Unlocking the Power of Expository Preaching

                Ah, finally, the long summer was over. James worked all summer at a sports camp teaching children how to play soccer. He rarely had time over the summer, but now he and his buddy Matthew were heading to Old Town, FL, to fish the great Suwannee River. But before heading out on their trip, they had to pick up Matthew’s boat, which was in the shop getting a tune-up. As they went to pick up the boat, the mechanic gave them instructions about a new, more powerful motor they put on Matthew’s boat. The mechanic instructed that the motor be engaged once in the water, ease the throttle forward, and not slam it down. The boys did not listen to the mechanic as they dreamed of getting away for a week and fishing. As the boys launched the boat and began their journey on the river, James remembered the mechanic saying something about easing into the throttle. Before he could say anything, Matthew slammed the throttle forward. In no time, the boat was completely vertical. Matthew quickly pulled the throttle back. The boys looked at each other and said, “Now that is some power.”

                The Bible is God’s final word. It is humanity’s final and ultimate authority. “The good news is that God is not silent. He has spoken! We are not left to ourselves in total confusion, despair, and death. We can understand, hope, and live, and all because he has made himself known to us in a saving way.”[1] God has made himself known. Humanity can know God through his word. It is not a far stretch to suggest that if someone desires to learn about a historical figure, they should read the book about them. The scriptures are powerful. Any good sermon begins with a passage of scripture.

Unlocking this power is not difficult. Expository preaching and teaching will unlock this power regardless of how it is used. A sermon can be based on a book of the Bible, which is the traditional way expository sermons are preached, or topical. It seems that for a while, there was this debate on whether or not to preach expository sermons or topical sermons. Why not both?  An expository sermon can take a book of the Bible and exposit the text, and a topical sermon can exposit the text. The danger in both is misinterpreting the text. A discussion for another day. While pastors may have an idea or topic they want to address, allowing biblical text to develop the theme or subject may be a better practice. Exposition is the final step in the process of sermon preparation.

Unlocking the power of expository preaching or teaching begins with sermon prep. When the pastor approaches their text, they need an exegetical process to help them understand it.

Careful exegesis leads to good hermeneutics – the science of interpreting what a passage of Scripture means. Careful exegesis and good hermeneutics enable the preacher to practice ‘homiletics,’ which is the art and science of saying the same that the text of Scripture says. When delivery is added to this whole process of exegesis, hermeneutics, and homiletics, the result can be described as exposition.[2]

Like a good fisherman, the preacher will have a game plan that helps them prepare for the ultimate goal of seeing lives changed, which can only be accomplished through the power of the Gospel.

This power can save even the worst of sinners. As pastors preach to the room, they must do so under the conviction that nobody is saved or has a relationship with Jesus. They must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and the scriptures to see souls come from death to life. If Saul in the Bible can go from one of the worst murderers in ancient history to one of the greatest men in the Bible, then this same gospel can transform any heart. Pastors must remember this truth. As they take the pulpit on Sunday mornings, they must be convinced of the power of the Bible. Fully engage the throttle.

[1] Matthew Barrett, God’s Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 153.  

[2] Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix, Power in the Pulpit: How to Prepare and Deliver Expository Sermons (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1999), 28.