Most of the prophetic books of Israel simply record the oracles of the prophets, without revealing much about the prophets themselves. However, the books of Jeremiah and Isaiah begin with the call of the prophet and God’s intent for their ministries. What can we learn from the call of these two men, their responses, and their work?
(Preaching through the prophets of Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on July 6, 2025.)
Where the first half of Isaiah is mostly judgment punctuated by promises of restoration, the second half is primarily hopeful promises with occasional reminders of judgment. What kind of hope does Isaiah offer to Israel, and how does he expect the hope to be accomplished for God’s people?
(Preaching through the prophets. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on June 29, 2025.)
The first half of Isaiah primarily consists of God’s judgment on Israel and the nations. Why did Isaiah prophesy so much judgment, and how might we be in danger of the same denunciations today?
(Preaching through the prophets. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on June 22, 2025.)
It is easy to put the prophets of Israel on a pedestal and think they were so much higher or better than we are, but the prophets were just regular people. The stories of Elijah and Habakkuk highlight this truth well; how did they struggle with the frailty and weakness of humanity, how did God help them, and how can we learn from their struggles?
(Preaching on the prophets of Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on June 15, 2025.)
The “Prophets” is the largest section of the English Old Testament, and there are a lot of prophets whose work is primarily found in the narrative sections of the Bible. The prophets clearly played a vital role in God’s connection with Israel. What was their job, how should we think about them, and how does their work compare to the mission of Christians today?
(Preaching on the prophets. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on June 15, 2025.)
We begin our foray into the era of Israel’s divided kingdom with an overview of the entire period, from the division after Solomon’s death to the eventual exile of Judah. What patterns repeated themselves throughout this part of Israel’s history, and what should modern readers glean from this section of the Bible?
(Preaching through 1-2 Kings. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on June 1, 2025.)
We end our journey through the wisdom literature of Israel with Ecclesiastes, one of the strangest books in the Bible. The book is an exploration of some of life’s deepest questions: what is the point of it all? Did anything I do matter? Does anything have meaning and value? What can we learn from the Preacher’s philosophical musings?
(Preaching through the wisdom literature of Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on May 25, 2025.)
The Song of Solomon (or “Song of Songs” in many translations) is I suspect among the least-taught books in the Bible. Sex makes many people feel awkward or uncomfortable. But should it? What is a book like Song of Solomon meant to teach the reader? Why is it in the Bible? How should we approach this unusual book?
(Preaching on the wisdom literature of Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on May 18, 2025.)
The Proverbs of Israel are wide-ranging in their subject matter, but there are several frequent themes. If we want to live purposeful, meaningful, righteous lives, what kind of rules might we glean from this ancient wisdom?
(Preaching through the wisdom literature of Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on May 18, 2025.)
The stated intent of the book of Proverbs is to provide wisdom and insight to the reader. How does Proverbs specifically, and the Wisdom literature of Israel more generally, help the reader approach life more wisely? What are the key components of wisdom, and how can we avoid the pitfalls of being “simpleminded”?
(Preaching through Proverbs. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on May 11, 2025.)
Watts in the Word 