by Daniel Mann
I did not have a good plan for preaching when I first became a pastor.[1] My first pastorate began on the first Sunday meeting of a church plant. I preached a few topical series that were foundational and useful for our church, but I had not thought carefully enough about how my approach to preaching would shape our church. From the pulpit, I would often state that our church believes that all Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is the inspired Word of God and profitable for our lives. Yet my preaching strategy contradicted this claim.
One of the most cherished and defended beliefs of gospel-preaching churches is the inspiration of Scripture.[2] It is common for biblically faithful churches to prioritize in their doctrinal statements that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to man.[3] Pastors rightly emphasize this conviction. However, is it possible for a pastor’s approach to preaching to undermine this deeply held belief?[4]
Since all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for the church (2 Tim. 3:16), pastors would do well to develop a plan to preach all of Scripture. No part of God’s Word is irrelevant and unnecessary for God’s people. From Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, God has spoken, and His people need to hear the whole of His message. Christ has called pastors to feed the flock of God (1 Pet. 5:2), and the flock needs to graze in every corner of the pastures of the Bible. For a healthy and well-nourished flock, we must declare the entire counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
There are many valuable approaches to preaching that can edify the church and evangelize the lost, including topical messages and series, from which I have personally benefitted. Nevertheless, expositional preaching through books of the Bible is the best way for pastors to feed their flocks consistently.[5]
Alternating Between Testaments and Genres
Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert advocate for a wise approach where pastors alternate between preaching a series from the New Testament and the Old Testament.[6] For example, suppose a pastor has recently finished a four-week series in Titus; he may then proceed to launch a twelve-week series through Job. Once he completes Job, he might return to the New Testament for a ten-week series from James.[7] In this scenario, the pastor is alternating not only between the Old and New Testaments but also between the biblical genres.[8]
Broadly speaking, the Bible has seven genres: four in the Old Testament and three in the New Testament.[9] The Old Testament contains the books of the Law (Genesis-Deuteronomy), the books of history (Joshua-Esther), the books of poetry (Job-Song of Solomon), and the books of prophecy (Isaiah-Malachi). The New Testament contains the Gospels and Acts (Matthew-Acts), the Pauline epistles (Romans-Philemon), and the general epistles (Hebrews-Revelation).[10] By alternating between the Testaments and various genres, pastors can help ensure that no part of God’s Word is neglected from the pulpit. In the end, a worthy aim for pastors is to preach through the entire Bible throughout their pastoral ministry.[11]
Reasons For Adopting This Approach
At this point, you may be intrigued but not fully convinced that expositional preaching through books of the Bible that alternates between the Testaments and biblical genres is the best method for your ministry. Although many arguments in favor of this approach could be marshaled, I highlight five for your consideration.
A Well-Balanced Spiritual Diet
If you have children, then you know that it can be challenging to get them to eat all the food groups necessary for healthy nourishment. They are quick to devour the mac-n-cheese but reluctant to eat the broccoli! Just as we all have certain foods that we prefer more than others, so most preachers have certain portions of Scripture toward which they naturally gravitate more than others. Likewise, the people in our congregations have parts of the Bible from which they are more eager to hear than others. This fact is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can make us susceptible to becoming undernourished. Jesus declared, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4, ESV), and every word of Scripture provides necessary nourishment for our souls. By alternating between the Testaments and genres, we are feeding our flocks a diverse array of spiritual food and expanding their spiritual palates.
A Plan That Better Serves All People
It does not take long for a pastor to notice that his congregation is full of people with different personalities and interests. Some of them are naturally drawn to Paul’s logical arguments in Romans while others are captivated by David’s vivid metaphors in the Psalms. Some hang on every word of the miracles and parables of Jesus in the Gospels, while others cannot get enough of the beauty that emerges from the ashes of Isaiah’s prophecy.[12] Perhaps one of the reasons that God appointed so much genre diversity in the Bible is because of the diverse ways that we learn and receive truth.
Our congregations are also replete with people of different experiences. Sitting in the same row may be joyful new parents who brought their infant to church for the first Sunday and a grieving widow who buried her spouse earlier in the week. Of course, the Scriptures contain something for all of God’s people, but is it not providential that God has provided us with a book like Lamentations when our hearts are broken, and passages like Psalms 45 and 103 to help us express our praise and gratitude? Overall, the point is that, as we seek to preach the whole Bible, we are utilizing all the ways God has provided for helping our people through life’s joys and sorrows.
