You Should Preach a Topical Sermon: On 'Topical Exposition'
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“So if I’m committed to expositional preaching, how do I address those important but occasional questions that arise? Are expository preachers allowed to preach topical sermons?” - TGC
As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“So if I’m committed to expositional preaching, how do I address those important but occasional questions that arise? Are expository preachers allowed to preach topical sermons?” - TGC
“The Psalms are unique, for while they are God’s Word to us, they also are man’s words to God. The mindset of the people who wrote them teaches us something about the reality of our world” - 9 Marks
“So what I would do with Matthew 11 is outline the various options, give a few reasons why each are plausible, and then make some application.” - C.Leaders
Pastors should be constantly learning. Thankfully, in this day and age, there are a number of ways to continue learning. From conferences held by larger organizations and seminaries to online tools provided to continue sharpening your abilities, pastors have a wealth of resources available to them.
“You could, hypothetically, have four different pastors preach the same text four Sundays in a row and have a variety of applications and illustrations while still remaining faithful to its original meaning.” - 9 Marks
I’ve been intentionally experimenting with my preaching over the past few years. I am grateful for the expository preaching model I was handed at seminary. It’s a good model. It’s the best model. But, there are different flavors within that broad framework. The past few Sundays, I’ve tried something radical for my sermon preparation. It is radical for me, but perhaps not for you. I shall share it, anon.
Abraham Kuruvilla’s A Vision for Preaching is a wonderful, refreshing book. The work is an exposition of one statement:1
“I have heard (and preached!) sermons that intend to be expositional, yet fall somewhat short. Below are a dozen pitfalls: five that don’t make the message of the passage the message of the sermon and thus abuse the text, five that fail to connect the text the congregation, and two that fail to recognise that preaching is ultimately God’s work.” - 9 Marks
“By inspiring some things hard to understand, God has unleashed in the world desperation which leads to supplication—the crying out to God for help.” - F&T
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