03 - The Appraisal of Exposition
Chapter 3 THE APPRAISAL OF EXPOSITION
A. OBJECTIONS
THOUGH THE MAJORITY of homiletics professors, as well as preachers, extol the expository method and deplore the lack of its use in the pulpit today, there have been some definite objections raised to the extensive employment of expositional preaching. It would be well to consider those objections which may seem to indicate that exposition would be unwise under the conditions which maintain today.
(1) Lack of labor-Many are prejudiced toward exposition because they consider it to be a labor-saving device. That is, it becomes a substitute to fall back on in an emergency. That may be due to the fact that the preacher has failed to give adequate time to preparation, or, as Broadus puts it: On rainy Sundays, or on week-nights, the preacher who has no sermon prepared, or wishes to save his elaborate preparation for a more auspicious occasion, will frequently undertake to “read a passage of Scripture and make a few remarks,” feeling that this enterprise is attended by no risks because, as some quaint old preacher expressed it, if he is “persecuted in one verse he can flee to another.” Hence the people rather naturally conclude that whenever one takes a long text it is an expedient to dispense with labor.
Dr. R. Ames Montgomery also expatiates on this point in a very positive manner:
There seems to be in the minds of some people the idea that expository preaching is an indulgence that a preacher allows himself when the pressure of other things has been encountered. Some lazy men have imagined that they make amends for their neglect and self-indulgence in preparation by what they call expository preaching. Selecting a passage of the Scriptures, they chatter away for half an hour in anecdotal talks suggested by the passage selected. They may try to dignify their action and ease their conscience by calling this expository preaching. It is nothing of the kind. This gives a distorted idea of exposition, which is naturally considered rather dry, but in no way justifies, though it gives rise to, the prejudice. It may be acknowledged that expository preaching is dry, if the preacher is dry. We are quite willing to concede that, but it will also be true of other methods. This objection will be easily overcome if the preacher will diligently set himself to excel in the realm of exposition. The fact of the business is that, far from being a labor-saving device, it involves for more laborious effort on the part of the preacher than any other type, as we shall see later on.
(2) Lack of Bibles-Another objection is that the vast majority of most congregations never carry Bibles to church (a lamentable fact), and thus are not able to follow the trend of thought as it is being developed from the passage under consideration. The probability is that the people either discontinued the practice of carrying Bibles long to the worship service, or never cultivated it, simply because they found no need for it. I heard of a woman who had the habit of saying “ner nuthin” instead of “or anything.” One Sunday a modern and up-to-date minister came to fill the pulpit. She brought her Bible along as usual. After a few minutes she came to see that she would not need it so she laid it on the pew. When the service was over she went to the minister with her Bible under her arm, and greeted him with these words: “Well, that was some sermon. Never did hear one like it before. You didn’t have no Scripture, ner no text, ner no doctrine-ner nuthin.” That might be an accurate diagnosis of a great deal of our present-day preaching. This objection constitutes both a challenge and an opportunity. If it is true that this condition exists (and it does), it is due to the fact that the people have never been educated to appreciate the values of exposition. Therefore, when they have been taught to love the fertility and relish the vitality of exposition we shall have overcome the deficiency. There will come about a realization that the hour of worship is not complete without the open Bible before them, which is a most desirable result.
We have enjoyed the most exhilarating experience of beginning a pastorate with possibly only one or two Bibles in the hands of the parishioners and, in a comparatively short length of time, after announcing the chapter, having to wait a few seconds for the rustling of the leaves to subside before continuing. What a heavenly disturbance!
(3) Lack of knowledge-Right along this same line is another objection, that there is such a widespread ignorance of Bible truth and interest in the same. A modern congregation is not disposed to show any depth of appreciation for exposition. Again, we are forced to acknowledge the correctness of the indictment. At the same time, this lack of knowledge is largely due to the fact that the pulpit has failed to instruct the people and thereby stimulate such an interest and desire for Biblical knowledge and understanding. Once more it would seem that such a condition provokes a challenge and an opportunity. Do not say that it cannot be done until you have given it a fair trial, over an extended period of time. The fact is it can be done. Dr. Jones is right when he says:
I believe that it can be truthfully said that expository preaching, if wisely done and persistently practiced, will engender such a regard for the Bible in the hearts of the people that they will not be satisfied with any other kind of preaching.
