Free Grace Baptist Church

An exposition of 1 Timothy 1:12–14 in which Paul's account of his own conversion serves as a demonstration of sovereign grace. The sermon traces Paul's self-description as a former blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent man, and shows how his reception of mercy was not incidental but purposeful — a pattern for all who would believe on Christ for everlasting life. Main points: - Paul's testimony of what he was before conversion - the mercy Paul received and the grace that accompanied it - the purpose of Paul's conversion as a pattern of Christ's longsuffering toward sinners Scripture references: - 1 Timothy 1:1-20 - Acts 9:1-22; 22:3-21; 26:9-18 - Galatians 1:13-16 - Philippians 3:4-11 - 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 - Ephesians 2:1-5

Luke 24:50–53 records the ascending Christ lifting His hands to bless His disciples at Bethany before being carried up into heaven — an act that deliberately echoes the Aaronic priestly blessing of Leviticus 9 and reveals Jesus as the great High Priest whose sacrificial work is complete, unrepeatable, and whose blessing upon His people does not cease. This sermon was preached in the context of a Lord's Supper service. Main points: - the place of the blessing (Luke 24:50a) - the significance of the blessing (Luke 24:50b) - the glory of the one blessing (Luke 24:51–52) - the pattern of the blessed (Luke 24:53) Scripture references: - Leviticus 9:7; 9:15; 9:22-24 - 2 Samuel 15 - Psalm 24 - Ezekiel 28:13-14 - Zechariah 14:4 - Luke 24:44-53 - Acts 1:9-12; 2:42 - Ephesians 1:3 - Philippians 2:8-11 - 1 Peter 2:7 - Revelation 6:16

Psalm 13 is a lament of David crying out to God under the weight of prolonged suffering, apparent divine silence, and the triumph of enemies. This exposition traces the movement of the psalm from anguished questioning through earnest petition to confident trust, showing how the saint of God is equipped to endure seasons of spiritual desolation without abandoning faith in God's covenant mercy. Main points: - the complaint of the psalmist — the fourfold "how long" and the nature of felt divine absence - the petition of the psalmist — crying to God for light, life, and vindication - the confidence of the psalmist — resting in God's mercy and singing of his salvation Scripture references: - Psalms 11:1; 11:4-7; 12:1-5; 13:1-6 - Romans 8:28

An exposition of paragraphs seven and eight of Chapter 22 of the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, treating the perpetual moral obligation of the Sabbath and its proper observance. The sermon establishes that the Sabbath is grounded in the law of nature, confirmed in positive moral and perpetual commandment, and fulfilled in the Christian Lord's Day — the first day of the week — following the resurrection of Christ. Main points: - the perpetual moral obligation of the Sabbath - natural law and the proportion of time - the threefold character of the Sabbath in special revelation - the twofold division: Old Covenant and New Covenant - the perpetuity of the Sabbath restated and the Lord's Day - the manner of keeping the Sabbath holy (paragraph 8) Scripture references: - Genesis 2:1-3 - Exodus 20:8-11 - Nehemiah 13:15-22 - Isaiah 58:13-14 - Mark 2:27-28 - Acts 20:7 - 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 - Colossians 2:16-17 - Hebrews 4:1-11 - Revelation 1:10

Deuteronomy 11 sets before Israel a covenant structure of blessing for obedience and curse for disobedience. This exposition works through the chapter's three movements — the works of God recalled, the requirement of God stated, and the promise of blessing or curse declared — and shows how Christ fulfills what Israel failed to do, bearing the covenant curse as the representative of his people. Main points: - The works of God among the people of Israel (vv. 1–7) - The requirement of God for the people of Israel (vv. 8–12) - The promise of blessing or curse for the people of Israel (vv. 13–25) Scripture references: - Genesis 15 - Leviticus 18 - Numbers 11; 16 - Deuteronomy 1:29-31; 4:15; 6; 11:1-32; 27:14-26; 28:1-68 - Joshua 1:6-9; 2:8-13; 6:25 - Psalm 19 - Ecclesiastes - John 1:1-14; 15:1 - Romans 1:18-32 - Galatians 3:10-13; 3:16 - Ephesians 6 - Colossians 1 - Hebrews 5:8; 12 - 1 John 5

An expository treatment of 1 Timothy 1:3–7 examining Paul's apostolic charge to Timothy to silence false teachers in Ephesus and to preserve the gospel through sound doctrine, qualified elders, and love from a pure heart. The sermon addresses the nature of that charge, its stated purpose in verse 5, and the ignorance and arrogance of those who depart from orthodox teaching. Main points: - the apostle's charge to Timothy: the nature of the charge and its purpose (verses 3–5) - the false teacher's departure from the law (verses 6–7) Scripture references: - Psalm 12:2 - Matthew 23 - Acts 20:28-30; 28 - Philippians 1:15 - Galatians 1:6-9 - Ephesians 4:1-16 - 1 Corinthians 13 - 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 1:18-19; 3:1-7; 3:8; 4:1-2; 4:7; 4:11; 5:7; 6:17 - 2 Timothy 2:23; 4:1-5; 4:6-8 - Titus 1:5-9; 1:14-15; 2:15; 3:9 - James 3:1 - 1 Peter 5

