Proclaiming the Word E-Book

David Jackman

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 394

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

David J. Jackman Presents a Convenient, Accessible Primer on Expository Preaching God uses his people to accomplish his work through his word. Every Bible teacher—from pastors and small-group leaders to Sunday school volunteers—has the task and privilege of rightly handling the revelation God has given. To do this effectively, they need to make Scripture the driving force of their preaching. In this convenient handbook, David J. Jackman offers readers the basic principles of biblical exposition that will equip them to faithfully study, prepare, and deliver sermons and Bible talks. Sharing from his 30 years of experience equipping pastors, he gives readers the skills to study and convey the context of Bible passages, encourage meaningful application of Scripture, and more. Proclaiming the Word features several practical teaching examples along with a sample assessment in the back to help Bible expositors submit their sermons to the word of God.  - Handbook for Expository Preaching: Written for pastors, leaders, and teachers at every level of church life - Practical: Presents key skills for expository preaching, including understanding biblical context, following the tone of the original Bible writers, and questioning how personal theological frameworks affect the interpretation of Scripture - Applicable: Teaches pastors how to contextualize Bible talks for modern audiences and purposefully apply Scripture in their own lives

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“Amid the avalanche of books on preaching, this one is really worth reading. With his trademark clarity and care, David Jackman gives us principles for preaching that are genuinely biblical, together with specific examples that enable the reader to see what this looks like in practice. His practical advice on how to approach a text and produce an effective sermon is invaluable. Jackman is a master teacher of preaching, and all who read this book will be refreshed in their appreciation of the task and strengthened in a faithful ministry of the written word of God.”

Mark D. Thompson, Principal, Moore Theological College

“Here is a book for every preacher to own, read, and digest. David Jackman distills a lifetime of experience as a preacher, a teacher of preachers worldwide, and a pastor to preachers. As we would expect from Jackman, the book is crystal clear in its instruction, abundantly well illustrated in its examples, and deeply biblical in its content. It also breathes the warm heart of one who knows what it is to struggle with preaching and to encourage others in this work. I particularly love chapter 16 with its guidance on the appropriate tones for preaching; only an experienced pastor could write this as Jackman does. I am so grateful to him for writing this book.”

Christopher Ash, Writer in Residence, Tyndale House, Cambridge; Former Director, Cornhill Training Course; author, The Priority of Preaching

“Here, surely, is the Bible expositor’s indispensable companion from a trustworthy and seasoned practitioner who takes us step-by-step, patiently but unequivocally, through the nuts and bolts of expository preaching, showing us best practices to emulate and pitfalls to avoid. Throughout the book, the timeless authority of the Bible as the word of God for all of life is strongly affirmed. No investment can be too much for this long-awaited classic.”

Emmanuel A. S. Egbunu, Bishop of Lokoja, Church of Nigeria

“A gem of a preaching manual by a master preacher and trainer. Give this to your pastor to encourage him to keep on keeping on. Give it to your trainees so that they learn to stay on the line. May David Jackman’s lifetime of wisdom as an expositor and trainer of expositors bless you as I have been so richly blessed by his training over the years.”

Denesh Divyanathan, Senior Pastor, The Crossing Church, Singapore; Chairman, Evangelical Theological College of Asia; President, Project Timothy Singapore

“By the grace of God, David Jackman has trained numerous faithful preachers, who in turn have gone on to train others with the things they have learned through him. This book encapsulates his teaching with clarity and conviction, making it an invaluable resource for preachers and their trainers. May the Lord raise up many more faithful expositors of his word from around the world, and may this excellent tool be widely used as part of that process.”

Andrew Cheah, Dean, St. Mary’s Anglican Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

“David Jackman has devoted much of his ministry to training the next generation of preachers. The Lord has multiplied his labors at the Proclamation Trust in London to benefit churches across Great Britain and around the world. This book represents his distilled wisdom and instruction on the subject of preaching—and it is a treasure trove. From start to finish it is marked by biblical clarity, practical help, and pastoral warmth. Would-be preachers ought to read this book carefully at the outset of ministry, and serving pastors would do well to sharpen their skills by taking time to heed Jackman’s guidance. This book is a gift to the church.”

Jonathan Griffiths, Lead Pastor, The Metropolitan Bible Church, Ottawa, Canada

“David Jackman equips those in the church and the academy with a deep and clear handbook for expository preaching. Proclaiming the Word delivers principles and practices saturated with Christian character and wisdom for the long haul.”