Dr. Phelps tells of a minister in Brooklyn who specialized in expository preaching with very satisfactory results:
He had trained his inventive power to act in devising methods of making the Bible interesting. He had at command an inexhaustible fund of Biblical information. In his sermons he would career over an entire Biblical chapter with such exhilarating comment, that, in the result, he carried the audience with him to the end of an hour without a moment of weariness. He made exegetical learning kindle with oratorical fire.
(4) Lack of variety-A further objection, which is shared by many ministers, is that exposition is greatly lacking in variety of content. The lack of real foundation for this objection will be seen in the next chapter. This is a restless, streamlined age in which we live. There is a tendency to want everything (even sermons) to be condensed, processed, vitaminized, and issued in sugar-coated capsules, along with a glass of lukewarm water. The constant reference to the same book of the Bible each Sunday becomes monotonous, and the necessity of having to concentrate is annoying. It is much more convenient and entertaining if the preacher will merely announce a text as a point of embarkation, and then go on a human interest cruise with something fresh and up-to-date; a resume of the news, a book review, or just a relation of incidents, humorous and otherwise. This preference is the fruitage of a diluted and threadbare pulpit ministry. When an appetite for real Biblical preaching is created, the people will look forward to the next chapter or portion with earnest expectation. They will read in advance and with enthusiasm the Scripture which is to be treated the following Sunday, anticipating the rich treasures which are to be unfolded at the next service. A great deal of disloyalty will be eliminated in this way also, because the people will feel that they are going to suffer much loss if they miss a single message in the series.
Some have thought that the well-organized Sunday school has dispensed with the need for expositional preaching, but that is not the case. The Sunday school teacher, even at his best, never presumes to be able to substitute for the expositor, but seeks only to whet the appetite for a heart-warming exposition of the Word in the worship service. Your Sunday school teachers will be your most appreciative listeners. Perhaps the reason that so many leave the church after Sunday school is because they feel that the lesson is superior to the sermon, due to the fact that the teacher stayed with the Scriptures, while the minister merely meandered.
It is extremely doubtful if any concrete objection can be offered to discredit the value and excellence of exposition, if administered under the direction and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
If “variety is the spice of life” then the expository method, particularly consecutive exposition, will rescue our pulpit menu from the monotonous cycle of soup to hash, and will provide a well-seasoned and well-balanced meal at every sitting.
B. VIRTUES The virtues or advantages of expositional preaching, standing out in stark contrast to the objections, we shall treat in the following manner:
(1) Revelation-The Bible is simply a written revelation of God Himself, given to men for the purpose of enlightening their minds concerning His loving purposes and eternal plans for them. Thus preaching is seen to be the divinely appointed means whereby God would work through those whom He has commissioned to be His ministers, in order to impart that truth to men everywhere. Therefore, the expositional method is, obviously, the most proficient way of unfolding this divinely revealed message to men. Dr. Kidder quotes Thomas Jackson as saying: The most useful kind of preaching, we think, is the expository, giving the just meaning of God’s own Word, and applying it to the consciences of the people, so as to convince them of sin, to bring them to the Saviour, and to enforce Christian duty in all its branches, because God’s Word has an authority above every other. The testimony of Dr. Dabney concerning the eloquent Randolph is also interesting in this connection.
I once asked a sensible, plain man, who was familiar with the popular oratory of Randolph, what was its charm with the common people. He did not mention, as I expected he would, his magic voice, his classic grace, the purity of his English, his intense passion, the energy of this will, his pungent wit, his sarcasm, or the inimitable aptitude of his illustrations. But he answered, “It is because Mr. Randolph was so instructive; he taught the people so much which they had not known before.” The author has always felt that unless someone in the congregation had learned something about the Bible or Christian experience which he had not known before that the sermon had done very little, if any, lasting good. The possibility of such a failure is greatly diminished, if not excluded, by expository preaching.
