FBC Benbrook Sermons

How Should We Respond to the Bible?

In preparation to observe the Lord’s Supper, we allow the apostle Jude to prepare our hearts and minds for the Table. In light of the danger of false teachers, Jude urges Christians to build themselves up in their most holy faith, to pray in the Holy Spirit, to keep themselves in the love of God, to wait expectantly for the mercy to be given them when Christ returns, and to rescue those who fall prey to these false teachers. In light of these words, we approach the Table meditating on the mercy of God given to us through His Son and in responding to the Word of God as obedient followers of Christ. (Jude 17-23) September 27, 2020.

What Does the Text Mean?

The main section of Jude's letter is a comparison of the ways God treated those who abused His grace and resisted His Lordship in Old Testament history to the "certain people who had crept in unaware." Jude's main point gets clearer: those who pervert the grace of God have always been under God's just condemnation, as is true of these false teachers. We begin to see the real danger of "hidden reefs" and consider what these hidden reefs might look today.
The second phase of Bible study is Interpretation, or determining what the Bible means. As we read Jude 11-16, we also consider six key principles of interpretation to guide our understanding of Scripture: (1) let the author speak, (2) keep it in context, (3) read the Bible literally while allowing for figurative language, (4) let Scripture interpret Scripture, (5) let the clear guide the unclear, and (6) read the Bible in Christian community.

What Does the Text Say?

How to Study the Bible (Part 2) - The apostle Jude urges believers to contend for the faith once and for delivered to the saints, but the only way we know the faith is through the Scriptures. Therefore, we must rightly handle the Word of God in order to contend for the faith. As we continue to read through Jude this month, we also consider the principles of observation so that we can understand what the text says. (Jude 5-10) September 13, 2020.

Why Study the Bible?

In this short letter, the apostle Jude urges believers to contend for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints. In order for the saints to "contend for the gospel," we must rightly handle the Word of truth, where the once for all faith is revealed. Therefore, we need to read the Word and study the Word so that we will not pervert the grace of Christ nor deny Jesus as our Lord and Master. But how do we go about studying the Bible? (Jude 1-4) September 6, 2020.

Always Leave Them Wanting More

The Ezra Nehemiah story ends in a very unsatisfying way, and for good reason. Every commitment the people made in chapter 10 to obey all the commands of Moses were abandoned by chapter 13. In fact, the people of God have always been faithless to follow the Lord. The story leaves us wanting more, wanting for God to do something for us and in us that we can never do for ourselves or by ourselves. The story leaves us wanting for the Cross and for the Gift of the Holy Spirit. (Nehemiah 13.4-31) August 30, 2020

The Joy of the Lord is My Refuge

The joy of the Lord is my strength. But what does that mean? Does it mean that my joy in the Lord is the strength that moves me from weeping to joy? Or does it mean that the Lord's joy in me is a refuge from my fears and doubts? (Nehemiah 8.1-12) August 23, 2020

What Happens When God Puts Something in Your Heart to Do?

When God puts something in our hearts to do, we should expect opposition, both from within and from without. From the example of Nehemiah, we learn that when we face this opposition, it helps to remember the calling and God's promises, to practice the prayers of lament, to pray for discernment, and to act in faith. (Nehemiah 2-6) August 16, 2020

Great Moves of God

The calling of Nehemiah is a story about God moving in a great way. Through this story, we see that when God moves in a great way, we see small groups of people praying for extended periods of time. When God moves in a great way, we see a divine sense of timing. When God moves in a great way, we see chosen and anointed and unlikely individuals being used by God in significant ways. And when God moves in a great way, we see God doing what only God can do. (Nehemiah 1.1-2.8) August 2, 2020

The Implications of Calling Jesus “Lord”

What does it mean to be a follower of Christ, to renounce everything to be His disciple? In the story of Ezra, we discover that our commitment to Christ supersedes even our family commitments, as all must come under the Lordship of Christ. (Ezra 10.1-3) July 26, 2020.

Prayer and the Providence of God

Do we pray for the Providential care of God, or do we merely assume it? Through the testimony of Ezra, we learn that when we pray for the Hand of God upon our life, we see God's Hand everywhere, we align our hearts and minds with God's heart and mind, and God acts in response to our prayers. (Ezra 8.21-23) July 12, 2020