Expository Preaching

[SouthernGal]

I need some details here..........would someone give me an example(s) of expository preaching vs theology preaching? I read an article, in that I think I know what he meant, but left me with a lot of questions. To me what I think re: expository preaching is taking verses in the Bible and preaching on how it applies to our life, and helping us to REALLY understand how we should respond to the verses as given. Whereas teaching theology is just that, sometimes goes over your head and you walk away thinking....well how does that apply to our life?

Would someone tweak this a bit for me? Thanks.

[Jerry]

Theology just means what the Bible teaches on God, Jesus, salvation, etc. I have not heard the term theological preaching - if they aren't just referring to studying theology, it sounds like they might be referring to topical preaching - where someone preaches on a specific theme/topic and traces that topic out through the Bible.

Expository preaching is digging into a passage - whether a book, a chapter or several verses, and working your way through it - such as preaching on a certain book and commenting on everything that each part of it speaks about.

[dwayner79]

It should be said that there is nothing wrong with either styles of preaching, topical or exegetical (I'm with Jerry in that I have not heard of Theological preaching). However, done right, exegetical is easier. Done poorly, topical is easier. Essentially to do a topical sermon, you have to study each passage on a topic exegetically, and then build a sermon around that study. Unfortunately, the vast majority of topical sermons skip the exegetical study of the passages.

I remember the pastor of my church growing up starting Sunday's sermon on Saturday afternoon. There is no way to do a good study on one passage in an afternoon. Needless to day, we had many topical sermons.

[Bro.Johnny Mac]

It should be said that there is nothing wrong with either styles of preaching, topical or exegetical (I'm with Jerry in that I have not heard of Theological preaching). However, done right, exegetical is easier. Done poorly, topical is easier. Essentially to do a topical sermon, you have to study each passage on a topic exegetically, and then build a sermon around that study. Unfortunately, the vast majority of topical sermons skip the exegetical study of the passages.

I remember the pastor of my church growing up starting Sunday's sermon on Saturday afternoon. There is no way to do a good study on one passage in an afternoon. Needless to day, we had many topical sermons.

Agreed...Expository preaching IMO is the easiest as far as getting prepared for the sermon.You read it,and tell what it means,pretty simple.If you undersatnd the Bile in the correct way,that its a literal book in most cases,and when symbols are used,the bile interpits itself in almost all passages concerning verses of a sybolic nature.

To preach a topical sermon(the correct way as Dwayner ponted out) takes more preperation time,but IMO is very enjoyable.I preach about 6 times a week and a preach a topical sermon every time I preach.God has called me to be an evangelist,so of course my topic is always salvation.I preach at jails also,so I am not a pastor(was an interum pastor for about 6 month a few years back).A church needs both types of preaching IMO to be edified in the proper way.

It really is challenging and enjoyable to dig into the scriptures and different passages of scripture to preach the same topic,salvation.I have two jails where I actually stand in front of prisoners and preach.The other jails are much smaller,so it's more soulwinning than preaching because I talk to anywhere from one to about six prisoners at the smaller jails.I like this also because it gives me a chance to talk with them and spend more one on one time with them,whuch is very enjoyable.My point is(finally :lol ) is that to preach the same topic two times a week takes alot of study time.I always preach different semons also,but with the same topic.

Right now I am working on a sermon that uses 1 Sam 17 (david vs. Goliath) to preach the gospel.
Briefly,I will give a quick sketch of the sermon...
I will expound the entire chapter,and preach it in context,but relate it all to them and the gospel..
Isreal will represent them and I will speak about the Phillistines being the enemy of Isreal,but I wont mention untill the end of the sermon who the enemy is into relation to them..
The balltle field I will relate to them as being life,because its a battlefield for their soul..

I will preach about david being a champion for Isreal..and tell them we need a champion..

Anyway,toward the end of the sermon,I will relate Isreal to them and relate the phillistines as the enemy,and the enemy is..

also them.Because they are sinners and that sin seperates us from God ect...and use this to preach about sin and judgement, and we also need a champion to defeat our enemy(our sin) because we can never defeat this enemy..and then preach the death burrial and reserrection..