(2) Precedent-It has already been pointed out that those whom we esteem as the outstanding examples and the peers of pulpit excellence, both in Biblical and also in ecclesiastical history for sixteen centuries, at least, were almost exclusively confined to this method.
It is hardly possible, or even probable, that we should excel or even compare favorably with them by use of the same method, much less by the use of some inferior method. As Dr. Pattison says:
Revivals of religion have been marked by an increased reverence for the precise words of God, while the great masters of topical preaching have sometimes mourned that their sermons rarely led to conversions.
If it should be questioned that these truths are applicable to this present day; we would set forth this acknowledgement which appeared in a religious journal recently:
After ten years of topical, textual, and general preaching, I have spent the last three years in expository preaching entirely, with these results: More souls have been saved, more improvements have been made to church properties, and more money has been given to missionary causes than in any similar period in the church’s history; and it was God working through His Word that did it all!1 (1Article entitled “Preach the Word” by Ernest Raurk, in Watchmen Examiner.)
Surely we shall not go wrong in following the precedent of those who have had such successful and fruitful ministries, by following the expository method.
(3) Enlargement-personal-There is always a tendency to follow the path of least resistance, choosing that which appeals most strongly to us, and the preparation of sermons is no exception to this rule. Textual and topical preaching has a tendency to cater to this weakness.
Scholl says of exposition: This kind of preaching includes naturally and without effort, a greater variety in teaching, and is thus better adapted to the various wants of souls. It is opposed to that uniformity in the choice of subjects, and the exclusive tendencies to which preachers are too much inclined. On the other hand the expositor will be obliged to explore hitherto unknown territory and enter new paths which had hitherto held no appeal for him at all. His mind will be enlightened and his spirit edified, regardless of whether or not he ever makes sermonic use of his findings. His own understanding of divine revelation will be enlarged, with the result that both he and others will profit thereby. Dr. William Evans rightly remarks: No preacher can adopt the expository method of proclaiming truth without himself being very greatly indoctrinated and enriched by the study of the Word.
Then, too, new avenues of thought will be opened up, and before he has finished one series of messages another one, totally different, will already be formulating in his mind. Both the expositor and the congregation will come to have a better grasp of the Word as a whole, and will come to maturity together. That is one reason why the expositor never wears out. It also follows that the man who gives first place to exposition will be far more Biblical in all the rest of his preaching.
Dr. Jeff D. Ray’s testimony is worthy of consideration:
After more than fifty years of studying this preaching task, and after some thirty years of teaching the business of sermon making, I am fully convinced that expository preaching is the ideal method-that it is the method most profitable, both to the preacher and to the people. I hope no one will shy off from it when I frankly admit that it is the most difficult method.
(4) Enlargement-congregational-Instead of disconnected, disjointed, fragmentary truths, seemingly unrelated the one to the other, and without unified significance, the expositor will be able to tie everything together, so that one will complement the other and be mutually enlightening to the congregation.
“No . . . scripture is of any private [separate] interpretation” but is a part of a unified system of doctrine. So it is that the expositor will be able to develop a congregation into a body of interpreters who will learn to compare Scripture with Scripture, making their own personal discoveries to their delight and edification. Quoting again from Evans and Scholl, respectively: No congregation can sit long under a ministry of this kind without being deeply instructed in the Scriptures. Thus the preacher and his audience will be kept Biblical.
It is more suited to give the knowledge of Holy Scriptures, both as a whole and in its details to inspire a taste to meditation in this divine Word, and to teach those who study it, to read it with understanding, with reflection, and always with a direct and personal application.
It has already been pointed out that, as a result of Paul’s having “reasoned with them out of the scriptures” the Bereans “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so.” That being true of unbelievers, how much more likely it will be that such a yearning for truth shall be cultivated in the hearts of Christians, with a similar searching of the Scriptures for themselves!
