"It's Just The Next Passage"

Tomorrow I'm preaching the final part of a year long series on Hebrews and I'm reminded of one of the great reasons for undertaking systematic bible exposition. My text includes 13:17:

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Not the most comfortable text to preach on as the Pastor but given it's just the next passage in the series and I didn't put it there or choose the timing (to fit in with that oh so difficult and controversial issue!) my life is made slightly easier. It's the same with some of the other tricky passages in Scripture....we're not generally inclined to preach on them and if we do then, understandably, questions might be asked about our motivation ("I wonder whether DG has such and such a situation/person in view...hmmm"!)

There are, of course, plenty of other reasons to have systematic exposition as the staple preaching pattern in the life of a church but just having to preach the next passage, whatever it is, ranks high for me.