For discussion and edification
Posted on 12/28/2004 2:11:00 PM PST by Gamecock
What Happened to Expository Preaching? By Alistair Begg
Why is expository preaching absent from so many of today’s churches? Because of a loss of confidence in the Scriptures, preoccupation with the wrong battles, and a sad lack of excellent role models, many preachers compromise on their calling and revert to the expectations of the culture.
Loss of Confidence in the Scriptures
The absence of expository preaching is directly related to an erosion of confidence in the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the battle lines were drawn against the forces of liberalism. Liberals were challenging the miraculous, questioning the divine, and opposing the historicity of the New Testament documents. Evangelicals weathered that storm, and empty liberal churches testify to the futility of the liberal quest for a demythologized Christ. But today the battle is more subtle. The Scriptures are neglected and debased and are used only as a springboard for all kinds of “talks” that are far removed from genuine biblical exposition.
It is very possible to attend a service of worship in an avowedly evangelical congregation and find that if the Bible is read or referred to at all (and there is no guarantee it will be), it is weightless in its influence because of inadequate presentation or emphasis. There is little, if any, sense of either the preacher or the congregation bowing under the majestic authority of God’s written Word. We live at a time when being unsure and vague is in vogue. There is a contemporary distrust of anything or anyone who is assured or authoritative. Young pastors particularly may find themselves intimidated in such an environment and begin to preach sermons that have their genesis in what people want to hear rather than in what God has chosen to say and command.
Dick Lucas, pastor of St. Helens Bishopsgate Church, London, highlighted the danger in this approach when he said at one of his pastors’ conferences, “The pew cannot control the pulpit. We cannot deliver ‘demand led’ preaching because no one demands the Gospel.”
Exposition of Scripture is also undermined by a fascination with the so-called extra-biblical “prophetic word.” I recall a well-known Bible teacher in Britain moving deliberately from the exposition of the Scriptures to the uttering of a “word of prophecy.” Having read from the Scriptures, he would close his Bible and preface his remarks with, “This is what God is saying to us now.” Even those whose approach is softer risk diverting the listener away from a clear reliance on the sufficiency of Scripture.
Sinclair B. Ferguson wrote of such preaching, “While it is denied that additions are being made to the canon of Scripture, it is nevertheless implied that an actual addition is being made to the canon of living. Otherwise the illumination of Scripture and the wisdom to apply it would be sufficient” (The Holy Spirit [Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1996, p. 231).
In a similar way, a preoccupation with psychological theory has in many cases eroded confidence in the Scriptures. When the essence of the human predicament is redefined in terms of a lack of self-esteem, it is almost inevitable that people will be directed toward a couch but not a cross, a psychologist but not a Savior. The extent to which this has happened can be gauged by listening to various strange blends of psychology and theology, some of which are even offered as attempts at expository preaching!
Fighting the Wrong Battles
When pastors become convinced that the central issue facing the church is political or psychological rather than theological, exposition will be forsaken in favor of political speeches and calls to wage war for “the soul of the nation.” Congregations are then more urged to vote than to pray. They are mobilized not on the basis of a divine mandate, but on the strength of a human agenda.
No twentieth-century preacher has been clearer on this than the late D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Preaching in Canada from 1 Thessalonians 1:5, he declared:
The thing that makes the Christian message a Gospel is that it is a proclamation of the good news. It is not just topical comments on the latest scandal in the newspapers or the latest bit of news. It is not that we spend our time in telling kings and princes and presidents and prime ministers how they ought to be running their countries and how they ought to be solving the international problem. We are not qualified to do so. . . . What was it the Apostle preached about? Did the Apostle preach politics to these people? Did he say to them that it is about time you banded yourselves together and raised an army to rid yourself of the yoke of the Roman Empire? Did he object to taxation? Did he protest against the various things that were happening? That was not his message at all. (Quoted in Tony Sargent, The Sacred Anointing [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 1994], pp. 254, 267)
What was the content of the apostle’s preaching? Where did it start? What was its first point? Lloyd-Jones answered, “God!”
