church to be fulfilled in this generation.

29 30

Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching, 221-224. Romans 1:16, King James Version.

13

Bibliography Robinson, Haddon W. Biblical Preaching, The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001. Virkler, Henry A. Hermeneutics, Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1981.