7 blessings of having consecutive expository preaching as the staple diet for God's people

In his helpful little book “the Priority of Preaching” Christopher Ash provides “7 blessings of having consecutive expository preaching as the staple diet on the menu for the people of God.”  Verse by verse preaching (aka sequential expository preaching) has a number of built in benefits.  

Ash highlights the following 7 benefits:

1) Consecutive Expository Preaching Safeguards God's Agenda Against Being Hijacked by Ours. 

 In biblical ministry I want to get rid of three demons. They are called Relevance, Entertainment, and Immediacy…To preach through a Bible book is to trust that the agenda of God is the right, the deepest, and the best agenda" (pp. 111-12).

2) Consecutive Expository Preaching Makes It Harder For Us to Abuse the Bible by Reading It Out of Context.

Consecutive Bible exposition helps us understand the Bible in its context and therefore understand it correctly, and not to abuse the Word of God by twisting it to mean something other than what God has made it mean" (p. 116). 2 Timothy 2:15.

3) Consecutive Expository Preaching Dilutes the Selectivity of the Preacher. 

This does not mean the pastor should never address a particular need within his unique ministerial context. One need not be slavishly committed to the ‘lectio continua’ method of preaching. We simply need to give God the microphone and trust that 2 Timothy 3:15-17 is really not a typo. If all Scripture is divinely inspired and profitable then our people need to hear the full counsel and revealed will of God.

4) Consecutive Expository Preaching Keeps the Context of the Sermon Fresh and Surprising.

5) Consecutive Exposition Makes for Variety in the Style of the Sermon. 

Variety is said to be the spice of life. Fresh content and style are properly achieved when the man of God rightly handles the Word of God in its Scriptural dress. "Our preaching ought to take not just its content but also its tone and style from the passage" (p. 120).

6) Consecutive Expository Preaching Models Good Nourishing Bible Reading for the Ordinary Christian. 

 "Topical preaching may give a Christian a fish, but good expository ministry will teach him how to fish" and mine treasures from God’s Word on their own (p. 121).

7) Consecutive Expository Preaching Helps Pastors Preach the Whole Christ From the Whole of Scripture. 

This approach to preaching will help Bible teachers to 'give God the microphone."  2 Timothy 4:1-5 is crystal clear. God's Word is to be heard through a human instrument (the pastor-teacher) for the edification of the church (Eph. 4:11-16) and the glory of Jesus Christ.

In the short book, “Preaching for God’s Glory” Pastor Begg spotlights 5 timeless principles he learned from an older minister related to preaching and sermon preparation. 

In the Lord’s strength (Col. 1:28-29) the preacher should strive to:

1) THINK YOURSELF EMPTY. 

2) READ YOURSELF FULL. 

3) WRITE YOURSELF CLEAR. 

4) PRAY YOURSELF HOT. 

5) BE YOURSELF, BUT DON’T PREACH YOURSELF.

James Stewart used to say, ‘Be yourself, but also, forget yourself!’ We cannot make much of ourselves and much of the Lord Jesus Christ simultaneously. If people leave worship saying, ‘What an amazing preacher!’ we have failed. Instead, we must long for them to say, ‘What a great God, and what a privilege it is is to meet him in his Word, as we have just done.’”

Ezra 7:10, Acts 6:4; 1 Timothy 4:13-18, and 2 Timothy 2:15, 4:1-5 are some of the key verses that guide my weekly preparation. I often refer to expository sermon prep as “the blessed grind.”