• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
Expository Preaching – Making the Connection
How to Illustrate, Apply, and Deliver God’s Timeless Truth to Your People
Tom Pennington
 Executive Pastor 
•
 
Two words summarize everything preachers do: exegesis and exposition.
•
 
It is impossible to discuss expository preaching without its close neighbor, exegesis. In fact,the terms “exegetical” and “expository” are inextricably interwoven.
•
 
To “exegete” is to draw out from a text all the truth that is in it. The sole source of exegesisis the Scripture itself.
•
 
To “exposit” is to expose, to make visible, to make known-- that is, to show something for what it really is. It suggests shedding light on a subject.
•
 
Expository preaching begins with exegesis and ends with exposition.
•
 
Both are crucial; without exegesis, a sermon is merely human oratory; without exposition,the message will be only a technical collection of grammatical and historical details.
•
 
 Nolan Howington illustrates the relationship between exegesis and exposition this way:“The exegete is like a diver bringing up pearls from the ocean bed; an expositor is like the jeweler who arrays them in orderly fashion and in proper relation to each other.”(
 Rediscovering Expository Preaching,
p.17)
I.
 
Exegesis – studying the passage
 Exegesis is never an end in itself. Its purposes are never fully realized until it beginsto take into account the problems of transferring what has been learned from thetext over to the waiting Church. To put it more bluntly, exegesis must come to termswith the audience as well as with what the author meant by the words he used.
Walter C. Kaiser A careful exegesis of the passage will provide you with all the key components of asolidly biblical expository message:
II.
 
Exposition – creating an expository message
•
 
Exegesis is a more a science with fixed laws and methods; creating an expositorymessage from that exegesis is more an art.A.
 
Writing the propositionB.
 
Creating a preaching outlineC.
 
Building the Body of the Message
•
 
Each point of the outline will usually include the following:
Exegesis Expository Message
Theme PropositionSyntactical Structure OutlineHistorical, Grammatical Detail The Body of the Message
 
 2
1. Exegesis—“this is what it says”a.
 
Contextual analysis (e.g., 1 Cor. 12:4-7
Context of spiritual gifts) b.
 
Syntactical analysis
The way in which words are put together so as to form phrases,clauses, and sentences will aid us in discovering the author's patternof meaning….Thus syntactical analysis systematically operates fromthree basic building blocks: (1) the concept, (2) the proposition, and (3) the paragraph. It is through the precise way in which these threeunits are organized and arranged that the exegete receives all the datahe needs to begin the journey of moving from the text to thedestination of using that text in a teaching or preaching situation.
Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.c.
 
Verbal analysis (e.g., 1 Cor. 12:4-7 - varieties; gift; ministries; effects)
Words and idioms are the most basic of all the linguistic building-blocks of meaning. Through the accumulation of words and idioms awriter expresses the distinctive thought he has in mind….words, like people, are known by the company they keep. It is essential that wealways be aware of the surrounding words (i.e., the company) as theywere intended by the author who wrote them. He is the final court of appeal as to the use of his own words when it comes to determining meaning.
Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
d.
 
Historical analysis
The historical sense is that sense which is demanded by a careful consideration of the time and circumstances in which the author wrote. It is the specific meaning which an author's words requirewhen the historical context and background are taken into account.
Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.e.
 
Theological analysis2. Explanation –“this is what it means”
•
 
Definition
•
 
Comparison
•
 
Description
•
 
Contrast
•
 
Outline3. Argumentation—“this is why you should believe it”
•
 
The primary purpose of argumentation is to convince the listener thatyour interpretation of the passage conforms to the rest of Scripture and
 
 3
should be embraced as the truth. The expositor’s tools to successfullymake that argument are:
 
a.
 
Primary tools
•
 
Parallel passages of Scripture
(e.g., 1 Cor. 12:4-7; 1 Peter 4:10-11)
•
 
Supporting passages of Scripture (the analogy of faith)
•
 
The reformers constantly proclaimed that “Scripture interpretsScripture.” b.
 
Secondary tools
•
 
Commentaries
•
 
Systematic Theologies
•
 
Church History
•
 
Quotations from well-known expositors
•
 
Logic4. Illustration—“this is what it looks like”
 A building without windows would be a prison rather than a house, for it would be quite dark, and no one would care to take it upon lease; and, inthe same way, a discourse without a parable is prosy and dull, and involves a grievous weariness of the flesh. . . . Our congregations hear uswith pleasure when we give them a fair measure of imagery: when ananecdote is being told they rest, take breath, and give play to their imaginations, and thus prepare themselves for the sterner work which liesbefore them in listening to our profounder expositions.
C.H. Spurgeon
The necessity of illuminating the sermon properly is found in the mental attitude of the people. Whether we like it or not, most of us preach to the"moving picture mind." It is the mind accustomed to images, pictures, scenes, rapidly moving. It certainly is not accustomed to deep thinking or long, sustained argument. Current magazines, bill boards, novels, drama,rapid transit, all add to this popular method of visual thinking. We asministers may not approve of the daily fare of the people; we may regret their inability to pursue abstract logic; we may wish them to prefer theoretical reasoning. But whatever our wishes, we must recognize that they regard thinking which is not imaginary and concrete as dull and uninteresting.
Bryan Dawsona.
 
The misuse of illustrations
•
 
To manipulate the emotions of the hearer 
•
 
To shock the hearer 
•
 
To relate an interesting story (if it doesn’t fit the point you aretrying to illustrate); cartoon: “Lord, please give me a message togo with this wonderful illustration!”
•
 
To pad a poorly prepared message
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...