BBC Sermon Cast

Matthew 7:21–23 is one of the most sobering passages in all of Scripture. The mark of the King's servants is that they live according to the will of the King. There are many who are quick to speak in the name of the King, but will one day find themselves unwelcome in his presence.

As Paul prepares for this third visit to the church at Corinth, he is apprehensive over what he might find. He is concerned about the damage done by the false apostles and by those who are self-willed and self-indulgent. He writes, therefore, to give them the heads up by: 1. making a foolish admission (vv. 11–13), 2. professing his fatherly affection (vv. 14–18), and 3. pastorally admitting his fearful apprehension (vv. 19–21)

Anyone who has taken a hike in the wild knows how difficult it often is to identify certain plants and fruit. But in times of survival, being able to identify plants and fruit could mean the difference between life and death. In Jesus' next warning in the Sermon on the Mount, we find an exhortation to identify teachers and Christians by their fruit. Anyone can mask their true intention, but a discerning Christian will know the difference.

As Paul continues to warn the Corinthian church about false apostles, he informs them of a remarkable revelation he had experienced. But he goes on to show another remarkable revelation: God's power revealed in our weaknesses. In doing so, he writes a passage that has brought comfort to millions of Christians by its revelation of God's all sufficient grace.

Matthew 7:12–14 contains two of Jesus most famous Sermon on the Mount sayings: the golden rule (v. 12) and his teaching on the wide and the narrow gate (vv. 13–14). Taken to heart, these exhortations rescue us from pursuing a life of ease and help us to die to self, take up our cross, and daily follow him. We consider two things from these verses: 1. Christian Love (v. 12) 2. The Way to Life (vv. 13–14)

In this very personal, pastoral address to the Corinthian church the apostle Paul is doing something that he hates to do: talk about himself—a course that can be foolish. He is quite literally “playing the fool” to protect God's flock. Sometimes, fools need to be answered (Proverbs 26:5) and in this passage Paul wisely answers them for the welfare of the church.

Matthew 26:64 wonderfully points to the victorious rule and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. In response to Caiaphas's cynical question about his identity, Jesus responded, “Yes, I am Messiah and I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Jesus was prophesying and promising his ascension.

As the spiritual father of the Corinthian church, Paul was deeply concerned about apostolic pretenders who had infiltrated the church attempting to lead her astray; leading her away from her betrothed Saviour. As Paul writes to warn the church, we benefit, for we also need to be alert and aware of Satan's dark servants who pretend to be servants of righteousness. We will study this passage under three headings: 1. A Father's Jealous Care (vv. 1–6) 2. A Father's Sacrificial Commitment (vv. 7–11) 3. A Father's Bold Courage (vv. 12–15)

Corporate worship happens regularly. When Jesus rose from the dead, Christians began to gather on the first day of the week and so, two thousand years later, we continue to do this, every seventh day. Familiarity all too often breeds contempt and we can begin to allow worship to become mundane, or to morph into something that is more about us and our needs than it is about God and his glory. Hebrews 12:28–29 reminds us of some truths about the God that we are gathering to worship, and helps to refocus our hearts and minds, grateful for the opportunity we have each week to worship together. We ask three questions of this text: 1. What is worship (v. 28)? 2. Who do we worship (v. 29a)? 3. How should we worship (v. 29b)?

In Matthew 7:7–11, Jesus tells his followers to ask, knock, and seek for the good things that God promises to his children. We learn two lessons from these verses about the prayers of God's people: 1. Pray with Persistence (vv. 7–8) 2. Pray with Confidence (vv. 9–11)

Matthew 7:1–6 contains a well known teaching about hypocritical judging. Jesus presents us with a warning about harbouring an overly critical spirit towards others and challenges us to see the hypocrisy of doing so. Rather, we are to learn to see clearly so that we may be a help to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Only once we have learnt to see ourselves clearly will we be able to clearly discern between good and evil. We unpack this section in four steps: A warning (vv. 1–2) A challenge (vv. 3–4) Learning to see clearly (v. 5) Clearly discerning (v. 6)

Paul's opponents in Corinth were commending themselves and criticising Paul by the use of a worldly metric. In their estimation, the Corinthians should reject Paul and replace him with them. But, of course, the metric that Paul used was very different to the metric the imposters used—as different as night and day; as different as spiritual light and spiritual darkness. This passage helps us to measure ministry by God's metric.

