Tuesday evening session of our Behind The Mask: Breaking Free From Performative Religion teaching sessions presented by Dr. Rand Hummel in conjunction with our 2026 VBS program, Secret Agent Academy The sermon warns against living as a religious robot or Pharisee by identifying eight behaviors that mimic faith without genuine relationship with God. It emphasizes that true forgiveness is a factual promise from God rather than an emotional feeling or the erasure of memory, urging believers to release bitterness and trust in His immutable character. The speaker challenges the congregation to abandon worry and judgmentalism, framing anxiety as an attack on God's provision and nature. A significant portion focuses on the practical discipline of reading, examining, applying, and doing Scripture to cultivate a deep, personal love for God that influences future generations. Ultimately, the message calls for authentic devotion over checklist Christianity, encouraging believers to model a vibrant faith so their children and grandchildren may catch it.

Pastor Victor Claudio preaches through Philippians 4:6-7

The Christian's Ultimate Life (1Pet 4:5-6) The sermon addresses the anxiety of Christians facing persecution and death by emphasizing two future certainties: every persecutor will give an account to Christ, and every believer who dies continues to live before God. It explains that the world's mockery and physical death are not final defeats but temporary states preceding divine judgment. The preacher highlights that life is a stewardship entrusted by God, requiring accountability for how individuals use their bodies, minds, and opportunities. By contrasting human assessment with God's eternal perspective, the message offers comfort to suffering believers while urging unbelievers to reconcile with the Judge before it is too late. Ultimately, the text assures that death does not cancel the gospel but transitions the believer into eternal life with Christ.

This sermon explores the prophet Habakkuk's journey from questioning God's justice to finding peace through faith. Listen along as Pastor Sargent highlights how Habakkuk wrestled with why God allowed sin in Judah and used a wicked nation for judgment, ultimately receiving the command to live by faith rather than seeking immediate explanations. By examining biblical examples like Moses, Job, and Isaiah, the message emphasizes that God often responds to doubt not with detailed reasons, but with revelations of His character and power. The central theme is that trusting in God's sovereignty allows believers to move from anxiety to exuberant praise, even amidst impending trouble. The sermon concludes by encouraging listeners to rest in the promise that the just shall live by faith, finding strength and joy in God despite uncertain circumstances.

This sermon explores the profound and unmerited love of God as a central tool for Christian discipleship. Drawing primarily from Ephesians 3, the message emphasizes that believers are sustained by Christ's love which surpasses human knowledge and secures their eternal destiny. Pastor Ryan outlines several aspects of this divine affection, including the granting of eternal life, mercy toward sinners, spiritual regeneration, adoption as children of God, and preservation through all circumstances. By meditating on these truths, Christians find peace, joy, and the strength to resist sin and anxiety. The sermon concludes with an urgent call for non-believers to repent and trust in Christ, while encouraging believers to continually rest in and share this overwhelming love.

The sermon addresses contemporary anxieties about the end of the world by affirming the literal, personal return of Jesus Christ as the definitive answer. It counters skeptical arguments that rely on uniformitarianism or dismiss biblical prophecy by highlighting God's past cataclysmic interventions and His current patience toward sinners. The preacher outlines five evidences for this event: Christ's own promises, His parables, angelic confirmation, Old Testament prophecy, and New Testament teaching. These truths are presented not merely as doctrinal facts but as urgent motivations for holy living, self-control, and evangelistic zeal. Ultimately, the message calls believers to live in alert anticipation of judgment while holding fast to the hope of a new creation.

The sermon emphasizes the profound confidence and peace believers possess through Jesus Christ's redemptive work. It explains that true transformation comes from the Holy Spirit rather than human effort, enabling individuals to overcome fear and anxiety. By referencing Philippians 4 and John 14, the text highlights prayer as the means to exchange worry for divine tranquility. The message encourages reliance on God's perfect timing and control instead of self-reliance or worldly understanding. Ultimately, it asserts that this supernatural peace guards the heart and mind through faith in Christ's finished work.

The sermon explores the source of unshakeable Christian joy by contrasting salvation by faith with justification through works of the law. Drawing primarily from Galatians 3, the preacher explains that God's promise to Abraham remains ratified and cannot be annulled by subsequent laws or human circumstances. This theological foundation establishes believers as heirs and sons of God rather than captives under a curse, securing their inheritance through Christ alone. The message encourages the congregation to find confidence in God's faithfulness and to reject anxiety by resting in the completed work of Jesus. Ultimately, this assurance empowers Christians to maintain joy and unity within the church body despite external trials or internal struggles.

The sermon exhorts believers to embrace humility as a vital virtue for both personal sanctification and the health of the local church. It contrasts the destructive nature of pride, which invites God's opposition, with the blessing of grace that flows to those who humble themselves under God's sovereign hand. Drawing on Christ's example of servanthood and self-emptying love, the text illustrates that true humility involves putting others first and rejecting self-exaltation. The message further encourages Christians to cast their anxieties upon God, trusting in His intimate care rather than relying on their own strength. Ultimately, the preacher calls for a posture of submission to spiritual leadership and reliance on divine provision in all circumstances.

The sermon explores Jesus' final instructions to his disciples before his crucifixion, emphasizing the glorification of God through the cross and the new commandment to love one another. It contrasts the profound spiritual reality of Christ's sacrifice with human anxiety about leaving, using travel preparation as a metaphor for readiness. The message highlights that true Christian identity is marked by self-sacrificing love rather than mere profession. It warns against self-reliance, illustrated by Peter's failed confidence, and urges believers to place their complete trust in Jesus. Ultimately, the text offers comfort regarding death, assuring believers of eternal union with Christ.