Reformed Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, and Missions — Unit 2: Expository Preaching in the Reformed Tradition

Key Verse

"Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." (2 Timothy 4:2, NKJV)

Learning Objectives

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Explain why the Reformed churches place the preaching of the Word at the center of public worship and call it a means of grace.

2. Define expository preaching and describe the practice of reading through books of the Bible, as followed by Zwingli and Calvin.

3. Describe the four tasks in Perkins's The Art of Prophesying and the Puritan plain style, and name what the Westminster Directory asked of preachers.

4. State the debate over examples and Christ-centered preaching, and the objections to expository preaching, with the Reformed answers.

5. Explain how this unit relates to CTS's WiseSpeak preaching course and to Broadus's textbook on preaching.

The Voice of This Course

This course is written from inside the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, for students who belong to it. It is conservative and holds Scripture to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God. When it says "we," it means the confessional Reformed churches. Where other Christians differ, we state their views fairly and then answer. Unit 1 spoke of the minister himself. This unit speaks of his main task, which is preaching.

Why Preaching Stands at the Center

Reformed Christians have always said that the sermon is not an extra in the service. It is the main means by which God speaks to His people on the Lord's Day. Paul asks, "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" and concludes, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:14, 17).

Three truths lie behind this practice.

First, the Bible is God's Word, and preaching brings that Word to the people. Paul thanked God that the Thessalonians received his message "not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:13). The Second Helvetic Confession (1566) says in its first chapter that the preaching of the Word of God, when it is faithfully done, is the Word of God. This does not mean the preacher is inspired. It means that when he faithfully explains what Scripture says, God Himself is speaking through it. When he adds his own ideas, the people are no longer hearing God's Word.

Second, the Holy Spirit works through preaching. The Westminster Shorter Catechism, in its answer to question 89, teaches that the Spirit of God makes the reading, and especially the preaching, of the Word an effective means of convicting and converting sinners and of building believers up in holiness and comfort through faith. We therefore call preaching a means of grace, along with the sacraments and prayer. The preacher plants and waters, but God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).

Third, the church needs the whole Word. Paul told the Ephesian elders, "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). A congregation that hears only favorite themes will grow thin. Reformed churches want their people to hear all of Scripture over the years.

What Is Expository Preaching?

Expository preaching explains what a passage of Scripture says and applies it to the hearers. The word "expose" does not mean to attack. It means to set out into the open what is already in the text. The idea of the sermon is the idea of the passage, and the shape of the sermon follows the shape of the passage. The preacher is a servant of the text and does not use it as a stage for his own thoughts.

This is not the same as reading a commentary aloud. A good sermon gives the meaning of the passage, shows how it fits in the whole Bible, and then applies it to the congregation. Ezra's day is a model. In Nehemiah 8:1-8 the Law was read aloud, the Levites gave its sense, and the people were helped to understand. The elements are reading, explaining and understanding.

The test is whether the point of the passage governs the point of the sermon.

Reading Through Books of the Bible

The practice of reading through a book in order is called by the Latin name lectio continua, "continuous reading." It was not invented in the Reformation. Early preachers such as Chrysostom preached through books of the Bible. But the Reformation recovered it.

Zwingli began his ministry at the Great Minster in Zurich in 1519 by preaching through the Gospel of Matthew instead of following the church's list of readings. In Geneva, Calvin preached through books of the Bible in order, Old Testament and New. Many of his sermons survive because listeners wrote them down. Heinrich Bullinger, who followed Zwingli in Zurich, did the same, and the practice spread to Reformed churches in France, the Netherlands, Scotland and beyond. Course 1 tells these stories. The point for us is that the Reformers trusted the Bible to set the pastor's agenda.

Why is this good practice? There are at least four reasons.

