Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching as Worship

by John Piper

“God has appointed preaching in worship as one great means of accomplishing his ultimate goal in the world.” ―John Piper John Piper makes a compelling claim in these pages about the purpose of it is intended not merely as an explanation of the text but also as a means of awakening worship by being worship in and of itself. Christian preaching is a God-appointed miracle aiming to awaken the supernatural seeing, savoring, and showing of the glory of Christ. Distilling over forty years of experience in preaching and teaching, Piper shows preachers how and what to communicate from God’s Word, so that God’s purpose on earth will advance through Bible-saturated, Christ-exalting, God-centered preaching―in other words, expository exultation .

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Ecclesiology, Faith, God

336 pages, Hardcover

Published April 30, 2018

About the author

John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.), and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem.

John is the author of more than 50 books and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and twelve grandchildren.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply stellar.

[Ryan Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I wish this 300 page book was 500 pages or even 1000 pages! It was truly a joy to read, filled with gold upon gold.

I knew it would be good, and it didn’t disappoint. But as I read it Piper often surprised me a lot with information I’d never heard, especially from him (like his brilliant defense of why it is beautifully fitting for us to worship God regularly, and then how preaching fits into it). And then throughout the book, he connect texts I’ve never connected.

As for a review, I intentionally am not going to go through the whole book and review much of it. Why? Because honestly it is too much and too good. As I write this sentence now, I just deleted three paragraphs I wrote trying to summarize much of it, but I’d only gotten through like 50 pages of the 300 pages book, and I didn’t think I did it justice! So, I will not weakly try.

Instead, I recommend it to you. It isn’t his easiest book to read (in fact, I think this newest trilogy—A Peculiar Glory, Reading the Bible Supernaturally, and Expository Exultation—are some of his hardest books to read). But it is worth it. Trust me. He doesn’t write like many others, especially these days. He is rigorous in his organization, his devotion to the biblical text, and then in his logical connections which allow you to see things you’ve never seen before. This is why he’s a famous preacher; this is why his writing, although harder to read than many contemporary Christian books, are devoured by so many; and this book especially shows why his writing and preaching will certainly last centuries after we’re all gone.

So if you are in the ministry, or are going into the ministry, this book is indispensable gift from God to all of us. Throughout it all, you’ll pick up theological and practical insights. And then when you get to the concluding chapter, you will joyfully thank God for the serious but glorious responsibly and joy God has gifted you with in preaching the word—as you get to see, savor, and show God's satisfying glory in your expository exultation.

But even if you do not intend on going into the ministry and are just a Christian, this book will grow you in your faith and particularly help you see the reasons for and glories of preaching.

Read, learn, grow, savor, enjoy, see Piper’s biblical explanations, and exult in your God.

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very helpful and soul-nourishing book on preaching. Heavy in theory and theological development of the great task of the church (and especially of her ministers), it also contains much helpful material on the manner and practice of preaching.

Some highlights:
- APTAT (Admit, Pray, Trust 1/2/3, Act, and Thank) acronym for preparing to preach (both long-term and in the moment before ascending the pulpit).
- discussion of “eloquence” for its own sake as gratuitous stylistic constructions (as opposed to rhetoric), and the importance/concept of “Christian eloquence” (tests of self-humiliation and Christ-exaltation)
- the five hopes of Christian eloquence: all equip the preacher to connect meaningfully with his hearers.
- three pervasive emphases of preaching: Goal, Ground, Means :: Glory, Cross, New Life :: Father, Son, Holy Spirit
- to glorify God involves seeing, savoring/loving, and showing

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, downright phenomenal. This is the Preaching we need! Every pastor, elder, and man aspiring to be so should read this book. Piper argues that right preaching is both a rigorous and faithful explanation of the words and meaning of a text of Scripture (Expository) coupled with a joyful worship in the text preached (Exultation). Here are a few quotes:

"A pastor's preaching should be marked by lucid thinking, and over time he should draw his people into the habit of thinking carefully about the meaning of Scripture."

