Expository Preaching PDF

INTRODUCTION  MOTIVATION, DEFINITION, AND OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS In a curio shop outside the Kwara Hotel in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, you would find Daniel's exquisite wooden sculptures. An excellent sculptor, he chooses the finest mahogany and t...

INTRODUCTION  MOTIVATION, DEFINITION, AND OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS In a curio shop outside the Kwara Hotel in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, you would find Daniel's exquisite wooden sculptures. An excellent sculptor, he chooses the finest mahogany and transforms it, as he says, into a "thing of beauty (and joy for some) forever." I had an opportunity to observe Daniel as he carved a piece of wood. In his hands the piece had promise. Wood sculpting is an art and a science. The scientific part of the sculpting technique is shared by all good sculptors. But the art part is needed to create a truly beautiful piece. Each of Daniel's sculptures was an excellent autograph of his artistic gifts, training, and commitment to work. We struck up a conversation. He described the process brilliantly: "The tree is what God made; the sculpture is what Daniel makes with what God has made." In that perceptive comment, I find so many parallels to preparing and delivering an expository sermon. The Bible is what God has made; sermons are what we make with what God has made. Many can duplicate the method. Good preachers share common features of study and delivery. As art, however, your sermon is peculiarly yours. A combination of gifts, training, and hard work will personalize your work. The Bible is what God has made. Sermons are what we make with what God has made. There is a difference, of course, between a wooden sculpture and your sermon-life itself! A living tree is transformed into an inert piece of beauty. Your sermon, under the supervision of the living God, transforms the living Word of God into a sermon that conveys, communicates, and creates life in your hearers. Your sermon is more than a thing of beauty and joy forever. It is a thing of life forever. The Need for Expository Preaching Unfortunately, some preachers do not believe that the Bible is what God has made. Unconverted preachers occupy pulpits all across our lands. They neither believe the Word of the Lord nor the Lord of the Word. I have constant correspondence with a certain bishop, a dear man of God who is surrounded by unconverted priests. They have threatened to get rid of him because of his evangelical stand. They do not believe the Bible is what God has made. Some other preachers believe that sermons may be made without the Bible. They pursue a contemporary parable or pulpit-worthy news event. Usually these sermons are found in erudite pulpits with illustrations drawn from sports, music, politics, and culture, but their biblical content is minimal. In a large Asian city, an astute layman lamented the absence of the Bible from his pastor's sermons. "My pastor does not believe the Bible is sophisticated enough for his audience," he said to me. "My pastor does not feed sheep. He addresses giraffes!" Still other preachers do not believe that preachers must prepare a sermon. They do not work hard toward the pulpit ministry. In an off-handed manner they typically expect to be divinely filled at the threshold of the sermonic moment. A pastor friend who held this philosophy of sermon preparation was in for a rude shock as he waited in the pulpit for a last-minute word from heaven. There was silence. He dialogued with God concerning the divine promise to fill his servants with divine messages. And there was silence. At last, in abject desperation he pleaded, "God, tell me something about this morning's message." And God told him, "Son, you didn't prepare!" Finally, some preachers have just let go of preaching as the central thrust of their ministry. They have dismissed preaching as a ministry priority and have elevated counseling ministries or organizational leadership or some other pressing agenda to top priority. Preaching the Bible has become secondary in the hierarchy of ministry tasks, and the urgent needs of society extract the primary energy of the preacher. One morning when a friend returned from attending church, I asked him what the preacher spoke about. He replied that the topic of the Sunday service was "Three Words Every Christian Must Use." "And what were these?" I queried. He answered, "Thank you, please, and I'm sorry." One does not have to go to church to learn the rules of social etiquette, though to learn them there is quite all right. What preacher has not desired that social courtesy rule at board meetings! If these are the main items on a regular Sunday menu, however, then the church, the pastor, and the congregation will be spiritually famished. This book is designed to help you overcome the pulpit deficiencies that have been listed above and to invite you to pursue expository preaching as a way of life and ministry. The Impact of Expository Preaching Expository preaching will impact your life. It can help you grow personally in knowledge and obedience by your disciplined exposure to God's Word conserve time and energy used in choosing a sermon for each week balance your area of "expertise" and preferred topics with the breadth of God's thoughts in the Bible Expository preaching will impact your congregation, because it helps you be faithful to the text and be relevant to your context in regular ministry implement a strategy for equipping and energizing your people for long-term faithfulness to God and the ministry overcome your tendency to target a sermon to a particular person or group and be protected from that charge avoid skipping over what does not suit your taste or temperament on any given day carry on a cohesive ministry in the middle of multiple dimensions and demands on you as a pastor enhance the dignity of the pastoral work since you stand under the authority of God's Word as you preach integrate the conversation of the church around the message of the  week communicate the intentions of God for your congregation as seen by its human leaders orient people around a common vision, thus helping you surface the voluntary labor force needed to achieve the vision motivate people to action in implementing the program of the church with God's sanction garner the credibility needed to lead the church to change model effective ministry to present and future teachers and preachers outline the agenda for corporate spirituality make your congregation biblically literate Basically, expository preaching helps the preacher promote God's agenda for his people. Preparing a sermon, then, is an art, a science, a discipline, and a relationship. An effective sermon is the child of the union of spiritual dynamics with studious mechanics. The dynamics of sermon preparation arise from the preacher's relationship to the Lord of the text. It is a serious exercise that must be bathed in prayer and enabled by the Holy Spirit from the preacher's very first exposure to a text (see appendix 1). The purpose of this book, however, is to deal with the mechanics of sermon preparation-the art and science of sculpting a sermon from Scripture. Definition Expository preaching is about the Bible and your people. There are many fine definitions of expository preaching. This is my working definition: Expository preaching is the contemporization of the central proposition of a biblical text that is derived from proper methods of interpretation and declared through effective means of communication to inform minds, instruct hearts, and influence behavior toward godliness. The components of the definition help us understand the expository task from many dimensions and at many levels.  The "What" of Expository Preaching The "what" of expository preaching relates to content. Let's go back to the definition to underline the primary content of textual exposition: Expository preaching is the contemporization of the central proposition of a biblical text that is derived from proper methods of interpretation and declared through effective means of communication to inform minds, instruct hearts, and influence behavior toward godliness. Contemporization Contemporization is the main task of the expository preacher. He takes what was written centuries ago and contemporizes it for present-day audiences. He does not upgrade Scripture. The Bible is already relevant to human issues. The preacher, however, makes God's claims meaningful to the local congregation. Expository preaching contemporizes God's expectations of the audience. The preacher faces two basic realities: the biblical text of the early century and his context of the present century. Some preachers emphasize the text but make it irrelevant to the modern context. Others emphasize the modern context and are unfaithful to the text. The exegete studies the meaning of the text of Scripture to find out what God said then. The biblical preacher conducts a creative dialogue and balances the demands of the text and the context to proclaim the significance of the Scripture to us now. He neither negates nor negotiates the realities of the ancient text or the modern context. The following is a diagram of the contemporization process. The Central Proposition of a Biblical Text Throughout the history of expository preaching (and communication theory), most homileticians have been convinced that a single proposition must permeate the entire sermon. Differences exist on where and how one will obtain this central proposition.  