Trinity Church of Portland - Sermons

In this sermon, Trinity Church Member, Sean, shares insights on Jesus as the ultimate source of life. Referencing John 5:19-30, Sean contrasts human attempts to find fulfillment apart from God with the true life offered through Jesus Christ. He highlights Jesus' perfect obedience to God's will, His role as the giver of life, and His authority to judge. The message challenges both non-believers and believers to turn to Jesus for life and to live in obedience to God's design, finding true purpose and fulfillment in a relationship with Him.

In this sermon from John 4:43–54 titled Faith and Fact-Checking, Pastor Thomas walks us through the story of a desperate father, a dying son, and a Savior whose word is enough. In a culture obsessed with proof—where belief often hinges on what we can verify with our eyes—this passage challenges us to consider a different kind of faith. A faith that isn't built on spectacle or emotion, but on the spoken Word of Christ. Through four scenes—The Superficial Welcome, The Supernatural Weight, The Spoken Word, and The Saving Work—we're invited to see how Jesus exposes shallow belief, honors persistent trust, and ultimately transforms not just an individual, but an entire household. This is a call to deeper faith: faith without sight, faith that takes Jesus at His word, and faith that bears fruit in the home.

In this sermon, Pastor Andrey continues our study of the Gospel of John, focusing on John chapter 4 and the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well. Pastor Andrey emphasizes Jesus' willingness to cross cultural and social barriers to offer grace and living water to a sinner. The sermon's key points include the radical nature of Jesus' actions, the need for transparency before God, and the transformation that occurs when sinners meet the Savior. Andrey contrasts the encounters of Jesus with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman to illustrate that salvation is available to all, regardless of societal or personal flaws.

This week, Pastor Thomas Terry dives into John 3:22-36, exploring the themes of ministry ambition, comparison, and true humility. He contrasts the growing influence of Jesus' ministry with John the Baptist's humility, emphasizing that all successes and callings come from God. Addressing the dangers of self-focused ambition and the pressure of social media, Pastor Thomas encourages the congregation to find joy in exalting Christ rather than seeking personal glory. The sermon underscores that true fulfillment comes from making Jesus known, not from personal recognition or platform-building.

In this sermon, Pastor Andrey focuses on John chapter 3:1-21 where Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus is highlighted. This discussion addresses the necessity of being born again to enter the kingdom of God. The sermon dives deeply into the theological implications of this new birth, emphasizing that neither heritage nor good deeds can secure salvation—it is a transformative process initiated by God. The sermon also touches on contemporary issues within the Christian community, such as differing beliefs about essential doctrines. Finally, Pastor Andrey underscores the persistent and boundless love of God demonstrated through Christ's sacrifice, urging believers to embrace their new identity in Christ and live in freedom from sin.

In this sermon on John 2, pastor Andrey Gorban examines Jesus' act of cleansing the temple, which appears early in John's Gospel but later in the Synoptic Gospels. The sermon explores the zeal Jesus had for true worship, contrasting it with the commercialized and expedient practices of the religious leaders of His time. It highlights how Jesus' anger was directed towards the desecration of a sacred space meant for communion with God. Pastor Andrey also emphasizes the importance of internal purity over mere outward religious practices, and stresses the necessity of a new heart for genuine worship. The latter part of the sermon warns against superficial belief and underscores the vital need for personal relationship with Jesus.

In this sermon, Pastor Samuel Nagel examines the account of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana, as recorded in John 2:1-11. The narrative is explored through five sections: The Invitation, The Issue, The Instruction, The Interpretation, and The Increase. Pastor Samuel discusses the context of Jewish weddings, the significance of Jesus' response to His mother, and the deeper spiritual implications of this first miracle. The sermon emphasizes that Jesus must be approached on His terms and highlights the prophetic connection to the Messianic age. Ultimately, it points to the future marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation, urging believers to hold onto the hope and glory found in Jesus Christ.

In this sermon for Resurrection Sunday, Pastor Thomas J Terry reflects on John 1:35-51, where Jesus invites his first disciples to 'come and see.' The message emphasizes the significance of curiosity in discipleship, the joy of discovering Jesus, and the transformation encountered through a personal relationship with Him. Through the exploration of these passages, Pastor Thomas highlights how Jesus meets people where they are, changes their lives, and opens heaven to them. It underscores that just as Jesus' identity was confirmed by His resurrection, all those who follow Him will experience profound spiritual transformation and the promise of eternal life.

