Why I Preach and Teach Expositional Messages
When I make the comment that I believe Scripture is inspired, I do not mean in the same way that Willie Nelson was inspired to write Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain or that James Taylor was inspired to write Fire And Rain. This "inspiration" can be attributed to hard work, talent, focus, and moments of clear thinking (well, maybe not with Willie). This is not the definition I think of when I picture Moses or Matthew or John setting down with parchment and ink before them.
When I say that the biblical authors were inspired, I mean that the Spirit of God came on them in such a way as to change their very will. That is, what they would have never written before or could have ever written before they now did. The Holy Spirit grasping their personality, their vocabulary, their intellect, and forcing His will through them. So that the very words that fell on the paper were the words of God and not the words of man. The language that the writers would have used is theirs, still reflecting their personalities, and even their education. But the message was composed in such a way that the flow of thought, the clarity of truth, and the structure of the letter as a whole could never have been accomplished by the will of man.
The words we have in Scripture are there by the will of the Spirit, not man. Therefore, the message we have on the paper (in our Bibles today) is the message of God and not the message of man. It is perfect, without error, authoritative, and has a specific message that the Spirit of God desires to be communicated.
This message is communicated by individual words. These words connect to other words to form phrases and phrases string together to complete thoughts and ultimately the message as a whole. It is only by working through a passage word by word, and phrase by phrase that this message can be discovered. This is why I teach verse by verse, passage by passage, book by book.
The outcome is mind boggling. If a preacher or teacher labors to discover what the intent of the passage truly is (and it is a labor!), then the teacher will discover what the Spirit of God was intending to teach in that passage. So that when the teacher teaches and the preacher preaches, it is no longer the words of man, but the very words of God. The Spirit being pleased that what He has designed and intended is now being proclaimed!! In this moment the Spirit of God comes forth with power to let His message have it’s effect on the hearers of the message.
This is why I teach the way I do. I put no faith in adding psychology, or antidotal stories, or statistics to the message of God. It weakens the message, quenches the Spirit, and leaves a congregation thirsty, their faith now being starved and dying. It is not always the most popular or the most entertaining, but it is a conviction to put forth the message of God, for His glory, and for the edification of His people.
But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:20-21)
When I make the comment that I believe Scripture is inspired, I do not mean in the same way that Willie Nelson was inspired to write Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain or that James Taylor was inspired to write Fire And Rain. This "inspiration" can be attributed to hard work, talent, focus, and moments of clear thinking (well, maybe not with Willie). This is not the definition I think of when I picture Moses or Matthew or John setting down with parchment and ink before them.
When I say that the biblical authors were inspired, I mean that the Spirit of God came on them in such a way as to change their very will. That is, what they would have never written before or could have ever written before they now did. The Holy Spirit grasping their personality, their vocabulary, their intellect, and forcing His will through them. So that the very words that fell on the paper were the words of God and not the words of man. The language that the writers would have used is theirs, still reflecting their personalities, and even their education. But the message was composed in such a way that the flow of thought, the clarity of truth, and the structure of the letter as a whole could never have been accomplished by the will of man.
The words we have in Scripture are there by the will of the Spirit, not man. Therefore, the message we have on the paper (in our Bibles today) is the message of God and not the message of man. It is perfect, without error, authoritative, and has a specific message that the Spirit of God desires to be communicated.
This message is communicated by individual words. These words connect to other words to form phrases and phrases string together to complete thoughts and ultimately the message as a whole. It is only by working through a passage word by word, and phrase by phrase that this message can be discovered. This is why I teach verse by verse, passage by passage, book by book.
The outcome is mind boggling. If a preacher or teacher labors to discover what the intent of the passage truly is (and it is a labor!), then the teacher will discover what the Spirit of God was intending to teach in that passage. So that when the teacher teaches and the preacher preaches, it is no longer the words of man, but the very words of God. The Spirit being pleased that what He has designed and intended is now being proclaimed!! In this moment the Spirit of God comes forth with power to let His message have it’s effect on the hearers of the message.
This is why I teach the way I do. I put no faith in adding psychology, or antidotal stories, or statistics to the message of God. It weakens the message, quenches the Spirit, and leaves a congregation thirsty, their faith now being starved and dying. It is not always the most popular or the most entertaining, but it is a conviction to put forth the message of God, for His glory, and for the edification of His people.
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