In expounding the Bible, there are two possible sources of the pervasive central theme. The preacher may supply it, or the biblical text may supply it. In topical exposition, the preacher chooses the theme. In textual exposition, the text provides the theme. The chart below shows the related features, advantages, and flaws of topical exposition and textual exposition. Kinds of Biblical Exposition Subjects Topical Exposition Textual Exposition Features The preacher The text provides the chooses the theme theme and governs the and governs the purpose, parameters, and development of the preparation of the sermon sermon Strengths Immediate Somewhat easier relevance to do Long-term Requires relevance discipline on the preacher's part Weaknesses The text is The preacher is at the at the mercy of mercy of the text the Requires preacher discipline on the Energy is preacher's part wasted on The preacher choosing may get stuck in the topic exegetical trivia of each sermon  Exposition is a multidimensional word arising from a Latin root, expositio (-onis), a setting forth. Biblical exposition expounds, expresses, and exposes the Bible to an audience and the audience to the Bible. Textual exposition expounds the meaning of a biblical text and its significance to the present context. It expresses a singular proposition that is woven into the sermon. It also exposes the contemporary audience to the truths and claims of God as found in a particular text. Three Questions to Ask about the Content of Textual Exposition Have I expounded what the text proposes? Have I expressed its central proposition in clear and contemporary terms? Have I exposed the audience to God's truth and claims for learning and obedience? The "How" of Expository Preaching The "how" of expository preaching relates to process. Let's look at the definition of expository preaching in terms of the process of our preparation and delivery of the central proposition of the text: Expository preaching is the contemporization of the central proposition of a biblical text that is derived from proper methods of interpretation and declared through effective means of communication to inform minds, instruct hearts, and influence behavior toward godliness. Interpretation The main criterion for a proper method of interpretation is that there be a demonstrable and reliable connection between the author's and the original audience's understanding of a given text and our interpretation. Step 1 of the Scripture Sculpture process will delineate this process in more detail. Really, the Bible can be made to say almost anything you may want it to say. The critical question is this: Are you saying what the Bible wanted to say? For example, I heard a fine message on Luke 19:29-40 offer the following truths: Jesus and the Donkey 1. You are like the donkey (vv. 29-30)  1. You are tied to someone other than the owner to whom you really belong (v. 30a) 2. You are still young-no one has sat on you (v. 30b) 2. Jesus commands you to be set free (v. 30c) 1. He sets you free through his disciples (vv. 31-32) 2. There will be objections when you are being freed to serve Christ (v. 33) 3. But he has need of you (v. 34) 3. Are you Christ's donkey? (vv. 35-40) 1. Is he riding on you? 2. Are you bringing praise to him? Can this sermon be preached? It already has been! Is it textually faithful? No! Why? Ask this critical question: Are these points what the author intended to convey and what the original audience understood through this narrative? This kind of preaching is really "moralistic" preaching. Here are some problems with moralistic preaching: You do not really need Scripture to come up with such instruction. Any human-interest story will possess moral values. Every culture has parables and accumulated folklore to guide conduct and behavior. What distinguishes scriptural narrative from cultural narrative is the intent of the Holy Spirit as communicated by the human author in a text and as understood by the original audience. Moralism reduces Scripture to good stories alone. Every text becomes an illustration of a higher moral principle. The text is used as an illustration and not as the source of the point being made. In the "donkey" story, the preacher has decided that the donkey is an illustration of human beings. Your preaching lacks textual authority. In the donkey story, from where in the text did the preacher get the authority to equate donkeys with human beings? Or suppose when using the text on David and Goliath, the preacher decides that believers will and must face giant-size problems. The illustrative method breaks down since Goliath does not rise again. In reality, giant-size problems have perpetual resurrection power! Thus the illustration lacks textual authority. Unless the sermon demonstrates that the biblical author intended the text to be used in this way, there will be no authority for it. Such interpretation lacks objective controls. Any preacher can draw any number of illustrations from a given text. There is nothing to control the conclusions he draws. Why five rather than three points or two rather than seven points? The central proposition of your sermon is not discernibly related to or derived from the central proposition of the text. The interpretation of the preacher (and therefore the force of the sermon) becomes arbitrary. The people will begin to see sermons as the preacher's whimsical use of a given text. Proper methods of interpretation must form the backbone of the sermon. The preacher is first an exegete of Scripture before he is an expositor of Scripture. Communication If proper methods of interpretation relate to the author's and the original audience's understanding of the text, then effective communication relates to the connection between the preacher's and present audience's understanding of a text. For instance, a friend and I did a seminar on planning for local church leaders in the Far East. My friend taught the first session on why we should plan. His first major point: We should plan because God plans. God planned creation, redemption, and the kingdom. Therefore, we must plan as well. The problem with that presentation was that it did not take into account the audience's understanding of the truth. Their worldview, premises, values, and beliefs all interfered with their understanding of my friend's point. Unfortunately, the conclusion they drew after considering divine planning was the opposite of my friend's point. They had concluded: If God plans, we don't have to plan! For our communication to be effective, we must understand the worldview, reasoning process, and culture of the audience. And then, using analogies and illustrations, appropriate style and delivery, and relevant application we will claim their obedience. We will consider some of these aspects in step 6 of the Scripture Sculpture process. The "Why" of Expository Preaching  The "why" of expository preaching relates to purpose. What is the purpose of our preparation and delivery of an expository sermon? Let's go back to our working definition: Expository preaching is the contemporization of the central proposition of a biblical text that is derived from proper methods of interpretation and declared through effective means of communication to inform minds, instruct hearts, and influence behavior toward godliness. The why of expository preaching primarily deals with intellectual, affective, and volitional components of Christian experience. Inform the Mind As a result of their exposure to the sermon, our hearers must know and understand something-God's truth. Normally, this knowledge relates to the central proposition of the sermon. If they do not know more of what God says and expects of them as a result of our preaching, we are not necessary. The Lord Jesus added loving God with our minds to his version of the greatest commandment (see Matt. 22:36-37). Instruct the Heart Not all human decisions are made rationally. Emotional factors play a big part in serious decisions. We must appeal not only to the emotions, however. The heart must be instructed while the mind is being informed. It is possible and necessary to address the seat of all emotions-the heart-through expository preaching. The preacher must leave his audience enthusiastic about obeying God. If the Word has instructed the hearts of our audience, we can be confident that these feelings are neither superficial nor artificial. As a result of our preaching, our audience must both feel and will something-the necessity of personal obedience to God's truth. Influence Behavior The practical test of good preaching is the fruit that it bears in life. The Bible was given for behavioral change (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Works must follow faith (cf. the Book of James). As a result of our preaching, our audience will do something. They will obey. Godliness must result in their lives. That is, the pulpit is not just for disseminating more information, it is the platform from which our hearers are motivated to godliness by example and exposition. They must know what God expects and how they may obey God's mandates from any text of Scripture. Preaching must result in godliness. I made a commitment to my people in New Delhi. I said to them, "When I stop giving you something more to know, something more to feel, and something more to do as a result of our time together around God's Word, it will be time to turn off the lights at the church." From Text to Sermon Here are the seven steps from text to sermon in the process of sculpting Scripture. You should memorize these steps. The Seven-Step Scripture Sculpture Process On the right side of the chart, I have listed the parts of a living sculpture that we attempt to create with each sermon. 1. Study the text. By studying the details of a text, we acquire the "flesh" of the text. 2. Structure the text. In structuring the text, we have the skeletal makeup of this text. The flesh and the skeleton form the textual raw materials for the sculpting process. 3. The central proposition of the text. From the skeleton, we discern the central proposition of the text, the "heart" of its meaning. 4. The purpose bridge. From the heart of the text we develop a purpose for our audience. This sermonic purpose is the "brain" by which the sermon is finally designed and preached. 