Expository Preaching: What It Is and How to Start

A working definition

In expository preaching, the main idea of the sermon is drawn from the main idea of the biblical text, and the structure of the sermon serves the meaning of that text. The preacher's job is to open up what is already there, not to bring in an agenda from outside.

It is often contrasted with topical preaching (organized around a theme) and can take many forms and styles. What makes preaching expository is not its delivery but its source: the meaning of the passage governs the message.

Why it matters

When the text drives the sermon, the congregation is fed God's words and not merely the preacher's opinions. Over time, expository preaching teaches a church how to read the Bible for themselves, because they watch it happen week after week.

It also protects the preacher. You are far less likely to ride hobby horses or twist Scripture when you have committed to explaining what the passage actually says.

How to start this week

Choose a manageable passage — a paragraph or a short section with a clear unit of thought. Study it until you can state its main idea in one sentence. Then build a sermon whose single aim is to make that idea clear, felt, and obeyed.

Explain the text, illustrate it so it lands, and apply it to real life. Keep asking, 'Am I preaching the point of this passage, or my point?'

Honoring the preacher's calling

Expository preaching is demanding work, and there is no shortcut around the study. Tools can help you observe the text, check a word, and organize your notes — but the message must be yours, prayed over and Spirit-shaped.

The goal is not to sound scholarly. It is to stand up and say, with integrity, 'This is what God says here — let us receive it together.'

Make the point of the text the point of the sermon, and you will never run out of things to preach — because you will be preaching the inexhaustible Word of God.