I do sermons like this twice a week,and I love it!The preaparing of the sermon is as enjoyable as preaching it IMO,well in my case its not always fun to tell folks in jail they are hell bound sinners because sometimes they dont take it well and lets just say they are not afraid to tell me what they think .I wish I had a dollar for every time I have been threatened,but thats another story.

As a church member,I need both types to grow in the Lord and I am blessed to attend a church where both are done in a biblical way..

[Madeline]

People different on what they mean by expository teaching/preaching (check it out via the net). In my view, it is explanatory teaching (it explains a theme or text - often going beyond the precise text being examined by referencing like-subject text that relate to the subject being examined). Theology is fundamentally a study of God. Within Christianity, it is the examination of the Nature of God and His relationship to His creation. It is looking at the reason(s) behind or foundationally essential to the moral teachings of a religion. :2cents

Love,
Madeline

[dwayner79]

Agreed...Expository preaching IMO is the easiest as far as getting prepared for the sermon.You read it,and tell what it means,pretty simple.If you undersatnd the Bile in the correct way,that its a literal book in most cases,and when symbols are used,the bile interpits itself in almost all passages concerning verses of a sybolic nature.

To preach a topical sermon(the correct way as Dwayner ponted out) takes more preperation time,but IMO is very enjoyable.I preach about 6 times a week and a preach a topical sermon every time I preach.God has called me to be an evangelist,so of course my topic is always salvation.I preach at jails also,so I am not a pastor(was an interum pastor for about 6 month a few years back).A church needs both types of preaching IMO to be edified in the proper way.

It really is challenging and enjoyable to dig into the scriptures and different passages of scripture to preach the same topic,salvation.I have two jails where I actually stand in front of prisoners and preach.The other jails are much smaller,so it's more soulwinning than preaching because I talk to anywhere from one to about six prisoners at the smaller jails.I like this also because it gives me a chance to talk with them and spend more one on one time with them,whuch is very enjoyable.My point is(finally :lol ) is that to preach the same topic two times a week takes alot of study time.I always preach different semons also,but with the same topic.

Right now I am working on a sermon that uses 1 Sam 17 (david vs. Goliath) to preach the gospel.
Briefly,I will give a quick sketch of the sermon...
I will expound the entire chapter,and preach it in context,but relate it all to them and the gospel..
Isreal will represent them and I will speak about the Phillistines being the enemy of Isreal,but I wont mention untill the end of the sermon who the enemy is into relation to them..
The balltle field I will relate to them as being life,because its a battlefield for their soul..

I will preach about david being a champion for Isreal..and tell them we need a champion..

Anyway,toward the end of the sermon,I will relate Isreal to them and relate the phillistines as the enemy,and the enemy is..

also them.Because they are sinners and that sin seperates us from God ect...and use this to preach about sin and judgement, and we also need a champion to defeat our enemy(our sin) because we can never defeat this enemy..and then preach the death burrial and reserrection..

I do sermons like this twice a week,and I love it!The preaparing of the sermon is as enjoyable as preaching it IMO,well in my case its not always fun to tell folks in jail they are hell bound sinners because sometimes they dont take it well and lets just say they are not afraid to tell me what they think .I wish I had a dollar for every time I have been threatened,but thats another story.

As a church member,I need both types to grow in the Lord and I am blessed to attend a church where both are done in a biblical way..

I hate to say it, but I do not think you and I are speaking about the same thing. Does the bolded part mean you preach 6 different topical sermons each week? If so, then there is no way you are doing them justice. A typical exegetical sermon should take 15-20 hours a week to prep. (That figure comes from some well known pastors.) To do 6 of those means you would need 90-120 hours a week. I doubt that is happening. This is also why many pastors preach verse by verse. You can shed some of those hours if last week's study gave you the context for this week's sermon. It also helps the congregation because you do not have to explain the context (they heard it last week). It always bothered me that when I preached, it was just once every now and then. It forced me to spend a lot of time on context each time I did.

