Exegetical Expository Preaching is a form of preaching that details the meaning of a particular text or passage of Scripture. It explains what the Bible means by what it says. Exegesis is technical and grammatical exposition, a careful drawing out of the exact meaning of a passage, verse by verse, word by word, in its original context and from the original language.
While I believe that many churches in America have believers in attendance, there is a significant difference between simply being a believer in Christ and being a disciple of Christ. The primary difference is maturity in their relationship with Christ. While many Christians have a cursory understanding of the Bible, most lack depth of understanding of the original Biblical text and God’s revealed truth in His Word. God has primarily equipped me and gifted me to help Christians grow past conversion, to deeper levels of maturity with the purpose of becoming stronger disciples. Currently, I preach regularly in my home church, using Exegetical Expository Preaching of the Word, book by book, verse by verse and word by word. In a general sense, the word “exposition” basically means to “expose” what is already there—the exegetical expository preacher’s goal is simply to expose the meaning of the Bible, verse by verse.
God has equipped me to serve the body of Christ using exegetical expository teaching and preaching of His word as often as I can and at every opportunity that God gives me. For me, Exegetical Expository Preaching means that the point of a passage that God wants to convey, becomes the point of the sermon. Unlike topical preaching, where the preacher thinks of a “topic, theme or idea” to preach on, and then comes to the Bible to search for support in the Bible for that “topic, theme or idea” and then uses various Bible passages to support the pastor’s pre-identified sermon topic.
G. Campbell Morgan, pastor of London’s Westminster Chapel once said that “a sermon is limited by the text it is covering. Every word from the pulpit should amplify, elaborate on, or illustrate the text at hand, with a view towards clarity. The sermon is the text repeated more fully.” For the Exegetical Expository Preacher, the sermon’s primary function is to present the Biblical text. An Exegetical Expository Preacher might say something like this;
The Exegetical Expository Preacher comes to a passage and tries to grasp the ideas presented in that passage. The “point of the sermon”, for an exegetical expository teacher, is already in the passage. My job is to accurately identify what God is saying in the passage and then to communicate that passage clearly. For me, the preacher is coming to the Bible to discover God’s message embedded in the passage, not merely to find support for what the pastor thinks the church should hear. God has already given us all the sermon topics we need; they are already in the passage. Most of the time we do not need to come up with a topic for a sermon. We just need to exegete and expose what God has already written, preach it properly, and then let the Holy Spirit change hearts, i.e. Exegetical Expository Preaching!
- The Bible is God’s Word. If every word of God is pure and true (Psalm 12:6; 19:9; 119:140), then every word deserves to be examined and understood.
- Men need wisdom from God in order to understand the Word (1 Corinthians 2:12-16).
- The preacher is subject to the text, not the other way around. Scripture is the authority, and its message must be presented honestly, apart from personal bias.
- The preacher’s job is to clarify the text and call for a corresponding response from Christians who study the Word in order to grow from simply being a believer in Christ and towards being a disciple of Christ and becoming the man or woman God wants us to be.
An Exegetical Expository Preacher will care less if a Christian says, “What a great sermon” or “What an entertaining speaker.” What he truly wants them to say is, “Now I know what that passage means,” or “I better understand who God is and what He requires of me.”
In the years I have left to serve Christ and help grow the body of Christ while here on earth, I seek every opportunity God provides me to preach and expose His Word to Christians wherever God provides me an opportunity to do so, using Exegetical Expository Preaching!
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Pastor Crain can be available for Guest Preaching, Pulpit Supply, and Interim Pastor support for various churches throughout the region. Send inquiry