Expository preaching is built upon the foundation of the inerrant and infallible Word of God: God has spoken to humanity in written form; we are commanded to preach His Word, and the effect of the preached Word is that God brings life to hearers who respond in faith.
In a recent interview with David Jackman, the former President of the Proclamation Trust and founder of the Cornhill Training Course, we talked about how our convictions about the Word of God can show themselves in preaching so that listeners know we take the Bible seriously.
Watch the clip below or the entire twenty-minute interview on expository preaching, gospel ministry, and Scripture’s authorial intent.
Transcript:
Todd Kelly of Leadership Resources: I’ve been in some churches where I can tell the Bible is taken very seriously as the preacher preaches the message. There have been other times, where sadly, it seems to be neglected. For you, what are some of the marks of a sermon that is taking the Bible seriously?
David Jackman: I think it says to the congregation, “We must put our noses into the text.” Whether they have the text open in a Bible form, whether it’s up on an overhead projector, whether it’s printed on a service sheet—the words need to be seen by the people, the Words of God. It’s not an intellectual exercise, but it is an exercise in God communicating His truth to us. The mind needs to be engaged—but also the heart and the will. I think good, biblical preaching will always seek to establish that the preacher isn’t in the front, but the Bible is.
Sometimes I use a visual illustration, I’ll hold a Bible in my hands like this (in front of myself) with one finger on the text. “This is my job to stand behind the Bible and under the Bible—that’s the authority—with my finger on the text saying to you, ‘This is what God is saying.'”
Then to contrast that, I sometimes pick up a Bible and put it behind my head and say, “A lot of preaching can be like this: Little bits of the Bible can appear occasionally, but actually, it’s more about the preacher than the Bible. That I think is dangerous because the word of the preacher will last for a few minutes (if he’s done a good job), but the Word of the Lord endures forever.
If you’re preaching and teaching the Word of God, you’re laying down eternal foundations. Which if the Bible is not in the driving seat, that doesn’t happen in the preaching, and the church is far weaker than it need be.
Related Links:
- 10 Reasons Why Preachers Might Not Preach Expository Sermons
- Preaching to the Soils: The Kinds of People to Consider for Sermon Application
- 5 Kinds of Expository Preaching (and Why Consecutive Exposition is the Best)
- Your Church Can Strengthen the Global Church for Biblical Ministry
The post Sermons that Take the Bible Seriously: David Jackman on True Biblical Preaching appeared first on Leadership Resources.