"The preacher submits his thinking openly to the tests of logic. He preaches with the conviction that his sentences must be consistent...Humility before the truth of Scripture, and before the authority of Christ, demands this kind of submission to logical consistency. If you abuse logic, what are you expecting your people to base their agreement on? You can't answer, "Scripture," unless you are committed to logically consistent explanations that your conclusions actually come from Scripture. Scripture will only have authority in your preaching if your appeal to scripture can be seen to be a valid appeal."

"Whether it is owing to weakness in pedagogical gifting or to conviction that it doesn't really matter, there is a widespread disconnect between the points the preachers are making and the people's grasp of those points seen in the very words of Scripture..... the aim of preaching is to show this connection between the text and reality. The keyword is SHOW. The people must see how the text communicates the reality. Otherwise, the opinion of the preacher replaces the authority of the text."

What does it mean to follow the example of Paul and preach nothing except Christ crucified? Does it mean taking a text and making a "beeline for the cross"? Piper argues, "To preach Christ crucified, as Paul implied in 1 Corinthians 2:2 and Galatians 6:14, is not to turn every sermon into a message that climaxes with a rehearsal of the atonement. Rather it is to treat seriously and carefully every word and every clause and every logical connection in the text in order to show how Christ --crucified, and risen, and present by the Spirit-- empowers and shapes the new way of life described in the text."

"'Proclaim Christ' does not mean turning from the specific and detailed warnings and teachings and wisdom of Scripture to repeat the gospel story. Instead 'proclaim Christ' spares no effort to see deeply into what is really there in the text -- al the wonders of truth and life that Christ died to make ours."

All this expounded and demonstrated, and so much more that I can't quote. Read it! I actually highly recommend the whole trilogy. (A Peculiar Glory, Reading the Bible Supernaturally, and Expository Exultation)

[Matt Pitts · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mostly theological rather than practical guide to preaching the Old and New Testaments. Those looking for practical help in moving from text to sermon in terms of outlines, illustrations, and applications will find some help here, but the bulk of the book is aimed at building a vision of God-glorifying preaching that helps the preacher know why he’s preaching, how he should be preaching, and what he should be preaching (specifically what every text of the Bible is aiming at).

I read this book with a band of brothers over several months. Not many books will bear such sustained attention, but this one did, and I believe we are better for it.

[Tanner Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

I think the premise is spot on, preaching itself is a faith filled biblical act that centers around enjoying and worshipping God; ie. it is expository exultation. In a 20 chapter book, I think 8 of them could have been removed entirely without much of a shift in the "helpfulness" of the work. I love Piper but he does manage to draw out the same things in exhausting fashion.

APTAT was helpful.
Trinity chapter was heretical.
His corporate worship section was spot on.

All in all, this was still a good read.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was phenomenal. And for the stage of ministry in which I find myself, Part 6 was exactly what I needed. There is so much being said these days about Christ-centered (or Gospel-centered) preaching or "making a beeline to the cross" or what it means to know nothing but "Christ crucified" in preaching. But most of the approaches I have read about, or even witnessed, have seemed like nothing but a sermon on atonement attached to the particular text being preached.

Piper is so helpful in this regard. For example, he says, "The beeline in the Bible is in the OTHER direction (emphasis mine). Christ died so that we would make a beeline FROM the cross to the resurrection to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit..."

He continues a few paragraphs later: "Jesus did not die so that a Bible would be written with a thousand pages describing only Calvary. He went to Calvary so that a thousand glories would be described in the Bible for us to see and savor and show through a crucified life." This is just scratching the service. Suffice it to say, in this short review, that I found this entire section of the book to be both wonderously motivating and practically helpful.

Much more could be said. This (and the first two books in the trilogy) should be required reading in every seminary.

