Why I'm Committed to Expository Preaching

"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching." 

(2 Timothy 4:1-2 ESV)

In short, there are two reasons why I'm committed to expository preaching. First, because I don't think there's any other kind of preaching that's truly Christian. Second, because I'm a sinner and I easily stray if I don't stay anchored to a solid rock.

What is Expository Preaching?
I've been to college and three seminaries, so I can easily forget that not everyone knows what I'm talking about when I say "expository preaching." I was visiting a member this week, and when I used this term, she stopped me and asked me what it meant. I was surprised, but it helped me to realize that before I can explain why I believe in it, first I need to define what I mean!

Various definitions have been proposed for expository preaching, and many of them are helpful. I think the simplest definition may be that "expository preaching is preaching where the point of the text is the same as the point of the sermon. I think this is true, and it's helpful for someone who has no familiarity with what I'm talking about, but we will go deeper.

John A. Broadus, in his text book, On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, says that "An expository sermon is one which is occupied mainly with the exposition of Scripture. . . . The expository sermon may be defined as a sermon that draws its divisions from the text. In actual practice, the main points and the subdivisions of the sermon often come from the text. In other words, the entire thought content comes from Scripture" (58). The two things I see that are important here are that expository preaching is preaching that is mainly explaining the Bible; Scripture isn't just a launchpad to say whatever it is the preacher wants to say, but most of it's content is merely explaining scripture. Also, Broadus says that "the entire thought content comes form Scripture." The preacher isn't free to mix his own thoughts with those from Scripture, rather the sermon, in its whole, is devoted to making clear what the thoughts of Scripture are.

Dr. Stephen Olford, in his book Anointed Expository Preaching defines it this way: "Expository preaching is the Spirit-empowered explanation and proclamation of the text of God's Word with due regard to the historical, contextual, grammatical, and doctrinal significance of the given passage, with the specific object of invoking a Christ-transforming response" (69). A few things are of note here. Olford stresses that preaching is Spirit-empowered. A man cannot do this in his own power and expect lasting results. If a preacher merely trusts in his own gifts and does not rely on the Spirit it is all for naught. Preaching is also an "explanation and proclamation of the text." That's what it is. If a sermon is not explaining and proclaiming a biblical text, if it has any other methodology, it is not expository preaching. Olford also states that expository preaching must give "due regard to the historical, contextual, grammatical, and doctrinal significance of the given passage." Expository preaching must preach the text in context. Faithful expository preaching is not free to take a biblical text and make it say something that is relevant to today's audiences that would be unrecognizable to the author or the original audience. It must be faithful to actually convey what the original author intended. Finally, Olford contends that true preaching's object is to invoke a response. The preacher doesn't stand and give a lecture to fill people's heads, he pleads with people to change through the power of Christ. This response may be through physically and tangibly doing something, or it may be a response of the heart. It may change our thinking or cause us to value something more deeply as well.

Finally, Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in his book He is Not Silent, says that "According to the Bible, exposition is preaching. And preaching is exposition." Further he states, "Much of what happens in pulpits across America today is not preaching, even though the preacher--and probably his congregation along with him--would claim that it is. Preaching is not the task of saying something interesting about God, nor is it delivering a religious discourse or narrating a story" (50). Rather, Mohler contends, "The heart and soul of expository preaching--of any true Christian preaching--is reading the Word of God and then explaining it to the people so they understand it" (52).

I affirm what Mohler states. I am convinced that all true Christian preaching is expository preaching, and that preaching that is not expository is something less than Christian preaching.

Why Am I Committed To It?
I've kind of answered this already. First, for reasons stated above, I don't think that any other kind of preaching is really preaching at all, but my second reason is quite practical. I am committed to expository preaching because I am a frail sinner.

How can a pastor know that he is preaching God's word? All preachers would make the claim, but how can we really know that's what we're doing? Jeremiah stated, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV) I don't trust my heart, and I am not a mystic. However, I do trust God's Word--the Bible. If I just decided what I was going to preach on week by week by "whatever I felt the Spirit was telling me?" I would be liable to follow my deceitful heart and be deceived into thinking it was the Spirit of God. Expository preaching, for many, has another component. Not all expository preachers follow this, but many do. I believe the best expository preachers will systematically go through the Bible to be sure that they are not following their own agenda and temperament, but they are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit who inspired every word of the sacred text.

I do believe that the Spirit speaks to us, but I am convinced that the primary way he does this is through the Bible. If this is true, then we can go happily to the Bible week in and week out. Systematically going verse by verse or chapter by chapter and know that no mater where we open the Bible we find something that was breathed out by God.

