No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.

The following are some thoughts and quotes with regard to Expository Preaching, some of which I typically share with preaching students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Here's a video clip from John Piper on the Power of Scripture and Doctrine to start us off. (HT Benji)





A couple of quick definitions/descriptions:

York (SBTS prof) & Decker, Preaching with Bold Assurance
"Expository preaching is defined not by a style nor by a particular methodology, but by the end result of explaining and applying the meaning of the text. Expository preaching is any kind of preaching that shows people the meaning of a biblical text and leads them to apply it to their lives."


Robinson, Biblical Preaching
"Expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept derived from and transmitted through a historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through the preacher, applies to his hearers."


Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching
"Biblical preaching moves from doctrinal exposition to life instruction."

"A grammar lesson is not a sermon. A sermon is not a textual summary, a systematics discourse, or a history lecture. Mere lectures are pre-sermons because they dispense information without relevant application that focuses listeners on their obligations to Christ and his ministry to them." (which he credits to Jay Adams in Preaching with Purpose)

"present the Word; explain what it says; and exhort based on what it means. This is expository preaching."


J. I . Packer, "Why Preach?"
“The purpose of preaching is not to stir people to action while bypassing their minds, so that they never see what reason God gives them for doing what the preacher requires of them (that is manipulation); nor is the purpose to stock people’s minds with truth, no matter how vital and clear, which then lies fallow and does not become the seedbed and source of changed lives (that is academicism).”


Al Mohler, (See "Expository Preaching and the Recovery of Christian Worship," Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3)
"Expository preaching is that mode of Christian preaching that takes as its central purpose the presentation and application of the text of the Bible. All other issues and concerns are subordinated to the central task of presenting the biblical text. As the word of God, the text of Scripture has the right to establish both the substance and the structure of the sermon. Genuine exposition takes place when the preacher sets forth the meaning and message of the biblical text and makes clear how the word of God establishes the identity and worldview of the church as the people of God."

"Expository preaching begins with the preacher's determination to present and explain the text of the Bible to his congregation. This simple starting point is a major issue of division in contemporary homiletics for many preachers assume that they must begin with a human problem or question and then work backward to the biblical text. On the contrary, expository preaching begins with the text and works from the text to apply its truth to the lives of believers. If this determination and commitment are not clear at the outset, something other than expository preaching will result."

"Authentic expository preaching is marked by three distinct marks or characteristics: authority, reverence, and centrality. Expository preaching is authoritative because it stands upon the very authority of the Bible as the word of God. Such preaching requires and reinforces a sense of reverent expectation on the part of God's people. Finally, expository preaching demands the central place in Christian worship and is respected as the event through which the living God speaks to his people."


John Stott, Between Two Worlds
"We should be praying that God will raise up a new generation of Christian communicators who are determined to bridge the chasm; who struggle to relate God’s unchanging Word to our ever-changing world; who refuse to sacrifice truth to relevance or relevance to truth; but who resolve instead in equal measure to be faithful to Scripture and pertinent to today."

"What did the original author intend his words to mean? That was the question. Moreover it is a question which can with patience be answered, and answered confidently…the biblical authors were honest men, not deceivers and their writings intended to be understood.”


Gunny's Sine qua non of Expository Preaching
"Expository preaching presents the intended meaning of the biblical author/Author in a manner that is relevant to the contemporary listener."


If our goal in all preaching (& teaching) is life change to the glory of God (and I can't see how it's not), then our listeners should leave knowing what the text meant in the original context, what the text means for the contemporary audience, and how the text should be applied in their little world. They should be motivated to that end through our exhortation and should be expected to do it (reliant on the Spirit, of course).

Hey, Jane ... get me off this crazy thing ... called love.

Dining out with the family Monday night I noticed the entrance of a group of 3 people that I quickly deduced was comprised of a mom and elementary school aged son and the boyfriend.

I'm a bit of a people watcher by nature, but one thing stood out to me early on. There was prayer before the meal.

Now, my family prays before we eat and I know many others do as well. It's not a test of orthodoxy or orthopraxy for me, but that's how we roll. Others may not, particularly in a restaurant, and I'm sure they have their own rationale.

