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As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we rejoice in the salvation and forgiveness of sins we have received. While we once stood guilty before a holy God, His grace has redeemed us through the perfect atonement of His Son, Jesus. Please listen as Brother Mike expounds on "The Atonement of Christ." May this message bless and strengthen your heart...

Hymns: With Grateful Heart My Thanks I Bring Peace, Perfect Peace Blest Be the Tie That Binds Outline: The Purpose of This Fellowship The Benefits of This Fellowship The Foundation of This Fellowship

In Matthew 15:1–20, Jesus directly confronts the scribes and Pharisees for elevating human traditions above God's commandments. Their religious system looked spiritual, but it produced empty worship, hypocrisy, and disobedience. In this message, Pastor Brandon examines the Pharisaic traditions surrounding ritual handwashing, Corban, and the principle of eruv. These practices show how religious leaders could combine biblical concepts with human reasoning to create legal loopholes that let people appear obedient while avoiding genuine surrender to God. The same danger exists within Christianity today. Believers can misuse grace, Christian liberty, prayer, ministry, personal feelings, and even biblical truth to excuse disobedience. Saying, "God knows my heart," "I prayed about it," or "I'm serving God" cannot replace submission to the clear teaching of Scripture. Jesus called the Pharisees "blind leaders of the blind." When human tradition replaces divine revelation, both the leaders and those following them eventually fall into the ditch. Truth has no sacred cows. Genuine spirituality does not ask, "How can I appear obedient without surrendering?" It asks, "What does God's Word require, and how can I faithfully obey it?" #SlayingSacredCows #TruthOverTradition #Matthew15 #TraditionsOfMen #WordOfGod #ChristianLoopholes #BiblicalTruth #JesusChrist #Pharisees #Corban #ReligiousHypocrisy #ChristianObedience #BibleTeaching #Sermon #RockHarborChurch #BrandonHolthaus

This sermon explores Psalm 64 as a depiction of spiritual warfare conducted through speech, contrasting the defensive prayers of the righteous with the offensive slander of the wicked. The central message emphasizes that while enemies may sharpen their tongues like swords to destroy reputation, God serves as the ultimate refuge who hears the cries of His people. The text highlights the theological theme of divine vindication, where God uses His own Word to judge the wicked and turn their evil speech against them, ultimately exalting His name. The tone is both convicting and comforting, urging believers to trust in God's justice rather than retaliating, and to maintain integrity while awaiting His timing for deliverance. The sermon concludes by encouraging Christians to guard their hearts and speak boldly, knowing that God sees all things and will ultimately declare the work of His justice.

Are you reading the Bible carefully, or only seeing what you expect to see? A verse taken out of context can become a pretext. Learn seven basic rules that help us read the Bible carefully, compare Scripture with Scripture, and keep knowing God as the goal. Are you reading it right? God gave us His words to be understood, believed, and obeyed. But careless reading can pull a verse out of context, overlook important words, or force a difficult passage to contradict a clear one. This Sunday school lesson presents seven basic rules of biblical interpretation: follow the plain sense of Scripture, interpret Scripture with Scripture, use clear passages to understand difficult ones, respect the proper context, pay attention to individual words, approach Bible study with the right heart, and make knowing God the true goal. The purpose of Bible study is not merely to collect information. It is to know the Lord, understand His words correctly, and grow in grace and obedience. Key references: Matthew 4:4; Matthew 5:17-18; Proverbs 30:5; 1 Corinthians 3:1-2; Hebrews 5:11-14; Philippians 3:10; Titus 1:16; 1 John 2:3-5; 2 Peter 3:18. Bible: King James Bible Church: Arnold Baptist Tabernacle Subscribe for more King James Bible teaching and preaching from Arnold Baptist Tabernacle.

The sermon addresses the command in Ephesians 4:28 for believers to cease stealing and instead labor with their hands to provide for those in need. It reconciles the apparent contradiction between the new creation status of Christians and the ongoing struggle with sin by explaining the doctrine of progressive sanctification, where God continually works to conform believers to the image of Christ. The text broadens the definition of stealing to include various forms of dishonesty and self-centeredness, emphasizing that such behaviors stem from the heart and require a spiritual cure through the gospel. The preacher highlights the biblical mandate for diligent work not merely for personal accumulation, but as a means to bless others, reflecting the selfless life of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, the message calls for repentance from all forms of theft and a commitment to honest labor that honors God and serves the community.

This sermon contrasts the heart of adoration demonstrated by Mary of Bethany with the heart of hypocrisy embodied by Judas Iscariot, using the narrative of Jesus' anointing in Matthew 26. The message highlights how Mary's costly act of worship, which prepared Jesus for his impending burial, was scorned by the disciples but affirmed by Christ as a perpetual memorial. In contrast, Judas's concern for the poor is exposed as a pretext for theft and betrayal, revealing the tragic consequences of a life devoid of genuine faith. The preacher urges the audience to examine their own motives, warning against the subtle dangers of hypocrisy and encouraging a deep, personal intimacy with Christ through time spent at His feet. Ultimately, the sermon calls believers to offer their most precious possessions in worship, trusting that Jesus cherishes the gifts of a yielded heart.