Part 1 - How to present Biblical/expository sermons

2 Timothy 4:1-2 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word...."

Introduction
Last week I had written some posts on the subject of sermon preparation. For the convenience of the reader I have listed their links in case anyone wants to reference them for review:
1.  http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2013/10/introductory-thoughts-on-preaching.html
2.  http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2013/10/preparing-biblical-sermon-method-for.html
3.  http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2013/10/preparing-biblical-sermon-illustrations.html

The Lord blessed me to have the opportunity to participate and deliver a session at a recent Baptist association Pastor's conference on the subject of "The Preacher's Preparation, Presentation and Invitation". Having looked at sermon preparation last week, we will now look this week at some ways in which to present or preach the scriptures to an audience.

Some thoughts on what expository preaching is all about
Let me say from the get-go that all true Biblical preaching is "expository" preaching.  When I say "expository", I am simply referring to the responsibility of preaching to "expose" the people to the text or to "explain" the text well enough to convey the meaning intended by the Holy Spirit through the original author. If someone is not making it their aim to explain the text as originally communicated by the Holy Spirit through the Biblical author - then it is not exposition and certainly not Biblical preaching. 

As one preacher of the past once said: "A lecture or talk can be given next week, next month or next year, but a sermon must be delivered now." What the quote is expressing is the urgency that attends the preaching task.  Hearers of sermons also have the urgency of preaching placed upon them in the sense of needing to apply what has been preached.   

Different methods for presenting expository sermons
With that introduction, I want us now to consider different ways in which Biblical sermons or "expository sermons" can be delivered.  Though "verse by verse" exposition is the most common way, yet there are various methods by which the delivery of God's words can be "packaged" or "delivered" by the preacher or the hearer.  We will look at a couple today and some more tomorrow.  May these tips prove helpful to those who aim to preach or teach God's word.  

1.“Theme” Sermons
The preacher may use a major Biblical theme from which to work off of in His sermon.  These types of sermons are great for introducing a congregation to a teaching of scripture. Below is a sample of how such a sermon would be structured.

-Sermon Subject – Ex: Christ-Theme of Subject- Ex:Christ’s Eternal Deity
-Divide theme by its “characteristics” or “facets” or “advantages” or “practical applications” 

-Example Passage: Col 1:15-19
Point #1 Christ is Eternal Creator Col 1:15-17
Point #2 Christ is Eternally the Savior Col 1:18Point #3 Christ is Eternal with the Father Col 1:19

2. “Pyramid Sermons” 
In a pyramid sermon, the preacher starts off with an idea or heading, adding onto that idea or heading in the next point.  In the subsequent points that follow, the preacher keeps on adding on more and more ideas until the sermon arrives at the fully stated idea.  The reason why such a sermon is called "a pyramid sermon" is because when you look at the points and the structure of the sermon, the shape of it resembles a "pyramid".  John L. Benson in his 1967 book: "Homiletics", is the author from whence I gleaned this particular sermon structure. Below is a sample sermon I preached a while ago utilizing this method:

-Main theme: Overview of New Testament 
-Title: “Christ, the focus of the N.T” 
-Purpose of the sermon: to demonstrate how Jesus Christ is the focal point of the New Testament, and how He should be the focal point of our lives. 

                     Point #1 Christ portrayed = Gospels 
                Point #2 He is Portrayed, preached = Acts
         Point #3 Portrayed, preached, explained = Epistles
Point #4 Portrayed,preached,explained,prominent = Revelation

More tomorrow....