For a word that carries such importance in modern Christianity, the word “Messiah” appears astonishingly little in the Bible. Why is that? Aside from the quirks of translations and transliterations, why is this such an important prophetic title, and how did the intertestamental Israelites begin to think about it, leading to the arrival of Jesus?
(Preaching on the intertestamental period. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 21, 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.)
In our journey through the Bible this year, we have come to Isaiah, one of the longest and most-referenced books of the Old Testament. Here is a general outline and overview of Isaiah’s prophecies. There are many ways you could categorize and organize his visions, but I think the judgment-hope axis is particularly enlightening. I hope this helps your study of Isaiah!
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?
(Preaching on the wisdom literature. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on April 13, 2025.)
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?
(Preaching through the story of early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on April 13, 2025.)
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?
(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.)
The book of Psalms spans a thousand years of Israelite history, and is the greatest collection of songs and prayers to Yahweh ever assembled. As we begin weaving the Psalms into our reading of the Bible through the year, I hope this overview can help you make sense of the structure and themes of the book.
We conclude our series on the work and identity of Jesus with one of the most used, and perhaps most misunderstood, titles of Jesus – the Christ. What does “Christ” mean, and why is it so important?
(Preaching on the work and identity of Jesus. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on December 29, 2024. Below you can find the chart mentioned in the sermon.)
“Messiah” is an important title for Jesus, but why? Where did this word come from, and are we using it correctly today? I made this chart for an adult VBS class, and hope you also might find it useful. You can find the .pdf here.
What does it mean to presume against God’s will, and what are the consequences for doing so? How did this manifest in the life of newly-crowned David?
(Preaching on the life of David. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on October 9, 2022.)
Watts in the Word 