1. The Sermon’s Idea Must Come from the Passage 📖
- In expository preaching, the main idea of the sermon comes directly from the Bible passage.
- The preacher studies the historical background, grammar, and literary style of the passage to understand its true meaning.
- After discovering the meaning, the preacher communicates it clearly so the congregation can see the connection between the message and the Scripture.
2. The Authority Is in the Bible, Not the Preacher ✝️
- The Bible, not the preacher, carries spiritual authority.
- The preacher’s job is to explain Scripture faithfully, not to impress people with personal ideas.
- A good expositor points people to God’s Word, not to himself.
- The congregation should be able to check for themselves if the preacher’s message is truly what the Bible says.
3. Preaching Requires Effort from Both Sides 🤝
- The Preacher’s Work: He must study hard to understand what the biblical writers meant.
- The Congregation’s Work: Listeners must also pay attention and engage with the message.
- As Walt Whitman said: “To have great poets, there must be great audiences.”
Likewise, great preaching requires attentive listeners.
4. Understanding the Bible Requires Entering Its World 🌍
- The expositor must “sit with the biblical authors”—understand their language, culture, and worldview.
- He doesn’t need to master every ancient language or become a historian, but he must appreciate the context.
- Tools like Bible dictionaries, commentaries, maps, and historical studies are helpful resources.
- The goal is to hear God’s message as the original audience heard it—and then communicate it clearly to today’s listeners.
5. Key Lesson ✍️
- The meaning of the passage controls the message of the sermon.
- The preacher studies carefully, explains faithfully, and lets the Bible speak for itself.
- Expository preaching connects God’s Word → the preacher → the people.
If you want, I can make a visual diagram showing the flow of authority in expository preaching:
Bible → Meaning → Preacher → Congregation.
