Topic
Christian Living
1,140 sermons · All topics
Of The Church (2LFC26.12)
Church discipline is not an optional appendage to church life but one of the three marks of the true church, alongside pure preaching and right administration of the sacraments. This exposition of 2LCF 26.12 and Matthew 18:15 establishes first that formal church membership is a biblical obligation for all believers — evidenced from Acts, Hebrews, and the Thessalonian epistles — and then that membership entails real liability to the church's censures and government. The sermon focuses on the first step of Matthew 18's disciplinary process: private confrontation, its proper aim (winning a brother), its proper disposition (humility, love, and a willingness to be shown a misunderstanding), and the complementary obligations of the one being rebuked.
2 Kings 22:1-20
The discovery of the Book of the Law during Josiah's temple repairs exposes the deep covenantal unfaithfulness of Judah and provokes a model of humble repentance that stands as a rebuke to every generation. Huldah the prophetess confirms that divine judgment on the nation is certain and irreversible, yet God extends personal mercy to Josiah because his heart was tender before the Word. The sermon traces the proper response to Scripture — trembling reception, genuine internal contrition, and active reformation — against the background of Josiah's exemplary reign and the warnings of Deuteronomy 28. The hearer is called to receive the implanted Word with meekness, to confess sin honestly rather than conceal it, and to resist the slow drift toward apostasy by giving earnest heed to all that God has spoken.
Free Grace Baptist Church - February 25, 2018 PM
James 4:13-17 levels a charge of carnal presumption against professing believers who plan, buy, sell, and pursue profit as though God has no jurisdiction over Monday through Saturday. The sermon distinguishes between planning itself — which Scripture assumes and commends — and the godless self-sufficiency that excludes divine sovereignty from commerce, household, and daily routine. Three remedies are drawn from the text: recognize your ignorance of tomorrow, recognize the frailty of a life that is 'a vapor,' and recognize your utter dependence on the will of God. The sermon closes by connecting verse 17's sin of omission to the whole passage: those who know God is sovereign over all things and yet live as practical atheists do not merely stumble — they sin against knowledge.
2 Kings 20:1-21
Second Kings 20 closes the account of Hezekiah's reign by exposing both the nobility and the inconsistency of one of Judah's best kings. The chapter is examined under three headings: the extension of Hezekiah's life through answered prayer, the folly of his alliance-seeking with Babylon, and the summary of his reign. The central lesson is that even a covenant-faithful king who trusts God in sickness can lapse into walking by sight in prosperity, and this inconsistency of consistency is the common condition of every believer who depends on the grace of Christ rather than on personal perfection.
The Call to Repentance
James 4:7–12 contains ten imperatives calling the people of God to repentance — first toward God and then toward one another. The sermon traces the gracious foundation of this call in verse 6 ('he gives more grace'), showing that compliance with these commands is possible only by divine provision, not by human self-improvement. Repentance toward God encompasses submission, resistance of the devil, drawing near to God, moral purity, mourning over sin, and humility; repentance toward one another requires laying aside evil speech, judgmentalism, and the arrogance of treating personal preferences as law. The conspicuous order — fix the vertical relationship first, then the horizontal — is shown to be the theological logic of both the Decalogue and James' own chiastic structure.
Of Marriage (2LCF25)
The 1689 London Baptist Confession chapter 25 sets forth a comprehensive theology of marriage as a monogamous, creational institution between one man and one woman, ordained for companionship, procreation, and the prevention of sexual immorality. This study walks through each paragraph of the chapter, examining the biblical case against polygamy, homosexuality, bestiality, and unequal yoking, while grounding each prohibition in specific Old and New Testament texts. The two paragraphs on divorce and remarriage that the Westminster Confession adds but the 1689 omits receive extended treatment, with the conclusion that Scripture's exception clauses permit dissolution of the marriage bond in cases of adultery and desertion, without penalising the innocent party. Hearers are exhorted to treasure their spouses, pursue marriage only in the Lord, and rear their children in the fear of God.
