Stage 2 – Passage Study

Biblical Preaching Must Be Biblical

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Of course biblical preaching has to be biblical.  However, just because preaching is biblical it does not mean it is the best it can be.  John Piper notes that just because the Bible is believed to be inerrant, it does not guarantee that preaching will therefore flourish.  He notes three ways in which evangelicals undercut the power and authority of biblical preaching:

1.”Subjectivist epistemologies that belittle propositional revelation.”  In a day when truth is considered relative and subjective, we preach the Word because God has given revelation to us by means of objective proposition.  Preach the idea of the text, and you preach the Word of God.

2. “Linguistic theories that cultivate an exegetical atmosphere of ambiguity.”  Sometimes diligent study using all tools available can lead us to a point of textual confusion and paralysis.  We have to evaluate whether that is a genuinely difficult passage and admit that, or find a way past exegetical paralysis to effective preaching.

3. “Cultural relativism that enables people to dispense flippantly with uncomfortable biblical teaching.”  So easy to try to please the people by avoiding the tough stuff.  We must preach the whole counsel to help the people and ultimately please our audience of One.  (Quotes taken from Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, 40.)

It would be good to take stock of this list and check our own ministries to make sure we are not undercutting the power and authority of biblical preaching.  (We should also make sure we don’t use some of this terminology that would render us incomprehensible to most listeners!)

Preaching’s Core Vision

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

“We shall never have great preachers until we have great divines.” That was C.H.Spurgeon’s opinion. In the busy world we now inhabit, a world of phone calls, emergencies, emails, travel, financial complexities, family responsibilities and ministerial intricacies, we need to freshly recommit ourselves to the core vision of the preacher. Our core vision is not a philosophy of ministry, a theological stance or sense of calling. Our core vision is God Himself.

We have the privilege of being so captivated by the greatness and grace of our Lord that every moment of our lives is lived in the shadow, no the glory, of that vision. A deep awareness of who God is will continue to drive us back to His Word, diligently pursuing more of Him so that we might respond further. This is not about discipline and effort, this is about delight and response. We dive into His Word so that we might see Him more clearly, be captured more fully, and be stirred more deeply. Then we will preach more effectively.

Our preaching should flow from a personal intimacy with God and a personal commitment to His Word. That is what our people need.

Enjoying Exegesis

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

At its core, a commitment to expository preaching is a commitment to biblical exegesis. If we are going to rest our eternity on the message of the Scriptures, and entrust the needs of our congregations to that message, then we must diligently pursue the meaning of the text. Our ministry demands a disciplined, responsible and wholehearted commitment to exegesis. While our exegesis should be rigorous, we should not allow it to become a chore for us. The journey of discovery as we wrestle with God’s Word can be a lifelong delight. As Richard Erickson puts it, “…always keep the ball rolling, however slowly. . . . Strive not for perfection, but for persistence.” His book on New Testament Exegesis is on its way to me, and I look forward to reading it. But more importantly, let us enjoy the privilege of studying God’s Word.

One of my professors at seminary, Dr Bruce Fong, now at Michigan, would always start class the same way, “Well, good morning class, always a pleasure to welcome you here. No place on earth I’d rather be, than studying God’s Word with you. Man, O man! What a privilege!” Let us never allow the pressures of ministry, the problems of people and the perpetually approaching deadlines to steal from us the joy of studying God’s Word.

Spiritual Warfare and Preaching

/ Peter Mead / 3 Comments

Whenever the subject of spiritual warfare is raised, there is a danger of falling into one of two extremes.  On the one hand it is easy to become paranoid, “seeing demons behind every tree” and giving Satan far more credit than he deserves.  On the other hand, it is easy to become overly relaxed and essentially treat the spiritual realm as having no effect on our lives.  Yet if there is a realm in which we should be aware of spiritual warfare, surely it is in the realm of preaching.  Surely the enemy would love to disrupt or damage the proclamation of God’s Word, the presentation of the Gospel, the encouragement of believers and the praise of God.

Today I am merely going to scratch the surface of the subject.  Then in future posts I’d like to consider it further.  First of all, spiritual warfare and the preacher.  What tactics does the enemy use against us as preachers?  Here are a few, perhaps you have others to add.  One danger constantly facing us is that of pride, which leads to a lack of dependency on God.  Then there is temptation to sin – how often do we face waves of temptation in areas of vulnerability while preparing to preach, or the day after we preach?  Perhaps distraction is a tool of the enemy – things thrown in our path that keep us for the task at hand.  Then there are lies, the discouragements meant to bring down our high goals with their high prayers.

