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Article by Rev.Dr.I.J.W.Oakley, first published in Irish Baptist magazine, Oct. 1986
“Preaching that costs nothing accomplishes nothing. If
the study is a lounge, the pulpit will be an impertinence.” In this piece of
straight speaking J.H.Jowett made clear that preaching which is worthy of the
name is no easy task. The man who is not prepared to put a lot of hard work into
it will never have an effective ministry.
Far too many people imagine that
as long as a man has had an experience of Christ and knows the power of the Holy
Spirit in his life, he is somehow exempt from the discipline of study. While
these things are of course absolutely indispensable, they are not short cuts to
avoid preparation for the pulpit. On the contrary they should provide the most
powerful stimulus to work hard and to obedience to Paul’s injunction: “Do
your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not
need to be ashamed, and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy
2:15). Spurgeon summed the matter up well when he argued, “It is a waste of
time, not an economy of it, to dispense with study, private prayer and due
preparation for your work.”
An equally mistaken notion is
that after a man has spent three or four years in a theological college, his
days of study are now over. Nothing could be further from the truth. No college
course can do more than lay a foundation and once a student enters the
pastorate, he must spend the rest of his days building on that foundation.
Since there is no such thing as the perfect sermon the best preachers remain learners all their lives and never imagine they have arrived. “You will have to reckon with this significant, disconcerting fact,” says James Stewart, “that the greatest preachers who have ever lived have confessed themselves poor bunglers to the end, groping after an ideal which has eluded them for ever. When you have been preaching for twenty years you will be beginning to realise how incalculably much there is to learn.”
The kind of study in which the preacher engages will
naturally be determined by his understanding of his ministry and his message.
For the evangelical Christian there is no question whatsoever that he is called
above all else to “preach the Word” (Acts 6:4; 2 Timothy 4:9). He will not
be concerned to provide in the pulpit a vague religious and moral commentary on
political affairs, social issues, international relationships, or the contents
of the latest novel. (But at the same time as he emphasizes the centrality of
the Word, he will show the relevance of its teaching to every area of human
life.) He sees his task as declaring the truth which God has revealed to men,
and in practice this means preaching the message of the Scriptures which are his
supreme and sufficient authority. He knows that the Word of God is the
instrument which the Holy Spirit uses to disclose to men their deepest needs and
to make known God’s saving grace in Christ.
Undoubtedly one of the great
needs of the hour is the revival of Biblical or expository preaching. In this,
the preacher does not first write a sermon and then search his Bible for a text
to serve as a peg on which to hang his thoughts. Even less does the expositor
say, as one preacher is alleged to have done, “That is my text. I am now going
to preach. Maybe we’ll meet again, my text and I, and may be not.”
Expository preaching lets the Bible speak for itself, so that in a sense it is
the preacher. The Bible was once described by P.T.Forsyth as “the greatest
sermon in the world”. It will do its own work if we let it, and in and through
its message God will still speak directly to men. John Stott pictures the
expository preacher as a bridge builder, seeking to span the gulf between the
Word of God and the mind of men. “He must do his utmost to interpret the
Scripture so accurately and plainly and to apply it so forcefully, that the
truth crosses the bridge.”
But perhaps because of the
demands it makes on the preacher, or because of lack of conviction about its
importance, expository preaching in many places is the exception rather than the
rule. Lamenting its absence in his own circles, John Bright the American Old
Testament scholar complains, “One hears sermons that are based vaguely on the
Bible, that are generally in accord with the Bible, perhaps are illustrated from
the Bible, that are Christian in tone and advocate Christian attitudes. But the
declaration of the Word with authority – I would go far out of my way to hear
it.” Even in churches which claim to emphasize the authority of Scripture,
preachers are often content to stay in the purple passages or to pass on a
“wee word” but all the while fail to teach the Word of God in its fullness.
A recent book on expository preaching claims that many preachers do not realize
how little of their preaching is the exposition of what the Word of God actually
says. It goes on to suggest that the simplest test of whether a sermon is truly
expository is whether our hearers feel compelled to open their Bibles and refer
to them when we are speaking or whether they are so accustomed to our “blessed
thoughts” that they sit with their Bibles closed in front of them, or worse
still leave them at home.
But unfortunately the phrase
“expository preaching” conjures up in many people’s minds a very
uninviting image. They automatically envisage a heavy, dry as dust, academic
discourse. So let it be said at once and said emphatically that unless careful
exposition is applied to an interesting and well illustrated presentation of the
material, and also a practical application to the needs of the congregation, it
is for most people a complete waste of time. Listening to such a sermon becomes
a purely intellectual exercise for the academically minded minority while the
rest have long ago switched off. (More of this later…).
