Expository Preaching

As your pastor, I’ve been solemnly charged to “preach the word” here at Goshen Baptist Church (2 Tim 4:2). It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of this task. 2 Timothy is Paul’s last will and testament (see 4:6-8) in which he passes the leadership baton to young Pastor Timothy, and in it he under­scores the Word of God—guarding, teaching, and proclaiming it. It’s as if he uses multiple neon high­lighters and bold italics to emphasize the point: as a pastor, you have to preach God’s truth and help people understand and embrace it; if you don’t proclaim the Word of God, all is lost. Of course, this must be done in a patient, loving manner (v 2). And, of course, God’s message won’t always be welcome—some “itching ears” will long to hear a different word (4:3).

In order to strive to be faithful before the Lord in preaching, I think it’s wise to preach “expository” messages at least most of the time. By “expository” I mean sermons that start with the text—God’s Word—and have no other aim than simply to explain God’s message and urge people to obey it. That’s why we’ve been working our way through Acts all this year. Our goal has been to sit still before the Lord and let him set the agenda for the times we gather in his presence. Acts is the story of the church’s birth and global expansion by God’s hand and through his witnesses. Our aim, again, has been simply to hear God’s message and watch him in action as he forms, leads and builds his church: we want to take in and follow all that he teaches us, the whole counsel of God.

Think of it, if you were granted an audience with a king (in fact, let’s say the King of Kings), would you cut in after being introduced and say, “Your Highness, thanks for inviting me to hear you talk, but I’m really not so inter­ested in what you think. I’d rather get a little help to process the issues on my mind—you know, things that are relevant. Could you please speak to my agenda?”? No, of course not. But still, aren’t we tempted in just this way? Don’t we itch for a message that scratches just so, one (mis)uses God’s Word to cause our lives revolve around us?

Don’t get me wrong: there’s a time for topical messages focused on the issues we face today. The God-honoring way to do this is by shining the Bible’s light on those needs. (And after Acts, we’ll have a sermon series about the questions on your mind—more on that next week.) But, stepping back, our bread and butter diet is the expository preaching of God’s life-changing, hope-giving, always-relevant Word. Please pray for me, that I would expound the Scriptures faithfully!

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