[Jeff Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on preaching that I have ever read! Plan to revisit this book once a year until the day that I die. Every preacher and/or hearer of preaching should read this and take it to heart. Here are a few quotes:

If you draw invalid inferences from Scripture, it won’t matter how loud you protest your belief in biblical inerrancy; you will not be helping your people base their lives on Scripture. You will be expecting them to base their lives on your faulty inferences from Scripture. That is not humble. It is proud. And it jeopardizes the authority of Christ, Who speaks through true and valid inferences from Scripture. (134)

So I am pleading that you not only say things that are in the text… but rather that you show people that they are in the text, and how they are in the text. (171)

The primary reason for rejecting preaching that makes a “beeline to the cross” (as we have described it) is that it diminishes the glory of the cross… spend most of your time preaching the glorious achievements of the cross, which fill the pages of Scripture. (234)

This means that if you want to glorify the cross in your preaching, give a stunning exposition of the wonders of self-control, and the rare beauties and benefits of sober-mindedness, and the preciousness and painfulness of brotherly love…( and be aware that these are blood bought)! (234-235)

We will magnify the success of His sacrifice if we make a beeline in every text to the concrete, detailed, specific realities that the text is truly dealing with, and what they look like, and how they come to pass by the power of the Spirit unleashed by the blood of Jesus. Jesus did not die so that a Bible would be written with a thousand pages describing only Calvary. He went to Calvary so that a thousand glories would be described in the Bible for us to see and savor and show through a crucified life. (235)

This book offers an excellent corrective to churches even within my own tradition (Reformed Baptist). Take up, read and profit!

[Pat Baird · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Piper has had one of the biggest impacts on me as a Christain. His work on God’s glory is captivating and has shaped my life.

This is Piper’s preaching book. That is simply and exactly what it is. Picture a blender. In that blender you put philosophy of preaching, Christian hedonism, Greek exegesis, and biblical theology. After putting all these ingredients you proceed to continually press the blend button until you get this book.

I loved the premise, but it should have been 150pgs and not 309pgs. We all must hear the premise, but by the end of reading this book I almost lost the premise in the weighty paragraphs.

A dear friend of mine said this, “Piper is an amazing paragraph writer”. To this I say, amen! Piper is a phenomenal paragraph writer! In fact, there are paragraphs in this book that will probably shape my preaching for the rest of my life. However, the book felt redundant and difficult to read at times.

Finally, I find it important to note that there was a chapter in the volume that argued about preaching philosophy from unorthodox trinitarian philosophies. To be frank, I think it would have been better for these six pages to have never be in the book. Expository preaching is good, biblical, and the proper pursuit of the preacher, but that doesn’t mean we have to find it prescribed in the Trinity.

In totality, this is a great read, and I’m glad that I read it.

[Tim Michiemo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 Stars

Expository Exultation is a classic Piper book containing many of his Christian Hedonism themes applied to the task of preaching. This in no way made the book unenjoyable or unhelpful, but really highlighted the task of preaching as ultimately an act of worship. What is most valuable from this book is being able to peer into the way Piper moves from text, to exposition, to exultation. Pastors, preachers, and seminary students would do well to get this book and learn from Piper how to exalt God by exposing the glories riches that are in the Biblical text.

[Marc Sims · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me, John Piper has always been a preacher who happens to write books. His writing is always good, but rarely excellent. This book--on preaching--understandably is different. This was excellent. As with any Piper book, he is going to make a lengthy defense of why God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, so there is a good deal that is very familiar to the regular Piper reader.

I found his chapters on preparation for preaching and the role of eloquence to be very practically helpful. Also, I really enjoyed his trinitarian focus on preaching primarily being aimed at (1) the glory of God the Father, (2) preaching Christ crucified, and (3) living holy lives through the power of the Spirit. I thought his comments on what it actually means to "preach Christ crucified" from every text to be very balanced and good. He takes issue with the apocryphal Spurgeon quote that one must "make a bee line to Christ from any text," warning of flattening the distinct texture of each passage, and reducing every sermon down to essentially preaching a sermon on substitutionary atonement and justification by faith ("here is the model in scripture, you can't do it, but Jesus has done it for you"). Rather, we need to let the specifics of each passage shine forth and not silence them with a theological, or "gospel-centered," muzzle. Piper argues that rather than making a "bee line" to the cross from any passage, we should make a bee line from the cross to the passage, so that we preach each text in its entirety, but then show how Jesus' death and resurrection have ensured the promises needed to fulfill all of Scripture and empower believers to obey it. I thought his balance and care in this section was unbelievably helpful and many, many preachers who (rightly) want to preach the gospel every Sunday would do well to listen to Piper on this.