But in my experience it's typically a corporate activity, either the family as a group prays or it does not.

Putting aside the question of "oughtness" for a moment, what struck me was that the mom & son turned toward each other and with impressive form (i.e., hands together in their laps, heads bowed, and eyes closed so they wouldn't get distracted) thanked their Maker for their meal.

The boyfriend? He did not. In fact, he kind of looked up at the ceiling in a manner that expressed his irritation or at least incredulity at their practice.

You know where this is going, don't you?

I felt for this mother with no ring on her finger. I'm sure she's thinking that it would be nice to have a husband and particularly to have a father-type for her son.

I so wanted to call time out and tell her, "He's not the one."

This is a lady to whom her spirituality is of vital importance and has taught her son to value the same. But she's entertaining the idea of this man being Mr. Right and he clearly doesn't hold similar values.

I know I don't know all there is to know and I don't want to be presumptuous, but it's nothing new, this oft repeated story. Not only would she be wrong to enter into a marriage where they would be "unequally yoked" (2 Cor 6:14), but she would only be continually frustrated with a man who could not be her spiritual leader and would not be a role model of a godly man for her son.

Since I'm assuming this man is not the "smart" choice for her, one she would make with her head, I can only assume her motivation is founded in her "heart."

Would she say something as trite and yet as powerful as, "We're in love?"
As the father of 3 daughters, this worries me.

It's hard to reason with one in love. Just ask Percy Sledge:

When a man loves a woman,
Can't keep his mind on nothing else.
He'll trade the world
For the good thing he's found.
If she's bad he can't see it.
She can do no wrong.
Turn his back on his best friend,
If he put her down.

The key, it seems to me, is to protect ourselves from "falling in love" with those who we should not commit our love to.

Ladies and gentlemen, don't get on that crazy thing called love, for it's too hard to get off once you're on.

This is the whole point of "courting" being preferred to "dating." In courting you're exploring the possibility of marriage and the relationship is moving in that direction. In dating, people are typically setting their sights on the shorter-term, but often emotional (or other) attachments occur that complicate matters.

Of course, in this whole process the role of the Christian community comes into play and can be a huge asset. I just hope that young lady at the restaurant has other Christians in her life that have the capital built up to be able to have her ear AND they have the courage to act in her best interest.

Alright, I'm going to need for you to retard your anger level a few notches and listen to me, can you do that?

Some quick thoughts on community, with regard to church that is.

"Community" is a bit of a buzz word in the church world and you would at times wonder how the church existed all these years without an emphasis on "authentic community."

That aside, it's been my experience and thinking that it's kind of a double-edged sword. People clamor for community, but then when the effects of community kick in, positive or negative, they would like a refund, or back away, or start looking for another community.

For example, when people get close enough to you to start helping you grow in sanctification by pointing out (self-)destructive behavior, fences come up with the tenderness.

Smaller churches can be appealing for the (seemingly) increased potential for community, but when those who love you in the community start to give you the business for sleeping through church, what do you do?

The irony is that God gives us community (i.e., our local church) to aid in our sanctification. Those people are there to help us see things we won't/can't see in ourselves. Those people will also give you the opportunity to forgive those who sin against you, to restore the relationship. Those people will give you the opportunity to be patient with a brother or sister who is well behind you on the road to holiness.

But being confronted with our shortcomings doesn't feel nice at all. Being wronged and overlooking it or seeking to fix it biblically aren't any fun.

So, what's the answer?

Practically, folks will often ...

1. Keep things to a very superficial level. Those who aren't close to you, don't know you, and really can't hurt you. This is the easiest, particularly in a larger church where you think nothing of it when you don't have many close relationships. There's the illusion of peace and a few tender people or troublemakers won't have the same potential for derailing the church's health, but this is truly only the appearance of intimate community.

2. Poison the community by harboring ill feelings toward one who you feel has wronged you, knowingly or not, it doesn't matter. Biblically, reconciliation is not optional. Paul stopped down in his letter to the Philippians to "waste" 2 verses so 2 ladies could reconcile (Phil 4:2-3).

