Sermons
Verse-by-verse preaching from God's Holy Word. Browse, search, and listen.
Sermon archive, page 3
Who is the Holy Spirit and What Does He Do?
Jonathan Pennington answers a question he asked as a young man and never got a clear answer to: who is the Holy Spirit and what does He do? Beginning with Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, he shows that the Holy Spirit is God, that He is a person with a body, a will, a voice, and emotions, and that He indwells and seals every believer. He then walks through 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 2 to explain the believer as the temple of God, the earnest of the Spirit as God's down payment guaranteeing our redemption, and how the Spirit teaches, convicts, leads, comforts, and empowers.
2nd Samuel Chapter 1-12 overview
Pastor Pierucki works through the first twelve chapters of 2 Samuel, from the report of Saul's death and David's mourning, through David repeatedly inquiring of the Lord, the uniting of the kingdom, the ark being brought to Jerusalem, God's promise to establish David's throne, kindness shown to Mephibosheth, and David's sin with Bathsheba and his confession to Nathan. Along the way he turns to Psalms 89 on the security of the believer, warns against self-appointed leaders and Pharisaism, and urges hearers to seek God's direction rather than their own. He closes by reminding the church that sin gives occasion for God's enemies to blaspheme, and that no believer should be the cause of others turning away from God.
Doth This Offend You?
Joseph Guevara preaches from John 6, where many of Christ's disciples murmured at His words and walked with Him no more, and asks what causes people to become offended. He works through examples in Scripture, including Cain's pride, Saul's envy of David, Ahithophel's refusal to forgive, and the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son, then applies the same causes to people offended by preaching on repentance, the sinner's prayer, and the local church. He closes with what an offended believer should do: forgive, return to the assembly, and remember that we are not our own.
Jesus is the I Am
Mark Palmer preaches through the I Am statements of Christ in John's gospel, beginning with the true vine in John 15 and moving through the bread of life, the light of the world, the door of the sheep, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, and the way, the truth, and the life. He contrasts Christ as the true vine with man-made religion and denominational systems that cannot save, and shares his own testimony of being saved at thirteen. He closes in training mode, walking through Romans 3, Ephesians 2, Romans 5, Hebrews 9, and Acts 4 so hearers are ready to show a lost person from Scripture how to be saved.
Walk In The Spirit
Micah Reaves preaches through the opening verses of Romans 8, contrasting a life lived after the flesh with a life lived after the Spirit. He explains that the believer's righteousness and security rest in Christ, not in personal performance, and works through cross references in Galatians 5 and 6, 1 John 1, 1 Corinthians 2, and James 4 to show what sowing to the Spirit looks like day by day. He shares his own experience of backsliding at college and losing fellowship with godly friends, and urges hearers to keep fighting, to ask God for strength when weary, and to choose friendships that build them up in Christ.
Finishing up 1 Samuel
Pastor Pierucki finishes his overview of 1 Samuel, beginning with the evil spirit that troubled Saul after the Spirit of the Lord departed from him, and contrasting Saul with David, upon whom the Spirit came and remained. Along the way he deals with false ministers and works salvation in 2 Corinthians 11, Satan's origin and connection to music in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14, the importance of right music, David behaving himself wisely while being hunted, the men who gathered to him in chapter 22, Abigail and Nabal, and David encouraging himself in the Lord at Ziklag. He closes on the difference between Saul's worldly sorrow and David's genuine repentance in Psalms 32 and 51, and points hearers to 1 John 1:9 for confession and cleansing.
The Scripture
Nathan Grossman preaches on the nature and authority of Scripture, starting in Genesis 1 and Hebrews 1 and 11 to show that God created by His word, then working through 2 Peter 1, Job, 2 Corinthians 3, Hebrews 9, and 1 John 5. He explains the doctrine of inspiration, why a preserved King James Bible needs no appeal to lost originals, why the Scriptures are a surer witness than any vision or experience, and how the believer himself is inspired and written on by the Spirit of God. He closes by showing three places where the Scriptures were destroyed and raised again, picturing the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and urges hearers to actually read their Bibles rather than trust their own opinions and dreams.
Saul and David with the Word of God
Pastor Pierucki continues his book by book overview of 1 Samuel, focusing on the difference between Saul and David. Beginning at 1 Samuel 16:7, he shows that God looks on the heart rather than the outward appearance, and that the real difference between the two kings was their respect for and faith in the Word of God. Along the way he warns against judging people by dress and appearance from James 2, points to Jonathan laying down his armor as a picture of resting in Christ's victory over death, and testifies of his own salvation and the freedom from guilt and condemnation found in Romans 6 and 8.