Dr. Francis Wayland was particularly impressed with the favorable effects of exposition upon the congregation in this respect, and wrote extensively on it. We believe that a rather extended quotation will be of real value at this point. That minister has nobly accomplished his labor who has been the means of rendering his people earnest, devout and intelligent students of the Scriptures.
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Why is it that expository preaching has so entirely died out among us? (1863) When ministers had comparatively little theological education, such preaching was very common. It was entirely destitute of theological learning, but it was simple and devout, and in most cases threw some light upon the subject, and at any rate, generally induced the hearers to examine it for themselves. Now, when eight or ten years are spent in the study of language, and in preparation for the ministry, we very rarely hear anything of the kind. Can it be that after all this study men are unwilling to trust themselves to explain and enforce a paragraph of the Word of God? Or is it supposed that this kind of preaching is beneath the dignity of the pulpit, and is to be resigned to Sabbath schools and Bible classes? Let every minister ask himself whether he has not been deficient in this respect. The benefits of expository preaching are manifold: In the first place the particular passage, with its connections, the scope of the thought, with the special force of its individual expressions, are laid open to the mind of the hearer. It will henceforth be a bright spot, which will shine with a clear light in all his subsequent readings. From one such passage he will derive a more distinct knowledge of duty, from another he will seek sustaining grace in affliction; and thus his Bible will be studded with gems which he probably would otherwise never have discovered. How many of our congregations have had their Bibles thus enriched by the exposition of the minister of Christ? By thus becoming familiar with the manner in which the minister unfolds the Word of God, the hearer learns to do it himself. He finds that there is an important meaning in every paragraph, and he has faith to believe that he can discover that meaning if he will. The Bible ceases to be to him a book of riddles, or of broken, disconnected sentences, but a book which he is confident God meant him to understand. He prays for the aid of the Holy Spirit; . . . with the earnest desire to know the whole will of God that he may do it. Is it not worth the effort of a lifetime to produce such an effect as this on immortal souls-souls for whom Christ died? Compare with it the reputation for rhetorical skill, the praise of fine writing, the thanks of gay disciples “in language soft as adulation breathes," for the intellectual treat which they have enjoyed, and how contemptible do they all appear! It is the will of God that we should “Feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood”; and does it not become us to “be about our Father’s business’? This remark by Wayland reminds me of something my wife said not too long after we were married. She said that when she came to a passage or a chapter in her devotional reading of the Bible, which at some time or other I had used for an expository sermon, while she followed with her Bible open, it yielded more light and blessing than other daily readings.
(5) Diplomacy-If there is need for diplomacy in the ministry it is certainly not out of place in the sermon. We sometimes major on majors to the exclusion of minors. Expositional preaching will help to avoid this. Those things of seemingly less importance are not utterly unimportant. The expositor will give due recognition to them in their rightful place, as he comes to them.
There are also occasions when the minister must deal with matters which are rather delicate, sometimes very personal; there again the expositor will have the advantage. For example, if some member has no missionary vision, and perhaps has raised objections because the minister has emphasized the foreign mission program of the church; to preach a topical sermon on the subject would appear as an affront, a retaliation, or a personal thrust. If, however, even soon after a personal discussion of the matter, the expositor should come, in a series of sermons on Romans, to the tenth chapter, it would appear perfectly natural and logical. Instead of offense and possibly hostility, there would more likely be conviction and apprehension.
Then if a divorce should occur in the church membership and, in a series of sermons on the Book of Mark, the expositor comes to deal with chapter ten, there will be no apparent emphasis for the specific benefit of a single individual.
Many an embarrassing experience can be avoided, and much truth imparted to the assistance of the people, by following the expositional method.
(6) Balance-Dr. W. Graham Scroggie affirms that “The preacher’s job is exposition1 (1The Sunday School Times, Philadelphia, Pa., March, 1951), bringing out of the Scripture what is in it; and certainly not imposition, putting into it what is not there.” “It is much easier to pound the Bible than to expound it, but not so profitable.” The expositor preaches what he finds. It is sometimes startling what he does find when he gets into the heart of a passage. It is also surprising what he does not find. Many times he delves into a passage with a theme in mind, only to discover that the main burden of that particular passage is entirely different from his preconceived theme. The honest expositor will always change his theme, he will never connect that passage with something which he had previously formulated in his mind. He need not discard his theme. If it is worth while there will be a passage of Scripture somewhere that will be suited to it.