3. Leave the church because you got tender with someone. It's easier to mail it in, assuming folks at the other church will be different. Of course, after a few churches one has to wonder if it's not the individual with the problem, not these many collections of people. I say that tongue-in-cheek, of course, because the group is no more perfect than the people of which it is comprised.

So, the easy route is to get tender and leave, hoping folks will call to ask why, so there can a laundry list revealed of insensitive people.

If we took a poll, I'm confident this would be in the top 3 reasons, if not THE top reason, as to why people leave a church. Pastors, can I get an "Amen"?

It doesn't have to be tenderness with a leader, though that helps accelerate the process.

Somebody didn't reach out enough to me. Somebody didn't invite me to his/her bit. Somebody wasn't receptive to my reaching out. Somebody hurt my feelings. Someone got tender with me over something I said or did that I don't think was any big deal. I was sick and missed 2 Sundays and nobody called or came by to ask about me. I slept through 2 Sundays because I was tired from being out too late the night before and someone asked me why I wasn't at church.

The worst is some combination of #2 & #3, whereby the root of bitterness grows so the poison permeates before the leaving, whereby more leave in the process.

How is God honored in any of that? How impressive is the Gospel that it makes superficial friends of God's people or that it makes friends of those who are alike?

What's impressive is a Gospel that saves from wrath and makes us pure. What's impressive is a Gospel that changes hearts so that we can love unlovely and we can love in spite of our differences and in spite of wronging and being wronged.

Authentic community is not easy, to create or maintain. And we also have to be careful what we wish for. We just might get it.

And in the process of REALLY getting to know other sinners saved by grace, you may find them hard to love ... and they may find you hard to love.

But that's when we get to practice the "one anothers" of Scripture:

• Forgive one another - only possible when you've been wronged.
• Be kind to one another - natural when they're kind to you, otherwise not so much.
• Accept one another - this can only happen when the person doesn't meet your expectations and/or standards of behavior or knowledge.
• Bear one another's burdens - you have your own, which is heavy enough, right?
• Encourage one another - the discouraged can bring you down, or you can bring them up.
• Honor one another - spotlighting another person certainly is contrary to our human nature.
• Love one another - even loving those who don't deserve it, just as God loved the undeserving, us included.
• Comfort one another - when something bad happens to another, you can say, "Be warm; be fed," or you can give them spiritual comfort.
• Teach one another - nobody likes a know-it-all, so they may not listen.
• Pray for one another - we all like to be prayed for, but few put the needs of others before their own, which is demonstrated in prayers for others (beyond, "God, please fix that guy!").

Once we REALLY get to know each other, we're much harder to love, but that's the nature of authentic Christian community, loving those who are hard to love. And that's the nature of a community that is impressive to the watching world.

For more on conflict resolution, check out The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Ken Sande. (HT Kyle Kerby)

Fat guy in a little coat ...

I'm riding along in my automobile, nobody beside me; I'm at the wheel.

As a car went by me I noticed the cross hanging from the rear view mirror. It was a crystal or glass one that captured the light nicely.

But I also noted that about 8-10 inches away, prominently displayed on the dashboard was ... a radar detector.

I actually laughed out loud at the juxtaposition of those 2 objects, and what they symbolized.

The 1st is the emblem of suffering and shame identifying the Lord Jesus and His followers. It represents selflessness and subjection to the will of God.

The 2nd represents a person who wants to break the law, but avoid the potential penalties therein.

Christians bear the obligation to obey the laws of the land, as is seen in Romans 13:1.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (ESV)

Rebellion against "the man" is really rebellion against God, with the caveat, of course, that we disobey any rules or laws that would necessitate our breaking the laws or rules of God Himself.

I understand that folks falter at times, but the radar detector seems to me a pretty good indication that there is no intention of obeying the law to the glory of God.

There are certain things that just don't go together, they just don't fit.

A fat guy in a little coat, for example, and a Christian sporting a radar detector.

No, I like all you Navy boys. Everytime we gotta go some place to fight, you fellas always give us a ride.

November 10th is regarded as the "birthday" of the United States Marine Corps. So, I'd like to wish those who are "always faithful" a Happy 232nd Birthday.

