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?  

CONFIDENT, COURAGEOUS COMMUNICATION

There is a wondrous work being accomplished when the Word of God is declared and digested. The Spirit of God has brought the one in the pulpit and in the pew into communion with Christ through the inspired Word. This is the glory of preaching—a courageous communication that leading to ingestion and application is of eternal significance. 

We are being changed, bit by bit, into the glorious image of the Lord. Truth unveiled brings us face to face with  Jesus. A sermon is meant to be more than informational, although principles are stated; it is more than inspirational, although passion is generated; it is meant to be transformational, with Christ being encountered.

The faithful preacher who immerses himself in the truth, living and breathing Christ,—Whom he grows to adore—can stand with a Bible in his hand  and confidently, courageously communicate Christ in His glory. This brings the congregation face to face with the One who is our blessed hope!  

Ultimately, the hope will be fulfilled when we see Him—not just spiritually—but literally and this is what John describes, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John‬ ‭3:2-3‬‬).

This is our hope and the glory of preaching! 

PREACH LIKE JESUS

People gathered—not in an air conditioned auditorium in comfortable seats, but on a hillside in open air to sit on the grass—all to hear Jesus. They were captivated by His words and “astonished at his teaching.”  It was the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest Man who ever lived. 

We will not preach a sermon to compare to that one, but there are some things we can learn that will help us be more like Jesus in our preaching.  Let me begin with the foundational principle mentioned in these verses.  It is stated positively and negatively.

The negative aspect stated was, “not as their scribes.”  The manner of the scribes was to do meticulous research and ground their authority in what other scholars had said—to quote from this rabbi or that rabbi as they droned on. While there is nothing wrong with quoting commentators and doing research as to what others have said about the text, when we get up to preach it is likely no one will be impressed by the underpinnings of the sermonic house you have constructed. If you moved into a new home, would you expect to take people into the crawl space, shine a spotlight, and say to your friends, “Would you look at those floor joists! Man, they nailed them! Have you ever seen any like them?”  Rather, I would expect you to show them the rooms and furnishings where you will live.

That brings me to the positive dimension of this—that the people were impressed “for he was teaching them as one who had authority.”  Our Lord’s authority did not rest in human opinion about God, but in heavenly revelation of God. Now, before you protest that Jesus had the advantage of being God—I know.  He spoke directly from the Father for whatever the Father said to Him, He spoke. This we cannot claim and we cannot do.

Yet, we do have His Gospel. We have the Word of God. Our authority rests in God, if we begin with study of the text for God’s Spirit to teach us and guide us into all truth. Then as we preach, we expound the text—with illustration and application that connects eternal truth with the daily life of the audience. Jesus certainly did that—using salt and light to explain influence and fowl and flower to discuss faith, for instance.  People will respond to such clarity and authority.

Let us preach with the confidence that Christ indwells us to speak through us and that we have an authoritative Word that when proclaimed in the unction of the Spirit will make an impact.