Rediscovering Expository Preaching

by John F. MacArthur Jr.

Noted writer and teacher John F. MacArthur calls for a recovery of the art of Bible exposition in the pulpits of American churches and provides direction on how to go about it.

Genres: Christian, Reference, Leadership, Theology

410 pages, Hardcover

First published June 22, 1992

About the author

John F. MacArthur, Jr. was a United States Calvinistic evangelical writer and minister, noted for his radio program entitled Grace to You and as the editor of the Gold Medallion Book Award-winning MacArthur Study Bible. MacArthur was a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker, and served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California beginning in 1969, as well as President of The Master’s College (and the related Master’s Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California.

Reviews

[Matthew Rawlings]

I have serious theological disagreements with Dr. MacArthur, especially in the area of eschatology. Yet, I have long admired his preaching. He was one of the ministers I listened to nearly every day after becoming a Christian. His desire to see the Biblical text rather than pop psychology and pagan self-help dominate the pulpit is an admirable one. This textbook can be a bit repetitive but it is still must reading 32 years after its initial publication.

[Sean Higgins]

Reread (most of) this with Jonathan. It's a good reference book on preaching, though reading it still doesn't guarantee someone will uncover, or communicate, the point of the passage.

My favorite chapter was on diagrammatical analysis. Sadly, I think that makes me a nerd.

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Reread (a lot) of this with the Friday morning guys. So much good; still wish the emphasis in the book was the emphasis of my alma matter.

[W. Austin]

lots of good material here

[CJ Bowen]

Decidedly mixed bag. Many great principles and helpful lessons, many dispensational sillinesses and unhelpful instructions like "don't be pedantic". No one tries to preach poorly; when giving such instructions, examples are critical. (Cf. Carson's Exegetical Fallacies) The tone of many chapters comes across as desperate, as if preaching is failing all over the world, and this book represents the final bulwark against bad preaching. Also, the citations are less than professional - one author quoted Luther at the Diet of Worms, and footnoted RC Sproul's Holiness of God. Great book, but hardly an authoritative source on what Luther said. Secondary sources abound, to the detriment of the book's overall ethos.
REP is probably best used as a diagnostic for individual elements - if your intros are lame, check out the appropriate chapter. But if you are just starting out, and weak in every area, the tone of these articles will leave you with the impression that with only 80 hours of sermon prep per week, you too could preach like John MacArthur.

[Craig]

An inside look at how MacArthur prepares and delivers sermons. If you didn't know, he believes in expository preaching. This book provides a comprehensive look at the whys and hows of it.

[Joe]

Shows the process of constructing a sermon.

[Duncan]

A seminary text book. great book on expository preaching

[Styford Phiri]

This book teaches clear expository preaching