At NOLA Baptist Church, we are committed to what is called expository preaching. Expository preaching means that our goal and aim in preaching is to expose the text. In other words, the main point of our sermons should also be the main point of the particular passage we are preaching. We seek to accomplish this by preaching through entire books of the Bible and by carefully preaching passages of Scripture in context during topical series. This practice assumes certain things about the Scriptures:
- the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God. What the Bible says, God says. God has clearly spoken, and the way that he has spoken is through the holy Scriptures.
- The Bible is our ultimate authority as a church. God’s people are to be marked by faith, love, and obedience. Scripture is not a hindrance to those marks. On the contrary, Scripture is what informs and forms those marks in us! Scripture is sufficient!
- The Bible is relevant. God doesn’t need our help and the Bible doesn’t need our improvements. the Bible reveals who God is, who we are, what God has done to reconcile us to himself, what he is doing now, and what he will do in the age to come. What could be more relevant than that?
- The Scriptures are the ordained means by which the Spirit of God guides, convicts, comforts, and strengthens the church. As Thomas Manton said, “The Spirit of God rides most triumphantly in his own chariot.”
- The people of God benefit from God’s wisdom. Our goal in preaching is to be able to say, “Thus says the Lord.” Expository preaching guards the church from teachers that would hinder the church by only giving their own wisdom. When we gather together, we want to hear from God!
