6) Preaching through books of the Bible models the best way to study the Bible
It seems likely that many in a congregation will model their own personal Bible study after what the Pastor does on Sunday morning. If they see me skipping around, avoiding the hard texts, and not dealing with things that can be difficult to understand, then they will assume that this is how they should study their Bible as well.
7) Preaching through books of the Bible gives the congregation a better understanding of individual books of the Bible
Jonah was the first book that I preached through. In my experience, if you asked most professing Christians “what is the primary message of the book of Jonah?” Or “what does Jonah tell us about God, and grace, and our mission in the world?” they wouldn’t be able to tell you. Perhaps they have heard sermons on “Jonah and the whale” but beyond that, they don’t have a great understanding of the book as a whole. I am convinced, though, from my experience that over the long-haul, congregants will have a much better understanding of individual books of the Bible and the Bible as a whole if they have been exposed weekly to consecutive expository preaching through books as opposed to other methods.
>8) Preaching through books of the Bible ensures a balanced diet of scriptural truth
If a preacher is afraid of sounding legalistic, he will gravitate to texts that speak of indicatives. (what God has done) If he is afraid of sounding antinomian, he will gravitate to texts that speak of imperatives (what we should do) When one preaches through books of the Bible, though, they will be faced with both. This ensures that the congregation’s understanding of the Christian life is balanced, and not skewed by the pastor’s choices of texts.
9) Preaching through books of the Bible allows the congregation to know what is coming so that they can prepare throughout the week
I have been encouraged by families who have told me that they read and discuss the text that I will be preaching on throughout the week. I believe that this practice is quite helpful so that one can have their heart and mind prepared to hear the text expounded on the Lord’s Day as they have already been meditating on it. This practice, though, would obviously not be possible if those in the congregation did not know what the text was going to be on Sunday.
10) Preaching through books of the Bible frees me from being needlessly creative
When I go into my office on Tuesday morning, I do not have to figure out what text or topic I am going to preach on Sunday. I do not need to come up with a new cleverly titled sermon series. I don’t have to determine which of the texts from the lectionary I want to preach. This frees up more time for study, prayer, counseling, and other aspect of pastoral ministry.