FBC Benbrook Sermons

Most of us associate thanksgiving with the holiday we celebrate on the fourth Thursday in November. But for followers of Christ, thanksgiving should permeate all of our walk in Christ. In fact, we are called to abound in thanksgiving as we are rooted and built up in Christ. What exactly is thanksgiving, and what does it look like for thanksgiving to so permeate our lives that we abound in thanksgiving? (Colossians 2.1-7) November 6, 2022.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly amazing. Not only are we forgiven of our many sins by God's grace through the atoning death of Jesus, but we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when we put our faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit is not only at work within us, transforming us into the image of Christ, but the Spirit is also at work through us to build up the body of Christ. With such an amazing gospel, why did Paul need to tell the church to use their spiritual gifts? Why wouldn't they be using their gifts as the natural overflow of their salvation? (Romans 12.3-8) October 30, 2022

Why did God choose to give differing gifts to Christians? His divine eternal plan is to create one household of faith, where His children share the love of the Father with each other. But our sin natures make this hard to live out. How do the biblical passages on spiritual gifts encourage us to think and act in such a way as to preserve the unity of the body of Christ for His glory? (Romans 12.3-6) October 23, 2022

Since spiritual gifts are the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in and through the believer, it is natural that we have some questions about how this works. But, we don't want to allow the mystery of spiritual gifts to keep us from the mystery of spiritual gifts. Join us for a conversation about the top questions that many Christians have about spiritual gifts. (Romans 12.4-6) October 16, 2022.

At the end of Moses' life, he wrote down all the words of the law in a book and placed it beside the ark. Yet, many scholars today believe that Moses was not the principle author of the Pentateuch, but that it was written hundreds of years later to support the new monarchy and temple worship in Jerusalem. Why is it important that we believe Moses was the principle author of the Pentateuch? Because there is a spiritual battle going on for our faith in Christ, and what we believe about Scripture and what we do with Scripture will determine victory or defeat. (Deuteronomy 31.24-29) October 2, 2022

The story of Balaam and his talking donkey is surely one of the weirdest stories from the exodus. As we look deeper than the surface story, we find that Israel was supposed to learn that God is sovereign over all of His creation and present and active in creation. It should have encouraged them to move boldly toward the Promised Land because if God was for them, who could be against them? Unfortunately, they chose to embrace the “god of this world,” which at that time was the pagan god Baal. This temptation is common to us today, leading many in our culture to reject the idea of a sovereign and present God and to embrace the god of this world, modern day naturalism. But even believers can believe in a sovereign God but believe Him to NOT be present and active in this world. In the end, Balaam was right. We will either live with a question mark or an exclamation point after the words, “What has God wrought.” (September 25, 2022) Numbers 23.19-23.

After all that Moses had to endure leading a grumbling group of people through the wilderness, he was disqualified from entering the Promised Land himself for the simple crime of hitting a rock with a stick. Why was the sin of Moses such a big deal in the eyes of God? And what can we learn about being an Ambassador for Christ from his mistakes? (Numbers 20.1-13) September 11, 2022

The Bible teaches us that we are to submit to authority, but most of our favorite Bible stories are about godly people resisting authority. The story of Korah's rebellion against Moses makes us think about what the Bible has to say about authority. (Numbers 16) September 4, 2022

When we come face to face with the Giants in our land, whom do we fear? Do we fear the giants or fear the Lord? How does the presence of God, the Word of God, the ways of God, and our relationship with God impact those life changing moments? (Numbers 13-14) August 28, 2022

Many of the stories from the exodus experience involve the wrath of God being poured out upon His people in response to their sin and rebellion. How does the wrath of God relate to the grace of the new covenant? As we think through the gospel, we see that the wrath of God drives us to the grace of God and calls us to rest under the discipline of a loving heavenly Father. (Numbers 13.1-3) August 21, 2022

Why did God spend so much time giving specific instructions to Moses about how to build the tabernacle? What was God communicating to His people by gifting them with the tabernacle? How does the tabernacle point to Jesus? By reading Exodus 40 and Hebrews 9-10, we learn that God wants to dwell with His people, that our sin separates us from a holy God, and that through Jesus we can draw near to the dwelling place of God. (Exodus 40) August 14, 2020

Guest preacher Matt Miller takes an in-depth look at the Golden Calf story in Exodus 32 (August 7, 2022).

