Expository preaching from the Old Testament

B. J. Clarke.

Why preaching from the OT?

- Starting from the very first verse of Matthew there are countless references to the
OT.
- Romans 15:4 – Paul writing to NT Christians points them to the OT as Holy
Scripture from where to gain learning and comfort.
- We do not go back to the OT for law but for principles.
Haddon W. Robinson – Biblical preaching. Text Book.
- Knowing the rules of Homiletics does not necessarily mean that you can preach.
Preaching is to have the desire to get the text in contact to people’s life.
- “Principles and passion must be united before much of significance occurs in the
pulpit”.
- There has to be both principles and passion.
- No technique or multimedia communication medium should take the place of the
word. “The startling and unusual ay mask a vacuum”.
- The word in preaching and works of faith are necessary for the growth of the
church.
- 1 Cor. 1:21: “to the NT writers preaching stands as the event through which God
works”.
- “Not all passionate pleading from the pulpit possesses divine authority” – our task is
to herald the words of the king.
- Titus 2:15 – preaching with authority.
Defining Expository preaching
- There is not a specific definition or example of EP.
- Attempting a definition can be very tricky. What does it make a sermon Expository?
It might do harm to the sermon.
- “Communication of a Biblical concept, derived from and transmitted through a
historical, grammatical, and literary study of the passage in its context, which the
HS first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through the
preacher, applies to the hearers”. Haddon W. Robinson.
- The passage governs the sermon.
- First and above all, the thought of the biblical writer determines the substance of an
expository sermon. Would the biblical writer recognize this message in the text?
- “do you endeavor to bend your thought to the Scripture or do you use the Scripture
to support your thought?” Prov. 29:18
The exposition is of a concept
- We must express the concept not the words, however, the concept is governed by
the text.
- There has to be a grammatical, historical, and contextual study of the passage that is
communicated to the audience.
- Offer sufficient information to the hearers so that they can check the interpretation
for themselves.
- We try to pull up our chairs to where the biblical authors sat. Trying to go back to
the world of the biblical writers.
The concept has to be applied first to the expositor.
The personality and experience of the preacher. The audience does no hear only a speech
but a person: preaching is the art of making a preacher and delivering it.
- Even when we call it expository preaching individual verses might become just a
launching pad for our own opinions.
The concept has to be applied also to the hearers.
- The expositor has to think in three areas
o The original meaning of the passage
o The way God wants to change me
o The way God wants to change the congregation.
- Application gives expository preaching purpose – the what and the so what of the
text.
o Example: Asa – diligently seeking the Lord but failing in his last days
o How would you apply this? Heb. 11:6.
- Application is the key to change the dullness of a sermon – address people in their
situation.
- Inappropriate application is as bad as inept exegesis. The Satan example.
We preach expository sermons when…
- We have studied a passage in its context – historical, grammatical and literary.
- We have experience of the HS in the study of the word – in the context of the word.
- We shape the sermon to the text and apply it to people’s life.
Ch. 2 – What is the big idea?
- When people attend church they might respond to the preacher without any idea of
what a sermon is supposed to be.
- The people need to walk away with a clear understanding of the main idea of the
sermon. We can simply say a lot of points without relationship with each other. We
can preach 2 or 3 sermons in one.
- An outline is the shape of the sermon idea
 - The problem is not to have many ideas but they have to be related to one central
concept that is the main thing. If the application fails, we might use the conclusion
as a vague substitution for it.
- The sermon has to be precise – interpretation or application of a single dominant
idea supported by other ideas, all drawn from one or several passages of Scripture.
- It centers on one specific thing – a specific idea.
- The points of the sermon should be parts of one big idea – so that they can be
manageable.
- The preacher must develop his expository treatment of the text to one dominant
theme. The development of one significant idea.,
- You are ready to preach and write a sermon until you have one idea that can be
expressed in one sentence. This is the most important part in the study of the
sermon.
- This is the example and way of the prophets: a lot of ideas and sayings that surround
one specific and central idea. The apostle also follows this pattern.
- The Pentecost sermon – and inductive sermon where the theme is stated until the
conclusion and all the ideas that he developed sere to support this concept.
- Paul in Acts 13 develops a deductive sermon – v. 23 expresses the central idea and
everything that follows are support statements.
