Just about everyone in our circles agrees that expository sermons are the best way to give the flock of God the nourishment their souls need on Sunday mornings. But not everyone agrees when it comes to a clear definition of what is meant by expository preaching.

Some preachers have identified sermons as expository based on the outline (the points are drawn consecutively from the text itself). Others base their definition on the amount of material covered (a paragraph rather than merely a verse or a word). Still others say it's expository as long as it communicates some idea present in the passage.

Here at Knox Theological Seminary, we have articulated a five-point description that we teach to our students. It is a description that categorizes the sermon as expository, from the perspective of the hearer, not just the preacher. If a sermon was expository, those who heard it should be able to look back at it and draw these conclusions from its impact on them.

1. FAITHFUL to the Scriptures⤒🔗

People will want to go back and read the passage after you've preached, and will be able to understand and apply it as a result of hearing your sermon.

When the sermon is concluded, people should be able to see that this was indeed what the Scriptures said. Scriptures that were confusing or vague beforehand should now be clear to them. They shouldn't be able to say, "That was a wonderful sermon, but I'm not too sure what it had to do with this Scripture passage(s)." That might occur where a preacher has written a sermon and then looked for a text(s) once his manuscript was nearly done.

Instead, we want hearers to leave persuaded that they've heard God speaking in His word, not merely the preacher. People should also understand how this connects with the overall scheme of biblical and systematic theology.

2. FINE-TUNED on a Single Idea←⤒🔗

People will recognize what the one central truth is, and will see the "points" of the preacher's outline as all bringing greater clarity to that single concept.

When the sermons is concluded, people should not think they have listened to a series of "points," like a string of pearls strung along one after another. All of the parts of the sermon should fit together and have a clear relation to the central proposition and purpose of the sermon. And, of course, that central idea or the elements contributing to that idea should be clearly present in the text(s) expounded. While people may not remember all the points of a sermon after they get home, they should be able to remember, and explain to someone else, that one grand theme that held the sermon together.

3. FOCUSED on the Heart←⤒🔗

People will understand what they should do to adjust their lives to what has been preached, and will be anxious to do so out of great love for God.

When the sermon is concluded, people should be ready to do something in response to what they have heard. God's word was not given to us merely to inform us, much less to fascinate or entertain us. It was given to change us and make us more like Christ. When people listen to a sermon and leave without a clear sense of how to apply it, or without a compelling motivation to do so, then it can hardly be said to have been expository. A sermon without application may be faithful to the text's teaching, but it has not been faithful to the text's purpose.

4. FIXED on the Savior←⤒🔗

People will see how Jesus is present in the text, and how the law that convicts them here also points them to the Gospel of Jesus as the key to new life.

When the sermon is concluded, people should be satisfied that they have actually fed on the Bread of Life, and drunk His living water. Without straining the passage allegorically, there should be a natural connection between the human need in the sermon text(s), and the divine provision in the Savior. As the people said in John 12:21, "Sir, we would see Jesus," so our hearers should say, "Sir, we have seen Jesus." By showing them God's grace in Christ, we will avoid the dangers of moralistic sermons that merely tell people to "be good" or "try harder."

5. FILLED with the Spirit←⤒🔗

People will see that the preacher has been deeply gripped by the text, and will desire that the same Spirit who energized his preaching will energize them.

When the sermon is concluded, people should be excited about the God who has confronted them in the preaching. There should be a contagious element in the preacher's demeanor that is passed along to those who hear him. The fact that we preach good news should result in our hearers being filled with hope that what God has so obviously done to the preacher in his study of the Scripture will now happen to them as a result of his preaching the passage(s) to them. This is the work of the Holy Spirit who, though invisible, leaves His mark wherever He "blows."