We begin our study of Esther with some top-level considerations of the book: it’s place in the story of the people of God in the Old Testament, it’s historical context, and the timeless themes in the book for God’s people in any era.
(Preaching through Esther. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on October 1, 2023.)
There is no Christian doctrine more elementary, no principle more basic, than the resurrection of the dead. It is not an understatement to say that the entire faith rests on this one event, this one teaching. Why is it so foundational, and what does that mean for us?
(Preaching on the first principles of Christianity. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on October 1, 2023.)
Relative to the modern American Christian context, the “laying on of hands” seems most out of place in the list of “elementary doctrine of Christ” in Hebrews 6:1-2. Why is that? What is so essential about this doctrine, and what should it mean for Christians today?
(Preaching on the first principles of Christianity. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 24, 2023.)
(NOTE: The first three minutes of this audio are very echoey. Sorry.) Paul closes his letter to the Ephesians with one of the more iconic sets of imagery in the New Testament: the Armor of God. What is the armor, and why do we need it?
(Preaching through Ephesians. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 17, 2023.)
The phrase “instruction about washings” in Hebrews 6 is very unusual, especially considering that the opening verses of Hebrews 6 are supposed to be about “elementary doctrine of Christ.” What is meant by “washings,” and how is it an elementary doctrine?
(Preaching on the first principles of Christianity. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 17, 2023.)
One of the major themes in the latter half of Ephesians is authority, both in the church and in human relationships. This is a common refrain of the Bible; how should people in authority treat those under their charge, and how should those under authority act in submission?
This is a lesson composed mostly of various scriptures, stitched together. The scriptures used:
(1) Ephesians 5:15-21
(2) Philippians 2:2-8
(3) 1 Peter 2:9-25
(4) Ephesians 6:5-8
(5) Colossians 3:23-24
(6) Ephesians 6:9
(7) Colossians 3:25 – 4:1
(8) Leviticus 25:43
(9) Galatians 1:10
(10) Galatians 3:27-29
(11) Colossians 3:11-14
(12) 1 Corinthians 13:4-6
(13) Hebrews 13:1-8
(14) Hebrews 13:15-17
(15) 1 Peter 5:1-10
(16) Ephesians 6:1-3
(17) Proverbs 1:8-10
(18) Proverbs 6:20-22
(19) Proverbs 23:22-25
(20) 3 John 1:4
(21) Matthew 15:3-9
(22) 1 Timothy 5:3-8
(23) Colossians 3:20
(24) Romans 1:29-31
(25) Proverbs 15:5
(26) Ephesians 6:4
(27) Proverbs 19:18
(28) Deuteronomy 4:9-10
(29) Colossians 3:21)
(30) Psalms 78:1-4
(31) Deuteronomy 6:5-9
(32) 2 Timothy 3:14-17
(33) Proverbs 22:6
(34) 1 John 2:12-14
(35) John 13:12-17
(36) Hebrews 5:7-9
(37) Romans 12:9-10
(38) Romans 15:2-3
(39) 1 Peter 3:8-12
(Preaching through Ephesians. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 10, 2023.)
“Repentance” is a critical idea in God’s word, rightly grouped in with the “elementary doctrine of Christ” in Hebrews 6. What is repentance? What are the “dead works” that we need to repent of?
(Preaching on the first principles of Christianity. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 10, 2023.)
This is a chart I made for my lovely wife, who is speaking this weekend at a Ladies Day at the Blossom Church of Christ in Blossom, Texas. Hopefully this can be of some help to you as well. You can get the .png below, or here is the .pdf, if you prefer.
Paul’s words about marriage in Ephesians 5 are controversial, to say the least. Why does Paul lay out the instructions he does, and how do they fit into the broader context of relational commands in the New Testament?
(Preaching through Ephesians. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 3, 2023.)
The first in our list of “elementary doctrine of Christ” from Hebrews 6 is “faith toward God.” It’s hard to imagine a better example of a “first principle” of Christianity than faith. What is faith, and what makes it so foundational to our relationship with God?
(Preaching on first principles. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 3, 2023.)
Watts in the Word 