10 Practical Tips for Preparing an Expository Message
This article was first published in French at TPSG.
I recently had the privilege of leading a training for women in Bible exposition through SOLA: Femmes Scriptura. During one of our sessions, we discussed the following tips for preparing an expository message.
1. PrayPrayer should be our tool at every step of the process. We submit to God's Word in prayer and do everything we do in complete dependence on Him. We cannot adequately explain the mysteries of God on our own. We must do it in dependence on him. First, we want to pray for God's Spirit to do a transforming work in our own hearts, even as we seek to be instruments in his hands for the transformation of our hearers.
At the same time, we need the Spirit to enlighten us as we open the Bible in preparation; we need him to give us wisdom as we turn study notes into a simple and powerful message; we need him to keep us humble and dependent in the moments before we speak to teach; and we need him to work in the hearts of our hearers, so that his power will accomplish his purposes for them.
2. Choose Your Passage
For those who aspire to teach the Word of God, opportunities to give a devotion or a short message may come on an ad hoc basis at first. This selection process is important and should not be done lightly. If your church usually chooses the epistles, why not offer a teaching from a Gospel, or a historical book from the Old Testament? The key is to place it in the context of the book as a whole, and let the message of the passage stand out, rather than choosing a text from a lesson you want to teach. In the latter case, we risk imposing our interpretation on the text, instead of letting it teach us.
3. You Don't Need to Teach Verse by Verse
If this sounds unthinkable, it's true. Mark Dever, founder of 9Marks, taught the entire book of Isaiah in one sermon. He has also taught overviews of long books of the Bible in a few messages. Sometimes we need to dig deep into every word of a short passage, but other times we need to give an overview of a book by flying 30,000 feet above and taking some panoramic shots.
4. Proclaim Christ!
If you know my writing, you know that I often come back to the importance of making sure that Christ is at the center of our message. The most fundamental passage for this conviction is found in Luke 24:26-37, 44-47. But there are a myriad of passages that support this conviction:
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.(Co 1.28).
But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:23).
For I determined to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Cor. 2:2)
Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel (1 Cor. 9:16b)
The men in our churches don't just need advice on how to be better employees, husbands and fathers. The women in our churches don't just need guidance to be better employees, wives and mothers. They need the gospel that will transform not only their marriages and parenting, but their entire lives. Let our teaching be known as being saturated with the Good News of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! For it is this good news that will produce the lasting fruit of the Spirit in us and in our hearers.
5. Don't Get Lost in the Details
Some teachers like to spend the first 15 minutes of their message explaining the context. But while this may impress our listeners with the amount of biblical information we know, it won't necessarily help them better understand the main message of the passage. I have heard it said that the main idea of our text is like a precious diamond. And the context is like the setting that holds that diamond in place. When we admire a friend's engagement ring, we don't marvel at the metal prongs that hold the stone in place. We admire the diamond! Likewise, when we teach a passage, let's spend a minute or two at the beginning explaining the context, and come back when necessary in the body of the message, but most importantly, let's shine the light on the beautiful diamond that is the Christ-centered message of our text!
5. Don't Get Lost in the Details
Some teachers like to spend the first 15 minutes of their message explaining the context. But while this may impress our listeners with the amount of biblical information we know, it won't necessarily help them better understand the main message of the passage. I have heard it said that the main idea of our text is like a precious diamond. And the context is like the setting that holds that diamond in place. When we admire a friend's engagement ring, we don't marvel at the metal prongs that hold the stone in place. We admire the diamond! Likewise, when we teach a passage, let's spend a minute or two at the beginning explaining the context, and come back when necessary in the body of the message, but most importantly, let's shine the light on the beautiful diamond that is the Christ-centered message of our text!
6. Stick to Your Passage
In my first preaching class in seminary, my professor Dr. Dan Green warned us not to use cross-references. He insisted that we dig deep into our own text and not spread ourselves thin. This was a challenge, but I am indebted to him because Dr. Green taught me to work thoroughly on one text. He helped me understand that when I teach, every minute I spend in cross-referencing is one less minute I can spend exploring the depths of my own text. Since then, I have allowed myself to include cross-references in my teaching, but I do so judiciously. In this regard, Daniel Thornton offers an approach that is more like a microscope than a kaleidoscope.
7. You Don't Have to Hide Behind the Text
The authors of Scripture did not hide behind the text. Paul had his own style distinct from Luke, John, etc. We see this best in the synoptic gospels, where each author emphasizes different themes. Luke, for example, had a particular emphasis on women, Gentiles, and the poor. You don't have to make the message about you, but you do have to be yourself. Don't be afraid to tell stories in which you failed and then learned the lessons to which you call your listeners.
8. Use Repetition.
If we want people to remember what we teach, we need to provide tools that will help them do so. One basic tool is repetition. It's very simple. At the beginning of your message, tell your listeners where you are going, such as your three main points. Teach those three main points. And in your conclusion, remind them of those points.
The same goes for the main point of your message. Try to crystallize it in as few words as possible. And state it clearly at the beginning of your message: "We will discover today that the message of this text is ......". Then repeat it throughout your message. Personally, I like these to be my last words after my closing illustration.