Theo Karvounakis, Director and Professor of Theology, Greek Bible College

“David Jackman is a much-esteemed leader in the conservative evangelical movement in England and beyond. His experience in pastoral ministry and training others for pastoral ministry shines through this book. Jackman is ideally suited to provide not just encouragement or exhortation but also a training manual for future generations of preachers. In this book you will find a tonic toward a fresh commitment to expository preaching. You will also be given realistic and helpful tools to develop as a preacher. Proclaiming the Word is practical, encouraging, biblical, and challenging.”

Josh Moody, Senior Pastor, College Church, Wheaton, Illinois; President, God Centered Life Ministries

“I don’t know a better trainer of preachers than David Jackman, so I am delighted that his teaching has now been made widely available in this book. It will be a great help, both to novices and experienced practitioners alike.”

Vaughan Roberts, Rector, St Ebbe’s, Oxford, United Kingdom

“This is a book for beginners and for veterans. David Jackman has tutored many in the art of preaching. His work is clear but not simplistic; it is principled and also practical. Above all, it is biblical, expounding the relevant texts so that we can see what God wants of us when we preach. At many points, I found it deeply challenging as I considered my own long-established habits in the light of the author’s wisdom. I hope that it will be widely read.”

Peter Jensen, former Archbishop of Sydney

“This is an empowering book. David Jackman, as always, is clear, thoughtful, and persuasive. This book journeys through biblical convictions, the realities preachers face, and both the mindset and skill set needed to grow as a preacher of God’s word. With years of experience condensed in a single volume, this resource is a great gift to anyone in the church seeking to develop as an expositor of the Bible.”

Nat Schluter, Principal, Johannesburg Bible College

“In this excellent book, David Jackman distills a lifetime of wisdom as both an expository preacher and a teacher of expository preaching. Here you have an overview of the preacher’s task, an explanation of the skills required, and worked examples to put those principles into practice. It is a guide for new preachers, a textbook on preaching, and a repository of tools for the practiced preacher. This is a great gift to the church that all expository Bible preachers will want to have at hand for the great work entrusted to them.”

Justyn Terry, Vice Principal and Academic Dean, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford

Proclaiming the Word

Proclaiming the Word

Principles and Practices for Expository Preaching

David J. Jackman

Foreword by Peter Nicholas

Proclaiming the Word: Principles and Practices for Expository Preaching

© 2024 by David J. Jackman

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Jordan Singer

First printing 2024

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-9210-2 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-9212-6 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-9211-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Jackman, David, author. | Nicholas, Peter, contributor. 

Title: Proclaiming the word : principles and practices for expository preaching / David J. Jackman ; a foreword by Peter Nicholas. 

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2024. | Includes bibliographical references and index. 

Identifiers: LCCN 2023042756 (print) | LCCN 2023042757 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433592102 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781433592119 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433592126 (e-pub)

Subjects: LCSH: Preaching. | Exposition (Rhetoric)—Religious aspects. 

Classification: LCC BV4211.3 .J33 2024 (print) | LCC BV4211.3 (ebook) | DDC 251—dc23/eng/20240213

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023042756

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023042757

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2024-08-12 04:21:04 PM

Contents

  Foreword by Peter Nicholas

  Preface

  Acknowledgments

Part 1: Basic Principles

1  Why Does Preaching Matter?

2  What Is Expository Preaching?

3  Are There Biblical Patterns?

4  What Are the Contemporary Challenges?

5  How Does the Preacher Prepare?

6  How Does the Preacher Develop?

7  How Does the Preacher Connect?

8  How Does the Preacher Persevere?

Part 2: Developing Skills

9  Stay on the Line

10  Listen to the Text

11  Put the Text in Context

12  Be a Time Traveler

13  Sing to the Theme Tune

14  Make the Application

15  Beware Framework

16  Echo the Bible’s Tone

Part 3: Rightly Handling the Word of Truth

17  Two Testaments, One Story

18  The Skeleton Structure

19  Keep On Keeping On

  Appendix

  Sample Assessment

  General Index

  Scripture Index

Foreword

In every generation, preaching has its detractors. In this generation, cases for abandoning preaching range from declining attention spans in those brought up on TikTok, to sermons being elitist because they only appeal to the college educated who have learned to sit through lectures, to a preference for discussion instead of being “preached at” due to postmodernity’s antiauthoritarian bias.

