Expository preaching

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Expository preaching (also referred to as systematic exposition) is a form of preaching that expounds upon the meaning of a particular text or passage of Scripture. While the term could be used in connection with any religion that has organised worship that includes scriptural teaching, the term is most usually used in relation to Christianity, and is thus concerned with the exposition of the Bible. The practice probably originated from the Jewish tradition of the rabbi giving a "Dvar Torah", explaining a passage from the Torah, at the conclusion of prayer services.

Expository preaching differs from topical preaching in that the former concentrates on a specific text and discusses topics covered therein, whereas the latter concentrates on a specific topic and references texts covering the topic.

Contents

[edit] Methods of Exposition

There are two ways in which texts are selected for exposition:

  • use of a lectionary (common in many mainline denominational churches), or
  • letting the preacher or individual church decide which books or passages are examined (common in evangelical churches from both mainline denominations and independent churches).

[edit] The Lectionary Method

A lectionary is a pre-arranged set of passages on which the preacher is to expound. The passages found in the lectionary are usually influenced by the church calendar, and are sometimes set by the particular denomination of the minister and church.

  • The primary advantage of using a denominationally based lectionary is that the same themes and passages are expounded at the same time throughout that body of churches. Use of a lectionary also has the advantage of covering large sections of the Bible so that the congregation is exposed to them over a reasonable amount of time.
  • One disadvantage of using lectionaries is that the church and preacher are somewhat constrained by the lectionary's rules. Another disadvantage is that the set passages in the lectionary may not cover an entire book of the Bible, or may contain too much information for the preacher to cover in one sermon.

[edit] The Individual Choice Method

When the passages are determined by the preacher or the individual church, the preacher has the freedom to work out which passages are studied at particular times. In such a situation, the preacher will preach through an entire book of Scripture, which generally allows a far more detailed look at the text being studied. Under some circumstances, preachers may prefer to preach through whole books of the Bible systematically over a long period of time. For example, suppose a preacher decides to cover the book of I John. On the beginning Sunday of the series, the preacher may explain and apply 1 John 1.1-4, then 1 John 1.5-7 the following week, then 1 John 1.8-10 after that, and would continue until all of 1 John is covered. Then another book of the Bible is examined, or else a specific topic is covered for a time (few if any churches use the expository method exclusively, even where it is predominant topical studies are used as either "breaks" between books or to cover a specific area of concern to the congregation).

  • The key advantage of this system is that the preacher is forced to expound passages that may not be examined or applied normally under a topical series.
  • The disadvantage of this system is that certain parts of the Bible (especially the Old Testament) may be overlooked.

[edit] Advantages and Disadvantages of Expository Preaching

The main advantage of expository preaching is that, if done without bias, the entire Bible will eventually be covered. In addition, the preacher will never be lost for a sermon subject, since few preachers have ever preached through the entire Bible in their lifetime or with one congregation. Should they be so fortunate to finish the entire Bible with the same congregation, many years will have passed with (hopefully) lots of new faces in the congregation, so they can start over.

The main disadvantage is that expository preaching covers many topics and necessitates often lengthy diversions into other passages for clarification. The Biblical authors covered many topics in their writings, and the expository preaching method does not allow for detailed coverage of a particular topic when only a specific text is covered. Therefore, in order to properly address the context and content at hand in a given passage, the preacher does become topical by concentrating on the topic at hand, and integrating other supporting passages. Consequently, covering the entire Bible in an understandable, yet sufficient, level is a time-consuming task. Most expository preachers will never cover the entire Bible in their lifetime, although W.A. Criswell managed to do it over a 17 year period as pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. John MacArthur (pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA) has spent nearly a decade in the book of Luke alone.

[edit] Prominent Expository Preachers

Many famous evangelical preachers have used systematic exposition.

Perhaps the greatest evangelical preacher of the 20th Century was D Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who was the minister of Westminster Chapel in London from the late 1940s to the late 1960s. His series on Romans took years to complete as he worked through the book almost a verse at a time.

Other famous expository preachers include John Stott, Dick Lucas and Charles Spurgeon from England, William Still from Scotland, Phillip Jensen and David Cook from Australia, and Ray Stedman from America.

John MacArthur is probably the best known expository preacher in America, and is a proponent of the expository method of preaching (and an outspoken opponent of the topical method as used almost exclusively by some churches). In addition, the Calvary Chapel group of churches, headed by Chuck Smith, include the regular use of expository preaching as one of their distinctives.

Many such prominent preachers in the second half of the twentieth century have put on record that to a lesser or greater extent they were persuaded of the importance of systematic exposition as a result of reading the works of A.W. Pink.

[edit] Relative importance of expository preaching

There has been some discussion among preachers of the relative importance of expository preaching. The great majority of Christians follow the conventional understanding that there are four bases for faith: the Bible, the tradition of the church, the individual's religious experience, and human reason.[citation needed] However the emphasis put on each of these varies between denominations and congregations. (see Wesleyan Quadrilateral)

In particular, some churches give Scripture the dominant position over all other sources of religious understanding. This is most common in fundamentalist and evangelical denominations that take the position that the Bible is God's inerrant word, and contains sufficient information for the Christian to understand their faith and how they should live their lives. In historical theology, these churches may adhere to the Reformation teaching of Sola Scriptura which is present in the statements of faith of a number of mainline denominations (eg, chapter 1 of The Westminster Confession of Faith).

