Expository preaching isn’t necessarily preaching through books verse-by-verse. I would argue that the difference between expository and topical preaching is found in how the Bible is used. Topical preaching uses the Bible to support the topical points being made. Expository preaching starts with the passage and makes the points drawn from the text. Good topical preaching will be careful to properly understand the texts cited. Good expository preaching will move to the relevancy of what the text teaches.
I’m a young preacher so I am still learning and I try to preach different styles all the time to deepen my preaching ability. As for my last sermon I preached an expository sermon on psalm 139 called “I Never Knew” emphasizing how we need to discover a beautiful God really is in order to love Him in return correctly
Give me expository every time. Through my experience, I've seen some topical preachers abandon context of scripture, just to drive their point home. Some not all. I just prefer the Gospel being taught CORRECTLY, according to the Word of God harmoniously in context. God has charged me to teach as a expositor, so that's all I prefer. And that is the most sound way to make disciples, by sound doctrine.
When your pastor gives you 18 examples of the time the word _peace_ was used in the Bible, it can be a little exhaustive. _Now, what did John mean by ‘peace’ here?…_ *For the love of…* 😩 Yet we ignore the corrupt government of Ukraine acting as the lap dog of the US, the gay community openly positioning themselves to groom our children and our borders wide open while the FED prints our currency into oblivion. Yeah…there’s no place for Topical preaching…🙄
I always preach topical or textual sermons. I would love to learn more the expository sermons. Please could you do a video how to build outlines for us in details? I still feel insecure about it. Thank you so much. God bless you! 🙏
I think a good preacher should be able to do topical, textual, and expository the problem I think most pastors face is we have members that are at very different places in their faith so some who have been saved 40 years will want the meat or more expository, someone who has been saved for a month can't handle meat they need milk I think for some people to say we got to much milk preaching not enough meat need to look at scripture they could be causing a weaker brother or sister to stumble and also at the same time those brothers and sisters can't stay on milk forever they need to be growing so it's is for sure a balancing act for pastors I pray for all pastors and preachers in the comments hear that the Lord's will be done whether side they fall on.
I hear many pastors uphold the idea of expository preaching as if topical preaching is inferior, all the while they are themselves preaching topically as they “work through” a book of the Bible. At best you can call it “topical exposition”. They work their way through a book of the Bible, very often skipping large passages of scripture (so not actually going through the whole book) and they have a clear agenda that is fit into the passages. It’s as if someone came up with a curriculum specifically designed for this… so many do it and it has become so obvious that they have several, say, 10 various topics that are then found to be supported throughout the text and they work it out week by week. The worst part about it is that many times the biblical text is turned on it’s head in order to suit this painfully obvious agenda. Are there themes throughout scripture? Of course… but it’s also pretty obvious that there are a few topics pastor’s favor and love to hit on over and over while pretending to preach Expositionally. It’s a nice cover, convincing your congregation that you aren’t preaching topically when you clearly are. I dunno what to call that. 🤔 maybe “deceptive” is a good word for it.
Topical preaching works. All preaching styles have pros and cons. Expository preaching is not the only way to preach. If you hear exositors talk about topical preaching they all say the same thing - "you could go out of context" - "you could skip important parts of the bible" - "you could say the same thing over and over again". That's foolish because you could say the same thing with expository preaching. For example, if I am a Calvinist then I have that Calvinist lens in which everything I see from my interpretation of passages talks about election, predestination etc. If you are a preacher, use topical preaching and expository preaching and apply the proper context and interpretation thereof. Don't listen to people who say there's only one proper way of preaching. Remember, Christ and the apostles were topical preachers. It is only through the resurgence of the reformers, Calvin and Augustine who use that method that modern preachers who idolize them say we need to preach like them.
So in my view it's best to be balanced. Open to the leading of the Holy Spirit on what you need to be preaching on for what is needed at that particular time. The Holy Spirit knows when you're going to have a visitor and what that visitor's needs are, he also knows how to meet everyone's needs in that church at the same time. Because he's amazing
Is a visual and media reference necessary? I'm not against them, but are they necessary to preach? I get it that this is a generational "need," but the Word of God is still sufficient, right? Great topic BTW.
A few days ago, I had to pause after realizing how much I had strayed from context because I was preparing a topical sermon. I like expository sermons more.