- In Acts 20 is a blend of both sermon types.
Definition of an idea
- Idea: can mean a lot of different things.
- Etymologically comes from eidos – to see or to know. Marketing is an example:
give one idea in 30 seconds.
- The need to learn how to put the idea into words: “what am I talking about?” – The
subject of the sermon is a precise answer to that question.
- Single words like, discipleship, worship, grief, are not subjects. Do not leave it too
vague.
- Subject cannot stand alone; it needs a complement. What am I talking about, and
what am I saying about what I am talking about?
- An idea emerges only when the complement is joined to a definite subject. Try to
think the subject as a question and the complement as the answer: when they merge
together you have an idea.
- Example: The test of a person’s character – what is it? (Subject) – What he would
do if he knew that he would not be found (Complement).
- We can understand the idea of a text only by stating the subject and complement of
it.
- What precisely is the author talking about? What is he saying about it?
- The subject can always be narrowed to a question:
o Example 1.
o What is Habakkuk’s lament about the injustice in Judah? (Subj.)
 o He wonders why a righteous God doesn’t judge the nation for their sin
(Comp).
o Habakkuk laments that his righteous God does not punish sin in Judah
(Idea).
o Example 2
o How will God punish the sin in Judah?
o He will use the wicked Babylonians
o God will punish Judah’s sin by using the wicked Babylonians (first two
paragraphs Hab. 1:1-11).
o Example 3
o How can God use a godless nation as Babylon to punish Judah? – Subject.
o He will punish Babylon also in an appointed time – Complement.
o Even though God will use Babylon to punish Judah, He will also judge
Babylon for their sins – Idea.
o We have to distinguish the idea from the way that it is developed.
o We do not understand what we read if we cannot state the main idea in this
sense. Those who listen to us understand us only if they can say: What we
are talking about and what are we saying about it.
The tools of the trade
1. Choosing the passage.
- The elders could give you from time ahead what you must preach.
- A conscious planning for the entire year: a general Sunday by Sunday schedule of
what the passage would be.
- Be flexible with the schedule – reality can change your topics.
- All Scripture is profitable, but not equally profitable all the time.
- Expositors serve as builders of bridges as they endeavor to span the gulf between
the Word of God and the concern of men and women.
- Be just as familiar with the needs of the congregation as with the content of the
Bible: they have to see your care about them.
- The needs of every member of the congregation are different – a preaching
calendar does not always cover these needs.
- Not enslaved to felt needs though.
- Going in an expository way through a book will allow you to cover the different
needs of the congregation.
- In making our calendar we will read the books several times and divide them into
portions that will expound in particular sermons.
- We will not count out ten or twelve verses to a sermon as if each verse could be
handled as a separate thought. Instead we will search for the writer’s idea.
- The genre of the text should also point the way to how choosing the text. For
example, Proverbs is hard to preach expository.
 - To feed well the flock one must know the problems of Scripture and the passages
that lead with those problems.
- Select the passage and let it speak for itself. Do not look for proof text for your
favorite doctrines.
- Consider also the time that you have.
- Cut the length of the sermon at your study, not at the pulpit. Even if you have
much time, you must make decision of what to give to the hearers.
Stage 2: study your passage and record your notes
- Look for the context: the passage does not live in isolation – sociocultural context,
the theme of the paragraph, the theme of the chapter, of the book, of the whole
Bible.
- In any other book you need the big picture of the book to understand a single page.
- You need to ask some question about how the passage relate to the broader literary
units. Usually it demands to read the book several times.
- More clues to the meaning come from a study of the surrounding context than to
an examination of the passage itself.
- How does your passage of fits in the context? How does it contribute?
- As you read the passage take notes: write out the problems that you have
understanding of the passage.
- Spot the major disagreements in translation.
- Remember that you are looking for the author’s ideas – determine the subject and
the complement.
- If you can’t spot the main idea, ask yourself:
o Is the writer assuming a connection between his assertion and the original
readings?
o Is there a verse that does not fit?
o Is there an image that you do not understand?
- Try to go to the original languages and use the tools appropriate for that: lexicons,
concordances, dictionaries, commentaries (more or less).
- Organize the study of the text – larger passages in a single paper, and a different
pages for shorter verses.
