Some Thoughts on Expository Preaching

Recently I was asked to answer a few questions related to expository preaching. I have edited the questions and answers to send this to you. My answers are not comprehensive, but they represent my attempt to give a brief answer on important questions.

1. What is ‘our’ approach to expository preaching?

First of all, I do not consider our approach to biblical expository preaching to be unique. My definition of expository preaching is in keeping with my father's definition of expository preaching in our book, “Anointed Expository Preaching.” And our definition would be similar to other definitions:

“Expository preaching is the Spirit-empowered explanation and proclamation of the text of God’s Word,
with due regard to the historical, contextual, grammatical, and doctrinal significance of the given passage,
with the specific object of invoking a Christ-transforming response.”

I like to think of four fundamental aspects of preaching that help us to understand biblical expository preaching.

First of all, the message and the preacher are to be Spirit-empowered. Therefore, the life of the preacher should be characterized by total dependence upon the Holy Spirit for what God's Spirit can do in the preaching event.

Second, biblical expository preaching must be text determined. By that I mean that what is said by the preacher is guided and governed by the text of scripture. Because of this I encourage preachers to have a primary text that can be studied carefully so that it is interpreted accurately and fully. The text should not only govern the subject of the message, the text should govern what is said about the subject of the message.

A third aspect of biblical expository preaching is that the message is doctrinally focused. This means the message centers around the doctrine taught or presented in the sermon text. The doctrine, or teaching presented in the message, needs to be the primary doctrine or teaching of the text that is being presented. This doctrine needs to be presented in its textual and biblical context, and it gives focus for the development of the message.

Lastly, biblical expository preaching should be characterized by a purposeful delivery of the message. The preacher is seeking to not only inform the audience, but the preacher is to exhort the audience to respond appropriately to the truth of the text expounded in the message.

Indeed, the purpose of the sermon should be guided by the purpose and explicit or implicit challenge of the text as well. So, there is a spiritual, textual, doctrinal, and purposeful aspect to a biblical expository sermon.

2. Should a preacher preach from the OT and NT?

I believe that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God.” All scripture is profitable (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The preacher needs to have a sense of the ‘whole counsel of God’ (Acts 20:27).

Over time, the preacher will certainly want to preach from both the Old and New Testaments. The drama of redemption involves both the Old and the New Testaments. To fully grasp New Testament truth, we have been given Old Testament law, history, wisdom, psalms, and prophecy to guide us in our understanding of creation, man, sin, the need for salvation, God's plan of redemption, the need for a Messiah, the coming of the Messiah, and the preparation for the New Covenant.

I don't think I need to argue about the need to preach from the New Testament. Preachers need to preach the gospel of the grace of God, as they seek to preach the whole council of God.

I like to think of a target. The Lord Jesus Christ, Him crucified, and the gospel of the grace of God are at the center of the target. Around that center are the primary truths of the Scriptures that support the gospel. Then, there is the depth and breadth of the Scriptures.

My father taught in one of his sessions that everyone in the church should know what Colossians 2:6-7 means in its context.

We encourage preaching “book by book, or series by series” somewhere within the life of the church. At the same time, the preacher needs to assess what the ‘people of Christ’ know and are experiencing in their lives.

3. What are some steps in sermon preparation?

Here’s an outline:

Personal preparation and prayer
Text selection
Reading the text
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Investigating the context of the text
Investigating the details of the text
Determining the truths of the text
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Organizing the sermon based on:
The dominating theme of the text (the primary truth of the text)
The integrating thoughts of the text
The motivating thrust of the text
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Develop and write out the sermon outline based on the organization
Theme – Subject
Thoughts – Structure
Thrust – purpose/Challenge
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Finalization:
Write Out Sermon Guided by the Outline
Introduction (Subject/Background/Burden)
Exposition (Explanation/Illustration/Application)
Conclusion (Clarification/Exhortation/Invitation)

4. How does preaching relate to worship?

There are many facets to worship, but worship without faith and obedience is not worship. Faith is based on what God has revealed in His Word. That is one reason we preach.

Obedience is a life lived in response to the Word of God based on faith in, love for and loyalty to God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Word of God united to the Spirit of God is central to all Christian experience. So, the Word of God is central to Christian worship.

Keep in mind that people are born again through the preached Word of God (1 Peter 1:22-25), and people grow through the “pure spiritual milk” (2:1-10), which I believe in the Word of God.

Order of worship, style of worship, and “other” gatherings of God’s people should be in keeping with God’s directives to His people. Somewhere in the life of God’s people, the functions of Acts 2:42 (and more) need to be taking place. I believe that Acts 2:42-47 gives us insight into basic functions in the life of God’s people. Whether or not you call them “worship” is another matter. All of life should be worship (in a sense).

5. Will Expository Preaching Grow a Church?

Christ builds His church. He uses His means to accomplish His mission.

One of those means is the Word of God. Growth comes through the “Word and Spirit.” Also, prayer and other spiritual disciplines are needed to stimulate growth and maintain it.

People can resist growth. People can quench and grieve the Holy Spirit. People can disobey and reject the Word of God. So, progress and growth are not automatic. Growth into maturity will involve hearing, learning, obeying and abiding in the Lord and His Word.

6. Are There Other Ways to Preach Other Than Expository Preaching?

I like to answer this kind of question in a multi-faceted way.

First of all, expository preaching is not the only form of communication needed in the church: there is testimony, words of encouragement, exhortations, systematic teaching, prayer, singing, etc. Preaching and teaching are not the only words in the New Testament used for important communications.

Then, there can be messages preached that do not follow the usual pattern of expository preaching that I have presented. Usually this would involve a “proof-texting” type of teaching, or a message based on numerous texts. I have reasons that I do not prefer these other approaches to preaching, but they have been used by God, and they are not wrong if the truth presented is really confirmed by the texts used.

In the end, God’s people need to learn the Apostle’s doctrine and indeed the Scriptures themselves.

The key issue will be, are you interpreting the text and truth accurately?

Biblical expository preaching (in my definition) seeks to present the teaching and the truths of a specific unit of Scripture within its Biblical context. Knowing how to do Biblical expository preaching will help you with messages that may be more topical or an exhortation, or a “proof-texting” message that has a “home-text.”

An evangelistic message may need to provide a gospel summary that is not limited to one text. At the same time, there can be expository evangelistic messages that are based on a primary text and then are interpreted within the Biblical context of the drama of redemption and the essentials of the gospel.

So, in the narrow sense of an expository message being a message based on a thorough explanation of a primary unit of Scripture, I believe that a preacher can be faithful and depart from this specific practice.

But, I would encourage preachers to learn how to present expository messages. The preparation needed for a basic expository message involves the type of Biblical study that is needed to discover the textual truths found in a given text in its context.

 —David O.