Expository Preaching 1 PM103

Where do we begin our study of Homiletics?  I have done a lot of preaching.  Some of it was good.  Enough of it was forgettable.  Expository Preaching was a choice.  Is Expository Preaching passé?  Are there other viable options?

Lost influence by pastors  Image of pastors has eroded  Overshadowed by a sophisticated communication society  Authoritative message has been lost  Social action prevails over listening

Building a case for Preaching  By faithful conviction we take the Bible seriously  Rom 1.15 “I am eager to preach the gospel to you…” preaching is powerful  1 Pet 1.25 “the good news which was preached to you” redemption via preaching  2 Tim 4.2 “preach the word”

The need for Expository Preaching  Temptations to speak aside from the Bible  “when a preacher fails to preach the Scriptures, he abandons his authority.”  EP is about God’s truth applied to lives today  EP has set backs

Definition of Expository Preaching “Expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted through a historical, grammatical and literary study of a passage in its context, which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through him to his hearers.”

Definition priority  “The thought of the biblical writer determines the substance of an expository sermon.”  Put God’s truth into modern lives with the spoken word.  Key is “source”. Where did the idea originate?

Expository Preaching is a Philosophy  Not a method but a value  Purity in purpose  Choice:  Bend thoughts to match Scripture?  Use Scriptures to support thoughts?  Willing to allow God to change you.

It is all about the concept  Words need context to communicate meaning  What did the Holy Spirit want the Biblical writers mean?

Derived from the text  Text is both the source and means of transfer  Authority resides in text not in preacher  Must explain Scripture convincingly  Strive for firsthand acquaintance with biblical writers

Concept Applied to Expositor  Applied to life of Preacher first  Message and messenger are one  Live then proclaim  “Regrettably, may preachers fail as Christians before they fail as preachers because they do not think biblically.”

Apply to the Hearers  Three levels  Exegete  Man of God  Preacher Application gives preaching purpose  Two complaints:  “same ol’ thing”  Not practical

Sermons Must Make a Difference in Today’s World  Forget about speaking to the ages  Speak to this day  Address the people not history  God addresses people as they are, where they are

Effective Application  Both theology and ethics  How do people relate to each other?  How do people relate to God?  What are the values behind our choices?  Do we know the questions people are asking?

The End