I’m not opposed to topical preaching per se. I think there is a case for it. The sermons recorded in the New Testament seem more topical than expository to me. For example, on the day of Pentecost, Peter argued as his thesis that the miracle the people were witnessing was not the product of drunkenness but a fulfillment of Joel’s prophesy in Joel 2:28-32. Peter brought in Psalm 16:8-11 as a supporting witness. The Sanhedrin charged Stephen with speaking “blasphemous words against ‘this holy place’ (the Temple) and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us” (Acts 6:13-14). Stephen answered by rehearsing the whole history of Moses and the Temple with this conclusion:

Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things? (Acts 7:48-50)

His conclusion patches together parts of Solomon’s dedication of the Temple (I Kings 8:27), an allusion to Psalm 11:4, Michaiah’s warning to King Jehoshaphat (I Kings 19:22), and every Old Testament passage that declares God the creator of all things (Ex 20:11; Ps 33:6-9; 50:9-12; 146:5-6; Isa 40:28; 44:24; 45:7-8,12; Jer 10:11; 32:17).

In the Pisidian Antioch synagogue (Acts 13:14-41), Paul preached that “Of this man’s (David’s) seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus” (23). As proof, he rehearsed the ministry of John the Baptist (24-25), the history of their dealings with Jesus (26-31), and showed from the Old Testament the truth of the claim that “the promise which was made unto the fathers (that “to you is the word of this salvation sent” – v. 26), God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again” (32-33). His proofs are taken from the second Psalm, the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:14-16; Psalm 89:2-4), Psalm 16:10, and the historic contrast between David (who saw corruption) and Jesus of Nazareth (who didn’t). He then repeats the warning of Habakuk 1:5, calling the Jews to repent or perish.

We could continue. Paul’s most famous sermon, which he delivered to the gathered philosophers on Mars’ Hill, includes a handful of Old Testament allusions but does not expound any particular text of Scripture.

At a minimum, New Testament sermon samples allow for the occasional topical sermon. I would point out that the sermons recorded in Acts are given in defense of the gospel, primarily to the Jews but also to the Gentiles (on Mars’ Hill). Preaching to the gathered body of Christ in the New Testament church should mainly focus on expounding the whole of Scripture, “line upon line, precept upon precept.” There is a place for “comparing Scripture with Scripture,” of course, but that should be done to give a thorough presentation of the passage.

The above examples show how the Apostles reasoned from the Scriptures. Studying their example is worth our time. If we studied their preaching, I am persuaded that we wouldn’t find anything close to the kind of “topical preaching” we often hear in today’s sermonizing. One friend called it the “Lego set” or “Lincoln log” mentality. Others call it proof-texting. I have referred to it as “connect the dots” theology.

The preacher finds every relevant verse – perhaps through the Strong’s Concordance – and draws from each to make his case. Tradition has supplied many necessary proof texts, as preachers have historically relied on certain key verses as central to their position. Yet, he rarely gives careful attention to the meaning of the text in its context. And often, the sermon has the preacher’s personality written all over it. The truth of Scripture should be the dominant influence in preaching. However, topical preaching often flips that, and the preacher’s personality comes to the forefront while the truth of Scripture takes a back seat.

Previously, I have argued that expository preaching should be the baseline of all preaching. If we learn to preach the passage, giving its meaning and drawing application from it, we will be equipped to preach a topical sermon. However, if topical preaching is our default approach to the Bible, we will not know how to handle a close examination of a passage of Scripture. And our topical preaching will be “topical opinionating.” Our sermons will come out as opinion, and Scripture as the prop.

The problem with this should be evident enough. Scripture is the authority; we must submit our opinion to the Bible. Rather than “this is what God thinks,” we preach what we think, with the Bible as support. The error should be evident.

So, let me offer a few cautions and pointers about topical preaching.

First, faithful topical preaching aims at presenting a Biblical picture of a particular topic.

The Psalmist says, “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee” (Psalm 2:7). This exact phrase is found two other times in Scripture. To understand what “day” is spoken of, we must examine those two passages.

A man in my church insisted that “adoption” did not refer to the believer’s position as a child of God. He argued that the phrase “to wit” in Romans 8:23 requires us to believe adoption refers to “the redemption of the body.” I would suggest thoroughly examining the New Testament doctrine of adoption, including I John 3:1-2.

We cannot get a complete understanding of any New Testament doctrine unless we understand it in light of everything the New Testament says and the place of that doctrine in the whole picture. I hear people claim, for instance, that the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are two different things. Yet, when we search the whole of Scripture, we discover (to our profound amazement) that the phrase “kingdom of heaven” is only found in Matthew and that the other gospels use the phrase “kingdom of God” as synonymous with the “kingdom of heaven” (for instance, Matthew 3:2 w/ Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 5:3 w/ Luke 6:20; Matthew 10:5-7 w/ Luke 9:1-2).