In practice, many Evangelical and Fundamentalist churches are not regularly exposed to Expository preaching from the pulpit. Despite this, expositions of scripture are more likely to occur in these churches than in non-evangelical ones. The exposition is unlikely to be influenced by material from outside the Bible (though such material may be mentioned in the sermon, for example the writings of a commentator on the passage), but instead involves detailed comparison of one Biblical text with other texts on the same subject in order to reach a synthesis.

However, in churches that elevate church tradition, individual experience, and/or human reason to a level on par with Scripture, expository preaching (if used) will include reconciliation of the Biblical text to other sources:

  • Congregations with a strong view of church tradition or church authority (common in churches with a strong hierarchical structure) will want to know how their denomination has traditionally interpreted the passage.
  • Congregations with a strong belief in personal experience (common in the charismatic and Pentecostal circles) will want to understand how the passage relates to their experiences.
  • Congregations with a strong belief in human reason (common in churches which reject the view of Biblical inerrancy) will want to know what modern research has to say regarding the authenticity of the passage.

Regardless of these differences of emphasis, however, all preachers and congregations would agree that preaching must be honouring to God rather than to human beings. In practice, this means that the preacher as expositor should be concerned with speaking about what God sees as important. This will be of little use, however, if it does not connect to what the people in the congregation see as important - even if it only does so by seeking to upset their priorities. But the principle must be that when a church is exposed to expository preaching, they are being enabled to hear God speak rather than being told what they think they need to hear.

[edit] Expository Preaching and the Seeker Movement

The Seeker movement stresses the use of topical preaching in an attempt to make the Bible "relevant" to the congregation, specifically visitors with little or no recent church background. As such, it appears as though expository preaching is very seldom used,[1] and if so it may cover a book of the Bible at a very surface level (no more than 4-8 weeks total). Many verses that do not neatly fall into a topic, or where the topic (such as the Old Testament sacrificial system) are not considered "relevant" to the needs of the congregation, are thus not covered within the seeker movement.

The lack of expository preaching is one of the main criticisms of the seeker movement, as outlined by critics such as MacArthur.[2]

[edit] Scriptural basis for exposition

For those who believe that the dominant source of Christian understanding is the bible, it may seem obvious that expository preaching should be essential (though this is not the case with the seeker movement). Nonetheless the logic of their position demands that preaching itself should have a scriptural warrant.

The biblical basis for expository preaching can be found in many places in the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is perhaps the most important, for it states that Scripture is "breathed out by God", which means that the Bible is actually God's words. The phrase "breathed out" is also a link to the Holy Spirit, which shows a link between the work of God's Spirit, and the work of God's Word. The verse also goes on to explain that Scripture is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness". This shows that the Bible is not theoretical, but practical in its application. Finally, it states that "the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work". This has been claimed to show the sufficiency of scripture - that it is all that a Christian needs to understand his faith and how to live his life.

Another important verse is Ephesians 6:17, which states that the "Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God". This indicates again the link between the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of God's word. It shows that when the word of God is read, examined and applied, there also works the Holy Spirit.

A third important verse is found in Hebrews 4:12, which says that "The word of God is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart". This second picture of God's word as a deadly sword is deliberate, not because of the violence it implies, but because of the change it can bring to those who listen to God's word. Here also the word of God is almost given a personality of its own - which implies, again, the hidden work of the Holy Spirit as it works with the word of God to change people's lives.

Most churches that are committed to Reformed Theology and Calvinism are similarly committed to the practice of expository preaching. Most of the notable preachers mentioned above are Calvinistic in their theology. Expository preaching is not limited to those who embrace this theology, however, and can be found in a wide variety of churches.

[edit] Criticisms

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David Fitch, an editor of Leadership Journal, wrote three articles entitled The Myth of Expository Preaching & the Commodification of the Word part 1 part 2 part 3. Fitch, an evangelical, argues that an underlying assumption behind much expository preaching is an individualistic understanding of scripture and an over-reliance upon the expository preacher as the means by which God works in the church.

[edit] Movements that promote Expository preaching

Within the broad Christian church, certain denominational and inter-denominational movements exist which promote Expository preaching as being essential in the life of the church, and should be the normative way in which sermons should be preached. Some of these movements include:

Australia

Britain

Republic of Ireland

  • Reform Ireland[6]

United States

[edit] The expository preacher

Expository preachers generally believe that their main duty as a pastor is the preaching of the Bible. As such, they will spend a considerable amount, if not the majority, of their time studying and understanding the text in question, as well as associated texts on the same subject, believing it to be absolutely necessary for the welfare of their congregation. While studying, they will also be praying that God will reveal to them the proper meaning of the text, and that the hearts and minds of the congregation will be changed by it (believing that they do not have any inherent ability to effect such change, only God can do so).

Expository preachers thus assure themselves that, no matter the "results", so long as they preach the Bible and through the Bible, they have followed God's direction.

[edit] Books on Expository preaching

  • I Believe in Preaching (Between Two Worlds in USA) - John Stott.[7]
  • Preaching and Preachers - D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.[8]
  • Rediscovering Expository Preaching - John F. MacArthur Jr.[9]
  • Biblical Preaching - Haddon Robinson.[10]

[edit] Note

Bible quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, published by HarperCollins Publishers (c) 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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