Psalm 12 is examined as the cry of the godly in an age of deceit, tracing the contrast between the lying words of the wicked and the pure, preserving word of God. The sermon follows David's lament, his imprecatory petition against flattering lips, and God's prophetic promise of deliverance, reading the psalm through the experience of Christ and his church in every generation. Main points: - the destruction of the foundations (verses 1–4) - the preservation of the righteous (verses 5–8) Scripture references: - 1 Kings 19 - Psalms 2:8; 2:12; 3:7; 7:6; 9:19; 10:12; 11:1-7; 12; 27:1 - Proverbs 27:6 - Micah 7 - Matthew 8; 12 - John 1:1-14; 8:41-44; 15:21-23

An exposition of the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith Chapter 22, paragraphs 1–2, examined through the lens of the regulative principle of worship. Working through Deuteronomy 12, 1 Timothy 3, and Hebrews 12, the sermon argues that God alone institutes and limits the acceptable manner of His worship, and that this principle holds consistently across both covenants. Main points: - the doctrine stated: the light of nature and the regulative principle (paragraph 1) - the restriction applied: worship to the Triune God through Christ alone (paragraph 2) Scripture references: - Exodus 20; 21-23; 24; 25-31; 35-40; 40:34 - Leviticus 1-7; 8-10; 9:22-24; 10:1-3; 16 - Deuteronomy 4:24; 5:7-10; 12:29-32 - Psalm 19 - Haggai - Romans 1:19-21 - 1 Timothy 3:14-15 - Hebrews 12:18-29

Who is primarily responsible for catechizing your children, parents or the church? In this short Ask FGBC, Pastor Jim Butler turns to Deuteronomy 6 and Ephesians 6 to answer that question, then offers practical guidance for the day-to-day work of catechizing children at home. Topics include the biblical case for parental responsibility, why this is a both/and effort with the local church, what changes when a catechized child is converted, and the danger of treating schools or churches as substitutes for parental teaching. Ask FGBC is a digital ministry providing biblical, pastoral, and confessional answers to real questions submitted by believers, seekers, and those wrestling with assurance. Recorded with Pastor Jim Butler on November 15, 2025. Submit your own question and see previous topics: https://www.freegrace.ca/ask There is an option to do it anonymously. Videos are available on SermonAudio, Youtube and Facebook. Please like & share on our social media profiles as well to get the word out and distribute further! Church Website: https://www.freegrace.ca

Deuteronomy 10:12–22 presents what Moses identifies as the central demand of the covenant: to fear the Lord, walk in all his ways, love him, and serve him with all the heart and soul. This exposition traces that demand through the covenant renewal of Deuteronomy 10:1–11, its echoes in the prophets and in Christ's own words, and the sovereign grace that alone makes obedience possible. Main points: - The covenant renewal — Deuteronomy 10:1–11 - The central demand — Deuteronomy 10:12–13 - The demand echoed in the prophets and in Matthew 23 - The goodness and mercy of God in election — Deuteronomy 10:14–15 - The call to heart circumcision and the New Covenant promise — Deuteronomy 10:16 and 30:6 - The perfections of God and the one only living and true God — Deuteronomy 10:17–18 - Love the stranger; hold fast to God — Deuteronomy 10:19–22 - Christ, the true Israel, and the New Covenant Scripture references: - Genesis 13; 18:19 - Exodus 23; 24; 32; 34 - Leviticus 19:34 - Deuteronomy 5:29; 6:4, 24; 7:6-8; 8; 9:4, 6, 20; 10:1-22; 30:6 - Proverbs 21:3 - Hosea 12:6 - Micah 6:1-8 - Zechariah 7:8-10 - Matthew 23:23 - Romans 2:28-29 - Galatians 4:8 - Ephesians 1:4 - Philippians 3:1 - Colossians 2:11-12 - 1 John 5:3

Pastors Jim Butler and Cameron Porter walk through the 17th-century teaching of Richard Baxter, explain how it departs from the Reformed doctrine of justification, and show where the 1689 London Baptist Confession directly answers the error. Ask FGBC is a digital ministry providing biblical, pastoral, and confessional answers to real questions submitted by believers, seekers, and those wrestling with assurance. Recorded with Pastor Jim Butler and Pastor Cameron Porter on November 15, 2025. Submit your own question and see previous topics: https://www.freegrace.ca/ask There is an option to do it anonymously. Videos are available on SermonAudio, Youtube and Facebook. Please like & share on our social media profiles as well to get the word out and distribute further! Church Website: https://www.freegrace.ca