5. The central proposition of the sermon. The brain will yield the direction and the form of the heart of the sermon. 6. Structure the sermon. The sermon will now form its own image and  outline. The skeleton of the message will be evident. 7. Preach the sermon. Finally, we will fill in the details for the flesh as we finish sculpting a specialized, tailor-made sermon for our particular audience. Another way of diagramming the seven steps: From Text to Sermon After coming up with this sermon preparation system, I saw an easy way to remember the seven steps. Below are some tips to help you remember this sequence. Step 3 (text side) and step 5 (sermon side) are parallel, dealing with the heart or central proposition. Step 2 (text side) and step 6 (sermon side) both deal with skeleton or structure. Step 1 (text side) and step 7 (sermon side) deal with the flesh or basic blocks. Step 4 is the bridge or brain that helps us make a transition from the text to the sermon. Numbering or lettering the steps gives us an easy pattern to remember: 1 2 3 4 3 2 1 or A B C D C B A. By the way, this kind of parallelism is also found in the Hebrew Bible and is known as a chiastic construction. The external similarity with the Bible does not make this sermon preparation system inspired and inerrant. This system will, however, enable you, an errant human being, to compose an inspiring sermon. Below is a summary description of each step of sculpting a sermon. These steps serve as an overview of the rest of the manual. Step 1: Studying the Text-The Flesh of the Text  Step 1 introduces the student to the fundamental process of studying a text. It provides several keys to finding the meaning of the text. It lays down the groundwork for serious study in accurately "seeing" and "seeking" what the Bible desires to communicate to all people. Step 2: Structuring the Text-The Skeleton of the Text An essential step in the sculpturing process is understanding how the biblical author put the text together. In this way, we are able not only to preach what the author said but even emphasize how he said it. Step 2 gives clues on how to find the structure of a text so that you can summarize the teaching of each section of the text. Step 3: The Central Proposition of the Text-The Heart of the Text As the heart is to the human, so the central proposition is to the text (and later to the sermon). Step 3 will help you discover the dominant teaching of the text, what the text proposes, under two headings: The Theme: What is the author talking about? The Thrust: What is the author saying about what he is talking about? Everything in the text is woven around the single major theme. When the theme/thrust is found, one can confidently expound the text under the authority of God. Step 4: The Purpose of the Sermon-The Brain of the Sermon Step 4 is critical to making expository preaching relevant to the audience. The purpose is the brain of the sermon, the key link from text to sermon. You will learn to clearly articulate the purpose of the sermon in relation to your audience. Step 5: The Central Proposition of the Sermon-The Heart of the Sermon  Just as the text has a singular theme/thrust, your sermon must have a singular theme/thrust. The central proposition of your sermon will contain the twin "theme and thrust" emphasis. Here the biblical proposition (step 3) is channeled through the purpose (step 4) and contemporized to be understood and obeyed by the audience. Step 6: Structuring the Sermon-The Skeleton of the Sermon In this step you will consider the basic ways of developing a sermon with unity, order, and progress. Sample forms of development that effect comprehension and elicit obedience will be proposed. Step 7: Preaching the Sermon-The Flesh of the Sermon You can increase the impact of your sermon through illustrations, proper word usage, and your physical delivery. A comprehensive questionnaire to evaluate your messages and those of others is included in appendix 12. You will also be advised to write out the sermon as best and as much as you can before preaching it. You are in the right place in this manual if: you are just about to get into expository preaching you want to be clear about how to draw material from a text for your sermons  THE SCRIPTURE SCULPTURE PROCESS  1 STUDY THE TEXT The "Flesh" of the Text Studying the biblical text is step 1 of the sermon-preparation process.* Normally in a pulpit ministry that pursues expository preaching, no energy or time is wasted on choosing a passage to preach. You simply preach the next segment of the biblical portion that you are presently preaching. (Some considerations for choosing relevant texts are found in appendix 3.) * If you are familiar with systematic and methodical study of a biblical text, you may proceed to step 2. I recommend, however, that you review step 1 as a refresher course in basic Bible study methods. The expository preaching of a text assumes that you will study a passage intelligently, intentionally, and interactively. You study a text intelligently because you love God with your whole being, which includes your mind. You study a text intentionally since you want to recover the express purpose that God has for you and your people in that text. And you will find God calling for your own submission and change as you interact with the text. There are two facets of such study.  Step 1 Seeing: Your study of the text will deal with all the details you can "see" in the text. Seeking: Your conclusions from the study of the text will result from the questions you ask of the details of a given passage and your answers to those questions. Seeing the Details of a Text To see the text is to observe what information God has put in a biblical passage. All the details of a text are important, because we believe in the full inspiration of Scripture. Make all possible observations from a text. You can and will throw out inappropriate observations later. What should you observe? You should observe the words and the relationships between the words. Observe Words Take note of key words in the text. Words determine the content of your text and influence your construction of its meaning. I find it helpful to deal with one verse on one sheet of paper. Write the whole verse at the top of the page and underline the key words. Key words that you should study are long words, unusual words, repeated words. Words to Observe  Action Step Open your Bible to Psalm 117. Write out verse 1 at the top of one sheet of paper and underline its key words. Do the same with verse 2 on a second page. You will study words such as praise, nations, lovingkindness, truth, everlasting. Observe Relationships Some kinds of relationships you will observe are: Grammatical relationships: How are words put together in the text? Basic observations would include relationships between tenses (past, present, future), number (singular, plural), and gender (masculine, feminine, neuter). Logical relationships: How are thoughts put together in the text? How does the author build a case or argument for his point? Chronological and/or geographical relationships: What are the times and places that are involved in the text? Psychological relationships: Are there any psychological aspects to this text that are stated or implied in the words? Contextual relationships: In what context does this text occur? You will need to take immediate and wider contexts into account: -The context of the Bible -The context of the book -The context of the text Relationships in genre: Relationships in genre have to do with the kind of biblical literature in which a passage is found. Here are some kinds of literature that are found in the Bible. -Teaching: didactic or discourse material like Jesus' sermons or the Epistles -Narratives: narration of historical events -Poetry: Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and others -Parables: primarily in the parables of Christ -Miracles: primarily found in three periods of biblical history- Moses and Aaron, Elijah and Elisha, the Lord and the apostles -Prophetic: futuristic books like sections of Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation, and also the major and minor prophets of the Old  Testament Seeking Meaning from the Details of a Passage While seeing has to do with the details of a passage, seeking has to do with the meaning of those details. There is no point in seeing parts and not seeking the whole. Seeking meaning deals with interpreting the observations, and seeing and seeking are most often and best done simultaneously. Interpretation is basically asking questions of your observations and answering them. Asking Questions You must ask questions. In asking questions lies the art of discovery in any discipline. A simple difference between advanced and beginning students is the ability to ask many good questions. Ask questions of the words. Ask questions of the relationships between the words you have marked as important in understanding a text. Questions for Words Ask what the words mean today. Look them up in an English or vernacular dictionary. A good dictionary will not only tell you what a word means now but also what it meant at the time of your translation (e.g., 1611, King James Version). The meaning of many words has changed over the years. For example, in the new English versions of the Bible, the Third Person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit (Gk. pneuma, Matt. 28:19), and the disciples are afraid of a ghost (Gk. phantasma, Matt. 14:26). In the older versions, the Third Person of the Trinity is consistently referred to as the Holy Ghost while the disciples are afraid of a spirit! Ask what the words meant at the time they were written. Look up the words in a Bible dictionary or Bible encyclopedia. Ask how the Bible or the author used these words elsewhere and how other biblical authors used them. There are several ways to find these answers. The marginal references in your Bible will guide you to key usages of the word elsewhere. Also, a concordance will help