Preaching: What's on the Menu?

“The first mark of a healthy church is expositional preaching. It is not only the first mark; it is far and away the most important of them all, because if you get this one right, all of the others should follow…If you get the priority of the Word established, then you have in place the single most important aspect of the church’s life…The congregation’s commitment to the centrality of the Word coming from the front, from the preacher, the one specially gifted by God and called to that ministry, is the most important thing you can look for in a church.”  Mark Dever

   If you’re new to Grace you may wonder about our commitment to Scripture and what’s the “pulpit menu.” At Grace we’re committed to what’s known as “expository preaching.” Rather than interpreting the Bible, we want to understand Scripture and what God has written for us. That’s why it’s exciting to return to our study of 1 Samuel: God of Reversals. Today we’re picking up our study in chapter 11 with the commencement of the reign of Israel’s first monarch, King Saul. 

  Why are we so committed to this kind of study? Let me share a story about a guy who happened to notice one day as he was looking out his window that somebody was building something near his home. He watched each day as construction workers cleared the land and moved dirt and trucks rolled in and out. The guy said that the first thing he saw them do was to pour a big concrete slab and then they put a big steel looking box on top of the slab. There was just this big box on the slab, so he figured that this must be some kind of storage shed or something the workers kept their tools in. But then he noticed that after a day or two that the workers began to build a concrete wall all around the big box. Then, they added drywall and now he’s really wondering, “What in the world they are building?”

  Finally, his curiosity gets the best of him and he goes over and says, “I’ve been watching you guys each day. I saw you pour a foundation and put this box in the middle and then build a wall around it. I’m curious, what in the world you’re building?” The construction worker replied, “Oh, we’re building a bank. That box you’re talking about with the wall all around it is the vault.” He then explained that when you build a bank, you build the central and most important part of the bank first, then you build everything else around it. Because of the large size of the vault and its weight, they had to start with it or later they wouldn’t be able to fit it through the door. 

  Because of the importance of the vault, that it would contain all manner of riches, treasures and wealth, it was the key part of the building. They wanted to be sure they got it right, and then built everything else around the centrality of the vault.

  The same is true when you want to build up God’s people and build a local church. When you build a family, when you build a relationship, and when you build a life, you first make sure that the most important part is in place—the Bible. Then, you build everything else around it. 

  Because the Bible contains all the riches and treasures and wealth of the Gospel, it’s the foundation of our lives. Everything else must be built around the centrality of the Bible. When we do this our lives are built to last, not just for this temporal world but for all eternity.

  From the world of real estate, you’ve probably heard the repeated refrain that identifies the most important consideration in a transaction as “location, location, location.” That’s true when it comes to expository preaching. The most important consideration for preaching a sermon is “the text, the text, the text.” Our goal is to simply show or “expose” what God wrote in His Word. That’s because…

  Expository preaching proceeds from the authority of the text. We don’t invent the sermon. Ours is a derived ministry in that we’re charged to share the message found in God’s Word. Without a word from God, we have nothing meaningful to say. We believe that the Spirit has authorized and inspired the words of Scripture in a manner with which He has not inspired our words. Our authority in preaching hinges at every point on the uniquely authorized nature of the biblical text. It’s why we stay as close to the text as possible. As J. I. Packer put it, “Preaching is letting texts talk.”

  Expository preaching gives functional priority to the text in the passage of Scripture. Prioritizing the text in our preaching can’t be overstated. The passage of Scripture must govern what we say about it, when we say what we say about it, and even how we say what we say about it. A sermon’s affirmations and assertions should be linked to the text.

  Structurally, an expository sermon is more than simply offering a running commentary on the passage. The sermon must be arranged as the text presents itself and have a concise main idea that reflects it clearly. The message should convey something of the “spirit” of the text. Delivery must reflect joy when the text focuses on rejoicing. Likewise, it should convey gravity and brokenness when the text focuses on sin and its consequences.

  Expository preaching recognizes the life-changing potential and eternal impact of the text. Our commitment to expository preaching is rooted in the recognition of the timelessness of Scripture. As important as dynamic delivery and careful crafting of words are, what changes lives is not pulpit passion, great stories or cleverly timed phrases.

  What changes lives is the word of God, inspired and energized by the Holy Spirit. That changes lives forever. God’s Word has an eternal impact in that, like no other source, it confronts hearers with ultimate realities like life and death, heaven and hell, and hope and hopelessness.

  When we prioritize the text, we honor the Lord who inspired it and Scripture edifies those who hear it. Our handling of the text sets the tone for how our church will handle Scripture. Through faithful expository preaching, we have the opportunity to model an appropriate reverence and regard for God’s Word. We also have the wonderful privilege of assisting others in learning how to care for their own spiritual meals.

  How we preach and teach reveals what we believe about the Bible. Anyone can sign an orthodox statement of faith, but that doesn’t prove what we really believe. Our true convictions about God and His Word are evidenced by what we preach and how we preach – that it’s God’s Word, not our opinion or perspective.  

  This is why we’re committed to working our way through 1 Samuel (and other books of the Bible). We want to hear what God has to say to us and apply His truth to our lives!

 Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.