The story of Joshua is full of war, conflict, and strife. As Israel was about to cross the Jordan and enter the promised land, Joshua was repeatedly told to “be strong and courageous.” What reasons did God give him to be so, and how does Joshua’s need for strength and courage mirror our own?
(Preaching through the story of early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on March 16, 2025.)
(Note: you can find links for the maps mentioned in this sermon below.) As we transition from the Pentateuch to the so-called books of history in the Old Testament, Israel is transitioning from their wilderness wanderings into the promised land. How did they enter, how did their early encounters with the inhabitants go, and how did such a weak and nomadic nation conquer all the land from the Jordan to the Mediterranean?
You can find the maps for this sermon here (Joshua 1-9), here (Joshua 10), here (Joshua 11), and here (land allotment).
(Preaching on early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on March 9, 2025.)
Jesus, immediately after claiming that he came not to abolish, but fulfill the law of Moses, proceeded to make what seems to be pretty major alterations to the law in Matthew 5-6. What did he mean by claiming to “fulfill” the law, and how should we understand his teaching about the things that were told to the Israelites of old?
(Preaching on the law of Moses. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on March 2, 2025.)
Deuteronomy, in addition to being a summary and recap of the law given through Moses, serves as Moses’s farewell address to Israel. At the end of his life, Moses was predominantly concerned with how Israel would keep God’s covenant after he was gone. Deuteronomy contains his admonition and encouragement for Israel to keep the covenant. What can we learn from his instruction to Israel for our own efforts to keep covenant with God?
(Preaching through the Pentateuch. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on March 2, 2025.)
While there certainly are a lot of numbers in the book of Numbers, a better title for the book might be the Jewish one: In the Desert. The narrative sections focus on Israel’s struggles to obey the Law they had just received through Moses, and their journeys in the desert as a result. But our struggle to obey God mirrors theirs; we have the same heart problems and motivational issues as they did. What can we learn from their struggles in the desert?
(Preaching on Numbers. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on February 23, 2025.)
This is the second part of our consideration of how the modern Christian should relate to the law of Moses. If there is so much difference between the laws of Moses and Christ, why was the law of Moses given at all? If Christ was always the plan, why didn’t God just jump straight to Jesus?
(Preaching on the law of Moses. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on February 16, 2025.)
It’s important that modern Christians do not neglect a study of the Law of Moses, for in it we learn much about the character and nature of the God we serve. What can we learn about God from a study of Leviticus, and how should such a study affect us today?
(Preaching through the Law of Moses. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on February 16, 2025.)
Inevitably as a person reads through the Law of Moses in Exodus-Deuteronomy, the many, many differences between that law and what would later come through Jesus and his apostles become glaring. How can we explain and understand the differences between God’s expectations for the Israelites, and his expectations of his people today? And why do the differences matter?
(Preaching on the law of Moses. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on February 9, 2025.)
While there are literally hundreds of laws in the Law of Moses, the first ten are called out as especially significant. What makes them so special, and how have they continually resonated with God’s people over the course of millennia?
(Preaching on the Law of Moses. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on February 9, 2025.)
In our journey through the story of the Bible we have come to Exodus. The first half of the book is God’s grand revealing of his name, character, and power – not just to the Israelites, but to the world. In this revealing, God establishes patterns that will reoccur throughout the rest of the Bible story. What are these patterns, and what do we learn about him in the Exodus?
(Preaching through the story of the Bible. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on February 2, 2025.)
Watts in the Word 
