Lack of Expository Preaching in Shallow Pulpits

I just read this blog post linked below and I thought that it and the comments there were very interesting. They contribute to the discussion I have started (long ago) on this blog.

http://theolderpaths.wordpress.com/2014/06/27/older-paths-preaching

Basic Biography of a Born Again Believer (Expository Sermon Outline)

The following is an expository sermon outline for the text I John 2:29-3:3. The unifying theme throughout this text is the new birth. Everything about the believer's experience, from the daily sanctification through the ultimate glorification, hinges on being a child of God. That is what is brought out in this text.


The outline I titled "Basic Biography of a Born Again Believer" and I am preaching it from my pulpit on Sunday, March 4, 2012 (Lord willing).


BASIC BIOGRAPHY OF A BORN AGAIN BELIEVER

I. HE IS PROVEN (I John 2:29).

A. A Habitual Righteousness. Quote Kenneth S. Wuest: "The habitual actions of a person are an index to his character." (In These Last Days, p. 140). Expand on.

B. A Particular Righteousness. "Everyone that doeth righteousness" = literally, "doeth the righteousness." A particular kind of righteousness, that is, like unto Christ's righteousness.

C. This is a Proof, not a Prescription. This verse does not explain how to become a child of God. It explains how to prove a child of God. The son takes after the Father. One proof of many that John offers throughout First John.

II. HE SAVORS GOD'S LOVE (I John 3:1a).

A. A Call to “Behold” God’s Love. "Behold" is in the plural imperative - a command to all believers to ponder on God's love. The difference between the religious lost and the born again: one thinks he deserves God's love, and therefore thinks very little of it. The other knows he does not deserve God's love, and therefore magnifies it; he savors the fact that though unworthy, he has it!

Quote Oliver B. Greene: "We need to stop and literally gaze at the cross, because Jesus on the cross was God's love on display for ungodly, hopeless, wretched sinners, who were His enemies.... God gave Heaven's best to die for earth's worst -- and He did it willingly." (The Epistles of John, p. 108).

B. The Manner of God’s Love. "Manner" carries the idea of foreignness. God's love is outside of human experience. Which of us could love the unloveable in the way God has demonstrated His love?

C. The Result of God’s Love. That we should be called the children of God. Everything about the believer's experience hinges on this fact - from his daily sanctification through his ultimate glorification. God could have chosen to forgive us without the new birth, but our salvation is greater than simply being forgiven. It is a new identity that we have for all of eternity.

III. HE IS MISUNDERSTOOD (I John 3:1b).

The world = those people who are children of the Devil. Explain: being a child of God is a special privelege; all others are children of the Devil. Not the liberal, universal "fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man."

So the Illustration: People from different families often misunderstand one another; so the children of the Devil have no comprehension of the children of God.

The world knew not Christ, John 1:10. Therefore not us either, John 15:18-19.

Illustration: What can we expect from the world? See what Christ received from it for the answer!

Application: Therefore, why should we embrace the world, as John already said, I John 2:15?

IV. HE KNOWS HIS CURRENT STATUS (I John 3:2a).

V. HE AWAITS HIS FUTURE GLORY (I John 3:2b).

A. The Details Are a Mystery. As to the timing, the particulars. We could not even comprehend anyway.

B. The Known Facts Are a Comfort. Jesus is coming again. We shall be like Him. Philippians 3:21. We shall behold Him face to face. I Corinthians 13:12.

VI. HE HAS A PURIFYING HOPE (I John 3:3).

A. This "Hope" Is Sure. Define "hope" biblically. Apply to Christ's return, Titus 2:13.

B. This Hope Makes Pure. Titus 2:11-14.

VM

Expository Sermon Outline from Luke's Introduction

The following is a skeletal outline (just the four main points) from an expository sermon titled "Things That Really Matter."  The text is from Luke's introduction to his Gospel account.