And yet, something unique about preaching appeals to all cultures and gives it enduring significance even today—in fact, especially today. Whether in a rural community in Uganda or with university students in New York, there is something leveling and accessible across varying contexts about a person standing up and giving a sustained monologue to a community of listeners. A brief survey of history will show even the casual observer that this simple but vital mode of communication transcends class, culture, education, and life experience. How wise the Lord is to choose this as his primary mode to teach his people and to share good news with those who do not yet follow Christ!

The challenge that we face in our day and age is not that preaching has ceased to be relevant but that our confidence in preaching is shaken and our practice of preaching lacks conviction and skill to engage an increasingly post-Christian landscape. Those are the two elements that need to be constantly refreshed: conviction and skill. For while God may be the only one who can ensure that people are “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37) and that the sermon lands with power and with the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:5), our responsibility as preachers lies in these twin areas:

Conviction so that the preacher dwells in the word and the word dwells in the preacher;Skill to mine the text, diagnose the relevant dispositions of the human heart, target God’s message into the cultural context, and communicate in a way that brings all this together and connects with those listening. 

It is all too easy for preachers to lament that the Holy Spirit does not seem to be at work in the way we hoped he would be when we have not fulfilled our role in a convinced and skillfully delivered sermon. 

For these reasons, this book is a must-read both for those beginning this high calling and for more established preachers. Having had the privilege of calling David a mentor for a number of years, I know firsthand his rare ability both to engender a deep conviction that God works through the preaching of his word and to demystify and train preachers in the tools wielded by God’s workman. David has been training students in preaching for a remarkable thirty years. He has encouraged and equipped people of different ages, stages, ethnicities, nationalities, and backgrounds. Having this material now honed into a book (something many of us were praying would happen) is a rare gift to the church, and I pray it will bless you as it has so many others. 

By way of briefly seeking to bolster your conviction that preaching is a high calling even today, I want to refer to a small book written in 1592 by the Puritan William Perkins, The Art of Prophesying (i.e., preaching), a book I heard David refer to many years ago and one that I subsequently read. In his preface, Perkins argued that effective preaching has three benefits alongside the evangelistic dynamic of “gathering the church and bringing together all of the elect”:

1. “It drives away wolves from the folds of the Lord.”

2. It allures our souls away from ungodliness to follow Christ.

3. It is “the weapon which has shaken the foundations of ancient heresies.”1

Each of these three statements draws on a different picture that illuminates an important aspect of preaching and points to the multifaceted nature of the sermon and the preacher who delivers it. 

The first image speaks of the preacher in that familiar role of shepherd. As Psalm 23 reminds us, a shepherd uses both a rod and a staff (Ps. 23:4): a rod to drive away the predators (supremely the world, the flesh, and the devil) who unchecked would ravage the flock and a staff to draw wandering sheep back into the fold tenderly. Some preachers by disposition are more naturally tender and comforting. Others are better at correcting and confronting. A wise shepherd of the flock will recognize the need for both as we follow the true shepherd who is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). 

The second image communicates something of the aesthetic of the gospel and the preacher as the artist seeking to represent this beauty with deft brushstrokes. Thomas Cranmer has been summarized as teaching, “What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies.”2 Therefore, to preach Christ is to represent his beauty before the eyes of those listening such that they yearn to know him better and are drawn to love him more deeply. 

From shepherd to artist and, finally, to a soldier, the third image represents that familiar mode, though perhaps unpopular today, of the fight in the Christian life. To preach is to wield the very sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, recognizing that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms (see Eph. 6:12–17). Therefore, the preacher’s weapons are not the weapons of this world, but have “divine power to demolish strongholds . . . and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:4–5). 

Shepherd, artist, and soldier. I hope that you see how varied and multifaceted the preacher’s calling is! If you feel a little daunted, as I do, then I know this book will assuage your fears and equip you to use the right tool in the right way and at the right time—whether the shepherd’s rod and staff, the artist’s paintbrush, or the soldier’s sword. 

Equally, though, I hope that your pulse has quickened a bit and that a sense of the glory of this calling fills you with hope and expectancy: hope that God can work through you, weak and sinful as you are, and expectancy about what he may do in and through you as you give yourself to this ministry. Soli Deo gloria!

