Tw o Ways* to

Expound a Passage

*One is better than the other!

*
PCJB
PP Presentation
devised and prepared
at
Gujranwala Theological Seminary
may be copied for non-commercial use only
March 2005
Method Method
A: B:
Verse by Identifying
Verse the sub ject of the
passage
- as in a
comment and then
ary opening up the passage
to reveal
the heart-beat
(core message)
Me thod A:

Expounding a
Pass age
Verse by
Verse
The Verse by Verse m ethod
has these benef it s:
• It encourages the preacher to keep to t he
text and not forget what the passage is
saying
• It is easy fo r the p reacher to offer some
comment on each verse without too much
study or work
• It enables the congregation to fo llo w i n
their B ib les (if they have one with them)
• It covers the c onte nt without missing out
important parts
 But it al so has
these di sadvanta ges :
• It can get borin g, especially if there are
many verses
• It easily degenerates into moral le ssons
and pious pla titudes
• It fo gs th e c ore message of the passage
• It doesn’t li nk the p assage to this
“heart-beat”
• It leaves the congregation with a lo ng li st
of id eas instead of focusing their attention
on the key issue
Exp oun ding a Passage
Verse by Verse
CO NCLU SI ON
• It is an easy way to preach at short
notice and better than not keeping
to the text at all
But…
• As a way of thinking about the
passage it is undemanding and
therefore limited in its effectiveness
Me th od B:

Expounding a
Pas sa ge
thr ough
its
The Heart-Beat Method
off ers these b en efi ts:
• It makes sure the speaker does
his/her homework in preparation
• It provides a clear focus for the
attention of the congregation
• It allows a clear mapping of the rest
of the passage instead of a jumble of
ideas whose connections are not
indicated
Further benef its of
the Heart-Beat approach
• Educati onal ly people learn more
and better through a focused
message, even when a long passage
is being studied
• Spi ri tua lly people are challenged
more strongly by one over-arching
idea than by a battery of ideas
whose connections are not
immediately obvious
Anot her bene fit of
the Heart-Beat approach

• It avoids the temptation to look for

mor al lessons and pi ous
pl ati tud es in every line
Exp oun ding a Passage
through its Heart-Beat

CH IEF BEN EFI TS

• It makes the whole passage come

alive
• It allows God to speak clearly and
directly from His Word
NOTE

In either method
avoid bringing in other ideas
from elsewhere

Use other Biblical references

only to make clear or re-inforce
the heart-beat of the passage
EXAMPLE

Expounding
1 Peter 2:1-3
 1 Pe ter 2:1-3
2. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice
and all deceit,
hypocrisy,
envy,
and slander of every
kind.
7 Like newborn babies,
crave pure spiritual milk,
so that by it
you may grow up in your salvation,
11 now that you have tasted
that the Lord is
good. [1]
[1]The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
Verse by Verse method
(not the preferred method) OUTLINE

• Getting rid of evil habits

• How to get rid of malice
• How to get rid of deceit
• How to get rid of hypocrisy
• How to get rid of envy
• How to get rid of slander

• Need for spiritual nourishment

• Babies’ need of milk
• What is pure spiritual milk

• Spiritual growth and salvation

• Different aspects of Salvation

• The goodness of God

• Experiencing God
Verse by Verse method
(not the preferred method)

Note:
• This method is very good for personal
bible study because:
• It uncovers much interesting information

• It discovers many helpful lessons

What’s the problem?
For a sermon:

• Too many topics

• No indication of how they
relate to each other
• Fogging the key point

• And remember...
Jesus,
When He Taught...

• Did not aim to

impart spiritual
information into the minds of
his hearers
Rather
• He aimed to
make a significant change
in their lives
Heart Beat approach
(Preferred)

OUTLINE

1. What is Peter writing about

here?
2. What does Peter say about this?
3. What is the ‘heart-beat‘ of his
message on this subject?
 1 Pe ter 2:1-3
2. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice
and all deceit,
hypocrisy,
envy,
and slander of every
kind.
7 Like newborn babies,
crave pure spiritual milk,
so that by it
you may grow up in your salvation,
11 now that you have tasted
that the Lord is
good. [1]
[1]The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
Heart Beat approach
(Preferred)

OUTLINE (Detail)

1. What is Peter writing

about here?

Spiritual Growth
Heart Beat approach
(Preferred)
OUTLINE (Detail Cont.)

1. What does Peter say about

Spiritual Growth?

Are you new born?

Then get rid of former evil attitudes

Replace such impulses with spiritual

cravings
Heart Beat approach
(Preferred)
OUTLINE (Detail Cont.)

2a. What else does Peter say about

Spiritual Growth?

• We should be like babies:

• Crave for intimacy with the Lord
• Find our satisfaction in the Lord,
not in indulging in bad attitudes
towards others
• Work hard at getting such nourishment
from the Lord
Heart Beat approach
(Preferred)
OUTLINE (Detail Cont.)

2b. Is there anything else Peter says

about Spiritual Growth?

• The ultimate goal of Spiritual Growth is

entering into our full salvation
Heart Beat approach
(Preferred)
OUTLINE (Detail)

3. What is the Heart-Beat of

Peter’s
message?

• Find your satisfaction

in God
and His Goodness
alone
Expounding
1 Peter 2:1-3
Question

• Which message
do you want
your congregation to have
after they leave you?

Remember...
 Sermon A ?
• Getting rid of evil habits
• How to get rid of malice
• How to get rid of deceit
• How to get rid of hypocrisy
• How to get rid of envy
• How to get rid of slander

• Need for spiritual nourishment

• Babies’ need of milk
• What is pure spiritual milk

• Spiritual growth and salvation

• Different aspects of Salvation

• The goodness of God

• Experiencing God
Or
 Sermon B ?

• Find your satisfaction

in God
and His Goodness
alone
THE END