1. It protects the people from the preacher's hobbies. He must preach the hard passages as well as the easy ones.

2. It teaches the people how to read their own Bibles, because they hear a book explained in its context.

3. It lets Scripture speak on topics the pastor might avoid, such as money, suffering, and judgment.

4. It saves the pastor from the weekly question, "What shall I preach on?" and gives him time to study deeply.

Some historians note that the Puritan period shifted the style. Puritan preachers often took a short text, drew out one or more doctrines, and then spent much time on "uses" or applications. Compared with Calvin's flowing sermons, this was a more structured method. Was it still expository? We say yes, with a qualification. The Puritans started with a text, explained its sense in context and took their doctrines from it. They were not preaching their own ideas. But a preacher who uses a single phrase as a launch for a long topical lecture has left the method, whatever name he gives it.

William Perkins and the Art of Prophesying

William Perkins (1558-1602) taught at Cambridge and preached in the city. His book The Art of Prophesying appeared in Latin in 1592, and an English translation was printed in 1606. Many call it the first major Puritan handbook on preaching. "Prophesying" in his title simply means preaching God's Word.

Perkins described the work of a preacher in four tasks:

1. Read the text clearly from the canonical Scriptures.

2. Give its sense and meaning, explaining Scripture by Scripture.

3. Draw from the natural sense a few useful points of doctrine.

4. Apply those doctrines to the lives and hearts of the hearers.

Behind the first two lies a Reformed principle: Scripture is its own best interpreter. If a passage is unclear, we compare it with clearer passages, and we do not invent a meaning. The Westminster Confession (1.9) says the same.

Perkins also taught that sermons should be plain. He did not want the preacher to display his learning or use fancy words to impress. The hidden work of study should shape the sermon, but the sermon should be simple enough for ordinary people. He also gave attention to the hearers, because not all of them are in the same spiritual condition. The proud need warning, the broken need comfort and the weak need strength. Application is where the preacher shepherds each person. He must speak to the mind, the heart and the will.

The Westminster Directory for the Publick Worship of God (1645) carried this approach into the churches. It asked ministers to base their sermon on the text, to be plain and to teach the doctrine, and then to apply it with care to the needs of the hearers. It also asked them to prepare by prayer and study, and not to preach carelessly.

Preaching Christ from All of Scripture

Our Lord Himself taught that the whole Bible points to Him. On the road to Emmaus "beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27). He said to the leaders, "You search the Scriptures... these are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39). Reformed preachers have therefore sought to show how every passage fits into the story of God's saving work that reaches its goal in Christ.

A debate has run through Reformed churches, especially in the twentieth century. Some pastors have preached Old Testament narratives mainly as moral examples: be brave like David, be faithful like Joseph. Others have said that this misses the main point. They hold that these stories are first of all about what God is doing to bring salvation, and that treating the characters as models without Christ turns the Bible into a book of moral lessons. This second view is often called the redemptive-historical approach.

Both sides appeal to Scripture. Paul says that the things written in the Old Testament were "written for our admonition" (1 Corinthians 10:11) and that "whatever things were written before were written for our learning" (Romans 15:4). Hebrews 11 holds up Old Testament believers as examples of faith. So examples are not wrong. But the Old Testament was never meant to stand apart from Christ. Our answer is to hold both together. We begin with the passage in its own setting, which is the grammatical-historical reading studied in Course 3 under "Reading Scripture the Reformed Way: grammatical-historical and Christ-centered." We then ask what the passage shows of God's character and promise and how it points forward to Christ. Only then do we ask how believers should live in response. A sermon on David and Goliath that ends with "be brave" has not gone far enough. One that ends with the true Son of David who defeats our enemy, and then calls us to trust Him, is faithful.

There is a danger on the other side. Some preachers force Christ into every verse by fanciful links. The text must still govern. Christ is not found by imagination but by following the lines Scripture itself draws.