JOURNAL OF THE CONTINENTIAL CONGRESS
(Philadelphia) Friday, November 10, 1775

Resolved, That two Battalions of marines be raised, consisting of one Colonel, two Lieutenant Colonels, two Majors, and other officers as usual in other regiments; and that they consist of an equal number of privates with other battalions; that particular care be taken, that no persons be appointed to office, or enlisted into said Battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve to advantage by sea when required; that they be enlisted and commissioned to serve for and during the present war between Great Britain and the colonies, unless dismissed by order of Congress: that they be distinguished by the names of the first and second battalions of American Marines, and that they be considered as part of the number which the continental Army before Boston is ordered to consist of.


And a few "ou-rah" quotes for your motivational pleasure:

"The Continental ship Providence, now lying at Boston, is bound on a short cruise, immediately; a few good men are wanted to make up her complement."
-Marine Captain William Jones, Providence Gazette, 20 March 1779.

"you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!"
-Captain Henry P. "Jim" Crowe, USMC, Guadalcanal, 13 January 1943.

"Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue."
-Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN, 16 March 1945.

"The bended knee is not a tradition of our Corps."
-General Alexander A. Vandergrift, USMC, to the Senate Naval Affairs Committee, 5 May 1946.

"I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting organization in the world."
-General Douglas MacArthur, USA, outskirts of Seoul, 21 September 1950.

"Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they've ever made a difference in the world. Marines don't have that problem."
-Ronald Reagan

From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli,
We fight our country's battles In the air, on land, and sea.
First to fight for right and freedom, And to keep our honor clean,
We are proud to claim the title of United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurl'd to every breeze From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place Where we could take a gun.
In the snow of far-off northern lands And in sunny tropic scenes,
You will find us always on the job The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life And never lost our nerve.
If the Army and the Navy Ever look on Heaven's scenes,
They will find the streets are guarded By United States Marines.

I don't know if you heard me counting. I did over a thousand.

Tonight I got to watch my first hockey game of the season ... and what a game it was.

The Stars beat the San Jose Sharks 3-1, but the Star of the evening was Mike Modano.

Not only did he score two goals, including the game winner, but in doing so he tied and subsequently passed the record for most points scored by a U.S. born player.

"Modano, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 Entry Draft, has played his entire career with the Stars franchise, beginning with the Minnesota North Stars in 1989. The native of Livonia, Mich., has 511 goals and 722 assists in 1,253 games."

In case you didn't hear him counting, that's 1233 points (combination of assists and goals).

Modano's record breaker was the sweetest play in hockey, a short-handed goal. The 37 year old still has some speed after all these years.

The win also moved the Stars ahead of the Sharks in the standings for 1st place in the division.

Congratulations to he who wears #9 on his back, but is #1 in the record books.

I loathe the bus.

We often thing of certain vocations as being those that are in the category of heroes, for example firefighters, police officers, and military personnel.

I don't disagree, but those are also all jobs that I personally wouldn't mind doing. In fact, I would enjoy them.

But what about the "unsung" heroes?

What about those who do jobs that are necessary, unglamorous, underpaid, and generally a beating?

I thought of one such job this morning as I went with my daughter's 1st grade class on a field trip.

Boarding the bus I struck up a good conversation with the driver, donned in a lovely Aggie hat. My nerves were nearly shot by the time we arrived at our destination some 30 minutes or so later. Yet, the driver was still friendly with the kids and adults.

He repeated the same process on the return trip.

I thought to myself: "No way they could pay me enough to do this job, including the whip of driving around such a mammoth beast. Yet, how many of these folks are out there, picking up kids in the early AM (ours get on the bus at 0645) fulfilling a great need?"

As a student I hated the bus, especially in high school. I still loathe the bus. One of the high points of high school was when Joey's grandpa gave him a truck so we could opt out of the bus. Amen, Oil?

So, until the 6th of November 2007 I had no appreciation for the unsung hero of the school bus driver. But, for those about to roll, we salute you.

Are there other such "unsung heroes" out there? What can we do to show our appreciation?