This past Sunday, I preached the final sermon in a 12-week journey through Ecclesiastes. In 13+ years of pastoring, it marks the fifteenth book that I have preached all the way through, and the tenth in seven years at my current church.**
Growing up in the same church for the first twenty years of my life, most of the sermons that I heard were topical in nature. They weren’t bad, many were quite good, and they weren’t unbiblical, but they never really brought a text of Scripture together. They simply connected verses about a single topic, like mid-column references in some Bibles.
When I started as a junior at a university far from home and plugged into a church there, the pastor had us open our Bibles to the chapter and verse where he had left off the week before. Most of the preaching that I heard during my three years at that church was like that: verse-by-verse, passage-by-passage through a book of the Bible.
I found myself feasting on Scripture, driven by a hunger that I didn’t even know that I had before. I found myself growing spiritually in a way that I hadn’t up to that point. To my 20-year-old self, the act of hearing a godly man preach through a book of the Bible was literally life-changing. Then when I went to seminary, that conviction was solidified.
As a 23-going-on-24-year-old first-time pastor at a country church of 15 people, I started with 2 Timothy 1:1 on my first official Sunday and proceeded to preach through that letter. Though, reflecting back, my expositional skills needed a lot of refining, I found most of the people at that church as hungry for God’s word as I had been.
In the years since, I haven’t always preached through a book. In fact, I’d call it about half and half. I’m about to do a 3-week series on evangelism followed by a 4-week series on spiritual growth before I dive into my next book. But even when I do topical series, I don’t cobble together a bunch of verses, but rather focus on a passage or text that is dedicated to said topic. It’s the conviction to be expositional even when being topical.
So, I say “thank you” to my college pastor, Ronnie, who opened my eyes to exposition. I say “thank you” to my numerous professors, and especially to Dr. York in my preaching classes, who continued to cultivate that conviction. I say “thank you” to my brothers-in-arms, other pastors who faithfully exposit God’s word. I say “thank you” because it all reminds me: It’s not about the messenger, but the message, and I’m at my best when I’m helping people feast on God’s word and not on Mike’s thoughts.
**Note: I figured I would list out the books I have preached through thus far: Ruth (twice), Ecclesiastes, Obadiah (twice), Jonah, Haggai, Malachi, John, Acts, Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Timothy (twice), Titus, Hebrews, James, and 1 Peter. I’ve also done expositional series on Matthew 5-7, John 13-21, and 1 Corinthians 12-14. In other studies (such as Wednesday night Bible study), I’ve taken small groups through Proverbs, Isaiah, Daniel, Zechariah, Matthew, Luke, and Revelation. A few weeks back on Wednesday night, we began Genesis.
Amen!
I echo Scott…
Amen!
Thank you for being faithful to Gods Word. I was in my 20s when I first heard an expositional message
There is a difference
You’re welcome. 🙂
Expository preaching has two advantages: First, it helps the preacher plan his preaching. Second, it eliminates a common preacher’s anxiety–What shall I preach this Sunday? When I was a student at Southwestern Seminary (we drove buggies to the campus), Dr. Al Fasol taught us expository preaching, and I’ll always be grateful to him for that instruction. I have heard a gifted narrative preacher, Dr. Craig Loscalzo, but most preachers do not possess the creativity and dramatic flair to use that style. Any preacher can dish out nourishing expository messages week after week if he puts in adequate study time.
Right on. Those are two of the great advantages to the preacher.
Of course, preaching is also for the hearers….
Expository preaching also has the advantages of blessing the hearers with the whole counsel of God… Providing for them an opportunity to see and hear the message, connectivity and flow of the Scriptures.
Tarheel Dave, I agree enthusiastically. When you preach through a book or preach a series of related expository messages (like a series on the parables), then one sermon builds on another.