Yet when expository preaching is
well executed it can bring enormous benefits to a congregation. As people are
gradually introduced to the whole range of Biblical revelation they become a
well-instructed and mature fellowship, knowing what they believe and why they
believe it. This is no mean blessing in days when there is widespread ignorance
and misunderstanding of Biblical truth on the one hand and the constant
challenge of the cults and secular thought on the other. The congregation is
also mercifully delivered from the hobbyhorses and fads of the preacher, while
he himself is able with the minimum of awkwardness to deal with delicate and
difficult subjects which he might otherwise avoid. Expository preaching should
always bring freshness and variety to the pulpit. No two passages in the Bible
are exactly the same and to discern the mind of the Spirit in the distinctive
emphasis of each passage is to be saved from vague generalities, which are the
peril of every preacher.
An expository sermon is not
confined to one kind of approach since it can entail preaching from a verse, a
paragraph, a chapter or (with great care) a book, and can be used for
evangelistic challenge, doctrinal instruction, ethical exhortation, or
devotional encouragement. Of the true expositor it will never be said, “Ten
thousand thousand are their texts but all their sermons are one!” Furthermore
expository preaching carries a unique authority about it and its note of clear
assurance banishes the uncertainties of “perhaps” and “may be” from the
pulpit.
If a man relies on his own
theories he will soon dry up, but if he expounds the Scriptures wisely and
imaginatively he will have an endless supply and an unlimited variety of
material. F.B.Meyer encouraged the would-be expositor by his assurance – “It
enables a man of very moderate abilities to fulfil a long and useful pastorate
which will make his people Bible students acquainted with the whole range of
Scripture truth and less liable than most to be swept away by every wind of
doctrine…”
The expositor will of course endeavour to present a balanced picture of the truth and seek to relate individual doctrines to the totality of the Biblical revelation. He will be particularly anxious to place his main emphasis on those foundation truths which find their centre in the person of Jesus Christ and His saving work, together with the obedience in every sphere of life which God requires from those who respond to the Gospel. The advice of Spurgeon – which may not be wholeheartedly endorsed by every reader – is typically forthright: “The great problems of sublapsarianism and supralapsarianism, the trenchant debates concerning eternal filiation, the earnest dispute concerning the double procession, and the pre or post millennium schemes, however important some may deem them, are practically of very little concern to that godly widow woman, with seven children to support by her needle, who wants far more to hear of the loving-kindness of the God of providence than of these mysteries profound; if you preach to her on the faithfulness of God to his people, she will be cheered and helped in the battle of life; but difficult questions will perplex her or send her to sleep.. Brethren, first of and above all things, keep to plain evangelical doctrines… I know a minister who is great upon the ten toes of the beast, the four faces of the cherubim, the mystical meaning of badger’s skins, and the typical bearings of the staves of the ark, and the windows of Solomon’s temple; but the sins of business men, the temptations of the times, and needs of the age, he scarcely ever touches upon. Such preaching reminds me of a lion engaged in mouse-hunting, or a man-of-war cruising after a lost water-butt.”
To be an expository preacher a pastor has to make up his
mind that unless he is prepared to do plenty of hard work and to submit to stern
self-discipline, he had better forget all about it.
His first concern will be simply
to know his Bible as intimately as he possibly can. To this end many preachers
wisely endeavour to read it through completely once a year. Unless the preacher
himself is fed he will be quite unable to feed others. Only as he is personally
subject to its teaching and carefully reads, marks, learns and inwardly digests,
will he be able to preach its message with conviction to others. “True
preaching” comments John Stott, “is never stale, dull or academic but fresh
and pungent with the living authority of God. But Scripture comes alive to the
congregation only if it has come alive to the preacher first.”
As he commences his study of a
passage the preacher will of course first of all earnestly seek aid of the Holy
Spirit for understanding the Scriptures just as he will later depend on His
power of communicating their message. “Reflect on what I am saying for the
Lord will give you insight into all this” (2 Timothy 2:7). In this statement
Paul points out two processes – human and divine – by which the truth may be
understood. As the preacher applies his mind to the teaching, God will give the
understanding. We must not divorce what God has joined together. A balanced
combination of thought and prayer is essential.
