The introduction and first point can be read HERE. Again I quote Witmer:
“The pastor should also be concerned to represent scriptura tota (the whole counsel of God) in his preaching ministry. The best way to provide this balanced diet is through the systematic expository preaching of the Scriptures.
2. It requires that the shepherd concern himself with the
intent of the Divine author for every text.
The Lord gives us the
Scriptures with his purpose in mind. The faithful expositor will seek this
purpose rather than yield to his own whims and impose his own agenda in the
ministry of the Word.
3. It respects the integrity of the textual units given
through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
I point to the fact that no one
ever thinks of teaching the textbook of any other science in any other way.
What would be thought of the master who professed to teach a system of geometry
or mechanics by commenting in a brilliant way on one and another apothegm
selected from the author. Every text is within a context designed by the
divine author. An effective preacher takes into account the larger textual
unit, the context in the book as a whole, and its place in the overall span of
biblical revelation. [Emphasis mine]
It's interesting to me that in no other discipline, a manual is read by jumping to and fro throughout the document. It is a very strange thing that we choose to treat the Scriptures with a presumption that we can do a better job at amassing the Lord's message than He did through the Divine Author!
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[1]
Shepherd Leader (pp. 142-146). P&R Publishing. Kindle Edition.
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