Title: Review Of Israel's Rebellion Speaker: Jim Butler Series: Studies in Deuteronomy Date: April 15, 2026 Bible: Deuteronomy 9:1-29

From the Confessing the Faith Conference 2026, this session surveys the doctrine of God's decree as it runs through the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Savoy Declaration, and the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. Beginning with definitions and the family relationship among these confessions, the lecture traces the decree from Scripture's authority through creation, providence, the fall, the covenant of grace, the person of Christ, the ordo salutis, and the final judgment, demonstrating that the decree is not an isolated locus but the integrating backbone of classical Reformed theology. Main points: - the decree and Holy Scripture (Chapter 1) - the decree and the doctrine of God (Chapter 2) - Chapter 3 — God's decree itself - the decree and creation (Chapter 4) - the decree and divine providence (Chapter 5) - the decree and the fall of man (Chapter 6) - the decree and God's covenant (Chapter 7) - the decree and Christ the Mediator (Chapter 8) - the decree and the ordo salutis (Chapters 10–17) - the decree and the gospel's extent (Chapter 20) - the decree and the last judgment (Chapter 32) Scripture references: - Genesis 50:20 - Isaiah 10; 46:8-11 - Matthew 11 - Acts 16 - Romans 1 - Philippians 2:13 - Hebrews 1:1; 11:3

From the Confessing the Faith Conference 2026, this session introduces the doctrine of God's decree as treated in Chapter 3 of the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. The lecture approaches divine decree as a revealed mystery — genuinely knowable through Scripture and providence, yet ultimately incomprehensible to creaturely minds — and sets the framework for subsequent sessions on predestination, divine authorship of sin, and the good purposes of God worked out even through human failure. Main points: - the nature of God's decree as a revealed mystery requiring special prudence - the limits and proper grounds of creaturely knowledge of the decree - an introduction to Chapter 3, paragraph 1 of the 2LCF Scripture references: - Job 26:14 - Romans 11:33-36

From the Confessing the Faith Conference 2026, this session addresses two interrelated questions arising from the Reformed doctrine of God's eternal decree: whether God is the author of sin, and whether the sins of believers work together for their good. Working from 2LCF 3.1 and Romans 8:28, the lecture defends the confession's careful qualification that God decrees whatsoever comes to pass, yet is neither the author of sin nor in fellowship with it, while the freedom of second causes and the moral culpability of creatures are fully preserved. Main points: - God is not the author of sin: the confession's qualification of the decree and its theological grounds - the distinction between God's decree and God's moral agency — how creaturely freedom and divine sovereignty are reconciled - does my sin work out for my good? Romans 8:28 and the believer's confidence under the decree Scripture references: - Genesis 50:20 - Acts 2:23; 4:27-28 - Romans 8:28 - Romans 9:19-21

From the Confessing the Faith Conference 2026, this pastoral sermon examines God's eternal purpose in bringing His elect to glory through the sufferings of Christ, with primary attention to Hebrews 2:10 and the Westminster Confession. The message explores how Christ's suffering was both necessary and fitting for God's justice and glory, connecting the believer's present trials to their future participation in divine glory. Main points: - four points on God's glory - the necessity of Christ's suffering - the reality of future glory - the light of creation and new creation - Christians enjoying creation without idolatry Scripture references: - Genesis 1 - Psalms 19; 22; 27:4; 36 - Song of Solomon - Isaiah 6:3 - Romans 1:20-25; 6; 11:36 - 2 Corinthians 3 - Philippians 3:20-21 - Colossians 3:4 - Hebrews 1:1-3; 2:6-10 - 1 Peter 5:1 - 1 John 3:2 - Revelation 7:16-17; 21:2; 21:11; 22:3-4

Pastor Jim Butler is joined by Dr. Richard Barcellos and Pastor David Charles for 8 theological questions (episodes #65–#72) covering Reformed Baptist history, Calvinism, covenant theology, biblical theology, and Lord's Day worship—all from a confessional Reformed Baptist perspective rooted in Scripture and the 1689 London Baptist Confession. Recorded April 9, 2026, on the eve of the Confessing the Faith Conference 2026 in Chilliwack, BC.

