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). 

What does the hard work of preaching involve? 

1. The hard work of careful reading.
2. The hard work of believing prayer. 
3. The hard work of critical thinking. 
4. The hard work of creative writing. 
5. The hard work of pastoral leadership. 

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. talks about how to read the Bible effectively in the sermon preparation process. 

1. Read the Bible casually.
2. Read the Bible continually. 
3. Read the Bible committedly.
4. Read the Bible carefully.  
5. Read the Bible correctly.  
6. Read the Bible contextually. 
7. Read the Bible Christocentrically. 

For information, contact, 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. discusses the objectives of the sermon. 

What is the difference between teaching and preaching? A sermon is characterized by proclamation, purpose, and persuasion. 

Regarding persuasion, you should consider three objectives as you craft your sermon... 

1. What should the hearer think? (The Message of the Text) 
2. What should the hearer feel? (The Mood of the Text) 
3. What should the hearer do? (The Mandate of the Text) 

For information, contact, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com. 

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...

1. The Sermon Text
2. The Literary Genre 
3. The Immediate Context
4. The Book Section 
5. The Bible Book 
6. The Testament (OT/NT) 
7. 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? 

1. Biblical Commentaries
2. Best Commentaries 
3. Helpful Commentaries 
4. Critical Commentaries 
5. Expository Commentaries 
6. Homiletical Commentaries 
7. Old Commentaries 
8. New Commentaries 
9. Devotional Commentaries 
10. Recommended Commentaries 
11. Favorite Commentaries 
12. 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? 

1. Key words.
2. Key places. 
3. Key people. 
4. Vital statistics. 
5. Figurative language. 
6. Literary genre. 
7. Diagnostic questions. 
8. Circles of context. 
9. Cross-references. 
10. Passage structure. 
11. Rhetorical functions. 
12. What's not stated. 
13. Dominating theme. 
14. Authorial intent. 
15. Gospel focus. 
16. Practical implications. 
17. 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? 

1. Biblical Theology
2. Historical Theology 
3. Systematic Theology 
4. 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. 

1. You.
2. Somebody. 
3. Nobody.
4. 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? 

1. The Text Summary
2. The Main Idea 
3. The Probing Question 
4. 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? 

1. Guard your heart.
2. Plan your preaching. 
3. Take a break. 
4. Fight the resistance. 
5. Practice purposeful distraction. 
6. Keep on working. 
7. Remember your why. 

For contact, information, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com.