Chris Watts Sermon

Teaching With Psalms

Songs have a complex relationship with culture; music is both shaped by, and also shapes, the culture in which it is written, and serves as a vehicle for transmitting the norms, values, and ideals of a culture to the next generation. Viewed in this light, it is no wonder that we are instructed to teach and admonish one another with “Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” What can we learn from the Psalms of Israel, and how does teaching with the Psalms shape the people that are immersed in them?

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(Preaching on the wisdom of Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on May 4, 2025.)

Chris Watts Sermon

The Kindness and Severity of God

The latter part of David’s life is marked by civil war, conflict, strife, and a lot of pain, stemming from David’s poor choices and God’s discipline. But in the midst of all his sorrow, we also see God’s grace and mercy toward David. How do the kindness and severity of God weave together at the end of David’s life, and how should we be thinking about these traits of God in our own lives?

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(Preaching through the history of early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on April 27, 2025.)

Chris Watts Sermon

A Clean Heart

2 Samuel 11-16 are the low points of David’s life: sinning with Bathsheba followed by several devastating consequences and the fallout of family discord and civil war. But out of this terrible time comes one of the most powerful Psalms. What can we learn from Psalm 51 and how can we read it prophetically as something we too can pray to God in the depths of our sin and consequence?

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(Preaching through the history of early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on April 20, 2025.)

Chris Watts Charts and Graphics, Sermon

Reading the Psalms Prophetically

The book of Psalms has a complicated relationship with foretelling. Some parts of it clearly tell the future in the vein of one of the prophets like Isaiah or Jeremiah, but a lot of the prophecy in the book is more subtle. The Psalms are full of “dual prophetic fulfillment” – prophecy that meant one thing for the original writers and readers, and something else for readers aware of Jesus, the covenant king. How can we come to grips with the dual nature of Psalms, and how can we learn to read the Psalms prophetically in the way that Jesus, his apostles, and early church did?

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Here are the charts mentioned in the sermon.Prophecy in the Psalms.pdf

(Preaching on the wisdom literature. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on April 13, 2025.)

Chris Watts Sermon

The Kingdom Covenant

2 Samuel 7 is one of the key chapters of the Bible, akin to Abraham’s call in Genesis 12 or the beginning of the gospels. The promise made to David is a recurring theme throughout the rest of the story of Israel. Why is this chapter so pivotal, and how does it connect to the rest of the Bible story?

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(Preaching through the story of early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on April 13, 2025.)

Chris Watts Charts and Graphics, Sermon

Overview of the Psalms

The book of Psalms spans a thousand years of Israelite history, and is the greatest collection of songs and prayers to Yahweh ever assembled. How was this collection assembled, why was it structured the way it was, and how can we begin to use this incredible resource in our own lives?

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(Preaching through the wisdom literature. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on April 6, 2025. You can find the chart mentioned below.)

Psalms Overview PDF
Chris Watts Sermon

A Man After God’s Own Heart

After Saul’s rebellion and rejection, God told Samuel he would choose a new king after his own heart. What did God mean by this, what made David such a person, and how can we emulate the heart of David?

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(Preaching on this history of early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on April 6, 2025.)

Chris Watts Sermon

The First King

Israel’s first king arrived at the tail end of a sequence of bad leadership in Israel. But while things started out well for Saul, they quickly devolved into similar patterns of failed rule. What can we learn from the first king’s successes and failures, and how much should we relate to his struggles?

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(Preaching through the story of early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on March 30, 2025.)

Chris Watts Sermon

Rebellion and Redemption

The period of the judges lasted for more than three centuries between Joshua’s death and the anointing of Saul as the first king. During this time, the pattern of human rebellion and God’s redemption was solidified in Israel, and stands as an example to Christians today. What can we learn about the cycle of rebellion and redemption from this period of Israel’s history?

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(Preaching through the story of early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on March 23, 2025.)

Chris Watts Sermon

The Angel of Yahweh

There is a mysterious recurring figure in the Old Testament: “The Angel of Yahweh” appears at several critical points in the narrative to guide, support, and direct the people of Israel. What is so special about the angel, and what distinguishes him from other angels in the Bible?

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(Preaching through the story of the Bible. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on March 16, 2025.)