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...

The Ten Commandments begin with a theological emphasis and then move to ethical issues. Exodus 20:1-17 assumes one must have a proper relationship with God to have a proper relationship with your neighbor.  Theology comes before ethics.  Religion comes before morality.  Worship comes before community.  The Ten Commandments teach us to love God before they teach us to love one another. When the Decalogue moves from loving God to loving neighbor, the first commandment is: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Before the sanctity of life, sexual morality, respect for other’s property, the importance of honesty, or the curbing of jealousy, God...

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...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, H.B. discusses how to overcome sermon writer's block. Writer's block typically affects authors, composers, or artists, but it can also happen to preachers, with the accompanying spiritual implications.   You can struggle to understand the text, craft the message, or prepare yourself to preach. How do you overcome sermon writer's block?  Guard Your Heart. The heart is the primary instrument of Christian ministry. Whenever there is something that is not right in our lives or ministries, the heart of the...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, H.B. interviews a new friend, Grant R. Castleberry. Grant Castleberry became the senior pastor of Capital Community Church in August 2019. As senior pastor of Capital, Grant is responsible for preaching the Word of God, shepherding, caring for, discipling, and equipping the saints for the work of ministry, and working with the elders to cast the overall vision for Capital. Grant completed his undergraduate work at Texas A&M University while also serving in the student body elected positions of junior...