“Preacher, you must have been reading our mail.” “Have you been listening to us over the back fence?” “How did you know what I’ve been struggling with in my life?” Expressions like these are heard in churches everywhere. The implication is th... Read More »

With the theme of biblical redemptive history in mind, I recently preached a series of messages from the book Genesis. My intent was not to do a thorough study through the book but to help my congregation see that God’s redemptive plan started as far bac... Read More »

There is a world of difference between preaching with fire in your bones and working up a sermon because you must preach on Sunday. Having been a pastor at the same church for over thirty years, I’ve preached through many of the books of the Bible. After you... Read More »

As of August 2020, I have preached almost 300 sermons at Mayhill Baptist, the church I have had the joy of pastoring since April 2017. Before COVID-19, we had morning and evening services, so I got to pad my sermon stats pretty quickly. During COVID-19, we hav... Read More »

We’ve completed the exegesis of a passage of Scripture and have an exegetical outline developed. In a text-driven fashion, the substance, structure, and spirit of the text have been discovered. From our exegetical labors, we have crafted a preaching outline.... Read More »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »