Expository Preaching Blog #13 – “Every Sermon is Expository”

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 I believe that every sermon should be expository. You may not agree with me but that is alright. Many don’t. But let me tell you why I believe it.

Years ago is was part of a state fellowship of churches. Every fall we would have a 3 day annual conference. I remember many years that we had some great speaker, Bible expositors and true to the Word in every service that they preached. But is seemed like every other year we would have a real dud. Someone would give us their mighty opinion about this or that. One I remember well one who gave us lists of what we should do and what we shouldn’t do as pastors. It had very little or no basis from God’s Word except he would always read a verse or two that supposedly all of these “great” ideas of his came from. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I went to the state leader after one of these dead services and asked, “Why can’t we have great Bible expositors like we have had in previous years?” He answered me, “Well Dave not every sermon can be expository!” To which I answered and still say “WHY NOT!”

For 17 years in my pastorate in NY State I preached or taught in 4 services every single Sunday of the year. 3 times a year I had 5 services in those Sundays. I was expository in the Sunday School class, Sunday morning service, occasional nursing home service, Assisted Living service every single Sunday and a Sunday evening service. I was dog tired on Monday. But I faithfully and consistently preached God’s Word each time verse by verse and thought by thought. There were souls saved and discipled in each and every one of those settings. There are more souls in heaven today because of those preaching and teaching time. No one ever said “That is too much Bible!” The assisted living residents ate it up. They even came to me and asked me to go longer. When does that happen in an evangelical church? In every service I have ever preached even as a one Sunday pulpit supply I have preached an expository sermon. I might have used some introductory scripture in a funeral but I often did a light exposition of John 14 for the main body of the service. What better scripture is there to use at the grave side than I Thessalonians 4:13-18. I have seen many souls come to Christ as a result of preaching the Bible and nothing else.

Souls are eternal. Souls are a stake. How can I neglect that? God saves souls by the preaching of the gospel. Not my words of advice, counsel and opinion. I am nothing. He is everything. I preach Christ and Christ alone. I will never apologize for that.

 

Rev. David Johnson

Former Pastor

First Baptist Church of Austin, MN

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