This week, Pastor Andrey Gorban continues our series through the Gospel of John by focusing our attention on one of the most iconic titles given to Jesus: The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.Preaching from John 1:19–34, Pastor Andrey walks us through the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist—not as a celebrity prophet or spiritual influencer, but as a humble voice crying in the wilderness. John knew who he wasn't—he wasn't the Christ, wasn't Elijah, wasn't the prophet—and he knew exactly who he was: a pointer to the One who is greater.In this message, you'll hear how John's self-forgetfulness is a model for our own Christian witness. You'll be reminded that ministry isn't about building a platform—it's about lowering ourselves so others might lift their eyes to Jesus. With rich theological insight and warm pastoral care, this sermon calls us to re-center our lives on the One who gave His life for ours, and to be content with simply saying: “Look to Him.”

In this opening sermon of our new series in the Gospel of John, Pastor Thomas guides us from the very first words of Genesis to the poetic prologue of John's Gospel, showing us how the story of creation finds its fulfillment in Christ.Fresh off our time in Genesis 1–11, we now turn to John 1:1–18—not as a new story, but as the next chapter in the same divine drama. The themes of Word, Light, Incarnation, Adoption, and Glory take center stage as we meet Jesus, the eternal Son of God, the promised Head-Crusher, and the Light that darkness cannot overcome.This isn't just a theological introduction—it's a poetic unveiling of who Jesus is:• The Word who was with God and was God, through whom all things were made.• The Light who shines into the darkness, echoing God's first words of creation and breaking the curse of sin.• The Incarnate God, who took on flesh to dwell among us—God made visible and approachable.• The Giver of the Right, who makes rebels into children of God.• The Glory we were made to reflect, now revealed in the face of Christ, full of grace upon grace.From Eden to exile, from Babel to Bethlehem, God has come near.This sermon traces the poetic brilliance of John's prologue and its deep ties to Genesis, reminding us that the Bible tells one unified story—one that finds its crescendo in Jesus.

In this sermon, Pastor Josh reflects on Philippians 3:12-16, emphasizing the process of spiritual growth and the pursuit of perfection in Christ. Through an analysis of Paul's letter to the Philippians, Pastor Josh encourages the congregation to focus on their faith journey, abandon confidence in their own works, and strive towards righteousness. This sermon underscores the collective effort of the church community in seeking doctrinal truth and spiritual maturity, urging believers to rely on Christ's completed work for salvation while persistently pursuing a Christ-centered life.

In this sermon series on Genesis 1–11, Pastor Thomas Terry examines the foundational truths of creation, sin, judgment, and redemption. In this Sermon, he dives into the story of Noah and the Flood—not as a simple children's tale, but as a powerful narrative of divine judgment, mercy, and salvation. Through the themes of Creation, De-Creation, Re-Creation, and New Creation, we uncover how the flood foreshadows the coming judgment and how Christ is our true and better Ark—the only refuge from the wrath of God.

How do we raise wise children in a world that often pulls them away from godliness? In this episode of the Trinity Church Podcast, Guest Preacher; Senior Pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church, Juan Sanchez unpacks the biblical foundation for faithful spiritual parenting. Rooted in Proverbs 3:1-12, this sermon explores how all Christians—whether parents, mentors, or spiritual disciplers—are called to shepherd the next generation with biblical instruction and corrective discipline.Through Scripture, Pastor Juan highlights:• God's original mission—to raise godly offspring (Genesis 1:28, Malachi 2:15).• The goal of spiritual parenting—shepherding the heart, not just modifying behavior.• Practical wisdom from Proverbs—how positive instruction and loving correction work together.• The role of the gospel—why true heart obedience comes only through Christ's transforming power.Parenting is challenging, but we are not alone. Listen in as we seek to raise wise children for the glory of God and rely on His grace in every step.

In this Sermon, Thomas walks us through Colossians 2:1–5, highlighting Paul's deep pastoral struggle for believers he had never met face to face. He explores how Paul's own transformation drives his passion for unity, encouragement, and anchoring our faith in Christ's wisdom—while warning us to stay on guard against deceptive teachings. It's a brief but powerful look at the heart of a pastor longing for the church to flourish.

In this sermon, we continue our journey through Genesis, moving from the creation and fall into the tragic consequences of sin. Genesis 4-5 shows us what life looks like outside the Garden, where sin quickly takes hold—culminating in Cain's murder of his brother, Abel. Yet, even as human sinfulness spirals, God's grace remains steadfast.We explore two central themes:1. The Sinfulness of Sin (Genesis 4:1-16) – Sin is described as a plague that corrupts hearts and relationships. Cain's half-hearted worship, envy, and unchecked anger lead to destruction, but God, in His mercy, warns and even protects him.2. The Goodness of God (Genesis 4:17-5:32) – Amidst human rebellion, God remains faithful, preserving a lineage of hope through Seth and eventually Noah. Even in the genealogies, we see glimpses of redemption, pointing us to Christ, whose blood speaks a better word than Abel's.This passage reminds us that sin must be dealt with honestly—it cannot be ignored or allowed to grow. But it also points us to our need for God's redeeming work, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.

