FBC Benbrook Sermons

Everything All at Once

Scripture says the birth of Jesus fulfills everything promised through the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. In the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Scripture shows that God visits His people, raises up the horn of salvation, remembers His covenant with Abraham, and sends the forerunner to prepare a people for the Lord. Preparation begins with repentance—turning from sin and turning toward God. It continues in hope—looking to the One who brings light to those in darkness, life to those in the shadow of death, and peace to those who trust Him. Advent is the call to turn, believe, and prepare. (Luke 1.5-80) November 30, 2025
 
 
 

Corrupt From the Start

The universal message of the prophets is that God hated their so-called sacred assemblies. He could not endure iniquity and solemn assembly. But why did God hate their feasts? Why did their songs sound like noise to Him and not worship? And how do we ensure that we don't make the same mistakes today? (Amos 5.21-27) November 23, 2025. Preacher: Tim Tucker

What Does It Mean for the People of God to Do Justice?

What does it mean for the people of God to do justice? The word justice gets thrown around so much in our culture these days, but what does it mean? And how is doing justice different for Christians? The prophet Amos shows us that doing justice begins with a heart that loves good and hates evil, loves others the way God loves them, examines the various ways we stand in for God and administer justice, and extends to working towards a more just society. Ultimately, the quest for justice leads us to the gospel, and the gospel leads us to do justice. (Amos 2.6-8) November 16, 2025

Even Now

The prophet Joel gives us a unique insight into the astounding mercy of God. Even after sending His people a wake-up call in the form of a locust swarm, even after sending His people a prophet to call them to repent, and even after sending a warning of coming judgment, God is still calling His people to return to Him: return to me with all of your heart for I am merciful and relenting. When the people return to the Lord with all of their hearts, the Lord mercifully welcomes them back. The minor prophet Joel teaches us that God’s mercy is astounding, conditional, for everyone, but also comes in the form of a locust plague. (Joel 2.12-18) November 9, 2025

Spiritual Adultery and the Wrath of God

What happens when the God of wrath and the God of mercy turns out to be the same God?
Preaching from Hosea 4 and the wider message of the prophet, Pastor Todd explores how the Minor Prophets reveal both the wrath and mercy of God. The sermon begins with Hebrews 10, reminding us that “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” and contrasts two modern views of divine wrath: one that sees only destruction, and another that denies wrath altogether. Hosea, however, holds wrath and mercy together as expressions of God’s covenant love.
Hosea’s marriage to an unfaithful wife becomes God’s living parable of Israel’s spiritual adultery. The prophet’s children—named “God Scatters,” “No Mercy,” and “Not My People”—announce judgment, yet even in those names God begins to speak mercy: “You will be my people, and I will be your God.” Chapter 4 exposes why God is angry—“no faithfulness, no steadfast love, no knowledge of God in the land.” Israel has broken covenant, rejected His commandments, and turned to idols. God’s wrath is seen as He removes blessing, protection, and even His presence.
Yet Hosea’s message carries redemptive hope: “He has torn us, that He may heal us.” God disciplines so His people will return, love, and know Him again. The sermon concludes by showing how Hebrews 10 and Romans 5 echo Hosea’s warning—God’s wrath is real, but Christ has borne it for us. Those who mock His mercy by living in unrepentant sin profane the blood of the covenant, but those who repent find mercy that restores.
Scripture: Hosea 4.1-3
Preacher: Todd Pylant
Date: November 2, 2025

The Gospel in a Minor Key

Why should the church listen to the forgotten voices of the Minor Prophets—and what do they still have to say to us today?
In this opening message of a new series titled The Gospel in a Minor Key, Pastor Todd invites the church to rediscover the often-overlooked voices of the twelve Minor Prophets. Drawing from Amos 7 and Ephesians 2, he reminds us that the prophets are not relics of an outdated covenant but part of the church’s foundation—alongside the apostles and Christ Himself, the cornerstone.
The Minor Prophets reveal the heart of God—His righteousness, justice, mercy, and steadfast love—and they call His people to live accordingly. Through their words, we learn what true worship looks like, what righteousness demands, and how God’s people are to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. This series challenges believers to listen for God’s voice in these ancient writings and to see how every prophet ultimately points to Jesus.
Pastor Todd also outlines the themes to come: the wrath and mercy of God, the danger of prosperity, the principle of sowing and reaping, false shepherds, and the promise of the coming Kingdom. Just as the prophets called God’s people to repentance and renewal, so too they call the modern church to align its heart with God’s.
The invitation is simple but profound: if you love the church, love the voice of God, and long for righteousness, you will love the Minor Prophets—for they still speak with power today.
Sermon Text: Amos 7.10-17
Preacher: Todd Pylant
Date: October 26, 2025
 
 
 
 

