| Introduction We tend to think that the way things are now is the way they have always been. Yet, that is rarely the case. Things change over time even to the point of being completely different than it once was. That is what happened with preaching. In the time of the writing of the New Testament and in the 200 years that followed it, Christian preaching was the simple explanation of the Bible. Preachers would sit or stand in front of the gathered people of God and would explain the Scriptures. They would start in the beginning of a passage and work their way to the end. With the passing of time and with Christianity transitioning from being a forbidding religion to being the official religion of the state, preaching changed from being the simple explanation and application of the Bible to the people of God to being a philosophical discussion, and eventually to being almost inexistent. For about 1,000 years the Church neglected the faithful preaching of the Word of God till in 1518, a priest in Zurich, Switzerland, decided that on the Lord's day he would open his Bible to the beginning of Matthew and continue preaching, Lord's Day after Lord's Day, through Matthew till he got to the end of the book (see bulletin insert). What seems to be so common place to us today was revolutionary 500 hundred years ago and it sparked the greatest revival in the Church of Jesus Christ since the days of the apostles. At our church, we are committed to the explanation and application of the Word of God. We are committed to expositing verse by verse, sometimes paragraph by paragraph, the Word of God. In 2010, our Session prepared a Vision Statement describing what the elders thought the church should be. The first article on that Vision Statement was about preaching. Preaching– Psalm 119:97 – Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Any vision for a church that wants to glorify and enjoy God must start with love for God and His Word. We envision a church that will methodically teach, pray, sing, obey, embody, and display in every area of life the truths of God's Word, that includes the written Word and preached Word, in private and in corporate gatherings, its doctrinal truths and applications. The Christ-centered preaching of God's Word must be the first item in our vision because everything else will flow from it. A. In an age of so many multi-media opportunities, why should we stick with such an old-fashioned concept? 1. Why not use videos with special effects and great imagery? 2. Why not drama or interpretative dance? 3. These things could hold people's attention in a way that a man standing in front them just speaking just can't. B. The answer really comes down to the Bible. 1. Throughout the Bible, the power of God is manifested primarily in the spoken word: in creation and in salvation. 2. When God wanted to get across the idea that he has the power on his own to bring people to life, the told his prophet to SPEAK his words to a valley of dry bones. a. God could have chosen any imagery to convey this idea, but he chose the imagery of proclaiming his words. b. It is important that there were other means to convey a message. 1) Drama and dancing were commonly used. 2) But God said, "Speak, declare, proclaim." 3. Jesus Christ's ministry was a ministry of proclamation. Lk. 4:16-21– So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: "TheSpirit of the Lordis upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospelto thepoor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who areoppressed; to proclaimthe acceptable year of the Lord." Then He closed the book, and gave itback to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." a. Someone might say, "Jesus was just using the resources he had at his time. Were he around today, he would have done things differently." b. There are things that are culturally related and we should take full advantage of technological advances. c. But Jesus came at the exact and best time for his coming, Gal. 4:4. 1) It was not an accident that he came when he did. 2) He could have postponed his coming till now, but he didn't. 3) And he did exactly what he wanted to do. 4. God chose to reveal Jesus as the WORD, not as the meme, video, song, image, thought, or podcast. 5. Jesus Christ is discipling the nations as his Church proclaims his Word. a. That is why our church is a word-centric church. b. Everything we do revolves around the proclamation of the Word. C. Why preaching, particularly preaching that goes verse by verse, paragraph by paragraph through the Word of God? Because is biblical and necessary. II. Why Preaching the Bible? A. The three main reasons in this passage: Because the Bible is the very words spoken by God, it is useful, and God commands us to do so. B. We preach the Bible because it is the very words spoken by God and we want to hear from him, 3:16a. 1. "Given by inspiration" is a theological interpretation of the actual word used by and if taken literally means the exact opposite of what Paul said. a. The word used is actually God-breathed. b. God spoke through the writers of the Scriptures, their breath was his breath, to the point that when we read Paul's words to Timothy, we are reading the very words of God. 2. I used to be of the opinion that "all Scripture" referred to the OT only, but I have changed my mind. a. It certainly includes the OT, after all it is ALL Scripture. b. When Paul says "all Scripture," he has in mind all of the apostolic teaching and the OT. c. In other words, he has in mind both what we call the Old and New Testaments. d. Two reasons for this conclusion: 1) There seems to be a contrast between "Holy Scripture" in v. 15 (the way the OT was referred to) and "all Scripture" in v. 16; 2) Paul refers directly to at least Luke's writings as Scripture and indirectly to his own writings as being the Word of God (Peter refers to Paul's writings as Scripture in 2 Pt. 3:15-16). 