This sermon is entitled "The Man and the Message" from 1 John 1:1-4. It was preached by Kevin Morris at Ortega Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville Florida. You can listen to the audio version of this entire series from Ruth on the Better Bible Reading Podcast: https://www.betterbiblereading.com/podcast Support the show If you enjoyed this episode a…

This sermon is entitled "Waiting for Her Blessed Hope" from Ruth 4:1-22. It was preached at Ortega Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville Florida. You can listen to the audio version of this entire series from Ruth on the Better Bible Reading Podcast. Support the show If you enjoyed this episode and want to support the show, consider becoming a Patron…

This sermon is entitled "A Living Hope" from Ruth 3:1-18. It was preached at Ortega Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville Florida. You can listen to the audio version of this entire series from Ruth on the Better Bible Reading Podcast. Support the show If you enjoyed this episode and want to support the show, consider becoming a Patron!…

Good Friday is a mixed bag for Christians. Some treat the day very seriously, some churches have special services, and other Christians simply skip Good Friday and go straight to celebrating Easter. But what should we think about Good Friday? Rather than telling you how to celebrate Good Friday, I want to tell you how we should think through the ev…

This sermon is entitled "Her Hope is Not Put to Shame" from Ruth 2:1-23. It was preached at Ortega Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville Florida. The audio version of the first sermon from this series in Ruth can be found on the Better Bible Reading Podcast: https://www.betterbiblereading.com/podcast Support the show If you enjoyed this episode and w…

This sermon is entitled "In Hope, She Believed Against Hope" from Ruth 1:6-22. It was preached on Sunday, February 26, 2023, at Ortega Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville Florida. Support the show If you enjoyed this episode and want to support the show, consider becoming a Patron!Door Kevin Morris

Is this a helpful statement? Is it a Roman Catholic idea? Is it even biblical? Today I want to share with you a provocative statement made by none other than the Protestant Reformer, John Calvin. Today we're doing a little church history, some interaction with Ephesians 4, and an overall increase (hopefully) in our appreciation for belonging to bot…

Genealogies are probably the least-appreciated part of the Bible. They're full of names hard to pronounce, and if our motivation is low, we'll find a reason to simply skip over them altogether. But that's no good. Genealogies are worth out time- not only because they are part of God's inspired Word- but also because they make some important points …

Hey friends! I'll be preaching a series of sermons through the book of Ruth at my church, and I wanted to share them with you. You can expect these sermons about once a month, and if you've never studied the book of Ruth before, this sermon will be a great place to start, since we'll kick things off in chapter 1, verse 1. Thanks for listening! Supp…

While the gospel of John is a popular place to start for many Bible readers (either new Christians or new reading plans), you might wonder where to go from there. I think the best book to follow John's gospel is actually 1st John. This book acts as an inspired commentary on many of the themes found in the gospel of John. Today we'll look at some of…

How does the Incarnation relate to the human condition, known as "the rat race"? It turns out, the vicious cycle of human existence eluded to us by Solomon is exactly what we need to come to terms with, in order to appreciate the good news of Jesus Christ. In a manner of speaking, Ecclesiastes reminds us of the bad news which makes the gospel so gl…

There are thousands of Bible reading plans, but I want to share with you the 5 Bible reading plans I think you should use in 2023. While these 5 Bible reading plans may sound like too much, I will share with you what makes each one of them unique, and worth your time! 1. The Robert Murray M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan This plan is divided into person…

This sermon is entitled "The Heart of the Matter" from Judges 6:1-32. It was preached on Sunday, December 11, 2022, at Ortega Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville Florida. I am posting this video to satisfy my preaching class requirement with Moody Bible Institute, and my professor and classmates will be watching it for grading. With that said, I wa…

Today we welcome Dr. Matthew Everhard back onto the Better Bible Reading Podcast to talk about his newest book entitled "Souls: How Jesus Saves Sinners". "Souls" is a book about the gospel, and it brings to light the importance of our souls in the context of sharing and understanding the gospel. We'll cover some questions about the book, some dange…

The more we read our Bibles, the more layers we start to uncover. If this hasn't happened for you, or you find yourself thinking that you've already learned everything there is to know about a passage, let me encourage you to start thinking about biblical themes. The themes in the Bible connect the dots in amazing ways. Not only do they cross over …

This question is very divisive. Some people argue that Bible interpretation is all about the work of understanding the grammar and literary features of the Bible, along with some historical background knowledge. Others argue that only the Holy Spirit can interpret the Bible to us and it requires none of those things. What doesn't help is that we ty…

