John Carter – November 12, 2017
- 1 Timothy 4:13 – “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” (ESV)
- “The most obvious place to begin building a healthy church is to call Christians to listen to God’s Word”[1]
What It Is
- Exposes God’s Word, explains, then applies
- Biographical, Topical, Historical
- “The regular diet of the church should consist of the explanation and application of particular portions of God’s Word.”[2]
- Presumes:
- God’s Word is Authoritative
- God’s people should and need to hear God’s word
- All (Portions/genres) of Scripture is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16)
- “An expositional Preacher’s authority begins and ends with Scripture”
What It Isn’t
- Style (How)
- Diving board starting point and sermon have no viable connection
- Only preaching favorite/known texts – If the preacher/teacher isn’t learning new things and wrestling with the text in new ways then he is not preaching outside of his comfort zone.
- A contradiction to the very word being taught – words and deed must match up
The Way God Has Always Worked
- “God’s People have always been created by God’s Word”[3]
- Genesis 1 – Creation
- Genesis 12 – Abraham
- Ezekiel 37 – Dry Bones
- Acts 2 – The Church
- Romans 10 – The Primary Means of the Proclamation of the Gospel Message
- Sound, expositional preaching is often the fountainhead of true growth in a church
Back to the Heart of Worship
- Puritan Sermons = 2 Hours
- “Music is a biblically required response to God’s Word”[4]
- QUESTION: If music is the response, not the foundation, then should we sing before or after the sermon?
- Hearer: Pray for your Pastor (and other teachers)
- Commitment
- Time
- Submission
- Spirit Led
- Hearer: Give your Pastor (and other teachers)
- Time to prepare
- Constructive (specific) Encouragement
- Constructive (specific) feedback
- Pastor (teacher)
- Pray these for yourself
- Pray for other preachers/teachers
- Pray for the spread of the Gospel through effective preaching and teaching (Romans 10)
Expositional Preaching
- EP is the Main role of Pastors (p.43)
- “You understand a text of Scripture where it is. You understand it in the context which it was inspired.” (p.45)
- Non-EP – “The result is that the preacher and the congregation only hear in Scripture what they already thought before they came to the text.” (p.45)
- “taking as the main point of the message the point of the passage” (p.45)
- QUESTION: Would you (audience) qualify my (John’s) preaching as being Expositional? Examples, please.
The Central Role of the Word of God
- The Role of God’s Word in Bringing Life –
- Genesis 1 – Creation
- Genesis 3:14-15 – First word of hope (p.47)
- Genesis 12
- “The word shows us what we are to believe.” (p.49)
- Ezekiel 37
- John 1:1, 3-4 “It is in Christ that the Word of God has fully and finally come to us.” (p.51)
- Mark 1:38
- Romans 10
- Read p.53 (last paragraph)-54(paragraph continued)
- The Role of God’s Word in Preaching
- “Not all preaching is biblical.” (p.54)
- Source, Content, Focus
- Hard to teach (hermeneutics)
- The Role of God’s Word in Sanctifying
- “The Word of God must be central to our lives as individuals and as a church because God’s Spirit uses the Word to create faith in us and to make us grow.” (p.57)
- 4:4; Deut. 8:3
- Psalm 119:105
- John 171:17
- The Role of the Preacher of God’s Word
- “If you are looking for a good church, the role of the preacher of God’s Word is the most important thing to consider.” (p.58)
- 2 Tim 4:2 – “This is the great imperative.” (p.59)
- 2:16
- “The great task of the preacher is to “hold out the word of life” to people who need it for their souls.” (p.59)
“The people listening to preaching should know they are hearing God’s word preached.” (p.62)
As Charles Spurgeon observed, “the people in the marketplace cannot learn the language of the academy, so the people in the academy must learn the language of the marketplace. That is why the pastor’s primary task in preaching is to translate.”[5]
[1] P63 – What is a Healthy Church?
[2] P64 – What is a Healthy Church?
[3] P66 – What is a Healthy Church?
[4] P67 – What is a Healthy Church?
[5] Retrieved 11/12/17 – http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2017/march/biblical-preaching-duduit.html
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