immensely. You should ask these same questions of key phrases and repeated statements in your text. Questions for Relationships The English language is often peculiar. For example, vegetarians eat vegetables, but humanitarians do not eat humans! If you are able to handle the vocabulary and inconsistencies of English, no language will be a challenge for you. Relationships between words, for the most part, have to do with grammar. Grammar helps us discern the point of a sentence and eventually groups of related sentences. During my childhood, I learned how to use grammar without knowing how it "works." I have found that grammar is like automobile mechanics. I drive a car without knowing how it works. And I get stuck when the car breaks down! It used to be that when my English broke down I did not know how to fix it, either. Eventually, English grammar became clearer to me. For those like me, I have included an introduction to English grammar in appendix 4 of this manual. Understanding English grammar will also help you analyze a biblical text in other languages- especially if you are learning other languages through English. We ask questions of the same relationships that we observed under seeing the details of a text: grammatical, logical, chronological, and other relationships. Grammatical Relationships If you observe the details of Matthew 16:18, you will see that the Lord Jesus uses the future tense: "I will build My church" (emphasis mine). In Matthew 28:19 he uses the word name in the singular when referring to the three persons of the Trinity. Note the use of the definite article in Ephesians 4:13: "unity of the faith" (emphasis mine). If you use Greek in your study, you will notice the neuter gender, as in John 10:30: "I and the Father are one" (emphasis mine). Turn to appendix 2 for the answer to an important question I am asked at seminars on preaching: "Is it possible to preach and preach effectively without knowing the original languages of the Bible?" Logical Relationships Logical relationships help us understand the case, the point, or the argument the author is making. In the following list of illustrations from Scripture, note the words I have put in italics. Words like these help us determine the relationship between sets of words. You would not have studied these as key words. These are usually short words that significantly influence the meaning of the details. Cause and effect: "We love, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Reason: "If then [meaning "since"] you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above" (Col. 3:1). Result: Speaking about elders who faithfully shepherd the flock of God, Peter writes: "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory" (1 Peter 5:4). The result of faithful shepherding is the reward the Chief Shepherd brings. Or, the practical importance of the doctrine of the rapture for present comfort is built on the reason or result word therefore in 1 Thessalonians 4:18 (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13-18). Contrast: Ephesians 2 speaks of our former spiritual existence (vv. 1-3); "But God..." (v. 4) contrasts our present spiritual existence with our former one, hinging on the word but. Comparisons: "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). The two who vie for human allegiance are compared. Condition: 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people... then..." The condition for God's response is our calling on his name. Purpose: Ephesians 4:12 gives the purpose for which God gave special leaders to the church, "for the equipping of..." Again, all of these logical relationships are set forth by means of words and progressions of words. Chronological and/or Geographical Relationships These relationships are especially helpful in structuring (descriptive outlining) narrative literature such as historical material and miracle events. Two examples follow. The Book of Acts is given in chronological and geographical sequence. This sequence is introduced in Acts 1:8. Jerusalem (1:1-8:3). The spread of the Christian faith in Jerusalem. Samaria (8:4-12:25). Also notice here the effect of scattering the Christians that was caused by persecution. When you interpret the text, you see this as a literary device used by Luke to tell us about the sovereign hand of God in evangelism. The remotest part of the earth (13:1-28:31). In Luke 17:11-19 the miracle of the ten lepers can be traced in a similar manner. Jesus deals with the ten who were in need and were healed (vv. 11- 14). The narrative then focuses on the one who returned to say thanks (vv. 15-19). The Book of Jonah lends itself easily to a chronological and geographical study. Jonah in Israel ministering (1:1-2) Jonah on the boat fleeing to Tarshish (1:3-14) Jonah in the fish praying (1:15-2:10) Jonah at Nineveh preaching (3:1-10) Jonah under a shelter (outside Nineveh) pouting (4:1-11) Psychological Relationships  Observing psychological relationships may seem like a hazardous way of interpreting texts since the term psychological may imply arbitrary subjectivity. But an attempt to understand psychological issues is necessary in discerning the meaning of distinctive literature such as parables, miracles, and other material that relate to human relationships. For example, we recognize the tender relationship of the shepherd and sheep (Psalm 23; John 10). Seeing how a shepherd feels about his sheep will help us understand the feeling of the divine Shepherd toward his sheep. Also, to really understand the miracle of the healing of the ten lepers, we need to discern some of the tensions between Jews and Samaritans and why it was significant that a foreigner should give thanks to Jesus when his own people didn't. Luke clearly contrasts these two sets of people in a psychologically significant way with regard to their gratitude toward Jesus. Jesus dealt with the ten who needed healing (Luke 17:11-14), but nine took healing for granted. The narrative points to the one who gave thanks even though he was a foreigner (Luke 17:15-19). By observing the details that the writers give concerning the psychological aspects of the human relationships portrayed in the miracles, we gain a deeper understanding of the Scripture. This is not an exercise in psychologizing Scripture but in asking if the text gives us psychological material to take into account, to get to the author's meaning. Contextual Relationships Any passage is surrounded by the literary context of the whole and parts of Scripture. The Bible context. The entire Bible is one grand story. It is God's view of history-his story. The origin of the universe and man, the making of God's chosen people in the Old Testament, the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the revelation of the mystery that all peoples can be equal heirs to God's salvation in Christ Jesus, and the final events of our time-space world revolve around Christ Jesus as the divine Redeemer of humanity. The contents of the entire Bible fit into this story from the creation of the earth to the creation of the new earth. Many of God's servants have not seen the whole picture. And without seeing the whole picture, they pick a verse out of Genesis or Isaiah or Matthew and radiate good thoughts about it. They are probably not being unbiblical, but it is important to ask if they are saying what the text is saying. They must take into account the total context of Scripture: the historical context in the biblical progression of history, the biblical context, the cultural context, and the theological context. When considering the biblical or literary context, a verse from the Pentateuchal narratives will be interpreted with narrative features in mind, and the Psalms will be better understood with poetry in mind. For more advanced students, other issues that must be taken into account in preaching narrative are summarized in appendix 6. It is sufficient to note that the Bible is written in many literary styles, and we ought to interpret passages in keeping with the intention, form, and style of the authors. The cultural context must also be considered. For example, Amos's audience was different from Paul's audience, not only theologically but culturally. When viewed from a theological context, a passage that is contained in the precross legal texts of the Old Testament cannot be treated in the same interpretive way as the ethical instruction lists (sometimes called housetable texts) found in a Pauline epistle. It is necessary, therefore, to get a panoramic view of the entire biblical story from Genesis to Revelation. Hint: If you cannot think through the story of the Bible, read a survey of the Bible. Introductory works like Willmington's Bible Handbook (Willmington, Wheaton: Tyndale, 1997) or Talk thru the Bible (Wilkinson and Boa, Nashville: Nelson, 1983) will help immensely. The context of the book. Every book in the Bible was written by an intelligent author under the supervision of the Holy Spirit. Each book was purposely written in a particular way. Its purpose influenced its contents. So observe the contents of the book to understand its purpose. This purpose will in turn help you interpret it before you expound it. For illustration, take a book like Job. Read the book two or three times. Simply speaking, it is the story of a righteous rich man named Job who went through immense suffering. Three friends, in three conferences with Job, try to help him understand his suffering, but each time they point to wrong causes. A fourth friend comes nearer to the truth, but the ultimate response to Job's existential and theological question comes through a dynamic revelation of the word and works of Almighty God. As you study the book, you will notice the following divisions within the narrative (numbers refer to chapters):  Introduction: Job's Distress 1-2 First Conference 3-14 Second Conference 15-21 Third Conference 22-31 Elihu's Speeches 32-37 God's Response 38-41 Conclusion: Job's Deliverance 41 After