I’m halfway through the book of Job, which I began back in January. It’s been difficult to do verse by verse, as so much of the discourses from Job’s friends is worldly wisdom couched in Christianese, so to get the full picture, I’ve tried to preach on one discourse at a time, along with Job’s response. That makes for a LOT to try to cram into one sermon, and often I end up preaching somewhat topically on the theme of the particular discourse, though I always take time to relate back to where the topic applies in the context of the discourse.
For instance, in the last three sermons, I have covered seven chapters, and preached on “The Proper Way in which to Approach God,” “Having a Proper Fear of the Lord,” and most recently, “The Mercy of God Applied Through the Holy Spirit.”
I’m far from the most experienced of preachers, serving as a lay-preacher on a bi-weekly (sometimes tri-weekly) basis, so it’s been a big bite for me. Previously, I’d preached through I, II, and III John, I&II Thessalonians, Titus, and Jude, all of them expositionally, verse by verse. Those were a lot easier than Job has been.
Last Christmas, I preached on four views of Christ through the Advent season, and those were the only topical sermons I’d done since I started preaching, when I preached a topical series on the marks of a true church.
All in all, I’d say I’ve preached far better expositionally than I have done topically, even though I’ve always supposed topical to be easier. Maybe it’s because I’ve sat under more expositional preaching in the last twenty years than I have under topical, but it’s just what I’m accustomed to at this point, so it reflects in the way I feel led to preach.
Joel,
Someone will correct me if I’m not in line with the “proper way” I’m sure – but expository (or the en vogue way to say it these days) text driven preaching often – but not always – consists of preaching through a book verse by verse….
I most often preach through books, but also I sometimes do a section of scripture – for example last year I preached the beatitudes. I’ve also done series on topics like worship, discipleship and missions.
As Shai Linne so poetically busted his rhymes…..The key is that the point of the passage be the point of the sermon. 😉
https://youtu.be/CWjemvijgLg
In my studies through the Bible there is no such thing as Exposition Preaching. I think the scriptures indicate Exposition teaching. Sunday’s should be dedicated to Topical preaching that is the only true preaching, everything else is teaching. There are tons of great information in Topical sermon and much more spiritual. I’ve found that no church congregation anywhere wants a Sunday School Sunday morning then another Sunday School for a worship service and another Sunday School on Sunday night and Wednesday night. I personally think God doesn’t work that way. Scriptures indicate the preaching of the cross. One good thing about Exposition teaching is that no prayer is required to deliver it. Yes, I said you do not have to pray to deliver Exposition teaching. Most ministers just deliver what someone else wrote, and another’s thoughts. No prayer required. I’m ignorant, I have to pray about everything.
Yes, Jess…I agree.
You did just display that you’re ignorant about what expository preaching is and what’s required to do it.
Jess,
Preaching absent of biblical teaching is not preaching. Biblical teaching demands exposition of the Scripture. Biblical preaching demands the same.
CB Scott,
I agree with what you are saying to a point. You sir speak with genuine passion. The majority of preachers today do not know what that is.
Jess,
Yes, CB is a man of passion…
What do you mean though by “most preachers do not know what that is”?
The majority of preachers I know are very passionate about the word and about preaching.
Our preacher search process last year told me that there is a lot of good preaching in the SBC – even in smaller churches.
To say that your ideas (topical) are better for preaching than God’s ideas (the Bible – expository preaching) is scary, Jess.
I agree, Dave Miller. I think that one thing the CR did was usher in an awakening to passionate, expository preaching in our seminaries.
Guys became excited about learning how to preach the Bible.
Even expository messages come with a set of propositions by the messenger that direct that message. It is these propositions that will determine the relevancy, the challenge and/or the conflicts of the message, whether expository or topical.
In the passage:
Cor. 3:6,7 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
It is those primary foundational propositions that are the messengers core responsibility which he is expounding in his message, whether expository or topical. If those proposition mis-lead God will not give increase. If those proposition are on target about the Lord and His work He will honor the message with ‘increase.’
