📖 Biblical Definition
Expository preaching is the method most faithful to "preach the word" (2 Timothy 4:2). Ezra and the Levites modeled it: reading Scripture and explaining its meaning (Nehemiah 8:8). Jesus' synagogue sermon was expository: He read the text and declared, "This day is this scripture fulfilled" (Luke 4:16-21). The apostles devoted themselves to the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4). Expository preaching subordinates the preacher to the text.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The method of preaching that draws content, structure, and authority directly from the biblical text.
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Webster defines EXPOSITORY as "serving to expound" and PREACH as "to pronounce a public discourse on a religious subject." Combined: the public proclamation of truth drawn from and controlled by the biblical text.
📖 Key Scripture
• 2 Timothy 4:2 — "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort."
• Nehemiah 8:8 — "They read in the book distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand."
• Luke 4:16-21 — "He stood up for to read... This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."
• Acts 6:4 — "We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Expository preaching is dismissed as boring or irrelevant by a church addicted to entertainment.
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The modern church has abandoned expository preaching for methods that prioritize engagement over faithfulness. Topical sermons cherry-pick verses. Narrative preaching prioritizes storytelling over doctrine. Motivational preaching substitutes self-help for sanctification. Every great reformation has been accompanied by the recovery of expository preaching.
Usage
• "Expository preaching is not one method among many; it is the method most faithful to the command to preach the Word — all of it, in its context."
• "The preacher who practices expository preaching places himself under the authority of the text rather than over it."
• "Every great awakening in church history has been accompanied by the recovery of expository preaching."