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EDITOR’S NOTE: Even more valuable? Reading whole books of the Bible, as close to all at once as possible, which forces the reader to grapple with the full context of each book, rather than taking chosen snippets out of context and fitting them to one’s own preconceived ideas. Indeed, most valuable of all: reading the entire Bible, in order, at least annually. — RDM
by Tom Hicks
October 29, 2017
I believe preachers may faithfully preach thematic and topical sermons that explain the Bible, and they may preach sermons on particular texts of Scripture without preaching through whole books of the Bible. But here are some reasons that preaching through whole books of the Bible is valuable.
1. Preaching through books of the Bible forces us to deal with everything the Bible has to say. Some passages of Scripture are hard to understand and some are hard to believe. That fact sometimes tempts preachers to preach on the easier passages. But, if we preach through whole books at a time, then we have no choice but to deal with the difficult texts, and wrestle with their meaning, and application, even if their meaning and application are difficult or uncomfortable to us.
2. Preaching through whole books at a time guards us against misinterpreting the Bible because it forces us to deal with every verse of the Bible in its own context. It is easy to rip a verse out of context and make it say what we want it to say. That can even happen inadvertently. But it is much more difficult to misinterpret the Bible if its words and phrases are studied in the context of the message of the book in which they are found.
3. Preaching through books of the Bible keeps us away from hobby horses or favorite themes. It would be easy to find a few encouraging things or group distinctives (Baptist distinctives, Calvinism, Arminianism, Millennial Views, etc.) in Scripture and restrict our preaching to those items. But if we study through whole books at a time, then we get exactly the balance that God thinks is appropriate, perfectly and proportionately emphasizing God’s character, judgment, grace, the cross, the call to faith and repentance, how to live as Christians, the church, heaven and hell, etc.
4. Faithful preaching through whole books of the Bible is centered on God’s redemptive plan in Christ. When expository preaching through books of Scripture is done correctly, it reveals a unity of divine purpose for the salvation of sinners in Christ. The expository preacher preaches not just portions of the Bible but the whole Bible in every sermon. This means that the law and the gospel are always present. Many sermons today are full of powerless platitudes, which give no true comfort, and moralisms, which bind up the conscience. But, expository preaching drives the preacher to see all doctrine and law as grounded in the person of Jesus Christ.
5. Preaching through whole books allows the Holy Spirit, who wrote Scripture, to set the agenda every Sunday. Preaching this way allows us to study and apply what God said in the order in which God said it. The expository preacher cannot come to the pulpit as a master who sets the agenda for the church each Sunday. Rather, he comes as a slave to God’s agenda. That is beneficial both to the preacher and to the congregation. The role of the preacher is not that of a chef, but of a waiter, who simply serves the food that God has prepared for His people.
6. We should preach through whole books at a time because every word of the Bible is true. If every word were not true, then we might pick and choose among texts of Scripture, choosing to preach and study what we believe is true, while leaving the rest. But, since every word of the Bible is true and breathed out by God for our sanctification, we ought to preach every word of the Bible.
7. Preaching through books of the Bible allows us to think God’s thoughts after him. If we work through entire books, then we are enabled to follow God’s own train of thought and logical argument as it moves through a book. The Bible is the mind of God revealed, and if we would know God’s mind, we must know what this book says in the order in which it says it.
8. Preaching through books of the Bible trains a congregation to correctly handle the Word of God, and it teaches them to recognize faulty interpretations. When a congregation is used to hearing solid exegesis, which involves carefully studying the historical background of a text, the lexical meanings of individual words, grammar, syntax, and analysis of the author’s flow of thought in each pericope and book, they become better equipped to study and apply the Bible in their own personal and family devotion to Christ.
9. Preaching through whole books of the Bible places divine limits on the authority of the preacher in the pulpit. If a pastor is not preaching through books of the Bible, then he is free to find any set of themes or sub-themes he pleases, string them together in any way he pleases, and make any doctrinal or practical point he pleases. This is the strategy of cults and false teachers. It is also the strategy of consumer driven churches that are more focused on numerical results and money than divine truth. In contrast, the expository preacher is a slave to the text and the congregation is trained to believe and do only what is plainly established from the text of Scripture. The Bible must constrain the pastor. The pastor must never constrain the Bible.
10. Expositional preaching builds up the pastor in maturity. When a pastor commits himself to expository preaching, he cannot be a lazy preacher. He is forced to work hard to mine meaning out of the text and to make application. It gloriously chains him to his desk where he is forced to study Scripture. This is good for a pastor’s own sanctification and therefore good for the sheep he shepherds because a pastor can only lead God’s people to the degree that he loves and delights in the Lord.
11. Preaching through books of the Bible builds an appetite for the Word of God. When genuine believers are fed the Word of God, their hunger for it is not satiated; rather, it is deepened! Pastors who preach the Bible grow in their hunger for Scripture. Congregations of believers who hear the Word preached hunger for more of it.
12. Preaching through biblical books educates pastors and congregations doctrinally. In our current context, much preaching is void of doctrinal content. But the Bible is full of it. We desperately need to return to expository preaching so that the church can recover its comprehension of the Bible’s robust doctrine.
— The Value of Preaching Through Books of the Bible originally appeared at Founders Ministries. Tom Hicks is pastor of First Baptist Church, Clinton, Louisiana.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
The future of technology is the future of America. Rod Martin sees that future clearly, and also sees how to shape it for the betterment of all. He is firmly rooted in the traditions of faith and patriotism that have made America great. That’s why he has made, and will make, so many outstanding contributions in so many areas.
