Book of Nehemiah – Lesson 11. Expository Commentary on the Book of Nehemiah.
✍️ Just for your thoughts.
Book of Nehemiah – Lesson 11.
Expository Commentary on the Book of Nehemiah.
Generally, in Christian preaching, there are three main types of sermons:
1️⃣ Expository Preaching
This involves explaining a passage of Scripture verse by verse, bringing out its original and true meaning.
2️⃣ Topical Preaching
This focuses on a specific topic (e.g., faith, love) and gathers various verses from different parts of the Bible to teach on that subject.
3️⃣ Textual Preaching
This takes a particular verse and develops a few key points from it.
Today, in many churches, Topical and Textual preaching are more commonly seen.
These types of preaching are not unnecessary or wrong. However, deeper and more powerful than these is Expository Preaching.
Expository preaching carefully studies God’s Word in its historical, cultural, political, and social context. It seeks to answer questions like: In what situation was this written? To whom? For what purpose? Why was it written? Such preaching is very rare today.
The Bible was written thousands of years ago, yet it is still relevant today. To understand how these ancient Scriptures apply to our present life, and how we should use them, we need Expository Preaching.
Preachers must have a deep knowledge of the Bible. Only then can they teach believers clearly. The other two types of sermons can often be prepared with the help of tools like a concordance.
But Expository Preaching requires strong preparation, deep biblical knowledge, and balanced thinking.
Who is the first Expository Preacher in the Bible? — Ezra.
He read the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained its meaning so that the people could understand it.
“They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.” (Nehemiah 8:8)
Reading the Bible is one thing; memorizing it is another; but understanding it deeply is entirely different. This requires a love for God’s Word.
We must spend time studying the Bible. We must be led by the Holy Spirit. Simply saying, “I have read the Bible three times in a year,” is not enough.
Even if it is just one word, we should not move on without understanding its depth. We must search, study, and use commentaries, research books, and articles to grasp the true meaning of Scripture.
When preaching is done based on such careful study, believers will understand the true meaning of God’s Word. This is what Ezra did.
As a result, the people responded with tears and repentance.
Today, believers should desire such preaching. They should love, support, encourage, and pray for such preachers.
We must pray for “Ezras” to arise in our churches. If not, we may fail to see a generation that deeply meditates on God’s Word.
Therefore, let us pray:
“Lord, raise up expository preachers like Ezra in our churches.”