I’d like to pursue this subject further, but let me ask you – what tactics does the enemy seem to employ in relation to your preaching ministry?

First Person: An Extra Challenge

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Sometimes preaching a passage in first person is the best and most effective way of communicating it.  Preaching in character allows you to engage the story in a more vivid and engaging manner.  Yet preaching first person sermons well is by no means easy.  You have to do all the work of Bible study and designing the message as for a normal sermon, but you also have to do more . . . more research, more planning, more details.  Two brief thoughts to add in to the planning process:

1. Remember that you are presenting the history, but need to preach the theology of the text.  For example, if you are preaching a narrative from the Gospels, you should preach the narrative in light of one of the written records.  I say this as opposed to preaching a composite blend of multiple accounts, to preach the event itself.  So if your narrative is found in all three synoptic Gospels, then be aware of all three (so as not to present a historical error in your story-telling), but make sure your idea, purpose and emphasis come from one of them.  The historical event was revelation, but the written account is inspired.

2. Remember to find ways to provide the evidence to support the idea of your sermon, and your interpretation of the text.  In normal preaching this is more simple, you merely decide how much of your textual study should be demonstrated and in what way.  If your understanding of the passage is influenced by the term the writer chose to use, then you can demonstrate that.  But when preaching first person, you usually can’t refer to the text in this way.  Do not therefore simply tell the story without letting your study show.  Show it in other ways.  For example, in Mark 4:35-41 you discover that the term “rebuked” is significant in understanding the story as Mark presents it, as is the use of “be still” in Mark’s gospel.  When preaching in character you cannot simply explain how these terms point to Mark’s intent in his presentation of the story.  But they can still show.  For example, speaking as a disciple, “You should have seen Him!  It wasn’t just that He spoke to the storm, it was also the way He did it.  As I thought back on it after, playing that moment over and over in my mind, I realized where I’d seen Him speak like that before.  It was when . . .” (then describe briefly the earlier incidents in Mark 1 and 3).  You can’t refer to chapter and verse, but you can refer to the stories in such a way as to highlight the significance.  And again, “The words He used, ‘be still!’ – He’d said that before . . .”  In first person it takes creativity to support your interpretation of the text, and it will be an indirect approach.  But you must do it, otherwise you run the risk of telling a story, but not preaching a text.

Layers of Complexity

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Sometimes a passage may prove more complex than it initially appears.  This is almost always the case with stories in the Gospels.  Usually Christians tend to view each story as a distinct unit that can be pulled out from the context in which it is placed.  In reality, each story or account in a Gospel is carefully woven together with others for a purpose.  For example, the stilling of the storm in Mark 4 is placed after, and linked to, the first part of the chapter where Jesus is teaching about the kingdom using parables.  However, in Matthew the account is in a series of miracle stories, quite separate from those same parables (which appear later).  While someone might suggest this indicates that what comes before and after is irrelevant to the interpretation of the passage, in fact the opposite is true.  The stories themselves, just like words, seem to get their meaning not only from within themselves, but also from the company they keep.

So while a story may appear simple to understand, as you study it in its context you often find that considering it in its context will clarify its meaning and purpose.  Then as you consider the context and flow of thought more, the interpretation may become more involved and complex.  As a preacher your first priority is to do everything you can to understand the passage. 

Once you’ve done all that you can to understand the passage, you then have to form the sermon.  The temptation will be to dump every element of your study into the sermon.  Don’t.  What is necessary and helpful?  What must be explained, what can simply be stated, what parts of your presentation need proof?  How much time do you have to support what you say?  Sometimes you will discover that your understanding of a passage has multiple layers of complexity, stretching out through layer after layer of other stories and accounts within the gospel.  Be thankful for the back-up support you have, but only give as much as is necessary and as much as your listeners can handle.  They may be fine with one layer of context, but overwhelmed if you present five layers.  Know the passage fully, but also know what your listeners need and are able to take onboard!

How Do Ideas Develop?

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

If communication is all about ideas, which it is, then what happens to those ideas? Haddon Robinson regularly states that there are only three things that you can do to develop an idea. You can explain it. You can prove it. Or you can apply it. There is nothing else that can be done to develop an idea.

* In a biblical passage, what is the author doing? Is he explaining/clarifying, is he proving/convincing, or is he applying/exhorting? It is helpful in Bible study to discern what the author is actually doing as his thought develops.