2 Kings 19:1-37
Second Kings 19 narrates the Assyrian crisis under Sennacherib and Hezekiah's response — a pattern of seeking God through the prophet Isaiah, spreading the enemy's letter before the Lord, and praying with conspicuously theological concern for God's honor rather than merely for personal safety. The sermon moves through three sections: the prophet's word of encouragement, Hezekiah's model prayer, and the divine defeat of 185,000 Assyrian troops by the angel of the Lord. Hezekiah's David-like rationale — that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that the Lord alone is God — illustrates why theology matters in trial, and why the best pleas in prayer are those taken from God's honor.
Free Grace Baptist Church - February 11, 2018 PM
James 4:1-6 exposes two devastating fruits of what James calls 'demonic wisdom': conflict with one another (vv. 1-2a) and enmity with God (vv. 2b-6). The source of both is unmortified lust — the unrestrained desire for pleasure, riches, and worldly greatness that breeds wars, fights, covetousness, and wicked prayer among professing believers. The sermon presses the congregation to trace every form of church conflict and spiritual adultery back to pride, and closes with the transitional mercy of verse 6: that despite all this, God gives more grace to the humble.
2 Kings 18:1-37
Second Kings 18 introduces Hezekiah, one of Judah's most faithful kings, whose sweeping religious reforms and wholehearted trust in Yahweh are met not with immediate peace but with Assyrian invasion and psychological warfare. The chapter exposes a persistent error: that obedience to God is a formula for earthly blessing rather than a response to grace, and that faithfulness and suffering are not mutually exclusive. The Rabshakeh's two speeches constitute calculated propaganda designed to sow despair and division in Jerusalem, culminating in a blasphemous equation of Yahweh with the powerless gods of conquered nations. The study draws out three practical lessons: that trial coexists with blessing, that even faithful people waver, and that God's people may face genuine despair while still possessing genuine hope in a God who will act on their behalf.
Of the Civil Magistrate (2LCF24)
The civil magistrate exists by divine appointment, not by social contract or popular consent, and this confession-study exposition of 2LCF Chapter 24 establishes the theological ground for that claim from Romans 13, 1 Peter 2, Proverbs 8, and Genesis 9. Three questions are addressed in sequence: the divine origin of civil government, the lawfulness of Christian participation in public office, and the Christian's duty of submission to governing authorities. The power of the sword — including capital punishment and just war — is shown to belong to the magistrate's God-given office, rooted in the Noahic covenant and confirmed in the New Testament. Christians are called to submit to all lawful civil commands, to refuse only what requires disobedience to God, and to pray persistently for those in authority.
The Two Kinds of Wisdom
James 3:13–18 sets before the reader two mutually exclusive wisdoms — one descending from above, the other rooted in what is earthly, natural, and demonic. The sermon works through the origin, characteristics, and results of each wisdom, showing that demonic wisdom is marked by bitter envy and selfish ambition, producing confusion and every evil thing in the church, while heavenly wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy, impartial, and sincere, producing a harvest of righteousness among peacemakers. The connection between James's account of wisdom and Christ's Beatitudes in Matthew 5 is drawn out at length, grounding the call to meekness and purity in the character of Christ himself. Hearers are exhorted to examine their own hearts, confess the vices James condemns, and ask God — who gives wisdom liberally to all who ask — for the heavenly wisdom that alone produces peace and righteousness in the church.
Free Grace Baptist Church - January 21, 2018 PM
James 3:1-12 presents not a program for tongue improvement but a sustained lament over the tongue's untamable, poisonous, and inconsistent nature. The passage warns that no man, however disciplined, can fully bridle his speech — a recognition meant to cast the believer upon sovereign grace rather than upon personal resolve. The sermon moves through three main headings: the warning concerning teachers and universal sinfulness, the power of the tongue illustrated through bits, rudders, and fire, and the impossibility of human self-control over speech. The practical conclusion grounds tongue-discipline in justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, the fear of God, self-examination, and prayer — and closes with the imputed active obedience of Christ as the believer's only ultimate hope before a God who will call every idle word to account.