Stage 3: find the exegetical idea
- Grammatical analysis is not an end in itself – it seeks to help in understanding the
message as a whole. Analyze but also synthesize the whole passage.
- Initially we read the passage and its context to understand the author’s meaning.
Do it many, many times.
- After that we will come to find the subject and complement.
- Does the subject fit all the parts? Is it too broad? Is it too narrow? Is the subject an
exact description of the contents of the passage?
- You can always propose the subject in a question.
 - V. gr. James 1:5-8:
o It seems that the subject is wisdom
o It ends up as a too broad subject.
o Looking more closely the subject can be transformed: how to get wisdom?
o But it is still too broad: by looking at the context we can see what James
really wanted to communicate.
o How to get wisdom in times of trial? – this is more adequate to the context
and meaning of the text.
o Now the complement (the answer to the question): asking to God in faith.
o The idea: Wisdom in trials is obtained by asking God in faith.
o Everything on the paragraph supports and develops that idea.
- Remember what kind of literature you are exegeting and the boundaries of it in the
form of study.
- If the passage is a narrative, ask narrative questions about characters, events,
antecedents, consequences, setting, how do the individual events fits the whole…
- In a psalm: understand the structure not logically but –sometimes- psychologically.
- After your study you will be able to express the idea of the passage in a single
sentence and also explain how the different parts of the passage fit the idea.
From the text to the sermon
- Selection of the passage
- Study of the passage
- Discover the idea
- Analyze the idea.
How to cross the gap between the world of the Bible to the modern world and the situation
of the hearers. We can make an exposition exegetically brilliant, but far away from the
people to reach it.
Understand the problems of the modern world and the specific problems of the people
hearing you, and with that go to the Bible to understand what God has to say.
Submit the exegetical idea to three developmental stages
- Any declarative statement can be either:
o Re state it: The classical example is that of Hebrew parallelism. It takes a
big part of any writing.
o Explain it:
 The first developmental question – what does it mean?
 You can point to the Bible with this question – is the author
developing the idea in an explanation? 1 Cor. 12:11-12
 Many letters of Paul are primarily explanations.
  Example: Titus 1:5-9 – The subject: what are the qualifications for
the elders? The complement is developed in an explanatory way by
stating and explaining the qualifications.
 If I simply state my exegetical idea and the natural response is
‘what does that mean?’ then there is need for explanation.
 Be clear! Your ability as a theologian can hinder your ability of a
communicator.
 We must anticipate that our audiences may not know what we
already know. Do not underestimate the ignorance of the audience.
o Prove it: Is it true?
 We may assume that everyone thinks that if it is in the Bible it is
true.
 This is not a valid assumption
 Paul seeks to prove in 1 Cor. 9:6-12 that he has the right to be paid
for preaching the gospel – used arguments
o Apply it: What difference does it make?
 Ultimately people will ask: so what? Now that I know what it
says… why is it important?
 In order to apply a passage accurately, we must define the situation
as in the original times that the passage was written in.
 Are there in the text any indications of purpose, editorial
comments, interpretative statements made about the events? (v.
gr. 1 John 1:4; 2:12).
 Example: material in Ruth 4:11-21, depict how God is involved in
the life of the people and how that has blessed our own lives.
 Are there any theological judgements made in the text? Judg.
17:6; 21:25 – the judgement of history in the eyes of God gives
meaning to the historical reports of the book.
 In narrative – is this an example? An exception? A warning?
Example: Rahab – the story wants to show how this woman became
a woman of faith.
 What message was intended for the original readers? What
about subsequent generations?
 Why would the HS put that Scripture there?
The arrow and the target – formulating the homiletical idea.
- Having the exegetical idea has to be turned into a sermon.
o What does it mean? – what terms are used? Are they defined? Does the
writer just assume some things that the readers know?
o Is it true? – Is the author arguing?
o So what if it is true? – The admonition of the writer has to be united with
the truth that it produced it. Is the author presenting an idea that will be
applied later?
Think through your exegetical idea and state it for your audience in a memorable
way.
State the essence of your exegetical idea in a sentence that communicates to your listeners:
as memorable as possible, avoid abstractions! Some exegetical ideas can be stated just as
they are: love your neighbors, etc. Others have to be made more contemporary and
personal.
