Expository Preaching is Convictional not Methodological

I’m thankful for the resurgence of expository preaching in recent years.  In fact, in He is Not Silent, Al Mohler has gone so far as to say that, “the only form of authentic Christian preaching is expository preaching.”  But, there continues to be much confusion in many circles about what exactly expository preaching is.  For many, expository preaching is NEVER topical, and always involves preaching through entire books of the Bible.  In some circles, to suggest anything less is nearly heretical.  For these folks, expository preaching is a method or a style.

I would like to suggest, however, that expository preaching is much more about conviction–a conviction that the Word of God is sufficient and that it accomplishes all that God intends for it to accomplish–than it is about method.  Ligon Duncan has this to say in Preaching the Cross:

By expository preaching, I don’t mean one particular style or method of preaching, but a self-conscious, principled commitment to preaching in such a way that the Scripture itself is supplying the main theme, principle headings, and central application in our proclamation.

In other words, a commitment to expository preaching is a commitment to allowing the text speak for itself.  It is a conviction that God’s word says it better than I can and that “good” preaching happens when the preacher gets out of the way and allows the Word of God to be heard clearly.  You may preach expository sermons in a strictly systematic outline, you may preach in narrative form, you may wear a suit or you may wear flip flops.  Your sermons may be built around 4-6 week themes or you may elaborate for years from the book of Romans.  The most important factor is that the Scripture sets the agenda for your messages and that it is allowed to speak clearly in the lives of your hearers.