In my first preaching class in seminary, my professor Dr. Dan Green warned us not to use cross-references. He insisted that we dig deep into our own text and not spread ourselves thin. This was a challenge, but I am indebted to him because Dr. Green taught me to work thoroughly on one text. He helped me understand that when I teach, every minute I spend in cross-referencing is one less minute I can spend exploring the depths of my own text. Since then, I have allowed myself to include cross-references in my teaching, but I do so judiciously. In this regard, Daniel Thornton offers an approach that is more like a microscope than a kaleidoscope.
7. You Don't Have to Hide Behind the Text
The authors of Scripture did not hide behind the text. Paul had his own style distinct from Luke, John, etc. We see this best in the synoptic gospels, where each author emphasizes different themes. Luke, for example, had a particular emphasis on women, Gentiles, and the poor. You don't have to make the message about you, but you do have to be yourself. Don't be afraid to tell stories in which you failed and then learned the lessons to which you call your listeners.
8. Use Repetition.
If we want people to remember what we teach, we need to provide tools that will help them do so. One basic tool is repetition. It's very simple. At the beginning of your message, tell your listeners where you are going, such as your three main points. Teach those three main points. And in your conclusion, remind them of those points.
The same goes for the main point of your message. Try to crystallize it in as few words as possible. And state it clearly at the beginning of your message: "We will discover today that the message of this text is ......". Then repeat it throughout your message. Personally, I like these to be my last words after my closing illustration.
9. Think about Body Language and Tone.
Whether you're sitting on a couch in someone's living room or standing behind a music stand in one of your church's Sunday school classrooms, eye contact is essential for effective communication. Don't you appreciate it when people look you in the eye when they talk to you? The same will be true for our listeners.
Our bodies send messages that we don't even realize all the time. That's why trained professionals can tell when someone is lying, even if they think they are speaking convincingly. When we teach the Bible, our tone and attitude must match that of the text. It would not be appropriate to make jokes while teaching a psalm of lament. And it would be equally unthinkable to teach a psalm of praise with a flat affect, as if we were not the least bit convinced of the joy and wonder of knowing the Lord.
10. Don't be Boring.
Very often people think that the Bible is boring because the teachings they received from it were poor. But the Bible is fascinating! It is so full of intrigue, mystery, depth and drama! I love it! Jesus was never boring. His Word is not boring. We should never be boring.
Our speech should be simple, easy to understand, infused with sensory language and figures of speech. We should not just tell our audience that something is beautiful. Instead, we need to describe it in such a graphic way that in response they say, "How beautiful!"
Here's what Haddon Robinson, one of the godfathers of expository preaching, has to say about this:
Boredom is like anthrax. It can kill. More people have been bored out of the Christian faith than have been reasoned out of it. Dull, insipid sermons not only cause drooping eyes and nodding heads, they destroy life and hope. What greater damage can we do to people’s faith than to make them feel like God and Jesus Christ and the Bible are boring?
If we truly believe that the Bible is the voice of God inscripturated, then we will teach it with passion and conviction. After all, while nature whispers of the beauty and majesty of its Creator, the Scriptures shout his praises! And when we teach his Word, we extend an invitation like no other, an invitation to enter into a relationship with the Triune God. May the majesty and glory of God always capture our hearts and minds.
Whether you're sitting on a couch in someone's living room or standing behind a music stand in one of your church's Sunday school classrooms, eye contact is essential for effective communication. Don't you appreciate it when people look you in the eye when they talk to you? The same will be true for our listeners.
Our bodies send messages that we don't even realize all the time. That's why trained professionals can tell when someone is lying, even if they think they are speaking convincingly. When we teach the Bible, our tone and attitude must match that of the text. It would not be appropriate to make jokes while teaching a psalm of lament. And it would be equally unthinkable to teach a psalm of praise with a flat affect, as if we were not the least bit convinced of the joy and wonder of knowing the Lord.
10. Don't be Boring.
Very often people think that the Bible is boring because the teachings they received from it were poor. But the Bible is fascinating! It is so full of intrigue, mystery, depth and drama! I love it! Jesus was never boring. His Word is not boring. We should never be boring.
Our speech should be simple, easy to understand, infused with sensory language and figures of speech. We should not just tell our audience that something is beautiful. Instead, we need to describe it in such a graphic way that in response they say, "How beautiful!"
Here's what Haddon Robinson, one of the godfathers of expository preaching, has to say about this:
Boredom is like anthrax. It can kill. More people have been bored out of the Christian faith than have been reasoned out of it. Dull, insipid sermons not only cause drooping eyes and nodding heads, they destroy life and hope. What greater damage can we do to people’s faith than to make them feel like God and Jesus Christ and the Bible are boring?
If we truly believe that the Bible is the voice of God inscripturated, then we will teach it with passion and conviction. After all, while nature whispers of the beauty and majesty of its Creator, the Scriptures shout his praises! And when we teach his Word, we extend an invitation like no other, an invitation to enter into a relationship with the Triune God. May the majesty and glory of God always capture our hearts and minds.
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