Objections to Expository Preaching, and Our Answers

Objection 1: Expository preaching is dry and not relevant. Many Christians, especially in churches that prize lively topical messages, say that going through a book verse by verse bores the people. We agree that many expository sermons are dull, but the fault is in the preaching and not the method. Paul commands the preacher to "convince, rebuke, exhort" (2 Timothy 4:2), and these are active words aimed at the heart. Application that touches the real needs of the congregation makes a sermon relevant. A long series on the Gospel of Mark, preached with care, is often more relevant than ten topical sermons chosen from the news.

Objection 2: Preaching in the Spirit means speaking without preparation. Some Pentecostal and charismatic Christians say that the Spirit gives the message in the moment, and that notes and study quench Him. We affirm that the Spirit works in the preacher at the time of speaking. We pray for this. But the Spirit also works in the study. Paul told Timothy to give attention to reading (1 Timothy 4:13) and to be a worker who rightly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Luke tells us that the apostles gave themselves "continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). Prayer and study go together.

Objection 3: Topical sermons are also biblical. This is partly right. A sermon on a doctrine such as the Trinity or on a theme such as prayer can be fully faithful if it gathers what Scripture says and does not impose its own ideas. We do not forbid topical sermons. We say that a regular diet of them, without a steady course through books of the Bible, tends to let the preacher's interests rule.

Companions for This Study: Broadus and WiseSpeak

This unit explains what Reformed preachers have believed about preaching: its source, its purpose and its content. It does not teach the craft of building a sermon in detail. For that the student has two companions.

The first is CTS's WiseSpeak preaching course. It is the seminary's own course on sermon preparation and delivery. This unit does not describe it, and the student should take that course for its teaching.

The second is John A. Broadus, On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, first published in 1870. Broadus (1827-1895) was a Baptist who taught at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was a Calvinist in doctrine and a careful student of Scripture. His book is a handbook that has been used for many generations. It deals with gathering material for a sermon, arranging it, style and delivery. Its first edition is in the public domain. We read it as we read any helpful book, under Scripture. The convictions of this unit are the foundation, and these two companions help with the building.

Pastoral Application

Pastor Miguel serves a small church in a town on the shore of Lake Chapala. Several members ask him to preach short, lively messages on themes such as success, family and fear. They find his series on the Gospel of Mark "too slow." One elder says quietly, "Pastor, people are tired."

Miguel does not simply refuse, and he does not simply give in. First, he listens to what the people need. They face fear and money pressure, and Mark has much to say about both. Second, he prepares each sermon so that it names these needs in the application, with real examples from their lives. Third, he explains to the congregation why he preaches through a book, using Acts 20:27. Fourth, he shortens the introductions and aims to be clear and warm, with one main point from each passage. Fifth, he asks the elders to tell him honestly how the preaching is received. Over a year the people begin to say, "We never knew the Bible spoke to us like this." He has kept the method and improved the work.

Summary

Reformed churches put preaching at the center of worship because God speaks through His Word and the Spirit uses preaching as a means of grace. Expository preaching makes the point of the passage the point of the sermon. Zwingli and Calvin recovered the practice of preaching through books of the Bible. Perkins's The Art of Prophesying set out four tasks: read the text, give its sense, draw doctrine and apply it, and the Westminster Directory asked for plain, applied sermons. Reformed preachers seek Christ in all of Scripture, and they hold examples and redemptive history together under the control of the text. We answer objections that expository preaching is dry, that the Spirit needs no preparation and that topical preaching is enough. For the craft of the sermon, the student has two companions: CTS's WiseSpeak preaching course and Broadus's textbook.

Further Reading

• William Perkins, The Art of Prophesying (1592; English translation 1606).

• John A. Broadus, On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons (1870).

• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Beveridge translation, 1845), Book 4, chapter 1.

• Westminster Directory for the Publick Worship of God (1645).

• Second Helvetic Confession (1566), chapter 1.

• Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647), questions 88-90.

• C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, a Reformed Baptist voice on preaching.

• Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor (1656).

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