The one downside of this book was the amount of weight Piper puts on the greek term that is used for preaching in the NT (κηρυσσω). He claims that because it is connected with the idea of a "herald" sent by a king to proclaim good news, that the herald must proclaim that truth in such an emotional manner that reflects the majesty and glory of the king and his victory--to do otherwise, Piper writes, would be tantamount to treason. I get what he is saying, and I think he is write; our preaching ought to have an emotional fervor that rightly reflects the glory and beauty of God and His gospel. But I don't think that is true just because of the word choice that is used. I think the word is very significant and Piper is right to focus so much on it, but the comments he makes on the emotional intensity of the preacher could have been hung on a sturdier hook than just a word alone.

All in all, this book was fantastic and will be a much needed help to any preacher.

[Christian Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This great trilogy ended with a worshipful masterpiece on the art of preaching to the glory of God. Piper leaves no stone unturned as he breaks down what he means by “expository exultation,” and he breaks down its biblical roots and why it’s so important to for pastors to preach in such a way. He also points to why God’s people should be sitting under such teaching.

Some of this book felt familiar, but I think that has to do with the fact that I have listened to so much of Piper of the past year. I would say that if you want a short audio version of this book just listen to his message at T4G20. This was a fantastic read. I would recommend it to any pastor, but I’d also recommend to a lay person as a book for them to read as they seek to understand how the preaching of God’s Word is meant to be worship.

[Jon Pentecost · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

It's not the first book I'd recommend on preaching, but it's pretty close. There's not much direction in terms of the technical skills or specific work of preaching. But it's a wonderful argument for preaching itself, and will put steel in the spine of a preacher to devote himself to the text. I was particularly helped by his lexical study of the term preaching (kerusso) and responding to arguments that the NT uses this term solely in reference to evangelism. His discussions of preaching as an act of worship, correction through highlighting the goodness of God and the happiness of his people are classic Piper, and superb.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT BOOK!!! This book was simply amazing! This was by far one of my favorite John Piper books. And it is fitting I read it as I potentially enter into full time preaching!! I will be rereading starting today! It’s just that good!

[Daniel Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.

[Jake Each · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES!!! Loved this book. Helpful not only for the act of preaching, but for increasing your passion for the importance of preaching.

[Demetrius Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this work, John Piper advocates for preaching that is both expository and exultation. And it can't just be expository. Piper says it's possible to do exposition of texts that you don't even believe, let alone exult over. So, he says, "I don't regard exposition, per se, as the defining mark of preaching. The devil can do biblical exposition. But the devil cannot exult over the divine glory of the meaning of Scripture. So, he cannot preach, at least in the way I'm defining it." What a great way for a preacher to find true north. When we preach, we are primarily (or at least ultimately) imparting (or not imparting) worship to our hearers. This is his main thrust.

Other takeaways: Piper is a big fan of Aristotelian reasoning. He doesn't believe it's just a parochial, Western phenomenon. Valid and sound logic is innate to mankind. So, preaching cannot overlook logical consistency, true and valid inferences, and clear premises. He even advocates for the use of rhetoric. Pleasing and memorable phrases are worth laboring over. Intentional cadence, iambic meter, alliteration, and assonance are all worthy pursuits to capture arresting ways of speaking. And I loved his discussion on pedagogical skill in helping your audience see what is there. (Don't just tell them, show them.) He says, there should be a "manifest correspondence" between the sermon and text. Love that phrase.

Much of this work seemed to be a solid, yet increasingly verbose, rendering of his theology of preaching. The end of the book, I felt, lapsed into a very labored and detailed discussion of preaching from the Old Testament. And it became a chore to finish. The overall flow, from part to part, was a bit unclear. Piper speaks in a lot of superlatives. And after awhile it can get a bit hard to follow. His overall theme, though, is as usual (which I love): "God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him." "Christ is our soul food" and "our heart's supreme delight." (Phil 1:20-21.) So, therefore, in your preaching, be intensely focused on the glory of God and, by all means, carry out the act of worship.

