Ben Smith: All for the Kingdom: Recent Episodes
Ben Smith
Sermons from Pastor Ben Smith
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA. www.bensmithsr.org
Almost every believer will struggle with doubt at some point in their life. Very often, Satan uses moments of spiritual failure or weakness to sow the seeds of doubt. Because of the pressures of persecution and the confusion of false teaching, the Thessalonian Christians were struggling with doubt. They wondered and worried if they were truly saved. They wondered and worried if they were worthy of God’s grace. They wondered and worried that if they experienced a moment of failure or weak faith, could this have forfeited the promises of the gospel?
Having corrected the lies of the false prophets and teachers, Paul now turns his attention to assuring these saints of their salvation and encouraging them to stand firm in their faith. To stand firm in the faith is to remain steadfast and faithful to God and obedient to His word. To do this, Paul does not begin with a list of demands for the church to meet but rather with an affirmation of the true gospel that enables the saints to stand firm in their faith.
Confident hope in the assurance of salvation empowers believers to stand firm in their faith and hold fast to the testimony of the gospel. Failure to stand firm is sometimes the result of being lured away by worldly novelties and distractions. Other times, the pressures, difficulties, and hardships of this world press down so hard that it seems impossible to endure in your strength.
In response to the deceptions of false prophets and the hardships of persecution that the Thessalonian Christians were enduring, Paul encouraged the church in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 to stand firm in the faith in three ways.
Stand firm in the faith by affirming the true gospel. (13-14)
Stand firm in the faith through faithful confidence. (15)
Stand firm in the faith by enjoying the comfort of peace. (16-17)
Find Out More:
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
This sermon was originally preached on 6/8/2025 at Central Baptist Church of Waycross, GA.
Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at www.BenSmithSr.org.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
Fear is a powerful emotion. Though some are more prone to it than others, all struggle with it. Fear can paralyze your ability to take action, and fear can cause you to forfeit what is good. However, the most destructive and dangerous reaction to fear is that it can cause you to lose your confident hope in God's promises and surrender your expectant joy in the kingdom of God.
The Thessalonians Christians were fearful that the persecutions they were enduring meant that they had missed the Second Coming of Christ and were thus experiencing the judgment of Christ on the wicked. Paul had written his first letter to the Thessalonians to assure them that Christ would rapture the church before the judgment of the wicked and to encourage them that they had not missed the rapture.
Paul writes this second letter to address this issue again. The church was enduring severe persecution. Additionally, there were false teachers who claimed that Christ had already returned. The pressures of persecution and the confusion caused by false teaching had caused the church to fear again that they had missed the rapture.
Paul writes this letter not to elaborate on all the details of the Second Coming and the particulars of the antichrist but as a pastor to his church, to encourage them to hold tightly to God's word with confident hope.
The main idea of this passage is: Do not be alarmed by false teachings or fearful of powerless threats but trust in the sovereignty, authority, and power of God.
Paul is not writing to rebuke the church or shame them for their fear but rather to warn them of the danger of being deceived and distracted by false teaching.
From both false teaching and biblical ignorance, many today struggle with fear and anxiety that steal their confident hope and joy in the Lord. So, how can you keep from being deceived and distracted by false teachings?
This passage provides three warnings to help you avoid being distracted by false teachings. Do not be alarmed by false teaching, fearful of the power of false prophets, or deceived by Satan.
Find Out More:
For more sermons and content from Pastor Ben Smith, visit BenSmithSr.org. You can also find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
This sermon was originally preached on 6/1/2025 at Central Baptist Church of Waycross, GA.
Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org
For more information on Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
Salvation is not transactional but transformative. When God calls you to salvation, it is a calling to believe and be transformed by the power of God to accomplish His will and bring glory to His name.
In the secular world, you become very accustomed to transactional relationships. Unfortunately, not only do many people approach their most intimate relationships with a transactional mindset, but many also attempt to relate to God in a similar manner. However, God does not negotiate or bargain, nor can God be manipulated or deceived. It is impossible to receive God's salvation through any form of human transaction.
When you believe in faith and are saved by God, you are transformed by the power of God for the glory of God. In 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, Paul prays with confidence in God's will for the Thessalonian church to continue being transformed for His glory.
How does salvation transform your life? These verses illustrate two fundamental ways in which salvation transforms a Christian's life. That is, salvation transforms what you are and what you do.
Find Out More:
For more sermons and content from Pastor Ben Smith, visit BenSmithSr.org. You can also find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
This sermon was originally preached on 5/25/2025 at Central Baptist Church of Waycross, GA.
Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org
For more information on Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
Christians endure the present with confident faith in the coming of Jesus, who will rightly judge the world, rescue the saints, and reveal His full glory. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to encourage the saints who were enduring persecution. The encouragement is that Jesus is coming again to rescue the saints and judge the wicked.
Thinking of the vengeance and judgment of God is uncomfortable for many Christians. So, how should you respond to the coming judgment of Christ?
This passage is both an encouragement to Christians and a warning to unbelievers. To believers, it encourages you to have confident faith, and to unbelievers, it serves as a warning of God's coming judgment.
This passage encourages the saints to endure the present with confident faith in who Jesus is and what he will do. To unbelievers, it is an urgent plea to repent.
Find Out More:
For more sermons and content from Pastor Ben Smith, visit BenSmithSr.org. You can also find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
This sermon was originally preached on 5/18/2025 at Central Baptist Church of Waycross, GA.
Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org
For more information on Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
In this sermon, Pastor Ben Smith explores 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, focusing on how the faith and actions of believers serve as a powerful testimony to other Christians. This passage highlights that a Christian's faith and testimony of sanctification testify to God's goodness and work to encourage other believers. While we often think of ministry as what we can do or give, Paul reminds the Thessalonians, and us, that our first ministry and offering to other saints is our own testimony.
Key question: What impact should your testimony have on other Christians?
Your testimony should cause other saints to give thanks to God, and your testimony should encourage other saints.
Key Takeaway:
Your life, your growth in faith, your increasing love for others, and your endurance through hardship are not just for your own benefit; they are a powerful testimony of God's work that is meant to inspire thanksgiving in others and encourage them in their own walk with the Lord.
Find Out More:
For more sermons and content from Pastor Ben Smith, visit BenSmithSr.org. You can also find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
This sermon was originally preached on 5/11/2025 at Central Baptist Church of Waycross, GA.
Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org
For more information on Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
The desire of God is not that you would be insulated or isolated from the world, but that you would be a living testimony to God’s truth in and to the world.
Every Christian experiences a tension between desiring to be separated from the world and obedience to proclaim the gospel to the world. Throughout history, there have been excesses on both sides of this tension. Sometimes, Christians have overemphasized separation from the world and sought to isolate themselves from the world and restrict contact with non-Christians. At other times, Christians have overemphasized ministry to the world and abandoned holiness and the requirements of faith and obedience in a foolish attempt to make the gospel more worldly appealing.
The Christian who attempts to isolate themselves from the world disobeys God’s command to be a gospel light and witness to the world, and the Christian who seeks at all costs to be appealing to the world disobeys God’s command to live lives of holiness.
Whether you are a recent high school graduate preparing to enter the working world or attend college, or an adult working a secular job, every Christian must wrestle with this tension that comes from living a holy life for Christ while living in an evil world.
This is the very issue that Jesus is praying about in John 17:14-19. He does not pray that God would take Christians out of the world, but while they are in the world, keep them holy and obedient to the faith.
In this sermon, pastor Ben Smith preaches from John 17:14-19 on how you can be in the world without becoming like the world by seeking godly affections, resting in God’s power, and being set apart by God.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
This sermon was originally preached on 5/4/2025 for graduate recognition Sunday.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
For Christians, the resurrection of Jesus is not something that is celebrated once a year but a moment that forever changes your life.
In a few weeks, many will celebrate the completion of their high school or college studies. To recognize these achievements, schools will host graduation ceremonies, called commencement exercises. Because these ceremonies celebrate the completion of a course of study, most people think of a commencement service as a ceremony to mark the conclusion of something.
However, to commence means to start. Commencement exercises are intended to mark the beginning of something. For high school graduates, that is the beginning of their life as adults and entering the workforce, and for college graduates, that is the beginning of the career they trained for.
This is similar to how many think about Resurrection Sunday. In many ways, Resurrection Sunday can feel like the conclusion – the big event. And thus, the Sunday after is more about getting back to normal. The family pictures have been taken and posted to social media. The new clothes are now just another piece in your wardrobe. All of the candy has been eaten. And now things are back to a regular routine and norm.
For those who have confessed Jesus as Lord and believed that God raised him from the dead, the resurrection is not the conclusion but the beginning. For Christians, Resurrection Sunday is not an event that comes and goes; it is a celebration of a moment that forever changes their lives.
Luke 24:13-35 recounts the experience of two men who seemed very familiar with Jesus and what He taught. They seemed to have had high hopes that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah. Yet they are perplexed because of the events that led to Jesus’s crucifixion and death. They have heard reports that His body is no longer in the grave and that He is, in fact, alive.
These are amazing and perplexing things to these men, but at the point that we meet them in Luke 24, these events have had no impact on their lives. They are walking home and getting back to their regular lives. But as they walk home, they meet Jesus, and everything about their lives changes.
The resurrection forever transforms your understanding and your life.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
This sermon was originally preached on 4/27/2025 for Resurrection Sunday.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
The resurrection of Jesus is more than a historical event. The resurrection of Jesus is a confrontation of faith. Do you believe that He is the resurrection and life?
This interaction between Martha and Jesus is dripping with emotion. Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, had a close and affectionate relationship with Jesus. Verses 33-36 tell us that when Mary met him, accompanied by many mourners, he was deeply moved, and when he came to the tomb, he wept. The sisters are grieved by the loss of their brother and disappointed that Jesus had not arrived in time to heal him from his sickness.
There is a tendency to read this passage and focus primarily on the emotions. However, God is doing more than ministering to emotions in this passage. In God’s providence, he was providing an opportunity to demonstrate His glory and call his disciples to a deeper faith and belief.
Martha acknowledged that she believed in the resurrection on the last day, but this belief was academic and did not influence how she experienced the grief of the moment. Jesus called her to personally believe that he alone is the source and power of resurrection and eternal life. Many people, like Martha, acknowledge Jesus's resurrection, but what does it mean to have faith and belief that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? This passage exposes the insufficiency of knowledge alone and the requirement of faith and confession.
Having faith and belief that Jesus is the resurrection and the life is:
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More than an acknowledgment of fact.
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Believing that in Jesus alone is salvation.
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Confessing Jesus as Christ and Lord.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
This sermon was originally preached on 4/20/2025 for Resurrection Sunday.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
Everyone who has been saved by God is being sanctified. God begins the work at the moment of salvation and continues the work until it is fully completed when he raptures the church.
The fundamental truth to understanding 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 is that God is the one who saves and the one who has, and is, and will completely sanctify every believer when he raptures the church. The church is a congregation of people who have been saved and are being sanctified. How are you, as those who have been saved and are being sanctified, to live in the present?
Paul concluded his letter with a prayer for sanctification, instructions for living faithfully, and a blessing of grace. All three of which teach how the redeemed are to live in the present.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
This sermon was originally preached on 4/13/2025.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
The work of salvation transforms how you relate to those whom God has put in authority in the church, your brothers and sisters in faith, and how you live in the world.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 are the final instructions of Paul's letter. From the start, Paul encouraged the church that they were doing well and demonstrating true evidence of faith. These instructions are not a rebuke of sin or an identification of error or heresy in the church but an encouragement to continue to grow in the faith.
How Christians live and relate to one another in the church directly relates to how effective they are in God's work and their continued sanctification. Many things can hinder sanctification, but none are more destructive than an unhealthy church and unhealthy relationships in the church.
This passage teaches three categories of instructions for how Christians are to live, relating to the leadership of elders, ministry to one another, and living according to the will of God.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
This sermon was originally preached on 4/6/2025.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
Christians do not ignore God's coming judgment and wrath but, because of the redemptive work of salvation, have both a hopeful and sobering anticipation of the Day of the Lord.
The judgment of God is a terrible thing. For all the suffering and hardships of this world, nothing compares to being completely and eternally separated from God and His unrelenting wrath. It is unpleasant to think of such a terrible thing. It is unsettling to recognize that all those who have refused the Lord Jesus will fall under God's wrath. This unpleasantness and unsettling truth tempt some to ignore the reality of the coming of the Lord in judgment. However, the Day of the Lord is coming. God's judgment and wrath are sure, and though unpleasant, it is unwise and dangerous not to understand what the Bible teaches about these things.
How should Christians think about and respond to the coming Day of the Lord and God's judgment of the wicked? This passage teaches the church three ways to think about and respond to the coming Day of the Lord. Christians should think about and respond to the coming Day of the Lord by being confident in faith that the Day of the Lord is coming, live in preparation for the Day of the Lord, and be encouraged by what Jesus has done.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
This sermon was originally preached on 3/16/2025.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
The hope of heaven and the promise of the second coming of Jesus change how you understand and experience the hardships of this world.
There are many things you will never experience, but the Bible declares that until Jesus comes again, there is one thing that everyone will experience, and that is death.
Grief is the common bond between every generation, every culture, and every people group.
When confronted with death, it draws your attention to the big questions concerning eternity, entrance into heaven, and the judgment of God and hell. The Thessalonians were new Christians and had many questions, but their greatest concern was about the Christians who had died before Christ's return.
Paul writes these instructions to inform and encourage the church with GoGod'sruth. Confusion was causing them to worry and grieve, but Paul wanted them to be encouraged by the word of God. This passage teaches three ways that the word of God encourages and gives you hope.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
Sermon preached 3/23/2025.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
Pastor Ben Smith preaches from 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 on how growing in brotherly love transforms your relationship with the saints, the direction of your life, and your testimony before the world. The transformation of the gospel has both a restrictive and empowering effect on your life. In the previous verse (1-8), the Bible declares that the transforming work of God in the lives of true Christians is to cause you to abstain from sexual immorality. Most read this only as something restrictive. However, in verse 4, the Bible teaches that Christians are able to abstain from sexual immorality because, through the empowerment of God, Christians have mastery over their bodies and are no longer controlled by the passion of lust like the world (5).
