Series Six: Expository Preaching

Because exposition is perceived to be difficult to sit under, pastors many times compromise and find alternative approaches to biblical preaching that are easier for the congregation. This thought process is misguided and a common misconception. This results in an unnecessary burden on the preacher to be creative and address immediate, felt, and practical needs rather than just teach the content that God gave us as He laid it out. These faulty methods demonstrate a pride that there is a way to improve upon God’s desired method of communication.

1. Reasons why expository preaching is challenging for the listener
   1. We are generally soft, and we like things easy in our culture.
      1. We are accustomed to getting information in sound bites (short, quick snippets).
      2. We want helpful information that is immediately practical and doesn’t require reflection or effort to apply.
      3. We want content that is simple and easy to access. (“Don’t make me think too hard.”)
      4. We want our personal issues to be addressed weekly from the pulpit (like a one-on-one counseling session).
      5. We like variety and the same person presenting gets old to listen to over time.
      6. We want something more entertaining than a sermon on a few verses.
   2. We are spiritually weak and lack faith.
      1. We naturally struggle under preaching that brings conviction and requires change.
      2. We want to be able to crank out change and see progress from immediate application.
      3. We have a hard time waiting for biblical change to take place slowly over the long haul as the Spirit uses the Word to produce growth.
      4. We find certain passages of Scripture to be obscure or difficult to identify with as relevant.
2. The attitude of the day is that the preacher should be relevant.
   1. The foolishness of striving to be relevant (as described by Os Guinness, Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005]).
      1. The preacher who pursues relevance will become increasingly irrelevant.
         1. If you try to be like the crowd, you become irrelevant to the crowd because you are saying the same thing.
         2. To be transcendent is to be different from the crowd—to say something different.
      2. The preacher immersed in the culture and being relevant will never be relevant to Christ’s sheep.
   2. The alternative: letting God’s Word speak in preaching. God’s Word:
      • does a supernatural work in the hearts of people.
      • protects a ministry from building on man’s wisdom. (If God speaks, God draws.)
      • is timeless throughout the ages.
      • is unchanging regardless of changing contexts.
      • keeps the preacher from adopting fads.
      • provides all the context the preacher needs (even more than his own context).
      • is relevant to all God’s people.
3. Objections to heralding God’s Word and leaving relevance to God
   1. “With our creative preaching we will reach people you will never reach.”
      1. Rebuttal 1: New Christians can access and love exposition because it is the Spirit of God speaking through His Word to them. Anyone with the Spirit can access expositional preaching, and then an appetite is cultivated over time.
      2. Rebuttal 2: Is your ministry to the shallowest people group that a substantive ministry can’t reach?
   2. “We meet people where they are by speaking their language” (i.e., addressing their felt needs).
      • Rebuttal: The problem with felt needs is that we don’t assess our needs rightly. Evangelicalism has created its own list of things that need to be changed. With regard to our definition of sanctification, we tend to:
        • think externally.
        • think behaviorally.
        • think practically.
        • think in clichés (which strip the Bible of the divine force arising from its context).
        • think in terms of what tickles our ears (i.e., gives us what we want to hear in the way we want to hear it (2 Tim 4:3).
4. What is the key issue that separates biblically-grounded preaching from other kinds?
   1. Content is always the issue (even though people will say that it is a style issue).
      1. No one says it is a content issue, it will be disguised as being something else.
         1. Good content consists of principles derived from the text in context.
         2. Because of its exegetical origin, this good content carries real authority.
      2. Having God’s content doesn’t mean merely an information dump.
   2. Faithful preaching:
      1. comes from the text in context.
      2. is clear.
      3. is compelling.
      4. is implicational (“grabs the listener by the collar”).
   3. Some preachers sound authoritative, but it is their personality, not the text that is authoritative.
      1. They are powerful, big personalities.
      2. They are known for their style.
      3. They are making strong assertions.
      4. They are not grounding assertions in content.
      5. They are giving opinions.
      6. They are not walking through a text and letting that be the authority.
5. Common substitutes for expository preaching
   1. Sermons that start with man and work back to the Scriptures
      1. The goal is to address felt needs by taking a poll and preaching what people want to hear.
      2. An example:
         1. The title: “How to Deepen Your Relationships”
         2. The first principle: “You have to overlook offenses”
         3. Perhaps a verse is quoted
            • James 5:20 (wrong interpretation)
            • Proverbs 19:11
         4. A compelling story illustrating the power of the principle is given and how it applies to your personal relationships.
         5. You walk away saying, “That guy is funny yet knowledgeable; it was exciting and practical. I was uplifted and I was a little challenged. I like this church. I like this preacher.”
         6. Result: cliché Christianity
   2. Sermons that are shorter and easier contribute to:
      1. a misunderstanding of the true biblical content.
      2. misapplication.
      3. superficial application, but no inner-man change.
      4. lowering the bar.
         1. Seminaries and colleges are telling people to bring it down to where people are.
         2. This isn’t how learning takes place.
         3. They are willing to change content.
         4. The defense is that it is merely a style issue, but content always goes sooner or later.
6. What are the marks of biblical exposition?
   1. The text is the content of the sermon (1 Tim 4:13; 2 Tim 4:2).
   2. The interpretation comes from the grammar, syntax, and context.
   3. The meaning of the text is clear.
   4. The author’s intent and manner comes through the preacher.
   5. The implications come directly from the text itself.
   6. The force of God’s authority comes out in the preaching.
   7. The whole counsel is given (2 Tim 3:16).
   8. The hope for change is based upon the confrontation of truth with worldview and idolatries.
   9. The goal is clarity, not creativity.
   10. The result is no fence-sitters.
       1. Even new believers will find it a thrill when they hear it taught.
       2. Those with no appetite will complain that the teaching isn’t practical, relevant, it isn’t relating to their lives, it isn’t helpful, it’s discouraging, boring, and intellectual.
       3. Listeners have the responsibility to be Bereans and cultivate discernment (Acts 17:10–11).