Journal: Southeastern Theological Review
Volume: STR 13:2 (Fall 2022)
Article: Expository Preaching With Biblical Contexts On The Horizon: Hebrews As A Sermonic Model
Author: Adam Hughes

STR 13:2 (Fall 2022) p. 45

Expository Preaching With Biblical Contexts On The Horizon: Hebrews As A Sermonic Model

Adam Hughes

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Abstract: The rationale for and benefits of expository preaching have been well-established in the field of homiletics. If a fair critique exists for this philosophy of preaching, however, it is that it is often seen as less applicable to the lives of the audience and therefore less effective in producing life change. One reason may be the hesitancy of practitioners to employ contextualization in their preaching. Perhaps the hesitancy lies in the concern that to do so could corrupt the meaning and intent of the pericope in the sermon. In this article, the author addresses this perceived and potential deficiency by arguing for the use of multiple levels of contextualization in expository preaching. In order to do so, four aspects of contextualization will be identified. Then, by using these aspects as a guide, the book of Hebrews, which has been recognized by contemporary scholarship as being sermonic, will be analyzed to offer both a biblical precedent for and model of a four-fold aspect of contextualization in expository preaching. Finally, five implications for contemporary preaching will be offered.

Key Words: audience analysis, contextualization, expository preaching, Hebrews, homiletics, preaching, text-driven preaching.

The foundations of and the rationale for expository preaching have been well established in the field of homiletics. Furthermore, lists of benefits for this approach in contemporary preaching manuals certainly are easily found. In the following excerpt from their 2018 publication, Preaching for the Rest of Us, Gallaty and Smith may offer the most thorough, yet concise, summary.

There is no shortage of good arguments for preaching in an expository, text-driven way. Perhaps the most significant argument stems from the nature of the Word itself. If we believe Scripture contains the very words of God and that both God and what He speaks are perfect, then anything we do that hinders our presenting Scripture is a tragedy. While the nature of the Word is the primary factor that compels expositional preaching, the nature of the preacher’s call and the nature of the church also lend support

STR 13:2 (Fall 2022) p. 46

to this methodology. These three arguments for text-driven preaching may be summarized as follows:

1. The Nature of the Word: We are called to preach Christ, and Christ is revealed in the Word.
2. The Nature of the Call: Preaching the text is working out our own call to ministry by crucifying our personal agendas so others might live, and thus living accordi...
   
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