While growing up in Hawaii, most of the sermons I heard were topical. But when I got to Biola in 1971, I joined the College Church of La Mirada. The pastor was a graduate of Denver Seminary. It was my first exposure to expository preaching. Several things about his teaching method stood out to me:
1. Clarity. He used terms even new believers could understand.
2. Practicality. He connected with the audience.
3. Authenticity. He was real.
4. Focus. He stayed with the text.
5. Accuracy. He worked hard to see that his comments squared with the Scriptures.
There's nothing magical about Bible exposition. It's simply the practice of learning, then explaining, the meaning and purpose of a given passage of Scripture. When your message is delivered it is based, to the best of your ability, on the word of God and not someone's opinion or personal ideas. Moreover, the truth is applied and illustrated in a manner that people can understand. The study of Scripture should always enable us to live out the life of Christ before others.
That pastor's name was Robert Hakes. May his tribe increase.