God's loving provision enables us to not be overly concerned and distracted by our material needs; rather, we are free to obey Jesus' command to seek God's kingdom and his righteousness first and foremost.

This passage begins the final section of 2 Corinthians, in which Paul calls the church to join with him in opposing false teachers who threaten the spiritual health of the church. These opening verses serve as a call to spiritual warfare. In these six verses, the Christian is encouraged in God's divine power and equipped to go forth with gospel confidence, confronting a world seeking refuge in unbelief.

In Matthew 6:19–24, Jesus urges his readers to lay up their treasures in heaven rather than on earth. If we treasure Christ, we will have lived the life!

The purpose of the chapter was to encourage the Corinthian church to gracefully and hence gratefully keep their promise of giving an offering for a suffering church. Because of gratefulness for God's grace in Christ, believers are to give wilfully (vv. 1–5), worshipfully (vv. 6–11), and wonder-fully (vv. 12–15). What was true for them remains true for all Christians, in all places, at all times.

Financial integrity, like every ethical matter of the local church, is influenced by the gospel. When church members, including church leaders, live as witnesses of the resurrected Lord, funds entrusted to the church for ministry will be safeguarded to the glory of God. Having highlighted grace giving (vv. 1–7) and gospel giving (vv. 8–15), Paul next speaks of glorious giving (vv. 16–24). We see this in three ways: 1. Glorious Responsibility (vv. 16–17) 2. Glorious Accountability (vv. 18–22) 3. Glorious Credibility (vv. 23–24)

Good Friday presents another opportunity for us to be reminded that Jesus came as the King of the Universe to deal with the world's greatest problem: sin. Men and women can easily take Christ for granted, just as they did in the days Jesus lived. We are reminded from Matthew 26:6–13 that, like the original disciples, we will not always have Christ with us. This is a sober warning for those who have yet to put their faith in him, but a joyful reminder to believers of God's love for them. We consider this text in three stages: 1. Jesus Was Born to Die (vv. 12–13) 2. What a Waste (vv. 6–9) 3. You Will Not Always Have Me (vv. 10–11)

At the last Passover he celebrated with his disciples, Jesus implemented what has since become known as the Lord's Supper. The Last Supper (of a particular kind) was replaced with a new kind of Supper, which is uniquely the Lord's possession. We will consider Luke's narrative of these events under three broad headings. 1. The Anticipated Hour (vv. 14–15) 2. The Announcement of the Hour (vv. 16–20) 3. An Alarming Hour (vv. 21–23)

Fasting is not a practice that we tend to frequently include in our worship, but Jesus taught on it in the Sermon on the Mount. In these verses, we discover two categories of lessons on fasting: 1. Lessons on How Not to Fast (v. 16) 2. Lessons on How to Fast ( vv. 17–18)

Grace and gospel are inseparable truths informing Paul's instruction for the Corinthian church to financially assist the suffering church in Jerusalem. Their gospel-induced giving will equip the church in Jerusalem to persevere in her gospel ministry. Our text informs us that gospel giving: 1. declares belief in the gospel (vv. 8–9) 2. demands perseverance in the gospel (vv. 10–12) 3. demonstrates partnership in the gospel (vv. 13–15)

The Lord's Prayer lies at the heart of the Sermon on the Mount. Its purpose within the broader context is to distil the prayerful desire of Jesus' kingdom disciples. If we desire to flourish within God's kingdom, we must rightly relate to God in prayer the way that Jesus teaches. After addressing God as our Father (v. 9a), we pray for heaven to come on earth (vv. 9b–10) and for our Father to provide what we need (vv. 11–13). All of this is only possible in the life of a person who has taken hold of the forgiveness of their sins (vv. 14–15).