studying the book with these divisions in mind, when you come to a favorite verse such as, "And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives," you can immediately place the verse in Job's reply in the second round of speeches (19:25). The verse is an expression of vital hope in the context of hopeless despair and is not primarily an Easter text. It is a reply to specific comments made by Bildad concerning the postdeath fate of the wicked. Suddenly then, hope and confidence in the living God are evident in the most serious suffering. Knowing the entire book helps you grapple with the serious issue of what the author meant by his writings. To recover the author's intention is the goal of all interpretation. Hint: Some of the best resources in studying the contents and purpose of a given book are study and reference Bibles. They often have helpful comments at the beginning of each book. The commentators' ideas may differ a little in their perceptions of the author's purpose and outline. Thus they will serve as added input for your consideration in arriving at the author's purpose and structure. It is best to study the book for yourself first, however, and then compare your ideas to those of other scholars. This process will be easier with some biblical books than others. But do not give up. The biblical preacher must have a working knowledge of the book in which his text appears. The context of the text. The basic unit of Bible study is not the verse or the sentence but the paragraph. I have already mentioned that expository preaching saves time and energy when deciding what to preach each Sunday. As you do your book study, you will notice that the text is divided into paragraphs. Normally, you can preach a paragraph each time. The context of the text becomes crucial when an author is building points on the points of a previous passage. Further, it may not be possible to finish an entire paragraph in one sermon. You may be able to preach only the first and the second points of the text. In this case, you must study the preceding verses and sometimes the succeeding contexts in preparation for a sermon. To illustrate the importance of the context of the text in helping you understand its meaning, go to the Book of 1 Peter. In 2:13 the main issue is submission. If we had turned directly to the responsibilities of the husband in 3:7, we probably would not have understood the force in that text of the word likewise for husbands. Peter has already spoken about submission, even when treated unjustly, to government authorities and to other masters. If we miss out on the force of the total context on submission, then in our preaching to husbands we will not touch on one of the key issues in domestic relationships -mutual submission, respect, and loyalty between husband and wife. Perhaps "husband preachers" would like not to see that word! Relationships in Genre Here we emphasize what has already been intimated about the different kinds of literature found in the Bible. Our interpretive approach to a text will be influenced by the style in which it is written. For instance, we look at a text written in a narrative style differently than we would an epistle. Do not make all the details of a narrative text carry applicational value to your audience. The historical details can be mentioned and will add interest to the presentation, but not all of them can be directly applied to our lives today. To illustrate, we go back to the Book of Jonah-a typical narrative of a historical event. When it comes to preaching the story of Jonah, we do not propose that we should not get into boats. Instead, we may propose a truth such as no place is outside God's pursuit when we are running from him. The point of the early Jonah narrative is not the proper means of transportation but the necessity of obedience to the known will of God. The details of the narrative describe the historical event and help us arrive at the theological truth uniquely portrayed in the passage. Another example is that of Paul. Even though he walked around in sandals in Asia Minor and got bitten by snakes, we cannot preach that Christians should do the same. We can preach, however, that dangers will be encountered in pioneering evangelism in difficult areas. These kinds of hermeneutical adjustments for homiletical application are almost intuited by the interpreter/preacher. The homiletical and applicational adjustments are sometimes referred to as "principilization"-the abstracting of a theological principle from a text for applicational impact. In steps 3 to 5 of the Scripture Sculpture process, I will show how this may be done safely and precisely. I must alert you, however, to some dangers in such principilization. Your principle must be drawn from the text rather than imposed on the text. It must relate to the structure and details of the text. I will deal with this part of the process later. (A more technical treatment of principilization is found in appendix 5.) Genre is also a factor when interpreting and preaching parables. Parables usually have one major emphasis that cannot be ignored. One cannot preach a parable applicationally in all its details. The same is true of the miracles of our Lord. Still another kind of literature is the poetry of Psalms and Job. Prophetic literature is unique. When we interpret this genre, we must take its prophetic nature into account. For example, when we compare the word weeks in Daniel 9:24 and Daniel 10:2, we conclude that the "weeks" are of different lengths. Four hundred and ninety days is too short a time to accomplish the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27, and twenty-one years is too long for Daniel to fast and survive (10:3). Summary of Questions to Ask An easy way to remember the kinds of questions that the preacher needs to ask of a text is to divide them into four categories: 1. Background questions 2. Fact questions 3. Meaning questions 4. Application questions Background questions: For example, how does the historical background of Colossians affect the content of Paul's writing? Fact questions: How does Paul describe himself in Colossians 1:1- 2? Meaning questions: Why does Paul describe himself in this way? What does it mean to be raised to new life in Christ (Col. 2:12)? Application questions: How can we set our minds on things above (Col. 3:2)? Answering Questions  Here we come to the hard work of interpretation. In answering the questions, we ought to be careful that we do not manipulate the text in our attempts to master it. The plain, natural interpretation of Scripture (some call it "literal," and others call it "grammatical-historical interpretation") is what the expositor is after. Basically, interpreting Scripture on its own terms is what is most important in understanding its meaning. At this juncture of preparation you may bring in whatever resources for Bible study that you have access to. If you do not know the original languages, I suggest that you consider obtaining a good study Bible, a concordance for the version you own, one commentary series (a one-volume consolidated commentary will be a good start), and a good Bible dictionary. These are bare necessities. Read these for their input into your questions and answers. Remember that these are only aids to your preparation. Do not touch them until you have come to this stage of your sermon preparation. They will influence your questions and conclusions if you consult them before this time, and this will hinder the preparation process by which the text becomes a part of your very being. Analyzing Answers Robert Traina, in his Methodical Bible Study, speaks of three dangers in interpreting Scripture: Misinterpretation: assigning the wrong meaning to a passage Subinterpretation: the failure to ascertain the full meaning of a passage Superinterpretation: attributing more significance to a passage than is actually implicit in it Much ink has flowed on how to interpret a passage. But on the popular level, you will analyze your answers with the following tests: The test of authenticity. Can you make a good case that your interpretation is authentic? That is, is your interpretation true to what the author meant when writing these words? The test of unity. Is there unity of meaning between the terms,  affirmations, and interpretation of the text? Is there a contradiction or discrepancy in your interpretation? For example, I once heard a sermon on 1 John in which brother meant Christian in the first half and non-Christian in the second half of the sermon. The test of consistency. Is your interpretation consistent with the rest of the chapter, book, and the entire Bible? Can you explain an apparent difficulty? For example, how do you explain Paul's giving Timothy permission to eat all meats in comparison with Old Testament prohibitions? The test of simplicity. Is your interpretation simple or contrived? Plain or mystical? Easily stated and understood or heavily supported by allusions and concoctions of arguments? The test of honesty. Have you been careful not to read yours or others' (e.g., your Bible teacher's or your denomination's) prejudgments and preconceptions into the text? Please note: Since our interpretations are not infallible, we must always leave open the possibility for change as new evidence and/ or questions are brought to bear on the interpretation. Testing your Interpretation of a Biblical Passage Applying Answers Preaching does not only have to do with transferring information; it has to do with transferring information that transforms people. What we preach ought to change lives. It ought to challenge men and women to apply the truth of the Bible in the very structure of their lives. The preacher's responsibility is to delineate not only principles for application but pointers for application. We cannot leave it to the audience to find ways and means to creatively apply Scripture. First, we must and will apply Scripture in our own lives. Then we will show people