9Marks Journal: Expositional Preaching (45期：釋經講道)

We create with hands, shovels, and bulldozers. But not God. God creates by speaking. He says, “Be,” and it is. The Psalmist exclaims, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host” (Ps. 33:6). Invisible words create visible matter. Just as God created the universe with words, so he re-creates fallen hearts with words. He “gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist” (Rom. 4:17). Nuclear bombs might split or fuse atoms. But they cannot create new-heart atoms out of nothing. Preaching the Bible can, which is why preaching the Bible is central to the life of our churches. Peter says we have been born again through the living and enduring word of God. James says that God brought us forth by the word of truth. Paul teaches that faith comes from hearing. And the apostles learned it from Jesus, who said, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” The preaching which possesses this greater-than-nuclear power is preaching that exposes the Bible, or expositional preaching. Man’s wisdom does not give new life. God’s Word, accompanied by God’s Spirit, does. It possesses divine power to demolish strongholds and explode hearts of stone. The present 9Marks Journal lays out some of the basics of expositional preaching as well as a few of the mechanics. If you happen to think that applying the text is the work of the Holy Spirit, start with Michael Lawrence’s piece. There’s a difference between a preacher’s application and the Spirit’s conviction, he says. Preaching that doesn’t apply the text is not preaching, and the ability to apply the text depends on your knowledge of your church. Jared Wilson and Erin Wheeler will help you here. So critical is the topic of preaching that it’s hard to do it justice (see Matt McCullough’s piece on this). But we hope this Journal educates and edifies. Use it and then entrust it to faithful young men who will be able to teach others also!

人類是用雙手、鏟子或者推土機來創造。但神不是這樣。神通過說話來創造。祂說：「有」，就有。詩篇作者宣告說：「諸天藉耶和華的命而造，萬象藉他口中的氣而成。」（詩33:6）肉眼不能見的話語創造出可見的事物。

正如神以祂的話語創造宇宙，同樣祂也以話語在墮落的人心中做新造的工作。祂「叫死人復活，使無變爲有」。（羅4:17）

核彈可以分解融化原子。但是它們無法無中生有創造新的原子。但是傳講聖經能夠做到，這也是爲什麼講道是教會生活的核心。彼得說我們是透過神活潑常存的話語重生了我們。雅各說神用真道生了我們。保羅教導說信道是從聽道來的。而使徒們是從耶穌那裡領受了這些，他曾說：「我對你們所說的話就是靈，就是生命。」

真正擁有比核彈更強威力的講道，是將經文解開的講道，或稱釋經式講道。屬人的智慧無法賦予新的生命。而神的道，藉著神的靈，能夠做到。它有屬神的能力，拆毀心中的壁壘，粉碎石心。

本期九標誌期刊收錄了一些釋經式講道的基本理念以及一些實踐性的方面。如果你正巧認爲對經文的應用是聖靈的工作，那你可以先從邁克爾·勞倫斯（Michael Lawrence）的文章開始。他認爲，牧師給出的應用與聖靈的提醒是有區別的。對經文不作應用的講道不是講道，而對經文應用的能力取決於你對自己教會的瞭解。Jared Wilson和Erin Wheeler會幫助你更好思考這一點。

講道這個話題本身很有爭議，所以很難公允評價（可以參考Mat McCullough的文章）。但是我們希望本期期刊的內容能夠帶來啓迪。好好使用，並且將講道的重任託付給那些能忠心教導別人的年輕人！