John F. MacArthur - Preaching: How to Preach Biblically

PREACHING: HOW TO PREACH BIBLICALLY

Copyright 2005 by John MacArthur.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher, except for brief excerpts quoted in critical reviews.

All Scripture quotations in this book, except those noted otherwise, are from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1977 by the Lockman Foundation and used by permission. Those indicated NIV are from The Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973,1978,1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Those indicated Kjv are from the King James Version.

Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

MacArthur, John 1939
Preaching: how to preach biblically / Adapted from Rediscovering expository preaching / John MacArthur, general editor, and The Master's Seminary Faculty : Richard L. Mayhue, associate editor; Robert L. Thomas, associate editor.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-4185-0004-6
1. Preaching 2. BibleHomiletical use. I. Mayhue, Richard L., 1944- II. Thomas,
Robert L., 1928- III. Title.
BV4211.2.M16 1992
251--dc20

92-10804
CIP

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 11 10 09 08 07 06 05

Dedicated to
Expositors-in-Training
at
The Master's Seminary,
past, present, and future.

Contents

Richard L. Mayhue

John MacArthur

James F. Stitzinger

James E. Rosscup

John MacArthur

John MacArthur

James E. Rosscup

Robert L. Thomas

George J. Zemek

James F. Stitzinger

John MacArthur

Donald G. McDougall

Richard L. Mayhue

Irvin A. Busenitz

David C. Deuel

John MacArthur

Robert L. Thomas

John MacArthur

John MacArthur

In keeping with the purposes of The Master's Seminary, this volume aims to motivate and equip this and the next generation of Christian leaders in providing wholesome spiritual nourishment for God's people from His Word. These materials combine, in a highly condensed form, all aspects of The Master's Seminary program, which is designed to shape men of God to proclaim the Word of God effectively, so that nonbelievers can be evangelized and believers can be equipped to do the work of ministry.

The writers have targeted both the seasoned preacher and the student of preaching/teaching. It has also been written to help serious laymen in their ministry of the Word. We envision the book as a potential textbook in homiletics at the Bible college and seminary levels. Pastors without seminary training can profit from this volume too, as can veteran pastors who, like us, are continually seeking a higher level of expository excellence.

This is not intended as an unabridged treatment of biblical exposition. No single chapter exhausts its subject. Rather, the comprehensive scope of the work, dealing as it does with theological, exegetical, and homiletical aspects of preaching, is its intended strength. The flow of the book moves from biblical foundations for preaching through a detailed process of developing an exposition and then to the actual delivery of an expository message. The discussions build a bridge from the study disciplines a pastor learned in seminary to the sermon he preaches in a local church. This volume suggests how to progress purposefully from one phase to the next in readying oneself to minister to God's people.

More specifically, the fourfold aim is

1. To clarify the need for and meaning of expository preaching, that is, to answer the question, "What is expository preaching?"

2. To verify the theological and historical demand for expository preaching, that is, to answer the question, "Why insist on expository preaching?"

3. To specify the essential elements and steps involved in preparation for and participation in expository preaching, that is, to answer the question, "How does one go about expository preaching?"

4. To exemplify the reality of expository preaching, that is, to answer the question, "Who have been or who are promoters and practitioners of expository preaching?"

Our president, John MacArthur, known worldwide as a gifted expositor, has contributed a significant portion of this book. His colleagues on The Master's Seminary faculty, with an average of more than thirty years' experience in preaching and in the seminary training of preachers, also have contributed from the treasury of their areas of expertise. The reader will quickly appreciate their united affirmations on exposition that emerge amidst a variety of individual expressions and methodological preferences.

Their unanimity regarding Bible exposition centers in the priority of faithfully, accurately, and effectively imparting the content of the authoritative and inerrant biblical text. Yet the reader will see differences in their emphases on how this is done best. One prefers preaching without notes, while another advocates the use of notes or even a full manuscript. One sees the need for almost all sermon outlines to match the sequence of the text, with another allowing more flexibility for use of nonsequential outlines. One emphasizes the importance of presenting a solution to each difficult interpretive problem; another leans toward telling an audience frankly when sermon preparation has not yielded a conclusive answer. One stresses the importance of not neglecting the overriding message of Old Testament narrative sections, but another features the cautious use of Old Testament narrative characters as illustrations in sermonizing. These are samples of the methodological variety that the careful reader will detect. This volume does not insist on a single, mechanical approach to preaching but rather focuses attention on essential dynamic elements of Bible exposition for any age; in other words, primary concentration is on the Scriptures and the central place of Christ in declaring their meaning.

The reader will also note a diversity in the levels of treatment of the different topics. At one extreme are the chapters whose documentation is copious, and at the other are those in which documentation is minimal. This diversity is, to some extent, a consequence of the nature of the subject and, to a lesser degree, the choice of each contributor. Each has handled his phase of exposition in the manner he deemed wisest.

The book outlines four broad phases that follow the actual progression of the preaching experience. They include: (1) the godliness of the man who comes to study the Word of God, (2) the ability of the godly man in studying Scripture exegetically, (3) the skill of the godly man in merging all his study materials into a message form that is true to the text and relevantly applies Scripture to his own generation, and (4) the dynamics of the godly man in proclaiming his exposition in a spiritually convincing and compelling way.

An Appendix contains an example of John MacArthur's notes from his exegetical study and his subsequent preaching manuscript. To maximize the benefit of this unique feature, readers may write: Word of Grace Ministries, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412, or call 1-800-55-GRACE to order a CD of the message Dr. MacArthur delivered from these preaching notes. Then, in addition to comparing his exegetical notes with his preaching notes, readers can hear the way he actually preached the message. Ask for tape GC 54-47, The Man of God. In chapter 5, The Man of God and Expository Preaching, readers can also see how the same material has become a published essay. For further help, request the four-message album, 'Insight into a Pastor's Heart: Convictions and Observations about Preachers and Preaching, taken from chapel services at The Master's Seminary.