how to integrate biblical truth into their lives. At this stage of the sermon-preparation process, we are already thinking of what the Bible is saying to our people based on what the Bible means. What is the significance of the text under study for modern daily life? Before going into a methodology for application, here is a fine definition of application from Roy B. Zuck. Application in biblical exposition (preaching or teaching) may be defined as the process of communicating the present-day relevance of a biblical text, specifying how that relevance may be translated into action, and inviting and urging the hearers to make that transference. Application may be content oriented, relating to what the hearers should believe or value, or it may be conduct oriented, relating to what they should do or obey. Often these two orientations in application are intermingled simply because people will often do only what they value. To make proper application you must ask the following rigorous questions. What is the application (present-day relevance) of the text? What kind of application should you draw from the text? Content, conduct, or conduct based on content? Is my application really based on this text? Does it have the authority and authenticity of the text behind it? What will convince my audience that this is the application from the text? How can I be sure that the people will understand the application of the text? That is, we cannot take it for granted that they have understood the application. Application is not automatic. Actually, people are not prone to apply truths to themselves. They would rather apply them to someone else! As you study the text, you will be looking for personal and preaching application points. And often you will begin to apply these even before your sermon takes shape. Record the applications you think arise from a text. You will later dispense with the applications that do not carry textual authority or have textual warranty (step 3) and that will not fit your purpose (step 4). Eugene Lowry suggests an interesting integration. "Wear the hats of scholar and homiletician throughout the sermon preparation process." Action Step Let's apply the first step of the Scripture Sculpture process, "Study the Text," to a sample text from the epistles, Ephesians 6:10-12. Check the progress of each phase of this first step as you work through this text. Use one sheet of paper per verse. Write it out in full: 10Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. Seeing the Details Observe Words Study their meanings in dictionaries, Bible dictionaries, or encyclopedias, and study their usage from entries in concordances and marginal references. In this text you would observe words such as: strong, armor, schemes, struggle, rulers, powers, forces. Observe Relationships Here you would observe relationships, such as "finally," "in the Lord," "strength of His might," "schemes of the devil," "flesh and blood," and different aspects of the nonhuman foes in verse 12. Seeking Meaning Ask Questions Why does Paul say "Finally" in verse 10? Is it possible to be strong without the Lord? Or is it necessary because of the kind of supernatural opposition he describes in verse 12 that we need supernatural strength? Also, why the full armor of God? Answer Questions Finally could mean "of utmost importance" and could refer to the entire epistle, or it could refer back to the content of chapters 4-6. The full armor of God is recommended because it is necessary to protect our vulnerable areas of life from Satan's comprehensive attack. Analyze Answers Using the tests detailed above, analyze your answers. Also, check commentaries on what other men of God have to say on this text. For instance, one commentator writes, "The form of the Greek imperative put on indicates that believers are responsible for putting on God's (not their) full armor... with all urgency." Apply Answers Where are the "urgent" areas of Satan's attack and our response to him? Think through some contemporary ways in which the struggle against Satan continues. Also, write down ways in which we can stand strong in the Lord and how you and your people can apply them. Step 1: Study the Text (An Outline of Step 1) 1. Seeing 1. Observe Words 1. Long words 2. Unusual words 3. Repeated words 2. Observe Relationships 1. Grammatical relationships 2. Logical relationships 3. Chronological and/or geographical relationships 4. Psychological relationships 5. Contextual relationships 1. The context of the Bible 2. The context of the book 3. The context of the text 6. Relationships in genre 1. Teaching 2. Narratives 3. Poetry 4. Parables 5. Miracles 6. Prophecy 2. Seeking 1. Asking Questions 1. Questions for words 1. What do these words mean now? 2. What did these words mean at the time they were written? 3. How have the Bible, the author, and authors used these words elsewhere? 2. Questions for relationships 1. Grammatical relationships (1) Tense (2) Number (3) Gender 2. Logical relationships (1) Cause and effect (2) Reason (3) Result (4) Contrast (5) Comparisons (6) Conditions (7) Purpose 3. Chronological and/or geographical relationships 4. Psychological relationships 5. Contextual relationships  (1) The Bible context (a) The historical context (b) The biblical or literary context (c) The cultural context (d) The theological context (2) The context of the book (3) The context of the text 6. Relationships in genre 3. Summary: kinds of questions 1. Background questions 2. Fact questions 3. Meaning questions 4. Application questions 2. Answering Questions 3. Analyzing Answers: "Five Tests" 1. Authenticity 2. Unity 3. Consistency 4. Simplicity 5. Honesty 4. Applying Answers 1. What kind of application? 2. What is the application? 3. What is the legitimate basis of the application? 4. How can I leave the audience sure that the authority of the text is the basis for this application?  2 STRUCTURE THE TEXT The "Skeleton" of the Text Step 2 builds on your study of the text (step 1). An essential step in the Scripture Sculpture process is to understand how the biblical author put the text together. In this way, not only can we preach what the author says, but we even emphasize how he said it. Step 2 gives clues on how to find the structure of a text with a view to summarizing the teaching of each section of the passage. Step 2 is climbed by structuring and summarizing the sections of the text. Step 2 Structuring the Sections of the Text We find the structure of a text with the help of two kinds of structure indicators: grammatical keys and content cues. Grammatical Keys Grammatical keys are usually little words or parts of words wielding a disproportionately large influence on the composition of a text. These little words are skipped over too often but form the very basis of the argument and emphasis of the author. You may recall my comments in step 1 on "logical relationships" between words and phrases (see pages 38-39). Here is an example of a critical, little word at work. Take the short sentence: "John came here for he was hungry." The word for has only three letters but is crucial in understanding the argument of the sentence. For gives the reason for John's coming. The same thought could be expressed by another small word: "I came here as I was hungry." As here again gives the reason for my coming. Biblical literature has many such little words and parts of words that are loaded with power. Some of these dynamic little words, with the general meanings that they carry, are given below. Action Step Turn to Ezra 7:10. The NASB reads: For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice it, and to teach His statues and ordinances in Israel. Go through step 1 on this text, marking the longer, unusual, and repeated words for study and meditation. In step 2 you will discover the structure of the text. You will identify the author's main point(s) and subpoints. In Ezra 7:10 notice the twofold repetition of the connecting word and relating three phrases: "Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice it and to teach" The verse then naturally divides into three parts. You can confidently assert this threefold division as arising from the text rather than a division imposed on the verse. There is a third and between statutes and ordinances. You will have to decide whether to give this and the same weight as earlier ands. You will not do so, because the third and simply connects two words. The earlier ands connect phrases within the verse, and each is followed by an infinitive "to." I show aspects of this structure below.  If you eventually structure this verse for preaching, the body of your sermon will not usually contain more than three points (a sermon may have fewer or more points-we will come to that matter later). That is, the portion of your sermon that directly deals with this verse will and should have only three points. Below and on the next page is a simple but important chart to use for future reference. As you come across these little words, consult this chart for the possible range of interpretations of those words. For example, if you come across the word for, your interpretation of that portion will hinge around cause or reason or result or purpose. Here is a clue for those who cannot use the original languages of the Bible: A rather reliable structural marker is the verse divisions of a text. While verse, paragraph, and chapter divisions are not inspired, they are reliable indicators of thought and structure that scholarly translators have determined as they have studied each text. Even punctuation marks in verses are indicators of structure. So be sure to notice periods (full stops), colons, semicolons, commas, and exclamation points, and all other punctuation. Grammatical Keys Indicating Structure Meaning Little Words as Structure Indicators Cause for, because, since, as Reason for, because, since, as, that Result that, so that, so, which, for Purpose in order that, which, to, unto, until, towards, for Means by, from, through, out of, in Time until, till, to, when, whenever, from, through, of, in, by, according to, against, with, concerning, out of Place where, wherever, from, in, through, into, upon, with, concerning, till Manner just as, just, as, with, to Note: Other "little words" will emerge in your study that are not included here. You may classify their meaning according to context and good sense. Also see the illustration of structuring the text of Ephesians 6:10-12 at the end of this chapter.  