I'm also convinced that it is unwise and unhelpful to expect an extraordinary work of God every week. The Spirit of God moves where he wishes and we cannot contrive that. We can only experience it at His will. My contention is that if a preacher is committed to systematically preaching through the Bible, and making the point of each sermon the same as the point that is made in the text, then the Church will be built up. If it is a week that God chooses to bless in a supernatural way--wonderful! We can give him all the glory for that and thank him. However, what if it isn't one of those week? We can still say, "God has spoken to us through his word." Not because we emotionally felt something, but because of our confidence that God has truly spoken in history and our faithful hearing of it in eager expectation from His hand.

I am committed to expository preaching because I'm a sinner, and because I am ultimately confident in God's Word and his Spirit above anything else. I am committed to expository preaching because that method is the only way that I can objectively know that when I stand before God's people I am being faithful to preach the Word.

Caveat
I must give one caveat. I titled this article, "Why I'm Committed to Expository Preaching" for a reason. I didn't call it, "Why I'm an Expository Preacher." Like I said, I am a sinner, and I'm relatively new in my preaching career. I am committed to the method, but I cannot make any claim to be very good at it! I have a lot of room for growth. I'm far from perfect. Just because anyone adopts what I'm arguing for doesn't make them a great preacher. My level of spiritual empowerment ebbs and flows. I have good weeks where I feel him with me, and I have other weeks where I'm spiritually dry--and I'm not afraid to get up and preach anyway because I know the power isn't in me--it's in the word. I need to grow significantly in my ability to illustrate, because to paraphrase Spurgeon, illustrations are windows through which the congregation looks to see the meaning of the text. In spite of my admitted weakness, I believe that a commitment to the expository method safeguards me so that when I do error, I don't fall too far away because I have an anchor that tethers me to the Word. 

Matthew 4:12-25 Jesus' Message, Method, and Ministry

 "While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.'" (Mat 4:18-19 ESV)

Following Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, he began preaching a message of repentance, calling disciples, and healing the sick. While each of these aspects of Jesus ministry have differences as they are carried out in the life of the church today, they are all essential to biblical faithfulness.

His Message: Preaching Repentance
Matthew 4:12-17 tells of the beginning of Jesus' ministry. It begins with the "decrease" that John the Baptist had predicted about himself. John was put in prison, and Jesus returned to his home in Galilee. However, he left Nazareth, the town where he had grown up and went to Capernaum. Matthew tells us that this was to fulfill a prophesy of Isaiah that a light would dawn on the Gentiles. The area where Jesus went was a region populated by Gentiles. The context of this prophecy is that of Isaiah 9 and the promise of a king who would sit on David's throne forever. Matthew had already been pointing to Jesus' kingship by the genealogy that he started his Gospel with, and now this prophetic fulfillment links Jesus again to this kingly role.

Finally, in verse 17, Matthew tells us that Jesus began to preach the same message that John the Baptist had preached--"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." A definition of "repent" must be given. John had preached this message, and his baptism was characterized by repentance. People came to him confessing their sins, and John told them to bear fruit which accords with repentance. It is only natural that Jesus' meaning was the same as that of John the Baptist. Repentance meant to turn away from sins, to confess them openly, and to declare publicly a renunciation of those things, and then to live a life that is consistent with that public testimony.

Today we are often soft about the message of repentance. We want to explain the gospel in winsome ways, and we want to make it palatable for people so that they will accept it. We tell children that Jesus can be their "forever friend." We tell adults to come and "make a decision." We emphasize belief in Christ, and salvation by faith, and somehow we are fearful of speaking about repentance because it sounds like it must be some sort of work. In actuality, repentance is the fruit of true faith. Repentance is a gift of God. If we truly believe on Christ, we will naturally repent. What does that look like? We will have a change of mind and heart about who Jesus is and his authority over us. We will bow to his lordship, and we will be marked with genuine sorrow for our sins. These are all things that happen in the heart that cannot be manufactured or manipulated. True repentance only comes when God grants it.

His Method: Calling Disciples
In verses 18-22, Jesus calls his disciples, Peter, Andrew, James, and John. These men are called in pairs. First, Jesus was walking by the sea of Galilee and saw the brothers, Simon and Andrew, fishing. What happens is striking. Jesus simply says, "Follow me." There is no discussion or questions. There is no arguments for why. Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him. They obeyed without question. Then, Jesus saw two more brothers--James and John. They were in the process of fixing their nets, and their father was with them. They were a small family business. In this text, we aren't given Jesus words to James and John; it simply says "he called them," and they responded just as Simon and Andrew. Immediately, they obeyed; they left their nets, they left their father, and they followed Jesus.

Now certainly, we don't have the same kind of authority that Jesus had. Jesus is the Lord of Creation. He has all authority in Heaven and Earth. He commands the wind and the waves, and he is the LORD who turns the heart of kings whichever way he wishes. However, there is an analogy between Jesus' method of calling his disciples and the way we preach the gospel.