This week, we dive into the pivotal moment of humanity's fall in Genesis 3, where deception and disobedience fracture the harmony of creation. We examine how sin distorts our relationship with God, each other, and the world—introducing shame, suffering, and separation. Yet even in judgment, we see the glimmers of redemption as God offers the first gospel promise. As we reflect on the consequences of the fall, we also look forward to Christ, the true and better Adam, who restores what was lost and leads us back to communion with God.

In this sermon, we examine our deep need for genuine connection in a world filled with digital distractions—a need that God recognized long before modern technology. Drawing from Genesis 2, we unpack God's timeless blueprint for relationships and, specifically, for marriage. The message is organized into four themes: The Problem, The Provider, The Plan, and The Picture, which together reveal how God designed us as relational beings meant for community, covenant, and intimacy. This divine blueprint for marriage shows us that marriage is not merely a social construct but a sacred covenant that mirrors the unity within the Trinity and ultimately points us to Christ. Whether you're single, in a relationship, or part of a church community, this sermon challenges us to embrace God's authentic design for intimacy and to pursue real, vulnerable connection over artificial substitutes.

In this sermon, Andrey Gorban explores humanity's deep longing for Eden, reflected in our love for nature. Genesis 2 shifts from the broad view of creation to God's personal work—forming Adam, placing him in a garden of beauty and abundance, and giving him the tasks of working and keeping it.However, Adam is given a command: do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. His eventual disobedience brings death, but Gorban points to Christ—the second Adam—who restores what was lost through His sacrifice on a tree. Revelation 22 reminds us that, through Him, we are not just longing for Eden; we are headed back to it.

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland. This week, we continued with our new sermon series for 2025, "Genesis: A Beautiful But Broken World" preaching through the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Our sermon this morning was preached by Cody Cannon. This sermon titled "The Rest" was from Genesis 2:1-3 and detailed how God rested following his creation work. Ultimately, our resting is defined by God's resting. Then, our resting demonstrates our surrender to God, is meant to be done in community as a sign that we belong to God, and it is a reminder of God's grace to us. Thankfully we approach the Sabbath as those under the new covenant who know Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath having fulfilled it perfectly and this allows us to intentionally honor the Sabbath as Christians, in community and worship, and with great anticipation for when we will enter into the complete rest with God in the new creation.

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland. This week, we continued with our current sermon series, "Genesis: A Beautiful But Broken World" preaching through the first eleven chapters of Genesis. This morning our sermon titled, The Filling was preached by Andrey Gorban from Genesis 1:14-31 .

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland. This week, we continued with our new sermon series for 2025, "Genesis: A Beautiful But Broken World" preaching through the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Our sermon this morning was preached by Thomas Terry. In this sermon we saw "The Forming" from Genesis 1:3-13—the first three days of creation. When Moses wrote Genesis he began with the creation account—light from darkness, order from chaos, something from nothing. Christians throughout history have held different perspectives on the creation timing and explanation of the days of creation. We must approach this with some humility and charity, yet at the same time affirm that in the beginning God created everything. On the first day, we see that God Himself is light as He lights up the darkness prior to creating the Sun and Moon. This establishes time—light from darkness, the ordered way in which time is measured. On the second day God creates space, called the expanse which is the sky that exists between the ocean and the clouds. Finally, on day three God arranged lands between the waters below, which are the seas. God then commands the seeded plants to grow on the lands, many of which will be for food to sustain life. This should encourage us to be light in the dark world in which we live. We are children of light and able to bring the light of the Gospel to the people we know and meet in our world. Let this remind us of God's great provision for us in His creation, and in His saving work that brought us into the light, the Light of Jesus Christ.

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland. This week, we begin a new sermon series for 2025, "Genesis: A Beautiful But Broken World" preaching through the first eleven chapters of Genesis. In our sermon this morning we heard an overview of the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis and why we are going to spend several months in this foundational book. Genesis answers two questions that have puzzled men for centuries. How did the universe come into being? And, how did humans come into being? These two questions are answered by the unbelieving world through natural reasons, whereas Genesis answers these question by supernatural causes by God Himself. In the Beginning God created...