Sadly, the subject of financial giving is often considered “controversial.” This is both harmful and needless because biblical giving is both a result and a revelation of God's gospel grace. As Paul begins a two-chapter discourse on “giving and the church,” he grounds us in the biblical teaching of grace giving. He helps us to see that giving is a gospel issue. We will discover this under these headings: 1. Grace Experienced (vv. 1–2) 2. Grace Exemplified (vv. 3–5) 3. Grace Excelling (vv. 6–7)

As we continue to study the Sermon on the Mount, we see Christ elaborate further on how genuine citizens of the kingdom do not practise their righteousness to be seen by others. In Matthew 6:5–8, Jesus addresses the critical distinction between hypocritical and righteous prayer. He shows how prayers motivated by a desire for public admiration or a transactional approach are empty and offensive. Conversely, he emphasises the nature of genuine prayer as intimate communion with the Father, a natural expression of a believer's relationship with God. Jesus underscores the reality that true prayer is not about the perfection of words or the performance of piety, but is rather an exercise of faith rooted in a transformed heart. We consider this text under two broad headings: 1.⁠ ⁠Hypocritical prayer (vv. 5, 7) a. Practice of piety b. Perfection of words 2.⁠ ⁠Righteous prayer (vv. 6, 8)

Deuteronomy presents Israel on the brink of great things: They're about to enter the land of promise, conquer mighty nations, and have God go before them. But at this junction, God, speaking through Moses, decides to temper Israel's excitement with a dose of realism. Even with the blessings come temptations to forget and fall away. So God reminds us, as he reminded Israel, to remember where we are, remember who he is, and remember where we came from. We consider these three exhortations from this text. 1. Remember Where You Are (vv. 1–3) 2. Remember Who God Is (vv. 4–5) 3. Remember Where You Came From (vv. 6–12)

In this passage, Jesus warns against the outward righteousness of the Pharisees and religious leaders by exposing the self-worshipping posture of their hearts. The true child of God practises these acts of worship with a pure motive for God to receive the glory. We consider three things from this text: 1.⁠ ⁠The Warning of Hypocrisy (vv. 1–2a) 2.⁠ ⁠⁠The Spectacle of Giving (v. 2) 3.⁠ ⁠⁠Confidential Giving (vv. 3–4)

Our recent WOC provided the context for us to once again be reminded that the Lord has blessed BBC so that we are a church that refreshes the many “Tituses” with whom we have a Great Commission relationship. It also reminded us of our responsibility to maintain such a refreshing demeanour. Remarkably, the church of Corinth provided refreshment to Titus, and Paul commends it for this. In this passage, we will look at: 1. What a refreshing church does 2. What a refreshing church is 3. What a refreshing church is not 4. What a refreshing church requires

World Outreach Celebration 2025 focuses on the theme: “Don't Waste Your Worship: How Missions Flows from Worship and to Worship.” On Day 4, Daniel Bennett, pastor-teacher of Bethany Community Church in Washington, Illinois, speaks from Acts 13:13 on “Sustained Worship: Faithful to the Mission,” emphasising the truth that God uses weak vessels to proclaim the glorious truths that transform idolators into Christ-exalting worshippers. He addresses three things from this text: 1. Why we abandon the mission 2. What happens when we fail 3. How we care for our missionaries

World Outreach Celebration 2025 focuses on the theme: “Don't Waste Your Worship: How Missions Flows from Worship and to Worship.” On Day 3, Daniel Bennett, pastor-teacher of Bethany Community Church in Washington, Illinois, speaks from Acts 13:4–12 on “New Worship: The Missionary Task,” emphasising what missions is and what a missionary is. He addresses three things from this text: 1. The task of missions (vv. 4–5) 2. The opposition to missions (vv. 6–10) 3. The hope of missions (vv. 11–12)

World Outreach Celebration 2025 focuses on the theme: “Don't Waste Your Worship: How Missions Flows from Worship and to Worship.” On Day 2, Daniel Bennett, pastor-teacher of Bethany Community Church in Washington, Illinois, speaks from Acts 13:1–3 on “Purposeful Worship: The Church that Sends Missionaries,” emphasising that a church that loves and worships God sets apart and sends out people who yearn for others to love and worship God. He addresses two things from this text: 1. The church that sends missionaries (vv. 1–3) 2. The missionaries the church sends (v. 2)

World Outreach Celebration 2025 focuses on the them: “Don't Waste Your Worship: How Missions Flows from Worship and to Worship.” On Day 1, Daniel Bennett, pastor-teacher of Bethany Community Church in Washington, Illinois, speaks from Acts 11:19–30 on “True Worship: Missions and the Local Church,” emphasising that you must participate in Christ's church if you desire to participate in God's kingdom. He highlights three truths from this text: 1. The local church is the goal of evangelism (vv. 19–21) 2. The local church is the primary place discipleship takes place (vv. 22–26) 3. The local church is the primary means through which God accomplishes ministry (vv. 27–30)