The Ten Commandments are one of the most iconic passages of Scripture in the entire Bible, but they present an interesting question for gospel loving Christians. What is the relationship of the law to the gospel of grace? How are we both “no longer under the law” and yet called to obey “all His commands”? Why do we embrace these commands that God gave Moses on the mountain, but dismiss almost all the rest of them? How do we read the law in light of the gospel of grace? (Exodus 20.1-17) July 31, 2022

After delivering His people from slavery in Egypt, the Lord took the children of Israel on a long journey of a changed manner of life to root out the evils of their past. And while it is easy to look down on them for their constant grumbling, the truth is that we are on the same journey of sanctification, and often don't fare any better. But the good news is that God is gracious and merciful to us as our spiritual growth has its ups and downs. Furthermore, the story of God providing manna in the desert reminds us that the real test of our faith is about trusting in the Lord and the “glory question.” (Exodus 15.22-16.30) July 17, 2022

The crossing of the Red Sea is the most well-known of all the stories of Exodus, and it can be explored from many points of view. But it is ground zero for what we believe about God, about the Scriptures, and how we walk in faith with Him. The crossing of the Red Sea forces us to answer three important questions: Do we believe that God is sovereign over creation? Do we believe that the Scriptures are trustworthy? Do we believe that we need worship to nourish our soul? (Exodus 14) July 10, 2022

The call of Moses was both unique and common to all people of God. If you are a follower of Christ, you have both been called and are being called. That is why learning from the excuses Moses gave to God as to why he could not do what God was telling him to do is so important for us today. We give the same excuses, but God calls us to His own purposes and grace. By taking a closer look at this story, we see that we all stand before the burning bush. (Exodus 3.1-10) June 19, 2022

The truth that we are justified by faith is more than a doctrine to debate. It is a life changing experience. Those who are justified by faith are crucified with Christ, our old selves die with Christ, and we are made alive, born again. The life we now live, we live by faith in the Jesus Christ who lives in us and for us. And if God is for us, who can be against us? (Galatians 2.15-21) June 5, 2022

When we are justified by faith in Christ Jesus, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Those who belong to God have the Spirit dwelling in them. And since we have new life through the Spirit, we should walk in the Spirit and keep in step with the Spirit. This is the way that followers of Christ put to death the flesh. But how do we walk by the Spirit? (Galatians 5.16-26) May 29, 2022

Scripture tells us that it was for freedom that Christ has set us free. In fact, we have been called to freedom. But what does that mean? Does that mean that since our sins are forgiven we are now free to do whatever we want? No, what we discover is that we have been set free from sin so that we can belong to Christ and bear fruit for God. (Galatians 5.1-15) May 22, 2022

The Scriptures tell us that the “righteous shall live by faith,” but what does righteousness mean? Righteousness describes the person and character of God. Righteousness also describes the righteousness of Christ imputed by faith. But righteousness also describes the pursuit of those who have been justified by faith. How do we pursue righteousness in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of works? (Galatians 3.10-14) May 8, 2022

The Scriptures tell us that we are justified by faith and not by works, and that this is a gift that we receive by faith. But when the Bible uses the word “faith,” what exactly is it talking about? As we continue to explore Paul's letter to the churches in Galatia where he clarifies the genuine gospel of Jesus Christ, we find out that faith is believing in the truths of the gospel, acting upon the truths of the gospel, and bearing the fruit of the gospel. (Galatians 3.1-9). May 1, 2022.

Galatians 1.1-9

How do you draw the undrawable? The hope of eternal life, the new heavens and new earth, where God makes all things new, is the indescribable future that is difficult to describe. The prophet Isaiah helps us learn to draw the undrawable by contrasting the hope of the Eternal Kingdom of God with the vanity and futility of this world, as described by the book of Ecclesiastes. In Romans 8, the apostle Paul does the same, but the prophet Isaiah paints a beautiful picture of the hope for which we were saved. (Isaiah 65.17-25) April 10, 2022.

“Dear Lord, I need you to rip open the gates of heaven and come down here and do the kind of things you used to do in the Bible days!” If you have ever prayed like that, you are praying the words of Isaiah 64. The good news is that God did rent the heavens and came down at the incarnation, and He will rend the heavens again and come down at the Second Coming of Jesus. But, God still rends the heavens and comes down when we pray. And this is why we pray Kingdom Centered Miracle Prayers. (Isaiah 64.1-12) April 3, 2022.

The Scriptures teach us that the Old Testament prophets (like Isaiah) bore witness to the gospel and the apostles (like Paul) proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ. Isaiah prophesied about the coming “arm of the Lord” who would bring salvation, righteousness, redemption, and a new covenant, and the apostle Paul not only saw Jesus as the fulfillment of that prophecy but then applied the new covenant to the people of God striving to walk as children of the light in a dark world. (Isaiah 59.14-60.3) March 20, 2022

One of the many reasons why our fellowship with God is broken, our prayers are hindered, and God's gracious work in our lives is thwarted is because of unconfessed and unrepentant sin. The prophet Isaiah confronted God's people with this hard truth centuries ago, but God's people still need to hear it. This is why the spiritual discipline of confession is an important part of our walk with Christ, but the discipline needs to be specific, lead to repentance, and be empowered by grace. (Isaiah 59.1-13) March 13, 2022