Building on this, verses 9-12 declare that the transforming work of God in the lives of true Christians enables you to love one another and that this love transforms everything about your life. This passage identifies three ways brotherly love transforms your life.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
Sermon preached 3/16/2025.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
God’s will for your sanctification requires that you abstain from sexual immorality, possess your body in honor, and live holy before God.
We are living in a hyper-sexualized culture. It seems sexual perversion and sexual immorality are everywhere.
However, though the world may be full of sexual immorality, the command of God and the evidence of salvation is that Christians must abstain from sexual immorality. How, then, can you live sexually pure in a sexually perverse world? This passage teaches three requirements that you must do to live a life holy before God.
You must be saved. (1-3a) You must be self-controlled. (3b-6) You must be submissive before God. (7-8)
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
Sermon preached 3/10/2025.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
The heart desire of Christians must be for other Christians to grow in faith and obedience. This statement seems so obvious and elementary that you may be tempted to assume that it does not need to be stated or given much attention. It is indeed obvious and elementary, but it needs to be said and given attention because it often conflicts with your flesh's natural desires.
Often, what is celebrated are temporary and fleeting achievements. Often, what is rewarded is what the world loves and not the things of God. Often, what your heart desires are rewards that have only momentary value. As a result, what you pray for is too often from the desires of the flesh rather than the will of God.
How can you train your heart to desire, above all other things, for other Christians to grow in faith and obedience? This passage models two areas that you must give the attention of your heart and mind to in order to train your heart to desire that other Christians grow in faith and obedience.
Be encouraged by what God has accomplished. (6-10)
Pray for what only God can do. (11-13)
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
Sermon preached 2/16/2025.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
Pastor Ben Smith preaches from 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5 on how to strengthen and exhort the church to stand firm against the attacks of Satan.
The passion of God’s servants must be to strengthen and exhort the church to stand firm against the attacks of Satan.
Verses 17-20 of chapter 2 express Paul’s lament that he was forced to leave the church shortly after they had come to faith and his great desire to return and be with them again. This is more than a recounting of events; it is likely a defense against those attempting to deceive the church by discrediting Paul and accusing him of abandoning them.
Acts 17:1-10 describes how a hostile mob attacked the home of one of the first Thessalonian Christians named Jason, who believed that he was harboring Paul and the others in his house. Jason's life was spared only after he put up a financial surety bond that Paul and those with him would leave the city.
In these final verses of chapter 2, Paul makes clear that he indeed loves the church (17) and has only stayed away because of Satan's opposition (18). Verses 19 and 20 encourage the church that Christ will return, and on that day, there will be great rejoicing in all who have received the gift of salvation.
We are reminded that the chapter divisions are not part of the original text, with the division between chapters two and three. These first verses of chapter 3 are not a new idea but a continuation of the verses that precede it. Paul indicates that his desire to minister to the young Christians was so great that he sent Timothy to them even at great personal cost and suffering (3:1-2a).
In chapter three, verse 2, we have the key verse for this passage. Timothy was sent to establish and exhort the church in their faith that they might stand firm against the temptation of Satan.
The question that we consider with this passage is:
What does the church need to stand firm against the attacks of Satan?
This passage teaches two ministries that help the church stand firm in the faith.
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Work to establish and strengthen the church.
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Exhort the church to obedience.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
Sermon preached 2/23/2025.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
I am excited to announce a new podcast project titled View from the Pulpit. Each episode will feature interviews with pastors and church members exploring the role of preaching, the labor of preparing to preach, the effectiveness of how one preaches, and so much more. This podcast is about preaching, but it is not just for preachers. So whether each Sunday you are behind the pulpit or in the pew, I hope you will tune in for engaging conversations that will help you better understand why preaching is vital to the church’s health. The podcast is available in Apple Podcast, Spotify, and many other podcast apps. Subscribe today so that you will not miss an episode.
Pastor Ben preaches from 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 that salvation is not the result of man's work or ability but a testimony to God's power and sovereignty alone.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
Sermon preached 2/16/2025.
When sinners receive the gospel as the word of God and are saved, it is not the result of man's work or ability but a testimony to God's power and sovereignty alone. In 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 Paul gives thanks for the Thessalonians' testimony and how it testifies to the power and sovereignty of God to save whom He wills. This passage reminds the church that salvation does not come and is not dependent on the work or ability of man but the power and sovereignty of God alone.
This passage teaches three perspectives that will keep your heart and mind focused on the power and sovereignty of God.
Subscribe to Pastor Ben’s new podcast project, “View from the Pulpit.”
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/view-from-the-pulpit-with-ben-smith/id1796433489
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4H8yxbzbDmymNHZz5Z5JUI
Podcast website: https://www.bensmithsr.org/vftp
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
Pastor Ben preaches from 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 on what your labor and faithfulness testify to.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
Sermon preached 2/9/2025.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
Pastor Ben preaches from 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 that the work of the church and your personal service to God must be God-directed, God-honoring, and God-pleasing.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
Sermon preached 2/2/2025.
Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
The evidence of true salvation is more than words; it is evidenced by a life transformed by God, a rejection of sin, and obedience to God.
One of the struggles for the church in a post-Christian culture is rediscovering what it means to be saved. In a Christian culture, salvation was often assumed rather than evidenced. Now that we live in a post-Christian culture, many are no longer compelled to obey the most fundamental commands of God, like gathering with the saints on the Lord’s Day, but still claim to be saved. Today, the church must rediscover a biblical understanding of the evidence of conversion.
What are the evidences of true conversion? In the opening verses of 1 Thessalonians, the Bible lists 10 identifying marks of the elect of God.
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
Sermon preached 1/26/2025.
Romans 6:20-23 is about the consequence of sin and the hope of the gospel. It is a precious passage that I have often preached in no small part because of the great gospel promise of verse 23. Generally, when preaching this passage, the majority of attention is given to the hope of salvation, which is the main idea of the passage. However, with this sermon, I want to give attention to the warning concerning sin.
All sin leads to death, both physical and spiritual.
In the confusion and brokenness of this world, the consequence of death is sometimes ignored but more often celebrated and even encouraged. Abortion brings death but is celebrated as a way to preserve sexual freedom, ensure individual autonomy, and provide gender equality. Abortion, as with all sin, is presented by the world as good and desirable, but it produces the rotten fruit of death.
The sanctity of human life is not first a political issue; it is, first, a theological issue. Christians must be clear concerning the cost and destruction of sin. Only then will you appreciate the great and glorious hope of the gospel.
This passage exposes sin’s necrotic nature and the remedy of the gospel.
For other sermons on the sanctity of life visit:
Audio: https://www.bensmithsr.org/bensmith-allforthekingdom/category/Sanctity+of+Life,
Video: https://www.bensmithsr.org/sermons#life,
https://vimeo.com/showcase/4969759
The only hope of salvation is in Jesus Christ.
There is no hope in the wisdom of man or the works of man. However, since Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, the common struggle of man is to attempt to attain righteousness apart from God.
The question that this psalm is wrestling with is the relationship between God and man. How are you to understand the relationship of man with God? Psalm 14 teaches three fundamental truths that define man's relationship with God and testify to the hope of salvation found only in Christ Jesus.
Originally preached in September 2020.
This passage comes in the greater context of understanding who God is, who you are, and what your attitude toward the Lord should be. James teaches that one with a true and living faith will have two defining attitudes toward the Lord. First, they will be humble before the Lord. And secondly, they will recognize their frailty and the power of God. These attitudes of the heart will produce the action of acknowledging God in all your ways.
Feelings are not facts, and emotions often obscure the truth. However, this does not negate the seriousness of feelings and the dramatic impact emotions have on how you see the world. God created you with emotions; however, because of the fall and the corruption of this world, emotions can be destructive and deceptive. Psalm 13 is a psalm of David that deals with his feelings of spiritual abandonment. David feels like God has forgotten him, refused to respond to him, and left him to be shamed by his enemies. David feels abandoned.
Psalm 13 is written in three stanzas. Stanza one contains David's despondent questions, which flow from his fear of God's abandonment. Stanza two is David's prayer for God to see him and answer his pleas. Stanza three is a response of faith in God's goodness. Psalm 13 teaches three ways to respond when you are struggling with feelings of abandonment.
The desire and will of God is for you to be in right relationship with Him and be in His presence. The testimony of this is that God has provided the way for the defiled to be made holy and those separated from Him by sin to draw near in confidence through the offering of His son, Jesus Christ.
The offering of Jesus reveals God's will, which calls for a response of faith. This passage teaches three responses to the offering of Jesus that God expects of you.
Some tasks are restricted from you because of a lack of ability. Other tasks are restricted from you because of a lack of qualification or authority. The pride of sin produces the lie that your own efforts can achieve righteousness. The arrogance of sin can convince you that you do not need Jesus. However, the testimony of scripture is that you can never achieve righteousness before God through your own efforts. Salvation comes only through the work of God. Jesus is the perfect high priest who, through His life, death, and resurrection provides forgiveness of sin and access to God to all who believe in faith.
Hebrews 7 teaches three ways that Jesus, as the perfect son of God, provides for salvation.
Show Notes: Reflections on Advent and the Book of Hebrews
Episode Highlights:
Christmas Greetings from Pastor Ben: Warm wishes for a blessed Christmas and 2025.
Advent Sermons from Hebrews: Pastor Ben shares his thoughts on the Advent season, focusing on Jesus in the book of Hebrews:
The Glorious Son: Hebrews Chapter 1.
The Faithful Son: Hebrews Chapter 3.
The Perfect Son: Hebrews Chapter 7.
The Will of God: Hebrews Chapter 10.
Podcast Schedule Update: Upcoming episodes of “Ben Smith, All for the Kingdom” will be released on Mondays due to the holiday schedule.
Call to Action: Listeners are encouraged to support the podcast by subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing it to help spread the message.
Gratitude and Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Central Baptist Church in Waycross, Georgia, for their support and to listeners for their continued attention.
Closing Note: Pastor Ben wishes everyone a joyful Christmas.
It is possible to be near the gospel and miss salvation. It is possible to have some knowledge of the gospel and not believe it. It is possible to be close to salivation and not be saved. Proximity does not equal possession.
Beyond making a comparison between Moses and Jesus, Hebrews 3 warns that it is not enough to simply know who Jesus is. Like the people that Moses led, there will be many who miss out on receiving the salvation of Jesus. Those whom Moses led out of Egypt were witnesses to God's great and glorious power but did not have faith and thus did not receive the blessing of the promised land. Likewise, many today have heard the gospel but have not believed in faith and thus have not received the promise of salvation.
God has used many things to reveal himself to man and testify to his glory, but these things must not distract you from the glory of Jesus Christ. We are people who are easily distracted. The first chapter of Hebrews identifies some of the good things God has used to reveal himself to man, testify to his glory, and accomplish his will. God used these good things to point to his glory, but they are not and never have been equal to his glory. The danger and warning of this chapter is becoming distracted by these things and missing what they testify to.
With such a propensity to be distracted, how can you keep your heart and mind focused on the glory of Jesus Christ? To keep you from disastrous distractions, this passage calls you to recognize the glorious supremacy of Christ in three areas.
Psalm 95 is about how and why you must worship. The psalm calls believers to worship and warns against disobedience. Christians must worship God wholeheartedly in response to who He is and in obedience to His word. Psalm 95 teaches three ways you are to worship.
In a day when words are used to confuse, distort, manipulate, and misdirect, hope is found in the eternal, never-changing word of God and His faithfulness to keep His word to every generation.
The foundation of the Christian faith is that God is truth, and the Bible is His inspired inerrant word. Every believer is called to believe in faith and stand firm in God's truth. Psalm 12 teaches three requirements for standing firm in God's truth.
In this closing greeting from Paul to Titus, we get a glimpse into the efforts of first-century saints to carry out the gospel mission in their churches and around the globe. Some were traveling to preach the gospel and teach sound doctrine. To support these efforts, the churches generously offered what they had. Paul, his fellow laborers, and the churches were doing all they could to advance the kingdom of God.
United in faith, every member of the church must use every resource God has provided to advance the kingdom of God. Every saint must ask, How can I be a useful servant of God in advancing His kingdom? These closing words teach three ways the church is effective for kingdom advancement.
From the archives. Originally preached in September 2020.
In this passage, James identifies the cause of conflict in the church and the resulting broken relationship with God and gives a clear solution – draw near to God through repentance.
What is required for a church to be healthy?
As the collapse of cultural Christianity has taken its toll on weekly attendance, churches have had to reevaluate what it means to be a healthy church. The blessing of this reevaluation is renewed attention to biblical models and metrics of church health. The disappointment of this reevaluation is an awareness that many have abandoned the biblical fundamentals of what it means to be a church in our zeal for greater numbers.
Titus 3:8-11 gives three instructions that are required for a church to be healthy.
The whole testimony of scripture is how God provided salvation for sinful man. From the first sin and the first pronouncement of the curse of sin in Genesis 3, God has been working to bring salvation for man’s sin (Genesis 3:15). God revealed His holiness and man’s need for the atonement of sin through the shedding of blood through the Law. Speaking through the prophets and writings, God declared the promise of a coming Messiah who would bring salvation. Through the Old Testament histories, God revealed how He was providentially working to prepare the way for the Messiah. Then, with the advent of Jesus, the fullness of God’s redemptive plan was made known.
The testimony of scripture is a testimony to the work of God to bring salvation to man. Titus 3:4-7 teaches three fundamentals of the true and gospel.
The transformation of the gospel transforms more than your relationship with other Christians; it also transforms your relationship with the secular world. The instructions in Titus 3:1-3 focus on the outward signs of a grace-filled life and how God's grace affects your relationship with the world.
In verses 13-18, James contrasts two kinds of wisdom. One is from the Lord and produces the qualities of God’s character. The other is demonic and produces brokenness. It would seem that the choice between the two would be simple and obvious. But James makes this contrast to implore the church to recognize and choose godly wisdom, knowing that worldly wisdom often seems more appealing and is a dangerous temptress.
Your speech is a reflection of and a testimony to the reality of your hearts. If your heart has been transformed, then so will your speech. Conversely, if your speech remains unrestrained by the gospel, it indicates that your heart has not been transformed.