[Bobby Oliveri · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a way only Piper can deliver, this is both a principled and practical resource for those seeking to understand the higher call of preaching. It’s profound, yet attainable, and illuminates the parts of preaching that are difficult to express. It is an extremely helpful treatment on a variety of subjects, from biblical theology to Christian living. It’s a longer read, but by no means exhaustive. Highly recommended to all who are serious not only about preaching, but delighting in the glories of God in Christ in every word of Scripture.

[Chris Baik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute gem. I have personally gained much from Piper's preaching, especially with his staunch commitment to divine sovereignty and Christian hedonism. On the other hand, I have found his writing much more difficult to get through (I have attempted multiple times to trudge through Desiring God and never got past Chapter 3).

This particular book, however, is Piper at his absolute best. He points out many pitfalls for preachers (some of my highlights are quoted below), which are particularly exacerbated in sermon-centric churches where community life and involvement revolves completely around the Sunday sermon. While Piper argues in this book that the sermon-centric Sunday worship service is absolutely essential to Christian life, I'm not yet personally convinced that that's the case. Regardless, if a church were to have a sermon-centric culture, they would do well to heed Piper's warnings and exhortations.

In my experience, some sermon-centric churches use the pulpit as a catch-all - a space for pastors to opine on the state of their church and/or provide unsubstantiated behavioral suggestions (or mandates) for their congregants - while advertising the sermon itself as an authoritative exposition of God's word. Piper provides some much-needed guardrails for preachers to avoid such manipulative practices and to put the focus where it rightly belongs, on exalting and savoring God Himself.

Corporate worship is not a gathering only for overflow. The full may overflow. That is worship. The languishing come to drink at the fountain of God's life-giving word. That too is worship. It magnifies the necessity and desirableness of God. The soul-hungry come to eat at the banquet that is spread from the rich stores of Scripture. This also is worship.

Woe to the pastor who chastises his people for "coming to get" and not to give. If what the hungry people are coming to get is God, their hunger magnifies the worth of God's soul-satisfying beauty. If they are returning week after week for entertainment, the pastor had better look in the mirror for the cause, not in the people.

In view of this normal neediness of real Christians, God has designed us to depend on other humans to awaken and sustain and strengthen our worship---our knowing and treasuring God. This is clear from many considerations in the New Testament.
- p. 100

But I am talking about the preachers who do, in fact, work hard to find the content of their preaching in and through the text of Scripture, but then in preaching do not help the people see the connection between the reality they are heralding and the very wording of the text.
- p. 164

This "gift of teaching," which forms a significant part of what preaching is, includes the ability to discern how people grasp what you say, and whether they are with you, and what you can do to help them see what you see.
- p. 166

I want to stress here how tremendously important it is in preaching that you model good question asking and question answering. You can be sure that your people are quietly asking all the hard questions you asked as you studied your text. People can become greatly discouraged over time if a pastor does not answer the questions that they inevitably have as they are reading the sermon text. On the other hand, people love it when the pastor sees the questions they have, and asks those same questions, and shows the people how to answer them from the text. What tragedy when a people learn from the preacher's example that hard questions are not allowed in church.
- p. 178

...let me preempt two mistakes that are commonly made in preaching on a text such as, "Seek to show hospitality."
The first mistake is: Just do it!
The second mistake is: You can't do it, but Christ did it perfectly, so turn away from your doing to his doing, and enjoy justification by imputed righteousness.
- p. 196-197

Therefore, the primary reason for rejecting preaching that makes "a beeline to the cross" (as we have described it) is that it diminishes the glory of the cross. It thinks it is doing just the opposite. It thinks the cross is more magnified by bringing the sermon to a crescendo every week with a celebration of substitutionary atonement. That is not the way to make much of the glories of the cross. By all means, make sure that the congregation knows the details of the greatest event in the history of the world---the death and resurrection of Jesus. But then spend most of your time preaching the glorious achievements of the cross, which fill the pages of Scripture.
- p. 234

