When Israel failed to live as the Called-Out Kingdom God desired, he sent them back into the world, via the exiles. But God still expected holiness in their exile. What can we learn from God’s expectations for exiled Israel, and from Israel’s example of living in a nation that did not know or love Yahweh?
(Preaching on the way the church interacts with the world around it. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on January 18, 2026.)
In our study of how the church can or should interact with the world around it, a consideration of the holiness and special nature of Israel can be instructive. How did God instruct Israel to live and order society differently than the nations around them, and how do these differences matter or apply today?
(Preaching on how the church interacts with the world. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on January 11, 2026.)
This is the first lesson in a series on how the church can or should interact with the world around it, in politics, culture, social pressures, communities, etc. In this first sermon we consider the way God has always called his people out of the world to be something special or different, and lay the groundwork for what is to come.
(Preaching on the church in the world. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on January 4, 2026.)
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.)
Ezekiel, like most of the prophetic books, is full of Yahweh’s judgment and condemnation of Israel. What exactly were they doing that profaned his holy name so much? And how might we be in danger of the same kinds of actions and attitudes?
(Preaching in Ezekiel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on November 10, 2024.)
One of the central themes in the book of Ezekiel is the need to have a reverent regard for God’s particular specialness, expressed in the twin ideas of glory and holiness. How do these ideas intertwine in Ezekiel to help us understand why the book was even written at all?
(Preaching through Ezekiel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on November 3, 2024.)
Justification is one of those big religious-sounding words that we don’t use very often outside of a church setting, but it is one of the most vital components of Christian growth. What does it mean to be justified, and how does it contribute to our continual growing?
(Preaching on Christian growth. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on April 21, 2024. The outline for this series was adapted from the book Deeper, by Dane Ortlund.)
“Holy” is one of the most important words in the Bible, but what does it mean? Why does God use it to describe himself, and why does he use it as an aspiration for his people?
(Preaching on God. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on January 16, 2022.)
We begin a new series on personal values. Do you value what God does? What does it mean to “lay up treasures in Heaven”? What do our values say about us?
(Preaching on Personal Values. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on April 25, 2021.)
1 Peter 2:9-12 serves as the core thesis of the letter. Everything before leads up to it and everything after explains it. How should this central text apply to us?
(Daily walk through 1 Peter. This was recorded for the Dewey Church of Christ on April 9, 2020.)
Watts in the Word 