The gospel transforms believers into people who live righteously in the present world with anticipatory hope of Christ's return, proclaiming the gospel's good news with authority and boldness until then.
In this passage, Paul connects the instructions for how Christians are to live (2:2-10) with the why and how. The hope of the gospel transforms Christians before God. It also transforms how Christians live in this present age. The hope of the gospel is the fundamental truth that defines what the church is and how the church is to live in this world.
Belief that does not transform behavior is worthless. Theology that does not bear out in your ethics is pointless. Doctrine that does not inform and motivate your duty is meaningless. Sound doctrine is more than academic or theoretical; it is transformational. Every Christian must bear evidence in their behavior and character of believing and becoming sound in truth.
The teaching and preaching of sound doctrine is more than a transfer of information. The teaching and preaching of sound doctrine transforms the Christians who receive it. Sound doctrine transforms your heart, your mind, and your actions. And through this transformation, your life becomes a living testimony to the truth.
The church's weapon against false teaching is the faithful teaching of scripture. When threatened by false teachings, the church must respond by preparing more men who can teach and preach sound doctrine.
When faced with such threats, there is a temptation to feel defeated and powerless. There is tremendous pressure to bend to the secular culture's demand to keep silent and respect everyone's right to go their own way and do their own thing. And for churches that seem irredeemably captured by error and false teaching, it is tempting to write them off as lost and unrecoverable. However, this is not the strategy that the Bible teaches.
How can the church remain faithful in a day when the threats from false teachings are so high? What must the church do to ensure false teaching does not take root? Having instructed Titus to appoint elders in every city (5-9), Paul now gives instructions for the work and mission of the elders.
The church's health and effectiveness depend on its faithfulness to the word. Faithfulness to the word depends on biblical church order and qualified leadership.
The church's health, well-being, and ability to guard the gospel that has been entrusted to it depend on being biblically ordered and led by qualified elders. This is not an issue only for church leaders. Every church member must be invested in and concerned with the proper ordering of the church and choosing biblically qualified elders.
This passage teaches two requirements for a church to guard the truth of the gospel faithfully.
To be a faithful servant of God, you must know who you are, who God is, what he has done, and the people you are called to minister among.
Paul and Titus knew each other well, but though Paul addressed his letter to Titus, he intended his words to be instructive for the churches. Thus, in these opening words of greeting, Paul is doing more than greeting his friend Titus; he also provides introductory words to the Christians of Crete about his authority and ministry.
How would you define the gospel work of the church? How would you define what God has called you to? Paul defines his work by declaring who he is, what God has done, and who he is addressing.
When death is near and your days are coming to an end, trivial concerns will prove to be of no importance. However, for faithful Christians, the gospel hope and the glory of God will be the singular hope and concern. Reflecting on his present trials and the fullness of his ministry, Paul points those who will now carry on the ministry to God's power, provision, and glory. His life has been lived as a drink offering for God's glory. Likewise, all believers must live lives for God's glory.
As Paul concludes his letter, he reflects on his ministry and the cost he has endured. His recounting of these things is not to brag but to pass the baton on to Timothy and those who will continue to preach the word.
The gospel requires total sacrifice and faithful endurance, knowing that whatever the cost, the hope of heaven is worth it all. Those who have given their lives for Christ desire to see the work continue in succeeding generations.
Preach the word. Three simple words. One powerful command.
The message of the passage is straightforward. You must faithfully proclaim God's word and sound teaching regardless of the world's acceptance or hostility. So, how can you faithfully obey this command to preach the word?
This passage teaches three things that are required of you to be faithful to preach the word.
To endure the hostilities of this world, you must remain faithful to the word of God, even if it requires you to stand apart from the world and unfaithful Christians.
Paul had known persecution and great suffering for the gospel. He knew that Timothy and the faithful church would likewise experience the world's hostility and the abuse of false teachers. He knew that under these pressures, there would be a great temptation to abandon the foundation of the faith.
Faced with the ever-growing threat of worldly hostility and spiritual imposters, how can you remain faithful to the Lord and mature in the faith? The Bible's answer is plain and simple: Hold firm to your faith and God's word.
This passage contains two commands that, when obeyed, provide for believers to remain faithful in a hostile world.
Salvation comes through faith. That is the most basic and important truth of scripture. But how do you know if you have saving faith?
Faith without works is dead and useless. Faith must produce works, and by those works, your faith is perfected
Knowledge and understanding give perspective and hope in the midst of difficult times. 2 Timothy chapter 3 begins with the description of difficult days that the church will endure. Paul writes these words to inform Timothy that he might have knowledge and understanding to help him endure. These words are for the church today, so you also will have knowledge and understanding to help you endure.
This passage teaches three things that enable you to endure these difficult days.
To be useful to God, you must be set apart from sin and the world. And if you are to be used by God to rescue those who have swerved from the truth, you must reject the temptation to be quarrelsome and instead teach the truth with the gentleness and patience of Christ.
This passage has two commands required of those who desire to be ready for every good work and a good servant of the Lord.
Competence and skill are not declared but demonstrated. The evidence of a workman’s competence and skill is proved over time when their work proves to be able to endure the test of time.
The primary task of every ministry of the gospel is to rightly and faithfully make God’s word known. There are temptations that work against this, but Paul warns Timothy not to swerve from the truth.
In this passage, the Bible gives two commands to keep you from swerving from the truth so that you might be an approved and unashamed workman. It also gives a test that testifies to the genuineness of your faith and approval before God.
When the difficulties of this world seem too great, the cost of following Jesus too high, and your strength and ability too weak, remember Jesus Christ, who died for your sins, rose victoriously over death, and is coming again. Remember that the glory of salvation in Jesus makes all the costs and burdens of ministry worth it.
How can you keep Jesus at the forefront of your mind and heart when difficult moments come? How can you avoid the temptation to quit when you are suffering, when the costs of following Jesus are great, or when you find yourself discouraged? From this passage, Pastor Ben Smith encourages you to endure by remembering Jesus in moments of suffering, when you are counting the cost of following Jesus, and when you are discouraged.
When you have known and been transformed by the mercy of God the outward work response to this is showing mercy to others.
Work, labor, and suffering are not words well received today. Wealth and modern conveniences have created a world where ease and comfort are celebrated as the ultimate goal. This unhealthy celebration of ease and comfort has also infected the church. Many Christians today see their relationship with the church and gospel work not in terms of sacrifice and service but in terms of consumer choice and comfort.
God calls every Christian to labor in the gospel work. And God equips faithful Christians for the work. No Christian is called to be only a consumer. Ease and comfort are not the ultimate goals of followers of Christ. Christians are called to be about gospel work regardless of cost or difficulty. 2 Timothy 2:1-7 teaches three fundamental truths that must be understood by those who desire to be faithful to the gospel work.
When hard times come, many who once professed the gospel will fall away. In 2 Timothy 1:15-18, Paul speaks frankly with Timothy, not to be surprised when some fall away but to receive the good blessing of the ministry of those who are faithful.
Like Timothy, you may be discouraged today as you observe many people falling away from the faith. How can you guard your heart against discouragement when it seems many are falling away from the gospel? This passage teaches three truths that encourage the church in days of great unfaithfulness.
What are you ashamed of?
In a broken and sinful world, what is shameful is often celebrated, and what should be celebrated is shamed. To be ashamed of something is to feel shame or disgrace because you are embarrassed, guilty, or humiliated to be associated with it.
Insecurities and fears tempt you to be ashamed of Jesus and the gospel, but Christians must confidently identify with Jesus and boldly proclaim the gospel truth. That is easily said, but how can you resist the temptation to be ashamed of the gospel? This passage teaches us three ways to fight against the temptation to be ashamed of the gospel.
Money can buy many things but can not buy salvation or a right relationship with God. James 2:1-10 calls out the sin of partiality. In doing so, it calls Christians to live differently from the world in how you judge, in what you honor, and in how you obey.
The faith of your parents is a blessing, but you must also actively stir up your faith by remembering what God has done for you, in you, and is doing through you.
Fanning the flames of your faith does not begin with the actions you take; it starts with turning your attention to what God has done and is doing. 1 Timothy 1:3-7 calls you to three ways you can fan the flame of faith in your life.
As Paul writes these opening words of this final letter to the young pastor Timothy, he is not writing as a failure, in defeat, or even depressed by his circumstances. Paul writes with expectation and authority, knowing that his life is not his own and the kingdom of God is not dependent on his circumstances.
This is not an effort to put a positive spin on a bad situation. This is Paul writing and living according to God's perspective, not man's. To live faithfully and obediently to the Lord, you must live according to God's perspective, not man's.
In these final two verses, Paul gives two commands and a closing blessing of grace. Guard the truth entrusted to you and turn away from anything and everything that distracts you from faithful obedience.
What does it mean to be rich?
The meaning of being rich is a complicated question. Though you may be rich compared to others, you may struggle to pay your bills. You may have a high income but great debt.
1 Timothy 6:2-10 instructs Christians who are poor how to live and relate to wealth. In verses 17-19, the Bible instructs wealthy Christians how to use their wealth for God's glory. In this passage, the rich are those whose wealth is such that they are not concerned with their basic needs and can afford comforts and pleasure beyond basic needs.
Christians with earthly riches are warned not to put any hope in their riches but to hope in God alone, trust in God's provisions, and use what they have for God's glory.
In the concluding words of 1 Timothy, Paul addresses Timothy as a man of God. From this passage, the Bible commands Christians to be set apart for God and called to faithful obedience because God is worthy of all the glory and honor.
Does the pursuit of worldly gain drive you, or are you driven by growing in godliness? This passage does not teach that Christians cannot have wealth or do well in this world. The issue at the heart of this passage is what drives your heart, what motivates your life, and what you see as the greatest value. Those captured and controlled by worldly things will be driven and motivated by worldly gain, but those who are servants of Christ will be driven and motivated by godly gain.
You might expect the cost of receiving the gift of atonement provided by the eternal Son of God to be high and costly. You might expect the requirements for exchanging your sin for the righteousness of Christ and being made heirs with Christ, adopted as children of God, to be complicated and difficult to achieve. However, in simple language, the Bible declares that to be saved from your sin requires the confession of Jesus as Lord and the belief that God raised him from the dead.
The most offensive thing is to dispute someone's definition of what is good. The greatest of these offenses is rejecting what someone claims makes them good. What is so offensive about Jesus is not that he died but that he had to die for your sins. The world is happy to receive him as a dying martyr, but a savior dying to atone for your sins requiring believing faith, the world finds offensive.
The crowd wanted a warrior king, but Jesus was the suffering servant who came to die for man's sins (Isaiah 53). The crowd wanted someone to affirm and support their cause, but Jesu
s called sinners to repent of their sins and believe in faith on him. Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), is also a stumbling stone and offensive to all who remain in their sin.
1 Timothy 6:1-2 is not an endorsement of slavery, but it is an acknowledgment that slavery was part of the societal reality in which the church in Ephesus lived. Recognizing these realities, Paul instructs the church to live according to who they are in Christ, even in the brokenness of this world. In these verses, the Bible instructs Christians on how to labor for unbelieving masters and for masters who are fellow brothers in Christ.
Having instructed the church to honor, with financial support, widows who were worthy of such honor and had no other source of support, Paul now instructs the church on its proper relationship with Elders. Like with the instructions concerning widows, the church is commanded to honor elders with financial support. However, more than just instructions on elder remuneration, this text teaches the church what it should honor, its responsibility to protect its elders, and a warning to be wise in choosing future elders.
The reality of living in a sin-filled fallen world is that you often treasure what is not worthy of honor while neglecting to honor what is a true treasure.
1 Timothy 5:3-16 commands the church to honor widows in the church who are without any means of support and who have lived a testimony of faithful devotion to the Lord and the church's work. As Paul gives instructions for this support, we learn the responsibility of the household of God to honor members in need, the reason for this honor, and some practical truths about family, devotion to the church, and the God-honoring labor of raising children.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable growth in the use of the word "family" in reference to co-workers, teammates, professional associations, and hobby groups. The rise of applying the concept of family to corporate culture has grown so common that there is now a growing awareness of the problems this creates and significant pushback.
In the context of the overuse of "family" applied to none-family connections and the corrective pushback, we come to 1 Timothy 5, where Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, instructs Timothy to labor as an overseer among the church not as a dictator, ruler, or boss but as a son and brother. While applying the family relationship to your school, work, or hobby connections may be unwise, the Bible commands that Christians should apply it to fellow church members.
Recognizing the members of the church as family testifies that the church is more than a disconnected group with no responsibilities to one another but that through saving faith and mutual submission to Christ and one another, the members of the church are related and connected to one another.
The instructions of 1 Timothy 4 are addressed to Timothy and his church pastoral leadership. At first reading, it may seem that verses 6-16 relate only to overseers' leadership, preaching, and teaching ministry of the church. Though these instructions are addressed to the overseer, they relate to the whole church in understanding proper biblical training, personal holiness, and the church's public worship. These instructions to the overseer help the church understand what should be honored and celebrated in the leadership of the overseer, the importance of personal holiness, and what should be honored in their public assemblies.
God inspired Paul to warn the church of demonic spirits that are working to deceive and lead some away from the faith. This danger remains a clear and present danger to the church today. Paul identifies the threat and then instructs the church to recognize and defeat these lies.
The sad reality of the present-day church culture is the lost understanding of the church's witness to God's truth and the hope of the gospel. Every faithful church and every church member should be living witness in their community to the truth of God and the hope of the gospel. This is the heart behind Paul's instructions in 1 Timothy 3:14-16. This passage teaches who has authority over the church, its purpose, and its message.
It is no secret that the office of deacon in many Baptist churches is not rightly ordered. Because this office, in living memory, has functioned according to practical conventions rather than biblical directives, many people have antidotal stories that illustrate the dysfunction that this has produced. Though these stories are part of our experience, they are not helpful to us today, and I have chosen to give them little attention. Rather, I think it best to give my attention to preaching a biblical understanding of this office.
A disordered church and church leadership create dysfunction. Dysfunction creates dissatisfaction with and confusion over the purpose of biblical offices. There are three common responses to such dissatisfaction and confusion.
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Reject and disband the office entirely.
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Limit or remove the authority and responsibility from the office.
