Why Expositional Preaching Is Essential for the Local Church

Why Expositional Preaching Is Essential for the Local Church

Show Summary:
In this episode of Contending for the Word Q&A, Dave Jenkins explains why expositional, verse-by-verse preaching is vital for the health of the local church. Drawing from 2 Timothy 4:1–2, Dave shows why God commands pastors to preach the Word and how systematic preaching strengthens Christians in discernment, doctrine, and devotion to Christ.

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Episode Notes

• Main Text: 2 Timothy 4:1–2
• Expositional preaching reveals God’s voice, not man’s ideas.
• Faithful preaching produces maturity and discernment.
• The church needs the whole counsel of God.
• Systematic exposition guards against false doctrine.
• Strong preaching creates strong Christians.

Full Article

Expositional preaching is not a matter of personal preference or ministry style—it is a biblical command. When the apostle Paul charged Timothy to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2), he was calling him to proclaim God’s revealed truth faithfully, clearly, and without compromise. The authority of preaching does not come from the preacher, but from the Word of God itself.

Expositional preaching means that the pastor begins with the biblical text, explains what God has said, and applies it rightly to the lives of God’s people. Rather than starting with opinions, stories, or cultural trends, the preacher submits himself to the text and allows Scripture to set the agenda.

This is why expositional preaching is essential for the life and health of the local church.

First, expositional preaching ensures that the church hears God’s voice rather than the voice of man. When Scripture is preached verse by verse and line by line, the meaning comes from the text itself. This guards the church from manipulation, personality-driven teaching, and theological drift. The psalmist declares that God’s Word gives light (Psalm 119:130), and expositional preaching simply helps God’s people see that light clearly.

Christians do not need motivational speeches or cultural commentary on the Lord’s Day. They need to hear from God through His Word.

Second, expositional preaching produces maturity and discernment. Paul writes in Colossians 1:28 that the goal of ministry is to present everyone mature in Christ. That maturity is cultivated through consistent, faithful teaching of the whole Word of God. Expositional preaching requires pastors and congregations to wrestle with difficult passages, convicting truths, and doctrines that might otherwise be avoided.

Over time, when a church sits under the Word of God week after week, its roots grow deep. Discernment increases. Conviction sharpens. Love for Christ grows. A spiritually weak church is almost always a biblically starved church.

Third, expositional preaching delivers the whole counsel of God. In Acts 20:27, Paul declared that he was innocent of the blood of all men because he taught the full counsel of God. While topical sermons may have a place on occasion, the regular diet of the local church should be expositional preaching. This ensures balance, doctrinal clarity, and a Christ-centered focus that is shaped by Scripture rather than the news cycle or cultural pressures.

Through expositional preaching, believers are fed a steady diet of doctrine, ethics, worship, salvation, sanctification, suffering, hope, and the person and work of Christ—the whole Bible for the whole Christian.

Fourth, expositional preaching guards the church from false doctrine. Titus 1:9 teaches that elders must hold firmly to the trustworthy Word so that they can instruct in sound doctrine and refute error. When Scripture is explained clearly and applied faithfully, false teaching becomes easier to recognize and reject.

False doctrine thrives where Scripture is minimized or unclear. Truth flourishes where God’s Word is read, taught, believed, and obeyed. Strong preaching produces strong Christians. Weak preaching produces weak Christians.

God builds His church through His Word. The Spirit works through the Word. Lives are transformed by the Word. Expositional preaching is the God-ordained means by which that Word is unleashed with clarity, authority, and power.

If you are part of a church committed to faithful, Christ-centered, Scripture-saturated preaching, thank the Lord for that gift and pray for your pastors. If you are in a place where Scripture is minimized and sermons are shallow or man-centered, prayerfully consider where you are being spiritually fed. The diet you sit under will shape your soul.

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