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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The One Anothers - Part 2
Pastor Tom Pennington's sermon "The One Anothers (Part 2)" emphasizes Christians' foundational responsibility to one another, focusing on two key "occupations": building up and serving. He illustrates this with the Apostle Paul's selfless actions during a shipwreck, where Paul, despite extreme hardship, gathered wood and healed the sick. The sermon categorizes New Testament "one another" commands, focusing this week on "occupation." First, believers are to "build up one another." The church, pictured as a temple of "living stones," requires each Christian to promote others' spiritual growth and health through mindful liberty, edifying worship, and encouraging speech. Second, Christians are to "serve one another," following Jesus' example, who "did not come to be served, but to serve." Service involves practically caring for physical needs (as in Matthew 25:31-45 � feeding, clothing, visiting) and using spiritual gifts within the church (Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4). This diligent service, a fruit of faith, leads to blessings and the amazing future promise that Christ Himself will one day serve His faithful followers (Luke 12:37).
The One Anothers - Part 1
The sermon "The One Anothers (Part 1)" by Tom Pennington highlights the Christian's crucial responsibility to love one another, contrasting it with modern society's pervasive isolation. He uses the example of an overlooked death to illustrate how contemporary culture, amplified by technology and architecture, fosters self-focus, which he deems a sin against God's relational character, as seen in the Trinity. Pennington asserts that "love one another" is the most frequent and second greatest New Testament command, summarizing all law and rendering spiritual acts worthless without it. This "agape" love is defined as an unselfish, self-sacrificing desire to meet others' needs, irrespective of their merit or response. Practically, it means doing good without expectation, humbly serving, caring for the needy, sharing burdens, forgiving offenses, gently confronting sin, avoiding causing others to stumble, and engaging in daily interactions marked by patience and kindness. To cultivate this love, believers are urged to actively pursue it through prayer, reflection on God's love, scripture study, observing others, obedience, and utilizing spiritual gifts. Critically, it necessitates a genuine conversion. Practical steps include changing one's mindset about personal independence and relationship purpose, and intentionally building connections with others to demonstrate Christ's love.
The Church in God's Eternal Plan - Part 1
This sermon, "The Church in God�s Eternal Plan (Part 1)," by Pastor-Teacher Tom Pennington, addresses two fundamental questions: when did the church begin, and how does it relate to Israel and the Kingdom of God? Pennington evaluates five views on the church's inception (Adam, Abraham, Christ�s ministry, Pentecost, Paul). Drawing from Matthew 16, Ephesians, and Acts, he concludes that the church was a future entity when Christ spoke, distinct from Israel, and began at Pentecost with the baptism of the Holy Spirit into one body. This timing, he argues, has profound implications for how Christians interpret the Bible and live their faith. The sermon then delves into the relationship between Israel and the church, outlining three primary positions in evangelicalism: Covenantalism (Israel was the Old Testament church), Traditional Dispensationalism (Israel and the church are two distinct peoples with separate purposes), and Progressive Dispensationalism (the speaker�s view). Progressive Dispensationalism highlights great similarities: both contain God�s true people, are saved by Christ's work through faith alone, benefit from the Spirit, share a witness responsibility, and are beneficiaries of the New Covenant. While similar, they are not identical, a topic to be explored further.
God Rules! - Part 3
Pastor Tom Pennington's sermon "God Rules! (Part 3)" from James 4:13-17 urges believers to humbly acknowledge and submit to God's absolute sovereignty over their lives. Using an anecdote of a sudden sinkhole, Pennington illustrates humanity's inherent lack of control over circumstances, contrasting this with the illusion of self-control that James seeks to dismantle. The sermon focuses on the biblical response to God's rule, presenting two crucial aspects: 1. **Humble acceptance of God's providence:** This involves genuinely saying, "If the Lord wills," not as a superstitious phrase, but as a deep acknowledgment of God's sovereign, eternal plan for every detail of our existence and future activities. Biblical examples from David, Jeremiah, Jesus, and Paul demonstrate this posture. 2. **Humble obedience to God's revealed will:** True submission to God's will necessitates aligning our plans with His moral commands, making it impossible to genuinely say "if the Lord wills" while intending to sin. Pennington argues that refusing this biblical response is "cosmic arrogance"�boasting in our self-sufficiency�and "deliberate sin," particularly a sin of omission by failing to do what God requires. This highlights our desperate need for God's grace and the perfect righteousness of Christ, as we are incapable of consistently fulfilling God's demands.
Recognizing a Healthy Church
In his sermon, Tom Pennington outlines seven biblical marks to recognize a truly healthy church, distinguishing it from weak or unhealthy congregations. First, a healthy church is **founded on the Scripture**, demonstrating full confidence in its sufficiency, prioritizing expository preaching, adhering to correct biblical theology, and consistently practicing its teachings. Second, it is **captivated by God's transcendence**, fostering an atmosphere of reverence for God's unrivaled majesty in private conversation and corporate worship, and embracing His sovereignty. Third, it is **centered on Christ**, evident through a burning devotion, constant reference to Jesus, and a greater concern for pleasing Him than pleasing men. Fourth, it is **gripped by the gospel**, clearly and biblically defining its core truths (grace, faith, Christ alone) and actively engaging in evangelism. Fifth, a healthy church is **directed toward holiness**, requiring a profession of faith for membership, insisting on changed lives, and faithfully practicing church discipline. Sixth, it is **filled with true, genuine love** among its members, who enjoy fellowship and serve one another practically.
Recognizing a Real Church
Pastor Tom Pennington addresses how to identify a real church, beginning by distinguishing a church from a general Christian gathering. A true church requires a mutual commitment among its members to be a church, regular participation in corporate worship on the Lord's Day, and consistent practice of baptism and the Lord's Supper. He then explores the critical difference between a true and a false church. Drawing from Reformation theology, Pennington notes that reformers identified three marks: the true preaching of God's Word, the right administration of ordinances, and faithful church discipline. However, he asserts that the singular, essential mark distinguishing a true church is the accurate proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A church becomes false when it denies the Person and work of Christ or the biblical means of salvation (faith alone in Christ alone). Applying this standard, cults like Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as most liberal Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church as a whole, are identified as false churches due to their false gospels or Christs. Conversely, a church proclaiming the true Christ and Gospel remains a true church, even if it exhibits other doctrinal weaknesses or spiritual immaturity.
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