Brothers, preach hard books. During our church’s new members class, our pastors make a case for expository preaching. It is one of our church’s most profound convictions. During the class, we explain our preaching strategy from both Old Testament and New Testament books. We discuss the importance of preaching the Psalms and the Gospels. I always add we want to be experts on Jesus, and we want to be a worshipping people. But we also explain that expository preaching actually protects the church from the pastor. Eyes usually get big at the thought. However, we explain how every pastor has soap boxes. Further, every pastor has texts and truths he tends to avoid. Therefore, preaching the whole counsel of God protects the church from a pastor’s soapbox and forces him into truths he might otherwise avoid.

That is how expository preaching should work in an ideal world. However, that is not always the case. For example, I attended a seminary that had an amazing class that was an in-depth exegesis of the book of Ephesians. We all joked about how pastors from that seminary taught heavily from Ephesians at their first pastorate. However, many times, hard books are overlooked. For example, a book like Ephesians is profound but linear in its logic, but what about Isaiah? I assume many pastors prefer to preach an easier-to-understand book like Ephesians over the swirling imagery of Isaiah. This claim is true for a number of reasons. Calvinists love Romans, but might be tempted to preach less from the warning passages in Hebrews. Arminian leaning brothers might love the Gospel of John, but find it more difficult to preach Romans or Ephesians. It is a mark of a mature pastor and a healthy church if sermons are preached from hard books.

A Commitment to the Doctrine of Scripture

First, preaching hard books demonstrates a commitment to the authority and power of the Word. Like Luke, Malachi is “God breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). Isaiah is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12), just like Galatians. Pastors preaching hard books demonstrate the authority of God’s Word to the church. It helps people understand how to apply those texts to their lives. By preaching hard passages, I have seen our people embrace all of God’s Word and not just cherry-pick well-known texts. When God’s people understand and apply God’s Word, they also unleash its power. Preaching difficult books like Micah’s opens the floodgates of God’s power. I have seen God do powerful things in the lives of his people when they reflect on rarely studied texts.

Preaching Grows the Pastor and the Congregation

Second, preaching hard books spiritually grows the pastor and the congregation. I’m Reformed, and preaching the warning passages from Hebrews has forced me to do the hard work of clarifying my theology in light of God’s Word. By preaching those passages, I grew by creating a place for genuine warning in my spiritual life. I emphasize God’s grace, but I also shouldn’t avoid a genuine call to fear the Lord. Our study of the book of Micah greatly challenged our church. The paradoxical Day of the Lord is a consistent theme in Micah’s book. The Day of the Lord became a hope and a motivation for our church. I have benefited from doing the challenging work of wadding into hard passages, but more importantly, our church has also spiritually matured.

Hard Books Illuminate the Gospel

Third, preaching hard books illumines a beautiful and lofty gospel. Brothers, I’m with you in having soap boxes. Particular themes and passages stir my soul over and over again. However, if I stick to my tried-and-true texts, I limit the beauty of the gospel for myself and our church. For example, diving into the prophet’s foreshadowing prophecies about Jesus was like holding up a diamond to the light and examining its beauty from multiple angles. We might have head knowledge of certain truths, but preaching even the hard texts helps us ponder the stirring of the gospel afresh. Further, I’ve found hard texts broaden my understanding to make the gospel loftier and God more glorious. For example, Old Testament narratives can provide layers of meaning that protect us from putting God in a box.

Years ago, I heard an older pastor say that he tries to bounce back and forth from the Old Testament to the New Testament in his expositional series. Initially, his approach seemed too formulaic to me. However, as years have passed, I have found that pattern helps me into difficult Old Testament books that I might naturally avoid. Preaching those hard texts have helped me see how God’s Word is truly powerful to save and sanctify. Preaching those hard texts have given us a delight in the God of the gospel. Preaching those hard texts has matured our church and me.