A Blueprint For Understanding The Bible
When I first became a Christian, I remember picking up our church’s Bible reading plan. Like many readers, I hit a wall in the book of Leviticus. I struggled to understand much of what I was reading, how it all fits together in Scripture, and its relevance for today. Our people need guidance through God’s Word, and our approach to preaching can meet or neglect this need. This suggested approach to preaching serves to catechize the congregation in biblical theology.[13] They will learn how the Mosaic Law in Exodus, the narratives in Samuel, the wisdom of Proverbs, the prophecy of Zephaniah, the parables in Matthew and Luke, and the doctrinal and ethical instructions in Romans and 1 Peter fit together in God’s unfolding plan.
It is sobering to know that our congregations are learning to read and interpret the Bible by listening to us preach each Sunday. We are also teaching them what to value in Scripture. Pastors are known for encouraging their members to read the Bible daily. Most pastors would recoil if they heard their members say, “I don’t ever plan to read through all of the Old Testament, like the minor prophets. I will just focus on Psalms, Proverbs, and the New Testament.” I assume that pastors want their people to read and study the entire Bible, yet what do we communicate to our congregations if they never hear us preach through certain books or portions of the Bible?[14]
A Strategy For Overcoming Blind Spots
Let’s face it—there are some topics or issues that the majority of pastors do not enjoy addressing. We would rather preach about justification by faith than divorce. Preaching systematically from the whole counsel of God forces us to address the issues that we may be prone to avoid and encourages us to research and study matters about which we are ignorant. I have been amazed at all the things I did not realize the Bible addressed! By preaching through the whole Bible, we can overcome the blind spots that we know about and those of which we are unaware.
A Commitment To Preach Christ From The Entire Canon
One of the best reasons to aspire to preach through the entire Bible is the conviction that every part of the Bible ultimately points to Christ.[15] The Gospels are obviously rich treasures for preaching Christ, but the Gospels (or even the other New Testament books) are not the only places in Scripture ripe for preaching the gospel of Christ. In light of direct statements made in Luke 24:27, 44, David M. King writes that “Jesus is the goal of every detail in the Bible.”[16] He also warns about the danger of preaching a “synagogue sermon,” which refers to interpreting and applying a text to the congregation without showing its relationship to and fulfillment in Christ.[17] There is immense joy in watching the eyes of our people open to the glories of Christ throughout the entire canon of Scripture. We have the privilege of pointing them to Christ on every page.[18]
Conclusion
Tim Patrick and Andrew Reid are likely correct in stating that “the sobering reality is that a great deal of the Bible—perhaps, in fact, the majority—is never preached to the people of God.”[19] I would never insist that what I have proposed is the only faithful approach to preaching, but I would insist that every book, every chapter, and every word in Scripture is worthy of being preached and is useful for our congregations. Like Paul, if our goal is to “present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28), then we would be wise to follow his method of declaring “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).
About the Author: Daniel D. Mann is a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, but now resides in Skokie, Illinois, with his wife Melissa and their four children: Carlie, Colby, Charlotte, and Thomas. Daniel serves as the lead pastor of Living Hope Free Will Baptist Church. He holds degrees from Southeastern Free Will Baptist Bible College (B.A., Bible) and Maranatha Baptist Seminary (M.A., Biblical Studies), and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Biblical Exposition from Liberty University. In his spare time, Daniel enjoys spending time with his family, coaching basketball, and watching his favorite sports teams: the Chicago Cubs and the Oklahoma Sooners.
[1] This post was heavily influenced and shaped by a recent book by Tim Patrick and Andrew Reid, The Whole Counsel of God: Why and How to Preach the Entire Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020). I heartily recommend this book for pastors.
[2] For more on the nature of the inspiration of Scripture, see Matthew McAfee, “Reflections on Inspiration: The Nature of Inspiration (Part One),” The Helwys Society Forum, August 3, 2014, https://www.helwyssocietyforum.com/reflections-on-inspiration-and-interpretation-the-nature-of-inspiration-part-1/.
