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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This Is Your Life - Part 4
In this sermon on Ephesians 2:1-10, Pastor Tom Pennington details humanity's profound spiritual depravity before salvation, explaining that individuals were "dead in trespasses and sins." He elaborates that our lives were controlled by three powerful forces: the world's deceptive mindset, the devil's blinding influence, and our own corrupt "flesh." This "flesh" manifests as insatiable "lusts" or cravings, driving a life of repeated sinful patterns from which we are naturally unable to escape, a condition he vividly likens to being stuck in a rut. Pennington stresses that this universal condition applies not only to overt sinners but also to outwardly moral or religious people, like the Pharisees, whose internal lives were nonetheless dominated by sin and lawlessness. He illustrates how these desires lead to indulging both bodily appetites and the selfish ambitions or pride of the mind, highlighting that religion without regeneration cannot control the flesh. Consequently, humanity's natural state made us "children of wrath," deserving of God's just and settled indignation against sin. This stark portrayal of our utter hopelessness underscores the necessity of divine intervention, preparing listeners for the "good news" of God's sovereign grace and mercy found only in Jesus Christ.
The Silent Years: What Happened Between the Testaments?
The 400 "silent years" between the Old and New Testaments, from Malachi to John the Baptist, saw no direct divine revelation but were crucial in preparing the world for Jesus Christ. Politically, the prophecy of Daniel unfolded with the succession of empires: Medo-Persia, then Alexander the Great's Greek Empire, which later divided into warring factions like the Ptolemies and Seleucids. The brutal persecution by the Seleucid Antiochus Epiphanes sparked the Maccabean Revolt, leading to Jewish independence for a time. Ultimately, the Roman Empire, under Pompey, annexed Judea, and Herod the Great ruled as a puppet king at the time of Christ's birth. Religiously, new groups emerged: the Pharisees, devout scribes popular with the people, emphasizing oral tradition; and the Sadducees, wealthy, aristocratic priests who rejected oral law and supernatural beliefs. The Sanhedrin became Israel's supreme ruling council, and synagogues spread as local centers for worship and study. Critically, the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament, made Scripture accessible throughout the Jewish diaspora.
This Is Your Life - Part 3
This sermon, "This Is Your Life, Part 3," from Ephesians 2:1-10, asserts that salvation is entirely God's work, rescuing individuals from a past life defined by sin and control from the world, the devil, and the flesh. Pastor Tom Pennington uses C.S. Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters" to illustrate Satan's deceptive activity, particularly through religion. He cautions against common misconceptions about the devil, stressing his biblical reality as a powerful, intelligent, fallen angel driven by pride, who is nevertheless under God's ultimate control. According to Ephesians 2:2, Satan is the "prince of the power of the air," ruling a spiritual domain that energizes "sons of disobedience." His primary objective is to blind unbelievers to the gospel. He accomplishes this through five key strategies: promoting human philosophies, fostering false religions, corrupting the true gospel and distorting Christ, obstructing the spread of the gospel, and introducing false believers into the church. Essentially, before God's intervention, humanity was spiritually dead and enslaved by this pervasive spiritual atmosphere created and controlled by Satan. However, God, in His rich mercy and great love, intervened to make us alive with Christ through grace and faith, transitioning us from spiritual blindness to spiritual life.
An Aerial View of the Old Testament - Part 6
Tom Pennington's sermon asserts that the Old Testament is fundamentally a "Christian" book, rejecting interpretations that label it sub-, non-, or pre-Christian. Its single, unifying message is God's eternal plan to redeem humanity through His Son, Jesus Christ, for His own glory. Pennington illustrates Christ's pervasive presence: 1. **In Prophecy:** The Old Testament progressively narrows the focus to Jesus, from the "seed of the woman" (Genesis 3:15) through Abraham, Judah, David, and Isaiah's prophecies, culminating in His birth in Bethlehem and sacrificial work. 2. **In History:** Christ is present as Creator (Genesis 1:1) and frequently appears as "the Angel of the Lord," mediating between God and humanity. 3. **In Work:** It reveals Christ's atonement and the gospel's core of justification by faith alone, exemplified by Abraham and David. 4. **In Instruction:** It offers spiritual lessons and guidance for believers. Jesus and His apostles explicitly taught that the entire Old Testament "testifies about Me," revealing His suffering, resurrection, and the call to repentance. This Christ-centered understanding elevates the Old Testament's value, demonstrates continuity between the testaments, and demands that Christians diligently study it to fully grasp God's redemptive purpose.
This Is Your Life - Part 2
This sermon on Ephesians 2:1-10, "This Is Your Life, Part 2," begins with the peculiar story of Jeremy Bentham, whose preserved body attended board meetings. This unusual example illustrates humanity's spiritual state without Christ: physically alive but fundamentally dead in relation to God. The core message of Ephesians 2:1-10 is that salvation is entirely God's work, transforming us from this spiritual death to life. The text explains "what we were" before Christ (vv. 1-3): dead in "trespasses and sins." This spiritual death is rooted in both Adam's original sin and our individual transgressions, making us "twice dead." Our former lifestyle was defined by sin, walking "according to the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and the lusts of our flesh." The "world" refers to the prevailing, God-opposed mindset of the age, which enslaves non-Christians' thoughts and actions, often without them realizing it. Our only hope is God's miraculous intervention and grace through Jesus Christ, who makes us alive. For Christians, this means recognizing our former deadness to fully appreciate God's salvation and to actively resist the world's influence by renewing our minds with His Word.
Q & A
Pastor Tom conducts a Q&A session, addressing several theological questions from his congregation. He first tackles the debate surrounding Israel, asserting a dispensationalist viewpoint that distinguishes between Israel and the Church, predicting a future for ethnic Israel and the complete fulfillment of land promises. He advises against unconditional political support for the modern Israeli state. The discussion moves to human free will and depravity. Pastor Tom clarifies that while individuals make choices, their will is corrupted by sin, making them unable to seek God without the Holy Spirit's intervention, as outlined in Romans 3. He then explains justification by faith: believers are completely covered by Christ's righteousness and will never face condemnation for sin. The Judgment Seat of Christ, therefore, evaluates believers' service for rewards, not their sins, with all received honors ultimately attributed to God's grace. Other topics include the belief that Satan's fall occurred in heaven between the 6th day of creation and Genesis 3, and the understanding that holy angels are now sealed from sin. For believers, death brings immediate presence with the Lord, not an intermediate holding place. Lastly, when evangelizing self-described atheists, Pastor Tom stresses that their unbelief is primarily a moral issue, not intellectual.
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