FBC Benbrook Sermons

Christ Must Reign Until

The bodily glorified resurrection of Jesus was not an isolated event in history. Christ is the firstfruits of those who belong to Him, meaning we will share in a resurrection like His. As we wait for His coming, Christ must reign until all things are in subjection to Him, which is why we live lives of hope, trust, and prayer. And because Christ reigns, and we are in Christ and Christ is in us, we reign with Christ as agents of His rule on earth today. How do these truths change how we live? (1 Corinthians 15.20-28) May 4, 2025

Pitiable Hope

The resurrection of Christ is good news! Through His resurrection, we are no longer in our sins, and we will share in a resurrection like His. But even more, we have hope in this life and hope in life eternal. This hope is so life changing that it causes us to live in such a way that looks “pitiful” to those who know not this hope. (1 Corinthians 15.12-20) April 27, 2025

The Transforming Grace of the Easter Story

On Easter Sunday, we take a moment to reflect on the three miracles of the Easter Story: the incarnation, the atoning death of Jesus on the cross, and the glorified resurrection of Jesus. Paul shares his story of how the miracles of the Easter Story radically transformed his life when Jesus appeared to him, when he was convicted of his sin, when he believed, and when he experienced the ongoing and transforming grace of God in his life. How does Paul’s testimony help us to give thanks to the Lord for His saving grace in our lives? (1 Corinthians 15.8-11) April 20, 2025

According to the Scriptures

One of the earliest confessions of faith is captured in 1 Corinthians 15.3-7: Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised on the third day. But the confession states that Christ was raised on the third day was in “accordance with the Scriptures.” This has puzzled Bible readers for there is no Old Testament Scripture that clearly prophecies the resurrection of the Messiah on the third day. However, “the Scriptures” bear testimony that “three days” is sufficient time for certainty and that God often acts “on the third day” to reverse a situation from potential death to life. How does this pattern in the Old Testament help us to understand the resurrection but also our hope that God continues to act in our present time to deliver His people? (1 Corinthians 15.3-8) April 13, 2025

Faith: Worthless or Worthwhile?

In the longest teaching in the New Testament about the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the saints, the apostle Paul begins by comparing and contrasting genuine saving faith with “believing in vain.” Being saved means confessing we are sinners who need to be saved, who can’t save ourselves, and who can only be saved through the atoning death of Jesus. Saving faith receives, stands, and holds fast. How do these images help us to understand how saving faith is different than believing in vain? (1 Corinthians 15.1-2) April 6, 2025

Trust the Fountain, Not the Streams

The apostle Paul knew first-hand what it was to be brought low and to abound, to face hunger and plenty, to have abundance and to have nothing. And in all situations, he learned the “secret” of contentment. The way that Paul gave thanks to the saints in Philippi for their generous gift to help with his needs give us great insight into this secret. Paul trusted in the Fountain and not the streams. (Philippians 4.8-13) March 23, 2025

Praying with the Saints Through Anxiety

The apostle Paul encountered many situations that would bring the average person great anxiety. He learned to pray with the saints of old about these situations, and he shared this type of prayer with the saints in Philippi. We can pray with the saints through our anxiety by nurturing an ongoing relationship with God, saturating our prayer with thanksgiving, meditating on the beauty and greatness of God, asking God to get involved with complete honesty, and taking refuge in Him. Prayer does not magically make all of our problems go away, but we do find the peace that passes understanding as we dwell under His refuge. (Philippians 4.4-7) March 16, 2025

Christian Liberty and Adiaphora

For 2000 years, Christians have struggled to “agree in the Lord” over matters that the Scriptures neither command or forbid. The practice of Christian liberty, so difficult as a community of faith, is vital to proclamation of the gospel. The practical advice found in Romans 14 helps the church navigate the process by faithfully discerning, faithfully choosing, freely liberating, and freely restraining. (Philippians 4.2-3) March 9, 2025

Enemies or Citizens?

The apostle Paul challenged the saints in Philippi, and all who follow Jesus today, of the only two optional response to the gospel as we wait for the return of Christ. We will either walk as enemies of the cross or walk as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who walk as enemies have their minds set on earthly things, pursue their desires as their god, and glory in their shame, ultimately leading to destruction. In contrast, citizens of the Kingdom are transformed, recognize Jesus as their king, and live in a new community with a renewed perspective on life. This change is a result of genuine rebirth in Christ, of being transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. This passage of Scripture calls us to examine ourselves to see if we are walking as enemies of the cross or living as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. (Philippians 3.17-4.1) March 2, 2025

How Can We Run Like Paul When We Feel Like Elijah?

Paul’s personal response to the gospel and his desire to gain Christ and to know Him is to forget what lies behind and to press on to the goal. However, sometimes forgetting the past and reaching out for the future can be hard to do. In these moments, we are reminded that the reason we can reach out to lay hold of Christ is because Christ has already lay hold of us. (Philippians 3.12-14) February 23, 2025