Expositional Preaching

“I charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Tim. 4:1-2)

Over the last two weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to meet many different and interesting people in various parts of the United States. A recurring topic of interest in conversations and church visits has been – and still remains – this one question: what is the current condition of the church? There are many things that could be said, but I want to highlight just one thing – preaching. But, specifically, preaching in our church.

After hearing and partially seeing the situation in several churches, I return to our local congregation with a desire to draw attention to something that is so familiar and accustomed to us, yet sadly not always fully appreciated – preaching.

I write not as a preacher, but as a listener. I have the privilege of listening to sermons in our church in both the English and Russian services. At GFC, there is a group of preachers who deliver the Word to the whole church on Sundays and throughout the week in various student ministries. All of them prepare and deliver expository sermons. And that is wonderful! This is a distinguishing feature of our church. It is something we should especially treasure and never abandon under any circumstances.

What is expository preaching? In short, it is preaching based on a biblical text. In other words, it is the explanation of a passage of Scripture. Expository preaching is a special grace we observe at GFC. Comparing the state of things in various well-known and lesser-known churches, I want to highlight several important characteristics of preaching at GFC:

1. Humility. I just so happened that we don’t have any celebrity preachers. Everyone who steps behind the pulpit at GFC is a simple brother in Christ, not burdened by fame or recognition. And that is valuable! It is evident in the way the material is delivered. Humility is a very valuable tool in preaching. We don’t have professionals. Every time I listen to different brothers preach, I clearly see this—God has gifted us with humble teachers. Let’s continue to hold on to this. Pray for humility, simplicity, and clarity of our preachers.

2. Shepherding. Unlike many, even biblically sound churches, in our church I hear (and I hope you notice this too) pastoral sermons. These are not just informative lectures, like ran through the commentaries on a given passage. No, most of sermons at GFC are marked by practicality – they include direction for real-life application, This means they provide pastoral care for the listeners’ souls – fatherly instruction aimed at reaching the hearts and lives of believers. Through such sermons, people receive help in living for Christ, growing in love for God and others, serving, and spreading the Good News in this world.

3. The text. Biblical text. Semons should be built upon and flow from Scripture. Not merely by using a set of verses to support a theme, but by explaining and applying a specific passage. We have grown used to this. But I must say, this is a rare thing today, as there are many other, not always acceptable, alternatives to truly biblical preaching. We should not boast about it but thank God for the fact that we can expect Scripture to be rightly taught in our church. This is very valuable. We must hold firmly to this and support all who teach at GFC.

4. Theology. Who or what shapes our understanding of God and man, salvation and sin, end times and the surrounding world, the structure of the church? What should shape the Church’s worldview? The Scripture! Yes, daily personal reading and meditation on Scripture are irreplaceable! But in our personal study, we don’t always arrive at doctrinal conclusions or principles. However, when prepared, thoughtful teaching is delivered from the pulpit, we, whether we realize it or not, are forming our theology. That’s why it is especially valuable that our brothers strive to be doctrinally precise and to maintain unity in what is taught. Doctrinal consistency is very valuable. If all ministries remain consistent in doctrinal stance, we will be less spiritually “unstable” and more grounded (Eph. 4:11-15). Praise the Lord that we have this in our church. Therefore, we must continue to pray for doctrinal precision in future sermons.

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"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10:45