Understanding Expository Preaching

Characteristics of Non-Expository Preaching

Not Seeker-Sensitive Preaching

• Begins with man's felt needs rather than the Word of God
• Focuses on superficial needs rather than the real need of conviction of sin
• Typical of mega-church pastors who prioritize attracting crowds over proclaiming the truth
• R.C. Sproul: "If you had a seeker-sensitive service, the only one who would show up would be God"

Not Emergent Preaching

• Lacks certainty and conviction of truth
• Glories in unresolvable mystery rather than proclaiming the truth
• Brian McLaren: "We reenter a world of mystery" where people are skeptical of claims to certainty
• Contrasts with 1 John 5:13, which assures believers of their eternal life

Not Improvisational Preaching

• Treats the pulpit as a stage and the congregation as an audience
• Prioritizes being "contemporary" and "edgy" over proclaiming the truth
• Article: "improvisational preaching" draws on insights from stage, jazz, and stand-up comedy
• Focuses on sharing the preacher's heart rather than proclaiming the truth

Not Imaginative Preaching

• Looks beyond the Bible for inspiration, considering it too narrow and restrictive
• Rob Bell: "God can be found in all the interesting things buzzing around us"
• Tries to "tie the clouds together" by combining Scripture with philosophy, culture, and more
• Admits to being confined by the text and seeking to "see more"

Not Positive Thinking Preaching

• Focuses on positive thinking and self-help rather than the truth of God's Word
• Typical of Word of Faith movement and Joel Osteen's preaching style
• Lacks mention of sin, repentance, and hell, instead emphasizing wealth, health, and success

Not Culture-Driven Preaching

• Tries to transform culture without first transforming individuals through regeneration
• Contrasts with the Reformation, which transformed culture through preaching the Word of God
• Futile to try to transform an unregenerate culture without first preaching the Bible

Not Moralistic Preaching

• Focuses on how-to sermons and application without exegesis or interpretation of the text
• Typical of preaching that is all duty and no power of the Spirit of God
• Bypasses the text to focus on application, like building a house without a foundation

Not Psychological Preaching

• Brings secular psychology into the pulpit, giving secular diagnoses of spiritual problems
• Lacks theology, focusing on therapy rather than spiritual growth
• Typical of preaching that speaks of repressions, fixations, traumas, and syndromes rather than spiritual truth

Not Narrative Preaching

• Focuses on storytelling and emotional content rather than propositional truth and theological substance
• Typical of preaching that lacks a clear message and substitutes emotional appeal for spiritual truth
• Prioritizes the preacher's story over the truth of God's Word### The Importance of Expository Preaching
• Expository preaching is not just a commentary or a lecture, but rather a sermon that aims to explain and apply the Word of God to the listener's life.
• It is not focused on information dissemination, but rather on calling for a verdict in the heart of the listener.
• Expository preaching is not just about presenting facts, but also about motivating, declaring, proclaiming, and applying the Word of God to the listener's life.

The Definition of Expository Preaching

• Expository preaching is "the kind of preaching that is rooted and grounded in the Word of God, and it explains what God means by what God says."
• It involves both exposition (explaining the text) and preaching (proclaiming the text with authority and passion).
• Exposition without preaching is mere information dissemination, while preaching without exposition is shallow and lacks substance.

The Characteristics of Expository Preaching

• It is biblical, exegetical, theological, and doctrinal.
• It is informative, instructive, explanatory, descriptive, and interpretive.
• It involves both light (clarity and understanding) and heat (passion and conviction).
• It aims to instruct the mind, ignite the heart, and impel the will.

The Importance of Preaching the Word

• Preaching the Word is mandated by Scripture (2 Timothy 4:2).
• The preacher must always point to the text of Scripture and stay with it throughout the sermon.
• The text is like an underground well, and everything said in the sermon must flow from it.

Formal Definitions of Expository Preaching

• According to John Calvin, expository preaching is "the explication of the text and then the exhortation from that text to the listener."
• According to Merle Unger, expository preaching is "communicating the real and essential meaning of a passage of Scripture as it existed in the mind of the particular biblical author and as it exists in the light of the overall context of Scripture."
• According to J.I. Packer, expository preaching is "the true idea of preaching is that the preacher should become a mouthpiece for his text, opening it up and applying it as the Word of God to his listeners."### Definition of Expository Preaching
• Expository preaching is a mode of Christian preaching that takes as its central purpose the presentation and application of the text of the Bible.
• The presentation and application of the text of the Bible is the primary task, and everything else is secondary and peripheral.

Key Characteristics of Expository Preaching

• The structure of the sermon follows the structure of the passage of Scripture.
• The preacher sets forth the meaning and message of the biblical text and makes clear how the Word of God establishes the identity and worldview for the people of God.
• Genuine exposition takes place when the preacher explains the text, breaks it down, and makes its meaning clear to the congregation.
• The explanation of Scripture forms the dominant feature and the organizing principle of the message.

Other Definitions of Expository Preaching

• Philip Riken: Expository preaching means making God's Word plain, not making the culture or felt needs plain.
• Expository preaching is preaching that is driven by Scripture and derived from its divine authority.
• Murray: Such preaching presents a text, explores its context, explains its meaning, expounds its doctrine, and applies its gospel to the spiritual needs of those who listen, exalting the glory of God.

Importance of Passion and Urgency in Preaching

• Martin Lloyd-Jones: Preaching is theology on fire, and we must always be expository.
• We need to preach as dying men to dying men, with passion, urgency, authority, and pastoral concern.

Variance in Expository Preaching

• Different expositors may have different approaches to expository preaching, but the science of exegesis remains the same.
• The art of expository preaching involves the manner in which the truth is conveyed, and this can vary due to individual personalities, temperaments, and experiences.

Examples of Expositors

• John Calvin: Preached line upon line, phrase upon phrase, and entire books in the Bible, without outlines, manuscripts, or notes.
• Other expositors may have different approaches and styles, but the core of expository preaching remains the same.

This quiz explores the concept of expository preaching, highlighting what it is not and the importance of true exposition of the Word of God.