The Basics of Expository Preaching

Scripture Passage: Various

1. What is expository preaching?
2. What are the tools of expository preaching?
3. What are word studies in relation to expository preaching?
4. What are the qualities for writing that produce "good" expository preaching?

1. What is expository preaching?

Exposition is simply the process of extracting God’s intended meaning from a portion of Scripture and clearly communicating that meaning to an audience. Any message on spiritual truths should be expository in nature and, therefore, must be derived from the Bible. The Bible is the revelation of spiritual truth from God. As Peter explained:

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21, NIV)

Exposition is the process of obtaining meaning from a passage of Scripture and relating that meaning to the hearer in a way that is relevant and applicable to their life. So the essence of an expository message on spiritual truth must use Scripture as the basis for exposition. The aids to illustrating and applying this truth may come from many other sources. But the basic meaning must come from through exposition of our one objective source of spiritual truth, the Bible. God has provided the Bible for this express purpose.

How can a finite human being capture, much less comprehend, the eternal truth of God? Thankfully, God has provided the Holy Spirit to illumine our minds and guide our understanding of His word. 

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. (1 Corinthians 2:11-13, NIV)

So, an expository message must use the Bible for exposition and the help of the Holy Spirit to properly interpret the spiritual truth that is in the text. In this way, the message will be the one God intended the hearer to understand.

God has promised to help us in our time of need (Psalm 10:14; 28:7; 33:20; 37:39-40; 46:1; 54:4 and many, many others). I can think of no greater time when, in this body of clay, one tries to discern a spiritual truth or principle from our eternal, infinite God. Preparation of an expository message should always begin with prayer for God’s help in understanding and applying the word of God to one’s own life first and then for application in the lives of one’s congregation. It is also best practice to mark Scripture references for every point in the message to ensure there is a solid foundation for it.

2. What are the tools of expository preaching?

The primary tool is, of course, the Bible. And those who have studied Greek and Hebrew have an advantage in being able to study the Bible in its original form. Yet for the preacher or Bible teacher who does not know Greek or Hebrew, there are many other tools that can be used to develop and expository message:

3. What are word studies in relation to expository preaching?

A word study looks at a word from the original language, such as “holy” or “love” and follows its usage in different passages of Scripture. There is great delight for the preacher in seeing the nuances of meaning communicated in the original Bible languages but not obvious in the English translation. Yet without knowing Greek or Hebrew, word studies are invaluable in deepening your understanding of Scripture. Many books are available that provide word studies. The most popular among the general public is “Vines Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words.” Because of the various possibilities for meaning of a single word, word studies can also can help in interpreting difficult passages.

Word study takes different forms depending on which part of speech is being analyzed:

Noun: Usually the meaning of a noun is clear in its English definition. The only exceptions would be when it is a specific theological term or an historical person, place, or thing which may require the use of a Bible dictionary, encyclopedia, atlas, or commentary.

Pronoun: The key to understanding the meaning of a pronoun is the sentence structure which indicates the noun to which it refers. Sentence diagramming is very helpful in this case.

Verb: Lexicons and word-studies, such as Vines Expository Dictionary, help non-native language expositors understand verb usage and nuance of meaning.

Adjective: The English meaning may suffice for understanding adjectives. Many words from the original language have a much greater depth or breadth of meaning than is possible to translate into one English word. The adjective “dark” in the phrase “It was a dark day...” might really mean ‘It was a gloomy, chilling day...” in the original language. Word-studies dictionaries, lexicons, and concordances are very helpful in capturing the range of meaning for adjectives.

Adverb: The distinctives for word-study of an adverb are the same for adjectives.

Preposition: Word-study dictionaries and sentence diagramming are critical to understanding a preposition’s impact on meaning. Dr. Robert Witty has used the example of “...baptized in the Spirit” versus “...baptized by the Spirit” in 1 Cor. 12:13 to show the difference in meaning possible depending on the correct translation of the preposition.

Conjunction: I believe the distinctives for conjunctions are the same for prepositions. Perhaps, though, sentence diagramming is a little more critical for conjunctions.

Interjection: For interjections, the determination of how much emphasis should be placed on it is aided through word-study dictionaries and lexicons.

4. What are the qualities for writing that produce "good" expository preaching?

Short of an entire course on writing, there are specific things that make for good expository preaching. How one communicates on paper is slightly different than how one communicates in the pulpit. Yet the overall message should be written down in its entirety prior to entering the pulpit. This serves two purposes: it forces the preacher to distill the entire message prior to its delivery and it provides relevant material that can subsequently be studied or published. So what are the key elements of a well-written expository message?

Proposition

The proposition defines the essence of the message – essential truth from Scripture with application. All other parts of the message are developed from the proposition. A tree, bent when it is young, will grow up crooked. Like a young tree, a proposition that is poorly stated or understood will grow a message that is confused, contorted, and, ultimately, compromised. Someone has said of expository preaching, “Clarity must receive the highest value.” The declarative form for a proposition provides a clear, direct path for stating truth.