The Lord Hath Spoken
Dale Moore continues through Habakkuk 2, beginning at verse 9 and working through verse 11, showing how the description of Babylon's covetousness and pride also pictures the Antichrist to come. He works through covetousness and the love of money in 1 Timothy 6, Luke 12, and James 5, then the false security of setting a nest on high from Jeremiah 49, Obadiah 1, Isaiah 28 and 47, and Genesis 11, and closes with the stones that cry out as witnesses. Along the way he urges believers to talk to God through the day, walk circumspectly and be ready for divine appointments, refuse to lie or cover sin, wait on the Lord instead of running ahead, and keep their focus on God rather than on world events they cannot change.
1 Samuel (Obedience and Disobedience)
Pastor Pierucki continues his overview of 1 Samuel, beginning in chapter 12 where Samuel warns Israel and their new king that blessing follows obedience and chastening follows rebellion. He applies the authority question to homes, children, government, and the local church, then traces Saul's failures in chapters 13 and 15, Jonathan's faith, God looking on the heart when David is anointed, and David facing Goliath. He closes with the covenant between Jonathan and David as a picture of Christ slaying the believer's giant of death, and warns that wrong teaching on losing salvation robs Christians of peace and joy.
1 Samuel
Pastor Pierucki works through the opening chapters of 1 Samuel, starting with Hannah's vow and her sacrifice in lending her son to the Lord, then Eli's failure with his sons, Samuel's calling in the night, the Philistines and Dagon, and Israel's demand for a king. Along the way he presses the assurance of salvation from God's written Word, the need for a song of praise and victory through 1 John 1:9, and the danger of misplaced treasure and idols. He closes with the warnings God gave Israel about what a king and human government would cost them, and reminds hearers that Jesus is King and believers are citizens of heaven.
The Time Is Fulfilled, Repent and Believe The Gospel
Joseph Guevara preaches from Mark 1:15, taking up each part of the verse: the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe the gospel. He shows how Christ came to fulfill the time, the law and the prophets, and all righteousness, drawing from Galatians 4, Matthew 3 and 5, Isaiah 64, and 2 Corinthians 5, and explains that no man can keep the law and that we must have the righteousness of Christ. He answers the charge that preaching repentance is preaching works, teaching from Romans 11 that God's gift and calling come without repentance, and closes by inviting the lost to enter in through Christ, the door.
Joshua
Pastor Pierucki works through the book of Joshua in a Wednesday night overview, touching on Joshua as a follower who became a leader, Rahab's faith, the crossing of Jordan, the walls of Jericho, the sin of Achan, and the deception of the Gibeonites. Along the way he deals plainly with pride, bitterness and unforgiveness, the need to take the next step of obedience, and the deception he has encountered in mission work. He closes from Joshua 18 with the challenge to go possess what God has already given, and urges hearers to get into the Word when they do not feel like it.
Solomon's Heart Turned From God
Jonathan Pennington preaches from 1 Kings 11 on the sad end of Solomon's life, showing that God loved Solomon and Solomon loved God, yet his heart was turned away when he began to love his many wives more than the Lord. He gives three things that commonly pull a believer's heart away from God: people, including spouse, family, and friends; work and career; and money and material possessions, drawing from Isaiah 2, Matthew 6, and 1 Timothy 6. He closes with the remedy, fleeing these things, drawing near to God, and remembering the joy of that first love at salvation as Christ told the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2.
The Mercy of God We See In Ruth
Pastor Pierucki opens with a survey of what the Bible actually says about Mary, correcting traditions that exalt her, then turns to the book of Ruth to preach on the mercy of God. He walks through Naomi's losses in Moab, her wrong belief that God was against her, her continued care for her daughters-in-law, and how God turned everything around through Boaz, showing Boaz as a picture of Christ and Ruth as a picture of the believer coming in as a stranger. He closes with personal testimony about the mercy his mother and his wife showed him, and challenges hearers that since God has shown greater mercy than any mother, nothing should be put ahead of Him.
Put off the Old Man
Micah Reaves preaches through Ephesians 4 beginning in verse 22, walking verse by verse through what it means to put off the old man, be renewed in the spirit of the mind, and put on the new man. He deals with anger, malice, lying, filthy communication, stealing, and complaining, warns against making provision for the flesh or giving the devil a place at the table of your life, and stresses knowing the Word of God well enough to use it against the devil's deceptions. He closes on being sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption, urging believers not to grieve or quench the Spirit and not to treat eternal security as a license to sin.
Judges Can Make Your Heart Right
Pastor Pierucki works through the book of Judges, beginning with Joshua's charge to the people in Joshua 24 and following the repeated cycle of sin, servitude, supplication, and salvation through the judges God raised up. He points out the nations left as thorns in Israel's side when they would not obey, walks through Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah and Jael, Gideon and the 300, Jephthah's vow, and Samson, and closes with the refrain that every man did what was right in his own eyes. He urges hearers to confess sin and actually receive God's forgiveness and cleansing, to stay close to God so they see themselves rightly, and to choose to be better rather than bitter when life and other people wound them.
