Faith Sermons

Pastor JD de Klerk

Scripture Reading

Numbers 11:16-30

Summary: Jesus leads his disciples through Galilee privately, teaching them that the Son of Man will be delivered into human hands, killed, and rise after three days—yet the disciples remain fearful and uncomprehending. In Capernaum they argue about who is greatest, revealing pride, so Jesus teaches that true greatness means being servant of all, illustrated by embracing a lowly child. John then reports stopping an outsider who cast out demons in Jesus' name, showing the disciples' exclusive, tribal spirit, but Jesus corrects them: whoever is not against us is for us. Believers must abandon spiritual pride and immaturity, becoming humble servants who love and welcome even those outside their own tribe.

Scripture references: Mark 9:30-41; Numbers 11:16-30; Acts 3:13-15; Acts 2:23; John 3:16

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Pastor Mark Jones

Scripture Reading

1 Samuel 25

Summary: David, enraged at Nabal's insult, prepares to take bloody revenge, but Abigail intercepts him with wisdom, humility, and provision, turning him from sin before he acts. David recognizes her counsel as God's own providence, blessing the Lord for restraining him from bloodguilt through her intervention. This illustrates one way God keeps his people from sin: not only by internal grace but by external providence—wise counsel from others, hindered circumstances, or even bodily affliction, as with Paul's thorn in the flesh. Believers should see every restraint from sin, however it comes, as evidence of God's fatherly care, secured through Christ, and respond with gratitude rather than resentment toward the very trials that preserve them.

Scripture references: 1 Samuel 25:32-35; Job 5:12; 2 Chronicles 20:35-37; 2 Corinthians 12:7-9

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Pastor Scott McArthur

Old Testament Reading

Joel 2:12-17

New Testament Reading

Romans 2:1-11

Summary: The Ninevites hear Jonah's warning and truly believe God, responding with fasting, sackcloth, and a national turning from sin, led by the king who abandons his throne for ashes and commands even the animals to join in mourning. Their repentance is not mere emotion but active turning from evil, especially their violence, done in hope rather than certainty—"who knows?"—casting themselves on God's mercy without merit. Because God sees their genuine change of heart and life, he relents from the threatened judgment, showing that his warnings serve his mercy and that his covenant promise to relent toward the repentant is fulfilled. Believers today, unlike the Ninevites, know for certain through Christ's cross that God's mercy is guaranteed to all who turn to him in faith and repentance, and are called to examine whether they too are inwardly humbled and visibly reformed.

Scripture references: Jonah 2:10; Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 24:46-47; Acts 17:30; Jeremiah 18:7-8; Isaiah 55:7; Romans 10:9; 1 John 1:9; Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17; Joel 2:12-17; Romans 2:1-11

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Pastor Mark Jones

Scripture Reading

Isaiah 45:14-25

Summary: Philip, directed by an angel and the Spirit, leaves a fruitful ministry in Samaria to meet a single Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah 53 on a desert road. Though a powerful court official, he is religiously an outsider, barred from full temple worship, yet God sovereignly arranges his journey, his reading, and Philip's arrival to bring him to faith and baptism. This shows that God's providence orders every detail—circumstances, timing, people—not just to bring someone to salvation but to keep them saved, since all things work together for the good of His people. Recognizing this providence in one's own conversion and preservation should produce deep humility rather than pride.

Scripture references: Acts 8:26-40; Isaiah 53; Romans 8:28; Isaiah 56

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Pastor JD de Klerk

Scripture Reading

Matthew 17:14-20

Summary: A father brings his demon-possessed, seizure-suffering son to Jesus after the disciples fail to cast out the spirit, drawing scorn from watching scribes. Jesus laments the unbelief of the crowd, hears the father's desperate plea, and commands the spirit to leave, healing the boy instantly. Afterward the disciples privately ask why they failed, and Jesus explains this kind only comes out through prayer, showing that even His own miracles flowed from a life of dependent, faith-filled prayer rather than mere divine power. Believers must likewise prioritize sustained, dependent prayer, bringing their deepest sins and burdens to Christ rather than relying on their own strength.

Scripture references: Mark 9:14-29; Matthew 17:14-20; Mark 6:13

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Pastor Mark Jones

Scripture Reading

Job 21

Summary: David reflects on being formed by God in the womb, marveling at the intricate, fearful and wonderful design of the human body from a single cell to fully formed life. The passage points beyond biology to God's sovereign providence—every day of a person's life was written in God's book before they existed. This providence extends to the time, place, and family into which one is born, including the mercy of being raised in a Christian household or nation where the gospel is freely preached. Believers should respond with deep, sustained thankfulness rather than grumbling, recognizing that God has sovereignly and graciously brought them to this very day to worship him.

Scripture references: Psalm 139:13-16; Psalm 22:9-10; Psalm 74:20; 2 Timothy 1:5; Proverbs 4:3-4; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Ephesians 6:4; Job 21

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Pastor Scott McArthur

Old Testament Reading

Jeremiah 18:1-11

New Testament Reading

Matthew 12:38-42

Summary: Jonah receives a second commission after his rescue from the great fish, and this time he obeys, walking into the wicked, idol-filled city of Nineveh with an eight-word warning: forty days and the city will be overthrown. Remarkably, the Ninevites believe God, fast, and repent from the king down to the least, and God relents from the disaster he threatened. Jesus later cites this as the sign of Jonah, showing something greater than Jonah is present, condemning those who refuse to repent at his word. God's patience gives space for repentance, but that grace cannot be presumed upon; believers are urgently called to repent themselves and to carry Christ's gospel message into the messes of the world.

Scripture references: Jonah 3:1-10; Jeremiah 18:1-11; Matthew 12:38-42; 1 Peter 4:11; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Hebrews 4:12; Jeremiah 31:34; Proverbs 29:1; Luke 12:20; Romans 2:4-5; Ephesians 2:10

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Pastor Mark Jones

Scripture Reading

Psalm 57

Summary: Beginning a new series on God's providence, the sermon grounds the topic in Romans 11:33-36's praise of God's unsearchable wisdom, then turns mainly to Psalm 57, David's prayer while hiding from Saul in the cave at Engedi. David's cry "be merciful to me" and his confidence that God "fulfills his purpose for me" show that providence means every event, even trials and apparent traps set by enemies, has meaning and is governed by God, who often turns evil schemes back on their plotters. In this life believers see only the partial picture and must live by faith, not sight, trusting God's promises rather than demanding explanations. Because God providentially planned even the sending of His Son to save us, believers can trust Him with every other circumstance of life.

Scripture references: Romans 11:33-36; Psalm 57; 1 Samuel 24; Psalm 138

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Pastor Scott McArthur

Old Testament Reading

Psalm 138

Summary: God preserves disobedient Jonah by appointing a great fish to swallow him after the sailors cast him overboard, showing his sovereign, redemptive purpose even amid rebellion. From the fish's belly Jonah prays, moving from hard-hearted flight to confession, thanksgiving, and renewed obedience, and the Lord commands the fish to vomit him onto dry land toward Nineveh. This pattern points forward to Christ's death and resurrection, the ultimate deliverance for spiritually dead sinners. Whatever despair or waywardness we face, we must not despair or grow bitter, but confess our sins, give thanks even in trials, and renew our obedience, trusting that salvation belongs to the Lord.

Scripture references: Jonah 1:17-2:10; Psalm 138; Psalm 50:14-15; Matthew 12:38-42

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Scripture Reading

Psalm 73