According to Jesus those who flourish are righteously related to the Father through his Son. They have a righteousness that exceeds a merely external righteousness; that is, they truly, whole-heartedly, “whole-personally” keep the Law of God. This is the kind of life expected of those who have been born again, precisely because the gospel that saves us also empowers us for such Father-like flourishing. We consider the text before us under two headings: 1. Love Like Your Father (vv. 43–47) 2. Live Like Your Father (v. 48)

In this passage Paul writes about God's comfort to him—comfort arising from the soil of great grief. Gospel faithfulness can be grievous. Yet what is sometimes great grief can by the same gospel be transformed into good grief. We will study this “good grief” under three major headings: 1. Graced Grief (vv. 1–4) 2. Great Grief (vv. 5–9) 3. Godly Grief (vv. 10–16)

Jesus overturns the principle of “an eye for an eye,” teaching that true discipleship means turning the other cheek, giving generously, and going the extra mile—even for enemies. This challenges worldly justice, modelling God's mercy and love. Through Christ's example of selfless sacrifice, believers are called to break cycles of retaliation, trust in God's provision, and embody a transformative grace that points others to the kingdom of God. We hear four exhortations in these verses: 1.⁠ ⁠Challenge Conventional Justice (vv. 38–39) 2.⁠ ⁠⁠Choose Generous Giving (v. 40) 3.⁠ ⁠⁠Commit to the Extra Mile (v. 41) 4.⁠ ⁠⁠Convey Christ's Compassion (v. 42)

Paul's pastoral concern is the holiness of the church. In this passage, filled with imperatives to holiness, he exhorts the church at Corinth to separate from spiritually unhealthy relationships, while pursuing holy ones. There are three major sections to this passage: 1. The Relationships to Reject (6:14–16a) 2. The Relationship to Reflect (6:16b–18) 3. The Relationships to Receive (7:1)

As we continue our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, we find Jesus describing surpassing righteousness in terms of truth-telling. Tradition had distorted God's truth in this regard, and Jesus points to two things to correct this distortion: 1. Truth-telling according to the standards of tradition (v. 33) 2. Truth-telling according to the standards of Jesus (vv. 34–37)

In this passage, Paul transparently describes what he has experienced in his ministry as an apostle. It serves as an autobiographical self-commendation for the purpose of calling the church at Corinth to repent of their estrangement from the apostle. This was necessary for their spiritual health (6:14–7:16). Among other lessons, we learn, under three headings, what characterises God-commended ministry: 1. A Faultless Claim (v. 3) 2. A Favourable Commendation (vv. 4–10) 3. A Fatherly Concern (vv. 11–13)

The only way to accurately examine our profession of faith—the only dependable diagnostic—is scanning our profession with the light of the gospel: the message of what God has done to remove the cause of our being estranged from God—our sin. This is the heart of this passage and, at the heart of the heart is v. 21, where Paul writes one of the most profound verses in all of Scripture—what Calvin called “the wondrous exchange.” We consider three things about this exchange: 1. New Creation and the Wondrous Exchange (5:17) 2. Sovereign Reconciliation and the Wondrous Exchange (5:18–21) 3. Urgent Proclamation of the Wondrous Exchange (6:1–2)

Matthew 5:31–32 gives us Jesus' teaching on divorce, which reminds us that the citizens of the kingdom are people of the covenant. Though we are unfaithful, as those joined to a covenant-keeping husband, we have the opportunity to display the glory of Christ as we keep our earthly covenants in his power. We consider these verses from the dual lenses of man's mess and God's glory.

In this text, Paul makes clear that his worldview has been re-shaped by God's work of “new creation.” By God's work of reconciliation, a new creation transformation takes place in the life of the believer, including how he or she evaluates the world and everything in it. In this passage we see three aspects of new creation living: 1. New Creation Transformation (5:16–17) 2. New Creation Reconciliation (5:18–21) 3. New Creation Proclamation (6:1–2)

Chap Bettis, author of The Disciple-Making Parent, addresses the topic of anger and impatience in parenting—and more generally. He does so by addressing four truths from James 4:1–3: 1. We need to understand what anger is 2. We need to understand that sinful anger usually comes from a blocked goal or desire. 3. We need to understand that anger is a foe. 4. We need to understand that anger can be a friend.

