Author: Yuanna R J Chany

Date: Apr 23, 2026

Introduction

(Pachodo.org) - As the church faces persecution from both outside and within, the Scriptures are under fire from the very pulpits meant to protect and uphold them. The pulpiters no longer revere the Word as authoritative, inerrant, sufficient, and infallible, but are flexibly bending God’s Word to their own whims. The preachers have forgotten that they do not honor the Word by dragging it into their world, but honor it by inviting their world into its truth. The church turns a blind eye to doctrinal distortion; it rejects the profound truth that the audience is transformed when we take them to the text. Piper admirably put it this way, “Words are the tools God gives us to build understanding and faith.”^[1]

Painfully, this does not seem to be the case globally, especially in Africa. The Church appears to have accommodated the scriptural truth within the larger cultural context. Contextualization, intended as a bridge to history, has turned into a license for eisegesis. The preacher has forgotten that his goal is to act as a bridge, but a bridge that must always lead the traveler toward the original ancient shore of truth, not drag the truth into the traveler's favoritism. This paper explained the deep need to rescue the cries of the Text, and why the African church needs expository exultation or preaching.

Rescue The Text From “Preachers”

In the hands of hungry preachers, who crave fame and want to eat, what can rescue the cry of the Biblical text, its original authorial intent, its urgency, and its raw message from the weight of external interpretation or preconception? The answer must be a disciplined exegetical approach that prioritizes context over convenience. It must be an adherence to literal-historical interpretation that always honors the primary meaning, figurative language, and grammar, while recognizing the genre-specific rules under the humble and prayerful guidance of the Holy Spirit. This discipline leads the preacher not only to honor the text but the God of the Text. What kind of preaching can these categories fit into? It’s expository preaching or exultation that embraces these qualities. Haddon Robinson says, “Expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted through a historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context, which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through the preacher, applies to the hearers.”^[2]

Most preachers have forgotten that we do not honor the Word by dragging it into our world, but honor it by inviting our world into its truth. Expository preaching does this, honoring the biblical text. It’s in an expository preaching where the literal context, grammatical, and the authorial intent are upheld. In this type of preaching, the preacher must first bleed and die to the Text's intent, before his audience. The preacher cannot pick and choose from a verse; instead, he must be led by the Text as sheep to the slaughter. An expositor does not command the Text to speak what he wants the text to say, but simply lets the lion out of its cage (2 Timothy 4:2). He does not bend the verse to fit his pre-existing agenda, but conforms his thought to the Text. In true expository preaching, the preacher must first be broken and humbled by the biblical Text before he dares preach it to his audience.

Expository preaching or exultation allows the preacher to be confronted and corrected by the Word. It’s where the preacher and his hearers meet with the God of the Word face to face. In this kind of preaching, the audience can only exclaim, “What a great God!” rather than, “What a great preacher!” Beautifully, Alistair Begg put it this way, “Since expository preaching begins with the text of Scripture, it starts with God and is in itself an act of worship, for it is a declaration of the mighty acts of God. It establishes the focus of the people upon God and His glory before any consideration of man and his need.”^[3] In fact, expository preaching is a vital remedy for preachers who desire their audience to glean immensely from the mind of God. In this discipline, there is delighting, rejoicing, jubilating, and ululating over the exultation of God and His Word. This is not exaltation in information, but in how it transformed life. D.L. Moody once said, “The Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation.”^[4] Indeed, the Bible is given to us for our transformation, and to achieve it, expository exultation stands as the giant. It’s the only preaching that is transformation-driven, rather than information-driven, as the ultimate goal. It allows the audience and their preacher to magnify God, prioritizing Scripture over personal or foreign opinions. This approach helps the audience honor the text, not the preacher. It is in this method that listeners would ask, “Where is it written in the text?” Audiences prioritize Scripture above foreign ideas not rooted in Scripture.

Ligon Duncan stated, “What will a church look like that is committed to the ordinary means of grace?” He answered, “It will be characterized by love for expository preaching, passion for worship, delight in truth, embrace of the Gospel,......,, Along with this all, there will be an unapologetic, humble, and joyful celebration of the transcendent sovereignty of the one, true, triune God in salvation and all things.^[5] These characteristics flourish only where expository exultation is healthy. It’s through this preaching that both the preacher and his congregation cultivate a high view of Scripture, a high view of the Triune God, a high view of the Gospel, a high view of worship, a high view of sanctification, a high view of the church, and on and on, and on. In this preaching, the preacher ensures the text, not he, holds the center stage in the pulpit. The work of the preacher in expository preaching is to bring out of the text what is actually there and expound its Truth.

Preaching that fails to lead to reveling in and celebration of the truth found in the text is not what we are talking about here. True expository exultation ensures celebration in the truth. It ensures that preaching is God-centered, Christ-focused, Spirit-diffused, and deeply saturated.^[6] In this preaching, Scripture is the preacher’s primary solely source of knowledge and the means that shapes the audience. The more it is practiced, the deeper the study of Scripture becomes. It’s through this discipline that we acknowledge the necessity of lavishing this weighty truth upon our people and carrying it to the heathen. With expository exultation, one of the pastors stated, "Expository preaching consists in the explanation and application of a passage of Scripture. Without explanation, it is not expository; without application, it is not preaching."^[7] A preacher must faithfully explain and apply the Bible, letting the text guide his exhortations, sermons, and rebukes, instead of “murdering” the text for the sake of a helpful point. The job of a preacher is not to edit the text, but herald it. The Church in Africa and beyond needs to lean in the same direction.

Conclusion

In an era of hyper-contextualization, expository preaching remains the primary hope for delivering God-honoring preaching to the African church and beyond. As a Christ-exalting discipline that glories in biblical text, expository preaching must be embraced by every church that seeks to honor Him. Preaching expositorily leaves less room for elevating self-proclaimed performers in the pulpit, but helps the Church to rely on the Scripture and the God of the Text. Jerry Bridges admirably put it this way, “Godliness is closely akin to holiness in Scripture.”^[8] In expository preaching, the preacher fears and lives a lifestyle of running away from adulterating the text, but submits to its purity, lest he die. Therefore, in striving for the text's holiness, both the preacher and his audience should always lean toward the text's intent. In Africa, expository preaching serves as a powerful tool, remedy, extinguisher, and solution to counter the widespread charismatic chaos. May we behold expository exultation as we journey, exalting God through his Word, looking to Jesus Christ, and honoring his Word as we pilgrim to the celestial city.

[1] Piper, John. The Supremacy of God in Preaching. Baker Publishing Group, 2004

[2] Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages 2nd ed., Baker Books, 1980, p. 21.

[3] Alistair Begg, Preaching for God’s Glory, Crossway, 1999, p. 33.

[4] Moody, Dwight L. Experiencing Pleasure and Profit in Bible Study. Moody Publishers, 2013, p. 52.

[5] Ligon Duncan, The Ordinary Means of Growth, Tabletalk, October 2007, p. 15. Used by Permission of Ligonier Ministries.

[6] Storms, Sam. 2026. “Expository Exultation: Or, Why Boring Preaching Is a Sin.” Sam Storms: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 2026. https://www.samstorms.org/enjoying-god-blog/post/expository-exultation:-or-why-boring-preaching-is-a-sin.

[7] — Steven J. Lawson (The Expository Genius of John Calvin (A Long Line of Godly Men Series Book 1))

[8] Jerry Bridges, “Copied from The Pursuit of Holiness,” © 1996, p. 105. Used by permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com. All rights reserved.