Verse 1: Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,

Point 1: IT MATTERS WHAT YOU BELIEVE (Verse 1)

Verse 2: Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;

Point 2: IT MATTERS WHERE YOU BASE YOUR BELIEFS (Verse 2)

Verse 3: It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

Point 3: IT MATTERS WHETHER YOU SPREAD THE TRUTH (Verse 3)

Verse 4: That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

Point 4: IT MATTERS WHETHER YOU ARE CERTAIN OF THE TRUTH (Verse 4)

VM

Call Unto Me: Points on Prayer

The following study is the kind of Bible teaching I like, where a text is picked apart phrase by phrase, its meaning explained, relevant Bible principles from other scriptures brought to bear on the subject, and it is all applied to the life of the believer.  You could call this an "expository" study if you also examined the context, as I did when I delivered this lesson on a recent Sunday evening.  The context (going back into prior chapters) is not on this outline, however.  For more on expository preaching and other sermon types, read this post.

Call Unto Me: Points on Prayer

Jeremiah 33:3

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Prayer is Commanded – “Call unto Me!”
Reasons people don’t pray about some things:

• “I don’t want to bother God with little things.”
• Answer: “Give us this day our daily bread…”
• “I don’t have time to pray.”
• Answer: “You don’t have time NOT to pray!”
• "I have so much business, I can not get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” — Martin Luther

Quotes on the necessity of prayer:

• “God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it.” — John Wesley
• “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” — Oswald Chambers
• “A day without prayer is a day without blessing, and a life without prayer is a life without power.” — Edwin Harvey

Summary: Prayer is commanded. The prayerless Christian is a Christian in sin.

Prayer is Personal - “Call unto ME”
The saved have a personal relationship with the God of the Universe.

• Deuteronomy 4:7, 29
• Psalm 91:15
• Psalm 145:18

Compare to the pagan’s idols – a personal relationship?

• Judges 18:22-26
• I Samuel 5:2-5
• I Kings 18:25-29

How do you maintain a personal relationship?

Prayer is Pleading - “Call” means “Cry out”.
It includes the idea of seeking and getting the attention of another.

• Isaiah 55:6
• Jeremiah 29:12-14

An Answer is Promised - “I will answer thee”
Reminders of God’s promises of hearing and answering prayer:

• Micah 7:7
• Psalm 50:15
• Psalm 34:15-17
• Proverbs 15:29
• Isaiah 65:24
• I John 5:14-15

If the Lord said it, He will make it good.

You will know the answer to prayer!
“…and I will answer thee, and SHEW thee…”

• God is not going to answer your prayer and then leave you in the dark about it.
• Seeing the answer requires walking in the Spirit.

The answer may not be what you expected or even considered:
“…Great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

• “Mighty” / “Hidden”
• Compare: Ephesians 3:20; Psalm 23:5
• Examples: I Chronicles 17; I Kings 3:10-15

VM

Speaking For the Lord (Part 6)

This is the sixth in a series of articles I am writing to apply Isaiah 6:1-8 to the preacher. If you have not yet done so, please go back first and read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5. If you are blessed by this article, please feel free to comment and definitely watch for more articles in this series.

BRIEF REVIEW: In trying to explain preaching to someone recently, my mind settled on Isaiah 6:1-8 as a very relevant passage for every preacher to hold in mind about the nature of what we do when we speak for God.

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. - Isaiah 6:1-8.

I. First of all, WHO IS THIS GOD THAT SENT THE PREACHER? Answered in Parts 1 through 4 and applied to the preaching.

II. Secondly, WHO IS THE PREACHER THAT GOD SENT?

A. He is a man of unclean lips, Isaiah 6:5 - dealt with in Part 5.
B. He dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips - see Part 5.

C. Thirdly, this God-called preacher is a man that realizes his limitations and disabilities. Notice this in verse 5: "Woe is me! for I am undone...for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

1. Upon seeing Who exactly God is, the preacher realizes who himself is.

Preacher, have you been to the altar and realized the holiness and absolute glory of God?  No, of course you haven't.  "No man hath seen God at any time."  You would be undone, as Isaiah was after just a brief glimpse - literally in verse 5 it means "done for" as in "I am done for.  I am over with.  I will cease to exist."

That is the proper attitude for the preacher - No more of ME!  I am DONE!  Now, All of HIM!  John the Baptist said, "He must increase and I must decrease."  If we truly held in mind Who it is that we represent when we preach, we would realize what Paul means when he says, "I am crucified with Christ" and "I die daily."  We would never let our ego get in the way of speaking for the Lord.

