Lamentations might be the hardest book to read in the Bible; not because it’s obscure or overly intellectual, or because it is simply a compilation of census data, but because it’s extremely heavy and emotional. Why was it written, and why is still just as valuable for modern readers?
(Preaching through the prophets. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on July 20, 2025.)
Jeremiah is a hard book for modern readers to understand (like many of the Israelite prophetic books). What are some of the factors that contribute to this difficulty, and how can modern readers understand the book in its own context while also making application for ourselves?
(Preaching through the prophets of Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on July 13, 2025.)
The book of Jeremiah is not arranged chronologically, so in our reading through the Bible our text for this week comes a little out of historical order. Jeremiah 29 is addressed to people living in exile after Babylon had come against Israel and carried many of them away. What did Jeremiah have to say to these exiles, and how does their situation mirror our own?
(Preaching through the prophets of Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on July 13, 2025.)
Most of the prophetic books of Israel simply record the oracles of the prophets, without revealing much about the prophets themselves. However, the books of Jeremiah and Isaiah begin with the call of the prophet and God’s intent for their ministries. What can we learn from the call of these two men, their responses, and their work?
(Preaching through the prophets of Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on July 6, 2025.)
The first half of Isaiah primarily consists of God’s judgment on Israel and the nations. Why did Isaiah prophesy so much judgment, and how might we be in danger of the same denunciations today?
(Preaching through the prophets. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on June 22, 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!
It is easy to put the prophets of Israel on a pedestal and think they were so much higher or better than we are, but the prophets were just regular people. The stories of Elijah and Habakkuk highlight this truth well; how did they struggle with the frailty and weakness of humanity, how did God help them, and how can we learn from their struggles?
(Preaching on the prophets of Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on June 15, 2025.)
The “Prophets” is the largest section of the English Old Testament, and there are a lot of prophets whose work is primarily found in the narrative sections of the Bible. The prophets clearly played a vital role in God’s connection with Israel. What was their job, how should we think about them, and how does their work compare to the mission of Christians today?
(Preaching on the prophets. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on June 15, 2025.)
Watts in the Word 