What kind of preaching is needed to produce such genuine repentance---both for unbelievers and backsliding Christians? Brainerd found that a message about the winsome attractiveness of God produced more brokenheartedness than did a message of warning. Warning has value in stirring us up to take the glories of holiness and heaven seriously so that perhaps we might come to see them for what they are, and delight in them. But it is the delight in them that causes the true grief when we fall short. No one cries over missing what they don't want to have.
- p. 256

[Christopher Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching as Worship” by John Piper and published by Crossway is the third in a trilogy of books (“A Peculiar Glory” and “Reading the Bible Supernaturally” are the first two respectively) and is the best of the three. If memory serves me correctly, Piper stated in an interview that he was originally going to write only two books, but as he wrote, he added “A Peculiar Glory” because there was too much for only two books. Imagine taking all the leftover research made for two books and putting it all in a third book. It may be a bit dry and burdensome to get through. That is how I felt about “A Peculiar Glory.” However, the two original books were much better and certainly complemented one another.
“Expository Exultation” took the reader through the glory of preaching God’s Word to God’s people by the power of God’s Spirit. Pastor John first introduced the reader to what worship is and how the preaching, though a part of worship, enhances the worship service, but all of life’s worship as well. He comes back to the same point in the concluding chapters, stating, “Preaching is not everything, but it affects everything,” (307).
Throughout the book, the author is showing the Trinitarian workings within preaching, spending a couple of opening chapters in the section proving that preaching is Trinitarian, but then spending two chapters on each Person of the Trinity. My only issue in this book came in the chapters of the Holy Spirit. These two chapters seemed to be the weakest in proving the point of the Spirit’s work as he focused much on obedience of faith. Only rarely did he revert back to how obedience of faith relates to the Holy Spirit.
There was a section on how to preach the Old Testament, which was helpful. To preach faith, grace, and Christ in the Old Testament may seem to go against the original meaning of the Old Testament when in fact, Piper shows it is not. This was were my first “interesting!” moment came, as Piper revealed (no spoilers) something about faith in the Pentateuch that I had never noticed.
All in all, this was the best of the trilogy that John Piper sought to write a few years ago. I would highly recommend any and every preacher to read it, but only after having read “Reading the Bible Supernaturally” first. I could take or leave “A Peculiar Glory.” I will say, this book is Piperesque in that he comes at his points from various angles and can make the reader wonder when or if he will land the plane. He always does and always just in time. I give this book 4 stars.

[Andy Dollahite · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book of yet another Piperian trilogy (I have not completed the others) characterized by his classic tropes and style. He begins by establishing the scriptural warrant for corporate worship, the principal setting for preaching the word (although preaching can and must occur elsewhere). From here his portrait of preaching is powerfully unveiled. His case is a cogent composition of biblical and systemic theology. He also draws from the Westminster Confession. In essence, Christian preaching is necessarily a supernatural act, one which he calls expository exultation. It's purpose is more than teaching or explanation, although that surely occurs. Rather, the aim is awakening worship. Through the instrument of preaching God transforms the heart, intellect, and will.

He is careful not to classify preaching as a subspecies of rhetoric while still pleading for pastors to skillfully employ the power of words. As one would expect from the author of *Brothers, We Are Not Professionals!*, this is not a handbook or textbook on homiletics.

Likely controversial (although consider me on board), he labors to demonstrate that preaching emphasize the obedience of faith without which a professing believer will not see the Lord. Some might consider this neonomian (they'd be wrong). He is crystal clear (repeatedly) that obedience/works are not part of our justification, but they are still absolutely necessary as a testimony to the veracity of our conversion. I'm notably less sanguine when he drifts into shades of revivalism.

I think this is helpful reading for nonpastors (like me) in order to peek behind the curtain and better appreciate the task of the men charged with the care of my soul.

[Tony Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the majority of books on preaching are about delivery and study (which are excellent themes), this book interested me because of it's focus on exalting God. This is the third in a series of three books, and I have not read the previous two, but likely will given how much I enjoyed this read.