Rev. Peter Nicholas

Senior Pastor

Redeemer Downtown, New York City, New York

1  William Perkins, The Art of Prophesying: And the Calling of the Ministry (repr., Edinburgh, UK: Banner of Truth, 2021). Available online at https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/perkins_prophesying.html.

2  Summarized by Ashley Null. I have heard him use this phrase numerous times in person and in talks.

Preface

For the past thirty years, I have been engaged in training preachers for expository ministry under the auspices of the Proclamation Trust. It has been my privilege to work with many young preachers, coming alongside to help them improve their Bible handling abilities, cultivate essential skills, and develop their practical experience in proclaiming the word. The Trust was founded in 1986 to propagate expository preaching in thankfulness for the outstandingly effective ministry of Dick Lucas over twenty-five years (at that time) as rector of the church of St. Helen, Bishopsgate, in London. The Cornhill Training Course, of which I was the first director, is a ministry of the Trust, which God has used in the UK and in similar initiatives in other parts of the world. The basics that Dick Lucas taught us forty years ago have always been at the heart of this ministry, and revisiting them has provided renewed stimulus for this present work.

The book is structured as three modules, each exploring from different angles both the development of the expository sermon, or talk, and that of the expository preacher. Moving through the basic necessities of biblical preaching and the fundamentals of how to go about the task, the first module also addresses the preacher’s own convictions, commitment, and personal development. The second module looks in more detail at the range of practical skills to be identified and practiced as the basic tools for the task. Finally, the third module focuses on preaching Scripture as the whole counsel of God, along with the rewards of patient persistence in this privileged calling.

Obviously, this is not the sort of book to be read through at a sitting or two, although a body of knowledge and experience should accumulate as the chapters unfold. Rather, it has the character of a hands-on training manual, where each chapter has a specific role to play in assembling the bigger picture. The aim is to identify and illustrate biblically the principles and methodology of exposition so that the reader can have confidence that such preaching is dependent on and actively shaped by the word of God. Working through the book, there is some occasional and intentional repetition. Significant points can benefit through reinforcement from a variety of different contexts. Convictions are often strengthened and skills developed by a drip feed approach rather than an overload of information. There is also an important pastoral element designed to nurture the preacher, not just as a competent practitioner, but as a faithful disciple and obedient servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Timothy was exhorted to keep a close watch on his life as well as his teaching (1 Tim. 4:16).

My prayer is that the contents of these chapters may help to stimulate and equip a new generation of Bible expositors, engaging in the adventure of becoming “a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). But this book is not just for those starting out! No matter how long we have been preaching, we all need to return to the training camp from time to time to renew our enthusiasm, sharpen our skills, increase our proficiency, and deepen our dedication. There is no more urgent task today and no greater privilege than to dedicate our time and talents to the faithful proclamation of God’s revealed truth—the whole truth and nothing but the truth. “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart” (2 Cor. 4:1).

David Jackman

eastbourne, england

october 2023

Acknowledgments

I am indebted to so many colleagues and students who have helped me over the past thirty years to clarify and develop the principles and practices this book contains. It has been an immense privilege to work through these concepts with hundreds of students on the Cornhill Training Course in London and its offshoots elsewhere, as well as with many pastors and preachers around the world in training workshops for expository preaching. In all of these situations, I have been a learner as much as a teacher, and I am so grateful for all those who have helped me personally through their engagement and feedback.

Several years ago, many of these basic principles were brought together in a series of training videos titled “Equipped to Preach the Word,” for which I remain very grateful to Sam Shammas, whose editorial and production skills were so formative and whose enthusiasm for the materials was positively infectious. I wish also to express my appreciation of the diligence and hard work put into the typing of the manuscript by Nancy Olsen, my friend and colleague of many years, for her special skills in deciphering my hieroglyphics and without whom this book would not have seen the light of day.

I am grateful to the whole team at Crossway, especially to Todd Augustine for his interest and support in developing the project and to my editor Chris Cowan for his patience and his many insightful comments and suggestions, which have shaped and so much improved the final version. To them and to all the Crossway staff, who have given me such consistent support and encouragement, I express my sincere gratitude and appreciation.

Finally, I am, as always, so thankful for my wonderful wife of fifty-four years, Heather, for her constant support and encouragement in this task, which has occupied many hours of “retirement” but which is so dear to both of our hearts. Her love, wisdom, and perseverance have been a rock to me throughout my ministry. I am constantly thankful both to her and to the Lord.