I like expository preaching because it takes away the option to skip uncomfortable text or topic in the Bible. Topical does have its place but most time is found to support man's idea than God's word. 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 For teachers of both.
Yes! When you get a chance, please pull up an article in Preaching Today by Timothy Warren entitled 'Can Topical Preaching be Expository.' Warren discusses the topical-exposition method of preaching. I found his article extremely insightful. Blessings!
Isaiah 30:1 KJV Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: I don't know whether they ask god what they should preach or not but our pastor when he needs to preach in church he will ask God then god will him the verses he should preach and through the verses god speaks what is in their heart to explain it its like the word of wisdom and word of knowledge
i believe you should preach according to what the Holy Spirit leads you to preach and you should know your own gifts and know what style of preaching God blessed you with. When I preach, I dont choose my own topic. It is given to me by way of the Holy Spirit. I believe if you are choosing your own topic then its not preaching. Its teaching. But I will admit that I am a new to pastoring but not to ministering. If its not led by God through the Holy Spirit, you are in dangerous territory and could lead people in the wrong direction.
I dont agree with you on expository. Preaching expository keeps you true to the Word of God. Using and sticking to your text. Breaking down the passage verse by verse. I believe that God has a mandate in the body of Christ to feed with meat. People have been sipping milk too long.
All I’m gonna say is y’all really had to stretch to find issues with expository preaching when they all boiled down to presentation. We don’t “topical study” any other book, why do we think it’s ok to do it to scripture. Let scripture interpret itself.
notice the young age of the two hosts here. This debate is the same debate as contemporary music versus hymnal music. Expository sermon you dont need to write your own sermons. makes a lazy pastor
Expository preaching isn’t necessarily preaching through books verse-by-verse. I would argue that the difference between expository and topical preaching is found in how the Bible is used. Topical preaching uses the Bible to support the topical points being made. Expository preaching starts with the passage and makes the points drawn from the text. Good topical preaching will be careful to properly understand the texts cited. Good expository preaching will move to the relevancy of what the text teaches.
This. Topical typically leads to eisegesis whereas expository leads to exegesis
I’m a young preacher so I am still learning and I try to preach different styles all the time to deepen my preaching ability. As for my last sermon I preached an expository sermon on psalm 139 called “I Never Knew” emphasizing how we need to discover a beautiful God really is in order to love Him in return correctly
Give me expository every time. Through my experience, I've seen some topical preachers abandon context of scripture, just to drive their point home. Some not all. I just prefer the Gospel being taught CORRECTLY, according to the Word of God harmoniously in context. God has charged me to teach as a expositor, so that's all I prefer. And that is the most sound way to make disciples, by sound doctrine.
When your pastor gives you 18 examples of the time the word _peace_ was used in the Bible, it can be a little exhaustive.
_Now, what did John mean by ‘peace’ here?…_
*For the love of…* 😩
Yet we ignore the corrupt government of Ukraine acting as the lap dog of the US, the gay community openly positioning themselves to groom our children and our borders wide open while the FED prints our currency into oblivion. Yeah…there’s no place for Topical preaching…🙄
I always preach topical or textual sermons. I would love to learn more the expository sermons. Please could you do a video how to build outlines for us in details? I still feel insecure about it. Thank you so much. God bless you! 🙏
I think a good preacher should be able to do topical, textual, and expository the problem I think most pastors face is we have members that are at very different places in their faith so some who have been saved 40 years will want the meat or more expository, someone who has been saved for a month can't handle meat they need milk I think for some people to say we got to much milk preaching not enough meat need to look at scripture they could be causing a weaker brother or sister to stumble and also at the same time those brothers and sisters can't stay on milk forever they need to be growing so it's is for sure a balancing act for pastors I pray for all pastors and preachers in the comments hear that the Lord's will be done whether side they fall on.