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Create new positions according to human wisdom and practical solutions to perform the tasks formally assigned to deacons.
The disorder of the deacon's office resulted from the practical taking precedence over the biblical. These responses continue in this trajectory by attempting to correct the issue with practical and secular solutions.
The only faithful response to disorder in the church is to return to faithful obedience to a biblical order. This includes the biblically assigned responsibilities, tasks, and authorities of the offices of the church.
In verses 8-13, Paul gives the qualifications for deacons. From this passage, I want you to gain a biblical understanding of the office, the qualifications for it, and the honor of it.
The sanctity of life for Christians is not a political issue. The sanctity of life for Christians is a convictional issue that before the Lord, every human life is made by God and holy before God.
Psalm 139 is a psalm of David and a powerful word on the omnipresence of God. Verses 13-16 come in response to David marveling that God knows everything about him. Building on this, David declares that every human life is the glorious masterpiece of God, known by God, and the intentional work of God.
This is a Psalm of David, but it is unknown what situation he is writing about. From the first two verses, we learn that he is being threatened by evil persons and has received the counsel to flee for safety. However, in the situation that was the occasion of this psalm, David was led by the Lord not to flee from whatever was threatening his life. He trusted his life and well-being to the provision of God. Psalm 11 is not about David’s bravery, wisdom, or tenacity but about who God is.
The division of the psalm is in two parts. It begins with a statement and question, followed by a testimony of who God is. The first part is a declaration of faith: “In the Lord, I take my refuge (vs. 1).” The evidence of this faith is that David rejects the suggestion that he should flee like a bird. The second part is verses 4-7, which testify that God is holy, actively working, and eternally righteous.
This world is corrupted and filled with wickedness. Psalm 10 addresses the wickedness of this world and the destruction that such evil brings, particularly to the weak and vulnerable. However, you must be careful not to assume that the wickedness exposed in Psalm 10 applies to someone else. This psalm does not confront the classical atheism of those who openly reject the existence of God but functional atheism of living as though there is no God.
The psalm calls believers not to settle for the things of this world but to long for the kingdom to come when the king who is king forever will fully reign.
And while there is an opportunity, it beckons all to bow the knee, confess Jesus as Lord, and surrender yourself to the king who is king forever.
I hope you and your family had a blessed Christmas celebration and a happy new year.
Podcast episodes post a week and a half after the date I preach the sermon. Usually, for podcast listeners, this makes little difference. However, during special occasions like Christmas, it is more obvious that the podcast episodes are behind.
I had the opportunity to hear a fellow pastor in our community preach, and I was out of the pulpit for a Sunday, so I do not have a current sermon for the podcast this week. So, I have pulled one from the archives for today's podcast. In 2020, I preached through the book of James. Originally preached on August 2, 2020, this is the third sermon I preached from James. The sermon is titled Be Doers of the Word, and it is from James 1:19-27.
This simple command – be doers of the word and not hears only – is a much more difficult command to obey and a much more costly truth than you may realize. Many believers have the desire to live out the word in their lives. However, desire is not a guarantee of doing. James teaches that constant, conscious, and conspicuous efforts must be made to demonstrate that your faith is more than a facade and is what is true of who you are.
The gospel of Matthew (2:20-23) tells us that God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to tell him that the child that Mary was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The angel also instructed Joseph that the son Mary would bear would be named Jesus because "he will save his people from their sins." The name Jesus is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means the Lord saves.
The New Testament celebrates the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophetic promise. One of the earliest books in the New Testament is 1 Thessalonians. In chapter 5, Paul gives instructions for how Christians are to live in the context of a wicked and broken world. Specifically, Christians are to live in a posture of expectation of the imminent return of Jesus.
The connection between Isaiah 9:7 and 1 Thessalonians 5 is one of timing and perspective. Isaiah is looking forward to the day that the Messiah will come. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, is rejoicing that Jesus the Messiah has come and is looking forward to when he will return. Isaiah looks forward to the Messiah coming to establish his kingdom. Paul is rejoicing that the kingdom of God has come and is looking forward to the day when the fullness of it is known.
From these two passages, we are encouraged to have a perspective of hope in the promise of salvation that enables us to persevere in the present.
The last two names listed in Isaiah 9:6 for the Messiah are Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. These two names point to the eternal nature of the Messiah and the work of redemption he has accomplished.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul teaches that the resurrection of Jesus is fundamental to the work of redemption and celebrates the victory over sin and death that Jesus' resurrection has brought. The redemption of Jesus provides eternal salvation and eternal peace to those who believe in faith in Jesus.
Isaiah declares that Jesus will be called – wonderful counselor and mighty God. Wonderful counselor acknowledges that the Messiah will be one who reveals the glorious truth of God, and Mighty God declares that he is God and exercises the power of God. The Messiah will be God, revealing the truth of himself to the world.
In the New Testament, one of the clearest declarations of this comes in John chapter 14. Jesus was encouraging his disciples that he was preparing an eternal dwelling place in his Father's house for those who believe in God and in him. Thomas asked Jesus how they would know the way to his Father's house. Jesus responded that He was the way, the truth, the life, and salvation was only through him.
With this declaration, Jesus made it clear that the hope of the gospel was exclusively through and in himself.
Isaiah 9:6 is a familiar passage often read during Advent. This Advent season, I will be preaching each sermon from Isaiah 9:6 with attention to the names given to the Messiah.
Today, we consider the first two phrases of the passage: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.” In these two phrases, we have a foundational truth of the hope of the gospel declaring the nature of Jesus. Jesus is both and, at the same time, all God and all man. These two natures are united in the person of Jesus. He is all God and all man.
Isaiah prophesied this glorious mystery in Isaiah 9:6 when he declared that unto us would be born a child (man) and a son would be given (God). The gospel of Matthew tells us that God sent an angel to Joseph to declare to him that the baby that Mary conceived was of the Holy Spirit and was the one for whom the prophet Isaiah foretold and would be called Immanuel (which means God with us) (Matthew 1:18-25).
The glorious hope of Christmas is that God came, in the flesh, to redeem us from our sins. The prophet Isaiah declared this future hope, and the New Testament celebrates the fulfillment of this hope. Philippians 2:5-11
teaches this fundamental truth and testifies that Jesus coming in the flesh was an act of grace, a gift of love, and there is hope in the name of Jesus.
In contrast to the celebrated scribes, Jesus draws his disciple's attention to the place where people brought their temple offerings. Their attention was naturally drawn to those making large gifts, but Jesus wanted them to witness something greater.
Jesus pointed to the poor widow's offering as a greater offering in the sight of God, not because of worldly value but because of the heart of worship. From the widow's offering and Jesus' teaching, we find the principles that giving is good, must be sacrificial, and is an act of worship.
The testimony of Achan's sin testifies to the danger of greed and the importance of being thankful for God's provisions. Gratitude and thanksgiving are the responses to God's provision and grace. Greed is the sin of being ungrateful and taking what has not been provided.
This passage teaches us to be thankful for God's provision and honor him with what He provides.
Sermon Schedule Note: For the next several weeks, I will be taking a pause from preaching through 1 Timothy. This sermon is on Thanksgiving, followed next week by a sermon on giving. These will be followed by four advent sermons. After the first of the year, Lord willing, I will return to 1 Timothy.
Few subjects are more fraught with difficulty than the issue this text addresses. In our cultural context, it feels awkward at best and dangerous at worst to declare what women should and should not wear, how women should fix their hair, remain quiet in church, and be submissive. The awkwardness of the cultural context does not release the church from preaching such passages and certainly not Christians from obeying what this passage teaches. To faithfully preach the Bible, a pastor must proclaim what the Bible teaches regardless of how well it is received by the culture of the day.
In the second half of 1 Timothy 2, Paul turns his attention to the proper order of the church. In this text, he addresses women's role in the church, particularly in public worship. This text addresses three areas for Christian women: how you present yourself in worship, participate in worship, and honor God's design for women.
When lives are in danger, the first impulse is to think about how they can be rescued. The most horrifying situations are when there is no hope of saving those in danger. The gospel's good news is that God desires to rescue you and has provided a way for your salvation in Jesus.
Chapter two begins Paul's instructions to Timothy on the proper order of the church. Before addressing these issues, he lays the foundational truths of the church's call to prayer and the forgiveness of sin only in Jesus. In this sermon, I show the good gift of redemption, the desire of God to save, and man's only hope is in Jesus.
Chapter two begins Paul’s instructions to Timothy on the proper order of the church. However, before addressing these issues, he first lays the foundational truths of the church’s call to prayer and the forgiveness of sin that is only in Jesus.
You learned in elementary English class to look for the what, who, how, and why. Likewise, this sermon will focus on the what, who, how, and why of prayer.
When you travel by ship, there is a moment when you realize that your safety is totally dependent on the integrity of the ship. When the ship leaves the dock, it does so slowly enough that the safety of the land seems to linger and remain within reach. However, as the ship sails further to sea, your sight of land grows smaller and more distant. At the distance of 2.9 miles, any sight of land finally slips beyond your site as the curvature of the earth limits your vision. When any sight of land is lost, and all you can see is water in every direction, is the moment that you realize that your life rests entirely in the ship's ability to reach the next port. As the sun sets and darkness cloaks all but what the ship's lights can illuminate, the feeling of dependency on the ship for safety is made all the more profound.
Paul knew something about shipwrecks. He had experienced near-death experiences in multiple shipwrecks. With these memories in mind, he writes to Timothy a charge to fight the good fight for the gospel and a warning of the grave consequences that come from rejecting the gospel.
For all the advancements in modern media, the most effective marketing approach has remained unchanged since the creation of time. The most effective and powerful persuasive tactic is personal testimony. It is helpful to hear about all the features of a product and how it could improve your life. However, what will draw your attention and acceptance toward purchasing something is when someone you know says, I use it; it helped me; you should use it too.
In this passage, Paul declares that the primary purpose of Jesus coming in the flesh to earth was to save sinners. In making this point, he shares his personal testimony of salvation, his sin before Christ, and the grace that he has now received. Through his testimony, we see the common depravity all experience, the hope of salvation through Jesus, and the testimony and worship that follows.
Every profession has those who are incompetent, malevolent, or abusive. When you experience unlawful use of authority, a common reaction is to reject the whole. As a result, the reflective response of many today is to tear down institutions rather than work to repair them. A biblical worldview recognizes the sin of the individual while maintaining the goodness of the institution or position.
Paul is responding to the false teachers who were perverting the law of God. They were using the law unlawfully and thus destructively. Paul does not reject the law but affirms it as good when lawfully used for the purposes and glory of God.
No church is perfectly rightly ordered. However, every church must have a heart to be as rightly ordered and faithful to scripture as possible. The church must regularly examine how it is organized and functions and determine if it is most faithful to scripture. Paul's letters to Timothy deal with many of these issues, which is why it is helpful for Christians and churches to return often to these instructive letters.
These letters to the young pastor are Paul's counsel on leading the church in proper worship and establishing proper church leadership. He instructs Timothy on the required qualifications for elders/pastors/overseers and deacons and gives counsel on confronting false teachers and other congregation members.
In these opening words of Paul's first letter to Timothy, he first warns of what threatens the church and recognizes the gift of elders to the church.
As children leave the house, parents often give short final instructions. These departing words are not new information but reminders of important things. A mom might remind her children of something they need to do while away. A father might remind his children of his expectations of how they should behave while away. And often, parents tell their children one more time that they love them.
These closing words of Paul’s letter are similar words of instructions. These are not new teachings but reminders of important truths.
In these closing words of his letter, Paul gives his final words to the church, hoping that the next time they will hear from him will be in person. In the first four verses, Paul encouraged the wayward brothers and sisters to repent of their sin and promised to deal sternly with those who would not. Secondly, in verses 5-10, he pleads with the brothers and sisters to give serious attention to the nature of their relationship with Jesus and the genuineness of their salvation so that they might be sure of their salvation.
As Paul concludes his letter, he gives some final warnings and instructions. His final warning can be broken into two parts, confrontation of sin and examining your faith to test if it is genuine. In this sermon, I preach on the first part concerning the confrontation of sin.
Confronting sin and church discipline is something that most Christians know should be happening, but they have not seen a healthy or consistent model of how it happens. And a more honest assessment may be that many Christians have no motivation to faithfully participate in church discipline because they enjoy the lack of accountability in their church.
Understanding this passage and how to confront sin requires understanding three principles of healthy, godly discipline:
Discipline is motivated by love.
Discipline is connected to worth.
Discipline is connected to church fellowship.
The relationship of parent to child is one that Paul uses in this passage and is helpful in understanding the relationship between those who proclaim the gospel and those who receive it. Children do not always appreciate their parents' sacrifices and sometimes even rebel against their parents. What motivates all that parents do for their children is love.
In this passage, the Bible teaches how believers should respond to the gospel, the cost of ministry, and what motivates the preaching of the gospel.
Our sinful nature is quick to take the glory from the blessings and gifts of God for ourselves. We often even claim that they come from us rather than God. Yet, when confronted with our true weakness, we come to know through experience the sufficiency of God’s grace - that His grace is enough.
Paul had seen God move in mighty ways. Often when many were coming to salvation, it also was a time when persecution and hardships were the greatest. Fourteen years earlier, while he and Barnabas were preaching in Lystra, Paul noticed a crippled man listening who had believing faith. He healed the man, and he immediately stood up and walked. When the crowds witnessed this miracle, they did not praise God but began to worship Paul and Barnabas as pagan gods. Both Paul and Barnabas pleaded with the people not to believe such lies, but scripture says that “they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.” (Acts 14:18)
Jews from Antioch and Iconium convinced the people to turn on Paul and Barnabas. They stoned Paul until they were convinced he was dead, then drug his lifeless body through the streets and out of the city. Other believers gathered around his body, grieving and likely making plans for his burial. But while they were gathered around what they thought was the corpse of Paul, he rose up and returned to the work of the gospel. This event may be what Paul is referencing in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6.
In recounting this amazing experience, we learn three characteristics of a true disciple:
The mark of a true disciple
The hope of a true disciple
The desire of a true disciple
In these final verses of chapter 11, Paul continues his defense of his apostleship and denouncement of those preaching a gospel contrary to the true gospel.