Above all I thank God for the greatest privilege of involvement in the ongoing ministry of his living and enduring word, and I pray that in his hands these few crumbs may be multiplied to help raise up and equip a new generation of expository preachers around the world who will be unashamed workers, rightly handling the word of truth.

Part 1

Basic Principles

1

Why Does Preaching Matter?

To many people, preaching seems strangely out of place in the modern world. Why would anyone choose to go to a church building, week by week, to hear a preacher (often the same person) deliver a monologue for twenty or thirty minutes (sometimes even longer) about an ancient book with characters who lived, at best, two thousand years ago? This doesn’t happen in any other context. Educational methods are increasingly interactive. Learning by discovery is the watchword. Preaching seems to be just another example of the church being out of touch, out of date, and out of steam.

Of course, it’s not difficult to find examples of preaching that are sadly boring or irrelevant. Nor is it hard to hear arguments put forward to claim that preaching has had its day: we live in a visual-learning culture, listeners have sound-bite levels of concentration, study groups or one-to-one mentoring is more effective, moderns are opposed to domination of a congregation from an elevated pulpit, and so on. But the remedy for the disappointing level of much contemporary preaching is not less preaching, nor its removal from the church’s agenda, but better preaching. And that is because something happens through preaching that cannot occur in any other communication context.

God is committed to preaching, by which he speaks through the proclamation and explanation of his word. So the preacher’s task and privilege is, in J. I. Packer’s memorable phrase, “to mediate a meeting with God.”1 Preaching matters not because human beings decide that it does but because through preaching God speaks today. His voice is heard. So let’s look at three basic convictions or principles (and key Scripture passages for each) that help us to understand not just why preaching matters but why it is of supreme importance.

1. Preaching Matters Because the God of the Bible Is a Speaking God

The act of preaching today cannot be separated from the word of God that he has infallibly spoken in the Scriptures—the sixty-six books of divine revelation that make up our Bible. That is the bedrock foundation on which all preaching is to be built.

A basic biblical definition of the preacher is that he is a herald or proclaimer. It’s a significant description because it implies that there is a message, or declaration, that the messenger is to pass on faithfully and accurately without distortion. Because God has spoken in his word, the preacher can and must preach. Without that divinely given biblical content, all that a preacher can achieve is the expression of his own, often highly questionable, opinions. On offer, then, are the mere words of human beings. They may appear attractive and promise all sorts of comfort and joy, but ultimately, they are just human words—transient and powerless. Instead, in biblical expository preaching, the authentic voice of God is heard. What is expected is that God will speak to our souls through the human agency of the preacher.

To mediate a meeting with God will require the preacher’s disciplined preparation and dependence on the Holy Spirit. The conviction that such a meeting is God’s purpose and, therefore, possible will have constant implications for the preacher. If we are to be expositors, we must take sufficient time for preparation so that we have more than just a surface acquaintance with the text. We must read and reread, to listen carefully and hard, if we are to represent God’s truth faithfully. This will ensure that what we say is accurate to both the content and tone of the Bible passage we are preaching. Otherwise, we may easily lead our hearers astray. We must be actively depending on God, the Holy Spirit, to grant illumination and understanding to us and our hearers so that in our preparation we are governed by his life-giving word and praying for its impact on all who hear. Equally, we must be dependent on the Spirit who inspired the text to give us clear thinking, a warm heart, and effective delivery in the process of preaching so that the wind of God may be in the sails of the sermon.

Convictions such as these need to be rooted in us through the power of the Scriptures themselves. So it will be profitable to examine a key passage from Paul in 2 Timothy to help us ensure that our view of preaching is shaped by God’s word and not contemporary opinions.

At the end of his life Paul passes on the ministry baton to Timothy, who is serving as pastor-teacher in Ephesus, the church in which Paul himself had spent his longest period of settled ministry. Like many pastors today, Timothy is struggling against false teaching bringing divisive factions into the church, but the conviction Paul wants his young colleague to embrace is that the Scriptures—what he calls “the sacred writings”—are more than sufficient as his authoritative source of divine revelation by which he can fulfill his ministry and lead the church. Paul writes, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:14–15). Paul’s appeal is for stability, for continuance in the Scriptures, on the grounds that Timothy has experienced already their trustworthy truth in his own life and family as well as through close observation of Paul’s own life and ministry (2 Tim. 3:10–14).

