The newest sermons from Fox Lake Community Church on SermonAudio.
Because God is infinitely holy, every sin—no matter how small it seems to us—is a serious offense against Him. We are quick to dismiss our own faults as trivial while comparing ourselves favorably to others, yet the law of God holds us guilty for the smallest of our sins. As we grow in grace and see His holiness more clearly, our sense of sin deepens, but that very awareness draws us nearer to Him in repentance, strengthens our faith, and advances our sanctification. We must therefore refuse to minimize or excuse sin, and go to our Father in confession, trusting His faithful promise to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The sermon examines Jesus' warning in John 15-16 that His followers will face hatred and persecution from the world because they are no longer part of its sinful system. It contrasts this inevitable opposition with the promise of abundant blessings, emphasizing that believers must expect hostility as a result of reflecting Christ's character. The preacher argues that this hatred is often without cause and serves to expose human guilt, yet it should not intimidate Christians or cause them to fall away from their faith. Instead, the Holy Spirit empowers believers to bear witness to Jesus even in hostile environments, transforming suffering into deeper reliance on God. Ultimately, the message encourages the congregation to find enduring joy and strength in the Lord despite external pressures.
Before Jesus' departure he commanded his disciples to love one another as he had loved them. His love was to be their standard. Additionally, his love would empower the disciples' love for each other. Jesus' love is seen in his laying down his life, enter into friendship with us, revealing God's will to us, and choosing us to bear fruit and have our prayers answered.
The key to bearing fruit is found in abiding in Christ. Our Father is so committed to fruit bearing, that every branch that bears fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit. When it comes to pruning or discipline, we understand that God is dealing with sin in our lives, but we need to recognize that he is also removing excess weight from our lives. We are commanded to abide, so that the joy of Jesus may be in us and our joy may be full.
Contentment doesn't come easy. Even the apostle Paul had to learn (presumably over a period of time) the secret to being content in any and every circumstance. The secret is that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Since the LORD is our shepherd we lack nothing. He will meet all our needs from the cradle to the grave and on into eternity, and comfort us with his presence as we go through life's trials.
This sermon explores Hebrews 4:1-11, emphasizing the urgent call for believers to enter God's rest through persevering faith. The preacher distinguishes between a godly fear that leads to salvation and a dread that drives one away from God, warning against the danger of unbelief. Key theological themes include the continuity of the gospel in the Old Testament, the insufficiency of external religious rituals without faith, and the typological significance of Joshua leading Israel into Canaan as a shadow of Christ's redemptive work. The passage is interpreted to highlight that true rest is found not in physical land or legal observance, but in the completed work of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, the message urges listeners to strive for this spiritual and eternal rest by holding fast to hope and avoiding the hardening of hearts.
In light of God's profound mercy revealed in Christ—justification by grace, liberation from sin, and the promise of resurrection—Paul calls believers to respond with wholehearted devotion, presenting their bodies as living sacrifices. This commitment is the logical and rational expression of worship. To live as such a sacrifice requires rejecting conformity to the values and priorities of the present age and instead embracing a radical renewal of the mind. This transformation, unfolds through disciplined meditation on Scripture and the internalization of divine truth, which must ultimately penetrate the heart to produce genuine change.
Psalm 22 presents a profound messianic prophecy in which Jesus Himself speaks from the cross, expressing His deep anguish and abandonment, yet progressively turning from lament to faith by recalling God's unwavering faithfulness throughout history and in His own life. The first half of the psalm vividly foretells the physical and spiritual suffering of Christ—His forsakenness, mockery, piercing, and crucifixion—fulfilled in precise detail, while the second half shifts to triumphant prophecy, declaring His resurrection, the spread of the gospel to all nations, and the ultimate worship of every family on earth.
Spiritual worship involves a continual, daily commitment to God, likened to a living sacrifice presented on the altar, requiring repeated renewal when one strays. God promises to strengthen those who are blameless toward him.
The disciples are troubled by the thought of being separated from Jesus, so he comforts them by letting them know that 1) they know God and have seen him; 2) they will do great works than Jesus did; 3) he will answer their prayers.
Jesus commands his disciples not to be troubled due to his departure, calling them to trust in God and in Himself. Jesus assures them that his departure is not abandonment but preparation: He is going to his Father's house to make room for them, ensuring a permanent, eternal dwelling where they will dwell with him forever. He promises a future reunion, not merely at the end of time, but at the moment of death. Most decisively, Jesus declares himself to be the exclusive way, truth, and life—revealing that salvation is found in no other, through no other means, but solely in his person and work, which culminated in his sacrificial death and resurrection, making reconciliation with God possible.
Jesus clarifies that the Sixth Commandment, 'You shall not murder,' extends far beyond physical homicide to include unjustified anger, insulting language, and character defamation. He also states that true obedience involves actively pursuing reconciliation and restoration.
Moral falls don't "just happen." As with Peter's fall, there are numerous warning signs along the way that are conveniently ignored. Peter's fall is recorded so we can learn from his example, and his rise and restoration is written for our encouragement.
