Hebrews 13:1-19 concludes this letter with practical instructions for Christian living. Hebrews 13:8 sits in the middle of these commands. But it is not an exhortation. It is a declaration: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” This is the golden verse of Hebrews. This unique verse can be explained by quoting it: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Verse 7 says: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” This is the believer’s duty to spiritual leaders. It also tells us the church needs leaders whose teachings are worth remembering, whose way of life...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. Practice these, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. - 1 Timothy 4:15 Godly preachers are growing preachers. We should grow in our example of Christlike servanthood. Likewise, we should grow in our exposition of the word of God. As you prayerful make plans for 2024, make sure you are intentional about growing in your preaching of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. How can you grow in your preaching in 2024? Read. Readers are...

Verse 33 says, “Be on guard, keep wake.” Verse 34 says the man of the house “commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.” Verse 35 says, “Therefore stay awake.” Verse 37 says, “And what I say to you I say to all: “stay awake.” The repeated command to wakefulness and watchfulness is the dominating theme of the Olivet Discourse. As Jesus left the temple in Jerusalem for the last time, he predicted it would be destroyed. When they reached the Mount of Olives, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked follow-up questions. Verse 4 says, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished.” They asked a time question and a sign question. Verses 5-37 record Jesus’ answer to...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, I interviewed my friend, Victor Sholar. I met Victor at The Master's Seminary in Sun Valley, California. We had several classes together. Later, as he served as associate pastor of the Los Angeles Community Bible Church and a professor at the Los Angeles Bible Training School, we got to know each other better. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Sholar now pastors the historic Main Street Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky - where he has served since 2010. He succeeded...

Waking up after a long Sunday nap, I surfed channels and landed on Carlton Pearson’s broadcast. He was a younger preacher than many on TV. His church was jampacked, mega-sized, and racially diverse. A traditional black preacher, Pearson even “whooped” - backed by a Hammond organ. This set of ministry dynamics is rare now. Imagine how alien it was thirty years ago.  I was encouraged by the message I heard that night. Pearson was articulate, joyful, and – from what I could tell – sound. None of the subsequent messages I heard raised any red flags. For the record, I...

I remember the first time I heard John MacArthur preach in person. I had listened to his messages and read his books for some time before visiting his church. Romans 8 was his text, which he said was about the eternal security of the believer. I was blown away by the message. I knew many verses from Romans 8. I had not put them together to see the grand truth of the chapter: When God grips you by his grace, he will never let you go.  Romans 8 is arguably the greatest chapter in the Bible. It begins with no condemnation and ends with no separation. Romans...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. During the Thanksgiving season, we preachers regularly remind our people why they should be thankful. In this episode, I want to offer that reminder to those who preach. The bottom line is this: Healthy preachers are thankful preachers. Are you a thankful preacher? Here are seven reasons we as preachers should give thanks... Redeeming Love  Ministerial Call  Public Ministry  Spiritual Growth  Gospel Progress  Ministerial Challenges  Sustaining Grace  Healthy preachers are thankful preachers. - H.B. Charles Jr. HBC2 RESOURCES:  On Preaching by H.B. Charles Jr. ...

Samuel Langhorne Clemens – better known by his pen name, Mark Twain – went to church one Sunday. After the service, he told the pastor he had a book at home with every word the pastor preached. The pastor assured him his sermon was original. When Clemens insisted, the pastor asked to see the book. Clemens sent it over the following day. When the pastor unwrapped the parcel, he found a dictionary. Clemens had written in the flyleaf: “Words, just words, just words.”   How many sermons could be described this way? “Words, just words.” So much preaching is “just words” that it has created a conspiracy against preaching.  The...

When I was young, there was a “psychic” whose commercials regularly played on TV. Miss Cleo gave assurances she could reveal your future over the phone. There were clips of phone sessions to prove her assertions. Then she would say in a Jamaican accent, “Call me now!” The caption read: “First 3 minutes of each call free. Must be 18. For Entertainment Only.”  Many make bold predictions about the future. Their prognostications are only useful for entertainment. Jesus is not a part of that list. You can live with confidence in what Jesus says about the future. That’s the message of Mark 13:28-31.  It was Wednesday of Passion Week – Jesus’ last visit to...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, H.B. chats with Toussaint C. Adams about his faith and ministry journey, and preaching the Book of Revelation. Toussaint Adams is the lead pastor of the Watson Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. (FUN FACT: I preached at Watson Memorial B.C. when I was sixteen-years-old - just a few months after my father passed away). A graduate of The Master's Seminary and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Adams is a faithful pastor and Bible teacher. With a firm commitment to...

In the Fall of 2008, my family and I moved to Jacksonville from Los Angeles. My wife saw this transition coming and was somewhat braced for it. My children were too young to fully understand what was taking place. I was in shock.  I was invited to speak at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church for the first time on Memorial Day weekend, 2008. I was told I was not and would not be a candidate for the church’s pastoral opening. Then, I was asked to speak to the committees. Then, I was asked to speak again more than a month...

Welcome to the On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. A good cook knows what to look for on a dish to determine if the meal is ready to eat. The same is true for good preachers. You have done your word work. You have a good sermon idea. You are eager to get to the pulpit. But is that meal really ready to be served? Here are seven questions to ask before you preach? Why have I chosen to preach this text? Are you burdened to preach this scripture? Is the text...