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In this episode, I talk about Finding Your Peaching Voice. This refers to learning to be yourself in your preaching. God did not call us to be a clone of another preacher. He called us to be who we are, not who someone else is. Finding your own voice is essential if you want to be authentic when you communicate God's Word.

Preachers, especially when they begin preaching, copy the style, inflection, mannerisms, and delivery of other preachers. But God did not call us to be them; he called us to be us. God wants you to be the best you can be. He doesn't want your imitation of someone else. If he did, he would have made two of them. He called you to be you. He called you with all your weaknesses, your gifts, your quirks, and your problems. He called you out of your environment and background so he could use you to reach the lost in your context.

This episode discusses how you can find yourself in your preaching. This episode is about you being your best self when you preach.

Give it a listen, and let me know what you think.

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Today, we will talk about biblical context, and why understanding the context of every sermon we preach is of vital importance to our ability to understand, interpret, and preach the Word of God. Understanding the biblical context of every passage we preach will prevent us from using the Bible in ways God never intended for it to be used.

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The podcast is a ministry of Dr. Alan Carr and The Sermon Notebook (http://www.sermonnotebook.org)

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II.  The Advantages Of The Expository Sermon - Part 3
(The previous material regarding the Expository Sermon in the show notes from episodes 6 and 7.)

• Expository preaching promotes scripturally authoritative preaching. It allows the preacher to preach with a “Thus saith the Lord!”
• Expository preaching magnifies the Word of God.
• Expository preaching develops the pastor as a man of God’s word.
•  Expository preaching ensures the highest level of Bible knowledge for the flock.
• Expository preaching leads to thinking and living biblically.
• Expository preaching encourages both depth and comprehensiveness.
• Expository preaching forces the preacher to handle hard to interpret texts.
• Expository preaching allows for handling broad theological themes.
•  Expository preaching keeps the preacher away from ruts and hobbyhorses.
•  Expository preaching prevents the insertion of human ideas. Thus, it protects the word of God from the preacher.
• Expository preaching guards against misinterpretation of the biblical text.
• Expository preaching imitates the preaching of Christ and the Apostles.
• Expository preaching brings out the best in the expositor.
• Expository preaching gives great confidence to the preacher.
• Expository preaching makes the preacher work.

III.  The Disadvantages Of The Expository Sermon

• Expository sermons that are poorly prepared and preached tend to be dry and boring.
• Preaching can disintegrate into nothing more than Bible lessons.
• There is a tendency among expository preachers to become monotonous.
• The expository preacher can go too deep by trying to mention every detail within the text. If this happens, he will lose his audience.
• Expository sermons tend to be very time-consuming and can be difficult to prepare.

IV.  The Balance

• Expository sermons have more to commend them than any other type of sermon.
• Preachers should always strive to be biblical in their preaching. The Expository method allows this to be achieved better than in any other method.
• While the Expository method has much to commend it, it must never be allowed to eclipse the will of God as to the sermon preached during a particular service. The preacher must always be open for the Lord to move in his heart to preach whatever the Lord deems best for that service.
• No method, even the Expository method, should be allowed to become a little “god” in our ministries. We must never be guilty of elevating any method of preaching to the status of an idol.

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While the Topical Sermon and the Textual Sermon are treatments of a subject, the Expository Sermon is a treatment of a text.

This kind of preaching can be seen throughout the Bible.

•  Ezra - “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading,” Nehemiah 8:8.
•  Paul - “26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God,” Acts 20:26-27. 
• Jesus – 
  • In Nazareth, Luke 4:16-22
  • On the Emmaus Road, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself,” Luke 24:27. “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32)
  • To the disciples, “44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem,” Luke 24:44-47. 
• Stephen was an expositor – Acts 7:2-53. 
• Phillip expounded Isaiah 53:7-8 to the Ethiopian eunuch, Acts 8:27-35. “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus,” Acts 8:35.

Expository sermons can be defined by what they are not. Dr. John MacArthur provides a good list.

