When Preaching is NOT

Expository!

*
PCJB
PP Presentation
devised and prepared
at
Gujranwala Theological Seminary
may be copied for non-commercial use only
March 2005
Revised Nov 2009
Why PowerPoint?

 Clarity of outline
Central formatting
Use few words per frame
One unit of thought to each line

 Ease of editing / manipulating text

 Force of impact
This Presentation…

 Is prepared for use in the classroom (using

a multimedia projector beamed onto a white wall
or screen; or a wide screen monitor for small
groups (2-10))
 Can be easily adapted by the teacher
 Allows for class interaction with the text
(using the edit mode for class suggestions, e.g.
for “best” lay out of the Scripture text)
Preliminary Exercise

In small groups (of 3 or 4)

compile a definition
of
what you understand as
an expository sermon.

Minority definitions may be prepared also!

 Expository preaching:
Some Misconceptions

Expository preaching
Is not:
 a dry-as-dust presentation of academic biblical truth!
 a recitation of facts, verb tenses and the definition of
terms!
 a dreary, rambling, shallow verse-by verse
commentary!
 a collection of the preacher’s own thoughts
developed from a theme taken from a biblical text!
 Forms
of
Bible-Based
Preaching
3 Forms of Bible-Based Preaching
A TOPICAL sermon
 The text used just to introduce the topic
 All else developed according to the topic

A TEXTUAL sermon
 A main point coming out of the text
 Development components from elsewhere

 An EXPOSITORY sermon
 The text dictates the main point
 Development components from the text alone
A Tendency to Avoid
(in Textual or Topical Sermons):

The sermon may reflect

too much
what the preacher thinks
rather than
what the writer intended
or
what God is saying!
What is Expository preaching?
Expository preaching
exposes the message
that God has for His people
in any given section
of
His written Word.

It seeks to enable its listeners

to hear God speaking to them
through Scripture
now.
What is Good Expository Preaching?
A good expositor
 says only what the Holy Spirit has said in the
text (without adding other ideas)
 explains it so that it makes sense to the
listeners as they see that sense developing
even as the preacher is explaining the text

This is quite different from

 just talking about various points taken from
the passage that have caught the preacher’s
attention!
What is NOT Expository Preaching?
“One of the biggest problems I have with
younger preachers I am called on to critique
is that
they fail to quote the texts
that support the points they are making.
It makes me wonder if
they have been taught to
‘get the drift of a text
and
then talk for 30 minutes
in your own words’…
What is NOT Expository Preaching?

…The effect of this kind of preaching

is to leave people
groping for the Word of God
and
wondering whether
what the preacher has said
is really in the Bible.”
(- John Piper)
Expository Preaching
What it is NOT:
A running commentary on a Biblical text
A stand-alone study of a text that ignores
the rest of Scripture
A way of gathering proof-texts to support a
pre-established idea or teaching
 Forms
of
Expository
Preaching
 Expository Preaching

Preaching whose
“content and structure
demonstrably reflect what Scripture says,
and
honestly seek to elucidate it. . . .”

Essential mark of expository preaching:

“Its subject matter

emerges directly and demonstrably
from Scripture.” *
* D.A. Carson, “The SBTJ Forum: Profiles of Expository Preaching,” The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 3, no.2
(Summer 1999): 95.
Expository Preaching:
Selection & Form
Takes many forms:
 Systematic preaching through a book
e.g. Job, Amos, Ephesians
 Topicalseries expounding different passages
e.g. on temptations of Eve, Joseph, Jesus
expounded in an expository way.
 Selection is according to a topic (temptation)
but
 treatment of each passage is expository.
Expository Preaching:
Length & Style
Covers various lengths of text:
 According to different literary genres in Scripture:
Scripture
Historical Narrative may cover more text than a Gospel
Parable.
Proverbs from the OT and a passage from a letter of Paul
will need different treatments.
 According to custom of the times / style of the preacher:
preacher
e.g. Romans 1-8 in 8 sermons, or 8 years’ preaching!
Expository Preaching:
Its Essential Elements*
The message of a Bible Exposition
is sourced from Scripture alone
and
is extracted from Scripture
through careful exegesis.
Its preparation
correctly interprets Scripture
in its normal sense and context.
The message clearly explains
the original God-intended meaning of Scripture.
and
applies that Scriptural meaning for today.
* Source: Richard L. Mayhue
Expository Preaching
may be:
 Sequential (taking each point
as it occurs in the text)
 Example: Martin Lloyd-Jones
Or:
 Logical – (following the truth of the text
rather than its pattern / order)
 Example: John Stott
Expository Preaching:
The Logical Form
may follow one of various ‘game-plans’:
 Problemstated > solution uncovered
– show how the text
 portraysthe problem
 provides a solution

 Needidentified > plan outlined

– show how the text speaks of
a human need
 a plan to provide a solution

 Plan outlined > motivation provided

Expository Preaching: Logical Form
The IDEAS – Their SOURCE
Note:
 All these ideas must come from the text
 though we may supplement them with reference
to other texts that confirm their truth
 This gives them their authority
 God’s Word has said it – not just the preacher’s
informed opinion!
 We must show why we follow this order
 to reassure our listeners that we are keeping to
the message of the text
Expository Preaching:
The personal need for Prayer
 A sense of utter futility unless God’s Spirit does the work.