Also, the application of that sermon is, uhh, interesting to say the least. You lost me in all the various ways you are applying it to them, but that sermon sounds like a lot of allegory, and not a whole lot of the text. I am curious what you mean by "I will expound the entire chapter,and preach it in context,". Narrative passages you can cover more ground, but that story in scripture holds a lot of fascinating characteristcs of God as well as his servant. Its an awful lot for one sermon, and IMO, the main purpose of that passage is not to allegorize it to our lives ("the battlefield for our soul").

I may sound harsh, but as you are a proclaimed preacher, I think I need to be blunt. Handling the Word of God with care is the most important thing a preacher can do.

A note to everyone: If you church has one pastor and he is expected to preach a sermon Son morning, evening and Wednesday night, that is too much. One, maybe 2 sermons is it. Make Wednesday an actual prayer meeting instead of preaching service. Pastors either burn out, or stop studying when they have that much on their plate (not to mention the churches that expect the pastor to visit every sick person, every shut-in, do visitation, run the church office, and everything else).

[Jerry]

Our Pastor preaches 3-4 sermons a week (Sunday School - ie. the first hour on Sunday - Sunday morning main service, Sunday night, Wednesday night), and he does fine. He doesn't cut corners, and his sermons are meaty and in context. Most of his sermons are topical - but one or two messages a week are expository. For example, last year, on Wednesday evenings we were working our way through the book of Psalms, taking each Psalm and breaking it down expositorily. His other sermons are a mix of expository (ie. tackling a chapter or a passage - but not necessarily working through another book - though I think it was last year that we did tackle the Pastoral epistles too) and topical.

[Bro.Johnny Mac]

I hate to say it, but I do not think you and I are speaking about the same thing. Does the bolded part mean you preach 6 different topical sermons each week? If so, then there is no way you are doing them justice. A typical exegetical sermon should take 15-20 hours a week to prep. (That figure comes from some well known pastors.) To do 6 of those means you would need 90-120 hours a week. I doubt that is happening. This is also why many pastors preach verse by verse. You can shed some of those hours if last week's study gave you the context for this week's sermon. It also helps the congregation because you do not have to explain the context (they heard it last week). It always bothered me that when I preached, it was just once every now and then. It forced me to spend a lot of time on context each time I did.

Also, the application of that sermon is, uhh, interesting to say the least. You lost me in all the various ways you are applying it to them, but that sermon sounds like a lot of allegory, and not a whole lot of the text. I am curious what you mean by "I will expound the entire chapter,and preach it in context,". Narrative passages you can cover more ground, but that story in scripture holds a lot of fascinating characteristcs of God as well as his servant. Its an awful lot for one sermon, and IMO, the main purpose of that passage is not to allegorize it to our lives ("the battlefield for our soul").

I may sound harsh, but as you are a proclaimed preacher, I think I need to be blunt. Handling the Word of God with care is the most important thing a preacher can do.

A note to everyone: If you church has one pastor and he is expected to preach a sermon Son morning, evening and Wednesday night, that is too much. One, maybe 2 sermons is it. Make Wednesday an actual prayer meeting instead of preaching service. Pastors either burn out, or stop studying when they have that much on their plate (not to mention the churches that expect the pastor to visit every sick person, every shut-in, do visitation, run the church office, and everything else).

I said later in the post that I actually preach two different sermons in a week. The rest are soulwinning.

I'm used to blunt -- no offense taken. Preachers are used to it, deserved or not.

The whole Bible is about Jesus. He said so Himself. You can find many scriptures that can relate to Jesus and Salvation.

1 Sam 17 is no different. It's very clear that there is a battle going on for every man's soul, just as there is a battle going on in 1 Sam 17. David stepped up to be victorious against Isreal's enemy. Jesus has defeated our enemy (sin) as well. I'm sure you understand this ... I was very excited about this sermon and I was opening up to the board about what I was feeling. I won't make that mistake again. Preachers need thick skin, but it still hurts to be criticized when you are hoping others will take joy and pleasure in something that you are doing for the Lord. I was hoping that the board would share in my joy about preaching the gospel ... I guess I need thicker skin, so I'm sorry if I come off wimpy by being disappointed.

