What is an “Expositional” Sermon? - Answers for Church Members - November 4

What is an “expositional” sermon?

An expositional sermon is a sermon that takes the main point of a passage of Scripture, makes it the main point of the sermon, and applies it to life today.

In other words, an expositional sermon exposes the meaning of a passage of Scripture and shows its relevance to the lives of one’s hearers. That’s it.

This means that an expositional sermon does NOT

• Need to focus on just a verse or two.
• Need to present complex exegetical arguments or endless historical background.
• Need to be dry, lifeless, or removed from people’s lives.
• Confuse the primary point of a passage with any legitimate application of that passage (that is, use a verse to say what you want to say).

Rather, it should take a small, medium, or large passage of Scripture and show how dramatically important the primary meaning of a passage is for the world today.

For more great resources from Mark Dever and 9Marks Ministries, visit www.9marks.org