Generally, it is good advice not to “toot your own horn.” However, sometimes, you must “toot your own horn” when defending against arrogant braggarts leading others astray. This is the case in this passage. To that end, Paul allows himself some room to brag. However, his boasting is not to take any pride in his accomplishments but to show the foolishness of all such boasts. Ultimately, Paul draws your attention to the glory and power of God.
Without a biblical worldview, there is no understanding of evil's real and present danger and the need to restrain it. When faced with evil, political leaders often prescribe legislative, regulatory, economic, or education remedies, believing that the undesired behavior can be overcome with better programs and laws. Or individuals speak of their own difficult situations and ascribe the blame or the responsibility to God when the cure is God, but the cause is not.
God has provided a way to be saved from this broken world. He desires your salvation and not your destruction. God has no part in sin.
From this passage, the Bible declares two fundamental truths that God does not tempt toward sin and that all that is good is from God.
No matter how far a child has wandered or how great a child has rebelled, godly parents do not give up hope that God will draw them back. No matter how long it has been, godly parents continue to call on the Lord to rescue their child and take every opportunity to speak the truth to their child.
This is the heartbreaking intensity with which Paul writes this passage. He loved the church at Corinth. He considered them his children in the faith. And he is brokenhearted that they may be led astray by wicked men. And so, he contends for them by preaching the truth in love.
Due to equipment malfunction, no video recording of this sermon was made. The audio recording was very poor and partially captured. The audio for this podcast was made by stitching the original audio with post-production audio recordings.
Because the recording is so poor, I have made my pulpit notes available for download for free. To download my notes, go to https://www.bensmithsr.org/store/2corinthians-11-1-6, click the "Purchase" button, and enter the discount code AUDIO2023before checking out.
The fundamental truth of this passage is that anything less than or other than the true Jesus, the true Spirit, or the true gospel is a lie and will not lead to salvation. There is only one true Savior, Holy Spirit, and gospel that saves.
During the summer months, there are several Sundays when I am out of the pulpit. I will return to preaching through 2 Corinthians when I return to the pulpit, but for these weeks where I have been away, I will be posting sermons from the book of James I preached in 2020. As an interesting historical note, considering that James begins the letter with the instruction to "consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance," while preaching this series, I was hospitalized with COVID-19. I began the series in August. Our church had returned to in-person services a few months before, in May, and we were trying to define a new normal while responding to the pandemic. When I began this series and preached this message, I had no idea that ten weeks later, I would be in a hospital bed, too weak to carry on a conversation longer than a few words.
If all you read from this passage was verse 2, you might be led to think that James was instructing you to have a Pollyanna attitude toward the world. In isolation, this verse seems to instruct that you should be upbeat even when difficult situations and moments come your way.
However, A Pollyanna approach to this world is not what the Bible is calling you to. James does not turn a blind eye to the brokenness of this world. Rather, looking squarely and honestly at the struggles you will confront in this world, James wants you to see God's purpose, plan, and provision presently and for eternity to come.
"Count it all joy" rests on God's purpose in suffering and your confidence in faith and peace in God's provision.
I believe that God's timing is perfect. As such, I trust that the timing of this sermon podcast episode is perfect. I preached this sermon on August 7, 2022. The podcast episode should have been published the following week. However, after nearly seven months had passed, I went online to get the link for the sermon but could not find it. After some investigation, I realized that it had never been posted. So, I am publishing the sermon today, trusting that in God's sovereignty, it will providentially be a blessing to many who would not have needed it or be able to receive it during July of 2022.
The world is defined by theology. Whatever you hold as true defines how you see the world. Whatever you believe has the power to save has your heart's affection, and it will motivate you to fight for it passionately.
Common throughout psalm 119 is a focus on God's word. One of the basics of being a Christian is knowing and obeying the word of God. If you are a Christian, your faith began when you confessed Jesus as your Lord. If Jesus is your Lord, then you obey His commands. The commands of Jesus are known through His word, the Bible.
In this sermon, I make a case that your devotion to the word of God does not begin with determination but with devotion.
Hope in God's word. Love God's word. And be transformed by God's word.
Leaders can be tempted to adjust the message to be most appealing to the crowd, even at the expense of the truth. Congregations can be tempted to desire what is entertaining over what is true or to give more honor and authority to what draws a crowd than what is faithful and true to God's word.
Who has the most significant cultural influence today? Some say it is the one who can draw the largest crowds. Some say it is the social media influencers who have large numbers of followers. Others say that those with large traditional media audiences have the most significant influence.
2 Corinthians 10 is not concerned with the church's influence in the larger culture or with Paul's influence among the community. 2 Corinthians 10 is concerned with what influences the church and who the members are giving their attention to. The hope is to draw the church away from unfaithful influences that may be more attractive to those that are true and faithful to God's word.
Most everyone is generous to something. The question is not whether you will be generous. The question is, what will you be generous to? Whatever has your heart will also enjoy your generosity.
2 Corinthians 9 is more than just a command to be generous. This passage also teaches practical truths about how you can be a cheerful giver and how your giving is a testimony to the grace you have received and the transformation of your heart.
The Bible recognizes the sinfulness of man and man’s nature of rebellion. Recognizing the destructive nature of this rebellion, the Bible recognizes the need for rulers to establish and enforce the law. And the need for oversight for leaders because they, too, are sinful.
In these final verses of the chapter, Paul gives testimony to Titus and the two brothers he is sending back to the Corinthian church. Here we find helpful teaching on the goodness of leadership and how to respond to those God has given such responsibility to.
In August of 2022, I preached this passage as part of a sermon series titled “Back to Basics.” Now that we have come to this chapter again as I preach through the book of 2 Corinthians, I trust that in the providence of God, this sermon, which was first preached only nine months ago, will again be used by God to bless and edify the church.
Paul encourages the church to excel not only in the good things of faith, speech, knowledge, and earnestness but also in the act of grace. Paul wanted the church to give generously to the Christians in Jerusalem, but he also wanted the Corinthians to give in a way that honored God and testified to the gospel they had received.
Regret is a powerful emotion. Generally, it is connected to missing or squandering an opportunity or being unsatisfied with a decision later revealed to be foolish, unwise, or bad. Walking in obedience before the Lord may cause you to experience difficult days and know momentary grief and suffering, but you will never regret it.
In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul references an issue of sin he addressed in 1 Corinthians 5. He had previously written to the church concerning sexual immorality that had been allowed to remain unconfronted in the church. Because of his love for the people in the church, he was grieved by their sin while also saddened that his confrontational words had caused them pain. However, he does not regret writing these words. And he is also confident that the Corinthians do not now regret receiving his words because God has used them to bring the offending individual and the church fellowship to repentance.
All relationships require some level of separation. Marriage requires "forsaking all others," citizenship requires "renouncing all other allegiances, and to be a child of God requires forsaking all other masters. Romans 10:9 declares that salvation comes from believing God raised Jesus from the dead and confessing Jesus as Lord. If Jesus is Lord of your life, you have forsaken all other lords and renounced all allegiance and fidelity to any other lord.
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 is not a passage that is hard to understand, but it is one that offends the one who seeks to be friends with Christ and the world. It has two commands. One is a prohibition, and the other is a response to the transformation of the gospel. Both commands call the saints of God to live according to the righteousness of God and put away all defilements of the world.
The image of a train leaving the station has long been a helpful image for a present opportunity. When the train arrives, you have the opportunity to get on. However, this opportunity will not last. The train will leave, and when it does, you will lose the opportunity for travel.
How many will miss the opportunity to get on board because they are too tied to the luggage on the loading dock? Weighed down by concerns and worldly affection other than the departing train, they will miss the opportunity. Likewise, how many will miss the opportunity of salvation? Clinging tight to the affections and concerns of this world, many will miss the gift of salvation.
I cannot promise tomorrow, but I can declare today that now is the day of salvation.
Let loose of the things of this world and take hold of Jesus.
From 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, Pastor Ben preaches on how the gospel transforms your life. In this passage, Paul uses "therefore" three times to build his argument for how an eternal gospel perspective transforms how you live. The resurrection transforms who you live for; therefore, the gospel transforms how you live, and; therefore, the hope of the gospel transforms how you relate to others.
Is there something wrong with your body today? Is there something not working as it should, injured, or dysfunctional? Though there may be a few who would not admit to it, the answer for most is “yes.” For some, the dysfunction or injury is apparent. Others suffer from a physical or mental dysfunction that is not observable to others.
1 Corinthians 5:1-10 does not ignore the difficulties we experience in the flesh, but it does teach that there is purpose and blessing in your infirmities. The weakness and dysfunctions of your body remind you that your body is under the curse of sin and points you to the promises of God. Because Jesus died, was buried, and rose bodily from the grave, there is hope in a bodily resurrection to glorify bodies.
It is good and helpful for you to think about and work out issues of theology and doctrine. Those under the Lordship of Jesus rightly desire to be as obedient to His word and faithful to His commands as possible. Therefore, those who are disciples of Jesus spend their lives working out their faith and striving to understand God's word better. And yet the saving gospel is not complicated or hard to understand. Sometimes faith to believe is difficult, but understanding it is not. This is the beauty of God's grace; salvation is found through faith, by grace simple enough for a child to understand, powerful enough to save the most wicked sinner.
For sermon notes, visit https://www.bensmithsr.org/bensmith-allforthekingdom/god-raised-him.
For more sermons and other resources and content, visit BenSmithSr.org.
As we remember the triumphal entry, we recognize that these events point us to what will be. Jesus is coming again. There is coming a second triumphal entry. Having defeated sin and death on the cross, He will return as a King of kings. Having atoned the wrath of God, He will welcome the saints into the presence of God. Having received the worship of a few, he will soon receive the worship of everything that has breath.
Perspective changes everything. An invading army is bad, but not when protected by a heavenly host. That is what Elisha's servant discovered when the king of Syria surrounded their city (2 Kings 6:8-23). In our passage, Paul continues to recognize the reality of suffering he had experienced and that all those who follow Christ will know. And yet he speaks of the afflictions of this world not as unbeatable foes but as temporary light annoyances because, in the light of eternity, they have no weight.
Leaders naturally want to project an image of power and strength. Any perceived weakness threatens their ability to command the attention, loyalty, and support of those they lead.
In 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul makes a radically different claim. He does not claim strength, power, ability, intelligence, or any other characteristic of worldly admiration. Instead, he identifies himself with the forgettable, ordinary, and disposable jar of clay. His identification with such humility is not made in despair but in glorious hope. He recognized that God uses the powerless and ordinary to display His glory and power.
Paul knew what it was to be blinded to the truth. Paul knew what it was to be blinded to who Jesus is. And Paul knew what it was to see the gospel light. In Corinthians 4, he teaches on the transformation of the gospel, the opposing work of Satan, and the truth that only God can shine the light of knowledge that reveals His glory through Jesus.
In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul references the events recorded in Exodus 19-34. He compares the glory of the law with the glory of the new covenant and salvation in Jesus Christ.
You may ask, "what relevance does the law of Moses have today?" You may wonder what connection the events of the Israelites near Mt. Sinai have with you today. The relevance and connection are that all who are outside of the redemption of Jesus Christ still rely on the law of Moses. Under the law, you are attempting to be a good person through your own effort.
Even if you claim to be an atheist or, in some other way, totally disinterested in Christianity, you have some standard of goodness. You have some version of a moral code. You have a paradigm for what makes a person good or bad. These standards and codes are forms of law.
Acceptance by God requires perfection under the law or redemption by the perfect blood of Jesus.
In comparison to the law of Moses, Paul makes clear that the gospel of Jesus Christ and the new covenant purchased by His blood is better than, greater than, and more glorious than anything the old covenant could bring, glorious as it may have been.
From 2 Corinthians 3, we see three ways the new covenant is better than, greater than, and more glorious than the old covenant of the law:
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Jesus provides true evidence of salvation.
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Jesus is more glorious than the law.
3.Jesus makes you holy before the Father.
The imagery that Paul references in 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 is of a Roman General’s victory parade. When the victorious general returned home, there would be a parade to celebrate his victory and the general’s success. The sights and smells of the event would be memorable. There would be incense burned in honor of the hero. There would be processions of soldiers and officers. There would be grand ceremonies and celebrations for the victors. These events would be grand and glorious for the ones in the parade and the citizens celebrating their war heroes. However, there would be others in the parade that would not experience it as a joyful event. Slaves and other captured people conquered by the victorious army would also march in the parade. They would not be marching to places of honor but toward the arena to die fighting each other and wild beasts to entertain the crowds.
The sights and smells of the parade would be cause for joy for the celebrating Romans. The sights and smells of the parade would be cause for dread for those marching toward their death.
With this imagery in mind, I want you to see from this passage that regardless of the reception you may receive, Christians are to bear witness to the truth and serve God, not man.
When I was a child, my parents would say something to me before administering discipline. They would say, “this hurts me, more than it hurts you.” To be honest, as a child, I could not understand how this could be true. Now as a parent, I both understand what they meant and have said these very words myself. Discipline is a necessary part of raising children. Discipline is an essential part of any kind of growth and development. However, discipline is never fun or enjoyable.
Godly discipline is born out of both sorrow and love. We should weep and have sorrow over sin while being ready to forgive when there is repentance.
The most vicious accusers are the ones who attack your heart's motives and intentions. Such accusations are clearly prohibited in scripture because only God can know your heart, and to judge another's heart is to stand in the place of God's judgment. Ungodly accusers choose to attack your heart's intentions and motives because such attacks are impossible to defend against. The attacker says, "I know what you meant by that action," or "I know what you were thinking." And all you are left with is what seems like an inadequate defense – "no, I did not."
In this passage, Paul is dealing with accusers accusing him of being deceitful and manipulative because he has not been able to return to the church as he had promised. They wanted to discredit his ministry. Paul's defense does not seek the approval of men but of God. He encourages the believers to have a clear conscience before God, trust in the promises of Christ alone, and trust in God's perfect timing.
Suffering is unpleasant. We do all we can to avoid it. And when we experience suffering, we often attempt to minimize the knowledge of how much it affects us to others. We are tempted to look at others who seem not to have much suffering as more greatly blessed by God. And we often wonder when suffering comes to our lives if it is evidence of God's displeasure.