Systematic theologies and confessions of faith draw from the whole of Scripture, attempting to give a complete picture of what the Bible says about a specific doctrine. If we would preach the whole counsel of God concerning all things, it seems that we must present the entire picture from Scripture when dealing with a topic. We examine the topic the way a jeweler might examine the facet of a diamond: not in isolation, but as part of the whole.

Second, faithful topical preaching guards carefully against pre-determined outcomes.

The temptation is strongest, I think, with topical preaching. We begin with a commitment to a “pet doctrine” and backtrack it to prove it from Scripture. “This is what I think,” or “This is what I was always taught,” and these verses have been used to support that opinion. Or, we find verses that support that opinion.

We must not impose our own viewpoint on Scripture. The Bible must be the boss in all our preaching. Believe me when I say this: your authority as a pastor is undermined when the church thinks you are wresting Scripture to achieve a desired outcome. The church will respect you more if you say, “This is my opinion, but I can’t say dogmatically that the Bible supports it.”

Of course, if you plan to say such a thing, you might want some defibrillators handy.

A man who attended our church for several years held a heterodox view of sin – namely, that a Christian cannot sin. He can have a moral failure and do wrong things that are displeasing to God, but if he does, he has not sinned. In a meeting with our men, in which we attempted to call him back from this heresy, he asserted that “if a Christian man commits adultery, it is not sin.”

Not surprisingly, he had his own personal “go-to” list of proof texts for his position. I won’t torture you with his list. The point is that topical preaching can lend itself to novel outcomes unless we commit in advance to submit to the whole of Scripture. When approaching a topical study, we must guard against the temptation to search for support for a position we hold dear. The right approach is to gather all the passages that deal with the topic, then find out what the Bible says so we can preach that.  

Third, faithful topical preaching ensures that the context applies to the topic.

While this requires more work and effort, maintaining integrity is essential. We have an abundance of powerful tools at our disposal that allow us to find every place in the Bible where a particular keyword is found. We can drill into several layers of cross-references. If we aren’t careful, we will start gathering proof texts like a toddler grabbing all the toys. However, we must ensure that the verses we gather as proof texts apply to the topic.

Take the time to read the passage where your proof text is found. What is the subject of that passage? Does it relate to your topic or thesis? Is the connection to your topic superficial or essential? It would help if you answered that question before including that verse as proof of your position.

I believe there are good reasons to teach our sons and daughters not to engage in physical displays of affection until they are married. Paul is very specific in I Thessalonians 4:3-5

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

But I have heard preachers preach this from Colossians 2:21

(Touch not; taste not; handle not;

Brethren, that passage has nothing to do with physical touch. Paul isn’t teaching this as a command or instruction. He refutes the spartan aestheticism promoted in Colossae as a mark of virtue and godliness.

I recognize that some of my allies will be offended by my saying this, but it must be said. I Corinthians 7 doesn’t make the case for avoiding physical displays of affection. Notice what Paul says:

Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

Paul disagrees that “it is good for a man not to touch a woman.” It seems that the church had some debate around the issue of marriage and celibacy. They asked Paul to weigh in on the issue of whether or not a man should “touch” (a euphemism for sexual intercourse) a woman (the Greek word here often means “wife’). Paul commands the men to “have” (sexually) their wives, and wives to “have” their husbands. He isn’t giving permission; he commands it (the “let” indicates a 3^rd person imperative, unique to the Greek language). Paul commands this as a way to avoid fornication.

Clearly, this verse doesn’t refer to a dating couple’s conduct.

Finally, faithful topical preaching requires a comprehensive rather than a selective study.

The preacher must recognize that the congregation may not be able to find all the passages that refer to a given topic. Unless they have studied the subject before your sermon, they don’t know if you have included all or most or the most important passages that deal with the topic. You can abuse them, especially if you ignore inconvenient passages that might give a different view than you are presenting. Again, this is why the preacher must commit in advance to a thorough study of the topic and must refrain from drawing conclusions until the topic has been studied comprehensively. Beware of special pleading.

Do I believe there is a place for topical preaching? Absolutely. Do I think every sermon ought to be expository? I recommend an expository approach to topical preaching. Rather than string together long lists of proof texts that act like one of those extreme connect-the-dots puzzles, I would urge a more careful look at the key passages that can be used to draw conclusions. Carefully exegete and exposit those passages, one at a time, as each contributes to the case that can be made from Scripture. Rather than rabbit trail through the concordance, grasp the big picture presented in Scripture. Don’t take the puzzle-piece approach to God’s Word. Topical preaching should give a closer examination of a part of the whole picture.

Learn the Bible examples of topical preaching. If you do that, you not only have a better chance of building a Biblical case, but you also earn the respect and confidence of the church. They trust you to lead them to what the Bible says.