Expository preaching is able to do all the things that good preaching is supposed to do. This is because in expository preaching the minister preaches God’s Word. We noted earlier that the whole Bible is about Christ. Therefore, when the Bible is preached, Christ is preached, and sinners are saved. As long as he is careful to preach Christ from all the Scriptures, an expository preacher is an evangelical preacher.

He is also a doctrinal preacher. All true and sound theology comes from the Word of God. A good expository preacher is careful to explain the doctrines that are taught in each passage of Scripture. As he preaches the Word, therefore, he is preaching biblical theology. Furthermore, he is preaching Christian doctrine in its biblical arrangement and according to its biblical proportions. In many cases, his listeners will be unfamiliar with theological terms and concepts. But this is one of the reasons they need a preacher: to teach them what they need to know about God and His way of salvation.

Expository preaching is also practical, which is precisely why Paul told Timothy to preach the Word. The Bible is the most practical book ever written. As Paul understood, practical preaching is biblical preaching — and the more biblical it is, the more practical. God’s Word is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). If that is what the Bible is good for, then it should be used for that purpose. So Paul told Timothy to “correct, rebuke and encourage” (2 Tim. 4:2b).

It is astonishing how many personal problems can be resolved when someone hears even a few months of solid expository preaching. Of course, sometimes there is a need for personal counsel, for the private ministry of God’s Word. But over time, good expository preaching — in which a minister is careful to draw out the practical implications of the biblical text — addresses the vast majority of spiritual needs. Expository preaching works. This is not the main reason to do it, of course. The reason to preach expository sermons is because it is right. But because it is right, it also works.

The Final Analysis

Expository preaching may seem rather old-fashioned. This is an age of dialogue, and it is often said that preaching needs to become less dogmatic, more conversational. People want the minister to share, not preach. We are also told that Bible exposition is out of place in the information age. People need more stories and fewer propositions. They want preachers to be more personal, less doctrinal.

There are many reasons to be cautious about this kind of thinking. For one thing, information technology has its limitations as well as its strengths. Furthermore, few things are more powerful and persuasive than a living voice preaching a living Word. The personal proclamation of God and His gospel will never become obsolete.