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland. This week, we continued our current sermon series to carry us through Christmas: Light After Darkness: A Sermon Series on the Five Solas. In the midst of the Advent season, when traditions and cultural expectations often take center stage, Light in the Darkness invites us to return to the Gospel's true meaning through the Reformation's Five Solas: Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Christ Alone, and God's Glory Alone. These foundational truths reveal the hope, peace, and joy that Jesus—the Light of the World—brought into our darkness. Join us as we root ourselves in God's Word, celebrate the gift of grace, and remember the Savior who transforms and fuels our worship.This morning we concluded our sermon series by looking at the greatest pillar of the Five Solas—Solus Christus (Christ Alone) from 1 Timothy 2:5-6. This sermon was preached by Pastor Thomas Terry. Christ Alone is to proclaim the exclusivity of Christ which is a direct challenge to our syncretistic world. Paul makes three claims in his text that there is One God, One Mediator, and One Ransom. These three truths finds their fulfillment in Christ who alone is our mediator, and the one who paid our ransom to reconcile us back to God. This means God is with us and God is for us—in Christ Alone. Let us remember this at Christmas and always as we worship our great God and Savior. 

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland. This week, we continued our current sermon series to carry us through Christmas: Light After Darkness: A Sermon Series on the Five Solas. In the midst of the Advent season, when traditions and cultural expectations often take center stage, Light in the Darkness invites us to return to the Gospel's true meaning through the Reformation's Five Solas: Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Christ Alone, and God's Glory Alone. These foundational truths reveal the hope, peace, and joy that Jesus—the Light of the World—brought into our darkness. Join us as we root ourselves in God's Word, celebrate the gift of grace, and remember the Savior who transforms and fuels our worship.Our sermon this morning was titled, Sola Fide (Faith Alone) from Luke 22:31-34 and was preached by Nkosana Moyo. We started with the details of the Passover the disciples had with Jesus which led to Jesus predicting his betrayal by one of them. As the disciples boast as to who was the greatest and Peter boasted that he would never turn from Jesus, Jesus deals with them gently and in love. Jesus then tells Peter that Satan has demanded to sift him like wheat. This narrative points to a misplacement of faith, in other words all the things we should not place our faith in. Peter and the disciples should be an encouragement to us as we realize that despite our weak faith at times, Jesus keeps us in our faith because of the redemption we have in Him by faith alone.

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland. This week, we continued our current sermon series to carry us through Christmas: Light After Darkness: A Sermon Series on the Five Solas. In the midst of the Advent season, when traditions and cultural expectations often take center stage, Light in the Darkness invites us to return to the Gospel's true meaning through the Reformation's Five Solas: Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Christ Alone, and God's Glory Alone. These foundational truths reveal the hope, peace, and joy that Jesus—the Light of the World—brought into our darkness. Join us as we root ourselves in God's Word, celebrate the gift of grace, and remember the Savior who transforms and fuels our worship.In our sermon this morning we looked at Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone) from Luke 24:13-53. Our sermon was titled, The Whole of Scripture Gives Us the Whole of Jesus and was preached by Andrey Gorban. In this sermon, we saw that the Bible is sufficient to give us all we need to know about God, salvation, and how we are to live. After His death, burial, and resurrection Jesus Himself proclaimed that all the Scriptures point to Him and to the salvation He earned for sinners. For 1,000 years the 39 books of the OT show forth God as actively fulfilling his promise to save his people through His Son, Jesus. This should help us to consider why Jesus came and what he has done for us by opening our eyes to see this truth and have faith in Him for the forgiveness of sins.

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland. This week, we continued our current sermon series to carry us through Christmas: Light After Darkness: A Sermon Series on the Five Solas. In the midst of the Advent season, when traditions and cultural expectations often take center stage, Light in the Darkness invites us to return to the Gospel's true meaning through the Reformation's Five Solas: Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Christ Alone, and God's Glory Alone. These foundational truths reveal the hope, peace, and joy that Jesus—the Light of the World—brought into our darkness. Join us as we root ourselves in God's Word, celebrate the gift of grace, and remember the Savior who transforms and fuels our worship.In our sermon this morning we looked at Soli Deo Gloria (To the Glory of God Alone) from Romans 5:1-2. We heard God's glory defined, and we saw that God's glory fills the earth and that all things must point to God and his glory. We learned that salvation is entirely from God which means that we do not share in His glory. This then leads us to always seek to display God's glory in the way we live knowing all things point to God's glory. We often fall short of this because we have an on-going struggle with sin that causes us to exchange God's glory for lesser glory. But there is good news, God forgives our sin and all the ways we have failed to properly glorify God. This is why Advent places the focus on the coming of Christ who alone gives us hope that we will someday be destined for glory. 