“I came to you in weakness and fear,

with much trembling”
(- Paul, 1 Cor 2:39)
“All genuine preaching
is rooted in a feeling of desperation”
(- John Piper)
“If there is any brother here
who thinks he can preach as well as he should,
I would advise him to leave off altogether.”
(- Spurgeon)
Expository Preaching:
The spiritual power of Prayer

All preaching that is anointed by the Holy Spirit

is prayerful preaching.
Its power comes from:
1. Praying for God to speak first to you the preacher
2. Confidence in His promise to be your strength in
preparation and delivery
3. Praying for His Spirit to guide your preparation
and preaching.
Without such anointing
God’s Word cannot be exposed!
Expository Preaching:
The resulting assurance of authority

 A strong awareness of divine authority and

of your being God’s voice to His people
indicated by:
 A holy hush among the listeners
 Spontaneous feeling in your voice
 Occasional promptings during delivery to make
a mid-course correction!
“Reporting something
God spontaneously brings to mind”
(- Wayne Grudem)
Expository Preaching:
The dynamic effect of Prayer

“Truth on fire…”
“My message and my preaching
were not with wise and persuasive words,
but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
so that your faith might rest
not on men’s wisdom,
but on God’s power.”
(- Paul, 1 Cor 2:4-5)
Expository Preaching:
The essential task

Exposing God’s truth

about Jesus Christ
in the power of His Spirit
=
“Truth on fire!”
 Other Forms
of
Preaching
that are
Not Expository
Doctrinal preaching
is not Expository preaching.

Expounding a doctrine
may examine many biblical texts
and
look at how it has been understood
in the history of the Church,
rather than simply expounding
a single passage.
 Thematic preaching
is not expository preaching.

Thematic preaching
is based on a recurring subject found in Scripture.
It may well go to
various Scriptural texts
for its material.
Thematic preaching

It may well go to
various Scriptural texts
for its material.
But it will not be constrained by
the nature, theme and contents
of
one passage.
Narrative preaching
is not Expository preaching

Narrative preaching retells a story

(historical or personal)
found in the Bible
and
teaches the truths it demonstrates
and
the lessons that can be learnt from it
 Narrative preaching

Its focus is upon

a story it has to tell,
rather than upon
a text it has to expose.

Note:
Narrative and expository preaching
can sometimes be combined where the story is short
as in a parable
Topical preaching
is not Expository preaching.

Topical preaching can refer to two things:

1.
Like thematic preaching
it may refer to a treatment of a biblical subject,
looking at several passages,
but only to support the topic, or subject, being
discussed.

(Already discussed in Frames 4 & 5)

Topical preaching

2.
It may be topical in the sense of
treating a contemporary subject
that is “in the news”
and
searching Scripture
for light and guidance upon the subject or
issue.
This is its usual sense.
Apologetic preaching
is not expository preaching.

Apologetic preaching is
the defence of a key Scriptural truth
and will refer to many biblical passages,
Apologetic preaching

It expounds many individual texts

with the purpose of
making clear an argument,
rather than
expounding a passage.
Choosing What to Preach:
Selecting the Text…
The Preacher may:
 Follow the church lectionary – ensures
balanced doctrinal coverage over the year.
 Work through a biblical book for a teaching
series on the Bible
 Try to meet a perceived pastoral need in
the congregation.
 Address a social / contemporary issue

 Speak to a special occasion

 Speak as “led”!
For discussion
When would it be appropriate to preach
a) A doctrinal sermon?
b) A thematic sermon?
c) A narrative sermon?
d) A topical sermon?
What kind of congregation would best benefit
from the above? (Consider each type in
turn)
Evangelistic preaching
is not Expository preaching.

Its sole purpose

is
to convict sinners
and
present the claims of Christ
by any means
(though it may expound a passage in the process)
 Expository Preaching
NOTE:
Expository preaching is
not simply commenting on every verse
in a passage in turn.
Rather
it involves
exposing the central message of a passage
and
expounding its implications for today.
 Expository Preaching
gains its authority
from the text itself
by
allowing listeners to see that
the source of its message
is
God Himself
who speaks directly to the listener
through the preacher’s elucidation
of
His written Word
For discussion…

Of what kind of preaching

might the following be considered
an example?
An ancient commentary
on
Jesus meeting
with
the woman
of
Samaria
The Woman
of
Samaria:
“Jesus came to the fountain
as a hunter.…
He threw a grain before
one pigeon
that he might catch
the whole flock.…
The Woman of Samaria:
“At the beginning of the conversation
he did not make himself known to her,
but first she caught sight of
a thirsty man,
then a Jew,
then a Rabbi,
afterwards a prophet,
last of all the Messiah.
The Woman:

She tried to get the better of the thirsty man,

she showed dislike of the Jew,
she heckled the Rabbi,
she was swept off her feet by the prophet,
and she adored the Christ.”
Ephraem the Syrian
The End
Acknowledgements
This presentation
is developed from ideas taken from
the following:
Rev. .Bryan Chapell (internet article)
Very Rev. Allan Main (in private conversation)