In a recent article by HB Charles, he writes: “The reason why you should be a student of expositional preaching is not about a style of preaching. What you preach is infinitely more important than how you preach. The act of preaching is in vain if the message preached is not true.
“Paul charged Timothy, ‘Preach the word’ (2 Tim. 4:2). He did not charge Timothy to preach, as if the function of preaching has any power of its own. Paul instructed Timothy that he must preach. Moreover, he explicitly said what Timothy must preach. The pulpit is not a place for personal opinion, human wisdom or worldly philosophies. The pulpit is the platform for the proclamation of the glorious word of God and the saving testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“The Bible was not written in chapters and verses. It was written in complete thoughts. The end of 2 Timothy 3 is about the nature of Scripture. The beginning of 2 Timothy 4 is about the duty of preaching. These two statements are inextricably linked. The nature of Scripture must shape the duty of preaching. The duty of preaching must be rooted in the nature of Scripture. The divine inspiration of Scripture is the unavoidable mandate for expository preaching.
“Expository preaching is hard work. It is not always the most enjoyable style of preaching for a congregation to hear. After all, an expository sermon is governed by the truth of the text, not the agenda of the pulpit or pew. Expository preaching may or may not have been the historic way preachers have preached. It is definitely not the way most high-profile preachers today handle the word of God.
“Expository preaching may not easily lend itself to vision casting and other ways pastors want to use the pulpit to lead the congregation. We live in a biblically illiterate culture, where many churchgoers will not endure sound doctrine. Many people view expository preaching to be synonymous with boring preaching.
“There are many reasons given to make a case against expository preaching. I believe all of the arguments against Bible exposition can be rebutted, but there really is only one primary reason why you should strive to preach and teach in such a way that properly explains and clearly applies biblical texts: What do you believe about the Bible?” (Read the full article.)