What does it take to make us happy? Since the dawn of time, we have been searching for happiness, meaning, contentment, and satisfaction in places that are powerless to satisfy. The prophet Isaiah asked the question, “Why do you labor for that which does not satisfy?” God invites us to find satisfaction in Him through Christ in us, but we must make the faith step to confess that God alone, the creator and sustainer of our souls, has the power and ability to satisfy our souls. (Isaiah 55.1-13) March 6, 2022

Fasting is abstaining from food for a spiritual purpose, and it has been practiced as a spiritual discipline by the people of God since the very beginning, and continues to be today. Fasting is often connected with mourning and confession, but usually it is associated with desperate prayer. The prophet Isaiah described how fasting can become displeasing to the Lord, but also reminds us of a great promise that God does respond to God pleasing fasting. In light of the recent crisis in Ukraine, we are invited and challenged to give the Lord the gift of a fast as we desperately pray for peace. (Isaiah 58.1-12) February 27, 2022.

In what might be the most important chapter of the entire Old Testament, the Word of the Lord came through the prophet Isaiah, speaking of Jesus, the Servant of the Lord. These 15 verses lay out the truth about Jesus: His incarnation, substitutionary atonement, and imputed righteousness to those who believe in Him. (Isaiah 52.13-53.12) February 20, 2022

One story keeps playing itself over and over throughout the history of God's relationship with His people: God's people forget their calling, forsake His ways, and go after other gods. Isaiah 48 is a vivid reminder that our rebellion might lead the Father to put us through the “furnace of affliction,” to refine us for His name's sake. But the prophet also reminds us that we can never “out sin” the steadfast love of the Lord. The merciful God is determined to redeem His people. (Isaiah 48.9-11) January 30, 2022

How big is our God? Is God big enough to reveal to the prophet Isaiah the name of the king of a kingdom that wouldn't exist for another 70 years, to name the king by name 130 years before he took the throne, to claim that God would cause this kingdom to become the largest the world had ever known, and to claim that this king would accomplish His purpose whether he wanted to or not? That is exactly the point of Isaiah 45, and this picture of a big God increases our faith in Him as we face the trials and toils of life. (Isaiah 44.24-45.13) January 23, 2022

In the words of the apostle John, followers of Christ are to “keep ourselves from idols.” But is idol worship really a sin that modern day Christians who live in a western, scientific world really need to concern ourselves with? What we can we learn from the prophet Isaiah and the apostle Paul about idol worship? What does modern day idolatry look like? (Isaiah 44.6-20) January 16, 2022

We take for granted the truth that God loves us, but when life gets real and painful, we often doubt His love. Isaiah 43 reminds us of God's steadfast love, that we are precious to Him because He created us, formed us, called us, and redeemed us. God's love for us is not based upon our worthiness but upon His eternal character, and the cross is the “once and for all” definite statement of His love. (Isaiah 43.1-7) January 9, 2022

One of our favorite Christmas songs, O Holy Night, features the line, “a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.” Isaiah prophesied that a child would be born, and the angel confirmed to Mary that Jesus was in fact that child. His birth was, and is, good news of great joy, for He is the Prince of Peace and of the increase of His peace there will be no end. But how can we experience this peace today in a world that remains so weary? Is it possible for the weary world to continue to rejoice? (Isaiah 9.1-7) December 12, 2021

When the gospel of Matthew tells the Christmas story, it presents the virgin conception as the fulfillment of a prophecy of Isaiah. However, it also says that His name should be called “Immanuel.” What does it mean to call Jesus “Immanuel”? By looking at the context of the original prophecy, we hear that calling Jesus “Immanuel” is a confession that we believe Jesus is God in flesh, a testimony that God is with us through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and an encouragement to trust Him because our Good Shepherd is with us in the valley of shadows. (Isaiah 7.14) December 5, 2021

The first section of the book of Isaiah is all about trusting the Lord. This section ends with the story of Hezekiah, a king who was challenged to trust the Lord to deliver Judah from the Assyrian army. But the story is complex, and serves as a reminder to us that we should keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, give God the glory when given the opportunity, and be more concerned about the nations coming to know Jesus as Lord than our own prosperity and security (Isaiah 36-39) November 28, 2021

As we prepare for a week of thanksgiving, we spend some time reflecting on why it is good to be a child of the king. (Isaiah 35.1-10) November 21, 2021

When the king of Judah found himself in a difficult situation, facing a much more powerful nation, he naturally thought of making an alliance with another nation to help him in the fight. But the Lord was adamant that they should not go down to Egypt. The prophet explained why the Lord did not want them to go down to Egypt: (1) because God had already told them to never return to Egypt, (2) because it demonstrates that Judah didn't really care about God's counsel or will, (3) because they didn't really trust the Lord to be able to deliver them, and (4) because His people had lost sight of the bigger picture of being a people for His own possession. As new covenant followers of Christ, we are challenged to consider what it means for us to trust the Lord as we face our own “bread of adversity and water of affliction.” (Isaiah 30.1-7) November 14, 2021