It doesn't take 40 hrs of "prep" to preach the gospel, no matter what the text is.

You didn't hear the entire sermon because it's not complete, but if you can't see types in David's life referring to Jesus and salvation, I believe you are mistaken. I do take my calling seriously. I'm not sure what gave you the impression I don't. I am ordained, so I'm not sure what you meant by "proclaimed" preacher. That sounds as if you meant I am not called and I made myself a preacher.

I am glad that you have concern for God's word. So do I. I hope you understand this, if not, then what can I do? I know that I handle God's word with the utmost of care, not to please others, but to please my Saviour.

[Jerry]

I am sure what Dwayner was emphasizing was that we need to preach the Word of God and make sure what we are preaching is in context. There is a time and place for types - and I love expounding upon them. Please don't let this disagreement with Dwayner discourage you. There are many others here that would love to hear the sermon ideas you have. We might disagree with an application, but we should be able to agree on the interpretation/understanding of the passage. I myself have preached on that chapter and I believe David's faith showed us the victory we can have through our Saviour (ie. I've applied the passage to victorious living, rather than salvation) - contrasting the battle between the weapons of our flesh (ie. trusting in human strength and ability - I titled the sermon The Valley of Elah, which means Strength) and those of that are spiritual (trusting in the wisdom and victory the Lord provides).

A follow up sermon I did was Psalm 34. It was written right after David was fleeing from Saul and sought Goliath's sword - notice in his discouragement he focussed on the fleshly again, see 1 Samuel 21:10-15 - and then contrast his faith-filled Psalm when he got his focus back on the Lord. Notice the seven times delivereth/saveth/redeemeth are mentioned in this Psalm, the last one being redeemeth (which is spiritual deliverance from our sins and from Hell). This sevenfold deliverance is based upon our trust in the Lord.

[John81]

People different on what they mean by expository teaching/preaching (check it out via the net). In my view, it is explanatory teaching (it explains a theme or text - often going beyond the precise text being examined by referencing like-subject text that relate to the subject being examined).

Love,
Madeline

That's the type of expository preaching our pastor does. He goes through an entire book, verse by verse but he also references other texts where appropriate. We are currently going through First Corinthians. This Sunday we will be in chapter seven.

[John the Baptist]

Expository preaching which is basically exegetical preaching rightly done can take 15 to 20 hours. Expository preaching is developing the Major divisions of the sermon as well as the subdivisions form the immediate Bible text. It involves doing many hours of word studies and studing the text.
exegetical preaching means to draw out and explain the text in the sermon. This is not easy lazy preaching. People learn the word of God from this type of preaching. Which is in contrast to much topicl preaching which can be for entertainment. Topical preaching can be exegetical. But most is not. A lot of times Topical preaching is taking a verse of Scripture and attaching a lot of illustrations, but the people are not really taught the Bible.

God Bless
John

[dwayner79]

I am sure what Dwayner was emphasizing was that we need to preach the Word of God and make sure what we are preaching is in context. There is a time and place for types - and I love expounding upon them.

Jerry pegged it. In fact, the victorious life is a much better application of the passage at hand. I have heard people say Jesus is in every passage in scripture. Honestly, no He is not. God is, but specifically trying to find Jesus (which typically means his atoning work for us) in every passage can not be done using normal hermenutic practices.

I too want to make clear that I love hearing sermon topics, though, as I said, I have no problem pointing out where I feel them do not align with biblical study practices.


Jerry,

I am curious about your pastor. Does he have any other responsibilities? Each pastor does different things. I know some pastors prepare sermons quicker, but most of the time, they lack the study required.
Do you have a sermon archive where I could listen to a few sermons of his?

[Jerry]

I am curious about your pastor. Does he have any other responsibilities? Each pastor does different things. I know some pastors prepare sermons quicker, but most of the time, they lack the study required.
Do you have a sermon archive where I could listen to a few sermons of his?

Other responsibilities? Do you mean like another job? No. He is fairly busy doing visitation and soulwinning, overseeing the maintenance and cleaning of the church. I am not sure what kind of things you are looking for. He spends a lot of time in study - but he is also there for the people in our church who need him.