Watts in the Word

When considering different images or analogies of the church, none is more common than that of a family. It is so common, in fact, that it may be inappropriate to think of it as an analogy at all; it seems to be simply the default way that the writers of the New Testament thought about … Continue reading The Family of God

The metaphor of spiritual warfare is at the heart of the Christian life and our struggle with sin, the Devil, and temptation. In what way is a Christian like a soldier, and what does the image of war and fighting mean for our daily walk with Jesus? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching on images of … Continue reading The Lord’s Army

This sermon is a little different; 38 verses on suffering in the life of the Christian, strung together back to back. Tenses and pronouns have been modified to make the entire thing seem like a continuous letter from God to his church today. Click Here to Listen. (Preaching on suffering. This sermon was preached at … Continue reading Suffering With Christ

The image of the church as a bride has a lot of implications: for how we think about and conceptualize our relationship with Jesus, for how Jesus thinks and feels about us, and for how seriously we treat our sin. Why has God always used this analogy with his people, and what should it mean … Continue reading The Bride

After three chapters of angst and anguish, the fourth chapter of Ruth rushes to the conclusion of the story and the redemption of Naomi’s new, bitter reality. Click Here to Listen. (Preaching through Ruth. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on May 10, 2026.)

1 Kings 3 contains a heart-wrenching story of loss and love centered around two mothers. Using this story as a launching point, what does a real mother look like in the Bible? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching on mothers day. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on May 10, 2026.)

The third chapter of Ruth contains what is perhaps the most confusing scene in the whole story. Why does Naomi instruct Ruth to behave the way she does, and what can we learn from Ruth and Boaz’s actions in the story? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching through Ruth. This sermon was preached at the Dewey … Continue reading An Unusual Proposal

The image of the church as branches of a tree or a vine is one of the less common in Scripture, but it is instructive nonetheless. What does this analogy teach us about our relationship with Jesus and our job as his followers? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching on the church. This sermon was preached … Continue reading The Branches

The image of the church as a flock of sheep is perhaps the least flattering one in all of Scripture. This comparison goes back a long way, to God’s relationship with the Israelites and their leaders. What can we learn from Israel’s use of this analogy, Jesus’s adoption of it, and the early Church’s continuation … Continue reading The Flock

The second chapter of Ruth introduces a new pivotal character to the narrative; the wealthy and honorable Boaz, described in the ESV as “a worthy man.” What made Boaz so worthy, and what should we learn from his attitudes and behavior? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching through Ruth. This sermon was preached at the Dewey … Continue reading A Worthy Man

The image of the church as a “body” is one of the most common word-pictures in the New Testament. Why is it so prevalent, and what does it mean for how we think about and act in God’s kingdom? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching on the church. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church … Continue reading The Body of Christ

Ruth 1 is a devastating chapter, as the narrative jumps right into tragedy in Naomi’s life and her response to that tragedy. What do we learn about Naomi’s mental and spiritual state, and what can we take away from her conversations with her daughters-in-law? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching through Ruth. This sermon was preached … Continue reading Loss and Loyalty

We begin a series on “images of the church” in the New Testament, different word-pictures or analogies for God’s people, with temple language. What is significant about the word “temple,” and how does it apply to the church? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching on the church. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of … Continue reading The Temple of God

We begin our study of Ruth by considering the context in which the story takes place; the time of the judges. What were the important features of this period of Israelite history, how does the story of Ruth fit into it, and more broadly how does Ruth’s story fit into the larger context of God’s … Continue reading Justice and Redemption in Ruth

It is not an understatement to say that the resurrection of Jesus is the most important event in all of history. Based on Paul’s exposition of it in 1 Corinthians 15, why is it so important, and what should it mean to you and me? Click Here to Listen. (This sermon was preached at the … Continue reading The Importance of the Resurrection

If spiritual thinking begins with considering eternal concerns (judgment, the character of God, “spiritual” treasure), what does it look like in practical, everyday terms? How should spiritual thinking manifest in this present, temporal life? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching through Luke. This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on March 29, 2026.)

Luke 12-13 form a cohesive unit of Jesus’s teaching on having a spiritual mindset. This week, we will consider the motivation and basis of spiritual thinking, and then next week look at what Jesus has to say about how such thinking manifests (or should manifest) in our worldview, emotions, and actions. Click Here to Listen. … Continue reading Thinking Spiritually, Part 1

We conclude our consideration of the the church’s interaction with a hostile world the way the Bible itself does: with a vision of Babylon’s fall. What does the Babylon of Revelation represent, and what should the modern Christian learn from these ancient visions? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching on the church in a hostile world. … Continue reading Babylon’s Fall

The middle section of Luke transitions away from being mostly stories of Jesus to being mostly the words and teaching of Jesus. In chapter 11, there is a sequence of Jesus’s teaching culminating in a condemnation of the Pharisees for having the wrong priorities in their righteousness. What can we learn from these words of … Continue reading Cleaning the Inside

There is a tension between the concepts of holiness (remaining separate and distinct from the world) and submission (living in peace and being subject to proper authority). How should the church navigate the tension? And why does so much of the New Testament seem to assume that Christians will definitely be persecuted in the world? … Continue reading Submission and Suffering

Twice in Luke 9-10 Jesus sends out his disciples on the so-called “limited commission” – a smaller version of what he would eventually command all Christians to do. What can we learn from these preparatory missions, and how do they foreshadow the mission of the church to come? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching through Luke. … Continue reading Foreshadowing the Mission

Twice in Luke 9 the question of Jesus’ identity is asked. Who is this man? Is he Elijah, or one of the prophets of old come back to life? The answer culminates in one of the most interesting gospel stories: the transfiguration. What should we learn from this section of Luke’s gospel? Click Here to … Continue reading Who Is Jesus?

Jesus taught in many parables over the course of his earthly ministry; it is one of the most striking aspects of his teaching. What is a parables, how should we read them, and why are they such an powerful part of his message? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching through the Gospel of Luke. This sermon … Continue reading The Parables of Jesus

By the seventh chapter of Luke, Jesus had already done more than enough to prove himself worthy of believing in and following, so it is worth considering how people started responding to him. What influenced people to reject or accept him, and how does this compare to our situation today? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching … Continue reading Responding to Jesus

Jesus’s sermon in Luke 6 is very similar to another, more famous sermon of his, the sermon on the mount. What message was Jesus trying to convey to his audience, and how should this sermon affect our hearts today? Click Here to Listen. (Preaching through the Gospel of Luke. This sermon was preached at the … Continue reading The Sermon on the Plain