2003 Shepherd's Conference, A Ministry of Grace Community Church 818.909.5530. © 2003 All Rights Reserved. Grace Community Church. A CD, MP3, or tape cassette copy of this session can be obtained by going to www.shepherdsconference.org

Expository Preaching-Turning Exegesis into Exposition

(Handout – Study Notes)

Carey Hardy

Pastor, Adult and Family Ministries

INTRO

Preaching can be reduced to these 3 concepts:

1. Exposing the people to the text

2. Explaining what it means by what it says

3. Exhorting them to live by it

Greatest task of the preacher is to get himself out of the text.

But…there is no virtue in sloppiness. WE SHOULD GIVE GOD OUR BEST!

John MacArthur: A boring preacher is a contradiction in terms.

Walter C. Kaiser: Exegesis is never an end in itself. Its purposes are never fully realized until it

begins to take into account the problems of transferring what has been learned from the text over to the waiting Church. To put it more bluntly, exegesis must come to terms with the audience as well as with what the author meant by the words he used.

John MacArthur: Preaching an expository message involves far more than standing in the pulpit

and reviewing the high points, details, and components unearthed through research. Neither a word study nor a running commentary on a passage is, in itself, an expository sermon. An expository sermon does more than simply explain the grammatical structure of a passage and the meanings of its words. A true expository message sets forth the principles or doctrines supported in the passage. True expository preaching is doctrinal preaching.

The proper elements in an expository sermon may be summed up as follows:

1. Preaching is expository in purpose. It explains the text.

2. Preaching is logical in flow. It persuades the mind.

3. Preaching is doctrinal in content. It obligates the will.

4. Preaching is pastoral in concern. It feeds the soul.

5. Preaching is imaginative in pattern. It excites the emotion.

6. Preaching is relevant in application. It touches the life.

The task of the expository preacher is to take the mass of raw data from the text and bridge the gap between exegesis and exposition.

I. DETERMINE A Propositional Statement

· It is a single sentence that functions as the hinge between the introduction and the body of a message.

· It is a statement of the objective of the sermon.

· It is not a restatement of the title.

· It transfers attention to the body.

· It is a simple sentence stating the theme to be amplified, explained, or proved.

· The theme is the overall subject (e.g. faith)...the proposition limits the theme, gives aim to the theme (e.g. three aspects of faith).

· When it comes to the actual organization of the sermon, the prepositional statement is the most important feature.

· Can be expressed in more than one way.

Ø statement—In this passage we will examine four characteristics of a man of integrity that will help us understand what it means to be a man after God’s own heart.

Ø question—What are some reasons for trusting God when you’re in the midst of a trial?

Ø exhortation—As we study this passage, commit yourself to following these four steps to resolving conflict in your marriage:

Ø exclamation—What a joy it is to contemplate the three proofs of God’s sovereignty that we find in this passage!

· Should be expressed as concisely and clearly as possible.

· Contains a “key word”…a plural noun… for example, 4 reasons, 3 facts, 6 ingredients, 3 elements, etc.

The key word is always a plural noun that characterizes the main points. The following are a few of the many key words

abuses

actualities

accusations

admonitions

affairs

affirmations

agreements

alternatives

angles

answers

applications

approaches

areas

arguments

aspects

aspirations

assertions

assurances

assumptions

attitudes

attributes

avocations

axioms

barriers

beginnings

beliefs

benefits

bequests

bestowments

blemishes

blessings

blows

blockades

blots

blunders

boasts

bonds

books

boundaries

breaches

burdens

calls

III. MAINTAIN A LOGICAL FLOW OF THOUGHT

· Insures that the structure of your message is not obscured.

· Enables audience to identify and follow movement from one major outline point to the next.

· Important to eliminate hindrances to a clear flow of thought, such as:

Þ No proposition or purpose statement

Þ Complicated outline points

Þ Unwieldy alliteration (or forced alliteration)

Þ Changing the key propositional word

Þ Lack of parallelism

Þ Lack of clear transition statements

John A. Broadus Transition may be formally defined as both the act and means of moving from one part of the sermon to another, from one division to another, and from one idea to another. Transitions are to sermons what joints are to the bones of the body. “They are the bridges of the discourse, and by them” the preacher moves from point to point.

Transition statements:

Ø Should be thought through ahead of time.

Ø Should stand out from rest of the message.

Þ Not reviewing outline points with congregation

Þ Too much review

Þ Lack of familiarity with the content of the message

Þ Too many tangents

Þ Dwelling too long on a tangent

Þ Illustrations that don’t apply

Þ Use of abstract language (obscure words)

CONCLUSION

Preaching is your most important task. All other ministry must be based upon a clear, accurate, and passionate exposition of biblical truth.

This is your calling…work hard at doing it well.

Resources:

Rediscovering Expository Preaching, by John MacArthur and TMS Faculty

Preaching & Preachers, by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

The Supremacy of God in Preaching, by John Piper

Preaching with Purpose, by Jay Adams

Power in the Pulpit: How to Prepare and Deliver Expository Sermons, by Jerry Vines/Jim

Shaddix

Scripture Sculpture, by Ramesh Richard

Between Two Worlds, by John Stott

Exegetical Fallacies, by D.A. Carson

Toward an Exegetical Theology, by Walter Kaiser, Jr.

On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, John A. Broadus

The Preacher and Preaching, by Samuel T. Logan, Jr.

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