When I first got started preaching, the outline of the study was something that I struggled with greatly. At the end of the research into the text, surrounded by stacks of books, papers, notes, and wads of paper, it was time to outline the sermon. In these ear... Read More »

I have only been a Senior Pastor for about four months, but what a wild four months it has been. When I surrendered to the call to pastor, I never envisioned that would mean having to become a televangelist so quickly. I preached my first sermon on March 1, 20... Read More »

One of the questions that often arises when interpreting a text concerns theology. As Steven W. Smith has emphasized: we don’t preach sermons; we preach texts. As such, the meaning of the pericope—the preaching text—should be our greatest concern. We mus... Read More »

I have been preaching for nearly 20 years. I started later in life compared to some of these young guns right out of seminary. I started preaching with no formal preaching education. All I had was my Bible and Dr. Adrian Rogers’ “Love Worth Finding” radi... Read More »

In their book Preach, Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert argue, “Expositional preaching is preaching in which the main point of the Biblical text being considered becomes the main point of the sermon being preached.”[1]Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert, Preach ... Read More »

The late Adrian Rogers used to joke that he would “rather be a Baptist preacher than have a paying job!” Clearly, as Dr. Rogers obviously knew, the calling to ministry is more than a job. But it is work. Regarding the work, every pastor quickly learns two ... Read More »

From the realm of real estate, you may have heard the repeated refrain that identifies the most important consideration in a transaction as “location, location, location.” Over the years, this perspective has come to mind when I think about expository prea... Read More »

I’ll never forget my first trip to the mountains. My adolescent eyes were filled with awe. The mountains rose high above our car. Occasionally there was a waterfall that sprung from the mountainside. Wonder was not the only emotion I experienced. My über-ob... Read More »

The greatest collection of literature in Scripture is in the genre of narrative. Eighty-eight of the ninety chapters of Genesis and Exodus are narrative, along with most of Numbers. From the ascension of Joshua to the exaltation of Mordecai, the history of Isr... Read More »

The late college basketball coach John Wooden said, “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” We all believe that character is imp... Read More »

Sermon application is most effective interwoven throughout a sermon. The efficient expositor stirs his listeners back to the subject at hand with pointed questions, eye to eye contact, and first-person singular pronouns. Why wait? Why wait until after an illus... Read More »

You may’ve seen a meme that’s circulated on social media. One man says, “I don’t care about doctrine, I just follow Jesus.” His friend responds, “Oh, and tell me about Jesus?” With great passion, the first man responds, “He’s God incarnate, w... Read More »