Paul opens this letter to the Corinthian church with an honest word about suffering. From the passage, we can see three principles concerning suffering.
1.Suffering is real
2.Suffering prepares for ministry
3.Suffering binds us together
This year has been a momentous year for the defense of life in our country. On January 22, 1972, the United State Supreme Court invented a right to abortion not articulated in the constitution in the Roe v. Wade case. It was assumed that with this decision, the question of abortion and its legitimacy would be settled. Instead, it awakened the church and those who recognized the ruling's illegitimacy, injustice, and depravity. In June of this past year, the United States Supreme Court overturned this decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
We must be very clear that the issue of abortion is not a right or left issue. In fact, it is not truly a political issue. The issue of honoring and protecting life is a pre-political issue. Something that is pre-political existed before government and politics. God gives life, and no man nor government has the right to take life away.
In this passage, God declares the uniqueness and sacredness of life because man is an image bearer of God.
Being great is a desire that is common to every generation and every culture. In Matthew 18:1-4 the disciples revealed that their concern about the kingdom Jesus promised to establish was who among them would be the greatest. The disciples were not immune to this desire to convert their relationship with Jesus into positions of importance in the kingdom He was establishing. They hoped to enjoy the highest and most important positions in His kingdom.
Their desire for greatness led them to ask Jesus who among them would be the greatest in the kingdom. However, the answer He gave was not what they expected. Jesus taught them to seek what matters and find greatness through repentance.
Exercise has some benefits for the body, but it is temporary. However, when we develop lives of godliness through being nourished by the word and disciplining ourselves for God – these benefits are known for eternity.
Give your minds to the word of God. Feed on it. Consume it. Let it penetrate and saturate every part of your mind and heart. Add to this a life of discipline. Be disciplined for godliness – rejecting what does not honor God and pursuing what the Lord loves. And never lose sight of the goal. Do not live for today alone. Live for eternity. That you may attaint the hope of salvation and that you might be a witness to many more for their salvation.
Opportunities do not last forever. This is also true for the hope of salvation. Salvation is available today, but the opportunity will not remain forever.
I was out of the pulpit on New Year's day, so this week's podcast is from the archives. I preached this sermon on January 4, 2020.
Surveys reveal that almost half of all American adults plan to make New Year's resolutions, the most common being exercising more. However, an analysis from Strava found that many give up on their resolution to exercise more as early as mid-January. Almost 11% of all gym memberships for the entire year are sold in January—greater than any other month.
New year resolutions generally come from recognizing something in our past that we do not like and desiring a better future. The great weakness of new year's resolutions is that they are founded on our strength and power. In Ephesians 2:11-19, Paul calls us to remember who we once were. He is not trying to motivate the church with a guilt trip or encouragement to try harder. Instead, he calls the church to remember who they were before salvation, who has saved them, and celebrate who they are now in Christ.
In the days of Jesus’ birth, Israel was not a free nation. They were unhappily under the control and rule of Rome. But God was doing more than bringing political relief. Jesus the Messiah brought freedom from the enslavement of sin.
Let us rejoice that Jesus, the Messiah, has come to set us free from the bondage of sin so that we might be transformed from slaves to sons and have the assurance of hope.
Scripture declares Jesus as the King of kings. But what does this title mean?
In the Old Testament, the title of king of kings is used three times to reference an earthly king with no equal. All three of these references were to indicate that the king had no earthly equal or challenger. However, though these kings had no equal in the day of their rule, they would not nor could not maintain their place of authority. All succumbed to the frailty of the flesh, and others would rule their nations and empires.
In the New Testament, the first reference to Jesus as the King of kings is in 1 Timothy 6:15, where Paul encourages the church to remain faithful until Jesus returns. But the most often quoted biblical references to Jesus as the King of kings comes from John's revelation, where Jesus in His second coming is described as the King of kings.
The kingship of Jesus is a theme that runs from the beginning to the end of Scripture's testimony. When God promised king David that his throne would be established forever (2 Samael 7:12, 16), He was speaking of Jesus. When Isaiah prophesied in 9:6-7, he was speaking of Jesus. Micah 5:2 prophesies that a ruler of Israel would come from Bethlehem. Micah was speaking of Jesus. When the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit, he told her that her child would be a king. When the Magi from the east came to Jerusalem, they were looking for the king of the Jews. When they found Jesus, they worshiped Him and presented gifts fit for a king. (Matthew 2:1-12) Herod was so afraid of the kingship of Jesus that he attempted to murder him by killing all the male children in Bethlehem and the surrounding regius that were two years old and under. (Matthew 2:16-18)
In this passage from John, we have the first reference in his gospel account, referencing Jesus as king. I want you to see from this passage that you must submit to the King and invite others to follow the true king. And when you come to know Jesus as the true king, it is only the beginning of greater glories to be revealed and known.
Who you recognize Jesus to be determines how you respond to Jesus.
Suppose you see Jesus as an interesting historical figure of the first century. In that case, you may give a passing interest to his life and impact on the world but will pay little attention to him beyond what your curiosity will drive. If you see Jesus as a great moral person, you may respect him for the life he lived and think it may be a good idea to emulate his example. Suppose you see Jesus as a wise or insightful religious teacher. You may feel compelled to study his lessons and even incorporate his teachings into your life.
Toward the end of John's ministry and the beginning of Jesus', he saw Jesus coming toward him. He shouted for all to hear, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" He went on to say that Jesus was the son of God and the one for whom God had called him to prepare the way.
John wanted his disciples and all those who listened to him to know who Jesus is and what he came to do so that they might know true salvation found only in Jesus. Thus, he was focused on pointing the world to Jesus so that we might see who He is, know what He has done, and receive the gift of salvation.
The first chapter of John’s gospel is packed with some of the most amazing statements in all of scripture. John 1:14-18 is one of those passages. John declares in verse 14 that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The importance of this statement cannot be overstated.
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Jesus, who is all God and all man, came to dwell amongst humanity.
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Jesus, who is all God and all man, lived without sin.
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Jesus, who is all God and all man, died on the cross as a substitute and sacrifice for man’s sin.
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Jesus, who is all God and all man, rose from the dead three days later.
These claims are central and fundamental to Christianity. If you deny any one of them, you deny them all and the entirety of Christianity. John would say more about how Jesus worked to save us from our sins. Still, in these opening verses, he makes clear that Jesus is the promised Messiah, who demonstrates the grace of God so that we might know God the Father.
One of the marvels of modernity is the ability to push back the darkness. No longer are the schedules of our lives dictated by the sun's rising and setting. However, even with this transformational invention, man remains dependent on the presence of light. Light reveals what is. Light exposes the truth and deposes lies.
One of the most basic things we rely on light for is the ability to move around and find our way. Without light, we are lost. Not confused, not turned around but hopelessly lost. Without light, direction has no meaning. And yet even the faintest light can mean the difference between life and death.
John begins his gospel account with this most powerful introductory word: "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Jesus is the genuine light of God that dispels the darkness of this world and has overcome the curse of sin.
Thanksgiving, in the most basic sense, is an acknowledgment of a gift or act of service. We rightly express thanksgiving when we receive gifts, no matter the quality or value of the gift. Also, we rightly express thanksgiving when receiving service – even service that we pay for.
However, thanksgiving as an act of worship is entirely more significant and important. When you have a thankful heart that responds to God in worship with thanksgiving, this is more than simply acknowledging recite of a gift. Thanksgiving worship flows from the heart of one who recognizes their need, recognizes the source of their provision, and responds with worshipful praise and thanksgiving to the one who has provided.
Psalm 9 is a psalm of David. The psalm is divided into two parts. Verse 1-12 declares what God has done, and verses 13-20 declare what God will do. We could glean many things from this text, but three main truths are we are to be thankful for what God has done, thankful for what God will do, and thankful for who God is.
When Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinth church, he knew he had to confront some serious issues of sin. There was trouble in the church. Some members were guilty of sexual sin, others of drunkenness, and others were attempting to justify their worldly living with a perverted understanding of the grace of God. The city of Corinth was well known as a place of debauchery, and the church struggled to live holy in such a perverse context.
Paul would be unflinching in his confrontation of sin in the church. However, before he does, he begins with an encouraging word to remind the church who they are and the blessings they have received.
We, too, live in a cultural context of unrestrained debauchery. Likewise, the church today often struggles with living holy. Thus, it is good to hear again that those who have been saved by the blood of Jesus are saints of God, under the grace of God, and sustained by the faithfulness of God.
"And they lived happily ever after."
That's how good stories are supposed to end. No matter the difficulty, challenges, and struggles a character might have faced, we long for them to overcome, be victorious, or achieve success, then live the rest of their days "happily ever after."
Chapter 34 is one of the saddest and most despicable chapters in the Bible. It is such an ugly testimony that it is hard to find anything good to say about it. It is not a good moment in Jacob's story. However, in chapter 35, we witness a high moment in the life of Jacob.
Jacob is now an old man, but God is still working in his life. Old age can be seen as a time to slow down and rest. But, more dangerously, it can also be seen as a time to coast, relying on past efforts and decisions. Yet we see in Jacob that even in old age, he was ready to respond to the Lord's leadership.
Being humble before the Lord and recognizing our frailty are truths we are quick to acknowledge but do not truly appreciate until we find ourselves humbled.
In Genesis 34, we read the account of Jacob wrestling with God. This is not a testimony of Jacob's strength or tenacity but of God's power, patience, and grace. Throughout the night, Jacob thought he had been fighting to defend himself. At daybreak, when the Lord ended the fight with a touch to Jacob's hip, he realized that his fight was not against flesh and blood. Jacob began the night crippled with fear over worldly concerns, but he would welcome daybreak fearing the Lord. He had been humbled but blessed.
Jacob would walk with a limp for the rest of his life. However, his limp and physical limitations were a precious reminder of his weakness and the Lord's power. Only when you recognize your weakness and surrender to God's will, will you truly come to know His power and grace.
The arrogance of youth is cute in a toddler but destructive and costly in adulthood. There is grace when God teaches you humility and the true cost of sin.
No one desires to be broken. No one wants to suffer the consequences of sin. If we had our desires, we would skip through life without consequences. However, there is grace in brokenness.
In Genesis 28:10-22, Jacob is broken. He had succeeded in his schemes against his father and brother, but he had lost everything he had hoped for. We find him not as the favored son receiving his father's wealth and blessing or becoming his family's leader but alone and destitute. He has no home. He has no family. He is uncertain about his future. And he is likely fearful that all is lost.
Is this where you are today? Are you struggling under the weight and brokenness of your sin? Have you heard of the grace of God and the promises He has made but wonder if they apply to you? Jacob's life is far from perfect. However, in this moment, he would hear from the Lord and be encouraged by the precious promises of God. You are not alone, God's provisions are sure, and God is in control.
Sin is destructive, and failure is demoralizing. If we are not careful, our response to sin and failure can be as destructive, if not more than the original sin. In Genesis 27, we witness how Isaac, Rebecca, Esau, and Jacob responded to their previous sinful attempts to get their way. Each of them is attempting to recover from their own failure. Through their testimony, we see in Esau the destruction of unrepentance, in Rebecca and Jacob the unexpected cost of sin, and in Isaac the testimony of repentance.
Jacob’s family is not a model of healthy relationships. His parents are open about their partiality toward their children. The brothers have a very contentious relationship. Rebecca is willing to work against her husband’s wishes. And Isaac is willing to work against the will of God.
We see in this passage four people attempting to get their own way. Some want their will in opposition to God’s will. Others want what God has promised but according to their own way and their own timing. Only one will recognize that God alone is sovereign and unthwartable in His power.
I titled this sermon, “blessed assurance.” It might not be obvious what is assured or blessed in this passage. Today I want to look at the four people of Rebecca, Jacob, Esau, and Isaac. All four attempted to impose their will over the will of God. Only Isaac would come to understand that the will of God is assured no matter the efforts of man. And the sureness of God’s will is blessed assurance indeed.
The testimony of scripture is not of perfect people accomplishing God's purposes. Instead, the story of scripture is of a perfect God using imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will.
The testimony of Jacob is complicated. On the one hand, Jacob's story is not easily celebrated. He is not a man of strength in character or physical ability. He is a schemer, manipulator, and liar. On the other hand, he is very significant because God demonstrates the character of His sovereign grace in choosing him over his brother. Those who enjoy God's grace do so not out of merit, right, or worth but only by the gracious choosing of God.
The beauty of scripture is that it does not ignore the brokenness of human sin. Scripture does not "sanitize" the testimony of those whom God uses to make them appear better than they are. No, scripture acknowledges all the ugliness and brokenness of humanity. God demonstrates His power and amazing grace with people like Jacob, you, and me.
In Genesis 25, scripture introduces us to the sons of Isaac – Esau, and Jacob. God had made a covenant with Isaac's father, Abraham. Part of this covenant was to bless all the families of the earth through his descendants. This promise would be fulfilled by Jesus, the Messiah, who would bring salvation from sin. From Abraham through Jesus, the Bible follows the fulfillment of the promise through each successive generation. From Abraham to his son Isaac.From Isaac to his son Jacob.
But it is with this generation that we learn an essential truth about the promise of God. God's blessing and promise will not go to those whom man's customs, traditions, or desires dictate but to whom God so chooses. With this passage, we will consider Jacob and his brother Esau (and their mom and dad) and what they treasure in their hearts.
In this passage, Peter encourages the church to be prepared to share the hope of the gospel with gentleness and respect. Peter was writing to a church that was well acquainted with persecution and worldly hostility. Throughout history, the gospel has been most effectively spread in times of great persecution. In the days of the New Testament church, as persecution pushed Christians to leave their homes, the gospel was spread wherever they went. We, too, are called to be light in the darkness of this world and be ambassadors for the gospel wherever the Lord takes us.
There are some places that you long to be. Maybe for you, it is at home or being with friends. These places and people refresh your soul. They offer you an opportunity to relax and be restored. Such places and people are both needed and desired.
As Paul closed his letter to the Romans, he expressed how he longed to be with his fellow believers. His longing was not just to have a meal or to be with friends (he had never been with the Roman church), but rather he longed to be with other believers who could (because of their shared relationship with Jesus) have fellowship with him.