[3] Here is language included in Living Hope Free Will Baptist Church’s doctrinal statement (and I presume that something similar is included in most evangelical churches): “The Bible: We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary-inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to man.” Furthermore, it is also common for this conviction to be listed first in doctrinal statements.
[4] Patrick and Reid state that “while we who preach may hold to a high view of Scripture theoretically, in practice we have perhaps only ever aspired to feed our flocks on limited parts of it rather than on everything God has spoken to his world.” Patrick and Reid, The Whole Counsel of God, 29 (see also, pg. 44).
[5] This essay assumes that most readers are familiar with expositional preaching. For more information about expositional preaching, I recommend Jeff Manning’s “The Benefits of Expository Preaching,” The Helwys Society Forum, March 19, 2012, https://www.helwyssocietyforum.com/the-benefits-of-expository-preaching/.
[6] Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert, Preach: Theology Meets Practice (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2012), 63–72.
[7] My preaching calendar for 2024 is as follows: An eight-week series through 1 Samuel 16–31 (Jan-Feb), a three-week series through Jude (March), a couple of stand-alone messages around Easter (Mar), a five-week series through Genesis 25–36 (Apr-May), a four-week series through 2 Thessalonians (June), seven-weeks in Psalms during the summer (July-Aug), an 11-week series through Matthew 3–7 (Sept-Nov), and a three-week series from Haggai in December.
[8] Questions often arise about how to preach through large books of the Bible that would require many weeks to work through sequentially. Of course, there is no absolute standard to follow, but I prefer to break up larger books of the Bible. For example, last December I preached through Matthew 1–2. This Fall, I will be preaching through Matthew 3–7. Likewise, I preached through 1 Samuel 1–15 in 2022 and returned to the book in 2024 to cover 1 Samuel 16–31. Thankfully, most of the larger books of the Bible have natural divisions that can serve as adequate stopping points when necessary. Also, it can be helpful to preach multiple chapters of a narrative in one sermon.
[9] Dever and Gilbert prefer eight genres, dividing the Major Prophets and Minor Prophets into separate genres. Dever and Gilbert, Preach, 69.
[10] Although the book of Revelation is unique in the New Testament as apocalyptic literature, it is helpful and convenient to link it with the general epistles.
[11] The implication of this aim is also that pastors will have a lengthy tenure at one congregation to see the fruit of this endeavor. Needless to say, it is difficult to accomplish this goal if a pastor transitions from church to church frequently.
[12] This point is not to insinuate that only certain kinds of personalities benefit from or enjoy certain books of the Bible. It is simply to state that we are usually drawn to certain writing styles more than others.
[13] Nick Roark and Robert Cline helpfully define biblical theology “as a way of reading the Bible as one story by one divine author that culminates in who Jesus Christ is and what he has done, so that every part of Scripture is understood in relation to him. Biblical theology helps us understand the Bible as one big book with lots of little books that tell one big story.” Nick Roark and Robert Cline, Biblical Theology: How The Church Faithfully Teaches The Gospel (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 26.
[14] Patrick and Reid write that pastors who neglect portions of the Bible in their preaching are “teaching the people that they do not really need to engage with the whole Bible in order to live and grow as disciples.” Patrick and Reid, The Whole Counsel of God, 27.
[15] Patrick and Reid, The Whole Counsel of God, 42.
[16] David M. King, Your Old Testament Sermon Needs To Get Saved: A Handbook For Preaching Christ From The Old Testament (Chicago: Moody, 2021), 26.
[17] King, Your Old Testament Sermon, 54–58.
[18] There was no room in this post to address likely objections to this approach to preaching. One potential objection is that this approach is too structured or formulaic. Some may argue that it does not allow for spontaneity or that it stifles the leadership of the Holy Spirit. In response, I would simply add that one should always be sensitive to the leadership of the Spirit. This approach does not preclude pastors from preaching topical or “one-off” messages as the need arises. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is not bound to directing us spontaneously in our preaching. He is just as capable of leading us in what to preach twelve months from now as He is in leading us in what to preach twelve hours from now.
[19] Patrick and Reid, The Whole Counsel of God, 15.
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