Today I want to focus on one specific way to upgrade your Bible reading process. It's a visual aid tool that anyone can use because just about everyone has this already. You don't need any tech gear or even an internet connection. All you need is a Bible and one highlighter. Here's how it works and why this technique is such a powerful visual aid f…

From Theoretical-Practical Theology Volume 1, pages 104-112 Today we're wrapping up chapter 1 with Peter van Mastricht's interesting explanation of what the big idea behind theology is. For some people, theology is all about doctrine. For others, it's all about practice. And for most of us, it's somewhere between the middle. Peter van Mastricht giv…

What does the parable of the persistent widow teach us? This parable is unique to the gospel of Luke, but thankfully we don't have to guess about the right interpretation of this parable. That's because Luke tells us exactly what it's about in verse 1: "And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." Tod…

Is the Old Testament expendable? With "New Testament Only" Bibles, troubling statements from notable pastors, and arguments from the culture, the Old Testament repeatedly finds itself in the crosshairs. In response to this, the Old Testament gets pushed to the side. Is this a sign of innovation and progress, or does it represent a troubling trend t…

From Theoretical-Practical Theology Volume 1, pages 98-104 When people talk about living for God, it's not always clear what that means. Maybe it has to do with showing love to others. Maybe it means fulfilling some kind of vow. Or maybe it means something entirely different. If someone asked you, how would you explain living for God? Peter Van Mas…

How often do you compare other Bible translations with your favorite one? Today I want to give two personal examples of how failing to do this can be a HUGE mistake, and why comparing multiple Bible translations can greatly improve our ability to understand any passage in the Bible. Support the show If you enjoyed this episode and want to support t…

From Theoretical-Practical Theology Volume 1, pages 86-98 Is theology simply a matter of knowledge? How do you know if your theology is correct? How does practice relate to theology? Today, Peter van Mastricht gives us an interesting litmus test for theology. He says that the only true theology is practical theology. To show this, he gives us four …

The summertime is tough for disciplined Bible readers. With vacations and breaks from our normal routine, our Bibles and reading consistency can quickly go down the drain. So what should we do? How can we make the most of this natural break during the summer months? My advice is to pick one book of the Bible to focus on. Focus on quality over quant…

There are dozens of Bible translations available today, but which one should you use? I say, why limit ourselves to just one? Today we'll talk about why Bible translations differ from others and how to decide which ones are the best options for you. I'll also share my personal top three translations I recommend! Support the show If you enjoyed this…

From Theoretical-Practical Theology Volume 1, pages 80-86 Natural theology needs some ground rules. We can either embrace it too much and start having a low opinion of the Bible's value. Or we can reject natural theology of any value, but this makes us deny what the Bible says about God revealing Himself in nature, such as Psalm 19 and Romans 1. Wh…

There's a ton of Christian literature available today, but how much of it is actually helpful? We can't possible read all the good material, and there's probably more bad than good on the market, which makes things even more complicated. But what does the Bible actually say about reading Christian books? While there's no way to deal with every exam…

From Theoretical-Practical Theology Volume 1, pages 73-80 Is theology a biblical term? What can we learn about God outside the Bible? How does Scripture relate to reason? These are all questions we answer today by looking at Peter van Mastricht's explanation of how theology is revealed in nature and Scripture. Support the show If you enjoyed this e…

How difficult is it to read the entire New Testament in a month? Actually, it's much easier than trying to read the entire Bible in a year. We're a quarter of the way through the year, and that means that many of us are currently struggling with how badly we have failed in our Bible reading plans for 2022. In fact, you might be so far behind in you…

Some people are bothered by the idea of systematic theology because they're afraid that this puts God in a box. But is this true? Today we'll talk about why the Bible commands us to have a certain method of theology, and how this protects, rather than limits, our understanding of who God is. To do this, we'll look at the biblical method of theology…

After a couple of weeks off, we're back! Meditation is a tricky word because it means different things for different people. It could have one meaning for an atheist, another for an exercise enthusiast, and another for a Christian. But for Christians and Bible readers, what exactly is meditation? Today we'll talk about meditation according to the B…

From Theoretical-Practical Theology Volume 1, pages 63-66 What exactly is systematic theology? Is it wrong to create a system of theology? We'll answer those questions today by looking again to Peter van Mastricht. He makes the biblical case for why we should view theology as a "system" and what benefit it should have in our lives. This is our intr…

New Christians and Bible readers trying a new reading plan often wrestle with the question: what book of the Bible should I start with? The go-to answer for most people is the gospel of John, while the Bible's answer seems to be Genesis. We'll tackle this question by talking about the benefit of all 66 books of the Bible, the importance of each gen…