The fellowship of believers is created to be a blessing to believers. Among the saints, we find the blessing of community, support, and prayer.
Christians are called to be generous givers. In 1 Corinthians 8, while encouraging the generosity of the saints, Paul uses the phrase "excel in this act of grace." It is good and right to excel in faith, knowledge of scripture, and spiritual maturity. But let us also excel in grace, giving abundantly and generously as the Lord provides.
In scripture, there are many examples of prayer. Some are eloquent others are passionate. Some are long and detailed; others are short and simple. Though not definitively prescriptive, these examples teach us how to pray.
Prayer is a fundamental part of living for Jesus. Jesus prayed. Jesus taught His disciples to pray. Paul prayed and encouraged the church to pray. The Old Testament is full of examples of God's people praying.
Jehoshaphat was a king of Judah who led his people to seek the Lord in prayer in a moment of crisis. A nation much stronger than his own was threatening to attack, and Jehoshaphat knew that they would lose in battle unless the Lord delivered them. So he called together the nation to pray and ask God to deliver them.
In Jehoshaphat's prayer, we have a helpful model of authentic prayer.
With this sermon, I begin a series titled "Back to Basics." I start with a sermon on what we give our minds to. What do you think about? What consumes your mind's attention? You may think these are not important questions, but I think they are. I believe this is the battleground where the war for your very heart and soul is fought.
The first battle line is the battle over your mind. From Philippians 4:8-9, I hope to encourage you to guard what has your attention, curate what has your attention, and recognize that actions follow attention.
Paul’s teaching on the armor of God comes at the end of a more extended teaching on how Christians are to live out their faith in this world. Often when this passage is preached, attention is given to the pieces of armor and how God uses them in our lives. This approach is certainly an appropriate way to preach this passage and helpful to our understanding of how faith works to provide for us in this spiritual conflict. However, my attention in this sermon is more basic. I discuss the different armor pieces, but my attention is primarily on the reality of our spiritual conflict and the power by which we can have victory.
We are in a spiritual battle and are commanded to stand firm and endure. The encouraging word of this passage is that we stand in the power of God with the armor that He provides and endure with confidence.
The world often sees freedom as being unrestrained from anything. However, grace known through salvation is not about being totally unrestrained but being free from the bondage of the law so that you might be free to obey Jesus willingly.
To be transformed is to be irrevocably changed. Once a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, it can no longer be a caterpillar again. Butterflies never return to being caterpillars, nor do those saved by the cross of Jesus go back to a life ruled by sin.
The end of Romans 5 says that where sin increases, so does grace. To the sinful mind, this sounds like an invitation to sin more to get more grace. In Romans 6, Paul responds by teaching what it means to be transformed. Yes, more sin equals more grace, but the response by one transformed by the gospel is not to desire more sin but more righteousness.
Since the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, much commentary has been in the news. Unfortunately, much of it has been hyperbolic and reactionary. And there have been many proclamations of doom and outlandish fretting over the court's decision.
In response, on July 3, 2022, I preached from Acts chapter 25 and shared what the Bible says to us about how we as Christians are to interact politically in a secular world. I also share what the Supreme Court decision means for abortion so that we might understand what has been gained and the work that still remains to do.
The Gospel of Luke records in the fourth chapter that just after beginning His ministry, Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, which was His custom. That day, by the sovereign providence of God, He was given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah to read to the congregation. He stood, took the scroll, unrolled it to where chapter 61 was written, and read the first verse and a portion of verse 2.
When He finished reading, He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. But Luke tells us that every eye in the building was still fixed on Jesus. He then spoke nine words that would forever change how we understand this verse. He said, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
Isaiah 61 comes in the context of God proclaiming His righteous judgment to His rebellious people. But God's judgment is not focused on Israel's destruction but on her redemption and restoration. The prophet proclaims a hopeful word for us today as well. This is an encouraging word to help us persevere and a promise of the glory that is to come. Jesus declares that the prophet's word has been fulfilled, and this is good news that comforts us presently and gives hope for tomorrow.
In these last verses of Romans 13, Paul encourages Christians to recognize that it is time to be ready for Jesus' return and put away the things of darkness. Like how we respond to the dawn of a new day by getting ready for the day, Paul instructs that Christians should get prepared, welcome the light of truth, and put on Jesus.
Matthew 11:28-30 is a beloved passage because of its pastoral care, gracious invitation, and the promise of rest. However, the context in which this passage comes is of Jesus speaking a harsh word of judgment on those who had rejected Him. But even as He warns of the consequence of sin, He offers a gospel invitation. Jesus invites all to come to saving faith and know the rest that is only known through the forgiveness of sin.
When carrying a burden greater than your ability, it creates all kinds of difficulties and dysfunctions. Pastor Ben Smith, preaching from Hebrews 12, calls Christain to look toward Jesus and be clear in purpose, be confident in power, and be certain of their relationship with Jesus.
Proverbs 22:6 is a testimony to the goodness of parents, the blessing of godly parents, and the hope by which parents labor. Presently our culture has become very hostile to the God-ordained role of family and, in particular, parents. It seems that in recent years the efforts of secular forces to diminish the importance and influence of parents in the lives of their children have grown more intense. From a biblical worldview, children's primary and first teachers are their parents. Parents are recognized as the ones with both the primary authority and responsibility for their children. There are many resources that parents can make use of to help them raise their children. Certainly, one of the most important institutions God uses to help parents raise their children is the church. However, no one and no institution can take the place of parents.
Proverbs 22:6 is not a guarantee of outcome. Instead, it recognizes the important role of parents in the spiritual development of children and the grace of God that flows from His truth.
Many of the disciples were fishermen by trade before Jesus called them to follow him. After the dramatic events of the death and resurrection recorded in John 20, we find these men out on the water fishing again in chapter 21. They have returned what they knew before following Jesus. It almost seems like they are trying to return to normal. However, their routine was interrupted by the miraculous.
I think the real question the disciples were struggling with was what do we do now and how do we do it? Jesus had some lessons still to teach these fishermen. He wanted them and us to know by what power the purposes of God would be accomplished.
You can read every apologetics book that has ever been written. You can ponder the mysteries of the universe and the human body's complexities. And though all creation testifies to God's glory, their testimony alone will not lead you to saving faith.
Like Thomas, it is not about more proof but presence. In the presence of Jesus, our fear is confronted, our faith is affirmed, and our belief is celebrated.
If you look for how Jesus preached at funerals, you will search in vain because when Jesus went to funerals, He did not just comfort the grieving; He raised the dead. Even before His resurrection, death could not exist where He was.
The hope of the gospel is not that we would cope with death. The hope of the gospel is that Jesus has defeated death. In sin, no one can escape death and its curse. But Jesus conquered death. And through salvation, we can know His resurrection.
Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished,” as His final word from the cross. With His death, scripture was fulfilled, and the work of redemption was complete. We can do nothing to earn our salvation. Jesus finished the work of atonement on the cross. You cannot add more to what Jesus has done. You must either receive the gift or reject it.
In an attempt to demonstrate His weakness and powerlessness, Jesus is ridiculed as a false king. But even in His suffering and mistreatment, His kingdom is unshaken. His authority as King of all kings is not threatened.
Death on the cross was intended to be humiliating and shameful. But on the cross, Jesus confronts the guilt and shame of our sin and overcomes it with His own blood.
It has been a difficult week. Due to a family tragedy, I did not preach this past Sunday, and we have been out of town some this week for the funeral.
For the podcast this week, I have chosen a sermon I preached in 2020 from the book of James. In this passage, James takes on the cause of conflict in the church and the resulting broken relationship with God and gives a clear solution – draw near to God through repentance. I hope it will be a blessing to you.
This week has had its challenges. Due to a major water leak in our sanctuary, no recording was made of last Sunday’s sermon. And as the week unfolded my time was consumed with the logistics of dealing with the cleanup and moving our services to another building. Unfortunately, I do not have a sermon podcast for this week and was not able to finish writing my blog post. Today’s episode is a quick update on the events of this past week and what I hope will be in the days to come.
Church leadership can be a complicated subject. Tradition and customs often have more weight on how we structure church leadership than the biblical witness. And there is always the human concern of who has more power than who.
The word elder is almost exclusively used in the New Testament in the plural form. The only references to a singular elder are greetings and instructions on how the church should respond to accusations against an elder. The point is simple: the church is to have a plurality of elders.
The office of elder is sometimes referred to as overseer or pastor. Every reference to elders recognizes the elders as the ones who have authority over and responsibility for the church.
I am confident that the more faithful we obey God’s word, the more the church will be effective and blessed. Thus, in this sermon, I hope to be as biblically faithful as possible, knowing that we do not perfectly reflect this teaching in our church and may find this uncomfortable. I do so that we might constantly examine our faithfulness to God’s word and continually move toward more faithful obedience.
When someone goes to school to learn a trade, the ultimate goal is to become proficient in the skill well enough to employ it to earn a living. When students choose their degree program in college, the intended purpose is to prepare for a career in a specific field.
Training for a job or studying for a future career are worthy endeavors and have a sense of anticipation for what is to come after the training is complete. However, if your goal were only to train but never to employ your skill, it would become a purposeless endeavor.
A ministry is something that serves as an agency, instrument, or means. The church's ministry is to equip and mature the saints for faithful service to the Lord. Ephesians 4:11-16 points to the role that church leaders have in equipping the saints and the command on all the members of the church to mature and grow.
The book of 2 Timothy was written by Paul to Timothy as a letter of instruction as to how he was to pastor and lead the church. This passage (4:1-5), is often used when giving a charge to a newly ordained pastor – and rightly so.
Yet we should not see this passage as only speaking to or applying to pastors. The books of our New Testament were mostly letters written to encourage individuals and specific churches in their living out of the gospel. Being inspired by the Holy Spirit, the church recognized that these letters were instructive for the whole church and thus passed them around to others for their edification. Thus with a passage like this one, we can appreciate how it speaks to a particular group, but we must not lose sight that all of scripture is instructive and beneficial to the whole church.
2 Timothy 4:1-5 commands us to preach the word, minister the word both for God's glory and man's blessing.
This past weekend my family and I were in Athens, GA, because our son, Micah, performed with the Georgia All State Chorus on Saturday. The concert was wonderful, and we enjoyed worshiping with Watkinsville First Baptist on Sunday. I am very thankful for Greg Benfield, who is the Associational Missions Strategist for the Piedmont-Okefenokee Baptist Association. Greg filled the pulpit for me here at Central in Waycross so that I could be away.
Since I did not preach this past Sunday, the sermon this week is one out of the archives. In 2019 I preached a sermon series on families and began with a sermon from Colossians 3:18-19 titled Marriages that testify to Christ. I preached this on March 3, 2019. I hope that it will bless you today.
Presently there is great confusion about the church’s ministry of worship. Today, many think of the worship ministry of the church as a product of consumption. Thus the main determining factor of attendance for many is founded on personal preferences of music style, preaching style, and formality or informality of the church’s liturgy. Attendance is not understood as an integral part of one’s spiritual life but rather an option equal to all other calendared events.
In this passage, Paul is writing to the church as to how they are to live and interact with other believers in the church. Verses 19 and 20, reference the public worship of the church and the whole passage is instructive for our understanding of worship.
Church discipline is a subject that makes many uncomfortable. This may be because the church has not been faithful or consistent, some have used the cover of church discipline to abuse, or so little is understood about it, that there is much misunderstanding. Regardless of how uncomfortable it may cause us to be, we must reckon with the fact that this is the teaching of Jesus. May our heart's desire be to faithfully obey the word of God - even the parts that make us uncomfortable.
This passage follows a very significant moment in the life of Peter. Jesus had asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter replied with the powerful confession: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In verses 18-19 Jesus responds to Peter’s confession. Jesus declares that on this confession of Peter, Jesus will build His church. In this passage, we see that the church is founded on Jesus, sustained by Jesus, and is the testimony of the gospel.
The issue of the sanctity of life is throughout scripture. Job is the oldest book in the Bible. In this passage, Job makes a defense of himself in response to his friends who have accused him of sin. As a part of his defense, he testifies to the most basic of truths – the sanctity of life.
As we have lived through the COVID-19 pandemic and all difficulties that it has brought to the church, we have had to think critically about what it means to be a church gathered for worship. Can the gathering of the church be substituted with a virtual alternative? Is it required for the church to be together? What is the difference between hearing preaching live from the pulpit and watching or listening online? Hebrews 10:24-25 calls us not to forsake the gathering of the saints. It compels us to continue in our faithfulness and gives us a deeper understanding of why we gather and the holy significance of our gathering together as a church.
In this passage, Paul encourages the church to rid itself of sinful rebellious members. I think this passage is instructive to us as individuals as well. Each of us must constantly work to rid our lives of the corruption of sin. As we begin 2022 let us consider how we can make a fresh start towards righteousness.
The birth of Jesus is an amazing event. His birth is why we celebrate Christmas. As Matthew retells the birth story, he repeatedly reminds us that these events were the fulfillment of the prophecies that foretold of the coming messiah. Even the family’s escape to Egypt and return to Nazareth (2:13-23) were part of God’s perfect plan. But amazing as the birth and all the events around it are – the birth is not the end of the story.
The birth of Jesus is important but why He was born is even more important. Matthew 3 begins to tell the story of who Jesus is and why Jesus was born. Jesus is the Lord of all creation. The Lord of all creation came to die that we might be saved
When the angel revealed to Joseph that Mary was pregnant with the Messiah, he was declaring that the long wait was over. The long-anticipated Messiah was coming. The Christ has arrived.
The name that the prophet Isaiah gives the messiah is Immanuel. As Matthew recounts the encounter Joseph had with the angel, he reminds us that this name means “God with us.” God stepped out of the glory of heaven to dwell among and with us.
The prophets sang, “Oh come, oh come Immanuel.” The angel declared to Joseph Immanuel had come. Through Jesus, we know the amazing love of God's presence, and sacrifice. And through the love of Jesus, we are transformed.
Habakkuk knew that the judgment of God was coming. He knew there was no way to avoid it. He would likely die before God restored the people to the land. These were hard days. They were not going to get better in his lifetime. And yet Habakkuk ends this book with some of the most hopeful and joy-filled words in all of scripture.
