My own definition of Expository Preaching:
“Expository preaching is the proclamation of God’s Word. The preacher derives the main content for his sermon from Scripture. Such preaching is rooted in a conviction about the authority of Scripture and a deep commitment to prayer and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. It contains explanation, illustration, and application, and its thrust is derived from the meaning of the text as intended by the Holy Spirit, ultimately leading God’s people to transformation.”
Daniel Messina
“Expository preaching is the Spirit-empowered explanation and proclamation of the text of God’s Word with due regard to the historical, contextual, grammatical, and doctrinal significance of the given passage, with the specific object of invoking a Christ-transforming response.” Stephen F. Olford with David L. Olford, Anointed Expository Preaching, 69.
Haddon Robinson: “Expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted through the historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context, which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through the preacher, applies to the listeners.” Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching, 2nd ed., 21.
Sidney Greidanus: “Expository preaching is ‘Bible-centered preaching.’ That is, it is handling the text in such a way that its real and essential meaning as it existed in the mind of the particular writer and as it exists in the light of the over-all context of Scripture is made plain and applied to the present-day needs of the hearers.” Greidanus, The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text, 11.
Bryan Chapell: “[Expository preaching] attempts to present and apply the truths of a specific biblical passage.” Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching, 30.
“Expository preaching is not merely preaching about the Bible but preaching what the Bible itself says.” Jerry Vines, A Practical Guide to Sermon Preparation, 6.
Danny Akin: “Expository preaching is text driven preaching that honors the truth of Scripture as it was given by the Holy Spirit. Its goal is to discover the God-inspired meaning through historical-grammatical-theological investigation and interpretation. By means of engaging and compelling proclamation, the preacher explains, illustrates and applies the meaning of the biblical text in submission to and in the power of the Holy Spirit, preaching Christ for a verdict of changed lives.” Akin, Dr. Daniel L.; Curtis, Bill; Rummage, Stephen. Engaging Exposition (Kindle Locations 196-199).
John Piper: “For the corporate worship is the visible unified knowing, treasuring, and showing of the supreme with and beauty of God. Preaching fits that gathering, because that’s what preaching is. Preaching shows God’s supreme worth by opening Scripture to make the glories of God known, while treasuring them as supremely valuable.” John Piper, Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching as Worship, 89.
Vines and Shaddix: “[An expository sermon is] a discourse that expounds a passage of Scripture, organizes it around a central theme and main divisions which issue forth the given text, and then decisively applies its message to the listeners.” Vines and Shaddix, Power in the Pulpit, 29.
John Stott: “It [exposition] refers to the content of the sermon (biblical truth) rather than the style (a running commentary). To expound Scripture is to bring out of the text what is there and expose it to view.” John Stott, Between Two Worlds, 125-26.
John MacArthur: “Expository preaching involves presenting a passage entirely and exactly as God intended.” John MacArthur, Rediscovering Expository Preaching, 23-24.
Albert Mohler: “Expository preaching is that mode of Christian preaching that takes as its central purpose the presentation and application of the text of the Bible. All other issues and concerns are subordinated to the central task of presenting the biblical text. As the Word of God, the text of Scripture has the right to establish both the substance and the structure of the sermon. Genuine exposition takes place when the preacher sets forth the meaning and message of the biblical text and makes clear how the Word of God establishes the identity and worldview of the church as the people of God.” R. Albert Mohler, He is Not Silent (p. 65).
D. A. Carson: “At its best, expository preaching is preaching which however dependent it may be for its content, upon text(s) at hand, draws attention to inner-canonical connections (connections within Scripture) that inexorably moves to Jesus Christ.” D. A. Carson, The Primacy of Expository Preaching, 1995, Bethlehem Conference for Pastors.
PREACHING BOOKS REVIEWS
If you’d like to read some of my reviews on certain homiletical (preaching) works, here’s a list that may interest you: