- What is the point of preaching? To build the church by helping us to understand God’s Word through the lens of the Gospel.
- Two main categories of Preaching: Topical and Expository
- Topical Preaching tries to answer what the God says about a topic across the whole Bible – like a map
- Expository preaching digs deep into the text to expose the bones of the meaning in a particular passage – like a blueprint
- Can be a blend of the two
- A good expository sermon will:
- Help you understand exactly what the Author meant to communicate
- Has the same emphasis as the passage
- Helps you know how to respond, both emotionally and practically.
- A great expository sermon will:
- Move you to agreement with God
- Move you to action
- Expository preaching is hard work, since the preacher has the impossible job of taking scripture and making it more like scripture.
- How can we (the congregation) help?
- Pray for the preacher’s preparation time
- Pray for the preacher’s delivery
- Encourage him with specific details
- Offer criticism gently – lest he think he’s responsible for the hardness of our hearts.
- Take the best parts and “talk about them as you walk along the road.”
- Obey the word that you have heard.
neumatikos 