Biblical Preaching (1)

“What I do is try to just teach [preach] practical principles; I may not bring the Scriptures in until the end of my sermon and I don’t feel bad about that” – Joel Osteen on Larry King Live.

The title of this article has a double reference. The preaching to which I am referring to is Biblical first in that it is the Biblically approved and mandated form of preaching. The second reference is to the content of the preaching being Biblical or from the text of Scripture. It seems that many modern, mainstream, mega-church Pastor/Teachers are neglecing that a large part of their ministry is to teach/preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2).

Now of course some might insist that there is a difference between preaching and teaching. Although it should be seen that the two words are often used interchangeable in the Scriptures, if you are not teaching in your preaching then I would argue that you are not really preaching the Word. You might be sharing your opinions to the matter, but that is not the message that Paul commanded Timothy to exhort. Thus if one is to be true to the Biblical command to “preach the Word,” then the ministry of teaching is inexorably tied to it.

One of the greatest compliments I like to hear when I preach a sermon is not that I was “fired up” or “spoke powerfully” (though it is nice to hear but alas an appeal to the flesh). I love to hear when a person says that they learned something. It seems that Paul’s command to Timothy in regards to preaching would result in that kind of outcome.

That leads me to the content of Biblical preaching. It should be exactly that – Biblical! The Bible is the message that should be preached. It is the source for faith, why not also the source for sermons? Paul does not tell Timothy to preach certain topics. Paul does not tell Timothy to preach his mind. Paul tells Timothy to stick to the text. The content of every sermon should be centered on the Word of God.

In modern rhetoric, it is common for sermons/speeches to be formalized, structured, outlined, and paralleled. In personal practice, to “preach the Word” means that every point that I make in my sermon outline is found in the text. That doesn’t mean I make the text fit into my arranged points. It means that proper exegesis of the text will expose to the interpreter (who is an observer not a sculpter) an outline that arises naturally from the text. Anything less would be to preach my mind (i.e. no authority).

I also think it relevant to stick with one passage of Scripture (passage not referring to length but contexts, paragraphs, or pericopes). Some topical sermons might have points based on Scriptures from all areas of the Word but often the context is neglected, the background info is avoided, and the teaching aspect is lost. I am unashamed when I say that I preach through books of the Bible. I even do it on Sunday mornings![1] I find much more continuity with my messages when this is done instead of the shotgun approach from some random choosing of texts.[2]

It is high time that preachers stop using a verse of Scripture to springboard them into a topic of their own whim. I heard a pastor use the last phrase of Romans 1:20 “they are without excuse” to shoot into a list of rants that Christians give for missing church. But Paul did not write Romans 1:20 with that in mind. Needless to say, no one listening to that sermon learned what Paul was driving at in Romans 1:20, although that was supposedly the “text verse.”

It sickens me to think that some preachers avoid “preaching the Word” for fear of being boring. Why do we think that our own recipes will work better than God’s? If He commands us to use a certain style and content, we should rest in the confidence that God in all His infinite wisdom knows what is best for a local church. If we simply follow His ingredients for preaching, then He will bless and give the increase.

America needs a host of churches with Pastors standing behind the pulpits willing to “preach the Word” in obedience to the Scriptural command. We need men to preach Biblically!

Timothy L. Decker
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[1] For instance, I am currently going through the Gospel of John in my Sunday morning sermon series. Before that, I preached through Nehemiah and before that Colossians.
[2] That doesn’t mean I am constrained to any particular order. If a particular issue arises that I need to deal with behind the pulpit but the next passage in my series does not handle that issue, then the answer is simple – take a break and handle the issue! I have also found that as I seek what God lays on my heart pertaining to which book of the Bible I am supposed to preach next, that God has providentially used certain texts and planned them in such a way that any effort on my part to do such a thing would be disastrous.