In Jesus' authoritative application of the Old Testament in the Sermon on the Mount, he unearths the truth behind the command to not commit adultery. The righteousness that God requires involves more than merely abstaining from certain behaviours, but desiring the right things—desiring a covenantal relationship more than the fleeting pleasure of sin; desiring eternal life more than the indulgence of the flesh. In another convicting teaching, Jesus asks each one of us: What do you want? We consider this question under two broad headings: 1. The heart of the law (vv. 27–28) 2. The life it requires (vv. 29–30)

In Philippians 1:27–2:4, Paul speaks to the petty grumbling and empty conceit happening among his gospel partners in Philippi. It was a kind of unrest that not only dulled their gospel witness in the city but eroded their ability to stand firm side by side for the sake of the gospel in the face of strong opposition. The remedy? Our relationship with God in Christ calls us to live united in the gospel. We consider these verses under two broad headings: 1. Stand Firm as One in Christ (1:27–30) 2. Exercise Humility as One in Christ (2:1–4)

According to Jesus, those who flourish are righteously related to the Father through his Son. They have a righteousness that exceeds a merely external righteousness. Jesus begins to unpack what this looks like by teaching concerning the sixth commandment. Here, we learn that honouring the sanctity of life is much deeper than not taking the life of another. We can summarise this teaching in four key ways:   1. Acknowledge Dignity (vv. 21–26) 2. Avoid Animosity (vv. 21–22) 3. Appreciate the Necessity (vv. 23–24) 4. Act with Urgency (vv. 25–26)

In this passage, Paul makes clear that the controlling factor in his life and ministry is the love of Christ as experienced in the gospel. He unpacks what it means to live with gospel motivation. Christ's love for him was his life's controlling motivation. It should be ours as well. We see this in three areas:   1. Paul's Uncompromising Commitment (v. 11) 2. Paul's Unconventional Conduct (vv. 12–13) 3. Paul's Unconquerable Constraint (vv. 14–15)

The flourishing life, as revealed throughout Scripture, and as expounded by the Lord Jesus Christ, is rooted in “the Law and the Prophets.” That is, it is grounded in a commitment to love and to live (and therefore to learn) the word of God. As Jesus reveals in Matthew 5:19–20, this flourishing life is both radically religious (v. 19) and radically righteous (v. 20).

Christians live between two homes: our earthly home of a fallen, mortal body, and a promised and prepared heavenly home of a sinless, immortal body. Therefore, we are at the same time “at home” and “almost home.” This raises a question: In the meantime, how should we live? Paul answers this, instructing that Christians are to have: 1. A Confident Disposition (vv. 6–8) 2. A Concentrated Motivation (v. 9) 3. A Certain Expectation (10)

Christians sometimes have extrabiblical and/or unbiblical ideas about life beyond the grave. Second Corinthians 5:1–5 provides clarity about our future hope. Paul is at pains to make clear that Christians will be resurrected with a physical body into a material existence. He argues that that future hope provides us with what need to faithfully persevere until we die. There are four aspects to this future hope:   1. Confidence about the Future (v. 1) 2. Craving the Future (vv. 2–3) 3. Continuity with the Future (v. 4) 4. Confirmation of the Future (v. 5)

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) prescribes the way of human flourishing, human happiness, human blessedness. In 5:17–18, the Lord Jesus reveals that such a life is lawful. The flourishing life is faithful to the word of God, all of it. The way to human flourishing has not changed one bit up the Incarnation. Those in the kingdom of God are committed to living in accordance with God's word.

Zephaniah 3:9–20 offers a series of staggering promises to those who will seek God. We hear in these verses four sounds of salvation, which serve to encourage us as to what God promises and what God does for his people who seek him: 1. The sound of purity (vv. 9–10) 2. The sound of humility (vv. 11–13) 3. The sound of festivity (vv. 9–15) 4. The sound of deity (vv. 16–20)

Psalm 11 offers an encouragement to the righteous during times of crisis, when godlessness and wickedness increases around us, and it seems as though the foundations of justice, righteousness, and order crumble. The psalmist asks and answers two questions for the believer in times of crisis. The psalmist urges his readers to take refuge in the Lord and not to be overcome or give in to unworthy desires to “flee like a bird to the mountains” for safety. We consider this psalm under two broad headings:   1. Encouragement in Crisis (vv. 1–3) 2. Questions in Crisis (vv. 4–7)