BOOK SUMMARY: PREPARING SERMONS FROM THE PAGE TO THE PULPIT: EXEGESIS TO EXPOSITION IN SEVEN STEPS - CHAPTER 2 - KEEPING IT TOGETHER: DETERMINING THE OUTER LIMITS

 

Psalm 14 states, "There is no God." Is that what the text means? No. In context we see that this is what the fool says. The reading of the whole verse dramatically changes our understanding. It's vital to know when a complete unit of thought starts and ends in Scripture. (My note: Simply identifying a complete unit of text does not guarantee you'll arrive at proper exposition as it relates to Christ. But identifying proper boundaries helps to ensure that you're moving in the right contextual direction.) So how do we figure out the upper and lower part of textual boundaries? These several ways are helpful:

 

CONTENT AS A BOUNDARY MARKER

The passage of interest is different from the verses around it and reads like a self-contained unit of thought. Philippians 1:1-30 could be preached as a whole unit. But it could also be broken down into smaller coherent subunits:

• Philippians 1:1-2
• Philippians 1:3-8
• Philippians 1:9-11
• Philippians 1:12-26
• Philippians 1:27-30

 

INCLUSIO AS A BOUNDARY MARKER

Inclusio is an effective communication device where the first and last verses of a unit are conceptually or linguistically parallel to each other. For example, the complete passage of Genesis chapter 1 actually rolls over into chapter 2. Here we see two boundary markers designating this entire section as one unit. Of course, it can be subdivided but textually there's a bigger cohesive unit which contains smaller subunits within.

• Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
• Genesis 2:4a These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created

 

CATCHWORDS AS BOUNDARY MARKERS

Words like therefore, and, but, now or then can signal a new unit of thought. That doesn't mean the previous unit is necessarily disconnected, but it does signal a shift cuing you into the author's intent to start a new thought (possibly related).

 

VOCATIVE CASES AS A BOUNDARY MARKER

(MY NOTE: The author doesn't explain what vocative means and assumes the reader understand Greek. Vocative comes from the Latin word vocare--which means call. It refers to when you are calling out to someone or directly addressing them. Non-vocative is when you are speaking about someone as opposed to speaking to someone. The vocative case highlights relationship, emotion, clarifies who is being spoken to and sometimes signals a shift in tone.)

 

Ephesians 5:15-25 has a couple of vocative cases that signal complete units of thought which can be preached as subunits of a larger text. That means you can preach one sermon with subpoints relating to these vocative cases or you can preach separate sermons and let them stand alone, while still connecting surround passages for larger context.

• Ephesians 5:22  Wives (vocative/direct address)
• Ephesians 5:25  Husbands (vocative/direct address)

 

RHETORICAL QUESTIONS AS BOUNDARY MARKERS

Romans 6 shows Paul's use of rhetorical questions which subdivides a larger unit of text and thought as it relates to the justifying and saving grace of Christ.

• Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning that grace may increase?
• Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?

 

CONCLUSION

With boundaries of the passage established, the next step in sermon-writing is to examine the neighboring textual-literary context. This helps to see how the text is affected by its surroundings. (MY NOTE: I've often referred to this a zooming in and zooming out. Look at the pollen under a microscope, but then back away to see the whole flower so that you know what you're actually looking at.)

BOOK SUMMARY: PREPARING SERMONS FROM THE PAGE TO THE PULPIT: EXEGESIS TO EXPOSITION IN SEVEN STEPS - CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION: THE PROBLEM

THE PROBLEM
Some sermons are biblically correct and theologically correct though they are still not expositional. Correct exegesis doesn't guarantee correct exposition.

THE TROUBLE WITH MORALISTIC SERMONS

• In the moralistic sermon the heroes are the biblical character in the story and the congregational members who follows that biblical example. Instead of moralistic sermons based on the character in view, the sermon would demonstrate the greatness of God whom these humans serve. Sermons need to be Christocentric or theocentric in order to see the actual hero of Scripture.

• Moralistic sermons are not life-giving because they are expressions of conventional wisdom and/or self-help.  Scripture, like Jesus' words (John 6:63) possesses the power to instill new life in the hearers, not just offer sensible advice or sage counsel.

• Moralistic sermons perpetuate negative stereotypes of how to understand the Bible. A pastor's preaching--for better or worse--models for the congregant how to read, interpret and apply the Word of God. The authors of Scripture did not intend for the text to be understood a dozen different subjective ways. He meant something definite by it. The exegete must work to determine authorial intent.

THE TROUBLE WITH SPIRITUALIZED MESSAGES

This happens often in narrative. The story becomes a vehicle to illustrate a spiritual reality or moral. The historical and theological significance is lost in this type of sermon. 2 Samuel recounts David bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. Setting goals and working towards them should not be the point of that text. 

TROUBLE FINDS A SOLUTION: EXPOSITORY PREACHING

Pastors should not simply preach from the Bible but preach the Bible itself. When the Bible is preached correctly then we encounter the living God. 

ASSEMBLING THE PUZZLE

The author admits that as a professor of Greek, he was able to teach the language and exegesis at seminary but the seminarians were still incapable of doing expositional preaching. It's possible to know the elements of Greek exegesis and still be disconnected from biblical preaching.  Walter Kaiser observes:

"Students [have been taught] how to parse the verbs; to identity grammatical forms in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek...to analyze the passage historically and critically...[yet] the very discipline that should have mapped out the route from exegesis to proclamation has traditionally narrowed its concerns too severely. As a result, exegesis has been the one subject most quickly jettisoned by pastors in the pulpit."

Many pastors give up exegesis and resort to preaching messages loosely based on the text. Other head the other direction and their sermons suffer from information overload--becoming convoluted history lessons that pack very little spiritual nutrition. 

• The Exegete As An Editor - For any given passage, many socio-historical facts, numerous word studies, a lot of grammatical observations, and various theological insights never see the light of day in a sermon. That's exactly how it's supposed to be. Less seasoned exegetes assume they need to show all of their work to the congrgation.
• The Exegete As A Reader - In a hurry to write a sermon, exegetes can be guilty of rushing through the sacred text because they have prior biblical and theological knowledge or familiarity with the text. 
• The Exegete As An Auditor - If the love of your life wrote a letter to you and you know you wouldn't see them for years to come, would you rush through the letter or analyze every word and sentence? God's Word is a self-revelation. It deserves close attention. 
• The Exegete As A Theologian - Whatever text is in view, it only speaks partially on a matter. That partiality must be integrated into what the entire Bible says on that matter. This move towards exposition represents a move from exegesis to biblical theology and systematic theology..
• The Exegete As A Coach - The expository sermon moves from the pages of Scripture to the lives of the hearer. Application must ensue. The congregation needs to be urged to respond to God in specific ways.

WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?

The target reader is for someone who preaches from a pastoral perspective rather than an academic one. It's for the pastor who wants to help church people encounter God so that by His Spirit their lives are changed to image Christ. Expository sermons should never devolve into information download. The chief end of preaching must always be a sanctificational encounter with the God of the text. 

The author assumes that the reader readily acknowledges the massive imperative for the exegete to locate any given text within its social-historical background. 

Preachers can improve not only in homiletical skills but in exegetically and expositional skills. The book is narrow in focus. It does not deal with homiletics or exegesis. It focuses on moving from exegesis to exposition. The focus of the book is not the various genres of Scripture--which belongs to exegesis. Again, the focus is not the how-to of exegesis but the process of moving from exegesis to exposition.