Dr. E. P. Barrows has written: The expositor’s office is to ascertain and unfold the true meaning of the inspired writers, without adding to it, subtracting from it, or changing it in any way; . . . the true expositor, taking the very words of Scripture, seeks not to force upon them a meaning in harmony with his preconceived opinions, but to take from them the very ideas the writer intended to express.
Sometimes texts and statements are taken up merely to endorse a sermonic concoction which has already crystalized in the mind of the preacher before he ever got near the Bible.
I am thinking of a man who wanted to release a tirade against athletics. He already had his sermon, material aplenty and piping hot, but he needed a text (in order to be orthodox) so he turned to 2 Peter 2:13 : “Spots [I think he pronounced it sports] they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you.” Thus he “accommodated” a text to throw a blanket condemnation on all forms of sports. Doubtless there are objectionable features to many kinds of sports, and allowing for the fact that he may have had reason for his antagonism, it was still a gross misinterpretation of the Word of God.
Perhaps a proper treatment of 1 Corinthians 9:19-27 would have been beneficial, having a balancing effect upon both preacher and hearer, without doing any injustice to the Scriptures. Certainly expositional preaching will go a long way toward maintaining a proper balance in all matters of interpretation.
(7) Steadfastness-This last virtue has always been of great importance and most desirable, but never more than today. There has never been a time when there were more religious voices in the world than today, each one, like the “barker” at a carnival, trying to outdo the other.
Expositional preaching will serve as an antidote to the poisons of doctrinal confusion and instability.
Dr. Evans reminds us that: The work of the preacher is to make men first see things, then feel them, then act upon them. If the first result is not gained, the others, of course, will fail; while often, if the first is gained, the other two will go along with it.
It is most remarkable how much consideration Paul gives to the matter of instructing the younger ministers concerning the need of indoctrinating their people so as to prevent their being led astray by false teachers and doctrines. Here are some examples setting forth both the disease and the antidote. The disease: “Some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits” (1 Timothy 4:1). The antidote: “Give attendance to reading [publicly], to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:13). The disease: There are those who “strive . . . about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers” (2 Timothy 2:14), they indulge in “profane and vain babblings” (2 Timothy 2:16) and “foolish and unlearned questions” which “do gender strifes” (2 Timothy 2:23), and thus they “oppose themselves” (2 Timothy 2:25) and fall into “the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (2 Timothy 2:26). The antidote: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [apportioning] the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The disease: “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; . . . they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). The antidote: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2). The disease: After listing a host of deficiencies the apostle ends with this indictment: “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. . . . But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:4-5, 2 Timothy 3:13). The antidote: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect [mature] thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The disease: “There are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers. . . . Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. . . . Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. . . . They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:10-11, Titus 1:14-16). The antidote: “Holding forth the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. . . . Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith” (Titus 1:9, Titus 1:13).
Then there are admonitions to Timothy of a personal nature which fit right into this line of thought.
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee (1 Timothy 4:16).
Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:13). But continue thou in the things which thou has learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation [daily salvation from all entanglements] through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:14-15). A strict adherence to the Word of God will keep the minister doctrinally well-balanced and constantly in touch with God. In this way he shall be able to keep his people in line with the truth and direct their feet into the paths of righteousness. They in turn will learn to “search the scriptures” and develop a personal discernment which will enable them to see and avoid the pitfalls themselves. It is in this way that the commission of the apostle is carried out. The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). No other type of preaching is as well adapted to carry out what Paul is advocating to these young ministers as that of exposition. You will find that the false cults and spurious religions, as well as the fanaticists, will make very few inroads into the membership of that church which has been used to an expositional ministry. It will be seen by this survey that the virtues of exposition are multitudinous, while the objections are hardly worthy of consideration.