Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, H.B. reflects on the first sermon he preached - forty years ago - August 26, 2024. The sermon was preached at a youth choir musical at the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, where H.B.'s dad - H.B. Charles Sr. - was the pastor.  HBC2 RESOURCES:  On Preaching by H.B. Charles Jr.  On Pastoring by H.B. Charles Jr.  On Worship by H.B. Charles Jr.  It Happens After Prayer by H.B. Charles Jr.  The Difference Jesus Makes by H.B. Charles Jr. Registration for Cutting...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, H.B. discusses the words you should consider in your sermon text for further study. You should note these words in your observation of the text and study them in the interpretation phase of your word work.  What words should you study in the text?  Unfamiliar Words Familiar Words  Technical Words  Repeated Words  Confusing Words  Action Words  Proper Names  Variant Words  Figurative Speech  Quoted Words  HBC2 RESOURCES:  On Preaching by H.B. Charles Jr.  On Pastoring by H.B. Charles Jr.  On Worship by H.B....

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. Derek W.H. Thomas, a native of Wales, is the Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology and the recently retired Senior Minister at First Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Columbia, South Carolina. He previously served as the Chairman of the Theology Department at Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson), the Minister of Teaching at First Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Jackson, Mississippi, and the Robert Strong Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary (Atlanta). He is also a Teaching Fellow with Ligonier Ministries and...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, H.B. discusses a system of sermon preparation. Although the principles of sermon preparation are common, each preacher must develop, practice, and refine his own process for moving from text to sermon.  What does a system of sermon preparation involve?  Study the text. This is the primary word work you should do in sermon preparation. Ask strategic questions of the text. Then seek scriptural answers to your questions, as you carefully read the text. Consult the resources. This is the secondary...

Welcome to The On Preaching podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode of the podcast, H.B. discusses the hard work of preaching. Effective preaching is text-driven, has a clear message, and involves hard work.  Many congregations feel their pastors only work on Sunday, if then. That should not be the case. We should strive to give God our best in sermon preparation and delivery (2 Timothy 2:15). I have been around enough good preaching and preachers to conclude that those who make it look easy work hard to make it look easy. What...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. discusses how to read the Bible effectively in the sermon preparation process. Indeed, Bible reading is key to Christian life and growth, as well as sermon preparation. Reading the Bible is foundational to the hard work of crafting the message. How do you read the Bible for sermon preparation? Read the Bible casually. This is how I often began my sermon preparation early in the week. On Sunday evening and Monday afternoon, I casually read through the text several...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. discusses the objectives of the sermon.  What is the difference between teaching and preaching? On one hand, preaching and teaching overlap. On the other hand, there is some real distinction between a lesson and a sermon. So, maybe the question is, what is a sermon? A sermon is characterized by proclamation, purpose, and persuasion.  Regarding the persuasion factor, consider the objectives of the sermon. What are you trying to do to thse people? Consider three objectives as you...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better. The three laws of real estate are location, location, location. Similarly, the three laws of proper Bible interpretation are context, context, context. A text without a context is a pretext.  Context in biblical interpretation falls into two categories: historical context and literary context. In this episode, H.B. discusses how to read with an eye toward the literary context.  Here are the seven circles of context you should consider... The Sermon Text. Start with the unit of thought you have selected to study and...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In order to be able to expound the Scriptures, and as an aid to your pulpit studies you will need to be familiar with the commentators: a glorious army, let me tell you, whose acquaintance will be your delight and profit. Of course, you are not such wiseacres as to think or say that you can expound Scripture without assistance from the works of divines and learned men who have laboured before you in the field of exposition. If you are of...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  The sermon preparation is a twofold process of getting the text right and getting the truth across.  In terms of biblical exegesis (getting the text across), I commend to you the inductive Bible study process:  Observation: What does the text say?  Interpretation: What does the text mean? Application: How does the text apply? Correlation: How does the text relate? In this episode, H.B. focuses on doing observations. The tools you need for this part of your word work are a Bible, something...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, we'll discuss theological disciplines for expository preaching. As a study and advocate of expository preaching, I believe that it is the most faithful way to handle the word of God. Why expository preaching? Because I believe it is the most faithful way to handle the word of God. Expository preaching is the proper response to God-breathed scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-4:2). The bottom line of this episode is that faithful exposition is theologically informed. It should be doctrinal, not merely...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode of the podcast, H.B. discusses four sentences that will improve your preaching. That may seem to be a big promise. But carefully crafting these sentences will truly help you to get the text right and get the truth across.  Of course, the development of your sermon will involve more than these four sentences. But working hard on this sermon will bring purpose, unity, and movement to your sermon. What are the four sentences that can improve your preaching? The Text...