Luke 18:15-17 Mark 10: 13-16 We can still "bring" our children to Jesus in the arms of prayer.
The sermon confronts the destructive nature of self-pity and despair in the face of suffering, using Job and Elijah as cautionary examples of how trials can lead to bitterness when one loses sight of God's sovereignty and unseen purposes. It contrasts their lament with the biblical call to joy and trust. The message emphasizes that joy is not denial of pain but a deliberate choice to worship and trust God amid trials, rooted in the promise that He never leaves or forsakes His people. Ultimately, the sermon calls believers to glorify God in both suffering and prosperity, recognizing that every circumstance, however difficult, serves a divine purpose in shaping character and reflecting His glory.
Before Jesus' departure into heaven he gives his disciples a new command: to love another as he loved them. Loving others is not new, but loving "as Jesus loved them" raises the standard of love. And this love will be the ultimate testimony to the world that we are genuine disciples of Christ.
Without the right heart before God, we will miss His favor.
The successful outcome of the battle rises and falls on intercessory prayer. God is sovereign, but he works through means like prayer.
The mindset of Satan is "I will ascend." By contrast, Jesus said, "I will descend." Pride is seen when we boast, but also when we give in to self-pity. Boasting says, "I deserve what I'm receiving." Self-pity says, "I deserve better." Humility recognizes that all we have comes from God, and seeks to glorify him.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, essential for both salvation and daily living life. Belief in the resurrection is ultimately grounded not in empirical evidence alone, but in the reliability of Scripture—Jesus' own words and the prophetic witness of the Old Testament, which together form the unshakable foundation of Christian faith.
Jesus' troubled soul doesn't spring from a lack of faith, but from the spiritual torment of bearing God's wrath on the cross—experiencing divine forsakenness for the first time in eternity. Yet through it all he never wavered in his faith.
One of the goals for Christians is to have a positive impact on this world due to our lives, which should be, in the words of our Lord, "salt and light."
Jesus only has a few more hours to instruct his disciples, before his imminent arrest and crucifixion. He will cover many topics, but he begins with love. Yet, not only does he teach them, but he does them one better and show them what love in action looks like.
Ephesians 5:15-16, Matthew 5:16, James 4:13-14 Life is fleeting, and the urgency of the present moment requires believers to act wisely and purposefully. Spiritual complacency can lead to neglect in glorifying. Recognizing mortality and the brevity of life should motivate believers to live each day with intentionality, striving to glorify God in all things.
John provides a summary of Jesus' teaching at the end of his public ministry to encourage his readers to put their faith in Christ. John tells us that Jesus cried out, because he understands that life and death, heaven and hell hang in the balance. .
Acts 17:11 highlights the noble-minded character of the Bereans as marked by open-hearted receptivity and diligent, daily examination of Scripture to verify the truth of the gospel message. Unlike the more resistant and hostile Thessalonians, the Bereans welcomed Paul and Silas's teaching with eagerness and a sincere desire to test its alignment with the Bible. This means that listening to Scripture is not passive but a high calling requiring attentiveness, accountability, and a willingness to submit one's beliefs to divine revelation.
Jesus delivers His final public appeal to the Jewish crowd, urging them to believe in Him as the light of the world before the opportunity passes, emphasizing that time is short and unbelief leads to spiritual darkness. Though He performs numerous signs, many refuse to believe, not only due to their deliberate rejection of truth but also because of divine judicial hardening, as prophesied in Isaiah, which underscores both God's sovereignty and human responsibility. Some religious leaders believe in Him but remain silent out of fear of social ostracism, revealing that true faith must overcome the desire for human approval and embrace public confession.
Genesis 17:1-3, Joshua 5:13-14, Ezekiel 1:26-28, Isaiah 6:3-5, Job 42:5-6, Luke 5:8, Hebrews 12:28-29: How can sinful man come before the Holy God? God is a consuming fire, and yet He is rich in mercy, grace, long-suffering, and forgiveness. The burning coal that is Christ touches our lips and our iniquity is taken away, our sin purged. God has reversed the garden curse where man was cast out from the presence of God, and He calls us into His presence to worship Him. Worship must never become routine.
Matthew 4: 1-11 | Through the Sea, to the Wilderness The sermon presents Christ's temptation in the wilderness as a pivotal moment that fulfills Old Testament patterns of failure—such as Israel's grumbling in the desert—while establishing a divine pattern for Christian life: growth through trial, not coasting after spiritual milestones. Centered on Matthew 4, it reveals how Jesus overcomes three temptations—hunger, testing God's protection, and idolatry—by relying on Scripture and the Father's will, thereby modeling a life of faithfulness amid increasing challenges. The passage underscores that every spiritual high point, like baptism or conversion, is not an end but a gateway to deeper trials, which God provides the means to endure through His grace and Word. The sermon calls believers to embrace these trials as opportunities for maturity, rejecting shortcuts to power or comfort, and instead seeking God's kingdom, submitting to His will, and trusting in Christ's victory as the foundation for enduring faith.
Proverbs warns us of the sin that precedes destruction of all manner in our lives.
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