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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An Aerial View of the New Testament
An Aerial View of the Old Testament
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Baptism Services
Bible Study for Every Christian
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Christmas Concert Messages
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Committing to Christian Relationships
Daniel
Deadly Dangers
Embracing Our Church's Distinctives
Ephesians
Five Hallmarks of a Biblical Church
Hold Fast
Hook, Line and Sinker
Just by Faith Alone
Lies Christians Believe
Look in the Mirror!
Lord, Teach Us To Pray
Mark - The Memoirs of Peter
Marriage & Family by God's Design
Missions Sunday
No Whining Allowed
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Power Over Temptation
Preserving the Unity of the Church
Psalm 23
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Recovering a Lost Legacy
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Riches to Rags
Romans
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Six Steps to Spiritual Stability
Sunday Evening Online
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The Distinctives of Countryside Bible Church
The First Testament of Jesus Christ
The Memoirs of Peter
The Reason We Live
The Sermon on the Mount
Trending vs. Truth
United in Christ!
Watch Your Mouth!
We Were Made to Worship
When Life's Not Fair
Your Faith, Dead or Alive?
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2008-09-21

A Day in the Life of Jesus - Part 1

This sermon focuses on Jesus� genuine authority, contrasting it with the internet's tendency to create false authorities. The speaker delves into Mark 1:21-34, detailing a single Sabbath day in Jesus' ministry in Capernaum. After being rejected in Nazareth, Jesus strategically chose Capernaum as His new home base. Located on a vital international highway from Egypt to Mesopotamia, Capernaum's crossroads position ensured that news of His teachings and miracles would travel widely, making it an ideal center for His ministry. Jesus regularly taught in the Capernaum synagogue, a community hub for worship and scriptural explanation. His teaching "amazed" the people, who noted He spoke "as one having authority, and not as the scribes." Unlike the scribes, who relied on traditions, convoluted reasoning, and personal interpretations, Jesus' authority stemmed from His divine person and His faithful exposition of God's actual Word. He explained the Scriptures directly, rather than fabricating messages or citing endless human opinions. This profound authority mandates our obedience to Jesus, our diligent listening to God�s authoritative Word, the church�s insistence on biblical teaching, and for teachers, the faithful delivery of God's message, relying on the Holy Spirit to transform human effort into divine revelation.

Tom Pennington
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Mark - The Memoirs of Peter
2008
2008-09-21

The Court of Conscience

Tom Pennington's sermon, "The Court of Conscience," explains how God universally reveals His moral law, rendering all humanity guilty. Referencing Romans 1, he highlights that general revelation in creation leaves people "without excuse" regarding God's power and divine nature. Romans 2 further reveals that even those without written law possess an inherent conscience, an internal "courtroom within the soul" that instinctively knows God's ordinances. Pennington identifies four key characteristics of conscience: it is universal, meaning everyone has it and is accountable; natural, an innate part of human nature; legal, pre-loaded with the basic "work of the Law" on the heart; and judicial, perpetually accusing or defending one's thoughts. This internal record of guilt, unerasable by human effort, will be exposed at Christ's final judgment, confirming humanity's condemnation. However, the sermon provides profound hope through Jesus Christ. Drawing from Hebrews, Pennington explains that unlike Old Testament sacrifices, Christ's blood effectively cleanses the believer's conscience from "dead works." This divine cleansing removes the indelible record of guilt, ensuring that for those in Christ, their conscience's past accusations will never lead to condemnation before God, allowing them to serve Him with a pure conscience.

Romans
2:14-15
Tom Pennington
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Romans
2008
2008-09-14

Follow Me!