Preacher, please realize you have nothing to offer anybody personally.  God did not call you because you are special or anything like that.  Remember that He "hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" - II Timothy 1:9.  He has His reasons, and it is not because of anything you bring into the picture.

Are you undone?  Does your preaching show it?  Does the rest of your ministry show it?  How much of YOU is present in your preaching, ministry, philosophy, etc?

Get to the point of Isaiah, "Woe is me, for I am undone."  Are you undone or is "ME" still holding on tightly when you stand up to speak for the Lord?

Here are some concrete applications of this principle:

a) Do your sermon illustrations tend to regularly cast you in the best light, make you the hero of the story, etc?  Get rid of it.  There's no room for it.

b) How much do your favorite doctrines, hobby horses, pet peeves, etc, drive your sermons or influence how you approach a topic?  Be careful!  Is that God's hobby horse, pet peeve or favorite doctrine?  Probably not, but you claim to be speaking for Him.

c) In your prayer during study and preparation time and before preaching, ask God to give you this attitude, "Woe is me, for I am undone."  Ask God to humble you before Him and before the people and remove you completely out of the way so that only Christ can be seen.

2. Upon being properly humbled, this preacher is then enabled to properly speak on the Lord's behalf, vv. 6-7.  Watch for this in Part 7, coming soon.

VM

Speaking For the Lord (Part 5)

This is the fifth in a series of articles I am writing to apply Isaiah 6:1-8 to the preacher. If you have not yet done so, please go back first and read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.  If you are blessed by this article, please feel free to comment and definitely watch for more articles in this series.

BRIEF REVIEW: In trying to explain preaching to someone recently, my mind settled on Isaiah 6:1-8 as a very relevant passage for every preacher to hold in mind about the nature of what we do when we speak for God.

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. - Isaiah 6:1-8.

I. First of all, WHO IS THIS GOD THAT SENT THE PREACHER?  Answered in Parts 1 through 4 and applied to the preaching.

II.  Secondly, WHO IS THE PREACHER THAT GOD SENT?

A. He is a man of unclean lips, Isaiah 6:5.

1. Preacher, will you ever get it through your head that you are a man of unclean lips?  I don't care how long it has been since you gave up cursing or taking God's name in vain - that is not the issue.  You are still a man of unclean lips because your lips will end up speaking what is in your heart, and you know what the Bible says about your wicked, filthy heart, Jeremiah 17:9; and about what all comes out of your heart, Matthew 15:19.

Therefore, how dare you EVER take your unclean lips into the pulpit and declare your opinion, your conjecture, or what you think.  That's not speaking for the Lord.  How many times does God have to remind us preachers that we are to "PREACH THE WORD," II Timothy 4:2.

Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.  Jonah 3:2.

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!  Romans 10:15.

Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Colossians 1:25.

And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak.  I Kings 22:14.

And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.  Numbers 22:38.

If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak?  Numbers 24:13.

For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.  II Corinthians 2:17.

Let these examples be enough.  God commisions a preacher to preach exactly what God says, nothing more and nothing less.  God's house must not become the place people go to hear the thoughts of a man of unclean lips.

2. Most of all, understand this.  What you have to say MATTERS NOT AT ALL.  What God has to say is the only thing that matters when you stand up to preach.  Be sure you say that and only that, you man of unclean lips.

B. Secondly, this man that God has called to preach dwells "in the midst of a people of unclean lips."  Do you understand how that matters or applies?  It means that the people to whom you preach are accustomed to hearing unclean lips.  They are accustomed to hearing from other men of unclean lips.  What does that have to do with the preacher?  Here is one way it applies: How are those people going to know when you are speaking for yourself or when you are speaking for God?  How will they tell the difference, since they are so used to the mortal talk of mortal men?  The fact is, such a people cannot discern the opinions of men from the word of God.  The preacher speaking to such a people has an amazing and very weighty influence over them that even he does not understand.  He must keep this power in check.

Preacher, always remember the following:

1. Everything you say from the pulpit is taken by most as "Thus saith the Lord."  Whether you intend it that way or not, that is the way most listeners take it.  Whether that is a right attitude or not, that is simply a fact of life that you have to learn to live with and preach within those parameters.  Therefore, if it is not a "Thus saith the Lord" statement, then don't say it when you claim to be speaking for the Lord.

