Tri-Annual Singing!
February 21, 2026
7:00pm - 8:30pm
The Patternists: Faithfulness and Industry
In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul gave thanks to God for them. They were “beloved by the Lord”, as He chose them “for salvation” (2:13). He called them by the “gospel” (cf. Romans 1:16), so that they might obtain “the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2:14). In these words their standing as God’s children is well established.
Paul did not stop with commending them for their faith. He did not just give thanks for the standing they enjoyed. He in the remainder of this chapter and beginning of the next exhorted them to faithfulness and industry, working for the Lord. This is similar to what he wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
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Entrusted with the Gospel
The apostle Paul considered himself a steward. God had given him responsibilities as an apostle, and he took those responsibilities seriously. He wrote to the Thessalonians, “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4). As he wrote on another occasion, “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).
What is interesting about the Thessalonian text is how Paul defines faithful stewardship. “…even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.” In the proclamation of truth it is important to please only one, God. That doesn’t mean that others will not be pleased, but that is not the mandate.
We need to understand this as well. When we preach God’s word, our intent must be to please Him. Whether or not men approve in the telling is not only not our concern, but not in any way within our control. Peter preached the gospel, leading to many conversions, (cf. Acts 2). Stephen preached the same gospel, leading to his own death (cf. Acts 7). Both pleased God in the telling. Jesus Himself had those who “heard Him gladly”, and those who put Him to death for what he had to say.
Do you want to be God’s faithful steward in the spread of the gospel? Then handle it in such a way as to please God, not men.
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Sermon: Job’s Worst Day
Five things we can learn from Job’s response after losing his possessions and family. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21)
- Note: No video was recorded of this sermon.
Sermon: Eat My Flesh, Drink My Blood
Sermon 15 in series: John 6:52-59
Jesus ends His teaching at the synagogue in Capernaum by provoking the Jews with His insistence that unless they ate of His flesh, and drank of His blood, they had no life in them.
Because We Trust in the Living God!
Paul wrote to Timothy, telling him that “godliness is profitable for all things” (1 Timothy 4:13). This included the life we live here on earth, and especially the life which is to come. There is truly no better way to live your life. It is a life of sacrifice, but the Creator has ordered our existence to reward righteousness, and punish evil. For example, the civil authorities. “Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same” (Romans 13:2-3).
It is for this reason Paul wrote, “For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10).
Do we trust in the Living God? That trust, if true, impacts the way we live our lives. God has promised us salvation in the last day, but that salvation is conditioned upon our response to the gospel, and the steadfastness of our faith. It is for this reason that Paul said, “to this end we both labor and suffer reproach” (4:10).
A willingness to work hard, to endure. The truism that nothing worthwhile is easy is true in this case. But the reward is great! Because we work, “we have the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (4:8).
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Sermon: Hindrances to Understanding the Scriptures
A discussion (borrowed from Jeremiah Cox’s sermon of the same name) of men’s self-imposed impediments to understanding God’s word.
Sermon: Jesus Asserts He is the Bread of Life
Lesson 14 in series (6:41-51)
Jesus answers the objections to the Jews who murmured at His assertion to have come down from heaven. He is the true bread of life, that brings eternal life to all who are His.
War and Making War in the Church
Webster defines the word polemic – “An aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another. The art or practice of disputation or controversy.” Describing the etymology of the word, “When polemic was borrowed into English from French polemique in the mid-17th century, it referred (as it still can) to a type of hostile attack on someone’s ideas. The word traces back to Greek polemikos, which means “warlike” or “hostile” and in turn comes from the Greek noun polemos, meaning “war.”
This Greek noun polemos is used in James 4. “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:1-2).
The Blood of the Cross
God’s plan for redeeming man has been referred to as a scarlet thread that runs throughout the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the primary thrust of scripture is God’s effort to deal with the sin of man.
It is prophesied in Genesis 3:15 when Satan, in the guise of the serpent, was told by God, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
Why Can’t You See?
Have you even wondered why, when you share the truth with those who are caught in denominational error, that they just can’t see it? Some will claim that the truth is not clear enough to be understood alike, but that’s not it. Paul told the Corinthians what the problem is in these cases:
“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
Whether it be the one taken in religious error, the one who no longer retains God in his knowledge (cf. Romans 1:28-32), or the immoral, they don’t understand because they have been blinded by the influences of this world.
It is not surprising that this would happen. The devil is active, and men are surprisingly willing to believe what they want rather than what they should. All men are susceptible. You and I are susceptible.
Do you have a blindspot? Is there some truth from God’s word that you resist because you have carnal biases and preferences? You don’t? Are you sure?! Am I?!
“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!
They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.”(Psalm 119:2-3)
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Sermon: The Function of Hope
Sermon by Jeremiah Cox
Hope serves to supply us with joy, stability and focus. It motivates us to purity and steadfastness. Hope is the anchor of the soul!
Sermon: Looking at Parallels
The Holy Spirit uses comparisons, like comparing the lifetime committment of marriage to the Jews relationship with the law (Romans 7), and Jesus relationhip to the church to establish truths in the husband/wife relationship. The Hebrew writer does the same in Hebrews 9, teaching an important lesson about Christ’s sacrifice.
Why Do Some Christians Not Grow?
The need for growing spiritually is well established in the New Testament. Those who remain babes in Christ remain as vulnerable to spiritual dangers as their physical counterparts are to the temporal dangers of life. They are weak, and undiscerning, which make them easy fodder for the devil and his minions.
“For he who lacks these things [attributes of the spiritually mature] is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:9).
Knowing the importance of spiritual development and growth, it is disheartening when we witness a Christian who is stagnant spiritually. It happens far too often.
“You will know them by their fruits”
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits…” (Matthew 7:15-16).
Jesus affirmed a truth regarding false prophets (and false teachers) that many Christians have forgotten. It is not all about their motivation or heart, it is about their fruits! When people say, “He is a good man” despite the fact that he preaches a distorted gospel, the correct response is “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (18).
I Like Normal
Some people like to “shake things up” to “keep everyone on their toes.” I must confess that I have never been one of those people. I don’t like the “new normal.” I like normal!
Just how much I like normal has been reinforced to me in the past several months. I like knowing what is upcoming each Sunday. I like shaking hands with the brethren, and visiting (sometimes an hour) after services are over. I like having brethren over to my house. I like the routines we have established. In fact, I like tradition!
While I was willing to do whatever was necessary, I didn’t like the threat of shutting down our worship. I didn’t like having to have truncated worship services, of cancelling classes, of meeting outside with a threat of rain or high temperatures. I haven’t liked the frustration of depending upon fickle technology to share Bible teaching with my brethren who are stuck at home. The unknown often causes frustration and anxiety.
Each day that passes means a day closer to normality. Whether it will be another two months or two years, I honestly can’t tell. I do know this, the Christian’s normal is putting God first, no matter what the world throws at us. I like that. I pray that you do too!
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
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