Of Lawful Oaths and Vows (2LFC 23)
Lawful oaths and vows, treated in 1689 London Baptist Confession chapter 23, are grounded in the third and ninth commandments and constitute genuine acts of religious worship — invoking God's omniscience, omnipresence, and vindictive justice as witness and judge. The confession distinguishes oaths (promises made to men before God) from vows (promises directed to God himself), insisting both require solemn care and plain sincerity without equivocation or mental reservation. Against Anabaptist denial and Roman Catholic abuse, the sermon defends the legitimacy of lawful oaths in matters of weight and moment, refutes the reading of Matthew 5 as a suspension of oath-taking, and condemns popish monastical vows — perpetual celibacy, professed poverty, and regular obedience — as superstitious snares without scriptural warrant. Hearers are called to prize truth-telling as a reflection of the character of God and to take every solemn oath with a full awareness of its theological gravity.
The Sixth Commandment
The sixth commandment, 'You shall not murder' (Deuteronomy 5:17), rests upon the foundation of the imago Dei — the conviction that every human being, from the pre-born to the elderly, bears the image of the Creator, and that to assault an image-bearer is to assault God himself. The sermon distinguishes murder from lawful killing, arguing from Genesis 9, Exodus 22, and Romans 13 that capital punishment, self-defense, and just war are not violations of the commandment but are grounded in the same principle that makes murder heinous: the sanctity of human life. Modern applications — abortion, euthanasia, and the neglect of capital punishment — are examined in light of both Old and New Testament texts, and the sermon closes by directing those who have participated in these sins to the pardoning grace of Christ.
2 Kings 16
Second Kings 16 records the reign of Ahaz, one of the most wicked kings in Judah's history — a man whose idolatry, political pragmatism, and innovations in worship reveal a heart comprehensively far from God. The sermon works through three movements: Ahaz's child sacrifice and high-place worship (vv. 1–4), his submission to Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria rather than trusting Yahweh's covenant promises (vv. 5–9), and his importation of a Syrian altar and remodeling of the temple (vv. 10–20). The passage serves as a sustained warning against pragmatism over promise, worship innovation over the regulative principle, and the spineless complicity — exemplified by the priest Urijah — that advances evil as surely as outright wickedness does.
Free Grace Baptist Church - December 24, 2017 PM
Hebrews 10:24–25 sets before Christians a third and final exhortation completing the threefold pattern of corporate Christian duty: a thoughtful diligence in communion with one another that stirs up love and good works. Against the background of Hebrew Christians tempted to abandon gathered worship for the obsolete ceremonies of temple religion, the text demands mutual, outward-directed consideration of fellow believers — not a mere proximity of individuals, but a genuine fellowship that provokes charity and joyful obedience. The sermon draws on John Owen's commentary and Philippians 2:1–4 to show that this corporate ethic requires the active mortification of selfish ambition and the deliberate cultivation of lowliness of mind toward one another.
A Thoughtful Diligence in Fellowship
Hebrews 10:24–25 contains the third of three apostolic exhortations grounded in Christ's blood and high-priestly office: a thoughtful diligence in corporate fellowship that stirs one another to love and good works. The sermon traces the call to mutual consideration — looking away from self and toward brothers and sisters in Christ — and grounds its motivation in the incarnate humility of the Son of God, who made himself of no reputation to serve sinners. Forsaking the assembly is not a private failure but a breach of the covenantal reciprocity that belongs to those who rest on so great a salvation.
Do Not Love the World
First John 2:15–17 commands believers to refuse love for the world — meaning not the created order but the entire moral system of sinful desire arrayed against God. The sermon works through three headings: the command (v. 15), the character of the world (v. 16), and the end of the world (v. 17). Because the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are passing away while the one who does the will of God abides forever, believers are called to resist sin not to earn standing before God but as the fruit of a new heart already forgiven and already victorious in Christ.
