Sermons That Exalt Christ

God's Sermon on His Name - Part 1

Pastor Tom Pennington's sermon, "God�s Sermon on His Name," explores Exodus 33-34, focusing on God's self-revelation in light of Israel's sin. The ominous backdrop details Israel's idolatry with the golden calf at Mount Sinai; despite recent commands, the restless people made an idol, leading to a drunken orgy. God's measured judgment killed 3,000, and His presence withdrew outside the camp, illustrating the separation sin causes. Moses then made three audacious requests. First, he interceded for God's personal presence to accompany Israel, not just an angel. God agreed, demonstrating the power of intercessory prayer through a divine mediator (the pre-incarnate Christ). Second, Moses asked to know God's "ways"�His predictable patterns of behavior. God promised to proclaim His name and explain His goodness. Third, Moses requested to see God's full glory. God responded that no one can see His face and live, but promised a partial, veiled glimpse, an "afterglow." Pennington concludes that through Jesus Christ, believers now experience these blessings more fully: God's abiding presence, a growing knowledge of His ways through His Word, and the ultimate privilege of seeing His glory. These incredible gifts are granted solely through God's sovereign grace and mercy, not human merit.

Jesus Is Coming Again - Part 2

Christ's Unchanging Cause

Pastor Tom Pennington's sermon, delivered amidst the upheaval of COVID-19, emphasizes that while much in the world changes, Christ's character and His central cause remain steadfast. His unchanging cause is the Church. Jesus came to Earth for the Church, promised to build it, placed it at the heart of the Great Commission, leads and cherishes it, died for it, purifies it, and will return for it. The term "church" (ekklesia) primarily refers to local assemblies of believers, not just the universal body or a building. Therefore, the local church should be central to every Christian's life. To adopt Christ's cause, believers must commit to four essential duties: 1. **Worship:** Faithfully gathering with God's people, even when circumstances are challenging, to engage in corporate worship. 2. **Fellowship:** Actively loving His people through shared life, mutual care, and edification, both side-by-side and face-to-face. 3. **Service:** Utilizing spiritual gifts to serve His people within the church, recognizing that serving them is serving Christ Himself. 4. **Evangelism:** Reaching His people with the gospel, understanding it as Christ's ongoing mission to save those given to Him by the Father.

Wake Up! - Part 2

In "Romans Wake Up! � Part 2," Tom Pennington highlights the dramatic conversion of St. Augustine, who, after a youth of paganism and promiscuity, found Christ through reading Romans 13:11-14, the sermon's foundational text. This passage urges believers to "wake up" from spiritual slumber and actively engage in warfare against their unredeemed "flesh." Pennington provides five practical instructions for this ongoing spiritual battle. First, Christians must "put off" the "deeds of darkness," actively shedding sinful behaviors like carousing, drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, strife, and jealousy. Second, they must "put on the armor of light," replacing these sins with corresponding spiritual virtues. Third, the battle extends beyond mere behavior to fighting the underlying causes of sin, including sinful thinking, other facilitating sins, and deep-seated lusts or cravings. Fourth, believers are called to expend maximum effort in this fight, while simultaneously depending entirely on the Lord and His Spirit, working through His Word, for true change. Finally, Christians must "make no provision for the flesh," actively structuring their lives to remove opportunities and temptations for sin. This spiritual warfare is a lifelong commitment, requiring constant vigilance and unwavering reliance on Christ's power for victory.

Jesus Is Coming Again - Part 1

Tom Pennington's sermon "Jesus is Coming Again (Part 1)" from Mark 13:24-27 emphasizes the vital, yet often forgotten, Christian doctrine of Christ's return, arguing that reflecting on it motivates holiness. He distinguishes between Jesus' First Advent (birth) and the Second Advent, which includes two related but distinct events: the Rapture (Christ coming *for* His saints before the Tribulation) and the Second Coming (Christ coming *with* His saints to earth after the Tribulation, bringing judgment). Pennington focuses on the Second Coming as described in Mark 13 (the Olivet Discourse). He briefly reviews the "beginning of birth pangs" (false christs, wars, disasters leading up to and into the Tribulation) and the "Great Tribulation" (the latter 3.5 years, marked by the Antichrist's "Abomination of Desolation"). The sermon then delves into the timing and signs of the Second Coming. While the exact day is unknown, it will occur "immediately after the tribulation." It will be universally visible, like lightning, preceded by catastrophic cosmic disturbances: the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and "stars will be falling" (likely meteors).

Wake Up! - Part 1

In "Romans Wake Up! (Part 1)," Tom Pennington preaches on Romans 13:11-14, urging believers to "wake up" from spiritual laziness and actively battle their "flesh"�the unredeemed, fallen part of their being. He first highlights that God created light to illustrate spiritual truths, such as His pure nature, the stark contrast between Christ's and Satan's kingdoms, the gospel's glory versus error, and the fundamental difference between believers (children of light) and unbelievers (children of darkness). Pennington criticizes various unhelpful approaches to fighting the flesh, including ignoring it, passively yielding to it, or employing ineffective "weapons" like sheer willpower, prayer alone, secular psychology, instantaneous "crisis" experiences (e.g., Keswick, Wesleyan "second blessing," Baptist "re-dedication"), legalism, charismatic experiences, or self-reformation. Instead, the sermon provides crucial biblical motivations for this ongoing spiritual warfare. Believers must recognize that it is "late in redemptive history," living in the last days initiated by Christ's first coming. It is also past time to live in accordance with the new nature they received in Christ, moving beyond spiritual apathy. Furthermore, our "ultimate salvation" (glorification)�complete freedom from sin at death or Christ's return�is nearer than when we first believed.