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland. This week, we continued our current sermon series, Light After Darkness: A Sermon Series on the Five Solas. In the midst of the Advent season, when traditions and cultural expectations often take center stage, Light in the Darkness invites us to return to the Gospel's true meaning through the Reformation's Five Solas: Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Christ Alone, and God's Glory Alone. These foundational truths reveal the hope, peace, and joy that Jesus—the Light of the World—brought into our darkness. Join us as we root ourselves in God's Word, celebrate the gift of grace, and remember the Savior who transforms and fuels our worship.In our sermon this morning we looked at Sola Gratia, Grace Alone, from Romans 3:21-26. We saw that what people cannot do for themselves, which is to be perfectly righteous before a holy God, God has done for them through sending His Son the Lord Jesus to redeem us from our sin and to give us His righteousness, taking away the wrath we as sinners justly deserved. God does this based not on anything we can do, but based on His grace which is a free gift. This truth should cause each of us to avoid anything we may be holding on to that even hints at works righteousness. This truth should make your heart sing and give you renewed purpose, identity, community, a greater desire for holiness, and gospel hope in the new creation as you seek to live for Christ all the days that he gives you.

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland Oregon. This week, our message is from Hebrews 11:35-37 as well as numerous other scriptures and is titled “Sing For Joy Afflicted Saints” and was preached by our guest preacher, Sean Demars.Our sermon this morning is intended to help us all to be more faithful Christians in the face of affliction through looking at the life and ministry of Paul. There are five primary truths related to affliction that we must remember. We are to expect affliction. We must also expect many kinds of affliction. We can expect fruit to come from our affliction. We must communicate our affliction rather than trying to suffer alone. Finally, we must expect justice for our affliction because God will render exact and perfect justice at the end of the age.

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland. This week, we began a new series to carry us through Christmas: Light After Darkness: A Sermon Series on the Five Solas.In the midst of the Advent season, when traditions and cultural expectations often take center stage, Light in the Darkness invites us to return to the Gospel's true meaning through the Reformation's Five Solas: Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Christ Alone, and God's Glory Alone. These foundational truths reveal the hope, peace, and joy that Jesus—the Light of the World—brought into our darkness. Join us as we root ourselves in God's Word, celebrate the gift of grace, and remember the Savior who transforms and fuels our worship.In this introduction sermon, Pastor Thomas Terry gave an overview of the Protestant Reformation. He explained how the Five Solas emerged from the Reformation to keep the church anchored in the gospel: Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone, Scripture Alone, and God's Glory Alone. We were reminded that these Solas remain relevant today, serving as a testament to God's faithfulness and His promise to preserve His church.

Welcome to the weekly sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland.This week, our message is from Luke 7:36-50 and is titled “The Nature and Extent of God's Forgiveness” and was preached by Thomas Terry. In our text this morning the compassion of Jesus toward sinners is on full display. What starts with a cold and loveless invitation from Simon the Pharisee led to a passionate response of forgiveness to the woman who was a prostitute who entered into the house and anointed Jesus with perfume. This led the Pharisee to view the woman and people like her as dirty and beyond the help of God. He also judged Jesus for allowing the woman to sit with him and anoint him. This should lead us to examine our own hearts to see if we are looking at the worst people among us as beyond the help of Jesus. Like those people, we too have a debt we cannot pay. Every person Jesus saves is a miracle and we must always keep a sober watch on our sin and how Jesus has forgiven it all when we place our faith in Him.

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland Oregon. This week, our message is from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 and is titled “From Dust to Glory: Expecting Pain on The Journey Home” and was preached by Andrey Gorban.In our text we see that there is no Christian life free from the trials of sin and suffering. We must then ask ourselves, "Do I rely on God, when I feel like I'm losing control?" God cares for and loves His people and is not indifferent to our suffering. Still it can be difficult at times to reconcile suffering and the sovereignty of God. This is why we must learn to lean on Jesus and his people when difficult times come, and remember that in our weakness Christ's power is perfected in us.

Welcome to our current podcast series, "Christian Living In The Current of Culture," where we study the timeless and relevant truths of 1 Corinthians. Each week, we explore how the Apostle Paul's words guide us in navigating the complexities of living for Christ in today's world.This week, our message brings this series to a conclusion and is from 1 Corinthians 16:1-24 and is titled “Until Next Time, Corinth” and was preached by Andrey Gorban. In our text this morning we see Paul bring his letter to a close with an affectionate tone and a theme of doing the work of the Lord. He exhorts the Corinthians about giving, ministry done God's way, loving and caring for others as mature Christians, but always in love. 

