FBC Benbrook Sermons

Teaching and Admonishing One Another

Why does the very thing meant to unite the church so often end up dividing it? In week 17 of our walk through Colossians 3, Paul paints a picture of a healthy church: united in love, ruled by peace, and centered on the word of Christ. And the means he gives us for that word to dwell richly among us? Teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sounds beautiful — until you realize that's exactly where so many churches come apart. We dig into what each of those three words meant to the early church, why medieval Jewish scholars were literally marking up the Psalms to preserve how they were once chanted, and why defending one musical "lane" as the only right way misses what Paul was actually after. Along the way: a confession from Augustine about being moved to tears by singing, a brand-new hymn written by one of our own, and my admission that I never grew out of 80s country music. This isn't really a sermon about music. It's about what happens when we mistake a preference for a principle, and what it looks like when a church actually lets the word of Christ, not a style of song, be what holds it together. Join us as we work through Colossians 3:14-17.
Sermon Text: Colossians 3.16
Date: July 12, 2026
Preacher: Todd Pylant

Let the Word of Christ Dwell Richly

Most of us keep Jesus in the hallway — a nice portrait for guests to see — while quietly keeping Him out of the dining room, the study, and the bedroom. When Paul told the Colossians to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly, he was describing what the early church actually did when they gathered before dawn: they sang hymns to Christ as to God and taught one another the whole, unsearchable riches of who He is. The gospel is not that Jesus is a shepherd boy we admire from the hall, but that the image of the invisible God, the one in whom all things hold together, has come to take up residence in every room.
Learn what "the word of Christ" truly means, where it's meant to live, and how a church lets Him move in richly rather than dwell poorly.
Scripture: Colossians 3:16Date: July 6, 2026Preacher: Todd Pylant

Put on the Light of the World

What does it actually mean to call Jesus "the light of the world"?
After a week of Vacation Bible School built entirely on John 8:12, Pastor Todd unpacks three kinds of light — and each reveals something different about Christ.
First, the black light: that ultraviolet glow that makes hidden writing suddenly shine. That’s the convicting light of Jesus, exposing the sin we try to hide even from ourselves, and turning a private mistake into something we must settle with our Creator.
Second, sunlight — nature’s disinfectant. Scientists discovered the sun’s rays actually kill microbes the shade can’t touch; the World Health Organization still uses sunlight to purify drinking water in the developing world. That’s the cleansing light of Jesus, and salvation proves far richer than mere forgiveness: liberation, peace with God, new birth, being made a new creation.
Third, the lighthouse — the ancient invention that warned ships off the rocks and toward safe harbor. That’s the guiding light of Jesus: "whoever follows me will have the light of life."
Convict, cleanse, guide.
This message takes a truth simple enough for a five-year-old and lifts it to its full adult weight — showing why the light that exposes us is the very same light that heals us and leads us home. If you’ve ever wondered whether following Jesus is restriction or rescue, this sermon is for you.
Sermon text: John 8.12-14
Date: June 21, 2026
Preacher: Todd Pylant

Put on Love

What does it really mean to love? We've over-romanticized the word, and we've also cheapened it—so Paul's command to "put on love" deserves a closer look. In this message on Colossians 3:14, Pastor Todd Pylant unpacks the one word Scripture says binds everything together. Why does Paul choose agape over friendship-level love? How can love be both a feeling and a concrete action? And what does it mean that, without love, even the most generous and religious person is—in Paul's words—"no thing"? An invitation to discover the love that finally makes us complete.
Scripture: Colossians 3.14
Date: June 14, 2026
Preacher: Todd Pylant