Paul’s main argument, though, builds on the double purpose—or what we could perhaps label as the job description—of the Scriptures. First, according to 2 Timothy 3:15, the Scriptures are able to make us wise to come to Christ by faith to find salvation. As the Bible story unfolds, God is progressively revealing himself through the Scriptures until, ultimately, he comes in person into our world. As we meet Jesus in the pages of the Gospels, we see the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his person (Heb. 1:3). This is what compels us to repent of our sin, accept his merciful forgiveness, and lay our lives before him as our Savior, Lord, and God.

The second purpose appears in the following verses: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Because all Scripture is breathed out by God, it is the articulation in words of his mind and purposes. Because of that, all Scripture is profitable to teach what is right and to correct what is wrong. And this is necessary so that the man of God (a technical term for the pastor-teacher like Timothy) may be equipped for the task in all its aspects. The term “equipped” means that everything necessary has been provided to get the job done. Scripture is the pastor-teacher’s totally sufficient resource for ministry because what Scripture says, God says.

Paul’s solemn charge is, therefore, brief and to the point: “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 Tim. 4:1–2). Whether or not it seems to be “in season,” the word is always to be preached in order to do its work of reproving and rebuking so as to build up and strengthen the people of God. The need is urgent, then and now, because false teaching is constantly multiplying and spiritually destructive. But Timothy is not instructed to seek out or discover some new message. He is to keep faithful to the revelation already given; he is to preach the word, the word breathed out by God himself, whatever the personal cost might be.

Paul concludes, “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5). Paul warns Timothy not to allow any pressures, whether external opposition or internal uncertainty and divisions, to divert him from this primary calling. The apostle’s confidence is entirely in the power of the preaching of the word of God to accomplish the work of God, both in the church and in the world. Only that confidence will keep the contemporary preacher unashamedly at this good work, whatever the responses. When God’s word is faithfully preached, God’s voice is authentically heard. Preaching matters because the God of the Bible is a speaking God, the only one.

2. Preaching Matters Because Christ Himself Is Its Supreme Focus

For this second principle, we turn again to the apostle Paul, this time writing to the church at Colossae. Again, the context is important. The Colossian Christians seem to have become diverted from seeing Christ as the full and sufficient revelation of God. Instead, they imagined that they could somehow add spiritual value by their own efforts. Paul’s message is that in Christ the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and they have this fullness in union with Christ. Ascetic practices, religious rules and regulations, or speculative theological discussions can add nothing. In fact, to try to add to Christ is actually to subtract from him. Paul writes,

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Col. 1:24–29)

Paul describes his God-given ministry as “to make the word of God fully known” (Col. 1:25). This means not so much teaching the whole Bible, Genesis to Revelation as it were, though that in itself is a laudable aim. Paul’s point is that the fullness of God’s word is Christ. What was hidden for ages has now been revealed. It has become an open secret, in which the riches of God’s glory are disclosed. It has both a present experiential ingredient, “Christ in you” here and now, and also a wonderful future completion or fulfillment in “the hope of glory” (1:27). Christ is the summit and fullness of all God’s revelation through his word, and so Paul’s emphasis is unmissable. His is a ministry of proclamation, and the focus and substance of all his preaching is the open secret of God’s mystery, which is Christ. Him we proclaim! That is why preaching matters so much—because Christ is its supreme focus.

Equally clear is Paul’s teaching about the goal to which his preaching is directed. We proclaim Christ so that we may present everyone “mature,” which means complete, “in Christ” (Col. 1:28). As the full truth about who Christ is and what he has accomplished is proclaimed through all the Scriptures, God’s people are both warned of error and taught the truth. We are warned not to think that we will find the fullness of God’s grace anywhere else than in Jesus Christ. It is only through the Scriptures, taught by the Holy Spirit, that we grow more and more into the image and likeness of our great Savior and Redeemer.

Paul takes it a step further when he writes to the Corinthians that “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:22–24). Christ is the supreme focus of all biblical preaching, and the ongoing task of every expositor is to proclaim Christ crucified. We do not proclaim Christianity, either as a series of doctrinal propositions or a set of ethical instructions. Though both are biblical, they are not the center. We do not proclaim speculative theories of spirituality. We proclaim Christ. We do not proclaim health, happiness, and prosperity. We proclaim Christ—and him crucified.