I always used the topical sermon,and i realy injoy and my members are injoying too.
exactly
I hear many pastors uphold the idea of expository preaching as if topical preaching is inferior, all the while they are themselves preaching topically as they “work through” a book of the Bible. At best you can call it “topical exposition”. They work their way through a book of the Bible, very often skipping large passages of scripture (so not actually going through the whole book) and they have a clear agenda that is fit into the passages. It’s as if someone came up with a curriculum specifically designed for this… so many do it and it has become so obvious that they have several, say, 10 various topics that are then found to be supported throughout the text and they work it out week by week. The worst part about it is that many times the biblical text is turned on it’s head in order to suit this painfully obvious agenda. Are there themes throughout scripture? Of course… but it’s also pretty obvious that there are a few topics pastor’s favor and love to hit on over and over while pretending to preach Expositionally. It’s a nice cover, convincing your congregation that you aren’t preaching topically when you clearly are. I dunno what to call that. 🤔 maybe “deceptive” is a good word for it.
Topical preaching works. All preaching styles have pros and cons. Expository preaching is not the only way to preach. If you hear exositors talk about topical preaching they all say the same thing - "you could go out of context" - "you could skip important parts of the bible" - "you could say the same thing over and over again". That's foolish because you could say the same thing with expository preaching. For example, if I am a Calvinist then I have that Calvinist lens in which everything I see from my interpretation of passages talks about election, predestination etc.
If you are a preacher, use topical preaching and expository preaching and apply the proper context and interpretation thereof.
Don't listen to people who say there's only one proper way of preaching.
Remember, Christ and the apostles were topical preachers. It is only through the resurgence of the reformers, Calvin and Augustine who use that method that modern preachers who idolize them say we need to preach like them.
So in my view it's best to be balanced. Open to the leading of the Holy Spirit on what you need to be preaching on for what is needed at that particular time. The Holy Spirit knows when you're going to have a visitor and what that visitor's needs are, he also knows how to meet everyone's needs in that church at the same time. Because he's amazing
I am an expository teacher and preacher.
Is a visual and media reference necessary? I'm not against them, but are they necessary to preach? I get it that this is a generational "need," but the Word of God is still sufficient, right? Great topic BTW.
I love my Pastor's topical preaching but I'd like to hear him do some expository work as well. MikeInMinnesota
Great comparison❣️ Thank you❣️
A few days ago, I had to pause after realizing how much I had strayed from context because I was preparing a topical sermon. I like expository sermons more.
Tough to let go of your own agenda.
I like expository preaching because it takes away the option to skip uncomfortable text or topic in the Bible. Topical does have its place but most time is found to support man's idea than God's word. 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 For teachers of both.
I love both approaches. Is it possible to use both in one sermon though?
Yes! When you get a chance, please pull up an article in Preaching Today by Timothy Warren entitled 'Can Topical Preaching be Expository.' Warren discusses the topical-exposition method of preaching. I found his article extremely insightful. Blessings!
Thank you so much have lear so much
Isaiah 30:1 KJV
Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:
I don't know whether they ask god what they should preach or not but our pastor when he needs to preach in church he will ask God then god will him the verses he should preach and through the verses god speaks what is in their heart to explain it its like the word of wisdom and word of knowledge
i believe you should preach according to what the Holy Spirit leads you to preach and you should know your own gifts and know what style of preaching God blessed you with. When I preach, I dont choose my own topic. It is given to me by way of the Holy Spirit. I believe if you are choosing your own topic then its not preaching. Its teaching. But I will admit that I am a new to pastoring but not to ministering. If its not led by God through the Holy Spirit, you are in dangerous territory and could lead people in the wrong direction.
What was wrong with saying Jesus took time to hangout with his friends? Especially when Jesus was very reserved and always retreated from everyone.
I dont agree with you on expository.
Preaching expository keeps you true to the Word of God. Using and sticking to your text. Breaking down the passage verse by verse.
I believe that God has a mandate in the body of Christ to feed with meat. People have been sipping milk too long.
Dude just threw topical preaching under the bus... "over and over"...... seriously.... there are 52 weeks in a year man. I've never repeated myself.
I realized today I am a topical preacher 😂
All I’m gonna say is y’all really had to stretch to find issues with expository preaching when they all boiled down to presentation. We don’t “topical study” any other book, why do we think it’s ok to do it to scripture. Let scripture interpret itself.
notice the young age of the two hosts here. This debate is the same debate as contemporary music versus hymnal music. Expository sermon you dont need to write your own sermons. makes a lazy pastor
Expository is very boring. Congregation looks tired and bored. I preach topical....