FBC Benbrook Sermons

By His Stripes

Before Jesus was crucified, He endured the horror of a scourging. While the gospels don’t give much detail to it, it was important enough for the prophet Isaiah to foretell it hundreds of years before it happened. The gospels don’t reflect on the pain of the scourging, and Peter helps us understand how we should react to this horrible event in the life of our Savior. It is by His scourging that we are healed, so that we can return to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. (Matthew 27.26-31) May 30, 2021

Did It Really Happen That Way?

Some Bible scholars want to dismiss events during the trial of Jesus as swarming with impossibilities, improbabilities, and inconsistencies, suggesting these events should be nicely ignored. But the witness of Matthew and the other gospel writers are historically dependable. And despite the critic’s efforts to dismiss the reality of the passion of Jesus, it cannot dismiss the beautiful gospel picture of the guilt of Barabbas being transferred to the innocent Jesus. God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us. (Matthew 27.15-23) May 23, 2021.

Not of This World

When Pilate confronted Jesus with the question, “Are you the King of Jews,” the answer Jesus gave continues to challenge His followers today. Indeed, Jesus is the King of a Kingdom, but His Kingdom is not of this world nor from this world. How do we know when we have crossed that line from being “in the world” to becoming “of the world”? It comes down to Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life. (John 18.33-38) May 16, 2021

The Big Reveal

After Jesus was arrested, they brought Him before the high priest and the Jewish ruling council to determine whether or not He was worthy of death. And in this moment, Jesus fully revealed Himself for the first time in His public ministry. Who is Jesus? Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is the Son of Man. Jesus is at the right hand of God. How do these simple phrases shine a light into our daily lives? (Matthew 26.57-68) May 9, 2021

The Exceptional Example of Jesus

When Jesus was arrested in the Garden, Peter pulled out a sword and made a weak attempt at protecting Jesus. Jesus rebuked him by saying, “All who take the sword will perish by the sword.” As the apostle reflected on that moment, Peter understood the way Jesus responded to the suffering of His passion was an example for us to follow. How do we follow this example in a world where it feels more right to fight against injustice than to follow the example of Jesus? (Matthew 26.47-56) May 2, 2021.

What Happened in the Garden?

The writer of Hebrews connects the Garden prayer of Jesus on the night of His arrest with the making of Jesus as the Great High Priest. But more importantly, something happened in the Garden that gives us the confidence to draw near to the throne of grace in a time of need. By looking at the prayer of Jesus in the Garden (Matthew 26.36-46) through the lens of Hebrews 4.14-5.10, we come to see where our confidence in prayer comes from. We can confidently expect to receive mercy from the Father because the Son chose to drink the cup of God’s wrath so that we don’t have to. We can confidently expect to receive grace from the Father because He appointed the Son to be the Great High Priest to intercede for us. We can confidently expect to receive help in time of need because Jesus is both Priest and King of Kings with authority over all things. (Matthew 26.36-46) April 25, 2021.

Standing on the Promises

Most of us know the story of Peter denying Jesus, but few of us connect Peter's personal testimony of God's faithfulness to preserve our faith during times of testing and suffering. Peter knew that the God of all grace would restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us as we stand firm in our faith and endure the trials that might cause us to stumble in our faith. (Matthew 26.69-75) April 18, 2021

The Legacy of Judas

In Part 4 of the Story of the Cross, we take a look at the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. The legacy of Judas is a vivid reminder that there always have been and always will be wolves among the flock of God's people, that betraying motives still exist, that Satan still works to plant seeds of betrayal, and that remorse is not the same as reconciliation (Matthew 27.3-10) April 11, 2021

He is Not Here, Now What?

What does one do when they see the tomb is empty and that Jesus is alive? We either must declare Him to be an imposter or grab hold of His feet and worship Him. The gospel of Matthew reminds us why Jesus is worthy of our worship: Jesus died on the cross for our sins, Jesus has all authority, Jesus is God, Jesus commands us to obey Him, and Jesus dwells within us. (Matthew 27.62-28.20) April 4, 2021

Who Is This?

When Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last week of His life on earth, on what we call Palm Sunday, there was one question hanging over that moment: "Who is this?" Those who had been following Jesus answered it one way, the crowds in Jerusalem answered it another. But the gospel writer helps us to see this entire moment through the lens of Psalm 24. Who is this? The King of Glory. (Matthew 21.1-11) March 28, 2021