Young men beginning pastoral ministry are besieged by members of their congregations wanting them to begin their sermons with man and his need instead of God and his glory. Paranoid preoccupation with a new millennium is due more to a preoccupation with ourselves and our needs than to a humble dependence upon the unerring truth of the Bible. The antidote to such a virulent disease is biblical preaching that allows the Scriptures to establish the agenda.
Lack of Excellent Role Models
I am not saying there are none, but they are few and far between. Most young men leaving seminary and going into pastoral ministry appear to be enamored with dramatic success stories that are driven more by “the market” than by apostolic pattern and precepts. Consequently these are the models that tend to be adopted. Unfortunately, in many of these situations the approach to Bible teaching is hardly expository.
In fairness, we must recognize that such individuals are often taking seriously the need to engage the contemporary culture, a worthy intention. But as we have seen, the weakness in beginning at that point is that we allow the culture rather than the Bible to establish and control our proclamation. Roy Clements wrote, “If we constantly allow the preoccupations of our world to be the launching pad for our preaching, we will certainly miss many vital things God may want to say to us” (The Cambridge Papers, September 1998).
On the other side of the fence we discover others, equally mistaken, who claim to know better. They are committed to the faithful exposition of Scripture but are so buried in the text that they are completely divorced from the culture to which they have been called to preach. They are like those John Stott describes who shoot arrows from the island of the biblical text but fail to hit the island of contemporary culture. The arrows go straight up and come down on their own heads. These well-meaning and faithful students of the Word are so tied up in their “systems” that they do not discover what happens when one makes a reasonable attempt to bring together the two horizons of biblical theology and contemporary culture.
One of the reasons for the disinterest in expository preaching is surely that so many attempts at it prove lifeless, dull, and even thoroughly boring. I never cease to be amazed by the ingenuity of those who are capable of taking the powerful, life-changing text of Scripture and communicating it with all the passion of someone reading aloud from the Yellow Pages!
Calvin said of God’s work in preaching, “He deigns to consecrate the mouths and tongues of men to his service, making his own voice to be heard in them. Whenever God is pleased to bless their labor, he makes their doctrine efficacious by the power of his Spirit; and the voice, which is in itself mortal, is made an instrument to communicate eternal life” (from Pulpit and People, Nigel M. Cameron and Sinclair B. Ferguson, editors [Edinburgh: Rutherford House, 1986]).
Here we see the immeasurable significance of the preacher’s task and yet at the same time the antidote to pride. The expositor is God’s servant, submitting to and proclaiming the text of Holy Writ. “The passage itself is the voice, the speech of God; the preacher is the mouth and the lips, and the congregation . . . the ear in which the voice sounds” (Gustaf Wingren, The Living Word [London: SCM, 1960], p. 201).
The expositor is not a poet moving his listeners by cadence and imagery, nor is he an author reading from a manuscript. He is a herald speaking by the strength and authority of heaven. Fifty years ago James S. Stewart said, and it is still true today: “The disease of modern preaching is its search after popularity.”
Expository preaching means unfolding the text of Scripture in a way that makes contact with the listeners’ world while exalting Christ and confronting them with the need for action, and we need to identify and emulate role models in this noble pursuit. For me, the men who have led the way (and all of them happen to be from the other side of the Atlantic) are Eric Alexander, Roy Clements, Dick Lucas, Derek Prime, and D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Who are yours?
The Results of the Absence of Expository Preaching
To fail to practice expository preaching is not a matter to be taken lightly. There are costly consequences. It may seem that we are speaking too much of the negative in this short volume, but that is only because the matter is so very important.
1. Confusion. When Paul wrote to Titus he warned him (and us) about the “many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers” who “must be silenced” (Titus 1:10-11). This is clearly the responsibility of the elders. How are they to accomplish this? By a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures and the Gospel. An elder “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (v.9).
