From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part three of a series. Read part two.

Accuracy, Martyn Lloyd-Jones asserts - in other words, faithfulness to the Biblical text - must be the hallmark of Biblical preaching. That is why it must be expository preaching.

Always From Scripture, Never From Men

In later chapters of Preaching and Preachers, Martyn Lloyd-Jones deals with the necessity of expository preaching. "The message should arise out of the Scriptures directly." That is an excellent shorthand definition of expository preaching. "Always be expository," he says. He then proceeds to give advice that is not only indispensible for the preacher preparing a sermon, but also for every Christian engaging in personal study of God's Word:¹

I believe, as I have been indicating, that in preaching the message should always arise out of the Scriptures directly and not out of the formulations of men, even the best men....

I would emphasize again that while doing all this you must always be expository. Always expository. If you follow the method I have been advocating you will be expository, because as these [Scripture] texts have hit you, you will have paused and looked at them, and have examined them, and then have worked out your skeletons [outlines]. In other words your [outlines] are the headings of an exposition.

I do not approve of the method whereby you take a subject...and then think and work it out for yourself, and then look for texts which will be convenient pegs on which to hang these thoughts of yours on the subject. That is what I am opposing. The matter should always be derived from the Scriptures, it should always be expository. And if you are true to the teaching of the Scriptures you will find that you will cover all the different aspects of truth, and do so in a very much better way than by trying to work these things out for yourself in a more or less philosophical manner.

Don't Abuse the Word of God

We must be honest with our [Biblical] texts; and we must take them always in their context. That is an absolute rule. These other men [non-expository preachers] do not observe that; they are not interested in that, they are always looking for 'ideas'. They want a theme, an idea; and then they philosophize on that, giving expression to their own thoughts and moralizings.

That is utterly to abuse the Word of God. You must take your text in its context, and you must be honest with it. You must discover the meaning of the words and of the whole statement. We have gone into this before, but what I want to emphasize at this stage is the spiritual meaning of the verse or passage. Accuracy first, but then, and more important, the spiritual meaning. What determines the accuracy of your understanding of particular words ultimately is not scholarship but the spiritual meaning of the passage. You will find that the learned authorities often, if not generally, disagree with one another completely, and the meaning ultimately has to be determined not by some exact science but by spiritual perception, spiritual understanding; that 'unction' that John talks about in 1 John 2:20 and 27.

Ask Questions of the Text

This procedure leads you to the thrust of the message of this particular statement. In order to arrive at this you will have to learn how to ask questions of your text. Nothing is more important than this. Ask questions such as, Why did he say that? Why did he say it in this particular way? What is he getting at? What was his object and purpose? One of the first things a preacher has to learn is to talk to his texts.

They talk to you, and you must talk to them. Put questions to them. This is a most profitable and stimulating procedure. But at the same time never force your text. An idea may occur to you and it may excite you and thrill you; but if you find that you have to do some manipulating or forcing in order to make that fit into this particular text, don't do it. You must sacrifice a good sermon rather than force a text.

After this, or while doing this, you must check this understanding you have arrived at by consulting your lexicons and commentaries. What I am leading to, the thing I am concerned about, is that you make certain that you really are getting the main message, the main thrust and import of this particular text or statement. It is quite astonishing to note how [even] good men can avoid [i.e., fail in] doing this....

Nothing is more important than that we should be sure that we have got at the main thrust of the text, and let that come out....

I cannot over-emphasize the importance of our arriving at the main thrust, the main message of our text. Let it lead you, let it teach you. Listen to it and then question it as to its meaning, and let that be the burden of your sermon.

Accuracy, Martyn Lloyd-Jones asserts - faithfulness to the Biblical text - must be the hallmark of Biblical preaching, and that is why it must be expository preaching.

Next: Preaching and the Congregation

References:

1. The quotations in this article are from Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1971), pages 187, 196, and 201-204.

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