1 Tim. 5:18– For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,"and, "The laborerisworthy of his wages." 1 Thess. 2:13– For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed itnot asthe word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. 2 Pt. 3:15-16– and consider thatthe longsuffering of our Lord issalvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable peopletwist to their own destruction, as they doalso the rest of the Scriptures. 3. So, from Gen. 1 to Rev. 22 and everything in between is the very Word of God and as such it should be proclaimed to God's people and cherished by God's people. Acts 20:25-27– And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. Therefore I testify to you this day that I aminnocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. C. We preach the Bible because it is useful, 3:16b – the Bible is useful precisely because it is inspired. "Only its divine origin secures and explains its human profit." John Stott 1. Notice that five characteristics of the Scriptures in this passage: a. All Scripture is breathed out by God. b. All Scripture is profitable for doctrine. c. All Scripture is profitable for reproof. d. All Scripture is profitable for correction. e. All Scripture is profitable for instruction in righteousness. 2. When Paul says that the Scriptures are profitable for doctrine, he means that they are useful for teaching. a. Biblically speaking, that is all that the word doctrine means: teaching! b. The Scriptures impart knowledge concerning God's revelation in Christ. c. They are useful for getting to know God. 1) Our theological standards say that the main thing the Bible teaches is what we are to believe concerning God and what God requires of us. "This is ever the basic to everything else." William Hendriksen 2) Though we can learn something about God by contemplating creation, we only get to know God as the Redeemer intimately and deeply through the Scriptures. "Nearly all wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves." John Calvin d. There is no better book if we want to learn who God is and who we are. e. There is no more complete book either! 3. The Bible is useful for reproof. a. Reproof is warning based on the Scriptures. b. That may not sound like something we want, but that is something we desperately need. 1) It is part of the process of change. 2) It is that insight that we need to know what we are changing from. 3) It is the evidence that we need to change – used this way in Heb. 11:1 where it says that "faith… is the evidenceof things not seen. "Dangers must be pointed out. False teachers must be exposed." William Hendriksen 4. The Bible is good for correction. a. The word means to "stand up straight again." b. It implies that what was there before was broken and needed to be straighten and could not do it on his own. "If the Bible convicts you of sin (knocks you flat on your face) It also picks you up, dusts you off, gets you out of the trouble you brought on yourself and heads you in the right direction for the future." Jay Adams 5. The Bible is good for instruction in righteousness. a. This is disciplined training. b. This is what Paul describes in Titus. Titus 2:11-14– For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself Hisown special people, zealous for good works. c. This refers to the put off/put on pattern of Ephesians 4. 1) Put away lying and speak the truth. 2) Don't steal, work and give. 3) No corrupt words, only what is good come out of your mouths. 4) Put away bitterness, be kind. 6. These four things listed in 3:16 are the four steps in the process of change, which only happens through the Word. D.We preach the Bible because God told us to, 4:2a. 1. Preach the Word – proclaim, declare, herald, teach. 2. This is so important that Paul puts Timothy under oath, 4:1. 3. This proclamation is more than the reading of the Word. 4. It is the structured explanation and application of the Word. a. This word is associated with the king's herald. b. It means to "make known officially and publicly a matter of great significance." Hendriksen c. It CANNOT be done without words. "According to Scripture, then, 'heralding' or 'preaching' is generally the divinely authorized proclamation of the message of God to men. It is the exercise of ambassadorship." William Hendriksen d. Preaching described the entire ministry of Paul – whatever else he did, Paul preached! 1 Cor. 1:23-24– … but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God…. