After Saul’s rebellion and rejection, God told Samuel he would choose a new king after his own heart. What did God mean by this, what made David such a person, and how can we emulate the heart of David?

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(Preaching on this history of early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on April 6, 2025.)

Israel’s first king arrived at the tail end of a sequence of bad leadership in Israel. But while things started out well for Saul, they quickly devolved into similar patterns of failed rule. What can we learn from the first king’s successes and failures, and how much should we relate to his struggles?

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(Preaching through the story of early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on March 30, 2025.)

The period of the judges lasted for more than three centuries between Joshua’s death and the anointing of Saul as the first king. During this time, the pattern of human rebellion and God’s redemption was solidified in Israel, and stands as an example to Christians today. What can we learn about the cycle of rebellion and redemption from this period of Israel’s history?

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(Preaching through the story of early Israel. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on March 23, 2025.)

There is a mysterious recurring figure in the Old Testament: “The Angel of Yahweh” appears at several critical points in the narrative to guide, support, and direct the people of Israel. What is so special about the angel, and what distinguishes him from other angels in the Bible?

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(Preaching through the story of the Bible. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on March 16, 2025.)

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?

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(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?

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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?

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(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?

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(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?

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(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?

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(Preaching on the law of Moses. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on February 16, 2025.)