Everyone seems to be claiming to do expository preaching these days. But what is expository preaching?
I came across a definition by J.I. Packer in his essay on Charles Simeon in the book “Preach the Word: Essays on Expository Preaching : In Honor of Kent Hughes.”
“…expository preaching is the preaching of the man who knows Holy Scripture to be the living Word of the living God, and who desires only that it should be free to speak its own message to sinful men and women; who therefore preaches from a text, and in preaching labors, as the Puritans would say, to ‘open’ it, or, in [Charles] Simeon’s phrase, to ‘bring out of the text what is there’; whose whole aim in preaching is to show his hearers what the text is saying to them about God and about themselves, and to lead them into what Barth called ‘the strange new world within the Bible’ in order that they may be met by him who is the Lord of that world” (J.I. Packer, “Expository Preaching: Charles Simone and Ourselves”, an essay in “Preach the Word: Essays on Expository Preaching: In Honor of Kent Hughes, page 141.)
Following are my meditations on Dr. Packer’s definition, phrase by phrase:
1) “Expository preaching is the preaching of the man who knows Holy Scripture to be the living Word of the living God…” O, how often we forget this. At least I do. How often we forget that “…the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12 (ESV).) The Word of God is more than simply another book… it is the breathed-out utterances of the living and true God which is powerful in causing transformation in the hearts and lives of His people (II Tim 3:16-17.) O may we not forget this…
2) “Expository preaching is the preaching of the man… who desires only that it should be free to speak its own message to sinful men and women…” Again, how often we impose our own ideas on the text of sacred Scripture rather than allowing the Almighty God to speak forth from that which He has inspired. O that we might “preach the Word” (II Tim 4:2) and not our own thoughts. This leads to the next phrase…
3) “Expository preaching is the preaching of the man who…labors, as the Puritans would say, to ‘open’ it, or, in [Charles] Simeon’s phrase, to ‘bring out of the text what is there’…” Exegesis… exegesis… exegesis. Live in the text of Scripture. Plumb its depths. Know what it means. Not what we want it to mean. Not what we think might help the current situation in our life, or the life of the local church where we serve. Know what it means. Thoroughly… intimately. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth”(2 Tim 2:15 (ESV).) Then… and only then… let Scripture speak for itself by opening it up clearly before God’s people.
4) “Expository preaching is the preaching of the man… whose whole aim in preaching is to show his hearers what the text is saying to them about God and about themselves…” I think the order is important here. The Bible is ultimately a Book about God. It reveals to us who God is and what He desires above all else. Far too often, we are guilty of addressing ourselves in Scripture before we unpack what a particular passage reveals to us about God. Then and only then are we ready to address what the passage says about us.
5) Expository preaching should “…lead them into what Barth called ‘the strange new world within the Bible’…” Our preaching should force us into a reality of heaven and hell, sinner and saint… and above all… a Savior who is both God and Man… a victorious Lion and sacrificial Lamb, standing as if slain… humble Servant of Yahweh and all-glorious King of kings! So often we camp out in the mundane world of our own existence. We talk about how to have healthy relationships and be happy in an unhappy world. These things may all have their place, but shouldn’t our preaching rise a little higher than the common world around us? Shouldn’t our people at least get a glimpse of the glorious story of redemption? Shouldn’t they enter into “the strange new world within the Bible” at least once a week as a result of the preached Word of the living God?
6) This sounds pretty hard. Why do we do all this? So that “…that they may be met by him who is the Lord of that world…” The goal of our preaching is that those in our congregations may encounter the living and true God. Not my rhetoric. Not my ideas regarding how to have a successful life. The goal is that God might meet them… and through this meeting, they may never be the same!
Forgive me for rambling. I just found this definition by Dr. Packer to be convicting… and encouraging. It has reminded me of the sufficiency of God’s Word. It has also reminded me of the awesome privilege which God has given me to preach His Word. And it has encouraged me to try harder… in the strength He provides… to “preach the Word”!
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