* As you preach the passage, what does your audience need? Do they need explanation? Do they need to be convinced? Do they need to consider application?

* You do not have to do just what the passage does. It could be that a passage spends no time explaining a concept, but your listeners need that extra explanation. We must know our listeners and their needs as well as possible in order to communicate effectively.

* There is a logical progression to the three developmental options. Generally explanation precedes proof/convincing, and both proceed application. The progression is important to note, even though this does not require us to therefore be rigid in our preaching. We do not need to always follow a formula of stating, explaining, proving, applying, etc. This can be both tedious and unnecessary. But it is important to understand the three options, and to think through what is necessary at each stage of each sermon.

Story Basics

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Much of the Bible comes to us in story form. We should as familiar with the basic ingredients of a story as we are with riding a bicycle or driving our car. Sadly, many preachers are not. Rather than quickly dissecting a story into preachable points, take the time to review the basic ingredients. How does this story work? Consider:

1. The Setting. Where does it begin and end? What is its written context? What is the historical, geographical and cultural setting?

2. The Plot. What is the background information provided? Then what is the crisis, complication, tension point? As the tension rises, where is the resolution or climax of the tension? Then finally how does the story conclude? Is the plot simple or complex? Does it have a second complication and a second climax? Is the story left unresolved? Why?

3. The Characters. Who is major and who is minor in the story? What clues are there to help you picture the characters? Is there direct description? What do they do? What are they called? What do they say?

4. The Narrator. Every story has a story teller, but he is usually very inconspicuous. What is the perspective of the narrator? Does the narrator make any overt comments in the story? Are there brief moments of explanation or helpful asides?

Basic stuff, but we are not harmed by reviewing it again.

How Not To Preach Every Inspired Word

/ Peter Mead / 4 Comments

As preachers of the Bible it is important that we hold a very high view of God’s Word. Verbal plenary inspiration is the doctrine that affirms the inspiration of the specific words (verbal), every last one of them (plenary). Any position that holds to less than a fully inspired and inerrant canon is a compromise wracked with inconsistency. However, as preachers who hold a high view of Scripture, there are a couple of mistakes we can easily make when preaching God’s Word:

1. Every word is inspired, but a word on its own has little value. That is to say that a word on its own carries only a selection of possible meanings. As Pasquarello puts it, words get their meaning from the company they keep. It is important to preach the words of a text in their context, rather than skimming the passage for the words that supposedly carry extra theological freight and then preaching those words as if divorced from the text. While it may have been fashionable a generation ago to preach a series of word studies, today we must be more aware of the words in their context, and preach the idea of the discourse unit.

2. Every word is inspired, but every word in a passage is not equally weighted. Since every word is inspired it is tempting to merely provide a running explanation phrase-by-phrase through the passage. While this may produce a commentary, it does not produce a good sermon. Recognize that some words function as subordinate to others in a sentence. What are the weighty words that convey the core meaning of the passage? What are the key moments in the narrative on which the whole thing turns? What words have emphasis through their unusual selection, positioning, or repetition? Preach the whole text, but don’t allow the weighty content to be hidden by giving equal time and focus to every subordinate phrase or term.

Peter has responded to a comment on this post.

Reading Matters

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

One further suggestion from Fred Craddock’s list of suggestions for a life of study is to set up your own library to function efficiently. I’ll take his prompting and share my thoughts on the subject of reading:

Don’t shelve books until they have been read. Either a pile on your desk or a dedicated shelf for new books is the way to go. Once a book is shelved with the others of its kind, the chances of actually reading it are reduced drastically. Engage the content of a new book enough to know if you should keep it, where it should be shelved, why you would go back to it, etc.

Read wisely, books should not be making you feel guilty. Many people feel guilty if they have started a book and not finished it. I regularly interact with people unwilling to look at a new book because they have an old one they feel obliged to finish first. Read wise. You have paid an amount of money for the book. It may be that one chapter of that book is all you need to read for your purposes. If this is the case then you paid that much money for one chapter, the rest was a bonus from Amazon! Forcing yourself to move your eyes over pages of text that are not of interest right now may appease some guilt, but you’ll learn nothing, get tired eyes and procrastinate on reading what you actually need to read. For many of us, if we could be free of guilt from unfinished books, we would be free indeed . . . well, it’s not that good, but it certainly helps!

Shelve books for access. Some books should be consulted regularly, so shelve them within easy access. I have several reference works I consult regularly, and books on interpretation and literary structure which need to be close at hand. Everything else should be shelved in an orderly manner that allows you to find what you want when you want it.