The Conduct of a Faithful Minister
What does faithful gospel ministry look like in practice? Expounding 1 Timothy 4:12–16 at an ordination service, this sermon works through four apostolic charges Paul lays on Timothy: the minister must be an example to the flock in word, conduct, love, faith, and purity; he must give sustained public attention to Scripture reading, exhortation, and doctrine; he must meditate on these things and give himself entirely to personal growth in godliness; and he must persevere in both personal holiness and sound doctrine, because the stakes of gospel ministry extend to the eternal welfare of those who hear. The sermon closes with a direct charge to the ordinand and to the congregation forming a new church plant, and with an evangelistic appeal grounding the seriousness of the gospel ministry in God's concern to save sinners through it.
Free Grace Baptist Church - November 19, 2017 PM
This expository sermon on 2 Kings 5 traces the threefold structure of Naaman's healing: the providence of God working through a nameless Israelite servant girl, the conversion of a Gentile enemy of Israel, and the judgment upon the covetous Gehazi. The sovereign Lord is shown to govern Syrian politics, military affairs, and the destinies of servant girls alike, so that his free grace — which cannot be bribed, manipulated, or earned — reaches even those outside the covenant community. The congregation is called to see in Naaman's conversion a pattern of genuine New Covenant salvation: humility under the gospel, confession of the one true God, gratitude expressed in worship, and a sensitive conscience regarding ongoing sin.
The Conduct of a Faithful Minister
1 Timothy 4:12–16 addresses Timothy — and by extension every faithful minister of the gospel — with direct commands concerning conduct, doctrine, and perseverance in office. Preached in the context of an ordination ceremony, this exposition draws out what Paul requires of a man set apart to lead Christ's church: that he be an example in life, devoted to the public ministry of the Word, and watchful over both his own soul and the doctrine he teaches. The passage is a charge not only to the newly ordained but to the whole congregation to receive and support faithful gospel ministry.
Of Religious Worship and the Sabath Day (Part 3) (2LCF 22)
Romans 14, Galatians 4, and Colossians 2 are frequently cited to argue that the New Testament abolishes the Christian Sabbath, but each passage, read in context, is addressing something else entirely. Romans 14 concerns Christian liberty and mutual forbearance between stronger and weaker brethren over food and culturally retained Jewish observances; Galatians 4 condemns the Judaizers' insistence that legal observances can supplement faith and commend a sinner to God; and Colossians 2 targets the ceremonial, typological Sabbaths of Israel's calendar — festivals, new moons, and occasional sabbaths — not the weekly moral Sabbath rooted in creation and carried forward into the Lord's Day. The fourth commandment's moral obligation to set apart one day in seven for worship is a positive, perpetual, and binding ordinance, and Sabbath-keeping is the fruit of justification by grace through faith in Christ, not a means of obtaining it.
Free Grace Baptist Church - October 29, 2017 PM
John's call to love one another in 1 John 2:7–11 is neither a novel ethical program nor a mark of spiritual achievement — it is an ancient commandment that has taken on new shape in the light of Christ's own love, death, and resurrection. The sermon works through three movements: the nature of the commandment to love, the terrifying spiritual blindness of the one who hates his brother, and the assurance given to the one who loves. God's own electing, sacrificial love — not human moral effort — is the spring and motive of all genuine love for the brethren, and that love in turn becomes an evidence and assurance of saving faith.
2 Kings 12
The reign of Joash in 2 Kings 12 presents an ironic arc: a king who labours to repair the temple of the Lord ultimately strips it bare to bribe a foreign invader. This study traces the regnal formula of verses 1–3 as testimony to the faithfulness of the Davidic covenant promise of 2 Samuel 7, the mechanics and moral lessons of the temple-repair programme in verses 4–16, and the swift depletion of what was restored when Hazael threatens Jerusalem in verses 17–21. The parallel account in 2 Chronicles 24 fills out Joash's apostasy after the death of Jehoiada, underscoring that external restraint cannot produce saving faith, and that every failing king in David's line points forward to the one descendant who does not disappoint.