The homiletical idea: Biblical truth applied to life.
- As simply and as memorably as possible.
- Concrete and familiar words – if you had one sentence to communicate the idea to
someone, how would you do it?
- State the idea so that it focuses on response.
- State it so that your listeners sense that you are talking to them.
- Why preaching the sermon? If it has no purpose it is not worth preaching.
- The ultimate purpose is to change the lives of the people – truth divorced life from
life is not truth. Ana academical knowledge of the Bible is not enough.
Determine the purpose for this sermon.
- An essay is different from a sermon: the sermon deals with people, more than with
ideas.
- It needs a specific purpose –
Discovering the purpose behind the passage is the first step to state your own sermon.
Haggai is a great example – his sermons had one purpose: build the temple. The writing of
is sermons remind us his purpose and how it affects us and encourage us.
We need to have clear in mind what we want to do, before we start preaching.
Determine what is your sermon aiming – to gain knowledge, insight, to change attitude or
to impart a skill. Every area has a distinctive set of verbs to state your purpose.
Ask to yourself what are you trying to motivate your congregation to do with what you are
telling him.

Remember the stages:

1. Select the passage.
2. Studying the passage.
3. Discovering the exegetical idea.
4. Analyzing the exegetical idea.
5. Formulating the homiletical idea.
6. Determine the purpose.
7. Deciding how to accomplish this purpose
8. Outlining the sermon.

Having an idea and purpose – what shape does the sermon have to take to accomplish it?
The sermon usually takes one of these three forms.
7. Deciding how to accomplish this purpose
- Deductive: The idea is stated completely as a part of the introduction and the
sermon develops that idea. Acts 13.
- Inductive: The introduction leads to the first point and then with transitions you
link each point with the previous until the idea of the sermon emerges in the
conclusion.
- Induction and deduction combined: The intro states only the subject – each point
presents a complement to the subject.
Deductive can take three different forms:
- Some ideas must be explained.
o A truth correctly comprehended can carry its own application – create in the
introduction a need to know what you are talking about. Offering a clear
explanation is an application in itself.
o You tell the complete idea in the intro, you develop the idea in the body and
you return to the idea in the conclusion.
o Read again Maclaren example. Christ fills the space between God and man.
- Some ideas require proof.
o The idea appears in the introduction as something to be defended.
o In the body you give reasons to proof the idea.
o For example: 1 Cor. 15:12-19.
o The idea is stated: The faith of Christians is worthless if Christians do not
rise from the dead. Then follow the proofs that Paul gives to defend the idea.
o Then in conclusion: you restate the idea with all the development and proof
summarized.
- Deductive sermons also grow out of a question of application: So what?
o The introduction presents a Biblical principle
o The development makes application of that principle in the life of the
hearers.
o What difference does it make this passage and principle?
ALL DEDUCTIE SERMONS STATE THE IDEA IN THE INTRODUCTION.
Semi-inductive sermons.
 - Presents the only the subject in the introduction and the main points present the
complements.
- The subject: what makes our worship rich? – the complements: answers the
question. Every point is related to the subject itself.
Combined inductive-deductive.
- State the idea in the first or second point and the rest of the points develop the idea.
- Example: State a problem and inadequate solutions and the Biblical one - then you
develop the complete Biblical principle.
Inductive:
- Every point grows from the previous.
- You do not state your idea; you arrive to it at the end following the road that you
state in your points.
- It has to be done with caution since it is very easy to get lost.
- It gives a sense of discovery and it helps with uninterested or hostile audiences.
Preach sermons that can be applied to people’s life – start with the need of the people and
note how it is seen in Scripture. Example 1 Kings 19 – discouragement and fear: “I’m the
only one fighting” – God is not in the violent and spectacular phenomenon, but in a voice
that calls you to be okay.
The difference between a religious discourse and a sermon is the position from which it
starts – either with the book or with the concrete human person in his situation.
Connect with a modern audience when you tell a Biblical story – we are a storied culture.
In narrative preaching, we are still telling concepts and ideas, not stories for the sake of
stories.
Two questions concerning the form: does this development communicate what the passage
teaches? Does this form reach the purpose?