Welcome to our current podcast series, "Christian Living In The Current of Culture," where we study the timeless and relevant truths of 1 Corinthians. Each week, we explore how the Apostle Paul's words guide us in navigating the complexities of living for Christ in today's world.This week, our message is from 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 and is titled “The Rhetorical Taunt” and was preached by Thomas Terry. In our text this morning we see Paul declare the mystery of the end of death when Christ returns and both the dead and the living are instantly given their resurrection bodies. When this happens death is defeated and can no longer hurt God's people.Paul closes by telling us that our response to this hope should be to remain steadfast, immovable, and abounding in the work of the Lord. That is to serve one another in the church by meeting each other's needs and remembering the gospel. Our motivation to serve is to always to be driven by the gospel and what Jesus has done for us.

Welcome to the sermon podcast of Trinity Church of Portland Oregon. This week, our message is from John 11:1-44 and is titled “God's Sovereignty Over Death” and was preached by our guest preacher, Sean Demars.In our text this morning we looked into the death of Lazarus in John 11:1-44. We learned that although death is normal, it is not natural. If we are honest, death is scary, and permanent. We know that God hates death, because we see Jesus having a reaction to the death of Lazarus of anger and agony. It is when we understand the horror of death that we can appreciate the promise of the resurrection. Jesus shows himself to be sovereign over the greatest human problem we have—death. The promise of resurrection is offered to all who believe in Jesus by faith. For those of us who are in Christ, we should find great joy at the promise of Jesus and the resurrection.

Welcome to our current podcast series, "Christian Living In The Current of Culture," where we study the timeless and relevant truths of 1 Corinthians. Each week, we explore how the Apostle Paul's words guide us in navigating the complexities of living for Christ in today's world.This week, our message is from 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 and is titled “The Nature of the Resurrection” and was preached by Thomas Terry. In our text this morning Paul seeks to answer two questions from the Corinthians, How are the dead raised, and with what kind of body do they come? These questions came from a place of foolishness because the Corinthians were following after worldly philosophy and what it taught about the afterlife. Paul points out to them that God has equipped all of his creation with various kinds of bodies all different according to their function in creation. In a similar way our resurrection bodies will differ from our earthly bodies because sin will be eradicated and our new bodies will be imperishable. What was buried in dishonor will be raised in glory and we will be known just as Christ Jesus was known after he was raised. Paul finishes this section by showing us Adam and Jesus who are both head figures but with a massive difference, Jesus is the man of heaven who gives us eternal life. This is the great hope we have in the gospel—the gateway to the future glory we possess.

Welcome to our current podcast series, "Christian Living In The Current of Culture," where we study the timeless and relevant truths of 1 Corinthians. Each week, we explore how the Apostle Paul's words guide us in navigating the complexities of living for Christ in today's world.This week, our message is from 1 Corinthians 15:12-34 and is titled “The Hypothetical, Theological, and Personal Implications of the Resurrection” and was preached by Thomas Terry. In our text this morning Paul poses questions to Christians who were doubting the truth of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. He then answers the questions focusing on the fact that every truth about Christianity is built on the truths of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. This guarantees the forgiveness of our sins, and our future hope of glory with God in eternity. Paul closes this section by exhorting Christians to sober up, watch the company we keep, know God, and remember the Gospel—including the resurrection. This should challenge us to live radically and faithfully for Christ because the resurrection is our greatest hope.

Welcome to our current podcast series, "Christian Living In The Current of Culture," where we study the timeless and relevant truths of 1 Corinthians. Each week, we explore how the Apostle Paul's words guide us in navigating the complexities of living for Christ in today's world.This week, our message is from 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and is titled “The Power of the Gospel” and was preached by Greg Taylor. In our text this morning, Paul had to remind the Corinthians of the Gospel and its core truths which point to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, based on historical facts from eyewitnesses and written down for us in scripture. This not only reminds us what the gospel is but that it must be preached until Christ returns. This is why God uses preaching to spread his message of the good news—the Gospel to reach the lost and by His grace bring them into saving faith in the Lord Jesus.

Welcome to our current podcast series, "Christian Living In The Current of Culture," where we study the timeless and relevant truths of 1 Corinthians. Each week, we explore how the Apostle Paul's words guide us in navigating the complexities of living for Christ in today's world.This week, Thomas Terry brings us a message from 1 Corinthians 14:1-40 titled “Ordained Order”. In our text this morning, Paul writes to the Corinthian Christians to correct their thinking and practice of spiritual gifts. The gifts of tongues and prophecy are in mind here and both gifts are to be desired, then used to build up others. These gifts also must be used with order and restraint to create clarity, not confusion. 

