EFFECTIVE EXPOSITION

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians should be the prayer of every expositor: “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,” (‭‭Eph. ‭1‬:‭17‬).  When there is the application of truth from the Holy Spirit—“the spirit of wisdom”—and the apprehension of truth from the Holy Scriptures—“the spirit of…revelation”—then expository preaching will be effectively powerful.

We should seek to be DISCERNING OF THE WISDOM OF GOD, “the spirit of wisdom.”  Wisdom commences with the understanding of the meaning of the text—proper interpretation.  But, it does not stop there.  We continue with the message of the text—practical application.  We then conclude with the mandate from the text—persuasive exhortation.  Simply put, we pray for the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the truth, that we may open our mouths to speak it, and then open the hearts of the people to receive it.  Wisdom goes beyond the facts in the heads of the listeners, to seeing those facts become a force in the hearts of the people.  We help them see that the Holy Spirit will guide them in day to day decisions that impact them and influence others.  We must help the congregation to know, “Here is what God says,” and then declare, “Here is what we need to do about it!”

We should seek to be DIRECTED BY THE WORD OF GOD, “the spirit of…revelation.”  While the Holy Spirit brings us into application of the truth, the Holy Scriptures lead us into the apprehension of the truth.  To apprehend means to grasp something—in this case we get a grip on God’s Word. In so doing, the Word will also grab hold of us!  The will of God is disclosed in the Word of God.  We are not getting direct revelation—new truth—as those in the first century before the New Testament was completed.  Paul prayed for them to have a direct pipeline to God’s revealed will from heaven.  With the completion of the New Testament and the deaths of the Apostles and prophets, we are not receiving new revelation, but fresh illumination from the Word of God.  Then we will not only be guided by God’s wisdom, but governed by God’s Word.

If we pray for this and preach like this, then our exposition will be effective. Biblical information, practical application, passionate exhortation, and compelling illustration will produce powerful transformation.

If we do not want this, then why do we stand in the pulpit and speak to the people?  

SUBLIME TRUTHS SIMPLY TOLD

 

We have likely heard the definition of a parable, “An earthly story with a heavenly meaning.”  Jesus utilized parables in His teaching. The wisdom with which He spoke stopped the mouths of the Bible scholars of His day, and yet it was conveyed in a manner so as to be received gladly by the common folk who swarmed Him to hear Him. Jesus had a way of reaching into heaven for the most sublime truths and express them in such simple terms that His point was clear. 

Seminary students have studied the Lord’s teaching and volumes of commentaries have been written on the parables, along with countless sermons preached from them, yet by no means has their profound message been exhausted.  But, one may share the story with a child and they get it, or tell it to an uneducated adult and they grasp it.

It is the standard set for the preacher—to teach like Jesus. The late Stephen Olford, a master expositor, said that Jesus used three books that are available to us: “God's Book, the Book of Creation, and the Book of Human Life,” (According to Your Word, Kindle edition, p.21).

We begin with the Book of Inspiration. The message is drawn from exposition. It is based on the Bible. We start with the truth of Scripture and let it shape the subject of the sermon.  This is transcendent truth from the spiritual realm.

We illustrate with the Book of Creation. The message is illumined by illustration. Truth can be explained through creation. Insight is given from the natural realm. Jesus did that in the parables.

We conclude with the Book of Life. The message is directed to application. Truth is applied to daily living. This is the practical truth that shapes us in the human realm.

I want to put the cookies on the shelf where the people can reach them. The best compliment I ever receive is when someone says, “God spoke to me from your sermon,” and as they affirm, “When you preach I understand the Bible.”  May that ever be our goal as preachers—as we employ those three books and preach like Jesus!

BUILDING A SERMON

 In building a sermon, the foundation is the most crucial component—and the foundation is exposition. What does it mean?  What was God saying to the people of that time. Without a solid grasp of the original interpretation, then we have no Biblical basis in the sermon.

Yet, on that foundation, there is the frame. That is the outline.  The framework is organization.  It is a systematic way of framing the truth so that it would have made sense to those who first heard it, to ourselves as a preacher presenting it, and to those who will hear our sermon.  Apart from this it is difficult for the congregation to have retention of the truth.

The building of a sermon next demands the finish work—and that is application. Having understood what the text originally meant, then organizing that in a manner that will enhance presentation, we must move to show what the text means to our listeners in our day. Without this, we my have accomplished teaching, but not preaching. Consider this reality conveyed here by Spurgeon and Stott:

Then, it is completed with furnishing the sermon construction. That is illustration. This adorns the message and gives the listener a place to sit down and ruminate, chewing over the bread of heaven, a place to lie down and meditate, to rest in the reality of eternity.

Exposition, organization, application, illustration: these are essential components in building a sermon.  To this we might add that an introduction that captures the attention of the listener and a conclusion that calls for decision enables the congregation to “nail it down.”