Page 7 - Homiletics I Student Textbook

deacons, so our church should have only seven deacons. To have more or less is unbiblical! They say, “If
it was good enough for Paul, it must be good enough for us.”

Think about it. In Acts 1:26, the apostles drew lots (rolled the dice) to find out the Lord’s will on who
would replace Judas (either Joseph or Matthias). Should we roll the dice when trying to find God’s will
today? Heads we go this way and tails we go that way? No, we cannot find God will by flipping a coin or
rolling dice.

Therefore, when we say interpret the Bible historically, we mean that we have to take into account
what was happening historically when the passage was written, but we do not build doctrine on what
someone in Scripture historically did. If we do so, we can create false doctrines and mislead others. So
this rule is simple: We do not build a doctrine for the church today based on a historical event in the
Bible. Sure, some things people did in the Bible are to be admired. Some are to be avoided.

Sermons can be generally grouped in four types: textual, topical, textual-topical, and expository. A
textual sermons follow the structure of the text of Scripture, allowing the word flow to provide sermon
points. A topical sermon is organized around a topic or thought, and the sermon points are developed
by the speaker and supported by “proof-texts” which may or not be within the context of the passages
used. A textual-topical sermon merges the two, allowing the sermon points to flow either from the text
or the thoughts of the speaker. An expository sermon follows the text of Scripture and seeks to draw
out the full meaning of it. The goal of this type of sermon is to apply the Word of God to the lives of the
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listeners.

There are advantages and disadvantages to all four types. In topical preaching, the speaker has the
freedom to address issues faced by his congregation. It also can give a broader spectrum of what the
“whole counsel” of God says about a topic. For example, if the topic is marriage and divorce, there are
numerous passages throughout the Bible that deal with this topic. To land on just one may leave out
the “full counsel” of God on the topic. Another advantage of topical preaching is unity of thought.
People are able to follow the logical progression of thought, which often helps them remember what
they have heard.

There are a number of dangers to the topical method. Every person has a bias. The danger is that the
pastor preparing the sermon topically will select those passages that support his bias and will tend to
ignore those passages that oppose his bias. Also, preachers who preach topically tend to select topics
that they are interested in, leaving out other topics of importance to the Christian life. Audiences can
become acclimated to “exciting” messages, turning away from teaching that doesn’t fit that model. A
strict adherence to topical preaching will result in a shaded view of God’s Word. Topical sermons are
more subject to be the expounding of the views of the preacher, rather than the views of God in His
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Word.

Many pastors alternate between topical and textual or expository messages. Topical messages allow
them to address current issues of interest to the congregation, while textual and expository messages
build on the “big picture” of whole books in the Bible. Both are essential in encouraging balanced
growth in the life of the Church.

3 https://www.gotquestions.org/topical-preaching.html
4 Ibid.
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