Put on Forgiveness

Forgiveness is one of those words everyone uses and almost no one can define. So in this message from our ongoing series in Colossians 3, we slow down and work through it together — not preaching down to you but wrestling right alongside you with truths that are clearly taught even when they're hard to embrace.
We build the message around four questions. First, what is forgiveness? The word simply means "to give" — a gift with no view of repayment — yet it reaches all the way down into the heart, where memories and resentment live, which is why Jesus tells us to forgive "from the heart." Second, how has God in Christ forgiven us? He loved us as sinners, sacrificed His Son, cancelled our debt, and reconciled us to Himself. Third, should we forgive those who confess and repent? In Luke 17, Jesus' answer is so demanding the disciples immediately cry, "Increase our faith." And fourth, the question we all secretly skip to: what about those who never repent? Romans 12 calls us to forswear revenge, pursue active kindness, and live at peace as far as it depends on us.
Anchored in the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6) and Colossians 3:12–14, this is an honest, unhurried look at the gift we've received and the gift we're called to give. Wherever you are on that road, this message will help you take one step forward.
Sermon Text: Colossians 3.12-14
Date: June 7, 2026
Preacher: Todd Pylant

Put on Patience

What if the patience you've been asking God for isn't something He gives you—but something He grows in you through the very wait you're trying to survive?
You've been waiting longer than you expected. The relationship isn't healing. The prayer isn't being answered. The circumstance isn't changing. And somewhere along the way, patience stopped feeling like a virtue and started feeling like defeat.
Colossians 3 tells us to put on patience—but that assumes we know what it actually is. In this message, Todd Pylant makes a case that most of us have been thinking about patience all wrong. It's not biting your tongue. It's not pretending the pain isn't there. And it's definitely not something you can just decide to have more of. Biblical patience—drawn from two Greek words meaning "long fuse" and "strong back"—is active faith in the middle of time, pain, and confusion. It looks less like stoic endurance and more like honest prayer that keeps showing up.
Three anchors help you build it: trust in who God is, confidence in how God works even when you can't see it, and a prayer life raw enough to say how long, O Lord—and stubborn enough to keep saying it.
This is a word for anyone carrying something heavy and wondering if God is still at work.
Scripture: Colossians 3:12–14
Date: May 31, 2026
Preacher: Todd Pylant

Put on Meekness

Meekness is not considered a virtue worth pursuing today, but it never really was. When the ancient Greeks wrote about meekness, it was always derogatory, something to be put off, not put on. How does the gospel of Jesus Christ change our understanding of this virtue? Instead of weak, docile, soft, or passive, Christ empowered meekness is the strength to be merciful, gracious, and the secret to the blessed life.
Scripture: Colossians 3.12
Date: May 24, 2026
Preacher: Todd Pylant

Put on a Compassionate Heart

What is the difference between kindness and Christ empowered compassion?
Those who are in Christ are called to put on a compassionate heart, but this is radically different than just being polite. The Parable of the Good Samaritan shows us that Christ empowered compassion is deeply rooted within, is costly and risky, and gets involved in the lives of others. This kind of compassion can only happen through the transforming power of the indwelling Christ.
What do we do if we must confess that we do not have a compassionate heart?
Sermon Text: Colossians 3.12
Sermon Date: May 17, 2026
Preacher: Todd Pylant

Sins of the Tongue

Put to death the sins of the mouth" - Colossians 3:8-10
 
Paul calls believers to put to death the sins of the mouth; slander, obscene talk, and lying.  What do the sins of the mouth mean, how do we check our lives to make sure we are putting them to death, and what happens when it happens to us?  Scripture is full of examples, wisdom, and guidance to help us put to death the sins of the mouth and keep our speech kind, pure, and true.  
 
Date: May 10, 2026
Preacher: Blake Theiss

Put to Death Anger

Is anger a dangerous poison to avoided at all costs or the kick we need to cause us to act in the face of injustice?
The biblical witness demonstrates that anger is universal to all humans but is also very dangerous. This emotion not only has the capacity to lead us into sinful behaviors but also to give the devil an opportunity to corrupt our soul even more. This is why we are commanded to put anger and wrath and malice to death.
Anger is another place where those who are in Christ are called to seek the fullness of the indwelling Christ to transform us into His image. Instead of being quick to get angry, we should be slow to anger like the Father. Instead of giving full vent to our anger, we should be merciful. Instead of staying angry too long, we should be quick to forgive. And the only way this kind of life is possible is through the transforming grace of Jesus.
Discover how anger leads us to the cross.
Sermon Text: Colossians 3.8
Date: May 3, 2026
Preacher: Todd Pylant