What makes for great preaching? Or, asked another way, what makes a preacher great? The question is not what makes for a great communicator, stage personality, or after-dinner speaker. Nor is the question what makes for a good minister or chaplain. Read more

What constitutes an expository sermon? Better yet, how might the preacher know if he has preached an expository sermon, and how might the congregation know if they’ve heard one? The question is a bit more angular than one might initially perceive. It is a question that has struck me in recent months, as I have heard multiple preachers describe their preaching style as expository. Never mind that they give little attention to interpreting the text, applying the text, or actually preaching the text. Read more

Have you ever heard a sermon illustration that did more harm than good? I have. In fact, just recently I heard a sermon illustration that was an absolute train wreck. It sent God’s people on an unhelpful diversion, had nothing to do with the passage, and compromised the sermon’s final, concluding thrust. In other words, it was a disaster, and the results were debilitating to the sermon. Read more

Earlier this week, Christianity Today published an article of mine on “What is Biblical Preaching?” In this article, I state that biblical preaching is expositional preaching. I also lay out various aspects of what biblical exposition consists of, including three reasons why biblical exposition is essential, a proper definition of biblical exposition, and four essential marks of biblical exposition. Read more

“How shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14). With airtight logic, the Apostle Paul sets forth the indispensable human link in fulfilling the Great Commission—the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In so doing, he instructs us in the way of the kingdom, that in every generation God is calling out preachers to serve His church. Read more