Engaging Exposition

Dr. Daniel L. Akin, Bill Curtis, Stephen Rummage

In the homiletics field, a text has been needed that blends hermeneutics, sermon development, and sermon delivery. Engaging Exposition fills that gap with what its experienced authors call a "3-D approach" to preaching.

Bill Curtis writes about the Discovery process—how to equip the student to discover the meaning of a biblical text by using sound principles of interpretation, and to move from biblical analysis to biblical interpretation. 

Danny Akin addresses the Development process—how to equip the student to develop expository sermons based upon results of the interpretive process, and to move from the Main Idea of the Text (MIT) to the completed sermon. 

Stephen Rummage explains the Delivery process—how to equip students to deliver expository messages using the completed sermon, and to move from an understanding of speech communication principles to persuasive delivery.

SECTION 1

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CHAPTER 1

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A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

A Chinese philosopher once stated that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Every journey requires three things: a destination, a plan to reach it, and the will to take the first step. In this textbook, you are embarking on a unique journey of discovery in the fields of hermeneutics and homiletics. Your destination is clear—to cultivate the ability to craft and deliver engaging expository sermons. To help you reach your destination, we have developed a plan to guide you on your journey. As you will soon realize, this journey can be challenging, and danger awaits those who take a detour.

When some people prepare for ministry, they only want to learn how to preach. Before we can craft and deliver an expository sermon, however, we must learn how to "correctly [teach] the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15). John Broadus, the famed Southern Baptist homiletician, described the importance of this task in his classic work On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons:

For the Scripture to have value for preaching and for the preacher's text to become God's message, the Bible must be interpreted correctly. To interpret and apply his text in accordance with its real meaning is one of the preacher's most sacred duties. He stands before the people for the very purpose of teaching and exhorting them out of the Word of God. He announces a particular passage of God's Word as his text with the distinctly implied understanding that from this his sermon will be drawn. By using a text and undertaking to develop and apply its teachings, he is solemnly bound to represent the text as meaning precisely what it does mean.¹

In short, the goal of hermeneutics is to help the pastor-teacher "interpret and apply his text in accordance with its real meaning." Section 1 of this textbook is devoted to helping you learn how to take a biblical text and interpret it correctly, with the goal of developing an expository sermon. It is time to begin your journey of discovery—a journey that begins with a single step.

THE MEANING OF HERMENEUTICS

Hermeneutics has been defined in a variety of ways. The Concise Encyclopedia of Preaching provides this definition: "Hermeneutics in general terms is the art of understanding. More specifically, it refers to the method and techniques used to make a text understandable in a world different from the one in which the text originated."² David Dockery states, "Hermeneutics is a term from the Greek, hermeneuien, meaning to express, to explain, to translate, to interpret. Traditionally, hermeneutics sought to establish the principles, methods, and rules needed in the interpretation of written texts, particularly sacred texts."³ For the purpose of our discussions in this text, the process of hermeneutics will be defined as the proper use of the principles of interpretation to discover the author's intended meaning of a biblical text, with a goal of applying that meaning to a contemporary audience.

The Dangers of Poor Hermeneutics

Sadly, many prospective pastor-teachers grew up under preachers who struggle to handle the Scriptures either carefully or accurately. As a result, they continue to emulate the preaching modeled for them, and this perpetuation of poor preaching has dangerous implications for the people of God. Make no mistake—bad hermeneutics leads to bad sermons.

Many pastor-teachers make a number of classic mistakes when approaching the Bible. First, some go to the Scriptures in an attempt to discover something new. "The aim of good interpretation is not uniqueness; one is not trying to discover what no one else has ever seen before."⁴ James Rosscup notes, "What a preacher claims a passage says can be very different from what it actually says. His goal should be to ferret out the indication of the text, not to foist upon it some imagination of his own."⁵ Sadly, the attempt to discover something new in the Scriptures is the root of many sects and cults.

Second, some pastor-teachers go to the Scriptures to find support for their own personal interpretations. Grant Osborne defines this fallacy as the proclamation of one's "subjective religious opinions."⁶ He states, "The basic evangelical fallacy of our generation is 'proof-texting,' that process whereby a person 'proves' a doctrine or practice merely by alluding to a text without considering its original inspired meaning."⁷ Often, a lack of theological training accompanies this tendency. Please understand that we are not calling into question the motives of good men who love God. However, a lack of theological training may contribute to the adoption of certain presuppositions or beliefs that Scripture cannot support. The inability to apply good hermeneutics to one's interpretation often leads to the proof-texting found in much topical preaching.

Third, some pastor-teachers work so hard to be relevant to contemporary culture that they either misuse the biblical text or fail to address it altogether. Walter Kaiser notes,

Those sermons whose alleged strength is that they speak to contemporary issues, needs, and aspirations often exhibit the weakness of a subjective approach. In the hands of many practitioners, the Biblical text has been of no real help either in clarifying the questions posed by modern man or in offering solutions. The listener is often not sure whether the word of hope being proclaimed is precisely that same Biblical word which should be connected with the modern situation or issue being addressed in the sermon since the Biblical text often is no more than a slogan or refrain in the message. What is so lacking in this case is exactly what needs to be kept in mind with respect to every sermon which aspires to be at once both Biblical and practical: It must be derived from an honest exegesis of the text and it must constantly be kept close to the text [emphasis ours].⁸

In other words, the failure to keep any sermon closely anchored to a text will ultimately result in hindering the text from accomplishing its intended purpose in the lives of the listeners.

Finally, the people of God suffer when pastor-teachers look to discover new interpretations of Scripture, or when they look for Scripture verses to support their own personal ideas about the Bible, or when they place relevance over revelation. Michael Fabarez reminds us of this sobering truth: "Though many intend to base a sermon on a text of Scripture, incompetent handling of the text can lead the preacher to reach unbiblical conclusions and thus waylay his congregants."⁹

The Benefits of Good Hermeneutics

The decision to learn and practice good hermeneutics will benefit the life of the pastor-teacher and his listeners. First, good hermeneutics will keep the pastor-teacher focused on discovering the meaning and significance of a text. John Stott discusses the tension between these two concepts in his classic work Between Two Worlds. He notes,

It is essential to keep these two questions both distinct and together. To discover the text's meaning is of purely academic interest unless we go on to discern its message for today, or (as some theologians prefer to say) its "significance." But to search for its contemporary message without first wrestling with its original meaning is to attempt a forbidden shortcut. It dishonors God (disregarding his chosen way of revealing himself in particular historical and cultural contexts), it misuses his Word (treating it like an almanac or book of magic spells) and it misleads his people (confusing them about how to interpret Scripture).¹⁰

Good hermeneutics assists the pastor-teacher in discovering the author's intended meaning in a text, whose ultimate author is God the Holy Spirit.

Second, good hermeneutics will assist the pastor-teacher in considering all aspects of a passage's context, while pursuing the author's intended meaning. Since every book of the Bible was written in a unique context, every text has "one primary normative meaning—that which the author intended."¹¹ To fully understand that meaning, however, the pastor-teache...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Section 1
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10
• Section 2
• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12
• Chapter 13
• Chapter 14
• Chapter 15
• Chapter 16
• Chapter 17
• Chapter 18
• Chapter 19
• Chapter 20
• Section 3
• Chapter 21
• Chapter 22
• Chapter 23
• Chapter 24
• Chapter 25
• Chapter 26
• Chapter 27
• Chapter 28
• Chapter 29
• Chapter 30
• Conclusion