• It is not a commentary running from word to word and verse to verse without unity, outline, and pervasive drive.
• It is not rambling comments and offhand remarks about a passage.
• It is not a mass of disconnected suggestions and inferences based on a mere surface meaning of a passage.
• It is not pure exegesis.
• It is not a mere structural outline of a passage with a few comments attached.
• It is not a topical homily, which picks out certain parts of the passage, but fails to mention other, equally important parts.
• It is not a collection of grammatical findings and readings from commentaries.
• It is not a Sunday-school lesson type of discussion.
• It is not a Bible reading that links together a bunch of scattered passages together.
• It is not the ordinary devotional or prayer-meeting talk.

II.  The Advantages Of The Expository Sermon

• Expository preaching allows God to speak, by expressing the words spoken by God himself.
• Expository preaching retains the mind of the Spirit. Thus, it brings the preacher into direct contact with the mind of the Holy Spirit Who authored the Scriptures.
• Expository preaching frees the preacher to proclaim the whole counsel of the Word of God. This produces a ministry of wholeness and integrity.
• Expository preaching promotes biblical literacy. This kind of preaching yields a rich knowledge of the truths of the Word of God.
• Expository preaching carries ultimate divine authority, it allows the very voice of God to be heard.
• Expository

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Today, we begin our discussion of the expositor sermon.

I.  A Description of the Expository Sermon

• Some Definitions 

1.  “An Expository Sermon is one that expounds a passage of Scripture, organizes it around a central theme and main points, and then decisively applies its message to the listeners.”  Dr. Jerry Vines.
2. “The presentation of biblical truth, derived from and transmitted through a historical, grammatical, Spirit-guided study of a passage in its context, which the holy Spirit applies first to the life of the preacher and then through him to his congregation.” – Dr. Haddon W. Robinson
3. “Expository preaching is the art of explaining the text of the Word of God, using all the experiences of life and learning to illuminate the exposition.” - Dr. Donald Gray Barnhouse.
4. “Being sure that our text is the Bible, we proceed to find out its actual meaning and then elaborate its message.  The text has postulates, implicates, deductions and application.” - G. Campbell Morgan
5. “Expository preaching is the Spirit-empowered explanation and proclamation of the text of God’s Word with due regard to the historical, contextual, grammatical, and doctrinal significance of the given passage, with the specific object of invoking a Christ transforming response.” —Stephen F. Olford 

The word exposition is related to the word expose—the expository preacher’s goal is simply to expose the meaning of the Bible, verse by verse.

 As a method, expository preaching differs from topical preaching and textual preaching. To prepare a topical sermon, the preacher starts with a topic and then finds a passage in the Bible that addresses that topic. For example, for the chosen topic of “Laziness,” the preacher might refer to Proverbs 15:19 and 18:9 and touch on Romans 12:11 and 2 Thessalonians 3:10. None of the passages is studied in depth; instead, each is used to support the theme of laziness.

In a textual sermon, the preacher uses a text as a springboard for discussing a particular point. For example, someone could use Isaiah 66:7-13 to preach on motherhood, although motherhood is only peripheral in that text, being merely an illustration of the true theme, which is the restoration of Israel during the Millennial Kingdom.

In both topical and textual sermons, the Bible passage is used as support material for the topic. In expository sermons, the Bible passage is the topic, and support materials are used to explain and clarify it.

To prepare an expository sermon, the preacher starts with a passage of Scripture and then studies the grammar, the context, and the historical setting of that passage to understand the author’s intent. In other words, the expositor is also an exegete—one who analyzes the text carefully and objectively. Once the preacher understands the meaning of the passage, he then crafts a sermon to explain and apply it. The result is expository preaching.

G. Campbell Morgan, pastor of London’s Westminster Chapel and known as “the prince of expositors,” taught that a sermon is limited by the text it is covering. Every word from the pulpit should amplify, elaborate on, or illustrate the text at hand, with a view towards clarity. He wrote, “The sermon is the text repeated more fully.” A sermon’s primary function is to present the text.

While exposition is not the only valid mode of preaching,

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Today, we consider the textual sermon.

Show notes:

The Textual Sermon

I.  A Description

• The Textual Sermon derives all its main divisions from the text. Like the Topical Sermon, it is built around the subject, but the main divisions of the Textual Sermon are limited to what the text says about the subject.
• Typically, the Textual Sermon will come from a relatively short passage of Scripture.
• While the main divisions of the sermon are dictated by the text, the sub-divisions, and other supporting materials must be obtained from other places in the Bible.
• The Textual Sermon takes its subject, its outlines, and some of its content from the text. 
• As in the Topical Sermon, the subject of the Textual Sermon the subject of the sermon is usually known before the text is selected.
• When a passage of Scripture is handled in a Textual Sermon it may be handled in such a fashion that there is little if any difference between that Textual Sermon and an Expository Sermon.