A very humbling and self-reflecting challenge to the messenger is the verse:
2Tim. 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Jess, at Southwestern Baptist Seminary the faculty call expository preaching–text-driven preaching. They mean that the biblical text determines the outline of the message. I’ve heard it said that good preaching contains some teaching, and good teaching includes some preaching. I would agree with that. I doubt that any of the commenters in this string would say that topical preaching is bad. Most doctrinal and ethical sermons are topical, using several different biblical texts. Still, I believe expository preaching ensures that the preacher will truly “preach the Word” every week.
Mark Terry,
I understand what you are saying, I truly do. I also want to point out that what we are taught does not all the time appeal nor reach the hearers. If we kill the listeners with a boring unpassionate talk just look at what we are doing to the lost. This is the very reason that I believe many churches are closing down and the baptisms are declining in the SBC. I just want to be perfectly honest here, I’ve sit with the congregations and have listened to what some call the best preachers and what folks say behind the preachers back is not what they tell him when they walk out the door.
If we all don’t fall in love with Jesus soon I don’t think our future looks very good. I can tell if a preacher is in love with Jesus or not two minutes into his sermon and so can the congregation. Even Jesus got emotional at times, this type of preaching is what reaches the church and the lost. It’s not how eloquent one speaks it’s how much love that is in what one speaks. I think falling in love with Christ is the answer. Love always shows in any good sermon. We are preachers not speech makers, any politician can make a speech, there is a big difference.
Isn’t that a bit dangerous – to assume you know whether someone loves Jesus? You are not the Holy Spirit, neither are you another man’s judge. You really ought not assume – based on how emotional, passionate, or loud a sermon is – a man does or does not love Jesus.
I do agree with you, however, that preaching without passion, without fervor, is not what we need.
I love expository preaching, verse by verse through God’s word. But I’ve heard some that I thought was little more than exegetical papers fit for a seminary Greek or biblical theology class.
Preaching deep, biblical, exegetically sound sermons is key – it is God’s word, not our passion, that inspired and useful. But a dispassionate sermon tends to be off-putting.
I agree to an extent with your point, but I think it is dangerous to say, “I know if someone loves Jesus.” You actually don’t.
Mark Terry,
That is the same at SEBTS. I think the genesis of that is that both institutions had/has Dr. Patterson as president.
“The subject of the text is the subject of the sermon.”
Dave,
With all due respect I am speaking here as a hearer of the word as one sitting in the congregation seeking a pastor. Of course it not how loud one is or how emotional one can get, but empty words are just what they are if the love of Jesus is not exhibited in a sermon. I am different and old fashioned, I have to earnestly pray about what to preach every time I get behind the pulpit. Prayer works and it will be just exactly what the hearers need at that particular time.
My church is now not looking at formal education for a qualification of a pastor, but how long a potential pastor has been dedicated to a church. I think everyone judges whether a sermon is dry or not. This is also a God given ability, and that is to judge righteously. A good church knows whether they have been in spiritual church service after it’s over. All I’m saying is that there is a good possibility we are not taught all the aspects of good preaching. We have to pray diligently and find them. God will show us things that no man can teach, it has to be experienced, and it will not be contrary his word.
If the emphasis is placed totally on having a sermon just right and delivering it according to how we are taught then it becomes man’s standards and not God’s. If this becomes the case then God becomes 2nd and the sermon first. God has to be first in all things. A good heart felt sermon is what I am after and so are the hearers. A heart felt sermon will encourage believers to want to get out and work the church. I’m just saying what works really well for all those who preach according to what I’ve just described.
Yes, I too have heard expository sermons that were dry as dust; I’ve heard topical sermons that were dry, also. I believe the key to making expository sermons interesting is to use fresh, appropriate illustrations. When I began preaching, about fifty years ago, my pastor gave me this advice: Find your outline in the biblical text. Then, for each point in the outline explain what the verse means, illustrate the biblical truth, and make appropriate application. I’ve followed that advice for many years, and I’ve seen congregations grow in size and Christian maturity.
Thanks Mike (OP) for this. God has used expository preaching to bless me in more ways than I can tell.
Preach the Word brother!
Finding illustrations is hard