Pastor Tom Pennington's sermon on Mark 1:16-20, titled "The Memoirs of Peter Follow Me," explores Jesus' compelling call to discipleship and service. Focusing on Jesus' interaction with four successful fishermen�Simon, Andrew, James, and John�the message highlights their immediate response to His command: "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." Pennington explains that while these men had previously encountered Jesus, this particular call was for them to accompany Him on a short-term preaching tour, signifying a call to active service and evangelism rather than an immediate, permanent full-time ministry. Their swift obedience in leaving their lucrative businesses, nets, and even their father underscores Jesus' authority and the absolute priority of His kingdom. The sermon draws several lessons about Christ: He delights in using ordinary people, demands absolute submission, equips His followers for their tasks, requires ultimate loyalty above all else, and determines the roles each disciple will fill. For believers today, the application is clear: Jesus and His kingdom must be our highest priority. We are called to actively serve Him, be characterized by obedience, and diligently seek to bring others to Christ.

Tom Pennington
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Mark - The Memoirs of Peter
2008
2008-09-14

How to Pray for This Church - Part 7

In a sermon titled "How to Pray for This Church (Part 7)," Pastor Tom Pennington explores the doxology in Ephesians 3:20-21, illustrating God's immeasurable power with comparisons to natural disasters. He first recaps foundational principles for effective prayer from Paul's preceding prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19: praying according to revelation, with humility, according to God's character, and for spiritual growth (specifically, to be strengthened, comprehend Christ's love, and be filled with God's fullness, becoming more like Jesus). Pennington then introduces the doxology as a fifth principle: to pray for God's glory. This formal expression of praise serves as a conclusion to Paul's prayer and the letter's doctrinal section, transitioning to practical application and exhorting believers to trust God. The doxology calls for two responses: first, to celebrate God's character, particularly His active and boundless power. God is able to do "far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think," infinitely exceeding even our wildest imaginations, according to the same power that brought us spiritual life. Second, we are to ascribe glory to God, acknowledging and praising Him for who He is and what He has done.

Tom Pennington
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Ephesians
2008
2008-09-07

How to Pray for This Church - Part 6

Pastor Tom Pennington's sermon, "Ephesians: How to Pray for This Church (Part 6)," highlights the confusion surrounding God's nature in contemporary culture, contrasting modern attempts to redefine God with the biblical narrative of man, made in God's image, being restored to Christ-likeness. The sermon centers on Paul�s third prayer request for the Ephesians in 3:19: "that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." Pennington clarifies that this doesn't mean believers become God or possess His uncommunicable attributes, but rather share and exhibit His *moral attributes* like love, joy, and holiness. This transformation into God's image, or Christ-likeness, is God's ultimate goal for believers from election through glorification. He describes this process as cumulative (building on spiritual strength and understanding Christ's love), comprehensive (for all believers), tentative (a possibility requiring God's action), passive (God�s work through the Holy Spirit), and progressive (a gradual journey of growth). While this transformation is ultimately God's work, believers can actively participate through three steps: intercession (praying for Christ-likeness), observation (intimately studying God's character in Scripture), and imitation (endeavoring to live and love like Christ).

Tom Pennington
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Ephesians
2008
2008-09-07

The Heart of Jesus' Ministry

This text analyzes the core of Jesus' ministry, focusing on Mark 1:14-15. Following John the Baptist's arrest, Jesus began His extensive ministry in Galilee, a region chosen for its diverse population and openness to His message, contrasting with Judean resistance. Jesus' central activity was "preaching" (kerusso), meaning to authoritatively proclaim as a herald on behalf of God. The content of His message, "the gospel of God," encapsulated good news from God. It presented two key indicatives: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand." This kingdom signifies God's rule, existing both as a present spiritual reality (Christ ruling believers' hearts through salvation) and a future physical kingdom. To enter this kingdom, Jesus issued two imperatives: "repent" (a God-granted turning from sin involving intellectual, emotional, and volitional change) and "believe the gospel" (placing complete and ongoing trust in Christ for salvation). This enduring message invites individuals to transfer from sin's dominion into Christ's gracious rule.

Tom Pennington
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Mark - The Memoirs of Peter
2008

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