2. Your opinions or preferences you give from the pulpit will be confused with the word of God by some.  They will come to believe that the Bible teaches something because they heard you preach it.  You may become guilty of "making the word of God of none effect through your tradition," Mark 7:13.

3. Those who do not confuse your opinions or preferences with the word of God instead may come to the conclusion that you yourself have made that confusion.  They expected to hear "Thus saith the Lord."  They heard instead your opinion.  They then make a logical conclusion that you believe the opinion you gave is in fact the word of God.  This can be and has been the cause of horrible divisions among brethren, when some believe another has placed his opinion on the level of God's word.  It is a reasonable conclusion on their part, even if it is wrong.  But you are the one at fault in this misunderstanding, because you spoke through your unclean lips instead of preaching the word.

C. Thirdly, this God-called preacher is a man that realizes his limitations and disabilities.  Notice this: "Woe is me! for I am undone...for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

1. Upon seeing Who exactly God is, the man realizes who himself is.  Watch for this to continue in Part 6.

VM

Speaking For the Lord (Part 4)

This is the fourth in a series of articles I am writing to apply Isaiah 6:1-8 to the preacher. If you have not yet done so, please go back first and read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. If you are blessed by this article, please feel free to comment and definitely watch for more articles in this series.

BRIEF REVIEW: In trying to explain preaching to someone recently, my mind settled on Isaiah 6:1-8 as a very relevant passage for every preacher to hold in mind about the nature of what we do when we speak for God.

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. - Isaiah 6:1-8.

I. First of all, WHO IS THIS GOD THAT SENT THE PREACHER?

A. HIS TITLES: We looked at these in Part 1 and Part 2.

B. HIS ATTRIBUTES: In Part 3, we began to look at these, including: 1. HE IS MAJESTIC, 2. HE IS AWE-INSPIRING, 3. HE IS THRICE-HOLY.  Now let us move on a bit further.

4. HE IS GLORIOUS: Verse 3 says "...the whole earth is full of his glory."
 
Much of this point would be covered under the previous point, HE IS MAJESTIC.  However, now let's not consider simply the fact of God's glory and majesty, but rather the scope of it.  The verse says, "the whole earth is full of his glory."  His glory is worldwide.  Applied to the preacher called by this same God, we may note the following:
 
a) There is no place on earth where God would not be glorified by the proper preaching of His word.  His message is to go worldwide for His glory.  Often times missionaries to particular locations are snubbed, or snubbed because they are not called to a certain region such as "the 10/40 window", or overlooked because they are planting churches in the home country, such as America.  This is wrong-headed on many levels, but most importantly because it denies where God can work and be glorified.  God is glorified just as much in the faithful preaching of His word in New York City or rural Alabama as He is in Papua New Guinea or the English countryside or the mountains of Tibet.  The whole earth is full of His glory.
 
b) There is no place on earth, no culture, no people, no tribe, no generation, no social class, no age group who could not see the glory of God if His word were preached and believed among them.  God's message and methods do not have to be modified for a different culture or different audience.  The glory of God is already in every place and "the word of God is not bound" - II Timothy 2:9.  It is not bound by time, distance or relevance.  The word of God stands eternal and applies to every creature.
 
c) There is no special place to which preaching must be restricted and no special glory to any particular location.  There is no more glory coming from a wooden pulpit inside the four walls of a church building than there is from the street corner where a faithful man is spreading the Gospel one-on-one.  There is no more of the glory of God in a large, beautiful, packed auditorium than there is in an apartment living room where a man preaches to a handful of believers hoping to plant a church some day.  The whole earth is full of God's glory.
 
d) To see God get all the glory must be the total desire of the preacher.  This was covered under "HE IS MAJESTIC" in Part 3.
 
The God-called preacher can rest assured that regardless of when and where he preaches, the faithful preaching of God's word will by honored by the presence of God's glory and will redound to the glory of God.  We don't have to look for moments like they have in the southern camp meetings, when they say "the glory fell" and then things really get interesting in the tent.  That is not happening because the glory of God suddenly showed up.  The glory is already here, wherever here is, and the God-called preacher can fully expect God to manifest His glory however He sees fit.