One of the benefits of reading through the story in Acts relatively quickly is repeated themes and events become more obvious, specifically in regards to evangelism and how people responded. What were the essential, elementary components of the Gospel message, and how did people typically respond to its truth?
(Preaching on the story of the early church. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on November 9, 2025.)
Zechariah, like most of the post-exilic prophets, urged Israel to return and repent by reminding them exactly why they had been sent into exile in the first place. What can we learn about God’s desire for repentance by considering how God dealt with people in times past?
(Preaching on the return from exile. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on August 17, 2025.)
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?
(Preaching through the history of early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on April 20, 2025.)
Ezekiel 18 is one of the most concentrated sections of teaching on personal responsibility and accountability in the whole Bible. How does it fit into the context of the Israelite covenant with God, and how does it connect with the vital truths of the gospel?
(Preaching through Ezekiel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on December 1, 2024.)
It might seem odd to talk about despair and grief in a study of Christian growth, but growth requires a catalyst, a motivator. For the Christian, when we lose or ignore the despair caused by our sin, we lose one of the engines of growth.
(Preaching on Christian growth. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on March 17, 2024. The outline of this series was adapted from the book Deeper by Dan Orlund.)
The story of Zacchaeus is one of the more instantly recognizable stories in the Gospels. Why is that? What should we learn from Zacchaeus and Jesus in this story, and what about all the other people in the crowd?
(Preaching on the life of Jesus. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on January 7, 2024.)
“Repentance” is a critical idea in God’s word, rightly grouped in with the “elementary doctrine of Christ” in Hebrews 6. What is repentance? What are the “dead works” that we need to repent of?
(Preaching on the first principles of Christianity. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on September 10, 2023.)
We conclude our look at David’s life and see the core idea of almost all Bible characters: no one is perfect. David exemplifies both the best and worst parts of human nature. How then could God call him “a man after his own heart”?
(Preaching on the life of David. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on February 12, 2023.)
What is repentance? How can a person repent? And why does God seem to care about it so much?
(Preaching on faith. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on June 12, 2022.)
We conclude this series by examining one of the most important spiritual concepts. What does it mean to be “born again”? How is this accomplished?
(Preaching on salvation. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on November 17, 2019.)
Watts in the Word 