Undoubtedly, I disagree theologically with much of what John Piper believes and teaches, but the value of this book is undeniable regardless. Any preacher who reads this book will finish it encouraged, and charged up to exalt the Christ in his preaching.

There is one thing that I want to champion about this book. As indicated by the title, the emphasis is on expository preaching. It is my belief (and is taught by this book) that God is most glorified in rigorous exposition of the Text versus any other method of preaching. Piper enthuses over expository preaching as THE way to connect the listener to the glory of the Creator in preaching. In a preaching culture that spends more time with shallow topical sermons we all would be greater served in deep expository/text focus sermons.

It's my prayer that we will focus more on exalting the Almighty in our preaching, He deserves the glory.

[Philip Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Storms says on the blurb that this is Johnny P's best book. I don't know about that, but it was excellent. In some ways I felt like I knew where he was going with it, but that's because 1) He explicitly brings each book he writes back to his Christian Hedonism, showing how it informs and drives the various topics and 2) I've listened to pretty much every lecture/sermon he's done, so I know his thought decently well. In many ways it felt like this book was an opportunity to organize his thoughts from his lectures systematically and have them in a hard copy somewhere. But it doesn't come across lazy. It kind of feels like that epic song towards the end of a musical that incorporates everything that's come before really well. I don't know if this will be the last major book Piper does, but if it is, it'd be a strong one to finish on. Like the rest of the trilogy, it's very practical, but also theological. It incorporates elements of biblical as well as pastoral theology effectively. In my opinion, the best book in a very strong trilogy.

[Gwilym Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are parts of this that are truly excellent - especially part five. There are bits that are very good - part seven. I'm thankful for Piper's commitment to authorial intent and his desire to resist the tendency to let preaching grids bully the text out of shape. There were just a few chapter I might print out and get others to read, they were that good.

But overall, it's not nearly the equal of the second book in this trilogy. The whole book labours under the burden of an unconvincing definition of preaching as 'expository exultation' that comes at the start - not very wrong, to be sure, but faulty enough to be frustrating, nevertheless. And perhaps it was just because I was unpersuaded (and it's always easier to read stuff you agree with than stuff you don't), but I also felt that this book was a bit bloated, a bit ponderous.

Personally, I think the supremacy of God in preaching is still Piper's best book on preaching. That one I'll read again, but this one will probably stay on the shelf. Three stars.

[Brian Whittaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is Piper’s theological emphases refracted through the lens of preaching. It’s not a book which gives a “how to” of exegesis. I found especially helpful his material on the centrality of preaching in the corporate gathering & the role of preaching as worship itself. Also really good as his stuff on being rigorously attentive to the text of the passage (something I’ve really noticed in his preaching), as well as letting the broader landscape of the Bible influence what he says.

[Matthew Bonzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT book!!! Definitely read this.
It is very pastoral, but still a great book for anyone.
This is a book that will take longer than you expected to read. Simply because there is some sections that you will need to chew on for a while.
While being full of insight It also has a great palette of introspection, theology, and preaching in culture all under the greater vision of Preaching as worship.

[Oliver Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piper was formative earlier on for me and then I moved on a bit from him in becoming Presbyterian. However, I came back to him after being giving this book upon my ordination. While I’d disagree with Piper on some things, Piper on preaching is Piper at his best. One of my top books on preaching now. Less of a how to. More of a why should I care kind of book.

[Josiah Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful introduction to preaching. Organized philosophically, it lays a theological foundation intended to get your wheels turning. He mostly steers clear of “12 tips for great preaching” stuff, focusing instead on the biblical rationale behind various components of preaching.

Con: Piper’s style often seems a little too wordy, but, while this is not an exception, it is pretty decent.

[Shihong Zu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a slow cook. Pastor John will methodically take your through from start to finish what preaching is and the purpose behind it and show you from Scripture the challenges and joys of preaching. I look forward to coming it back to it again and again to be refreshed and reminded.

[Tor Espen Kristensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The message of this book is excellent. If you have read some of Pipers books, you will find his theology and emphasis on the glory of God also in this book. He can be a bit repetitive in this book. But that is nothing compared to the overall message of the book. I will recommend this book to all preachers.