To inform our minds and
stimulate our thinking there is an abundance of material available for the
expositor. Mention must first be made of the value of the Biblical languages
since no translation in English can fully convey all that is in the original. A
knowledge of Hebrew and Greek has been likened to a television programme in
colour. While both black and white and colour get the same picture, colour adds
vividness and precision which are not possible in black and white. It ought not
to be necessary, but sadly it is, to remind evangelical Christians who profess
such a high view of the inspiration of Scripture “as originally given”, of
the value of the original languages and a knowledge of the history of the text.
The preaching of the outstanding expositors has always been enormously enriched
by their linguistic studies. A.T.Robertson emphasized that, as the teacher of
his flock, the minister ought to be a specialist and to be as well equipped as
he can. He added this word of encouragement to the would-be student of Greek,
“It requires only half an hour a day and the determination to stick to it
steadily and one will win out and be glad of it all his life. So will his
hearers.”
Furthermore the preacher will
not despise what he has learned through the academic study of the Bible. He will
be grateful for all the light that scholarship can throw on the sacred record.
As he bears in mind the authorship, date, purpose and theology, together with
the historical and cultural background of each book, he will be able to
interpret it accurately in the light of the conditions in which it was first
written. An awareness of the background is particularly important for accuracy
in preaching from much of the Old Testament. For instance in order to understand
much of the teaching of the prophets properly it is essential to remember the
political and social conditions of Israel in their time. Preaching from the
Gospels will be greatly enriched as the preacher is aware of distinctive
theological emphasis of each Gospel writer. Also as he considers the purpose of
the Gospels in the evangelism, instruction and worship of the early church, he
has found in them the key to their proper use today.
These disciplines are essential
in order to achieve an accurate interpretation of the Bible and it is
interesting to notice that the Reformers made the same point. In dismissing the
wild allegorizations of the mediaeval scholars as “idle fooleries”, they
showed the need for the grammatico-historical approach to interpretation. By
examining the historical origin and grammatical construction of a Biblical
passage they taught its plain, natural and obvious meaning, without any
subtleties, in the light of the author’s intention and the situation of the
first readers. They felt it was vital for the reader to put himself back into
the author’s mind and times, study his language and style and let the author
speak what was in his own mind and not what the reader thinks he ought to say.
Thus the study of what the Scriptures meant becomes the clue to what they mean
today. And as we apply these eminently sensible principles and let the Biblical
writers speak for themselves, we need, at the same time, to be critically alive
to our own cultural prejudices and doctrinal presuppositions when we study the
text.
The preacher who takes this
approach seriously is not likely to deliver a sermon on sanctification from the
words of Joseph, “The old man of whom you spake, is he yet alive?” Nor is he
likely to find the doctrine of the Trinity revealed in the three baskets on the
baker’s head!
Other aspects of study must of
course include theology in all its forms – Biblical, systematic and practical
– for “it cannot do any hurt to the most lively evangelist to be also a
sound theologian and it may often be the means of saving him from gross
blunders”. In addition, historical theology will give a valuable perspective
from which to view the latest theological fashions. Church history and biography
will abound in warnings and encouragements while the Christian classics will
warm the heart and deepen the experience. Beyond the more theological subjects,
there is a whole range of human knowledge and experience which will stimulate
the preacher’s mind, making his preaching relevant and provide him with many
an illustration. He will in other words observe the Spurgeonic counsel –
“Intermeddle with all knowledge … and do not hesitate to do so because of
any apprehension that you will educate yourselves up to too high a point. When
grace abounds, learning will not puff you up or injure your simplicity in the
gospel.”
It must be evident from all this
that if a man is to have adequate resources for his pulpit work, he will need to
build up a good library. Concordances, lexicons, and commentaries, together with
books and journals on many theological and other subjects will all need to be
acquired over the years. Happy the pastor whose church is sensitive to his needs
in this area and does not expect him to buy them out of the family budget!
Needless to say, the preacher will make sure he does not parade his learning in the pulpit, or bore his congregation with lengthy quotations from learned scholars. He will also state simply the results of his research and not the tortuous processes by which he has arrived at his conclusions. Not all the information the preacher gleans will be of immediate use in the pulpit but it will condition his approach and ensure that his preaching is exact. Let the careless and unscrupulous make of the Bible what they will, the conscientious preacher who is aware of his responsibility before the Lord will ensure that his work is characterized by accuracy, honesty and integrity.
In ending this article it might be useful to hear a warning and an encouragement. The first comes from Spurgeon who asserted “He who no longer sows in the study will no more reap in the pulpit”. The note of encouragement is to be found in some words which D.L.Moody once said to R.A.Torrey, “If a man will keep studying he will be better at 50 than he was at 40, and he will be better at 60 than he was at 50.”