Content Cues Sometimes structure is not indicated by grammar. Instead, the structure of a text can be discerned by: content changes introduction of a new subject repetition change in the form of statement, and so on An example of a change in the form of statement is when the author is making declarations and suddenly changes into a command or imperative mood. You should take that change into account as you discern the structure of the text. Four Steps for Structuring Text The following four steps will help you structure the sections of the text: Identify all possible grammatical or content markers of structure. Separate major markers from minor markers. Major markers carry more weight in structuring the text than the minor markers. Understand the meaning or the force of the more major markers. Outline the text according to the relative importance of the markers. This structuring phase attempts to separate the more important markers from the less important markers. Just as bodies have big bones and little bones to connect and separate various parts from others, so biblical texts (and all good writing) feature big bones and little bones. You will use your interpretive judgments along with those of others to understand the major and minor divisions of your text. If we think of our text as made up of big bones and little bones, here is how the four steps would look: Big Bones vs. Small Bones (Understanding Structure)  How do we apply these four steps to a text? Here I describe them and then illustrate them from Scripture. First, identify all possible structure markers. You have written out a verse on a sheet of paper. After you have identified and studied the longer, unusual, and repeated words and phrases (step 1), you may circle, underline, or highlight the little words, which give force to the big words. Use the following ordinary English sentence to practice these steps: "Ramesh came home from school to eat because he was hungry." The sentence has three little words as structure markers: from, to, and because. Next, separate major structure markers from minor structure markers. Check the three structure markers above. All these words, from, to, and because, are not to be given equal weight in understanding the sentence, though they are all necessary to the meaning. Because is more important as a bone connector than from and to. Because connects two parts of the sentence. From connects only two words: home and school. To connects school and eat. Separate the more important "bone connectors" from the less important ones. Third, understand the meaning or the force of the major markers. For this step you will consult the chart "Grammatical Keys Indicating Structure" (pages 55-56). Sometimes you will have to separate the bones by attempting to understand them, and at other times you will only understand their force and function and use as you separate them. In our sample sentence on Ramesh's consumption priorities, the word because carries the meaning of reason. The lesser important from refers to place in this context. To shows purpose. Finally, outline the text according to the relative importance of the markers. Structuring a text will help you outline the text according to the emphasis of the author. The need to separate major structure keys from minor structure keys helps you understand the framework or skeleton that holds the details together. When you structure the text according to the emphasis of the writer, you will seek to capture that emphasis in an outline. What you discern as big bones will fall toward the left side of the outline. The smaller bones will fall toward the right side of the outline. Your outline sequence should look like this: I.  A. 1. a. (1) (a) II. A. 1. (etc.) The structural markers or bone connectors show the relative importance of the words they connect. Those of lesser importance will, in the outline, move toward the right side of the page. Major markers: Roman numerals-I, II, III Next level: Capital letters-A, B, C Next level: Arabic numerals-1, 2, 3 Next level: Lowercase letters-a, b, c Next level: Numbers in parentheses-(1), (2), (3) Next level: Letters in parentheses-(a), (b), (c) Our sample sentence, "Ramesh came home from school to eat because he was hungry," is divided into two parts, for there is one big bone connector: because. 1. Ramesh came home 2. The reason (because): he was hungry There are two small bones, from and to, relating to the first part of the sentence. Thus you have two points at the next level of the outline in the first part of the sentence. 1. Ramesh came home 1. Ramesh came home from school 2. Ramesh came home to eat 2. The reason Ramesh came home was because he was hungry Since there are no perceivable structural markers in the second part of the sentence, there are no second or third levels of the outline under II. In outlining you cannot have a third level without a second level, a fourth level without a third level, and so on. In outlining a text, you build on the previous level. Let me illustrate structuring from the Ezra 7:10 text.  For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice it, and to teach His statues and ordinances in Israel. First, identify all structure markers (little words that influence meaning). Here they are: for, to, of, and, to, and, to, and. Next, separate major from minor markers. Major markers in this verse are: for, to, and, to, and, to. The minor markers are any other markers that have been identified, for example, the third and. Understand the meaning or the force of the more major markers. For relates this verse to the previous verse and does not have much to say about the structure of this particular verse. The word to is used three times and shows how the verse is to be divided into three. Major marker and is used twice-once between the first and second to, and between the second and third to. This also shows how the verse is put together. Outline the text. Three main points can be derived from the grammar or content changes. Ezra set his heart: 1. to study the law of the Lord and 2. to practice it and 3. to teach 1. his statutes and 2. ordinances in Israel Notice how the Ezra passage nicely divided into three points. The third point had two subpoints because of the minor structure marker and (the third and). The body of your sermon on this passage is already emerging. Summarize the Main Sections of the Text Summarizing is a very helpful exercise. It is basically a synopsis of the text that helps you understand the small section you are studying in the context of the Bible, chapter, section, or book. For instance, there are many details that a Bible writer may give to support a point. As you discern the movement of the text, you will note the major force of the text. Summarize each major force (they will be roman numerals in your outline) of the text so that you will eventually understand the main theme and thrust of the author. Summarizing the passage will help you determine the dominant force of a text. It will also help you with the next step of the sermon-making process, that of structuring the text around the single theme/thrust or central proposition (step 3). To summarize the text, go back to the outline you drafted when you analyzed the structure of the text. Summarize the thought contained at the major levels of the outline by putting it into a complete sentence. The major sections of Ezra 7:10 can be summarized in the following way: 1. Ezra set his heart to study the law of the Lord (v. 10a) 2. Ezra set his heart to practice the law (v. 10b) 3. Ezra set his heart to teach the law in Israel (v. 10c) 1. He would teach the Lord's statutes 2. He would teach the Lord's ordinances Action Step Let's go back to Ephesians 6:10-12 and apply step 2-structuring and summarizing-to it. You have already done step 1-studying the text, its words and relationships. As you study this section carefully, it will help you become an expository preacher who bases your authority on the Scriptures rather than on your own thoughts. 10Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Structuring You will do all four steps of structuring a passage: identify (italicized words in the text above), separate, understand, and outline. Please read these notes carefully with your Bible open to Ephesians 6:10-12. Some Clues to the Verses v.10 Finally relates these verses to the previous text. It indicates that the author is starting a new thought and so is an important marker. In occurs twice and is of equal importance each time because the two occurrences of in are connected by the common joining word and. The two phrases in the Lord and in the strength will be given equal force in the outline. We have to decide what is the force or the meaning of the little word in. Go to the chart on grammatical keys on pages 55-56 to find that in denotes "means,"-that is, the means of being strong is in the Lord. Of is a very minor marker because it influences a phrase (his might) rather than the sentence. With these clues, now attempt to structure verse 10. v. 11 The first of is too minor to influence the whole sentence-it is part of the phrase "the armor of God." That is an important term. Our grammatical chart tells us that that may refer to reason, result, or purpose. Sometimes reason, result, and purpose may overlap. We can choose reason here, because in verse 12 the author gives a clear reason for putting on the armor of God. To is less important because it connects able to stand firm. Against is a word that is repeated several times in verses 11 and 12. It is not found in the grammatical keys chart because the chart is not comprehensive. Create the meaning of this word in your outline. You'll find many such words to which you must ascribe meaning. Again, the word of is quite minor. It is part of the phrase "schemes of the devil." With these clues, now attempt to structure verse 11. v. 12 The first word, for, is crucial. Notice that the translators decided to divide the thought by beginning a new verse here. This division often indicates an addition or change in structure. Now you have to decide if the break between verses 11 and 12 is as major as the break between verses 11 and 10. If it is a major break, then we have three points: 1. v. 10 2. v. 11 3. v. 12 If the break is of less weight, then we have two points: 1. v. 10 2. vv. 11-12 For is clearly the reason for verse 11 and is part of the unit of thought begun in verse 11. But separates "flesh and blood" from the rest of our opposition. I am choosing the phrase "system of Satan" to denote all the rest of those terms. Against is repeated several times and clearly refers to the kinds of opposition that we may experience. Since against is repeated and is found in connection with the word but, it will influence our understanding of the different kinds of powers. Each of these kinds of opposition will be given equal weight in the outline. With these clues, now attempt to structure verse 12. Structure of the Verses Here is my structure of Ephesians 6:10-12. Compare it to yours. Think through why mine looks the way it does. Why does yours look the way it does? Major markers provide the major points.  1. Finally (v. 10) 2. The command to put on (vv. 11-12) The next level of markers provides the subpoints. 1. Finally (v. 10) 1. The means: in the Lord (v. 10a) and 2. The means: in the strength of his might (v. 10b) 2. The command to put on (vv. 11 12) 1. The first reason: that (v. 11) 2. The second reason: for (v. 12) Summarizing Now summarize the main sections of this text. Attempt a summary of your main points on your own right now. And then think through why I summarized the main points the way I did. Here is my summary: 1. The means of being strong is in the Lord and in his mighty strength (v. 10) 2. The reasons for putting on God's whole armor are to stand against Satan's schemes and struggle against Satan's system (vv. 11-12) Notice that the summarization follows the force of the major structure markers. My full structure and outline of Ephesians 6:10-12 follows. If you have understood the process to this point, you will understand the logic of my structure. 1. The means of being strong is in the Lord and in his mighty strength (v. 10) 1. We must be strong in the Lord (v. 10a) 2. We must be strong in his mighty strength (v. 10b) 2. The reasons for putting on God's whole armor are to stand against Satan's schemes and to struggle against Satan's system (vv. 11-12) 1. The first reason for putting on the whole armor of God is to stand firm against Satan's schemes (v. 11) 2. The second reason for putting on the whole armor of God is to struggle against Satan's schemes (v. 11) 1. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood (v. 12a) 2. Our struggle is against Satan's system (v. 12b) 1. Satan's system is comprised of rulers 2. Satan's system is comprised of powers 3. Satan's system is comprised of world forces 4. Satan's system is comprised of spiritual forces in heavenly places You now have a rather full outline of the text you desire to preach. This is a very helpful, authoritative means by which you can preach the Bible. Even if you do not go any further in the sermon-preparation process than step 2 and simply preach from the outline, you can be confident of being faithful to the Scriptures. However, if you do only this amount of work before going to the pulpit, your preaching will resemble a lecture rather than a sermon. Some very impactive aspects of expository preaching are yet to come. You must do the groundwork (steps 1 and 2) before climbing to step 3.  3 THE CENTRAL PROPOSITION OF THE TEXT The "Heart" of the Text Translators have divided biblical texts into paragraphs, each of which has one major, dominant, identifiable thought. In fact, the very definition of a paragraph is that it proposes one cardinal thought. This major thought is what I call the "central proposition of the text" (CPT). Each central proposition is made up of two components: the theme and the thrust. Our working definition of expository preaching sees its distinctiveness in "the contemporization of the central proposition of a biblical text." The central proposition is the heart of the text, which the preacher must discover. The central proposition is sometimes called by other names: "textual thrust," "exclusive emphasis," "sermonic screw," or the "big idea." Components of the Central Proposition  The central proposition is the singular theme/thrust around which the details of a biblical text are woven. Since we want to communicate one major point for the people to hear, understand, and obey, we seek to communicate the major proposition of each Scripture text in contemporary terms. If we leave our text (or sermon) to a chance perception of what this central proposition is, we are not really necessary in the dispensing and receiving of God's truth. Listen to these masters on the subject of the central proposition. Reduce your text to a simple proposition, and lay that down as the warp; and then make use of the text itself as the woof; illustrating the main idea by the various terms in which it is contained. Screw the word into the minds of your hearers. A screw is the strongest of all mechanical powers... when it has turned a few times, scarcely any power can pull it out. Charles Simeon A major affirmation of our definition of expository preaching, therefore, maintains that "expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept." That affirms the obvious.... Ideally each sermon is the explanation, interpretation, or application of a single dominant idea supported by other ideas, all drawn from one passage or several passages of Scripture. Haddon Robinson Identifying the Central Proposition of the Text The central proposition of the text is the single unit of thought that binds together and gives meaning to all the particulars of a text. Note that in step 5, "The Central Proposition of the Sermon," the same definition is given, except the last word is sermon rather than text. What Does the CPT Look Like? It is always in the form of a full grammatical sentence. If it is less than a sentence, it is not a proposition, by definition. What Does the CPT Contain? It has two components: The theme of the text: The theme of the text answers the question, What is the author talking about in the text? The thrust of the text: The thrust of the text answers the question,  What is the author saying about what he is talking about in the text? Theme: What is the author talking about in the text? Thrust: What is the author saying about what he is talking about in the text? From Where Does One Get the CPT? The CPT is derived from step 2 when you structured the text. At each grammatical or content cue you made a division for a section. Minor grammatical or content cues determined subsections. Major content or grammatical cues determined the major sections. Each major section has a subject or single theme. The way the author relates these single themes will help you discover the central proposition of the larger text. Let me illustrate, using Ephesians 4:7-16, and then you can apply it to the shorter passage of Ephesians 6:10-12. Read Ephesians 4:7-16 below three times before you go through this exercise. Read slowly and intentionally. 7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN." 9(Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head,  even Christ, 16from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. 1. Verses 7-11 speak of one thing-the ascended Messiah gave gifts. (Remember that change in content is one of the cues for structuring a text.) Verses 7-11 address the same subject or single theme. Actually, you have to decide whether to break the text at verse 11 or verse 12. I have decided to break it at verse 12 since I am preaching the large text (vv. 7-16). If I were preaching from the text twice, I would preach verses 7-10 and verses 11-16, emphasizing the grammatical key in the opening of verse 11. 2. Verses 12-13 tell us the purpose or reason he gave the gifts. Notice the key word for at the beginning of verse 12. Your grammatical keys chart (see pages 55-56) tells you that for communicates either reason or purpose. Here verses 12-13 give us the reason or purpose for Messiah giving the gifts. Again, these verses refer to the same subject or a singular theme. The gifts are given for the building up of the church till it reaches maturity. 3. Verses 14-16 tell us the result of this gift-giving process (vv. 7-13), explaining the implications of corporate maturity for which Messiah gave gifts. Notice the first phrase of verse 14, "as a result." The phrase controls verses 14-16 and shows the result of verses 7-13. These verses also carry the same subject or singular theme. In order to get the central proposition of the text, you put the content of these three subjects, themes, main points, or summaries together. In arriving at the CPT, you are looking for accuracy and adequacy. The CPT must uniquely reflect your particular text and must cover the assertions of the text. It is essential to complete steps 1 and 2 on a text before tackling step 3. Here is my CPT for Ephesians 4:7-16: The purpose for which the ascended Christ gave gifts to the church is to build it up to doctrinal maturity and functional stability by the working together of equipped believers. Let's dissect this statement. Does it contain the theme (what the author is talking about) and the thrust (what the author is saying about what he is talking about)?