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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No Faith, Weak Faith, & Little Faith - Part 2
This sermon, based on Mark 9:14-29, explores different levels of faith through Jesus' encounter with a demon-possessed boy. Descending from the Transfiguration, Jesus finds His disciples unable to cast out a demon, surrounded by an "unbelieving generation" (scribes and crowd) who possess no true faith despite witnessing many miracles. The boy's father, representing weak faith, approaches Jesus, despairingly asking, "If You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" Jesus challenges this doubt, declaring, "All things are possible to him who believes." The sermon clarifies that this means there are no limits to *God's* power, not that faith itself possesses inherent power. The father's pivotal response, "I do believe; help my unbelief," embodies genuine saving faith: acknowledging his own insufficient belief while desperately pleading for Christ to grant him the faith he needs. Jesus, seeing this humble reliance, casts out the particularly wicked demon. The message emphasizes that God often allows people to reach the end of their own resources so they may fully depend on Him. True faith, even if weak, is a gift from God, demonstrated by confessing one's inability and entrusting everything to Christ's mercy.
Learning to Use God's Armor - Part 4
Pastor Tom Pennington's sermon, "Learning to Use God's Armor, Part 4," utilizes C.S. Lewis's "Screwtape Letters" to highlight Satan's objective for believers: to undermine faith, sabotage growth, and prevent likeness to Jesus Christ. Drawing from Ephesians 6:10-17, the sermon emphasizes that Christians are engaged in a spiritual war and must "put on the full armor of God" to stand firm against the devil's "schemes." Satan's master strategy is lying and deception, primarily manifested as an attack on the Word of God. He employs four key tactics: 1. **Denying or Questioning Truthfulness:** Challenging the Bible's factual accuracy, as seen in Genesis 3 and modern theological liberalism. 2. **Questioning Sufficiency:** Suggesting the Bible isn't enough, requiring additions like secular psychology, ongoing revelation, or scientific integration. 3. **Perverting Meaning:** Misinterpreting or twisting Scripture, as Satan attempted with Jesus in Matthew 4, to mislead or justify sin. 4. **Promoting Disobedience:** Encouraging antinomianism, where grace is used as an excuse to ignore God's commands. Pennington warns that these attacks occur even within Christian institutions. Believers must understand these tactics, be on guard, and recognize that they can only stand firm in the strength of Jesus Christ by utilizing the armor God provides.
Learning to Use God's Armor - Part 3
In Part 3 of "Learning to Use God's Armor" from Ephesians 6:10-17, Pastor Tom Pennington emphasizes that believers are engaged in a spiritual battle against Satan, whose tactics, much like General Stonewall Jackson's, aim to mystify, mislead, and surprise. The central command for Christians is to "stand firm" in the Lord's strength by putting on God's full armor. This is a *defensive* war, focused on holding the ground Christ has already conquered through His victory. The sermon explicitly rejects the popular "spiritual warfare movement" that advocates for believers to "bind Satan" or launch offensive attacks, asserting this approach is unbiblical. Scripture indicates that only Jesus or an angel binds Satan. Satan's primary method is deception. While he employs various schemes against unbelievers�promoting human philosophies, false religions, obstructing the gospel, and fostering false believers�his key strategy against *believers* is relentless *accusation*. He accuses us to our own consciences, leading to despair after sin, and he accuses us directly before God, as seen with Job and in Revelation 12:10. However, this particular tactic will ultimately fail. Through Christ's death and resurrection, believers are declared righteous, and our heavenly advocate intercedes on our behalf.
Learning to Use God's Armor - Part 2
Pastor Tom Pennington's sermon on Ephesians 6:10-17 stresses that Christians are in a spiritual war, demanding a soldier's mindset, exemplified by Sullivan Ballou's poignant Civil War letter. The central command, "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might," means drawing on Christ's external, inexhaustible power, not relying on our own resolve. Pennington highlights that "be strong" is grammatically passive ("be strengthened"), indicating we are empowered by an outside source. This divine strength is accessed by actively "putting on the full armor of God." This metaphor signifies internalizing and applying God's truth, effectively "thinking like God thinks," as Jesus did when resisting temptation with Scripture. The passage thus corrects two extremes: passive inaction, waiting for God to "zap" us, and self-reliant effort. Instead, believers must depend entirely on Christ's strength while actively engaging in the spiritual battle by wearing His armor. This section of Ephesians is presented not as a separate topic, but as the crucial practical application for living out all other commands in the letter, enabling a life of unity, love, and obedience through Christ's enabling power.
No Faith, Weak Faith, & Little Faith - Part 1
The sermon contrasts Jesus's glorious Transfiguration on the mountain with the chaotic scene below, where His nine disciples failed to cast a demon from a desperate boy. While Peter, James, and John witnessed Christ's divine majesty, the other disciples struggled amidst an unbelieving crowd and antagonistic scribes. The demon-possessed boy was mute, deaf, and suffered violent convulsions, often thrown into fire or water, illustrating Satan's destructive intent. Despite prior authority, the disciples' failure led to ridicule. Jesus, descending, confronted the scene with righteous anger, rebuking the "unbelieving generation" (the apathetic crowd and hostile scribes) for their lack of faith. This highlights that God's patience has limits for those exposed to truth yet remaining unbelieving. However, when the desperate father, expressing a mix of belief and doubt, pleaded for his son, Jesus immediately commanded the spirit out. The demon departed, and Jesus raised the boy. The disciples later asked why they failed, to which Jesus indicated it required prayer. Ultimately, the text emphasizes Jesus's unwavering compassion for all who sincerely seek His help, despite His frustration with others' unbelief.
If You're Messiah, Where's Elijah?
The sermon "If You�re Messiah, Where�s Elijah?" from Mark 9:11-13 addresses the disciples' post-Transfiguration confusion regarding Old Testament prophecies. Having just seen Elijah, they questioned why scribes said Elijah must come *before* the Messiah (Malachi 3:1, 4:5). Jesus clarifies this by making three points. First, He affirms that Elijah does indeed come first to "restore all things," a spiritual preparation. Second, Jesus reminds them that the Old Testament also prophesies the Messiah's suffering and contempt. Third, He reveals that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the Elijah prophecy, acting "in the spirit and power of Elijah," though many, including the Jewish leaders, did not recognize him and he ultimately suffered a martyr's death, just as it was "written of him." For believers today, the sermon highlights crucial implications: Jesus' identity as the Messiah is overwhelmingly certified by prophecy and John's witness; the Messiah's suffering was a divine necessity, not a contradiction; and a general principle is established that suffering precedes glory for both Jesus and His followers. This present suffering is temporary, a prelude to incomparable eternal glory.
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