Have you ever had a bad meal from a good restaurant? I know I have and with prices that way they are, it is not something you soon forget. I think we all understand that even the best of places have off days. But if we know it is a good place, we will be more apt to try it again. In my last post, I talked about what I believe is the best method of exposing the people of God to the Word of God on the Lord’s Day. I am convinced that this is done through expository preaching. However, I am not so naïve to think that every expository sermon is done in a 5-star fashion and there are times when it is not modeled well. I want to help correct some misconceptions about expository preaching I think are important. Or maybe if you have personally experienced one of the points below, understand that these are areas that expositors of the Word seek to avoid.   

One critique of expository preaching is that it has a lack of application. A sermon is not really a sermon until an application is made from the text. I must confess, this is at times challenging for me and expository preachers. An expository sermon that has no application is like having a cookbook and ingredients without fixing the meal. The purpose of having cookbooks and ingredients is to make a meal so you can eat. The purpose of a sermon is to listen so that you can become more like Jesus. Application is central. I think one thing that helps pastors be more applicable in their sermons is by knowing the people in the congregation. The shepherd should smell like the sheep.  

A second critique that has been made of expositional preaching is the emphasis on irrelevant points or points that do not intersect with real life. Expository preaching can not only miss application, but it can at times make an emphasis on something that is not really connected with real life. I remember teaching one evening years ago on a particular topic that was connected to Nehemiah. I will never forget how glazed over people were as I went into a list of kings from a forgotten era that no one had ever heard of. I remember one guy even shaking his head trying to wake himself up. That was definitely not one of my better teaching moments! However, I learned from that painful lesson, people need to be taught the Bible. This needed critique does not mean that doctrine should not be preached because it certainly should.  

A third temptation that expository preachers must not succumb to is a pride of knowledge. It a real temptation is for preachers to make people aware of how much they know and how in depth they have studied. However, pride has no place in the pulpit. General instruction in matters of Greek and Hebrew can help the congregation grasp a Biblical concept better but the preacher need not spend a lot of time there. Nor does he need to seek to speak eloquently about a lot of facts he has learned that week. As preachers, we are heralds of the truth of God’s Word, not disseminators of useless jeopardy like information that makes us look smart. I once heard Alister Begg say years ago something to the effect that you cannot make Jesus look good and yourself look good at the same time in your preaching. If the preacher is the hero of the sermon, or even the focal point, it is sure that Jesus is not.    

After being committed to expository preaching for about 10 years now, I do not think I will ever do anything else. It is a conviction for me. If you have never sat under this type of preaching before week in and week out, it can be an acquired taste. But friend, once you develop the taste for the unsearchable riches of Christ expounded from Scripture week in and week out, I think you will want nothing more than the Word of God taught to you. If you are a listener to preaching, try and remember that your pastor is human and preaches duds from time to time. If his preaching lacks application that week, try and find it in the text yourself while he is preaching. Pray for him. We need it! If you are a preacher, keep preaching the Word in spite of your failure to do it justice each and every week. 

Soli Deo Gloria!