On Preaching with H.B. Charles Jr.

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 The Literary Genre  The Immediate Context The Book Section  The Bible Book  The Testament (OT/NT)  The Biblical Message  For contact, information, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com. 

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. answers the question, What commentaries should I use?  Biblical Commentaries Best Commentaries  Helpful Commentaries  Critical Commentaries  Expository Commentaries  Homiletical Commentaries  Old Commentaries  New Commentaries  Devotional Commentaries  Recommended Commentaries  Favorite Commentaries  Limited Commentaries  For contact, information, and resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com.   

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 to take on, and the illumination of the Holy Spirit.  What should you look for in observations?  Key words. Key places.  Key people.  Vital statistics.  Figurative language.  Literary genre.  Diagnostic questions.  Circles of context.  Cross-references.  Passage structure.  Rhetorical functions.  What's not stated.  Dominating theme.  Authorial intent.  Gospel focus.  Practical implications.  Sanctified brainstorming.  For contact, information, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com. You can also sign up for the Cutting It Straight weekly newsletter at hbcharlesjr.com.   

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. discusses theological disciplines for expository preaching.  As a student and advocate of expository preaching, I believe that it is the most faithful way to handle God's word.  The bottom line of this episode is that faithful exposition is theologically informed. It should be doctrinal, not merely devotional. Beyond the exegetical text work, theological reflection should shape your sermon preparation.  What are the theological disciplines for expository preaching?  Biblical Theology Historical Theology  Systematic Theology  Practical Theology For contact, information, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com.     

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. talks about how to find sermon illustrations.  We preachers often look for illustrative material by subject (prayer, love, forgiveness, etc). But there is another way. You can also look for illustrations by focusing on four persons or groups.  You. Somebody.  Nobody. Everybody.  For contact, information, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com. 

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.  What are the four sentences that will improve your preaching?  The Text Summary The Main Idea  The Probing Question  The Transitional Sentence  For contact, information, and/or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com. 

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 refers to 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. Plan your preaching.  Take a break.  Fight the resistance.  Practice purposeful distraction.  Keep on working.  Remember your why.  For contact, information, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com. 

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you to preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. interviews a new friend, Grant R. Castleberry, Pastor of the Capital Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Grant is also the President and featured speaker/writer at Unashamed Truth.  For contact, information, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com.   

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. gives several tips for stating the points, headings, or movements of the main body of your sermon. Effective sermons have clear structure. The structure of the sermon does not have to be explicit. But a good sermon outline benefits both the preacher and the hearer.  How should you state your sermon outline?  Use simple statements. Use clear statements.  Use biblical statements.  Use provable statements.  Use complete statements.  Use distinct statements.  Use parallel statements.  Use present-tense statements.  Use action statements.  Use memorable statements.  For contact, information, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com.   

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. discusses impactful sermons he has personally heard over the years. The sermons affirm the power of hearing the word of God preached. They remind us that the Holy Spirit is at work through our preaching. They also show us that the Lord uses people with different backgrounds to preach effectively.  Sermons discussed in this episode... "Will Your House Stand?" by H.B. Charles Sr. "Will You Give Jesus Your Lunch? by Richard D. Sanders  "What Can that Boy Tell Me?" by E.V. Hill  "Reclaiming Lost Ground" by E.K. Bailey  Romans 8:31-34 by John MacArthur  "What Do We Preach?" By Ralph Douglas West  Psalm 119 by R.A. Williams Jr.  BONUS: "Don't Stoop at Standing Time" by Melvin Wade Jr.  For contact, information, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com. 

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the Podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. discusses eleven questions you should ask to properly interpret your sermon text.  What is the book about? What is the literary genre?  What are the word meanings?  What is the literal reading?  What is the immediate context?  What is the grammatical structure?  What is the historical background?  What is the primary theme?  What is the authorial intent?  What is the analogy of faith?  What is the gospel focus?  For contact, information, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com.   

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. talks about practical ways to learn to preach - or to preach better.  How can I learn to preach better?  By studying the Bible. Through prayer to God.  By listening to good preaching.  By preaching.  By studying preaching.  In conversation with other preachers.  Through constructive feedback.  For contact, information, and resources, hbcharlesjr.com. 

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. discusses the importance of getting the vital statistics of a book of the Bible before you study individual texts in that book.  Here's the principle: A proper introduction to the book leads to a proper interpretation of the text.  What vital statistics should you discover?  The Author The Audience or Recipients  Date of Writing  Place of Writing  Key Terms Key Verses  Key Persons  Key Places  The Occasion  The Point or Purpose  The Doctrinal Themes  The Structure  View of Christ  Special Characteristics  Textual Difficulties  Theological Significance  For contact, resources, or information, visit hbcharlesjr.com 

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. discusses the elements of a sermon - a declaration of a biblical message.  What elements should go into a sermon?  Introduction Proposition  Transition  Explanation  Argumentation  Application  Illustration  Conclusion  Invitation  For information or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com.

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  The three basic elements of a sermon are explanation, application, and illustration. In this episode, H.B. gives 25 tips for using sermon illustrations effectively.  Purposeful illustrations. Strategic Illustrations.  Personal illustrations.  Transparent illustrations. Discreet illustrations.  Historical illustrations.  Biblical illustrations.  Contemporary illustrations.  Pastoral illustrations.  Relatable illustrations.  Visual illustrations.  Real-world illustrations.  Factual illustrations.  Credited illustrations.  Interesting illustrations.  Diverse illustrations.  Detailed illustrations.  Brief illustrations.  Simple illustrations.  Creative illustrations.  Humorous illustrations.  Appropriate illustrations.  Practical illustrations.  Authorized illustrations.  Prepared illustrations.  For contact, information, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com. 

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. shares several new year preaching resolutions he is making to grow in his preaching in 2024.  To be more prayerful in my sermon preparation. To finish my prepartion earlier in the week.  To get sharper in the original languages.  To be more selective in the commentaries I read.  To work harder at sermon application.  To spend more time in the Old Testament.  To preach less than I have in the past few years.  A Bonus: To spend time getting to know Bible software better.  For more information or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com. 

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. issues a year-end challenge to preach the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  Preach divine truth. Preach biblical truth.  Preach gospel truth.  Preach objective truth. Preach eternal truth.   Preach spiritual truth.  Preach lived truth.  For more information and resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com 

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  Good preaching is hard work. That hard work falls into three categories - the life you live, the text you select, and the message you craft. In this episode, H.B. focuses on the hard work of biblical interpretation.  What does the word work of biblical preaching involve?  Book Introduction Observational Reading Word Studies  English Translation  Literary Context Structural Argument  Historical Background Cross References Bible Commentary  Systematic Theology  Practical Application  For more information or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com 

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. discusses the priority of and the preparation for the pastoral prayer. The Pastoral prayer should be simple, direct, God-centered, scriptural, corporate, and spiritually focused.  The A-C-T-S outline (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, & supplication) serves as a good model for structuring your pastoral prayer. As you make supplications, you should pray for the government, the gospel, the lost, the church, and the afflicted.  For more information and resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com. 

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. discusses seven ways to grow in your preaching in 2024:  Read. Pray.  Think.  Write.  Love.  Rest.  Live.  For more information or resources, visite hbcharlesjr.com