When we preach the gospel, we preach a command. Jesus commands that all men everywhere must repent and believe the gospel. We can be tempted to have a different posture when we proclaim the good news. It could be tempting to mound up persuasive arguments about why following Jesus will give people a happier, more fulfilling life. However, that isn't the posture we see here. When we preach the gospel, we must remember that we are proclaiming the objective news of the life, death, burial, and resurrection, and we are telling people what they must do because of that reality. We are pleading with men to be reconciled to God, but in doing so, we must not forget that repentance and faith is the duty of all. It isn't just something that you can add to your life to be more fulfilled. True conversion to Christ isn't just adding Jesus to "your life"; it's renouncing your former life to follow him.

His Ministry: Compassion on the Multitudes
The next section, verses 23-25, is a summary statement that describes Jesus' ministry. Jesus was an itinerant preacher. He preached the "good news" of the kingdom, and he healed every disease. As he went around preaching, he would heal as he went, but then word got out. He became famous. So then people started bringing him all those who had diseases. He even healed those who were demon possessed, those who had seizures, and those who were paralyzed. He healed all manner of diseases, and crowds followed him everywhere he went.

People have various opinions about the continuation of miraculous gifts. I would put myself in the cessationist camp. I believe that the gifts of healing were given specifically for the time of the apostles to mark a unique period in salvation history. However, I think there is an example of ministry that believers today should follow today. I don't mean a healing ministry, but a ministry of compassion. These verses are very similar to what Matthew writes in 9:35-38. There Matthew records, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." A ministry that follows Jesus' pattern will be a ministry of compassion. We may not be able to say to people, "arise, take up your bed, and walk," but we can model compassion in action.

Believers can show compassion today in serving the poor, in caring for the sick, and helping counsel addicts as well as many other ways. Those things aren't meant to replace Gospel preaching. This passage tells us that Jesus did both. He preached and he healed. The compassionate ministry of mercy that we, believers, engage in will be the authenticating mark of having a heart like Jesus. We can be doctrinally sound and have cold hearts and tight fists. Jesus calls us to combine the message of good news with a ministry of compassion.

Results
What results should we expect from a ministry following this patter. What should we expect when we preach the message of repentance, when we call people to bow and submit themselves to a King, and when we minister in the compassion of Christ? He will receive the glory. It isn't about us. It isn't about accumulating crowds for us. It's about bringing fame to Jesus, not about making ourselves a name. 

"So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them." (Mat 4:24 ESV)

Isaiah 6: A Vision of a Holy God

"And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; 

the whole earth is full of his glory!'" Isaiah 6:3

For the last two weeks at WBC, we've been looking at Isaiah 6. In this chapter, Isaiah sees a vision of a holy God, he is blown over by his own sinfulness in the presence of this God, and he is cleansed at the initiative of God by the coals of a sacrificial atonement. Then Isaiah is called and commissioned to preach to God's people who would be stubborn and refuse to listen to his message. God tells Isaiah that he is to continue to preach this message until His destructive judgement is utterly poured out on the land. Yet even then, God gives hope that there would be salvation that would come through the Seed of the Woman--the Son of David.

Listen here and join us in the worship of this Holy God. 

How Am I Going to Preach a Genealogy? Part 2

In the last blog post on this I treated how to interpret the text. What is the theological message that we should get from this genealogy in Genesis 5? In this post, I'm going to try to answer the question, "so what?"

Let's review the theological concepts of Genesis 5:

1. Humanity after Adam is still created in the image of God. Seth was created after the image and likeness of Adam who was created in the image of God.
2. Humanity has been broken and experiences death and the painful toil of labor. Every person listed in the genealogy except for Enoch experienced death, and Lamech acknowledges the desire for relief from the pain.
3. There is hope for eternal life and communion with God. Enoch was the grand exception to the pattern of death because he walked with God.
4. There is a Messiah who would reverse the curse, crush the Serpent, and bring relief to our pain. Lamech expected Noah to give rest to humanity from the curse upon the ground.

 Now how does that affect us today? I'll name two ways that affect us at Woburn Baptist Church this week. First, Dorothy, our piano player is in the hospital right now after having knee surgery. Second, another member, Jerry, lost his house to a fire this week. The concepts we see in this text connect to our current experience in this way. Why do human bodies wear out and experience pain? Because of the curse. We can do many things to try to relieve our pain. We can go to doctors. We can take pain pills. We can have surgery, but ultimately the curse of death that we have all inherited in Adam will take its toll. We will all one day die and after that face the judgement. This is one of the fundamental universal experiences of all humanity. We all want relief from this problem. The other problem is the futility of work. Solomon wrote of this experience. You work for a lifetime acquiring stuff, and you come to the end of your life and you leave it all to someone who didn't work for it. Jesus told a story of a man who horded wealth and didn't know that in that very night his life would be required. In an instant, we can loose everything. This is another consequence of the curse on the ground. Our labor will be futile. We can work and work all our lives, and in the end what we have can all be gone in a moment. This is another fundamental problem of human existence.