Our God is a Consuming Fire
Jonathan Pennington preaches from the closing verses of Hebrews 12 on what it means that our God is a consuming fire. He connects the shaking of the earth at Sinai in Deuteronomy 4 and 5 with the future shaking of heaven and earth foretold in Isaiah 13 and Haggai 2, then turns to 1 Corinthians 3 and the judgment seat of Christ, where every believer's work is tried by fire to see whether it was gold, silver, and precious stones or wood, hay, and stubble. He urges hearers to stop holding part of themselves back, to be willing to be inconvenienced by God, and to spend their lives on what will last, closing with the poem "Only One Life" by C. T. Studd.
Serving Like Jesus In Mark
Pastor Pierucki gives an overview of the Gospel of Mark, which presents Jesus as the working servant. Moving chapter by chapter, he covers John the Baptist's humility, the baptism of Christ and the Trinity, the temptation in the wilderness, the call to be fishers of men, the man let down through the roof, the Sabbath as a rest God provided for man, the stilling of the storm and Christ's rebuke over little faith, the healing of the blind man, and the widow's mite. He preaches against religion and works salvation, insists that only the blood of Christ forgives sin, urges believers to keep a soft heart and to take a rest when needed, and closes with a report on the church's soul winning, tract, and mission work as laborers together with God.
Changed and Missing Verses In the NIV
Mark Palmer teaches on the King James Bible issue by walking through a list of verses that are changed or entirely absent from the NIV, including Colossians 1:14, Matthew 17:21, Matthew 18:11, Mark 9:44, Luke 17:36, John 5:4, Acts 8:37, and 1 John 5:7. He begins with the warnings in Deuteronomy 4 and Revelation 22 against adding to or taking away from God's words, and explains why missing verses mean missing instruction on the blood of Christ, salvation, hell, prayer and fasting, and baptism after belief. He also addresses the manuscript question, copyrights on modern versions, the 1769 spelling corrections in the King James, and urges hearers to study these things out for themselves rather than take a preacher's word for it.
The Troubles in Numbers
Pastor Pierucki works through the book of Numbers by way of 1 Corinthians 10, where Paul says Israel's failures in the wilderness were written down as examples and warnings for believers today. He walks through the strange fire of Nadab and Abihu, the murmuring of the mixed multitude, the rebellion of Korah against God-appointed leadership, and the covetousness that finally ruined Balaam, applying each to music, separation, modesty, giving, and the danger of good men going bad. He closes by turning to Romans and Galatians to show that believers are not under the law but under grace, while the principles God laid down still stand.
Cast Thy Bread Upon The Waters
Joseph Guevara preaches through Ecclesiastes 11, taking the bread as the Word of God and the waters as people, and applies each verse to the work of soul winning. He covers the command to cast out the gospel and the promise that it will not return empty, giving a portion to seven and to eight because no one knows when death will come, being filled with the Word, prayer, and the Holy Spirit so that the gospel comes out of us, and not being stopped by the harsh words or angry faces of those who reject it. He closes by urging both young and old to keep sowing morning and evening, reminding hearers that God can save the vilest sinner and that their labor is not in vain.
Deuteronomy: No Instruction Outside the Camp
Pastor Pierucki continues the church's book by book overview with Deuteronomy, using Moses speaking to all Israel gathered together as a picture of why a believer belongs inside the camp and not outside it. He works through 1 Corinthians 5 on the man delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 5 on the local body and bride of Christ, Luke 14 on the cost of discipleship, Acts 20 on Paul not counting his life dear to himself, and the repeated call in Revelation 2 and 3 to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He closes with three summary points on God as a faithful covenant keeper, God seeking the heart, and the clear choice set before His people, urging hearers to quit being consumed with self and stay surrendered and faithful.
Who is this Man?
Dale Moore continues his study of Habakkuk, taking up chapter 2 verses 5 through 8 and asking who this proud, unsatisfied man is, showing Nebuchadnezzar as a picture of the coming Antichrist. He works through the deceit of wine in Proverbs 20 and 23, the hardened hearts that will not repent in Revelation 9, the white horse of Revelation 6 and the beast of Revelation 13, Lucifer's five "I wills" in Isaiah 14, the appetite that is never full in Proverbs 27 and 30, and the push toward one world government going back to Nimrod in Genesis 11. He closes by warning against pride, covetousness, and moving with the world, urging believers to stand still so the lost can see a difference, and to get back up when they fall.