The declarative form also stands out today in an age which largely rejects absolute truth. It resounds with fervor and intensity the eternal truths of God’s word. While 2 Tim 4:3-4 says that one day soon men will totally reject sound teaching, there are many people today who still seek it. Consider also that when using the declarative form that clearly proclaims what is in the Scripture text, people can disagree but not with you. Their disagreement must be taken to the Author of the text, the LORD Himself.

As for the main points in expository preaching, the declarative form of statement is best for most expositions. In homiletics, the preacher is taught to build statements with parallel harmony, symmetry, rhyming, and other literary devices. Attempts at cleverness or cute sayings are fine so long as they do not hinder the listener from grasping the essential truth and its application. Many times a preacher will select one or more words in the main points that all start with same letter – and many times the words are chosen more for their symmetry than clarity of meaning. Preaching a main point with a word unknown to most of your congregation is waste of the sacred duty to “Preach the Word!” (2 Timothy 4:2, NIV).

Outline

An outline for the message is critical to ensuring the flow of statements all work together to support and proclaim the main truth of the message. You should develop the main proposition for the message first. After this, develop points which, taken all together, make up the main proposition. The points in the outline will support the main proposition in various ways. They may examine the proposition from different perspectives. They may gradually build up to the main proposition step-by-step. They may each defend the proposition in greater or lesser degrees of strength. But all points will flow together in the message in a way that naturally reveals, supports, or defends the proposition.

Sentence Structure

Sentences that produce “good” writing must communicate a message that the reader can easily grasp. The meaning, including whatever emphasis is indicated, must be determined entirely from the written word. As a general rule, shorter sentences are better than long ones. Direct statements are clearer than indirect statements. Sentences that use the expected vocabulary of the reader will be more effective than those at too academic or too elementary a level. Sentences in a paragraph must naturally flow together in a style that is engaging yet clear.

Introduction

I hope I never exhaust the different types of introductions I use for a message. Sometimes I have used questions. Questions, properly stated, can elicit intrigue (“Why did Jesus have to die?”), confusion (“How could Jesus be the Creator if He was born in Bethlehem?”), allurement (“What will heaven be like?”), and many other things which create interest in the message. I have also used physical objects to introduce a topic. For instance, I once dimmed the lights, lit a candle, and asked people to describe “light.” These types of introductions can be exciting for the speaker and hearer alike. The excitement can really draw the audience into the message. Transitioning to the message from an object lesson, however, is a bit tricky. A short, powerful Scripture passage can also provide a good introduction to the message. This has the advantage of putting God’s word into the arena of thought right up front. There are many forms of introductions. For me, using variety helps to keep the messages fresh and appeals to a broad segment of people.

Conclusion

The conclusion should form the “bottom line” for a message. It seems to me that in messages designed to inform or teach, the conclusion should summarize and recapitulate the major points of the message. Repetition is an important tool in the learning process. When a message is meant to persuade or convict the hearer, then real-life application will help to nail down the spiritual truth for the hearer. For an inspirational or encouraging message, some form of prose, poetry, significant quote, or witticism provides for a natural conclusion. In moving the hearer to action, an appeal must be made. The hearer must be asked to do something in response to the message. These methods seem to be the most appropriate for developing a conclusion that will impact the hearer.

Arrangement, phrasing, and vocabulary

An effective exposition is one which communicates clearly the essential meaning of the Scripture passage. Arrangement, phrasing, and vocabulary all contribute to the clarity or confusion of the message. If the arrangement logically presents a series of interrelated facts, the message is organized so that the hearer can grasp those facts. If the arrangement is seemingly random, the hearer will become confused, miss key facts in the confusion, and thus misunderstand the message.

There are for elements that must be given strong consideration when arranging the expository message:

1. Clarity: Good form or structure cannot overcome confused wording. Clearly expressed meaning must always be the primary goal.
2. Unity: It is easy to wander down the many side roads and detours of spiritual truths. They are all interconnected. You must focus on the central proposition and ensure that everything else supports it.
3. Coherence: Good structure aids the learning and comprehension process.
4. Brevity: This is a difficult one for most preachers who, by their calling, are gifted speakers. Make sure that you are putting in just what God has to say and keep out what is really just your opinion. Your authority as a preacher depends on the clear exposition of God’s word not your own.

Likewise, phrasing can enhance or hinder the hearer’s ability to understand the message. Complex phrases may be comprehended by some but the majority of hearers will lose the thought due to its complexity. Colloquial phrases can also mislead the hearer. “I’m fixin’ to take the bus” may be understood as “I’m repairing the bus so I can ride in it.” In the South, where this phrase is common, it simply means “I am preparing to leave so I can get on the bus.”

Finally, vocabulary has a profound impact on the hearer’s ability to understand. Most Americans, for instance, have a very poor vocabulary. Speaking or writing at an academic level will involve words that many people will not understand at all. So arrangement, phrasing, and vocabulary must be used with the audience in mind to ensure effective communication of the exposition.

© Copyright 2004, Randy Lariscy.