In the prior lecture Lloyd-Jones referenced three different types of message that a preacher needs to prepare. He now begins to tackle the question of how these three types are interrelated. At core the answer is that all preaching must be theological. This means that we should not consider evangelistic preaching to be non-theological. It’s all theological.
Furthermore when we preach the gospel we should actually preach the gospel and not merely about the gospel. Praising the gospel is not the same thing as presenting the gospel. And when we preach the gospel proclaim all of the gospel.
After making these introductory remarks Lloyd-Jones proceeds to move towards defining the nature of a sermon. But first he gives a few points as to what a sermon is NOT. A sermon, notes Lloyd-Jones, is not an essay and it is not a lecture. Essays and lectures tend to start with a topic and then proceed. A sermon does the opposite it starts with the Scripture and that passages doctrinal theme.
A sermon is also NOT a running commentary on a particular passage. That is not expository preaching. Expository preaching has a specific structure and this structure is determined by the structure of the passage. Whatever the text says should be what is the content of your sermon. As you proceed in preparing your sermon, “everything is to be arranged as to bring out the main thrust of this particular doctrine”.
We must work hard in this task but also be aware that a perfect sermon will not always end in a perfectly preached sermon.
Tweet Note for Chapter Four:
At the end of every chapter I like to put together what I call a Tweet Note. A simple 140 character or less summary of the chapter. Here is the Tweet Note for chapter three:
A sermon worthy of preaching is the exposition of a whole theological point which comes from the text.
Quotables:
- The Gospel is wonderful, the Gospel is to be praised, but that is not the preacher’s primary task. He is to ‘present’, to declare the Gospel.
- If there were no other argument for expository preaching this, to me, would be sufficient in and of itself; it will preserve and guarantee variety and variation in your preaching.
- The preparation of sermons involves sweat and labor.
- …though you go into the pulpit with what you regard as an almost perfect sermon, you never know what is going to happen to it when you start preaching, if it is preaching worthy of the name!
Discussion Questions:
- How would you define a sermon?
- What is the difference between preaching about the gospel and preaching the gospel? What are specific examples? And do you find yourself prone to making this error?
- What other benefits have you found to expository sermons? Is it possible to do an expository but topical sermon?
- Describe a time when you’ve went to the pulpit with a fantastic sermon but it didn’t preach well. What is the difference?