Stage 8 – outline the sermon
Certainly no sermon ever failed because it possessed an outline. It helps to unify the
sermon; clarify the sermon; crystalizes the order of ideas so that you will give them to your
listeners in the appropriate sequence; recognize the places in your sermon that require
additional support.
The Biblical writer did not write for your audience – he might have used an inductive order,
but you need a deductive, etc.
Outlines usually consist of an introduction, a body and a conclusion.
- Intro: shows the audience the need to listen
- Body: elaborates the idea.
- Conclusion: application.
The big points of the body, should be made with roman numerals. The supporting or
secondary points are designated with capital letters and indented – the addition of the sub-
points makes the outline grow. You can add sub-sub-points with Arabic numbers indented
in the alignment.
A sermon outline should be simple: do not go way too deep into the sub-points. And use
complete grammatical sentences. If you use words or phrases they will become vague at
some point.
You may take an abbreviated outline to the pulpit, but use a complete outline for study.
Remember that the congregation only hears the outline and do not read it: be clear for them.
9 filling the sermon outline
The skeleton should not be completely hidden, but it must be covered. The outline should
be more than just a structure. Supporting material is like meat to the bones. People does not
respond to abstract ideas. Not many people have faith by reading the outline of Romans.
The people is supposed to raise questions and the sermon is supposed to answer them.
Different techniques:
- Restatement: saying the same thing in different words. It helps you to make a
concept clear.
o Different from mere repetition: saying the same thing over and over.
o Restate the points several times freshly.
o Makes sure everybody is on the same page.
o Impress an idea in the listeners.
- Definition: Establishes limits. Makes sure that you say what is important and not
say what is not.
o Explanation is difficult when you do not know your audience.
o Explain and define the terms – do not assume that the people know what you
mean.
- Factual information:
o In the expository sermon, observations about the content of the passage are
factual because hearers can see for themselves what the Bible says.
o Use statistics carefully and honestly.
o Background on the world of the Bible: make it simple and understandable.
- Quotations: Support or expand a point: impressiveness and authority.
o The primary source of quotations is the Bible.
o Use them accurately and carefully. Do not take any of them out of context.
o Sometimes we quote people because they are in a better position to know the
facts about which we talk about.
o The quotes should be brief.
- Narration:
 - Illustrations: make clear the general concepts by simple break down. Some
illustrations are good but inappropriate for certain audiences. Personal illustrations
add warmth and vitality to a sermon, but use them effectively.
o Do not say anything that has not happened to you.
o Illustrations should be modest.
o Illustration must not violate confidence.

Introductions and conclusions

These small parts of the sermon can make or break the sermon.
The introduction should introduce either to the main idea of the sermon or the first big
point.
- An effective introduction commands attention: one can capture the attention of the
listeners without being overly dramatic. You have about 30 seconds to catch the
attention.
o You can start with a paradox.
o Use a familiar thought in an unfamiliar setting.
o Rhetorical questions.
o A startling facts or statistics.
o Having read your text, make a provocative about it.
o A touch of humor.
o Confrontive statement.
- An effective introduction uncovers needs.
o You must tell the congregation why they should listen to you.
o You make them aware of their need that the word of God addresses.
o Do not go overboard with addressing their needs: they can be only felt
needs.
o Application can start with this in the very introduction.
Basically in the introduction you introduce the subject – the body of the speech should fill
the gaps with the complement, which is subject to the three developmental questions.
Try not to start all your sermons in the ancient world.
What to say before the sermon? A few words of welcome, announcement or subtle humor,
can help to capture the attention of the audience.
Three types of preachers: those who you can’t listen; those who you can; those who you
must.
The conclusion
You must plan ahead when and where you will end the sermon. This should be a
conclusion and just a stop to the sermon. Even before you preach the sermon you have to
know what is your conclusion: “start with a bang, and when you quit, quit all over”.
The delivery
It is important not only on the outline but on the delivery itself. The sermon has two parts:
- What we say? – the content: already discussed
- How we say it? – the delivery.
Voice, gestures, inflexions and facial expressions: all have a part in communicating. The
most important part of this, is to be emotionally invested in what we say.
Different people have different ways to communicate non verbally. Be genuine in your
facial expressions. People will be able to see if you believe what you are saying.
Gestures should be:
- Spontaneous
- Definite
- Varied
- Properly timed