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. "[The preacher] is to lift up his voice without fear or favour, and boldly to make it known." John Stott 1. We preach the Bible because it makes us complete for everything that God calls us to do, 3:17. a. This verse actually starts with the words "in order that." b. The Scriptures are all these things described in v. 16 in order that the man of God may be qualified (proficient), thoroughly (not kind of or even mostly) equipped for every work of obedience. 1) The man of God is primarily a reference to the pastor, but it also refers to all godly people. a) We preach the Word because it is the Word that equips the godly person to obey God. b) Nothing else does that. c) This tells us that a pastor who is deeply committed to the Word of God and studies it in depth is fully equipped to minister to his congregation. 2) The preached Word equips. a) Related to the word in Eph. 4:12, which leads us to conclude that the shepherd-teacher equips the saints by using Scripture, all Scripture. b) This is even more likely when we consider that Timothy was pastoring the Ephesian church when he received this letter. c) So the full measure of Christ in Eph. 4:12-13 is achieved so the preaching of the Word of 2 Tim. 4:2. Eph. 4:12-13– … for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…. 2. We preach the Bible because Jesus is coming back, 4:1. a. The preacher is ultimately accountable to Jesus. b. When he comes back, he will judge both the preacher and the audience. c. This is an incredibly important thing for preachers to keep in mind because the fear of man is a powerful temptation. 1) Preachers want to be liked. 2) They want to be praised. 3) They want the accolades. 4) They want to be thought well of by the people in the church. 5) It is difficult to stay faithful to the Scripture when approval comes form not being faithful. 6) But Jesus is coming and he will take care of that. 3. We preach the Bible because a time is coming when it will be very difficult to do so, 4:3-4. a. Perhaps because of the reference to the second coming of Jesus, this time is associated with a period connected with his coming. 1) Whether the specific time Paul is referring to is still future to us, throughout history there have been times when there is a greater disregard for the Word of God and for preaching. 2) Every generation of Christians have believed that that was the case in their time, even in times of revival. 3) And we do live in a difficult time for the Christian faith. b. Whenever the time is, the major characteristic of it is that people (presumably in the church) will not want to hear biblically healthy (that's what sound means) teaching. 1) They will have itching ears – they will be much more interested in something sensational than in the sober truth. 2) Fascinating stories and philosophical speculations are desired instead of the milk and meat of the Word of God. c. This desire for something other than sober truth will result in a hardening of the heart to the very Word of God and a turning away from the truth in favor of myths, 4. III. How Should We Preach the Bible? 4:2b, 5 A. The preacher must not only be ready, but also be urgent in his preaching. 1. Included in the word be ready. 2. Calvin suggests that this is an encouragement for the preacher not to be lazy in his preaching. B. Notice all these actions words that describe preaching: convince, rebuke, exhort, teach, 2b. C. Notice also the manner in which the Bible is to be preached – with all patience. 1. This is a hard thing for the preacher. 2. They are humans and they want to see fruit from their preaching. 3. But they must be patient since it is God who does the work, not him. D.Though these are directions for how the Bible should be preached, they also inform how we should listen to sermons. 1. The listener should use these exhortations to calibrate what they are looking for in preaching. 2. Am I looking for the meat of the very Word of God? Or, are my ears itching? E. The Word must be preached clearly even when the people in the church don't want it to be preached. 1. Paul encourages Timothy to preach the Word when people want him to (in season) and when people don't want him to (out of season). a. Paul implies here that people don't generally mind preaching. b. It is the preaching of the Word of God that they have a problem with, 4:3-4. 2. Despite how his preaching is received Timothy and every preacher is to press on preaching, 5. a. Don't buy into the idea that you should tickle their ears. b. Don't let those who refuse to listen to the Word of God set your agenda. c. Rather. Do the work of the ministry, which in this context includes proclaiming the Word of God, all of it, in its fullness. 3. Fulfilling the ministry is not based on acceptance, recognition, or positive acknowledgment. 4. It is based on faithfulness. 5. The more opposition to preaching, the more preaching needs to happen. "The harder the times and the deafer the people, the clearer and more persuasive our proclamation must be." John Stott
That is why we preach. That is why our church is a word-centric church. God speaks through his Word and his Word changes everything.
http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2018/10/expository-preaching-biblical-and.html
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