Imagine you lived during the days of Jesus. You were able to see and hear the ministry of Jesus in person. Somehow, you finagle your way to the front of the large crowd, close enough to speak to Jesus. What would you ask or say to him in that moment?  That scenario is the occasion of the text. Verse 13 reads: “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’” In Jewish custom, the firstborn son was the heir of the father’s estate, executor of his father’s will, and recipient of the lion’s share of his father’s wealth. The man of our text was the younger brother, who was deprived of his inheritance...

The Teth stanza of Psalm 119 begins with grateful praise: “You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word.” This testimony affirms the goodness of God. In verse 17, the psalmist prayed, “Deal bountifully with your servant.” The Lord answered his prayer. The psalmist testified, “You have dealt well with your servant.”Verse 64 is a universal statement about the goodness of God: “The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes.” Verse 65 is a personal testimony of the goodness of God.  The Lord had dealt well with him.  The Lord had shown kindness to him. The Lord had been good to him.  This is the testimony...

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...

The stanza begins with a testimony: “The Lord is my portion.” “Portion” refers to a personal inheritance, acquired possession, or great endowment. It is a real estate term. The Lord used the term to explain why the priestly tribe of Levi would not receive property or possessions in the promised land of Canaan. Numbers 18:20 says, “And the Lord said to Aaron, ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.’” Joshua 13:33 says, “But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance just as he said to them.”   We do not know...

George Bernard Shaw visited the studio of sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein. The famous playwright noticed a massive block of stone in the corner and asked what it was for. “I don’t know yet,” Epstein answered. “I’m still making plans.” “You mean you plan your work,” said Shaw. “I change my mind several times a day!” Shaw replied, “That’s all very well with a four-ounce manuscript, but not with a four-tone block.”  It is good, wise, and right to make plans. The weightier the goals, the weightier your plans. “If you fail to plan,” said Benjamin Franklin, “you are planning to fail.” That old and famous axiom is true. The Bible teaches us...

Psalm 119 repeatedly confronts us with the fact that devotion to God’s word brings troubles and blessings. The hard truth that devotion brings trouble is mentioned in the previous stanzas. It is stated explicitly in this stanza. Yet the tone of the psalmist is upbeat.  He was not down, distressed, or defeated.  He was not on the verge of giving up on his faith.  He was not looking for deliverance from his troubles.  There is only one prayer request in this stanza. It is not a prayer for deliverance. It is an expression of confidence in the faithfulness of God. Alexander Maclaren wrote: “This section has...

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...

Matthew 28:18-20 records the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” The Lord has commissioned the church to make disciples. Teaching is essential to the disciple-making process.  Disciples think and live by the teaching of Christ. Who is qualified to teach others? It is those who have been taught. No one who does not have a teachable spirit should be...

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...

The headline read: “Sick of Waiting, Patient Sues Doctor.” Ken Fleckenstein arrived on time for an appointment with his podiatrist, Dr. Robert Taylor. He was forced to sit in a waiting room for 87 minutes. On his next visit, Taylor made Fleckenstein wait 51 minutes. The self-employed handyman claimed the wait cost him time, money, and customers. So he sent his podiatrist a $92 invoice. When Taylor refused to pay, Fleckenstein sued for time wasted and $1,755 in attorney’s fees. In court, Taylor admitted to double booking, sometimes triple booking patients. But he claimed emergencies took priority. The doctor also gave Fleckenstein a verbal and...

In Psalm 51:5, David confesses, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” David’s testimony is our testimony. We are sinners – by nature, birth, inclination, choice, and conduct. Romans 3:10-12 says: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” We do not need anyone to teach us to sin. Having children proves this truth. You do not have to train a child to lie, cheat, or steal. At birth, babies are hardwired to do wrong. So is every one of us. William Beveridge wrote: I cannot pray,...

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...