Lamech expected an answer to this problem. He was hoping in the promise that a seed of the woman would crush the head of our enemy and reverse this curse. He was trusting that God's provision would set all the wrong things right again. In this hope, he named his son Rest (Noah). In a sense, Lamech was right. Noah would be a man who saved the world. Noah was a type of Christ. Just as all those who were in the ark were saved from the flood waters, 1 Peter 3 says that all who are in Christ will be saved from death in Christ.

Jesus is relevant to our problem with sin's curse both in the next life and this one. We will be saved from death when we are resurrected at his coming, but we have hope in the midst of our painful toil now as well. We know that our labor is not in vain, in the LORD. God is working all things together for our good, so when our house burns down or when we are sitting in a hospital bed, we will know that our greatest treasure is Jesus, and while our outer man is wasting away our inner man is being renewed in Christ every day.

The message of the genealogy in Genesis 5 is a message of hope in the Messiah to bring healing to a broken world.

A Good Servent of Christ Jesus: 1 Timothy 4:6-16

The greatest desire of the heart of any disciple of Jesus Christ ought to be that we might be called a good servant. This is true for all believers, but it is especially true for pastors. In 1 Timothy 4, Paul is instructing Timothy on his duties and priorities of a pastor, and he tells Timothy, as well as any pastor who comes after him, how to be a good servant of Christ.

1 Timothy 4:6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.
 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;
 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
 9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.
 10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
 11 Command and teach these things.
 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.
 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.
 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

The first thing that Paul says that pastors must do to be a good servant of Christ is to "put these things before the brothers." This begs the question, "what things?" In the previous verses, Paul warned that in the last times false teachers would depart from faith and be devoted to teachings of demons. This teaching was characterized by an obsession with asceticism. In contrast, Paul points to the biblical doctrine of creation and states that foods were made holy "by the word of God and prayer." I would suggest that "these things" refers to sound biblical doctrine that isn't based on superstition or man made wisdom but is grounded in the Bible.

Verses 6-10 continue to confirm that this is what "these things" is talking about. Paul says that Timothy has been trained in the "words of the faith" and the "good doctrine" which he has followed. Again, Paul is pointing Timothy to the Scriptures.

In verse 11, Paul continues the emphasis on Scripture. He says "command and teach these things." It seems he is talking about the same things as he referenced in verse 6, and then in 13 he gives specific instructions on how to carry out his charge. He says to give attention to public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching. Timothy has been charged to read the Bible publicly. This is something we don't do often enough today. There are some churches you can go to and Scripture is rarely ever read publicly more than a verse or two, and sometimes it is hard to find scripture read even during the sermon. A faithful servant of Christ will give a prominent place to the reading of Scripture as he leads the people of God in worship. But Timothy wasn't merely to read it, but he was to exhort the people with it. In other words, he was to labor to convince the congregation by words and with passion to obey and believe the biblical teaching. Paul also instructs Timothy in verse 13 to give attention to teaching or doctrine. Paul was convinced that the Scriptures presented a unified message that was consistent throughout. With this understanding of the nature of Scripture one can come to it and arrive at an understanding of what the Bible teaches about any given topic. Here Paul tells us that we are to pay attention to doctrinal orthodoxy. It isn't enough just to read the Bible and exhort people to obey it, but we must also be careful to teach what is in conformity to orthodox doctrine..

So far as we've looked at the passage, Paul instructs Timothy to oppose error (unbiblical doctrine), and to give attention to biblical teaching, but neither of these are enough. In verse 16, Paul tells Timothy, "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching." Paul's concern isn't merely doctrinal orthodoxy, but it is on the person teaching as well. Paul had already exhorted Timothy to discipline himself for godliness, and this makes up the third element required for all good servants of Christ Jesus. We must watch both our lives and doctrine.

So, in summary, Paul's exhortation to Timothy in these verses is to 1) confront false teaching, 2) commit himself to the Bible, and 3) have a character of purity. This is our charge as well. We must have the courage to call out false teaching when others would think that we are being judgmental or too "restrictive." We must have the commitment to Scripture that keeps us chained to the Bible that we do not leave it behind for the latest whims of the world. We must watch our lives, and we must fight the battle with the flesh, that we may live lives of holiness in the fear of God.