Final: Expository Preaching

         This semester I was reminded and re-grounded in the truth of singing, reading, praying, and preaching the Word as worship. The central object of the Church's worship is the Word of God. As James Boice puts it, "To worship God we must know who God is, but we cannot know who God is unless God first chooses to reveal Himself to us. God has done this in the bible, which is why the bible and the teaching of the bible need to be central in our worship" (Give Praise to God, vii). Al Mohler writes on the necessity of the centrality of the word if God in the preaching of it. Namely, the expository preaching of the Word.
         We live in a culture that is entertainment saturated and humanitarian and too often the church adjusts their bible to the age rather than adjusting the age to the bible (C.H. Spurgeon). many churches are aiming their sites at the heathen to fill their churches. Too often the Church is amusing goats while it should be feeding the sheep. Churches are often tailoring their gatherings and messages to man's felt needs, rather than exposing man's true need: a mighty savior.
         This downfall of Christian worship begins with the expository preaching of God's Word not being central in it. "The heart of Christian worship is the authentic preaching of the Word of God" (GPTG, 109). This is what a true sheep of God desires anyways. Ministers today are not giving what the sheep truly want and need: The preaching of the Word. If the Word is preached as it should be, then it will attract those who desire it and weed out those that do not.
         
Michael Green says, "This is the age of the sermonette and sermonettes make Christanettes" (GPTG 110). One of the issues plaguing the church is the lack of authority that comes from the pulpit. In a postmodern age that believes in no absolute truth basically says that there is no authority. When a preacher takes even the slightest bit of this worldview, he has lost his whole reason for preaching. If the preaching is not authoritative then why even try, it would be a waste of time. You might as well read up on the latest and greatest self help strategy to cure your therapeutic needs. The preacher must be clothed with the very authority of God, speaking as His herald. And the only way to be authoritative is to preach with an authoritative source: the Word of God. The preacher should be a prophet forcing the attendee to a decision whether one will obey God's Word or not. Expository preaching is the means of authority for Christians worship. The only thing that will save a heathen's soul is an authoritative message. The only thing that will save the heathen it the gospel.