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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Overcoming the Lust of the Flesh
Pastor Tom Pennington's sermon on Jesus's temptation highlights its dual purpose: demonstrating Christ's power and providing a pattern for believers. The three recorded temptations in Matthew and Luke are presented as divinely selected, representing the root causes of all sin, which ultimately stem from three core sinful cravings: the "lust of the flesh," "lust of the eyes," and "boastful pride of life" (1 John 2:16). These are perversions of God-given desires. Crucially, Jesus had no internal sinful cravings; His temptations were external, appealing to *normal* human desires. The first temptation, to turn stones into bread, addressed the "lust of the flesh"�sinfully craving bodily satisfaction outside God's will. This occurs through excess, ungodly means, against God's design, or when desire becomes idolatry. Jesus's response, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 ("Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God"), teaches profound lessons. It affirms Scripture's authority, God's sovereignty and provision, and His intent in allowing deprivation: to humble, test, and instruct. The central truth is that our souls are more important than our bodies.
God's Great Secret - Part 2
In "God's Great Secret (Part 2)" from Ephesians 3:1-13, Pastor Tom Pennington emphasizes that history has a divine purpose, unlike secular views of meaninglessness. He explains that a biblical "mystery" is a divine secret God once concealed but has now revealed. This mystery centers on Christ�an immeasurable treasure�and His work of uniting Jews and Gentiles into one body, the Church. The Apostle Paul, chosen despite his profound humility, was divinely empowered to broadcast this message: preaching the "unfathomable riches of Christ" to Gentiles and illuminating the Church's pivotal role. God's ultimate purpose in revealing this secret is to display His "manifold wisdom" through the Church to angelic beings, thereby fulfilling His eternal plan, which is centered on the exaltation of Jesus Christ. This underscores the Church's centrality to the gospel and its position as the focal point of world history, where ordinary believers' lives display God's glory for all intelligent creation to witness.
Jesus' Power Over Temptation
Pastor Tom Pennington's sermon on Mark 1:12-13 examines Jesus's 40-day temptation in the wilderness, contrasting it with human experience. Unlike us, whose temptations stem from both external lures and internal sinful lusts, Jesus's temptations originated solely externally, as His divine nature made Him incapable of sin. While untemptable as God, His humanity allowed for genuine temptation, proving more intense because He never succumbed, enduring its full fury without compromise. Mark highlights the Spirit's powerful "impelling" of Jesus into this trial, indicating divine purpose. Satan, the ultimate adversary, employed various tools, including circumstances, people, perverted Scripture, and even our own lusts. From Jesus's experience, we learn that temptation is a universal, constant reality but is not sin itself; maturity is found in consistent resistance. Theologically, Jesus acts as the "second Adam," succeeding in harsh conditions where Adam failed in paradise, providing perfect obedience as our representative. Practically, Jesus's sinless victory qualifies Him as our substitute, and He offers help through sympathy, intercession, and by setting a pattern for us to overcome temptation. We, as Christians, have the very power of Christ's Spirit within us to conquer temptation.
The Baptism of Jesus
This sermon, "The Memoirs of Peter: The Baptism of Jesus," from Mark 1:9-11, asserts Jesus as the Messiah, whose glory is self-authenticating in scripture, overcoming spiritual blindness (2 Corinthians 4). The baptism itself, initiating Jesus's public ministry at age 30, comprises human and divine elements. Jesus, from obscure Nazareth in Galilee, sought baptism from John, who initially demurred due to Jesus's holiness. Jesus insisted, "to fulfill all righteousness." Immediately upon immersion, a dramatic divine testimony occurred: the heavens "tore open," the Holy Spirit descended "like a dove" (a visible, empowering sign fulfilling prophecy and signifying His ministry's start), and God the Father's voice proclaimed, "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased." This affirmed Jesus's unique identity as the Son (Psalm 2) and suffering Servant (Isaiah 42). The event also illustrates the Trinity, with distinct persons present. Four purposes of Jesus's baptism are outlined: affirming John's ministry, confirming Jesus's Messianic identity, fulfilling perfect righteousness, and serving as a "vicarious repentance" for humanity. Jesus, having no sin, offered this repentance as a substitute for our imperfect efforts, thus demonstrating His complete work as our Savior.
God's Great Secret - Part 1
In "Ephesians God�s Great Secret (Part 1)," Pastor Tom Pennington explains that Paul, writing from prison, introduces a profound "mystery" in Ephesians 3:1-13, diverting from an intended prayer. This "mystery" (Greek: *mysterion*) is not an unsolved puzzle, but a divine secret previously unknown and undiscoverable by human effort, now revealed by God. Paul states that this secret was revealed to him by revelation, intending that all Gentile believers�and indeed all who read his letter�should understand it. While the Old Testament contained hints of God's plan for Gentiles, the full "riches of the glory" of this mystery were not fully known until the New Testament era, revealed to the apostles and prophets by the Spirit. God�s great secret is fundamentally Christ Himself, encompassing God�s purpose to "sum up all things in Christ," making Him the ultimate goal and Lord of creation. A crucial aspect of this mystery is the revolutionary inclusion of Gentiles: they are now "fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." This signifies their complete spiritual equality with Jewish believers, dismantling ancient divisions.
A Voice Crying - Part 2
The sermon "The Memoirs of Peter A Voice Crying (Part 2)" details John the Baptist's crucial role as the prophetic forerunner to Jesus Christ, setting the stage in Mark's Gospel. Fulfilling Old Testament prophecies, John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in the wilderness, attracting thousands from all over Israel who publicly confessed their sins and were immersed in the Jordan. John's austere lifestyle�dressed in camel's hair with a leather belt and subsisting on locusts and wild honey�was intentional. It marked him as a Nazirite set apart for God, served as a rebuke to the materialistic culture, and distinctly identified him as the prophet "like Elijah" before the Messiah. John�s core message wasn't about himself but emphatically pointed to "the One who is coming," highlighting Jesus's immense superiority in might, worth (John deemed himself unworthy of even the lowest servant's task), and ministry. While John�s baptism was external, Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit, signifying true internal transformation.
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