Pastor Cole's Sermons

God’s promises rest on His faithfulness, not our strength. In Psalm 132:11–18, we see three reasons to trust Him: God will keep His promise, He delights to dwell among His people, and His King will reign in victory. Tracing God’s covenant with David to its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, this sermon calls us to rest in His Word, rejoice in His salvation, and live with confidence in the King whose reign will never end.

What place does God hold in your life? In Psalm 132:1–10, David’s determination to honor the Lord challenges us to examine our priorities. This sermon explores wholehearted devotion, reverent worship, and dependence on God’s favor. As Israel seeks the Lord’s presence, we are reminded that worship centers on His glory and that our confidence in drawing near rests in Jesus Christ, our great High Priest.

What actually makes someone a Christian? In John 15:4–11, Jesus describes the Christian life through the picture of a vine and its branches. A true Christian is not merely someone who professes Christ, attends church, or has had a religious experience. A Christian has been brought into living union with Jesus Christ.

Because Christ is the Vine, His people abide in Him, bear spiritual fruit, remain with Him, abide in His Word, obey Him out of love, and find their joy in Him. None of these things earn salvation; they are the evidence of the new life God has given. As Jesus declares, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

The Christian life begins, continues, and ends in complete dependence upon Christ. Abide in Christ. Bear much fruit. Glorify God.

The Lord’s Supper is not an empty ritual or a routine tradition. It is an ordinance given by Jesus Christ to His church so that His people would remember His sacrifice, commune together as His body, proclaim His death, and anticipate His return.

In 1 Corinthians 11:23–32, Paul calls believers to approach the Lord’s Table with reverence and careful self-examination. But examination is not intended to drive the repentant Christian away from the Table. Paul says, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat.” We examine ourselves, confess our sin, repent, seek reconciliation where needed, and then come with our eyes fixed upon Christ.

The Lord’s Supper is not a reward for Christians who had a good week. Our confidence is not found in our own worthiness, but in the worthiness and finished work of Jesus Christ. His body was given for us. His blood was shed for us. Through Him, sinners are reconciled to God.

So come reverently. Come repentantly. Come thankfully. Come believing. Come to the Table, remember Christ, and proclaim His death until He comes.

In Psalm 131, David gives us a beautiful picture of spiritual maturity: a soul that has learned to rest in God. The mature believer no longer has to be great, no longer has to get his way, and no longer has to know everything. Like a weaned child resting quietly with its mother, we learn through sanctification to surrender our pride, our demands, and our need for control. Our peace is not found in getting everything we want or understanding everything God is doing, but in knowing that God is great, God is enough, and God can be trusted. David therefore calls God's people to “hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.”

Life is brief, uncertain, and completely under the sovereign hand of God. We do not know what tomorrow will bring, but Jesus reminds us that our heavenly Father does. In Matthew 6:31–34, Christ calls His people away from anxiety over a tomorrow we cannot control and toward faithful obedience with the day God has actually given us.

Rather than living consumed with the cares of this world, believers are commanded to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” We are called to trust our Father, pursue holiness, love and serve others, and live for the glory of God today.

Tomorrow has not been promised to us. But God has given us today. So we must not sacrifice the day God has given us worrying about a day He has not promised us. Seek the Kingdom. Pursue righteousness. Trust your Father. And leave tomorrow in His hands.

Every believer eventually discovers that the greatest battle is not merely the hostility of the world around us, but the remaining sin within us.

In Psalm 130, one of the most beloved Songs of Ascents, the psalmist cries "out of the depths" as his soul is overwhelmed by the weight of sin. Yet this is not a psalm of despair—it is a psalm of hope. Through God's abundant mercy, the broken soul finds forgiveness, learns to wait upon the Lord, and rests in the promise of His plentiful redemption.

Join us as we see how God graciously restores the soul of every repentant pilgrim, leading us from conviction to confidence, from waiting to hope, and ultimately to Christ, our Redeemer.

What does God call a strong man?

In a culture that celebrates either passive masculinity or worldly power, Scripture presents a radically different picture of biblical manhood. In this Father's Day message, The Man of Valor, we walk through several Proverbs passages to discover what it means to be a godly man according to God's design.

This sermon is not a call to self-improvement or moralism. Proverbs was never intended to produce men who simply try harder. Instead, it serves as a mirror that reveals what a life transformed by the Gospel looks like. Before a man can become a man of valor, he must first be made new through faith in Jesus Christ.

Together, we will examine the marks of biblical manhood:

• The Man of Integrity (Proverbs 20:7)

• The Man Who Pursues Godly Brotherhood (Proverbs 27:17)

• The Truly Strong Man (Proverbs 14:26)

• The Man Who Leads His Home (Proverbs 22:6)

• The Man Who Conquers Himself (Proverbs 16:32)

• The Man Who Rejects Selfishness (Proverbs 18:1)

• The Man Who Trusts God (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Ultimately, we will discover that valor is not defined by success, influence, or worldly strength. Valor is God-given strength that faithfully accomplishes God's purposes despite opposition, fear, or difficulty. This is the direction of a life transformed by the Gospel and submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Esther is a powerful reminder that God is always working behind the scenes. Though His name is never mentioned in the book, His providential hand is evident on every page.

In this sermon, we will examine Esther's defining moment and discover three crucial truths:

1) God was working before Esther ever knew it

2) God's providence does not mitigate our obedience

3) Faithfulness requires surrender

Through Esther's story, we are reminded that God sovereignly places His people exactly where He wants them and calls them to trust Him there.

No matter your season of life, your job, your trial, your family situation, or your health, God has not made a mistake. He has assigned your post. The question is not whether God will be faithful—the question is whether we will be faithful where He has placed us.

Join us as we learn what it means to trust God's providence and obey Him "for such a time as this."

Psalm 129 is a song for weary pilgrims. As one of the Songs of Ascents, it reminds God's people that the Christian life is not a life of ease, but a lifelong journey of faithfulness in a world that opposes God's ways.

Israel testifies that they have been afflicted from their youth, yet their enemies have never prevailed against them. The scars are real, the opposition is real, and the fatigue is real—but so is the preserving grace of God.

In this sermon, we explore how believers today experience the ongoing pressure of living as strangers and exiles in a fallen world. Whether through the challenges of parenting, standing for truth, resisting cultural compromise, or enduring seasons of discouragement, God's people are called to persevere. Psalm 129 teaches us not to be defined by our wounds or our hardships, but by the faithfulness of the Lord who sustains us.

The central truth of the psalm is found in verse 4: “The LORD is righteous.” Because God is faithful to His promises, His people may be deeply afflicted, but they will never be ultimately defeated. The enemies of God may appear to prosper for a season, but their success is temporary. God's kingdom alone endures forever.

Because the Lord is righteous, His people may endure lifelong opposition, but they will never be ultimately overcome.