All this is hard work. “For this I toil, struggling” is Paul’s own testimony (Col. 1:29). In Greek literature, the verbs Paul uses appear in contexts that speak of hard, back-breaking manual labor, as well as in contexts that describe two athletes pitting their strength against each other in the wrestling arena, making every effort to overcome their opponent. Preaching takes everything we have—intellectually, emotionally, relationally. And if that was all Paul said, most of us would give up before we started. But wonderfully, he continues: “with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Col. 1:29). This energy is supernatural, Spirit-given, enabling the Bible preacher to keep working, wrestling, struggling, and persevering—first in the study and then in the pulpit. We want to proclaim “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).

3. Preaching Matters Because Everyone Everywhere Needs to Hear

In Romans 10, Paul shares his heart for the conversion of unbelieving Israel. All through the letter the distinction between Jews and Gentiles has been operative, but their common need of God’s rescuing grace in Christ becomes the increasingly dominant concern and focus. Paul states that in Christ “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:12–13). He continues,

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Rom. 10:14–17)

The good news of salvation in and through the Lord Jesus Christ is a message the whole world needs to hear, and Paul’s unpacking of the process by which that can happen puts preaching at its heart. Faith is produced through hearing the word of Christ, which requires a messenger to proclaim the gospel. This is the message that Christ himself first proclaimed and then commissioned his disciples to take to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:19–20). That commission has never been rescinded, so preaching is supremely strategic. As Christ’s saving work is made available to all, our privilege is to play a tiny part in building God’s universal kingdom, which dwarfs man’s greatest skyscrapers and which will last for eternity.

As John Stott puts it,

There could be no hearers without heralds. . . . The essence of Paul’s argument is seen if we put his six verbs in the opposite order: Christ sends heralds; heralds preach; people hear; hearers believe; believers call; and those who call are saved. And the relentless logic of Paul’s case . . . is felt most forcibly when the stages are stated negatively and each is seen to be essential to the next. Thus, unless some people are commissioned for the task, there will be no gospel preachers; unless the gospel is preached, sinners will not hear Christ’s message and voice; unless they hear him, they will not believe the truths of his death and resurrection; unless they believe these truths they will not call on him; and unless they call on his name, they will not be saved.2

Preaching matters because it is God’s appointed means by which the word of Christ is heard, the word that generates life-giving faith. We are not at liberty either to alter one letter of the content of God’s messages or to dispense with God’s method for its spread. Only in the sixty-six books of the canonical Scriptures can we be certain that we have the authentic word of the living God. Anything else will always be speculative. However powerful or engaging such a presentation may appear to be, if it is not God’s word, it will not endure forever. There will always be demands for anything and everything else—miraculous signs, words of human wisdom, impressive communicators, powerful charisma. But we are to preach the word, to proclaim Christ. And that is what we must continue to do because such preaching reveals the heart’s destiny. Response to God’s word is the touchstone issue, both now and for eternity. That is why preaching matters and always will.

1  J. I. Packer, Truth and Power: The Place of Scripture in the Christian Life (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 120.

2  John R. W. Stott, The Message of Romans, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, UK: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 286–87.

2

What Is Expository Preaching?

My aim in these opening chapters is to establish some vital, basic principles so that we have solid foundations in place to build on and develop our practical skills. Sometimes this means taking time carefully to define the terms we are using, and the word expository is an important case in point. Most preachers who use the Bible in their preaching would claim to be expository because something of biblical truth is included in what they say. That is all well and good. It is certainly preferable to preaching that is based on the preacher’s bright ideas, but I want to use the term with a more specific and focused definition. An illustration may help us.

Let’s think about our preaching using the analogy of a car. Here’s the question: where is the Bible in the car? The illustration can equally be applied to your church or your own personal life, but we’ll stick with our preaching as the focus.

For some preachers the Bible is out of sight in the trunk, hidden away and largely forgotten. As in many car trunks, the Bible in this illustration sits among a number of items that have been discarded and ignored. Preaching like this is governed by the preacher’s own thoughts and opinions, discussion of current political and cultural issues, or just a series of agenda items for the management of the church. But the preacher is firmly in the driver’s seat.

For others, the Bible seems to be permanently in the back seat not exercising any discernible influence on the preaching but perhaps once in a while providing an illuminating or provocative comment. Backseat drivers can cause considerable irritation to the driver, and for some the Bible has an inhibiting, restrictive effect. It belongs to a generation and a set of values long past so that it is best used only occasionally, if and when it chances to be relevant. This keeps the preacher still in the driver’s seat.