It is the work of the Word to teach, rebuke, correct, and train so that God’s people can set out on the voyage of life equipped for search and rescue. When the Bible is not being systematically expounded, congregations often learn a little about a lot but usually do not understand how everything fits together. They are like workers in a car assembly plant who know how to add their particular component but remain largely clueless as to how it fits in with the rest of the process. The most dangerous people in our churches are those who are susceptible to all kinds of passing fads and fancies; they often prove to be a trial to themselves as well as to others.
It is striking that in a time of great moral and doctrinal confusion, Paul exhorted Timothy not to spend his time learning clever answers to silly questions, but rather to give his time and energy to preaching the Word of God (2Tim. 4:2-5).
2. Malnutrition. As Walter C. Kaiser has written:
It is no secret that Christ’s Church is not in good health in many places of the world. She has been languishing because she has been fed, as the current line has it, “junk food”; all kinds of artificial preservatives and all sorts of unnatural substitutes have been served up to her. As a result, theological and biblical malnutrition has afflicted the very generation that has taken such giant steps to make sure its physical health is not damaged by using foods or products that are harmful to their bodies. Simultaneously a worldwide spiritual famine resulting from the absence of any genuine publication of the Word of God (Amos 8:11) continues to run wild and almost unabated in most quarters of the Church. (Toward an Exegetical Theology [Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker, 1981], pp. 7-8)
Hebrews 5:12-13 describes those who are stunted in their growth as a result of being stuck on “baby food.” John Brown of Haddington comments on their condition: “By their neglect of proper nourishment, they’d spoiled their spiritual appetite, the power of digestion, and had brought themselves to a state of second childhood” (Hebrews [Edinburgh and Carlisle, Pa.: Banner of Truth, 1994], p. 269). The Apostle Paul combines both pictures when he mentions “infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14).
The preventive medicine for this disease is the preaching and teaching ministry that God has established to bring his people to maturity.
For the past 20 years Alistair Begg has served as senior pastor of Parkside Church in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. HI is heard daily on Truth for Life and weekly on Truth for Life Weekend and has written several books.
For discussion and edification
Ping
Discussion point 1: Is the Church more concerned with social agendas or the souls of their flock?
A good insight and rather poignant.
Thanks.
My Pastor preaches expository all the time.
It is incomprehensible to me that a man could sit under the faithful and powerful preaching of God's word and ever again be satisfied with the pablum of "contemporary" services. I can find just as much edification in Rotary club meetings or other man centered efforts. I too wonder where the next Martin Lloyd-Jones of the church will show up. The fields are truly ripe for harvest, but where are the workers?
I think some of the pastors are just plain ill-trained. Our current pastor is fresh out of seminary, and every Sunday seems to come out of Sermons for Dummies:
Step 1: Read Scripture (just pick one. it's the only time you'll read it for the rest of the sermon)
Step 2: Begin with humorous anecdote
Step 3: Play on one of the key words in the passage and use it abundantly throughout the whole sermon (don't worry about the actual contextual meaning of the word...what's important is that afterwards when one of your congregation is asked what the sermon was about they can say "well, did you know that we are <keyword>?")
Step 4: Add another humorous anecdote (to keep em awake and interested)
Step 5: Climax (should include the phrase "We as a church have to be that <previously chosen keyword>")
Step 6: Wrap up with a succession of short phrases in gradually descending volume and pitch, finishing with "Let us pray."
Step 7: Contrite prayer (be sure to include that keyword)
Step 8: Extend invitation (hopefully you remembered to memorize your church's required confessional statement of faith)
Step 9: Remind everybody of potluck fellowship following worship.
I wish I could say that I was exagerrating, but that's pretty much how a lot of our sermons go.
A review of later passages on preaching show they refer to past evangelical events.
Men like to preach, because it doesn't require as much study, and it appeals to the flesh. Sad.