II.  The Advantages

• The Textual Sermon pays more attention to what an actual text of Scripture teaches about a particular subject than does the Topical Sermon.
• In a Textual Sermon, the actual sense of Scripture is given.
• While the passage may dictate the main points, the preacher is able to be very inventive with the sub-points of the sermon.
• Textual sermons are generally easy to prepare.
• Textual Sermons give the preacher tremendous flexibility in sermon preparation and delivery. 
• Textual Sermons allow rich passages of Scripture to be mined to their fullest. Some verses are so filled with light and power that they can yield tremendous amounts of teaching and preaching material. John 3:16, for instance, says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

III.  The Disadvantages

• While the main points are dictated by the text, the sub-points and other supporting materials are left to the whim of the preacher.
• The choice of subjects preached is limited by the preacher’s knowledge, experience, and personal preferences.

III.  The Balance

• Textual Sermons are useful when a preacher must deal with a subject that is handled well in a small portion of Scripture.
• Textual Sermons allow the sense of the Bible to come through.
• Textual Sermons tend to be biblical in their content and in their approach to the Scripture.

I am sorry the show notes are incomplete, the website will not allow me to post the full text. The rest of the notes, outlines, and definitions can be found on our Facebook page.

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This episode tackles the topical sermon.

Show Notes:

The Topical Sermon

  I.  A Description

The name defines it.  It is a sermon built around a topic.

In a topical sermon, the divisions of the sermon must be invented by the preacher, based upon his knowledge of the subject throughout the whole Bible. This does not mean the sermon will not be biblical, but it does limit the divisions of the sermon to what the preacher knows about the subject. The divisions of the topical sermon will derive from the subject.

The preacher must gather what the Bible teaches about the subject and then he must organize that data into a logical presentation.

 II.  The Advantages

The topical sermon allows for the full treatment of a subject as it is dealt with by the entirety of Scripture.  (I.E. Doctrine, biographical sketches, particular subjects such as fear, love, peace, etc.)

The topical sermon allows the preacher unlimited use of his skills of inventiveness and oratory.

Topical sermons are generally easier to prepare than any other variety of sermons.

III.  The Disadvantages

The topical sermon is too easily colored by the preacher’s personal views and prejudices.

Topical sermons are usually too general in their scope.

The topical sermon presents too narrow a field of truth.

The preacher’s interests, knowledge, and experience hold the scope of the subjects, which are treated, captive.

Often, the divisions of the sermon become mere links in a chain. The number and order of the divisions are dictated in a purely arbitrary fashion. The number of points in most topical sermons could be reduced or enlarged without any violence being done to the sermon.

Often, the preacher will approach the Bible with a subject already in mind.

 Walter C. Kaiser says the following about topical sermons, “The preacher should preach a topical sermon only once every five years, and then immediately repent and ask God’s forgiveness!”

IV.  The Balance

All of these weaknesses aside, the topical sermon does have its place.

When the subject of the sermon is not adequately treated by any single passage of Scripture.

When the preacher must preach on a subject in a general way.  Such as, delivering a sermon on some doctrine with which the audience is unfamiliar.

When preaching the plan of salvation to a group of unsaved people.

When dealing with social or ethical problems that did not exist in Bible times.  Although, it should be stated, that while the Bible is silent about many modern issues, there are principles in the Scripture that speak to every area of life.

The preacher should beware of following into the trap of making any type of sermon his God.

V.  Types Of Topical Sermons

There are those that point out the various aspects of a subject. (I.E. prayer, praise, salvation, etc.)

There are those that exist to state proof to support the subject.  This would be a sermon built around argumentation.  (I.E. Proofs of the Resurrection)

There are those that illustrate the subject by using Bible incidents or biographical sketches.  (I.E. Faith in Difficult Times.)

There are those that order the sermon divisions to cover the subject from explanation to application.
1. The subject

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In this episode we discuss the three main sermon typeS.

