Preaching through the book of Psalms. Suggestion needed

Haddon Robinson (I think) issued the directive: in addition to exegeting the text, you must exegete your audience.  IOW, you should know the audience enough to tailor the message to their situation.  Sometimes this means breaking it up.

Case in point, I spent about three years in Romans with some mini-series interspersed to chase down timely issues.  I have no idea how long I'll be in Luke, it's been several months and I'm in chapter 3. I've already had my first external to Luke mini-series on praying for the Lost and there will be more I'm sure.

If, in the midst of the series you discern that the congregation is yearning for a change, interrupt the series for a few  months with a separate series and return afterward.  Of course, if you're doing the work of exposition well, what you preach in the Psalms will be relevant to the gathered saints.

[quote]

At the third stage the expositor has finished his deep study and asks himself, “How can I blend my findings in such a way that my flock will understand the Bible and its requirements for their lives today?” In a sense, the art of exposition commences here.
Nolan Howington uses a graphic description to relate exegesis and exposition: “Thus an exegete is like a diver bringing up pearls from the ocean bed; an expositor is like the jeweler who arrays them in orderly fashion and in proper relation to each other.”
Titles, outlines, introductions, illustrations, and conclusions enter the process at this stage. The message moves from the raw materials mined by exegesis to the finished product of exposition, which the hearers, it is hoped, will find interesting, convicting, and compelling. The key to this step is remembering what distinguishes exposition: explaining the text, especially parts that are hard to understand or apply. It is equally important to remember not only the text, but the audience as well.
F. B. Meyer offers this advice when thinking of the listeners and what sermonic form the message will take:


  There are five considerations that must be met in every successful sermon. There should be an appeal to the Reason, to the Conscience, to the Imagination, to the Emotions, and to the Will; and for each of these there is no method so serviceable as systematic exposition.


John MacArthur, Rediscovering Expository Preaching (Dallas: Word Pub., 1997), 17.

Excellent response Thomas.[Y]

Timothy:

One thing I did this summer was on themes in the Psalms - for example, "Joy in the Psalms", "Anger in  the Psalms", "Faith in the Psalms".  Rather than exegeting individual Psalms, I looked at a series of recurring themes that ran through a number of the Psalms.  Some of the focus was on the themes, other times I looked at the vocabulary of the theme used by the various authors represented in the Psalms.  

The series did conclude with a four week walk through the 23rd Psalm using Max Lucado's Traveling LIght as a guide. 

Timothy, I don't know whether this further suggestion will help you or not, but here is a copy of a layout I use for a study through the Psalms:

I specifically pulled up the Summarized Bible just for this screenshot.

God bless

{charley}