“Expository preaching isn’t about imposing our ideas onto Scripture—it’s about letting Scripture speak for itself. When the main idea of the text becomes the main idea of the sermon, God’s Word shapes both the preacher and the people. In this year-end conversation, we reflect on how faithful, verse-by-verse preaching has formed our understanding of the gospel, challenged us through difficult passages, and deepened our appreciation for God’s redemptive plan revealed from Genesis to Revelation.”

In this sermon, Pastor Ben Smith expositionally preaches from 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, addressing the critical issues of the sin of idleness and the often-abandoned practice of church discipline. He emphasizes that sin is a serious threat to individual Christians and the church, rightly understood as rebellion against God's lordship. The sermon highlights that faithful labor is submission to God, contrasting it with sinful idleness. The sermon also outlines three basic principles of church discipline: it is an action of the church, a direct confrontation of sin, and is fundamentally gospel-driven. Listeners will understand why the church must obey Christ's commands, even when they are countercultural, to affirm the gospel, combat sin, and rescue wayward members.