Sermons That Exalt Christ
The preaching of God’s Word is central to the life of the church. Tom's pulpit ministry is dedicated to providing clear, biblical teaching to equip believers, strengthen faith, and exalt Christ.
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The preaching of God's Word is central to worship and of the utmost importance for the sanctification of every believer in Christ.
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Your Kingdom Come!
This sermon, "Your Kingdom Come" (Matthew 6:10), explores the second petition of the Lord's Prayer, urging Christians to prioritize God's spiritual kingdom. Pastor Tom Pennington illustrates this commitment using Winston Churchill and the Battle of Britain as an analogy for defending a beloved realm. The petition "Your kingdom come" reveals three spiritual realities. First, we live in a world of opposing kingdoms: Satan's kingdom, a powerful spiritual entity controlling the world's values (though under God's ultimate control), and the kingdom of self, where individuals reject God's rule. This conflict is spiritual, not against people. Second, God's kingdom, a central theme in Jesus's and the apostles' teachings, has two forms. The *present form* is God's spiritual rule in believers' hearts, entered through salvation. Praying "Your kingdom come" therefore means seeking the spiritual expansion of God's rule through evangelism and deeper sanctification in believers. The *future form* is the literal, physical reign of Christ on Earth during the millennium, followed by a new heaven and new earth. Thus, the prayer also anticipates Christ's swift return to establish this literal kingdom. Finally, the kingdom advances through our actions: communicating the gospel, making God's kingdom our highest priority, and making personal sacrifices.
Hallowed Be Your Name!
The sermon "Hallowed Be Your Name!" from Matthew 6:9 emphasizes that the first petition of the Lord's Prayer is a foundational principle for all prayer and spiritual life. Drawing parallels with Leviticus 10:3, where God demands to be treated as holy, Pastor Tom Pennington explains "hallowed" as "sanctified" or "treated as holy," and "name" as God's entire essence, attributes, and actions. Essentially, it means glorifying God. This petition is paramount because God's glory is His chief end, evident in creation and redemption, and He severely judges those who fail to hallow Him (e.g., Nadab and Abihu, Moses). True prayer, therefore, prioritizes God's holiness above personal demands, acknowledging that hallowing His name is more important than any individual need and will continue eternally in heaven. We hallow God's name by: speaking about Him reverently, praising and thanking Him, thinking rightly about Him, responding in faith to Jesus Christ, living righteously, loving other Christians, trusting Him in trials, and intentionally committing all actions to His glory. Our prayers should thus begin by asking God to cause His name to be hallowed in our hearts, lives, and throughout the world, aligning our desires with His ultimate, glorifying purpose.
The Lord's Prayer - Part 3
In "The Lord's Prayer, Part 3," Pastor Tom Pennington emphasizes the importance of prayer, drawing inspiration from George M�ller's life and his own experiences of answered prayer. He notes that despite God's responsiveness, believers often pray inconsistently, failing to grasp its significance. Jesus, in Matthew 6:9-15, provides a pattern for prayer, which can be used as a model or recited verbatim. This sermon focuses on the preface, "Our Father who is in heaven," outlining three essential attitudes for approaching God. First, we pray as a member of a family, recognizing the communal aspect of prayer, both for and with others, and alongside Christ. Second, we pray as a child of a father, embracing God as our intimate "Abba"�a term conveying both deep affection and respect. This attitude involves an awareness of our adoption into God's family, confidence in His gracious desire to meet our needs (as a perfect Father), and a spirit of submission to His will, mirroring Jesus' own submission. Third, we pray as a subject of a king, understanding that "who is in heaven" signifies God's absolute majesty and sovereignty.
The Lord's Prayer - Part 2
Tom Pennington's sermon on Matthew 6:9-15 challenges Christians to reconcile their belief in a God who hears prayers with their often prayerless lives. Citing Francis Schaeffer's "two chairs" analogy, Pennington argues that many profess supernatural faith but live like materialists, neglecting active engagement with God. He asserts that genuine Christianity involves living as if God actively intervenes through prayer, not just giving mental assent to doctrine. The Lord's Prayer is presented as a model for all prayer, a "skeleton" for structuring our petitions rather than a mere recitation. Pennington stresses the importance of beginning prayer with recollection and reverence, avoiding hurried, "texting-like" requests. Delving into the preface, "Our Father who is in heaven," the sermon highlights the significance of the word "Our." This mandates praying as a family member: first, for others, demonstrating spiritual maturity by focusing on collective needs rather than solely individual desires; second, with others, following the biblical pattern of corporate prayer. Most profoundly, "Our" signifies praying *with Christ* as our older brother, as Jesus both modeled these petitions on earth and continuously intercedes for believers in heaven (Romans 8, Hebrews 7). Thus, adopting this pattern means joining our prayers with Christ's ongoing intercession.
Jesus Before Pilate - Part 2
The sermon, "Jesus Before Pilate (Part 2)," examines the profoundly illegal and unjust series of Jewish and Roman trials Jesus endured. After being condemned for blasphemy by the Sanhedrin, Jewish leaders presented Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, twisting His spiritual claims into false accusations of sedition against Rome. Pilate interrogated Jesus about being "King of the Jews," to which Jesus affirmed His kingship was "not of this world." Despite finding "no guilt in Him" multiple times, Pilate faced persistent accusations. Jesus's subsequent silence, even as more charges were hurled, amazed Pilate, who recognized the envy driving the accusers. Pilate attempted to shift responsibility by sending Jesus to Herod, who also found no basis for condemnation. The sermon emphasizes five reasons for recording these trials: they highlight humanity's desperate need for a Savior, confirm Jesus's divine claims, expose the fabricated charges against Him, call every reader to make a personal verdict about Jesus's identity, and powerfully demonstrate Jesus's complete innocence. Ultimately, Jesus's willing silence and suffering fulfilled prophecy (Isaiah 53), as He allowed Himself to be crushed as a guilt offering for humanity's transgressions, revealing a divine plan beyond human injustice.
The Lord's Prayer - Part 1
Pastor Tom Pennington introduces a multi-week study on the Lord's Prayer, first addressing the prevalent issue of prayerlessness among Christians, including pastors, who often pray less than seven minutes daily. He attributes this to a man-centered culture and dismisses common excuses like lack of time, desire, focus, or perceived results as mere justifications. Instead, Pennington identifies three fundamental reasons for "flabby prayer lives": a lack of understanding regarding prayer's vital importance as a foundational spiritual discipline, a lack of diligence in planning for prayer and meditating on Scripture, and ultimately, a lack of obedience to divine commands to pray. Introducing Jesus' teaching on prayer from Matthew 6 and Luke 11, Pennington highlights the disciples' request, "Lord, teach us to pray." From Luke 11:1, four key implications are drawn: prayer was a crucial part of Jesus' life, demonstrating how a godly man should pray; prayer takes deliberate, planned time; prayer does not come naturally, even to seasoned believers; but crucially, prayer is a learnable skill. Jesus, the perfect prayer, provides the pattern for believers to follow.
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