BBC Sermon Cast

Sadly, the subject of financial giving is often considered “controversial.” This is both harmful and needless because biblical giving is both a result and a revelation of God’s gospel grace. As Paul begins a two-chapter discourse on “giving and the church,” he grounds us in the biblical teaching of grace giving. He helps us to see that giving is a gospel issue. We will discover this under these headings:

1. Grace Experienced (vv. 1–2)

2. Grace Exemplified (vv. 3–5)

3. Grace Excelling (vv. 6–7)

As we continue to study the Sermon on the Mount, we see Christ elaborate further on how genuine citizens of the kingdom do not practise their righteousness to be seen by others. In Matthew 6:5–8, Jesus addresses the critical distinction between hypocritical and righteous prayer. He shows how prayers motivated by a desire for public admiration or a transactional approach are empty and offensive. Conversely, he emphasises the nature of genuine prayer as intimate communion with the Father, a natural expression of a believer’s relationship with God. Jesus underscores the reality that true prayer is not about the perfection of words or the performance of piety, but is rather an exercise of faith rooted in a transformed heart. We consider this text under two broad headings:

1.⁠ ⁠Hypocritical prayer (vv. 5, 7)

a. Practice of piety

b. Perfection of words

2.⁠ ⁠Righteous prayer (vv. 6, 8)

Deuteronomy presents Israel on the brink of great things: They’re about to enter the land of promise, conquer mighty nations, and have God go before them. But at this junction, God, speaking through Moses, decides to temper Israel’s excitement with a dose of realism. Even with the blessings come temptations to forget and fall away. So God reminds us, as he reminded Israel, to remember where we are, remember who he is, and remember where we came from. We consider these three exhortations from this text.

1. Remember Where You Are (vv. 1–3)

2. Remember Who God Is (vv. 4–5)

3. Remember Where You Came From (vv. 6–12)

In this passage, Jesus warns against the outward righteousness of the Pharisees and religious leaders by exposing the self-worshipping posture of their hearts. The true child of God practises these acts of worship with a pure motive for God to receive the glory. We consider three things from this text:

1.⁠ ⁠The Warning of Hypocrisy (vv. 1–2a)

2.⁠ ⁠⁠The Spectacle of Giving (v. 2)

3.⁠ ⁠⁠Confidential Giving (vv. 3–4)

Our recent WOC provided the context for us to once again be reminded that the Lord has blessed BBC so that we are a church that refreshes the many “Tituses” with whom we have a Great Commission relationship. It also reminded us of our responsibility to maintain such a refreshing demeanour. Remarkably, the church of Corinth provided refreshment to Titus, and Paul commends it for this. In this passage, we will look at:

1. What a refreshing church does

2. What a refreshing church is

3. What a refreshing church is not

4. What a refreshing church requires

World Outreach Celebration 2025 focuses on the theme: “Don’t Waste Your Worship: How Missions Flows from Worship and to Worship.” On Day 4, Daniel Bennett, pastor-teacher of Bethany Community Church in Washington, Illinois, speaks from Acts 13:13 on “Sustained Worship: Faithful to the Mission,” emphasising the truth that God uses weak vessels to proclaim the glorious truths that transform idolators into Christ-exalting worshippers. He addresses three things from this text:

1. Why we abandon the mission

2. What happens when we fail

3. How we care for our missionaries

World Outreach Celebration 2025 focuses on the theme: “Don’t Waste Your Worship: How Missions Flows from Worship and to Worship.” On Day 3, Daniel Bennett, pastor-teacher of Bethany Community Church in Washington, Illinois, speaks from Acts 13:4–12 on “New Worship: The Missionary Task,” emphasising what missions is and what a missionary is. He addresses three things from this text:

1. The task of missions (vv. 4–5)

2. The opposition to missions (vv. 6–10)

3. The hope of missions (vv. 11–12)

World Outreach Celebration 2025 focuses on the theme: “Don’t Waste Your Worship: How Missions Flows from Worship and to Worship.” On Day 2, Daniel Bennett, pastor-teacher of Bethany Community Church in Washington, Illinois, speaks from Acts 13:1–3 on “Purposeful Worship: The Church that Sends Missionaries,” emphasising that a church that loves and worships God sets apart and sends out people who yearn for others to love and worship God. He addresses two things from this text:

1. The church that sends missionaries (vv. 1–3)

2. The missionaries the church sends (v. 2)

World Outreach Celebration 2025 focuses on the them: “Don’t Waste Your Worship: How Missions Flows from Worship and to Worship.” On Day 1, Daniel Bennett, pastor-teacher of Bethany Community Church in Washington, Illinois, speaks from Acts 11:19–30 on “True Worship: Missions and the Local Church,” emphasising that you must participate in Christ’s church if you desire to participate in God’s kingdom. He highlights three truths from this text:

1. The local church is the goal of evangelism (vv. 19–21)

2. The local church is the primary place discipleship takes place (vv. 22–26)

3. The local church is the primary means through which God accomplishes ministry (vv. 27–30)

According to Jesus those who flourish are righteously related to the Father through his Son. They have a righteousness that exceeds a merely external righteousness; that is, they truly, whole-heartedly, “whole-personally” keep the Law of God. This is the kind of life expected of those who have been born again, precisely because the gospel that saves us also empowers us for such Father-like flourishing. We consider the text before us under two headings:

1. Love Like Your Father (vv. 43–47)

2. Live Like Your Father (v. 48)