Show Notes:
The three main types of sermons can be defined by their relationship to the text from which they are derived.

Topical – The topical sermon is a sermon built around a particular subject or idea. This type of sermon takes its subject from the text. While the text may yield one or more of the main points, the majority of the main points in a topical sermon come from other places in the Bible.

Textual – The textual sermon is usually based on one verse or phrase of Scripture. This kind of sermon takes its subject and its main points from the text. All the sub-points and other supporting materials come from other places in the Bible.

Expository – The expository sermon usually comes from a longer passage of Scripture than a textual sermon. This type of sermon may be built from a paragraph or from a whole book of the Bible. The expository sermon derives its subject, its main points, and all its subpoints from the passage under consideration. Other parts of the Bible may be used for supporting material, but the entire outline of the expository sermon can be found in the passage under consideration.

These are mere brief descriptions of the three major sermon types. In later episodes we will expand on each type of sermon, sharing definitions, advantages, disadvantages, and some balance concerning each sermon type.

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In this episode, I share some important definitions which we will use throughout this series.

Show Notes

Homiletics: Homiletics is the art and science of saying the same thing that the text of Scripture says. 

Andrew Blackwood, “Homiletics is the science of which preaching is the art and the sermon is the finished product.” 

Homiletics is “The science and art of sermon preparation.”

Exegesis: From the Greek word which means “a narration or an explanation.”  The noun form of the Greek word does not occur in the Greek New Testament.

The verb form means, “to lead out of”, does occur.  It can be found in Luke 24:35; John 1:18; Acts 10:8; 15:12, 14; 21:19.

The use of this word in John 1:18 is of special interest.  This verse literally tells us that Jesus Christ “exegeted” the Father to man.  That is, Jesus Christ is the narration or explanation of God the Father to man, John 14:9.

Eisegesis:  this word means exactly the opposite of “exegesis”. While “exegesis” means “to lead out of”, “Eisegesis” means “to lead into.” Eisegesis is a practice that every preacher should do his best to avoid at all costs! Our mandate from the Lord is to “Preach the Word”, 2 Timothy 4:2.

To do this properly, we must allow the Word of God to simply say what it says. We must never be guilty of reading our own prejudices, opinions, or interpretations into the text.

It is vital that we, as preachers, allow the Word of God to speak! After all, the Bible, not your education, thoughts, or opinions, is “quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,” Heb. 4:12. Our opinions and prejudices will die when we do. However, the Word of God is forever settled in Heaven, Psa. 119:89; and, as Jesus Himself said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matt. 24:35.

Hermeneutics: Hermeneutics may be defined as “The science of expounding or interpreting what a passage of Scripture says.” It is “The science of biblical interpretation.”

It comes from the Greek word which means “to translate.” It refers to the Greek god Hermes, who was the messenger for the other gods to men. He brought the message of the gods to mankind. Very literally, the preacher who practices good hermeneutics and homiletics functions in the same fashion. He has the power to translate the message of God to mankind!

Sermon: The sermon is “the finished product of the processes of exegesis, hermeneutics, and homiletics.”

The word “sermon” comes from a French word, which means “a speech or a conversation.” As this course will teach us, anything that does not rest upon sound homiletical, hermeneutical, and exegetical principles does not deserve to bear the name “sermon.”

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In this first episode of The Preaching Matters Podcast, I tell you a little about myself, and I share with you the sort of content you can expect when you listen. 

Here is a brief outline of my talking points for this episode.

The Preaching Matters Podcast

Episode 1
Talking Points

Introduction

• Name
• Church
• Experience
• Qualifications
• Burden

Content:
What to expect

• Sermon Types
• A focus on expository preaching
• Sermon preparation from start to finish
• Introductions
• Conclusions
• Outlining
• Study methods
• Illustrations
• Subjects
• Themes
• Proposition or Sermon in a Sentence
• Transitions
• Keywords
• No notes, outlines, manuscripts
• Preaching styles
• The preacher’s personality in preaching
• Spiritual preparation for preaching
• Dependence on the Holy Spirit in preaching
• Invitations
• Realistic expectations in preaching
• Preaching tips

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https://www.patreon.com/user?u=69828429&fan_landing=true

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