Recently, Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote an article on the need for real expository preaching. He defined expository preaching as, “that mode of Christian preaching that takes as its central purpose the presentation and application of the text of the Bible. All other issues and concerns are subordinated to the central task of presenting the biblical text.”
Dr. Mohler writes, “Authentic Christian preaching carries a note of authority and a demand for decisions not found elsewhere in society.” We should expect no less from our own personal study of Scripture. He continues, “Unfortunately, the appetite for serious preaching has virtually disappeared among many Christians who are content to have their fascinations with themselves encouraged from the pulpit.”
That is the reason I highlight Dr. Mohler’s post. Much the same could be applied to how we approach God’s word in our personal study times. There are countless self-help and themed devotional resources to guide our reading of the Bible. But how much is lost by letting culturally relevant themes guide our devotions and not letting the Word of God itself provide the theme for our lives? We all too often approach Holy Scripture essentially deciding what we want to get from it. How much more powerful our devotional time would be if we read the Bible with empty, but expectant hands, knowing that God will provide what we need from His word to feed our souls.
Expository reading should be our mode to study God’s Word. The essence of expository reading then, is to approach God’s word with humility, intent on learning the will of God from it. The psalmist understands and portrays this way of reading when he writes, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” (Psalm 119: 9-16)
In Dr. Mohler’s conclusion he says, “Preaching is the essential instrumentality through which God shapes his people as the Holy Spirit accompanies the word.” The important part of that conclusion is “as the Holy Spirit accompanies the word”. God is at work when his word is taught. And if we really believe that, it will lead us to be diligent in studying God’s word with faithful humility, intent on storing it up in our hearts.
Here at The Good Book Company we agree with Dr. Mohler in our belief that God’s Word is central to authentic Christianity. That’s why we’re intent on producing resources that engender a humble submission to God’s Word and send people back to their Bibles. Our God’s Word For You series is a particularly strong example of this vision. We have created a growing series of expository guides that help individuals, small group leaders, and pastors approach God’s Word with open hands expecting to be filled by what God’s Word says.