Habakkuk had joy even in the brokenness of his present situation because he was looking toward the salvation of God that would come with the birth of Jesus.
Sometimes all you have is a few minutes. With this in mind I am excited to announce that I am working on a new podcast channel called “Sermon Shorts”. I will be posting 5 min or less clips from recent sermons. I hope you will subscribe and listen. The channel is already available on Apple podcast and will be coming to Google podcast, and other podcast sites very soon.
The following is an example of what each sermon short will be like. It is from a sermon I preached from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 titled “Our Identity is in Christ alone.”I hope you enjoy.
The desire of every generation is world peace. Since the fall of man, there have been attempts, plans, and efforts to create lasting peace. There have been historic periods where there was reduced open hostility and conflict but not since Adam and Eve walked out of the garden has there been a moment of true lasting peace. The very first sin recorded in scripture after leaving the garden is murder.
It does not matter how strong your army is, or popular your government is, or wealthy your people are there will never be peace among men this side of heaven. But the news is worse than just the continued conflict between men. The Bible declares that our sin has made us enemies of God and under His righteous wrath. Man is not at peace with God.
The prophet Isaiah spoke to a rebellious and sinful people that there was coming a day when a child would be born – a son would be given that would cause the people who walk in darkness to see a great light and the people who are under the wrath of God to know peace through the Prince of peace.
God made a promise to Abraham to bless all the families of the earth through him. God added to this promise when He promised king David (a descendant of Abraham) that his kingdom would last forever with a descendant of his on the throne. These promises, and many more, were fulfilled in Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, a member of David’s family, and the lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.
In these three verses, there are three promises that give us hope. These were words of hope for Juda for their restoration from captivity. And looking beyond the near horizon to what is beyond these are words of hope for all the world that there is salvation in Jesus.
Thanksgiving and generosity are inseparable. One produces the other. Thanksgiving produces generosity. Generosity produces thanksgiving. And both thanksgiving and generosity bring glory to God.
Psalm 115 calls us to behold the glory of God and understand that all things in heaven and earth are for God’s glory. From this foundational truth flows the encouragement and response to trust the Lord alone for help and salvation and to praise the Lord.
Being a pastor’s wife comes with some unique challenges. This week’s episode is a conversation with my wife, Dana Smith. Dana shares from her perspective the joys and struggles of being a pastor’s wife. With honesty about the struggles and wisdom for others, she talks candidly about her own life in the ministry married to a pastor. If you are a pastor’s wife, a pastor, or someone who cares deeply about the health and well-being of your pastor’s family, this episode is a must-listen.
The greater context of chapter 40 is a call to behold the glory of God (vs. 9) and know (vs. 21, 28) that God stands alone in His glory and power, and in Him alone is hope. Here is the whole sermon in one sentence: If you turn your attention to God, the problems of this world become small, but if you give your attention only to the problems of this world, they will overwhelm you. Through the prophet Isaiah, God is calling His people to look and see and behold His glory.
This passage is a familiar passage to most Christians. Most Christians know that they should be sharing the gospel. However, many Christians approach this passage more with inaction and guilt than obedience and enthusiasm. I hope, through this sermon, you will wrestle with the command of Jesus and take hold of the power that God provides for our obedience.
We could certainly find much to point to in our current cultural context that would testify to the dysfunctional and delusional elevation of personal autonomy over truth. However, all of us have a natural inclination to preference our desires and autonomy over others. Thus, what Paul teaches in this passage is certainly radical in contrast to our present-day, but truthfully it has always been counter-culturally radical. The gospel compels us to sacrifice many things, but the first of which is our very lives.
For Christians, the most important thing about you is that you have been saved from sin by the power of God. Your salvation and your relationship with the Lord should be the first thing and the most significant thing that defines you.
There are some professing Christians who keep their faith under wraps. They recognize that it as a liability in this increasingly secularized culture. They justify it by claiming it is not polite to talk about religion or politics. Or they say they do not want to offend anyone.
This passage is in direct contrast to a private, personal, secret faith. Paul declares that he is not ashamed of the gospel, and neither should we be ashamed of the gospel.
When you understand the biblical understanding of heaven, you will discover that it is exponentially greater than anything from the mind of man.. From John 14:1-3 I want you to see two simple, but eternally profound, truths about heaven:
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There is real hope because heaven is a reality
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The focus and glory of heaven is dwelling in the presence of God
If you fear the wrong thing, you will pursue the wrong thing. If you fear the right thing, you will pursue the right thing. In Luke 12:1-7, Jesus warns His disciples against fearing man and that they should fear the judgment of God.
The consequences of the pandemic have made the fleeting nature of life inescapably exposed. Every day there seems to be news of someone you know who has become very sick or has died from the virus.
All biblical sermons are gospel-focused. Some are more explicit than others. Recognizing the perilous times we are experiencing I want to spend the next several weeks being as explicate as I can about the hope of the gospel, the eternal peril of God’s judgment, and the glorious promise of heaven.
In today’s podcast we consider the wonderful declaration of Romans 6:23.
In these final chapters of the book of Esther, we see how the Lord delivered His people from the murderous threats of Haman and provided for Esther and her cousin Mordecai. We see how God historically worked through the people and events of the day to bring about His will and provide for His people. This testimony gives us present reason to rejoice, knowing that God is equally working in our day. Evil is still present and dangerous, yet Christians do not fear, for we know that Jesus will return to once and for all defeat evil and perfectly establish His kingdom. These four chapters are not a perfect 1 to 1 testimony to what it will be like when Jesus returns, but they do bring us great encouragement. We can rejoice in the testimony that, like how God defeated the evil Haman and gave victory to the Jews over their enemies, so will God once and for all defeat evil when Jesus returns and give His people perfect victory.
In Esther chapter 5, events begin to come quickly. Esther approaches the king, and Haman advances his plans to annihilate the Jews with special attention to the murder of Mordecai. All the while the deliverance of God is being brought about and will come quickly and (I think) unexpectedly to all those involved. Most of these things will happen in chapters 7-10, which we will consider next week.
In this week’s podcast, we consider the contrast between the arrogance of Haman and the humility of Esther and Mordecai. Haman, in pride and arrogance, opposed God to his own destruction. Esther and Mordecai humbly trusted God and experienced amazing grace.
There is no sermon podcast this week as I am my family we visiting family this past weekend but I will be continuing the Esther sermon series next week.
Chapter 4 has one of the best-known verses in the entire book of Esther: “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, ESV)
Looking back at this passage, we can see the grace of God and the faith of Mordecai and Esther. In the moment, it may not have felt like they were acting out of great faith but more out of desperate self-preservation. Even so, though their faith may have been weak, and their actions mixed with much self-concern, they give us a beautiful testimony of faithful obedience.
From this passage, we see a testimony that calls us to reckon with the weakness of worldly wealth, rely on God’s provision, and resolve to act.
Esther chapter 3 is a very unsettling moment. In practical terms, things have gone from bad to worst. Yet, in this very bleak moment, there is a beautiful testimony to the providence of God. Even while Mordecai and Esther may be unaware, God is providing for the deliverance of His people. In this passage, we see how God is providentially working through His perfect timing, the opportunities to prosper, and preparing for the future.
This is not a fairy tale. This is not a happy-ever-after story. This is a story of a subjected people being used without regard by the king according to his whims. Esther is not an autonomous actor. She is trying to survive in a hostile place. In this very broken and dark moment, we see both the ugliness of living in a broken world and the hope of God’s sovereignty to make a way for His redemptive work.
Using the example of the lamp I want you to see to fundamental truths about following Christ. When you believe in faith on Jesus for salvation you are forever changed – you are irreversibly transformed. The humble oil lamp demonstrates two ways this transformation changes you - transformed nature and transformed obligation.
I have found that there are some common traps that ensnare and bring great damage to families. To be sure there are more than three, but I believe that most of the traps that threaten families fall under these three categories.
1. Sexual immorality (Proverbs 7)
2. Worldly entanglements (Proverbs 22:7, Romans 13:5-8)
3. False sense of safety (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)
Let us consider these three traps and how the Bible teaches that we can avoid them.
This past Sunday, my friend Freddie Smith preached for me thus there is not a new sermon for the podcast this week. So I am posting a sermon I preached in 2017 on the occasion of the recognition Sunday for our high school graduates. The sermon is from 2 Timothy 4 on the spiritual dangers we face today.
Of course, these concerns are not unique to our day. The spiritual dangers we face are not new to the modern area. These concerns are what prompted Paul to warn Timothy in this passage. In this sermon, I share two warnings and then encourage you to stand firm and keep the faith.
Our purpose is not to raise children that stay safe and never face difficulty. We are called to raise children who will obey the call of God even if that takes them into danger or away from our ability to protect and provide. We are called to entrust them into to care of the Lord.
The Bible does not teach that we are subject to the random whim of an impersonal universe.
The Bible teaches that God created the world and is actively involved in the working out of His enteral will in the world and among His creation. This is the idea of divine providence – that is that God is for us.
Paul, in Romans 8:28, declares this amazing truth that God is actively working out all things for good for those called according to His purpose.
Pastor Ben preaches from the parable of the minas from Luke 19:11-27 on the difference between true and false servants of Jesus.
Pastor Ben preaches from Luke 18:9-14 the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector. With this parable, Jesus exposes the foolishness of our arrogance and our desperate need for God's mercy.
Christians are not people who have not sinned. Christians are sinners who have been made clean in Christ. Pastor Ben preaches from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 on the transforming work of the gospel.
Preaching from Luke 18:1-8 pastor Ben points to the reality of the broken world. Though evil and injustice are part of this world we hope because of God’s awareness and response to our needs and the promise that Jesus will return to make all things right.
Pastor Ben preaches from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus and calls us to see with an eternal perspective the present opportunity of salvation.
Pastor Ben preaches from two parables about things that are lost and found. From this text we see both how God responds to our lostness and His heart's joy over our repentance.
The simple truth of this passage is a call to repent. This was the singular message of John the Baptist’s preaching. This was the theme of Jesus’ preaching. And this is the call of every faithful preacher of the gospel to this day.
We live in a world that values things. The sales pitch is always the same, “more things equal more happiness.” We like to hear that we “need” more things, or we “deserve” more things. So often, the temptation to judge our own value or success by the number of things we have collected overwhelms us. And as a result, we pursue an unattainable goal to have enough. The tragedy of all this striving for more is that we invest our resources, talents, and efforts in the attempt to attain things that will never be able to hold the value that was spent pursuing them.
There are riches that brings blessing, but these are not recognized by the world nor celebrated by men. The true treasures that bring true blessings are the things of the Lord. Seek after true treasure and being rich toward God.
We are to approach the Lord like children – unafraid to seek His help and ask for His provision. But we too often we ask for the temporal and worthless things of this world when what the Lord has provided is eternal riches found only in salvation.
Justification come not by the standards we set for ourselves but by the perfect rightness of God. Through the story of the Good Samaritan we see the what true righteousness is how our righteousness comes only through the great mercy of God.
Encountering the resurrected Jesus commands our worship, calms all fear, and compels our witness.
Pastor Ben preaches from John 13 on the betrayal of Jesus by Judus. Judas was close and intimate with Jesus but he did not know the grace of salvation. Many people assumes Judas was truly one of Jesus' faithful disciples but he in fact was plotting against Jesus. From this text pastor Ben points again to the simple truth that salvation comes only through grace.
In this passage we have witness of the last words of Jesus on the cross. They are words of despair and agony. But in this very dark and sad moment there is a display of amazing grace – Jesus is giving His whole life and bearing the whole weight of sin so sinners might be totally redeemed.
When Peter denied Jesus the third time it was the lowest moment in his life and ministry. But in this moment to total failure, he would learn a truth that changed the course of his life and allowed him to be used greatly for the gospel and God’s kingdom.
The events of this passage begin the night of trials before the Jewish religious leaders who would then turn Jesus over to the civil authorities to be crucified. These events would not go as either side had thought they would. Jesus does not resist. He surrenders Himself. He is surrenders willingly because He is fulfilling His mission of being the suffering servant obedient to the will of God for the redemption of sinful man.
When the cost of following Christ comes to bear some will choose the comforts of the world over obedience to truth. Faithful Christians must preach Jesus in every season.
The question of “lawfulness” is not the only question faithful Christians must ask. Certainly, this is important – and if something is unlawful then no Christian should even consider it. But lawfulness is only the basic question – for one to grow in spiritual maturity and faithfulness you must ask is it helpful and dose it distract from faithful obedience.
The Bible teaches that God owns everything and that He has and will provide abundantly for us. In response to God’s provision, Christains are to give out of obedience, recognition that we do not own what we possess, and faith in God’s provision.
This sermons calls us to consider David’s worship after bringing the Ark of the covenant to the capital city Jerusalem. The occasion was filled with many public acts of offering and worship. From these verses we will learn these three truths: 1)worship recognizes God’s glory, 2) worship is for all of creation, and 3) worship is forever.
This passage is part of Paul’s teaching on the armor of God – that you may be familiar with. As he describes all the “equipment” a Christian needs – belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, sandals of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit – he gives the most attention to prayer (three verses 18-20).
Let us consider what Paul teaches us about prayer. Four times he uses the word “all” in his instruction on prayer. Prayer is not something that is an extracurricular activity. For Christians, prayer is part of our all in all. We are a people of prayer, who pray, and pray for all things at all times.
The present generation is closer to the situation that king Josiah found himself in than ever before. The present generation is no longer just skipping church. Today many have no understanding of what the Bible teaches. Let us learn from Josiah’s testimony how we are to respond to the word. Like king Josiah we must be confronted by the word and respond with obedience of heart and action.
1 of 6 in the series Reset
To a people who have been brought low because of their sin the prophet writes of God’s grace being new every morning. In the weeks to come as I preach on specific areas where we need to reset there is no doubt that these sermons will bring conviction and expose areas of our lives that are not as they should be. So, before we deal with specific areas where a reset is needed – let us first hear a word about God’s grace.
From Ephesians 5:11 pastor Ben Smith calls the church to respond to the wickedness of the world with holiness and a boldness to expose sin.
The grace of God provides for us in weakness, when we are oppressed, and in our suffering. Pastor Ben preaches from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 on the sufficiency of God’s grace.