The preacher was a well-respected pulpiteer. The sermon was doctrinally sound. He seemed to preach with sincerity, reverence, and passion. But the sermon felt like we were driving on a flat tire. What went wrong? At the end of the service, the friend sitting next to me leaned over a said, “He had four alliterated points with three sub-points each. I don’t care what you say, he had sixteen points!” Yep. That’s what went wrong. A good sermon has purpose, unity, and movement. Well-crafted structure makes this possible. But an overcooked structure messes up the whole meal. On the other...

YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST TO THE RIGHT OF THIS PAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE WEEKLY SERMON MANUSCRIPT. It was a joy to preach the Corpus Christi Citywide Revival this week. Shout-out  to my friend, Pastor Arthur Lane, for the invitation. Shout-out to Bob Kauflin for the opportunity to speak at the 2015 WorshipGod Conference in Louisville. The Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference is fast approaching. I hope you will join us September 22-24, 2015, at the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville (FL), for three days of model preaching, practical instruction, and warm fellowship. There will also...

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned his followers not to practice spiritual devotion with ulterior motives (Matthew 6:1-18). Do not give to the needy to be celebrated for your generosity. Do not pray to be heard by men. Do not fast so people will consider you spiritual. How do you avoid practicing Godward acts with man-centered motives? Jesus teaches that acts of devotion should be done in private, before God not man. Preachers also struggle with the temptation to make their charge from God a performance before men. But we cannot overcome this temptation by moving the pulpit...

Preachers are getting in shape. Social media is littered with pictures of preachers exercising to get or keep their weight under control and live healthy lives. Way cool! In the crucible of my schedule, I often neglect to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen. But the noted milestones of exercising preachers challenge me to “get it in,” as they say. I once read about a preacher who worked himself to death. On his deathbed, he lamented, “God gave me a message and a horse. I have killed the horse! What will happen to the message?” I think of this...

YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST TO THE RIGHT OF THIS PAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE WEEKLY SERMON MANUSCRIPT. It was a joy to take part in the 2015 Legacy Conference in Chicago. To see so many youth and young adults on fire for Jesus is greatly encouraging. And grateful for the opportunity to team teach the Cutting It Straight preaching track. It was our pleasure to host the Union St. James Congress of Christian Education at the Shiloh Church this week. I hope to see you at the For The Church Conference at the Midwestern Baptist Theological...

The church was growing. The threat of persecution could not stop it (Acts 4). The threat of corruption could not stop it (Acts 5). But the enemy still had another trick up his sleeve: internal division. The Greek-speaking Jews complained against the Hebrews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. The apostles called the church together and directly addressed the matter: "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and...

YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST TO THE RIGHT OF THIS PAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE WEEKLY SERMON MANUSCRIPT. Last Sunday, I had the wonderful privilege of preaching for Dr. Johnny Hunt at the First Baptist Church of Woodstock. What a church! Shout-out to Pastor Lebron Crisp for the opportunity to preach Super Mondays at the Living Water Baptist Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was a joy to speak at the BGCT African-American Fellowship Conference in Houston. The Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference is September 22-24, 2015, in Jacksonville, Florida.This conference is to teach, model,...

I have always wanted to preach a sermon or teach a lesson entitled, “Give Mark a Minute!” Do you know who John Mark is? John Mark assisted Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 12:25; 13:5). At some point, however, John Mark left the team and returned to Jerusalem (13:13-14). The gospel work continued without him. As Paul and Barnabas prepared for their second missionary journey, Barnabas proposed they bring John Mark. Paul flatly refused. John Mark had gone AWOL the last time. Paul saw no benefit in bringing this ministerial deserter with them again. Disagreement over John...

Do you know about my sermon email list? In the right column of this page, you can sign up for the HBC2 email list. By subscribing to the list, you will get blog articles, ministry updates, and special discounts. You will also be the first to know about free resources. Each week, those on the email list receive a complete sermon manuscript from a sermon I preached. You can read the manuscripts devotionally. Or you can use them to spark ideas for your own sermon preparation. At this point, we have published more than a year’s worth of sermon manuscripts. Our...

Last Friday (6/27/15), the Supreme Court of the United States issued a landmark 5-4 decision, making same-sex marriage the law in all fifty states. Pastors across the country prepared to respond to the verdict in the Sunday worship services. We had a guest speaker scheduled at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church, where I serve as pastor. Our guest speaker challenged and encouraged us with Romans 8:31: “What then shall we say to these thing?” If God is for us, who can be against us?” God willing, I will be in the pulpit this coming Sunday. I plan on using that...

YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST TO THE RIGHT OF THIS PAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE WEEKLY SERMON MANUSCRIPT.  A big birthday shout-out my big brother, Kevin B. Willis Sr.! I love you! And I am proud of all God is doing in your life! Shout-out to Donald Whitney for leading the In-Training: Spiritual Disciplines Conference at the Shiloh Church. My devotional life will never be the same! We continue to pray for the victims of the Charleston shooting. May the funeral for Rev. Clemente Pinckney be one of many healing moments in our nation. R. Albert Mohler: The...

The following statement is found at the Southern Baptist Conventions' Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission website, where you can find other Christian resources in response to the SCOTUS ruling on same-sex marriage. I fully affirm and joyfully signed this statement. Please consider the following my personal and official response to the SCOTUS ruling.  As evangelical Christians, we dissent from the court’s ruling that redefines marriage. The state did not create the family, and should not try to recreate the family in its own image. We will not capitulate on marriage because biblical authority requires that we cannot. The outcome of...