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.  In this episode, H.B. gives a brief tribute to the late John A. Reed Jr., who recently passed away. Dr. Reed was dear friends with H.B.'s father, and a father figure to H.B. after his Dad passed away.  For more than six decades, John Reed led the Fairview Missionary Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City. He was a district moderator, state president, and vice president of the National Baptist Convention. He was also a friend to many preachers.  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. reflects on the first sermon he preached - forty years ago - August 26, 2024. The sermon was preached at a youth choir musical at the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, where H.B.'s dad - H.B. Charles Sr. - was the pastor.  For contact, information, and resources, visit hbcharles.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 words you should consider in your sermon text for further study. You should note these words in your observation of the text and study them in the interpretation phase of your word work.  What words should you study in the text?  Unfamiliar Words Familiar Words  Technical Words  Repeated Words  Confusing Words  Action Words  Proper Names  Variant Words  Figurative Speech  Quoted Words  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. interviews Derek W.H. Thomas, recently retired Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. The author of numerous books, Thomas is a professor at Reformed Theological Seminary and a teaching fellow at Ligonier Ministries.  Enjoy!  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 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. Consult the resources.  Craft the sermon.  Write the manuscript.  Internalize the message.  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 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?  The hard work of careful reading. The hard work of believing prayer.  The hard work of critical thinking.  The hard work of creative writing.  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.  Read the Bible casually. Read the Bible continually.  Read the Bible committedly. Read the Bible carefully.   Read the Bible correctly.   Read the Bible contextually.  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...  What should the hearer think? (The Message of the Text)  What should the hearer feel? (The Mood of the Text)  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... 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 br

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.