A Brief Word
I wrote this small paper for an internship that I am doing at First Baptist Church Durham in North Carolina. This paper is not exhaustive by any means. This is but an introduction to why Expository preaching is so important. With that being said, I hope to only gain your interest in this subject so that you can put some thought in it yourself. That is the only reason I am posting this!
The Main Word
In
chapter one of Nine Marks of a Healthy
Church, Mark Dever lists expository preaching as the most important mark of
a healthy church. Dever is right. Expository preaching is foundational within
the life of a local church. There are numerous reasons to explain why this is
true. Dever gives numerous of them throughout this chapter. In order to
understand the importance of expository preaching though, we will discuss the
flaws of topological preaching.
There is no doubt that topological
preaching can be done well if it is done rarely and expositionally. Topological
preaching is centered on a subject of particular interest. This particular
subject is supported with biblical text. All of this is presented to the
congregation in the form of a sermon. If this is done frequently, there is
great danger in taking a particular passage and preaching a sermon that is not
centered on the main point of the passage. This is a horrible mistake to make
in the ministry of the word. It is all the more terrible when one begins to
think about judgment day. It is on judgment day that a preacher will have to
give an account for his faithfulness or unfaithfulness to the Word.
Another great danger in topological
preaching is that it leaves the congregation malnourished. I say this for
multiple reasons. The first reason is because the preacher that preaches
topological sermons usually preaches on topics that are of particular interest
to him. If he is keenly interested in the grace of God in Christ, then he will
rarely ever choose to preach from a passage that deals with eternal judgment in
the lake of fire for all of eternity. If he is deeply interested in the free
will of man, then he will seek to avoid certain text that go against his
theological viewpoint. This is a dangerous place to be. The preacher is only
preaching on what he knows. He cannot say to his church like the Apostle Paul,
“Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all,
for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts
20:26-27). He cannot look into the eyes of his congregation and say that he is
innocent of the blood of them all! He has not proclaimed the whole counsel of
God. He has not proclaimed the depth, width, height, and length of the wisdom
of God revealed in the Scriptures. This is what the people need. This is what
their soul longs for.
This not only has ramifications for
the congregation though. It does not only leave the congregation malnourished.
It leaves the preacher malnourished. The preacher is opening the Bible to a
particular place already knowing what he intends to find there. He is also
reading with presuppositions as to certain truths that he wants to get across
to the congregation. This is not feasting on the Word. I would venture to say
that this is not sitting under the Word, and taking heed to what it says.
Rather, this is sitting over the Word with the great danger of forcing the Word
to say what you desire. This leaves the soul wanting.
Expository preaching, however, does
not present these types of problems. In expository preaching, the pastor is
seeking to preach through specific books of the Bible with his congregation. As
he preaches through books of the Bible, he is seeking to get the main meaning
of a particular passage so that he can thrust that authoritative; God inspired
meaning before his congregation. As he thrust that authoritative word before
the congregation, they are able to see the relevance for every verse of
Scripture. They are able to see the whole counsel of God. Everything that God
has addressed through the Word is being presented to the people of God.
Expository preaching is forcing the
preacher to study the Bible diligently week in and week out. He has to immerse
himself in the Word. As he immerses himself in the Word, his presuppositions
are being challenged. His former theological beliefs are being tested. This
drives him deeper and deeper into the Word. This diving into the Word is
allowing his soul to feast. He is being strengthened and transformed by the
Spirit working through the Word. He then gets into the pulpit having gained a
better understanding about the person of God, and also having his affections
for Christ stirred up by the living Word of God. He then stands before the congregation
and delivers, with great passion, the glorious truths that caused his soul to
exult in God. That is but a glimpse to the benefits of expository preaching
compared to topological preaching.
It is important to note that
expository preaching is not simply laying out each individual truth that one
finds in a passage of the Bible. That is what we have commentaries and other
resources for. Expository preaching, when done faithfully, is so much more. This
is where it is helpful to look into Jonathon Edwards and John Piper’s teachings
on preaching. It is here that we will see what expository preaching should
consist of.
A pastor is to know and understand
that preaching is a gift of God that serves in the conversion of sinners and the
perseverance of the saints. This means that salvation is at stake every time
the pastor ascends the pulpit. Piper says, “Therefore, every sermon is a
‘salvation sermon’-not just because of its aim to convert sinners, but also in
its aim to preserve the holy affections of the saints and so enable them to
confirm their calling and election and be saved” (pg. 81). This should make the
pastor tremble. The weight of what is happening in a sermon is breathtaking.
The ministry of the Word is a solemn responsibility and is to be taken
seriously.
Since preaching is so very important
and is to be taken seriously, there is a great need to do it in a way that is
the most effective. What is most effective is showing to the unbeliever and
believer alike that God is absolutely supreme. The preacher is to show all who
are there that God reigns forever more, and nobody can contend for his throne
and win. In doing this, we are to seek to stir up people’s affections for the
things of God. In stirring up their affections for the things of God, every
action they do will be one that is pleasing to God. This is the case because
they will not be obedient to God begrudgingly, rather they will be obedient to
God delightfully which is true and proper obedience (pg. 85).
Another thing a preacher of the word
is to do is enlighten the mind with doctrinal truths. This will serve in
creating good, holy affections. Preachers are to teach the great doctrines of
the Bible. They are to seek to explain these doctrines clearly. This reveals
the wisdom of God. The preacher is to show the mind these doctrines by the
power of the Holy Spirit in hopes that by the power of the Holy Spirit the
congregation will delight in them. This way of renewing the mind leads to true
righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:23-24).
Of course, none of this is possible
apart from a deep delight in the Scriptures. A pastor will never be able to increase
his people’s affections for Christ if he has no delight in the Word of God. He
will not be able to enlighten the mind with deep doctrinal truths apart from a
deep desire to know the word and to make the word known. In short, he will not
be able to exult in what he is preaching in because he cannot exult in the God
of the Scriptures. With this being said, the great need that a preacher has is
to love the Word. In doing this, preaching the Word will come with great power.