Welcome to this week's sermon from Trinity Church of Portland titled, "Do You Love?" This comes on the heels of the topic of love we heard last week in 1 Corinthians 13. This week, Andrey Gorban brings us a message from 1 John 4:7-11 on the topic of love, which we learned last week is the more excellent way. In our text this morning we see from John's first letter the centrality of love for the Christian. Love is to be what we are known by and it has an attractional beauty to people when love is present in a church and amongst a group of people. 

Welcome to our current podcast series, "Christian Living In The Current of Culture," where we study the timeless and relevant truths of 1 Corinthians. Each week, we explore how the Apostle Paul's words guide us in navigating the complexities of living for Christ in today's world.This week, Andrey Gorban brings us a message from 1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:13 titled “Love: The More Excellent Way”. In our text this morning, Paul writes to the Corinthian Christians the details of what is means to love. This is sometimes referred to as the "Love Chapter", and is often read at weddings. The message of love is so important for us because love is more important that any accomplishments we may have in our Christian life. Anything done for Christ without love is actually nothing. Jesus is the epitome of love in that he died for us while we were yet sinners and he deals with us gently. Love must always be the standard we use to assess how we are doing in the Christian life. We must honestly ask ourselves "Am I doing all things in love?" While grace gifts will pass away in the heavenly kingdom, love will continue into eternity when we see the source of love face to face in Christ. This is what we are called to—love of God and love of our neighbor as supremely important and which can only be done by His power at work in us.

Welcome to our current podcast series, "Christian Living In The Current of Culture," where we study the timeless and relevant truths of 1 Corinthians. Each week, we explore how the Apostle Paul's words guide us in navigating the complexities of living for Christ in today's world.This week, Greg Taylor brings us a message from 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 titled “The Gift of Interdependence”. In our text this morning Paul is telling us that God made the human body and its parts different and they all play a vital part in the health, life, and longevity of the person. In a similar way God has arranged the different members of the body of Christ, within local churches to function in cooperation with each other, to care for each other and to achieve his purposes in the church. When you were converted to Christ by the grace and work of the Triune God, (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) you were made a member of the church and each of you is an important part of the whole, you have been gifted, and hold a place in the church in order to serve the body. This finds its fulfillment within local churches that are gifted by the Spirit with members and gifts to serve and meet the unique needs of each church.

Welcome to our current podcast series, "Christian Living In The Current of Culture," where we study the timeless and relevant truths of 1 Corinthians. Each week, we explore how the Apostle Paul's words guide us in navigating the complexities of living for Christ in today's world.This week, Jan Verbruggen brings us a message from 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 titled “The Spirit's Gracious Gifts for the Church”. This text begins Paul's discussion on spiritual gifts. We see that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to bring glory to Christ, so that no one may boast, and for the common good as the Spirit sees fit. The working of the Spirit must lead to the affirmation of who Christ is—Lord of all. Even if you do not know what your gifts are, be willing to get involved in serving the church which is often a key way you will distinguish what gifts the Spirit has given you. Let us strive to build up the church which will enable you to use the gifts God has given you and bring glory to Christ.

This sermon is from our current series, Christian Living In The Current of Culture, preaching through 1 Corinthians. This sermon titled “Discerning The Body” is from 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 and was preached by Pastor Josh Petersen.In our text this morning Paul begins to correct the Corinthians for their division and lack of care for each other in the church. They were not properly discerning the church when they took the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. The ordinance is when Christians come together in unity to remember the Lord Jesus and identify with Him as one, in unity. Paul warns the Corinthians they first needed to examine themselves and ensure they were not sinning against their Christian brothers and sisters—to repent if need be. You must be thinking about the needs of others in the life of the church when you take communion. You must discern your life in Christ and deal with sin prior to taking communion. The Lord's Supper is to be done in unity as the church proclaims and declares the reality of Jesus into all of our lives.

This is the 19th sermon in our current series Christian Living In The Current of Culture, preaching through 1 Corinthians. This sermon titled “Glorifying God When We Gather” is from 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 and was preached by Pastor Josh Petersen.In our text this morning Paul moves into a new area related to corporate worship which will continue through chapter 14. Paul begins this section by holding up Christ and his submission to the Father as the model for wives living in submission to their husbands. The real issue was that the Corinthians were not taking care to avoid distracting each other in worship. We are to be careful so that all we do begins and ends with giving glory to God. We should always be pointing to Christ and building up one another as a good witness to Christ and for the church's reputation.