A Theology of Death

What does it mean to live—and die—with a theology shaped by the gospel?
In this concluding message from the life of Abraham, Pastor Todd turns to Genesis 23 and 25, where the patriarch and Sarah pass from this life, to explore what Scripture teaches about a theology of death. Death is not a topic we often expect—or want—to face, but it is one that Scripture treats with honesty and hope. From Abraham’s confidence in God’s promise to the burial of Sarah in the land of Canaan, we see that death itself is lived under the arc of creation, fall, redemption, and re-creation.
A biblical theology of death calls believers to live a life worthy of celebration—not one marked merely by good works, but by the visible presence of Christ in us. It leads us to embrace the hope of eternal life, not a vague afterlife of comfort, but the sure promise that we will stand before Christ clothed in His righteousness and share in the new creation He will bring. And it challenges us to leave a legacy worth following—a life of faith that bears witness to God’s faithfulness for generations to come.
Death reminds us of the reality of sin, the necessity of redemption, and the glory of resurrection. For those who belong to Christ, it is not the end of the story but the doorway into the fullness of life that God has promised.

How Does the Holy Spirit Guide God's People in Real Time?

Every believer longs to be led by the Spirit of God, but how does that actually happen in real life? In this message from Genesis 24, Pastor Todd walks through the story of Abraham’s servant searching for a wife for Isaac—a journey filled with prayer, discernment, and divine direction. Through this “case study in guidance,” we discover that God’s Spirit still leads His people today through an ongoing conversation with Him, through His unseen presence at work around us, and through the wisdom we gain from His Word. Like Abraham’s servant, we learn to recognize God’s fingerprints in our circumstances and to trust that He’s already at work before we arrive.
Pastor Todd also explores the tension between divine leading and personal decision-making—how we act in wisdom while remaining sensitive to the Spirit’s prompting. Sometimes, God’s guidance comes not through dramatic signs but through His peace, His Word, and a heart that longs to worship Him in every decision. Ultimately, the goal of spiritual guidance is not simply to get what we want, but to glorify the One who leads us.
Whether you’re facing a major decision or simply wanting to walk closer with God day by day, this message offers practical and biblical insight into what it means to be “led by the Spirit.”
Sermon Text: Genesis 24
Date: October 12, 2025
Preacher: Todd Pylant

The Binding of Isaac and the Lord's Supper

In Genesis 22, Abraham faces the ultimate test of faith—God commands him to offer Isaac, the son of promise. This passage reveals not only the depth of Abraham’s faith but also the clearest foreshadowing of the gospel in the Old Testament. On Mount Moriah, where the temple would one day stand, God provided a ram in place of Isaac, pointing forward to the day when He Himself would provide the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who takes away the sin of the world.
Like Abraham, we make our confession of faith through our test of faith. God doesn’t test us to make us fail but to refine and reveal the reality of our trust in Him. Every believer will walk through moments where faith is proven, not just professed. This story reminds us that the testing of our faith is how our confession of faith becomes real.
Through Abraham’s experience, we see five ways faith is tested: the test of love (do we love God above all else?), the test of obedience (will we say yes to His commands?), the test of trust (can we believe His promises when His ways confuse us?), the test of provision (will we trust Him to provide something out of nothing?), and the test of worship (will we still bow before Him when we don’t understand?).
At the Lord’s Supper table, we echo Abraham’s faith—declaring that Jesus Christ, the true Lamb God provided, is worthy of our love, trust, obedience, and worship.
Sermon Text: Genesis 22.1-19
Date: October 5, 2025
Preacher: Todd Pylant

How Can Ishmael Lead Us to the Mind of Christ?

In Genesis 21, the story of Ishmael raises a pressing question: What do we do with Ishmael? Too often, he’s dismissed as the “problem child” while Isaac is celebrated as the child of promise. But a closer look at Scripture tells a different story—every time God speaks about Ishmael, He speaks blessing. God promises to multiply him, make him fruitful, and raise up nations from him.
This sermon challenges the simplistic Isaac-good/Ishmael-bad framework and calls us to think with the mind of Christ. God’s covenant line runs through Isaac, leading to the Messiah, but His blessing rests on Ishmael as well. History shows that Ishmael’s descendants became the Arab peoples, and later, Islam tightly bound Ishmael, Arabs, and religion into one cultural identity. Today, that raises difficult tensions. But followers of Christ are not called to hate the descendants of Ishmael—nor any people group. Instead, we are called to see God’s eternal purpose: that all families of the earth, including the descendants of Ishmael, will be blessed through Christ, the true offspring of Abraham.
The sermon highlights four truths: (1) Christians are not called to hate Ishmael’s descendants; (2) the real dividing line is not culture but which descendant of Abraham brings salvation—Christ or Muhammad; (3) Arab culture is no more resistant to the gospel than Western culture; and (4) we must be so gospel-focused and kingdom-minded that we rise above cultural hate and love the descendants of Ishmael as God does.
The gospel is for the world—for every tribe, tongue, and nation.
Sermon Date: September 28, 2025
Text: Genesis 21.1-20
Preacher: Todd Pylant