I am sure you are not kidding. When I was in Bible College, the pastor of the church we attended was still in Seminary. We had the same classes (his undergrad was in math) and the same books. We took "sermons" the same semester. I would write a sermon, hand it out to a couple of friends and have my hubby proof it before I turned it in. Two weeks later the same sermon topic/scripture would be coming from the pulpit, but always in the format you described. It was horrible and I ended up working in the nursery to avoid his "sermons".
I got several comments about how mine were better than his and it apparently got back to him, because he started telling me how he was better than I was because he was in Seminary (2 grad program) and I was only working on my BA (never mind I had more classes, more languages, and 4 years worth of work).
My family goes to a unique church. It is age-integrated, meaning there are no age-related programs or activities. There are no pastors. We are reformed in doctrine, charismatic in ministry, and evangelical in mission. There are a number of elders, and they travel between the three congregations in the area teaching about the portion of Scripture they have been assigned from the book the church is studying. There is exacting accountability between the elders, between members of the congregation, and between the congregation and the elders. We are on fire for the Lord, strong in community, charitable, and socially responsible. There is no way we could be this way without true expository teaching of the Word of God from the pulpit, in home Bible studies, and between believers informally. We exalt Christ, and stir up one another to good works. My friends and fellow church members are my role models. I am deeply thankful, and praise God for them!
I didn't mean for this to be an advertisement, but I feel prompted to mention that one of the founders of the church is having a seminar in mid-January on how this church was started, and the 1st century principles it is founded on. If you would like more information, please FReepmail me privately.
The only one ever concerned with the souls of the elect is God. Without Him, every soul is just concerned about it's own safety from Him--and the other souls. The interesting thing is that nowhere in all of Scripture does God say He will speak through the same soul in the same schedule through every seven day period--yet that is the expectation of the crowd and the lie of the pastorate/seminary. (a.k.a. Nicolatianism in the guise of 'the all-various (er..'permanent') gifts') The congregation will do ANYTHING other (if it was up to them) than be Spoken through (because they see what it supposedly cost those through whom God speaks in this world bu tin truth simply costs God through them...) and so are glad to pay some poor smuck to pretend that God has indeed 'called' him and his staff out to speak through them on a regular basis like clockwork. And the staff actively hates God so that they may be able to speak their own idea of what God's supposed 'holy information' 'means' in a speech not-God rather than God as Word speaking through them so they can appear to be 'smart' and have a following...
...AND it is viewed by those in the Church as a sign of maturity to speak on societal matters as 'proof' of having progressed 'beyond' such supposed mundane matters/Life as the truth God gives in the Scriptures...
...AND the Church has abandoned the Scriptures/Word of God in favor of the speech of Eygpt from which they were saved.
Proverbs 22:17-23 Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thy heart unto my knowledge. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee: they shall be together fitted on thy lips. That thy confidence may be in Jehovah, I have made them known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things, in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest carry back words of truth to them that send thee? Rob not the poor, because he is poor, neither oppress the afflicted in the gate; for Jehovah will plead their cause, and despoil the soul of those that despoil them.
In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen
With you as an Elder, does he have a choice? ;-)
Are you then suggesting that a paid pastor is not biblical or necessary??
More importantly, the pastor-teacher needs to discern the spiritual gifts amongst the flock and deploy them accordingly to cultivate the most fruit.
The spiritual gift of pastor-teacher being discernible from the spiritual gift of evangelism.
The hypocrits will look for soulish formulas such as is manifest by the stereotyped white suited tele-evangelist speaking in rhetorical accentuation, whereas a mature pastor, young in his years will remain in Christ and seek to discern the gifts his fellow believers and flock have been divinely given in their spirit and staff them accordingly.
And how does The Purpose Driven Hersey, err, I mean Life fit into this?
When people hear real Law and Gospel preaching, many are offended by it. They want the feel good/successful living pablum that Oprah ladels out on TV five days a week. The preachers of the past 30 years have done a pitiful job of proclaiming the Word of God. They have traded the inheritance of biblical truth for the pottage of emotional "spirituality" and our society has suffered greatly as a result.
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