This sermon is from our current series Christian Living In The Current of Culture, preaching through 1 Corinthians. This sermon titled “Escaping Idolatry" is from 1 Corinthians 10:1-22 and was preached by Pastor Greg Taylor.In our text this morning Paul is challenging us to choose sides. He will use the people and events found in the Exodus narrative of the Old Testament as a warning to us from God that we must avoid falling into sin, into idolatry the way the Israelites did. Paul is going to tell us that we must live carefully to avoid the sin that caused God to destroy an entire  generation of Israelites. Ultimately you must understand that you cannot accept God and His blessings and also practice idolatry. God will not share His glory—he is a jealous God. But there is mercy even for idolaters who will turn from their sin and confess to Christ. The Gospel is enough to cover any sin and forgive any sinner.

This morning we had a guest preacher, Shai Linne who preached our sermon titled “The Lord of Our Joy” from John 2:1-11.In our text this morning we see the earliest miracle Jesus performed by turning water into wine at a wedding. This event reveals to us that Jesus has great power, He is generous, and He is good. It also demonstrates that our resources run out and only Jesus can provide the greatest need we have which is to find our fulfillment in Him and in things that are not dependent upon temporal things.

This is the 16th sermon in our current series Christian Living In The Current of Culture, preaching through 1 Corinthians. This sermon titled “The Right Reasons” is from 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 and was preached by Pastor Thomas Terry.In our text this morning we see Paul remind the Corinthians that he was indeed an Apostle which afforded him certain rights to have financial support and a wife should he choose to marry. Paul then shares how he relinquished his rights to financial support so as to not equate gospel preaching with the paid philosophers of the day, knowing his reward would come from God. Paul closes this section by using the illustration of athletic competitions to call us to be willing to condition ourselves to serve people for the gospel and obtain a reward that is imperishable. This text demands a response from us to keep ourselves under control to not risk being disqualified or causing others to set a course that might cause them to become disqualified.

This morning we continued in our current series, Christian Living In The Current of Culture, an exposition of 1 Corinthians. This sermon titled “Free To Love” is from 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 and was preached by Andrey Gorban.In our text this morning we see Paul answer another issue from a letter the Corinthians sent to Paul. The Corinthians had confusion about food sacrificed to idols, and whether they could eat it and continue to visit temples now that they were Christians. Paul is teaching us to always practice love over our freedoms. This requires us to know our brothers and sisters so we never do anything to wound their consciences. The Christian way is to love each other and show deference to the weaker believer. Our actions should always help our brothers and sisters to walk closer to Jesus.

This morning we continued in our current series, Christian Living In The Current of Culture, an exposition of 1 Corinthians. This sermon titled “Single-Minded Devotion” is from 1 Corinthians 7:25-40 and was preached by Pastor Thomas Terry.In our culture, two modern secular movements have influenced many Christians. The first movement is the modern Entrepreneurial Movement that over-emphasizes self empowerment and individual achievement, thus undervaluing marriage. The second movement is the Traditionalist Movement that sees marriage as the most beneficial way to achieve financial success and human flourishing. People in this movement view marriage as superior to singleness and the impetus for all the great things life has to offer. For Christians we must view both marriage and singleness as gifts to be kept in an eternal perspective and to be used to glorify God. This should cause all of us in the church to create a synergy between married people and single people knowing we need each other.

This morning we continued in our current series, Christian Living In The Current of Culture, an exposition of 1 Corinthians. This sermon titled “The Beauty of Your Calling” is from 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 and was preached by Pastor Greg Taylor.In our text this morning we see Paul's message to the Corinthians is emphasizing that all believers should embrace their current circumstances, seeing it as their divine calling, serving God faithfully in their given roles and situations. God has gifted and blessed each one of us in unique ways and we are to use these gifts and blessings to obediently serve God with a content heart that trusts God.

This morning we continued in our current series, Christian Living In The Current of Culture, an exposition of 1 Corinthians. This sermon titled “The Beauty of Marriage” is from 1 Corinthians 7:1-16 and was preached by Pastor Greg Taylor.We moved into chapter seven today and we see the Apostle Paul answering questions he received from the Corinthians in a letter they'd sent him. His answers center mostly around the marital relationship and sex, singleness, and divorce. Paul encourages them to live the life for which God has gifted them and to avoid falling into temptation. This is so applicable to us because we face many of the same issues in our culture which has some resemblance to Corinth. We as Christians must get our ethics about sex, marriage and divorce from Scripture, not from the culture.