Why Do We Preach Through Books of the Bible?

Pastor Bob O’Bannon

Among different church traditions, there are many approaches to organizing sermons – some follow the church calendar, or lectionary; others rely mostly on topical series (marriage, spiritual warfare, money); and some even look for a text or topic spontaneously from week to week. In the reformed tradition, it is customary to preach consecutively through books of the Bible (sometimes called “expository preaching”), which is what we will be doing May 15 as we begin a series on the Gospel of Mark. 

So, why do we do this? What are the advantages of preaching consecutively, chapter after chapter, all the way through a book of the Bible? There are five reasons:

1. Because all of God’s word is inspired. It’s tempting for us to receive only certain portions of the Bible as inspired, because we find them personally inspiring or helpful, but according to 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God . . .” Those obscure books and verses that we tend to overlook or ignore are actually inspired by God to train us in righteousness. Preaching through books of the Bible will expose us to these neglected portions of God’s word.

2. Because some parts of God’s word are difficult. Not only is it easy to gravitate toward the passages we like, we can also gravitate away from passages we don’t like – that is, the ones we find difficult, controversial or culturally unacceptable. Expository preaching forces the preacher and the congregation to grapple with issues they might prefer to avoid.

3. Because pastors can get on hobby horses. Topical sermon series certainly have their place, but one of the potential pitfalls is that a pastor can simply choose the topics he feels strongly about, so that certain issues get belabored in an unbalanced way. But if the pastor preaches through a book of the Bible, he must preach whatever is presented in the next chapter, whether he wants to or not. This contributes to a more healthy balance of topics and issues.

4. Because sermon listeners can sometimes feel bullied. While it is common and even desirable that people feel great conviction when hearing a sermon (John 16:18, Acts 2:37), it can sometimes occur that a person wonders if the pastor was singling him/her out as a target for a particular point in the message. If the pastor is preaching through a Bible book, however, he can’t be accused of abusing the pulpit. All he’s doing is preaching whatever topic as come up next in the book he’s going through, which is largely out of his control.

5. Because it’s easier. This maybe sounds selfish on the part of the preacher, but it does help when the text for the next sermon is already chosen, because next Sunday’s text is simply the one that comes after the text you preached last Sunday. There’s also no need for extended cultural and historical background in each sermon, because that was already provided back when the book was introduced at the start of the series.

We don’t believe it’s wrong to follow the church calendar (which we do here at New Life during Good Friday, Easter and Advent/Christmas), or to preach topically from time to time (recently we did a series on prayer). But we do believe the best way to enjoy a balanced diet of Scriptural nourishment is to allow God to speak as entire books of the Bible are weekly proclaimed, so that the whole counsel of God might be declared to God’s people. (Acts 20:27).

5 Tips for Listening to Sermons

Pastor Bob O'Bannon

Sometimes people complain that they didn’t get much out of a sermon. Often (maybe even most of the time) this is the fault of the preacher, but sometimes this can be the fault of the listener. There are certain steps you can take to prepare yourself to get the most out of a sermon on any given Sunday at any given church. Here are some tips:

1. Bring your Bible

If you are listening to an explanation of a Bible passage, but don’t have it open before your eyes, it can feel a little like listening in on someone else’s conversation — it’s hard to track with all that is being said. Make a note to bring your Bible to church, and have it open before you during the sermon. Not only will it aid in your listening, it will help you find your way around your Bible.

2. Take notes

Some people take notes on sermons and even review those notes the following week. But even if you never look at your notes again after that particular Sunday, it’s still a valuable exercise to take notes during a sermon because it forces you to listen for main points, Scriptural references, and specific applications. So don’t just bring your Bible — bring a pen and notepad also.

3. Consider that preaching is not entertainment

Because we live in such an entertainment-dominated culture, people can sometimes assume that the preacher’s job is to amuse, and so they fall into a passive stance, waiting for their ears to be tickled. In Nehemiah 8, the book of the law was found and read aloud before the people, and v. 3 tells us that “the people were attentive to the book of the law.” A preacher should do everything he can to avoid being boring, but fruitful listening requires active concentration.

4. Get enough sleep

The sleep I speak of here is not to be gained during the sermon, but before. Generally people will go to bed at a reasonable hour when they have to work the next day, because they want to be alert and engaged on the job. The same applies to Sunday morning worship. On the occasions when you are sleepy, and you just can’t avoid it, consider getting out of your seat and standing in the back of the sanctuary. It’s very hard to fall asleep while standing up!

5. Ask God to bless the preaching you hear

How often do you pray before a service and ask God to bless the sermon to the edification of your soul? Preachers pray that they will preach well; listeners should pray that they listen well. You can make this simple and just pray Ps. 119:18 —

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things (in your Word).”