Free Grace Baptist Church - October 22, 2017 PM
First John 2:3–6 confronts a perennial problem: people who claim to know Christ while living in blatant disregard of his law. The sermon works through two tests John gives for genuine knowledge of God — keeping Christ's commandments as an evidence of salvation (not its ground), and walking as Christ walked as a fruit of union with him. Obedience is not the condition for knowing God but the necessary mark and assurance of it, grounded not in human effort but in the imputed righteousness of Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day (2LCF22)
The Sabbath commandment is a moral, positive, and perpetual law binding all men in all ages — not a distinctively Jewish institution abolished with the Mosaic economy, but a creation ordinance blessed and sanctified by God from the beginning and carried forward into the New Covenant era. Working through 2LCF chapter 22, paragraphs 7 and 8, this session traces a biblical theology of the Sabbath from Genesis 2 through Isaiah and Jeremiah, establishing both the moral principle (one day in seven) and its positive element (the particular day). The shift from Saturday to Sunday is grounded in creation and redemption as the twin rationales for the commandment, anticipating the resurrection of Christ as the basis for Lord's Day worship. Hearers are called to receive the Sabbath not as a burden but as a gift given by God for the good of His creatures.
The Qualifications for Elders
What qualities must a man possess before a church installs him as an elder? Expounding 1 Timothy 3:1–7, this sermon works through six categories of qualification: the man's desire for the office, his personal holiness, his domestic faithfulness, his spiritual maturity, his testimony among outsiders, and his aptness to teach. The three New Testament terms — elder, overseer, and pastor — are shown to be synonymous, describing one office whose governing instrument is the preached Word. The congregation is pressed to apply these qualifications rigorously, to test aspiring men through faithful churchmanship, and to resist the twin errors of setting the bar so low that unfit men enter and so high that no man can qualify.
2 Kings 8
2 Kings 8 traces three interlocking narrative threads — the restoration of the Shunammite woman's land, the assassination of Syria's king Ben-Hadad by Hazael, and the moral defection of Judah's kings Jehoram and Ahaziah — all set within the larger context of God's prophesied judgment against the house of Omri announced in 1 Kings 19. The chapter demonstrates God's comprehensive, unrivaled sovereignty over individual lives, foreign nations, and royal dynasties alike, as every piece moves toward the purge of Jehu. A recurring application drives the exposition: the knowledge of God must issue in worship and obedience, not mere fascination, and ungodly alliances — whether political or marital — carry devastating consequences across generations.
Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience (2LFC21)
Christian liberty is grounded not primarily in political or personal freedoms but in the perfect saving work of Christ, who has purchased freedom from the guilt, power, and punishment of sin for all his elect. This study works through 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith chapter 21, paragraphs 1–3, tracing the biblical foundations of liberty of conscience against both Roman Catholic ecclesiastical imposition and antinomian abuse of grace. The New Testament enlarges the freedom already held by Old Testament believers by releasing them from the ceremonial law's yoke, granting bolder access to the throne of grace, and communicating the Spirit more fully. True Christian liberty issues not in licentiousness but in cheerful, childlike obedience to God, freed from slavish fear and self-imposed religious scrupulosity alike.
2 Kings 6:24-7:20
The siege and deliverance of Samaria in 2 Kings 6:24–7:20 exposes both the devastating covenantal consequences of Israel's idolatry and the sovereign mercy of Yahweh who refuses to abandon His people. The cannibalism, famine, and political helplessness that afflict Samaria are not arbitrary calamities but the precise covenant curses of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, visited upon a nation that had abandoned Yahweh for the gods of Canaan. God's deliverance comes not through royal power or military might but through four leprous outcasts, an unnamed servant, and a supernatural terror sent upon the Syrian army — instruments so unlikely that only God can receive the glory. The passage presses its hearers to trust the prophetic Word of God rather than political power, and to proclaim the good news they have received rather than remain silent.