Paul concludes his most difficult epistle with a profound Trinitarian blessing that reveals the distinct persons and unified work of the Trinity. Despite the Corinthians' criticism of his ministry, their acceptance of false apostles, and their various church problems, Paul offers them grace from Christ, love from the Father, and communion from the Holy Spirit. This benediction demonstrates how theological truth provides the foundation for restored relationships and Christian fellowship even in the midst of conflict. Scripture references: 2 Corinthians 13:14

This session examines baptism in the Old Testament, challenging the common Presbyterian argument that circumcision is the Old Testament equivalent of baptism. The speaker argues that Baptists have allowed Reformed paedobaptists to set the terms of debate and seeks to reclaim the home field advantage by taking circumcision off the table as a baptismal argument. The session demonstrates that baptism must be understood through different Old Testament categories and precedents, not through the covenant theology framework typically used to support infant baptism. This is the first part of a three-part seminar designed to equip Baptist churches against arguments for infant baptism. Scripture references: Various Old Testament passages related to ceremonial washings and religious practices.

What is Federal Vision, and why does it matter for how we understand salvation? In this episode of Ask FGBC, Pastor Cam Porter explains how Federal Vision theology conflates the covenant of works with the covenant of grace, resulting in a rejection of the historic doctrine of justification by faith alone. Ask FGBC is a digital ministry providing biblical, pastoral, and confessional answers to real questions submitted by believers, seekers, and those wrestling with assurance. Recorded with Pastor Jim Butler and Pastor Cameron Porter on November 15, 2025. Submit your own question and see previous topics: https://www.freegrace.ca/ask There is an option to do it anonymously. Videos are available on SermonAudio, Youtube and Facebook. Please like & share on our social media profiles as well to get the word out and distribute further! Church Website: https://www.freegrace.ca

Does conviction of sin come before or after regeneration? And how much misery is actually required before someone can come to Christ? In this episode of Ask FGBC, Pastors Jim Butler and Cameron Porter work through a question that touches on the order of salvation, the nature of conversion, and the pastoral danger of requiring a measurable period of grief before offering someone the free promise of the gospel. Ask FGBC is a digital ministry providing biblical, pastoral, and confessional answers to real questions submitted by believers, seekers, and those wrestling with assurance. Recorded with Pastor Jim Butler and Pastor Cameron Porter on November 15, 2025. Submit your own question and see previous topics: https://www.freegrace.ca/ask There is an option to do it anonymously. Videos are available on SermonAudio, Youtube and Facebook. Please like & share on our social media profiles as well to get the word out and distribute further!

How necessary is seminary for a pastor? And does it matter whether he's full-time or serving in a supporting role? Pastor Jim Butler works through the biblical qualifications for eldership, what it means to be "apt to teach," and how formal education fits into the calling of a man who labors in the Word and doctrine. Ask FGBC is a digital ministry providing biblical, pastoral, and confessional answers to real questions submitted by believers, seekers, and those wrestling with assurance. Recorded with Pastor Jim Butler and Pastor Cameron Porter on November 15, 2025. Submit your own question and see previous topics: https://www.freegrace.ca/ask There is an option to do it anonymously. Videos are available on SermonAudio, YouTube and Facebook. Please like & share on our social media profiles as well to get the word out and distribute further! Church Website: https://www.freegrace.ca

Free Grace Baptist Church, Chilliwack, BC

What does it mean to have faith? Is it a feeling? A level of sincerity? A spiritual intensity you can measure? Pastors Jim Butler and Cam Porter work through what the Bible and the 1689 Confession teach about saving faith - its object, its source, and the ways it gets distorted in ways that rob believers of assurance. Ask FGBC is a digital ministry providing biblical, pastoral, and confessional answers to real questions submitted by believers, seekers, and those wrestling with assurance. Recorded with Pastor Jim Butler and Pastor Cameron Porter on November 15, 2025. Submit your own question and see previous topics: https://www.freegrace.ca/ask There is an option to do it anonymously. Videos are available on SermonAudio, Youtube and Facebook. Please like & share on our social media profiles as well to get the word out and distribute further! Church Website: https://www.freegrace.ca

Free Grace Baptist Church, Chilliwack, BC

How to Start Reading the Bible — Where Does a Beginner Begin? Maybe someone handed you a Bible and you're not sure where to open it. Maybe you've been a Christian for years and still feel lost in the Old Testament. Or maybe you're sharing your faith with someone and they've asked you exactly this question — and you're not sure what to tell them. In this episode, Pastor Jim Butler and Pastor Cameron Porter give honest, practical guidance: what to read first if you don't believe yet, where to start if you're a new Christian, why prayerless Bible reading can actually do more harm than good, and why your phone habit might be the biggest obstacle between you and the Word of God. Ask FGBC is a digital ministry providing biblical, pastoral, and confessional answers to real questions submitted by believers, seekers, and those wrestling with assurance. Recorded with Pastor Jim Butler and Pastor Cameron Porter on November 15, 2025. Submit your own question and see previous topics: https://www.freegrace.ca/ask There is an option to do it anonymously. Videos are available on SermonAudio, Youtube and Facebook. Please like & share on our social media profiles as well to get the word out and distribute further! Church Website: https://www.freegrace.ca