Expository Preaching

Here at MissioSERVE, we partner with other organizations to train pastors around the world in the skill of expository preaching. But, unless you have been attending a church where that type of preaching is espoused, you may be wondering, “What is expository preaching, and why does it seem so important to some people?” If questions like these happen to be kicking around in your head, then you have landed in the right place! In this series of articles, we will explore what expository preaching is and why it is often considered to be the kind of preaching that is most helpful for the long-term health of God’s people. 

First, we must admit that the idea of “preaching” can be somewhat confusing in today’s western world. Some church leaders have concluded that the very concept of “preaching” — that of proclaiming an authoritative message — is passe. What is needed in these modern times, they say, is a “conversation” that explores the depths of human experience and emotion and develops a response as a community. For them, the Word of God is hardly relevant for today outside of informing us of the “faith journey” of ancient communities. It is mostly outdated, and what authority it may have had in times past has now “expired” in the face of increased knowledge and “developed” norms.  

Meanwhile, there are other church leaders who, while not totally opposed to the idea of “preaching,” really prefer to focus on positive “talks” that will help people navigate the difficulties of life and enjoy some measure of success and happiness along the way. They see the Bible as containing “ancient wisdom” that we should still consider and leverage for our prosperity and flourishing today. But its “truth” is not really unique from other “truth” that has been discovered by learned men in various fields of study. Their “talks” are commonly as full of modern studies and philosophies as they are of the Scriptures. In fact, the prevailing theories of the day are often the deciding factor by which they determine which Scriptures to incorporate into their presentation. 

Sadly, even among those who avow that the Word of God is both true and still authoritative today, many preach in a way that undermines that stated belief. They pick and choose which biblical passages they will preach according to social currents or personal concerns, rather than trusting God’s Spirit to providentially feed God’s people through a passage. They tend to snatch biblical texts out of their original setting and literary context so that they can put God’s Word to work for them. For these preachers, the Word of God becomes “a tool” wielded to advance their own conclusions or objectives. 

Finally, there are those brothers who fully espouse the authority and sufficiency of God’s Word, but who struggle to keep God’s intended message at the center of their preaching. In their efforts to “not leave any meat on the bone” of a text, they strain so much at the meaning of terms and ideas on the periphery that they fail to clearly communicate (perhaps even fully comprehend) the message God intended in the text. The result can be very similar to what happens when zooming in too far on a digital photo: it becomes so “pixelated” that the section being viewed is less intelligible than it was before magnifying it.

With all these differing ideas about preaching, we at MissioSERVE have a passion to equip pastors around the world with the tools they need for the work of expository preaching. We would define this as a kind of preaching in which the content and intent of the sermon is designed to faithfully communicate the content and intent of a biblical text. Our commitment to expository preaching rises from our conviction that every part of the Scriptures is “breathed out by God” (2 Tim. 3:16) as the writers were “carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21). This conviction leads us to conclude that the best message any pastor can preach is the message intended by God in the writing of the text. Our goal is to help them do that with both precision and power.