The Why and What of Expository Preaching

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD EXPOSITORY MESSAGE?

 - Conveys the basic message of a biblical passage faithfully

Hermeneutics – the biblical concern of the teacher    = FACTS

- Communicates this message well, using appropriate structure and features

Homiletics – the practical concern of the preacher     = FORM

- Meets the real needs of the congregation, consistent with the purpose and function of the passage

Human Need – the personal concern of the pastor        = FUNCTION

For purposes of sermon preparation, however, the function of the biblical passage in its context and the application of the text to congregational needs should be considered before structuring the sermon. The order will, therefore, be facts, functions, and form.

 DOING EXPOSITORY PREACHING

Sam Canine, former Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Dallas Seminary, believes there are 15 factors present in a, good homiletical process.

The preacher …

• Sets high value on exegesis
• Is able to do theological process
• Knows the immediate audience
• Knows the current world
• Presents truth in today’s terms
• Has a good sense of timing
• Knows the hurts of the present audience
• Knows the joys of the present audience
• Uses words for ears, not eyes
• Desires to be crystal clear
• Balances force and friendliness
• Makes word pictures vivid
• Structures unity into message
• Uses good progress throughout the message
• Selects appropriate order in the message

Steve Lawson addressed the mechanics of expository in the July 1997 Southern Seminary magazine, The Tie. In an article titled “The Ten How-to’s of Expository Preaching,” Pastor Lawson provides an excellent overview of the preacher’s task. He notes that “expositors are not born, they are made” He then delineates his 10 how-to’s.

 STEP #1 – PREPARATION

• Be the right person. Before the preacher can prepare the sermon, God must first prepare the preacher.
• Robert Murray McCheyne, the noted Scottish preacher, said, “The greatest need of my people is my personal holiness.”
• Choose the right passage. We must exegete our audience, interpret their spiritual needs and determine the most appropriate series that will produce the desired result.

Preach through entire books; shorter series through one chapter in the Bible (i.e. Hebrews 11, 1 Corinthians 13); a specific section in the Bible; a biblical character; or a biblical topic.

STEP #2 – OBSERVATION

• Look for the central idea of the text, the “big idea,” or the main point of the passage We should ask ourselves, “What is the core truth the biblical author is trying to communicate?”
• We are to be like a detective poking for clues.
• Ask several key diagnostic questions: Who is speaking? Who is the original audience? What is he saying? Why is this recorded? When was this written? What are the circumstances behind this passage? What immediately preceded this passage

What follows? How does this passage fit into the overall theme of the book?

• Look for a unit of thought.
• Look for transitions in the flow of thought, breaks in the action, main verbs, cause and effects, key words and reoccurring themes.

STEP #3 – INTERPRETATION

• Interpret the passage using the literal, historical, grammatical approach. By literal, I mean the normal, or natural, meaning of words, being careful never to allegorize or spiritualize the text. By historical, I mean the author’s intent as he wrote to his original audience. By grammatical, I mean the understanding of the grammar, syntax and word studies in the passage.
• Use language tools.
• Consult commentaries.
• Check cross references.
• Investigate biblical background resources.

STEP #4 – ASSIMILATION

• Take individual discoveries and collected observations and begin to organize them into a written manuscript that follows a verse by verse progression through the selected passage.
• Construct a preaching outline.
• Incorporate the research.
• Add transitions.

STEP #5 – APPLICATION

• Ask, “Does this truth relate to their lives? What does God require of them?”
• Picture five or six of the congregation members seated around a table. Each of these people should represent a cross section of those to whom we preach. Ask yourself, “What does this text have to say to a successful businessman? A single parent? A college student? A retired grandparent? A young couple contemplating a move? How does this Scripture impact their lives?”

STEP #6 – ILLUSTRATIONS

• Sermon illustrations are like open windows which allow outside light to be shed upon the passage enlightening its meaning. A good illustration can create interest, capture attention, explain a truth, motivate powerfully or insure that the message is unforgettable.

STEP #7 – INTRODUCTION

• The introduction should be large enough to orient the listener to the sermon but small enough not to distract from the main body of the message.
• The oft-repeated three “I’s” of a good introduction are: interest, involvement, and identification.
• After the introduction, the preacher ought to be able to sit down and the congregation want him to get back up and finish the rest of the sermon.

STEP #8 – CONCLUSION

• Last words ought to be lasting words.
• The conclusion should answer the question, “As a result of this message, what does God wand the listener to do?” An effective conclusion should either summarize the main truths, specify application, motivate, confront, challenge the will, encourage or comfort.

STEP #9 – INTERNALIZATION

• Now review the sermon notes to evaluate the general flow of the message as a whole.
• Ask, “Is the sermon material under each homiletic point equally distributed? Is the introduction too long or too short? Are there enough illustrations? Is application well distributed? Will the opening lines “hook” the listener? Is there balance and symmetry before the main points? Is a section top heavy and need to be redistributed? Do I have too many points? Do the transitions flow?”
• After the sermon manuscript is on paper, it must also be indelibly written upon my mind and heart.
• The best method of internalizing one’s sermon notes is to pray through them, offering each specific truth to God for his approval and preaching the message, as it were, to myself asking God to make it real in my own life,

STEP #10 – PROCLAMATION

• As the Spirit of God fills and controls, facial expressions, hand gestures, eye contact and voice inflection will communicate naturally – actually, supernaturally. These external aspects of sermon delivery should be the dynamic result of God working throughout personality and temperament, not something theatrically rehearsed nor intentionally imitated from another preacher.