I once told a respected, seasoned megachurch pastor here in town that I was preaching through Isaiah. He politely told me I was crazy, because of the enormity of the challenge that Isaiah presents. Well, I haven’t told him this recently, but I’m preaching Hebrews as of Sunday, May 4, and the challenge feels similarly daunting to Isaiah.
I’m always trying to preach what I think the church needs most at a given time. Sometimes, that means I preach some of my favorite books (Judges comes to mind), and sometimes I end up preaching books that I like but want to understand better – Isaiah and Hebrews are two examples, along with Esther from several years ago. In the end, I’m anxious about Hebrews – anxious-excited and just plain old anxious. I’m also excited about re-preaching this book in 10 years, which I’m convinced will be an even better series. I’ve read through Hebrews a few times, divided it into 47 sermons for now, and I do plan a to take a few breaks, which will stretch this series sometime past May 2026.
Since this post is meant to be what I’m preaching and what I’m reading, let me transition to the former by mentioning a few of the following commentaries I’ve cracked open on Hebrews:
- F.F. Bruce, NICNT[1] series - Scholars are unsure who wrote Hebrews, and that’s a simple sequeway to mention that Bruce once penned one of my favorite book titles about the Apostle Paul (who, if I had to bet, didn’t write Hebrews) – The Apostle of the Heart Set Free. Back to Hebrews – I may crack open this commentary a little less because it’s older and many of the newer ones quote it.
- Simon Kistemaker, NTC by Baker – A classic from a Reformed author. This is part of an entire series on the NT; all the volumes are authored by either Kistemaker or William Hendriksen, whose 100+-year-old book on Revelation, More Than Conquerors, is a classic and very readable, at under 200 pages.
- John Owen – One pastor friend named Josh[2] recommended that I read Owen’s seven volumes on Hebrews. Duly noted. I chose the one-volume, 300-page version that I inherited from my dad instead.
- Other commentaries of note: Donald Guthrie’s commentary in the Tyndale series seems good; so does a volume by Raymond Brown. I added one more (and I probably won’t read all six every week) to my shelf by R. Kent Huges because I wanted a very clear, readable commentary for the really hard parts of Hebrews.
What else am I reading?
- Overdue Reader Feedback – After mentioning Kevin DeYoung’s Daily Doctrine several weeks ago, one of our deacons told me that Table Talk (a magazine and daily devotional by Ligonier Ministries that I’ve subscribed to off and on) is also doing an extended series this year focusing on systematic theology topics. Thanks for the heads up, Alex.
- I’m on the verge of a reading rut. I’ll confess that I sometimes binge read and then need a break. Many of the titles I’m about to mention are ones I’ve read or skimmed in the past 4-5 months.
- Christ-Centered Preaching by Bryan Chapell – a classic that I’m reading for the second time. I have the second edition, and I think there’s now a third edition out.
- Pastors and Their Critics by Joel Beeke and Nick Thompson – I have to be honest: I had to skim this one and even then only after much procrastination. I plan to read it more closely at a time TBD. Criticism comes with the job. (So does the chance to dig deep into Hebrews and then others about it.) That doesn’t mean it’s easy, and we can all give and receive criticism better. Two brief quotes (and a semi-related note) to give you the flavor of this book:
o A church with a culture of healthy criticism is a church that is not afraid to fail. (146)
o Constructive criticism is best carried out in the context of a ministry of encouragement. (128)
o Beeke also co-wrote a book with Terry D. Slachter titled Encouragement for Today’s Pastor: Help from the Puritans that I’d like to read soon, too.
- (I’ve blown past my desired word limit for the 2nd week in a row, but I have to mention one more.)
- A Crisis of Confidence by Carl Trueman – Why are creeds and confessions important? Why is it more Biblical to have a creed or confession (a summary of the Bible’s teaching) than to say your only creed is the Bible itself? Trueman tackles those questions and more in this recent update of a book previously titled The Creedal Imperative. He pays special attention to our cultural moment in which belief in authority and institutions is at low point and why that actually makes creeds and confessions more important now than ever. Lastly, he’s written on this topic in pamphlet form. I think I have a few in my office, and a quick glance tells me that this is a similar, brief version available for free - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-value-and-role-of-creeds-and-confessions/.
Enjoy! Some of those titles might be more pastor-centric than others, but I hope they help you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I also hope you’ll pray for me to preach Hebrews well and to get out of my reading rut. Thanks in advance!
-Pastor Matt, 5-9-25
[1] Googling the author’s name and Hebrews will probably turn up the exact titles easily, but I’m including abbreviations for the name of the series (NICNT – The New International Commentary of the New Testament) because the full names are lengthy and most Bible nerds who care can figure it out.
[2] Not Pastor Josh of Forestgate. I know a lot of Joshes. When I tell stories to my wife, I’m required to state a last name after I say “Josh,” because (as she says), “You have too many Joshes in your life [for me to automatically know which one you’re talking about].” That’s a joke, btw. We love all of the Joshes in my life.