Perhaps the most popular place for the Bible, however, is in the passenger seat, where it can certainly perform some useful functions. The Bible is viewed rather like a conversation companion on the journey, a sort of celestial satellite navigational system to help us travel in the right direction, a useful map reader to keep us on track. Such preaching uses the Bible to clarify or illustrate what the preacher wants to say, especially trying to make it relevant to today. But here, too, the preacher remains in the driver’s seat.

The Principles of Expository Preaching

There is, of course, another place for the Bible in the car: firmly in the driver’s seat. This is the defining mark of expository preaching.

Expository Preaching Is Driven by the Bible

The Bible determines the content of expository preaching because it takes the Bible seriously. The text of Scripture governs and directs all that the preacher says. Since we glorify the speaking God not only by listening to what he says but also by ensuring that his living and enduring word is our supreme authority in what we believe and how we live, that word must necessarily be at the center of our preaching.

Critics sometimes claim that this is equivalent to worshiping the Bible, displacing Christ from his proper headship in his church, or inhibiting the work of the Spirit. But how does Christ mediate his authority among his people? He rules by his word through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, opening the minds and hearts of God’s people to its truth. So as the word is in the driver’s seat, Christ—whose word it is—instructs and guides his people by his Spirit.

This is the testimony of the Lord Jesus himself in John 6:63: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” Later he promises the apostles that “when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak. . . . He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13–14). It is through the apostolic witness in the New Testament Scriptures that we hear Christ’s voice. We do not worship the Bible, but it is the divinely appointed means by which we come to worship the true Christ—as revealed in the Scriptures—and not a figment of our own imagination.

Consider the alternative. If the word of God is not driving our preaching and teaching, then something or someone else will be. There are plenty of rival candidates. It may be the preacher’s wisdom or originality, a charismatic personality, popular opinion in the congregation, or the social and political agendas of our current culture. But when we realize how unstable, transient, and subjective each of these will prove to be, the necessity of expository preaching becomes even more obvious. The apostle Paul warned the Ephesians that congregations are easily “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). In contrast, when the Bible is in the driver’s seat, the voice of God is heard, even through the imperfect human channel.

Of course, the Bible is a blending of the human and divine. The biblical books were given to us through the words of the original writers at specific points in space and time. The writers necessarily have different styles and write both from and to different historical and cultural contexts. Yet because the Scriptures are divinely inspired—“breathed out by God” (2 Tim. 3:16)—they have eternal significance and validity.

God did not give us a book of rules or a set of theological propositions. He spoke to and through real people in real life situations so that the human ingredients are seamlessly woven together with the divine. To grasp the Bible’s unchanging divine message, we have to put ourselves in the shoes of the original hearers or readers in their particular contexts. When we see what the text meant to them, we soon realize that our external cultural differences do not affect the Bible’s continuing authority. Although all Scripture is culturally positioned, this fact does not reduce its validity and relevance since its divine author is unchanging and eternal. Its revelatory truth is not culturally conditioned.

Expository Preaching Recognizes That the Bible Determines the Structure and Scope of the Preaching

The Bible is to be in the driver’s seat in determining not only the content of the preaching but also the shape and course of the exposition. Beyond that, it should determine the very contours of our continuing ministry. Starting with the premise that God must be, by definition, the perfect communicator commits us not only to rigorous study of what the biblical text says but also to recognition of the means by which its significance is conveyed—such as the text’s tone, literary characteristics, genre, promises and meanings, encouragements and motivations. The biblical text drives the what of preaching, but it drives the how and the why as well.

It follows that expository preaching is normally practiced as the systematic, consecutive treatment of successive passages through a particular biblical book. It is preaching that works its way through entire books or major sections of the Bible. This gives due recognition to the way in which God has given us his word. Otherwise, one can all too easily develop a butterfly mentality in the selection of preaching texts, hopping from topic to topic or extracting favorite passages from their context. This pick-and-choose approach means that texts are often treated in a stand-alone manner rather than understood within their biblical contexts so that they may be related to the whole sweep of redemptive history. God’s method, by contrast, is to produce whole books, each with its own unique purpose and serving a cumulative effect. Expository preaching uses the larger units to inform our understanding of a particular section and vice-versa so that our picture of the whole book begins to sharpen its focus.