Preaching Questions

+ What is Expository Preaching? Why is it important?

Expository preaching is the process of laying open a Bible text in such a way that the Holy Spirit’s intended meaning and attending power are brought to bear on the lives of contemporary listeners.

This kind of preaching is not only important, but absolutely necessary, because whatever God was intending to say when He inspired a text of Scripture is the only message that has the ability to transform listeners into the image of Jesus Christ. So for preachers to do anything less than exposing people to God’s intended meaning in the power of His Holy Spirit will rob them of that opportunity.

+ What is Spirit-Empowered Preaching?

Spirit-empowered preaching is preaching that’s attended by the Holy Spirit from beginning to end. John Knox said that “true preaching from start to finish is the work of the Spirit.” That means the Spirit inspired the text that is preached, calls the preacher who preaches it, illuminates his mind to its truth, transforms him by His grace, empowers him with boldness, convicts his listeners of disobedience, draws them to Himself, regenerates them by His power, recreates them into Christ’s image, and keeps them for eternity.

+ What is Christ-Centered preaching? Is it possible to preach Christ in every sermon?

“Christ-centered preaching” most often is simply a reference to preaching that exposes Christ in every sermon. However, I prefer the term “Gospel-centered preaching” as opposed to “Christ-centered preaching.” Why?—Because Christ is not necessarily the ‘center’ of every text in the Bible, but the gospel of Christ is.

Another way to say it is that every text of Scripture is lashed to the Christ event in some way—either speaking of Christ directly, pointing forward to the coming of Christ prophetically, or reflecting back on Christ doctrinally. That means in some way every passage of Scripture is part of the larger gospel story, the ‘big’ story of the Bible as a whole. And it’s the responsibility of every gospel preacher to establish that relationship as part of the process of expounding on both Old and New Testament passages.

+ What is your sermon preparation process?

I want to do everything I can to make the sermon preparation process a spiritual encounter with God as opposed to a mere academic exercise. Consequently, I try not only to begin and end my process with prayer for the help of God’s Spirit but also to have some intentional points throughout the process to prayerfully consider first what God is saying to me as one of his children as opposed to the people to whom I will preach.

The formal part of my preparation process is divided into two major phases.

The first phase is the study of the text to find out what God is saying. This phase involves an exploration of the background of the Bible book in which my preaching text is found, as well as some unhurried time just reading, meditating on, and make observations about my passage. These considerations then lead to studying the immediate context of the passage, as well as its structure and literary genre. I also want to chase down cross-references and explore any keywords in the text. Then, I will consult good commentaries to see what others have said about the text. My study phase ends with bottom-lining my understanding of the passage in one, simple sentence that expresses the passage’s central idea, and also identifying the theological purpose of it.

The second major phase of the process is the actual preparation of the sermon, in which I seek to express my understanding of what God is saying in the text in a way that will help others hear God’s voice. This phase begins with translating my central idea into a proposition for my sermon and then formulating an outline that will enable listeners to follow me on a journey through the passage. Then I want to put meat on the bones of the outline by determining which stuff I dug up in my study phase needs to be explained, applied, illustrated, and/or argued in order for them to get God’s intended meaning. Next, I try to spend some time formulating the best introduction and conclusion to the message. Finally, I want to take everything I’ve done up to this point and write it out in a word-for-word manuscript of the sermon so I can use it to help me prepare to preach. While I’ve, personally, don’t use any notes when I preach, the manuscript helps me to get pertinent details and flow of thought firmly rooted in my heart.

+ How do you plan an annual preaching calendar?

As a pastor, my favorite way to plan the annual preaching calendar is..

First, ask my elders or other spiritual leaders to identify the primary spiritual issue(s) on which our congregation needs to hear from God in order to best be shaped into Christ’s image.

Second, I look to determine in which book(s) of the Bible God addressed that issue or issues.

Third, I plan to preach through that book or those books of the Bible in the coming year, and plan the calendar accordingly.

+ When should I say no to preaching opportunities?

The call to preach is a God-given responsibility and privilege to which we are compelled, not a career or profession to be pursued. The weightiness and urgency of the gospel demand that the preacher not only capitalize on every opportunity to preach that comes his way, but also to proactively create unsolicited opportunities.

Consequently, the default of the preacher is to seize every possible opportunity to preach regardless of convenience or compensation. Obvious exceptions to this rule include clear direction from the Holy Spirit not to comply, conflicts with previous commitments, logistical limitations that prevent travel to a particular location, debilitating illness that puts the preacher or others at risk, or other physical circumstances that make it impossible or at least unwise.

+ Why should pastors preach through the book of Revelation?

Many pastors are hesitant to preach through Revelation because of interpretive difficulties, differing views of eschatology, and other factors related to the book’s nature.

However, reasons to preach through it and not withhold its riches from our people far outweigh the reasons to neglect it. Here are just a few:

It’s in the Bible—Revelation is no less inspired and no less God’s Word than any other Bible book, so we have no less responsibility to preach it as part of His written revelation.

It makes much of Jesus—We would be hard-pressed to find another book that highlights the glory of our Lord more than Revelation.

It closes the loop of the gospel—The Bible opens with God creating heaven and earth and mankind in His image (Gen. 1-2), and it closes with God re-creating those same things and restoring them to what He intended them to be (Rev. 21-22). Everything in between those two bookends is the story of how He does that by defeating sin and Satan through the Lord Jesus Christ.

It contains more certainty than uncertainty—When we let Scripture interpret Scripture, there are fewer things in Revelation that are open to legitimate debate than there are those that are clearly verified by the rest of the Bible.

It’s the only Bible book that’s bracketed with the promise of blessing and judgment with regard to engaging it—Revelation opens with the promise of specific blessing for those who read and obey it (Rev. 1:3), and closes with a warning for those who alter it (Rev. 22:18-19). Both promises demand that we proclaim it to people and compel them to receive it.