From Theoretical-Practical Theology Volume 1, pages 29-31. Today we finish up our study of Peter van Mastricht's introduction "The Best Method of Preaching". Mastricht uses the last few pages to talk about some helpful ways to study long passages of scripture. After that, he gives some closing thoughts about how preachers should deliver their messa…

It's February, the time of year when Bible reading plans tend to go out the window, stress amplifies, and our weeks start to get very busy. Worst of all, our guilt or our shortcomings so far this year make the prospect of Bible reading seem altogether overwhelming. It shouldn't be this way, but ignoring the problem or downplaying it won't help us g…

From Theoretical-Practical Theology Volume 1, pages 12-28 Today in our study, Peter van Mastricht takes us through some helpful ways to use any text of scripture as a teaching method. He offers six uses of the Bible for the head and the heart. We'll look at the Bible doctrine as the "truth" of scripture and bible practice as the "goodness" of that …

The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill is a podcast production of Christianity Today, documenting the church of famed and controversial pastor Mark Driscoll. This podcast was a highly anticipated production during the Summer and Fall of 2021 and has received both high praise and critique from listeners. So what do I think of this podcast? What did it get r…

From Theoretical-Practical Theology Volume 1, pages 7-11. Did the Sermon Preach the Text? Peter van Mastricht wants to encourage pastors to make sure that their sermons stay focused on the sermon text. The way to do this is by maintaining a careful balance in the way the sermon is presented. But this also means that those listening to sermons shoul…

Today we welcome to the show Dr. Matthew Everhard- pastor of Gospel Fellowship PCA, Jonathan Edwards scholar, and Youtuber with some great Bible and theology content. Since we are working through Peter van Mastricht's Theoretical Practical Theology, this was a great chance for us to sit down and have the dots connected between Peter van Mastricht a…

From Theoretical-Practical Theology Volume 1, pages 6-7. Preaching or Entertainment? This question is relevant today, but it's also one that Peter van Mastricht directly deals with! How a sermon is arranged says a lot about the pastor, but it also says a lot about church members and our view of preaching. Today we take a serious look at how to tell…

It's the season of giving! We've entered the home stretch of 2021, and in this episode, I want to help you make the most of December by sharing some powerful options that will immediately improve your Bible reading. And best of all, these options are completely free! Support the show If you enjoyed this episode and want to support the show, conside…

From Theoretical-Practical Theology Volume 1, pages 1-6. Peter van Mastricht introduces his best method for preaching by talking about the benefit of his method. He says that it has a goal both for preachers as well as hearers. We'll unpack what Mastricht has to say in his best method for preaching, including how listeners can memorize sermons, and…

Today on the show, I answer some listener questions! If you have any questions you would like to send me for a future episode, reach out to me at betterbiblereading@gmail.com Here are the questions for this episode: All angels & humans had freedom of choice. Once we are in Eternity if we still have that same freedom, what will prevent another rebel…

In recent episodes, we considered the importance of systematic theology for the average person. This discipline helps us become better Bible readers and it brings clarity to what we believe. Starting today, we will begin a bi-weekly study through systematic theology, using Peter van Mastricht's book Theoretical-Practical Theology. If you haven't go…

My church recently spent 16 months going through the gospel of John on Sunday mornings. I sit down with pastor Josh Hinson from Ortega Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville Florida to reflect on what we have learned and gained from this important book in the Bible. In this episode, we talk about the following: 1. Why you should commit to studying Joh…

October 31st should be a day for Protestants to celebrate the hallmark doctrine of justification by faith alone. But for many of us, we're preoccupied with eating candy and covering our bushes with fake spider webs. Today we talk about why this doctrine is what sets us apart from Roman Catholicism, and why a growing disinterest in justification by …

Today I share our new project on Teaching Thursdays- and one that will take a LONG time to complete: Our first Systematic Theology book study together! This episode is all about convincing you of the importance of systematic theology, and why our best choice is a new edition of an old book: Theoretical-Practical Theology by Petrus Van Mastricht. Su…

Why do we have four gospels? Why not one, or ten? We'll discuss what makes our four gospels unique, and how to grow our interest in them. The Bible contains four gospels because God wants us to understand the unique element of divine inspiration and a dual divine/human authorship. Support the show If you enjoyed this episode and want to support the…

It's easy to mistake personal for private and public for superficial. But what happens when we do this with our view of the Bible and the Church? You might be shocked how common this is. This is the Better Bible Reading Podcast with Kevin Morris. Support the show If you enjoyed this episode and want to support the show, consider becoming a Patron!…

Today on Teaching Thursdays we reach the end of our study through 1 Peter. We'll analyze the last few verses of the letter and take some time to talk about the big ideas that Peter has developed throughout these 5 chapters. Support the show If you enjoyed this episode and want to support the show, consider becoming a Patron!…