In this series of articles, I am laboring to show the advantages of sequential exposition. To do so, I have decided to list ten reasons sequential exposition is a superior approach to preaching than any other. My prayer, of course, is that you would also see this. If you are a preacher, I hope you adopt this philosophy and practice. If you are not a preacher, I hope you place yourself under an able expositor who methodically preaches through books of the Bible. Hearts will be encouraged. Minds will be engaged. Souls will be sanctified. And God will be glorified because His church will be washed by the Word (cf. Ephesians 5:26).
This is the final part in this small series. Read HERE for a detailed explanation of the first 5 reasons. Also, read HERE for an introduction and historical explanation for the practice of sequential exposition.
Let’s summarize the first five reasons that sequential exposition is superior to all other forms of preaching.
It stabilizes the congregation from doctrinal error. In short, sequential exposition delves into the in-depth doctrine of each book of Scripture preached. This doctrinal foundation protects a congregation from the wind and waves of heresy. Sequential exposition is a house built on rock, not sand.
It stretches the preacher to diligently study the Bible every week. A healthy accountability lies in sequential exposition: the congregation knows what verses your sermon will cover every week! This keeps the preacher in the study during the week where he belongs.
It simplifies the preaching schedule for the preacher. The 66 canonical books of sacred Scripture serve as the preacher’s calendar. Since Scripture is the living and enduring Word, a sequential expositor never runs out of material. Furthermore, it’s always relevant. He doesn’t have to be creative every week. He just picks up where he left off the week before.
It secures in minds and hearts important theological truths that otherwise might be skimmed or skipped over. Some truths in Scripture are easier to accept than others. Sequential exposition prevents some of the more difficult doctrines to understand or digest from being avoided.
It showcases the tidy knot between the OT and NT. You may be surprised how often the New Testament, for example, quotes the Old Testament. Preaching through a New Testament epistle will showcase Old Testament verses quoted by New Testament writers. This unveils the cohesion of Scripture. It works the other way as well. Preaching through the Old Testament will highlight familiar verses from the New Testament. The reason? Those familiar New Testament verses were actually Old Testament verses before they were New Testament verses!
6. It supports the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the saints.
One common argument I’ve heard against sequential expository preaching is that it isolates one text, or one book of the Bible, to such a degree that the rest of Scripture is ignored. Now, as I explained in a previous article, this should not happen because the task of the expositor is to preach the whole counsel of God’s Word. He’s not just digging in one “archeological site”, but several. And though he’s taking you to these different sites, he always returns to the original site. If he is doing the job of an expositor, he is not neglecting the other sites that discover the same truth as the original site.
It has been my regular experience that the Holy Spirit is always faithful to give God’s people just what they need from God’s Word at just the time they need it. The Holy Spirit is the power behind sanctification. And the Word of God is the instrument He uses to sanctify us. Jesus Himself said, “Sanctify them in truth. Your Word is truth” (John 17:17). Why would we think anything other than the fact that the Spirit of God works in powerful ways when the book He authored is preached through in the very order He inspired it? We may even boldly say that the Holy Spirit works more powerfully – and certainly more naturally – when the book He wrote is being read and explained in the order and context in which He wrote it as He moved on holy men of God in the past through inspiration (cf. I Peter 1:10 ff.; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
7. It separates a mature congregation from a shallow one.
It’s just a simple fact that spiritually mature congregations are those sitting under expository preaching. There is a direct correlation between knowledge and maturity. The more Scripture one knows, the more the Holy Spirit has to hold on to (if I can take the liberty to say it this way) to mold us more into Christ. This comes out in Paul’s emphasis on the renewal of the mind through the Word of God and the spiritual maturity it produces. “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual life. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
8. It supplies a full course meal from the full counsel diet of God’s Word.
This relates to what I said earlier. It is a misnomer that expository preaching ignores the full counsel of God’s Word because it focuses only on one book of Scripture at a time. First of all, eventually a book will be completed at which point the expositor moves on to preach through another book. So any supposed “ignorance” of other Scriptures is only temporary. And as we just saw, when an expositor cross references other passages he is not guilty of ignoring the rest of Scripture. But even more to the point, deep study requires concentrated focus on isolated passages. The Psalmist did this. He meditated on certain themes of God at one time (His mercy, grace, love, etc.) and then praised God and wrote an entire Psalm about one of those particular themes. Nobody would accuse the Psalmist of ignoring other important truths about God. We understand that each Psalm has a particular focus. Additionally, the Psalms are not one dimensional since they speak about every attribute of God. Nor could one reasonably tell the apostle Paul that he was wrong for not giving the same detailed doctrine in every one of his letters in the same exact way he did in the great book of Romans. It would have been impossible for Paul to unpack every nuance of theology in every single one of his epistles. Moreover, such was not his purpose in writing. He wrote to particular needs of certain congregations and Christians, and then applied the necessary doctrine to their particular context. It’s impossible to think about all things all the time, especially when you’re dealing with God’s truth!
Sequential exposition actually supplies a full course meal to God’s people because over a period of time (and sanctification is a long process) God’s people are exposed to in-depth teaching through multiple books of the Bible. Through the use of cross referencing, which an effective expositor will use, the congregation will actually come to know more of the Bible from front to back than, say a member of a church whose preacher teaches topically, jumping around all over the Bible. His preaching may give the appearance of being “whole Bible preaching”. But in actuality its like swimming in a kiddie pool. A kiddie pool can be big, but it only has a few inches of water. Those who swim in kiddie’s pools can only get so wet even when it’s an inch deep and a mile wide. But one who swims in the deep end of the bigger pool get much wetter. The water is deeper so the swimmer goes deeper. Eventually he’ll get around the whole pool. Whereas it may be quicker to work around a kiddie pool, the swimmer doesn’t really get that wet. Sequential exposition allows the Christian to be saturated with the full counsel of God’s Word. He goes deep in the Word and is a more experienced swimmer of truth. He has been trained in the Olympic pool, not the kiddie pool. Let us, as the apostle Peter says, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk [of God’s Word], that by it [we] may grow up into salvation” (I Peter 2:2). Let us swim in the deep end of the pure milk of God’s Word as we soak ourselves in the pool of expository preaching.
9. It squelches the tendency of God’s people to take verses out of context.
Sequential expository preaching trains a congregation (even if they don’t realize it) in good Bible study techniques. Central to proper hermeneutics is the concept of interpreting verses within their context. This means interpreting the Bible according to what the original author intended his words to be interpreted. A steady diet of sequential exposition constantly returns to the theme of each book, it’s purpose, it’s goal, it’s targeted audience. All of this trains the congregation to ask the same questions in their personal Bible study. What is the big idea of this book of Scripture? What is the author’s purpose in writing? Who is the audience receiving this letter? What issues, struggles, sins, or trials were they facing? Expository preaching serves as guard rails to help the student of Scripture focus on the context of verses he is studying in his private devotions.
10. It saturates God’s people with repeated doctrines, Scriptural themes, and practical exhortations over a sustained period of time.
There is a healthy repetition in sequential expository preaching. Ask any coach and he will tell you that the key to an athlete getting better requires repetition – the doing of the same activity over and over again. Repetition in sports creates muscle memory, which results in proper technique. This translates into the mastering of a particular skill. A piano teacher often tells her students not to come back for the next lesson unless they’ve practiced. This is because the piano teacher does not want to waste her time with a student who is not serious about nurturing their piano skills.
The simple point is that repetition is good in teaching, and sequential exposition lends itself to necessary repetition. This nurtures the Christian to live life with spiritual skill and proper theological technique so to speak. The reality is that we need to be reminded of the same things over and over. If we don’t think so, then we disagree with Jesus Himself who instituted the Lord’s Supper so that we would remember (“Do this in remembrance of Me.”) and not forget God’s gracious provision of Christ through the gospel for our forgiveness of sin and eternal hope in a Savior.
Conclusion
I want to encourage you to consider the value of sequential expository preaching. I hope these ten reasons were compelling enough to make a difference in your life. If you aren’t a preacher, then find an able expositor and commit yourself to his teaching ministry. Soak yourself in the Word week in and week out. Expository sermons can be listened to from the internet, and this is a good resource. But more importantly, you should join a local church where expository preaching is the expectation every week. And if you are a preacher, I want to urge you to get the necessary help to become a skillful expository preacher. Sequential exposition is the best type of preaching, so why settle for anything less?