📖 1 John 2:3-6 • Are you certain you're saved, or do you wrestle with doubt? This sermon reveals three witnesses that prove whether you truly know Christ. "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." First John isn't asking if you're saved—it's asking if you know that you're saved. There's a world of difference between intellectual knowledge and intimate knowing, between being a professor and being a possessor. Pastor Fortunato walks through 1 John 2:3-6 to expose three witnesses that testify in the courtroom of your heart: what you say, how you live, and what you love. Your obedience isn't what saves you—it's the evidence that proves you know Him. When believers don't keep His commandments, the result is doubt. When we do keep them, the result is confidence. This sermon distinguishes between salvation itself and assurance of salvation. It's not about earning your way to heaven or keeping yourself saved through works. It's about understanding that salvation produces obedience, not the other way around. And when you obey out of love (not obligation), God's love is being perfected in you—conforming you to the image of Christ. This expository message walks through 1 John 2:3-6 and cross-references, explaining: The two types of "knowing" in Scripture (intellectual vs. intimate) Why obedience gives assurance without producing salvation How to identify professors vs. possessors of eternal life The three witnesses: what we say, how we live, what we love Why disobedience creates doubt while obedience creates confidence The difference between New Testament commands and Mosaic law How God's love is "perfected" in believers (Romans 8:29)

📖 Proverbs 3:21-26 • We live in a generation that can't sleep. Melatonin in the medicine cabinet, anxiety on the mind, scrolling at midnight, tossing at 2:00 a.m. Solomon says there's a kind of wisdom that lets you lie down and your sleep will be sweet—and it's not drug induced, alcohol assisted, or Netflix numbing. This is the exhaustion epidemic. We're tired, but we're wired. Yet God's Word promises "sweet sleep" (Proverbs 3:24)—the kind that refreshes, restores, and renews. It starts with wisdom and discretion, and it ends with your confidence in the Lord Himself. If you walk right, you'll sleep right. But if your walking ain't right, you're going to be filled with anxiety and stress, and you won't be able to lay down in your bed and get a good night's rest. The Lord doesn't want you to live like that. This expository sermon walks through Proverbs 3:21-26, explaining: • Why we can't sleep: the exhaustion epidemic of our generation • What wisdom and discretion mean and why we must guard them • Three promises for walking: life to your soul, grace to your neck, walking safely without stumbling • Three promises for resting: no fear when lying down, sweet sleep that refreshes, freedom from sudden fear • Why walking right is the key to sleeping right • The difference between stumbling and being trapped by the enemy • How babies sleep sweet because they know their father is watching • Why your confidence must be in the Lord, not your job, health, or relationships

📖 John 7:19-24 • Everyone knows "judge not"—but almost nobody knows what Jesus actually meant. What if the Bible doesn't forbid judging, but commands righteous judgment? The Pharisees are plotting to kill Jesus while claiming to uphold Moses' law. They're experts at quoting Scripture, masters at looking righteous, and skilled at judging by appearance. But Jesus is about to expose their entire religious system using their own practices against them. In this expository sermon, Pastor Fortunato walks through John 7:19-24, connecting it masterfully to Leviticus 12:3, John 8:58, Genesis 17, and Exodus 4. He shows how Jesus used the Pharisees' own practice of circumcising on the Sabbath to expose their hypocrisy in condemning His healing on the Sabbath. The law was meant to escort us to Jesus—but they redesigned it to execute Jesus. The most misquoted verse in America is "judge not"—but nobody reads the second half: "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." Jesus isn't forbidding judgment. He's commanding us to judge rightly. This verse-by-verse exposition explains: • Why the Pharisees couldn't keep the very law they claimed to defend • The difference between "blameless" and "sinless" (Luke 1:6) • How they weaponized God's word instead of letting it lead to Christ • The "lie without lying"—functional deception the Pharisees mastered • Why circumcision on the Sabbath exposed their double standard • Jesus's brilliant argument: "one bit" vs. "every wit whole" • The marks of the devil: lying and murder (John 8:44) • What "judge not according to appearance" actually means • How we all have pharisaical hearts that judge by surface-level stuff

📖 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 • Are you building a life that will last for eternity, or are you wasting your days blowing smoke? Every Christian will stand before the judgment seat of Christ where fire will test what you built with your life. The Bible says we are "laborers together with God"—active participants in His work. But we're not just working WITH God; He's also working ON us, cultivating us like a field and building us up like a temple. The question is: what materials are you choosing to build with? In this powerful exposition of 1 Corinthians 3:9-15, Pastor Fortunato walks through three key metaphors—the laborer (work), the husbandry (growth), and the building (construction)—to show how God is developing His people. But the sermon's convicting heart addresses the fire test every believer will face. When your works are tested by fire at the judgment seat of Christ, will they survive or burn up as smoke? Wood, hay, and stubble represent the temporal—what we did for our own glory, selfish motives, and carnal desires. It might look impressive now, but it won't last the fire. Gold, silver, and precious stones represent eternal value—what we did for Christ with pure motives. Are you giving God your best or just throwing Him your leftovers? Would you give your spouse the scraps from your plate and call it dinner? Then why would you give God the leftover time after you've consumed eight hours of entertainment? This sermon challenges believers to stop mining for fool's gold and start building with materials that will survive eternity.

📖 1 John 2:1-2 • My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. What happens when you sin as a Christian? Do you lose your salvation? Is God angry with you? The answer: We have an Advocate. This exposition of 1 John 2:1-2 explains the courtroom of grace—Jesus is both the Judge who must uphold the law AND the Son who pays your penalty. He declared you guilty because you are, then paid your fine with His own blood. This verse-by-verse teaching explains: • Seven stages of spiritual growth (babes, little children, young men, fathers, elders, aged) • "That ye sin not" - prevention, not permission (goal is holiness) • "If any man sin" - what happens when believers stumble • The only time "advocate" appears in the Bible (one who pleads your cause) • Double advocacy: Spirit on earth, Christ in heaven (Romans 8:26-27, 34) • The courtroom of grace illustration (judge paying his mother's fine) • Jesus Christ the righteous - His qualification as our lawyer • Propitiation explained: God's wrath was satisfied at Calvary • The eternal blood that never runs out (Hebrews 9:12) • Sufficient for the whole world, efficient for believers (sufficiency vs efficiency) • Eight things that happened when you were saved (redemption, regeneration, justification, adoption, reconciliation, predestination, forgiveness, sanctification)

📖 Proverbs 3:19-20 • Does the ground beneath your feet feel uncertain? Peace of mind evaporated? Building on sand while the tide rushes in? God's wisdom provides the only foundation that will never crack. We live in a time when everything feels unstable—jobs are temporary, relationships are fragile, institutions are crumbling, and even people we count on seem shaky. Christians struggle with anxiety despite faith, wondering why their foundation feels like it's cracking when God's wisdom founded the earth. This powerful exposition of Proverbs 3:19-20 reveals three divine attributes that bring stability: God's wisdom founded the earth, His understanding established the heavens, and His knowledge breaks up the depths. Solomon takes us from the overwhelming chaos of creation and floods to something tiny and personal—dew drops—showing that the same God who holds galaxies together cares about your garden and your problems. The climax reveals that Wisdom isn't just an attribute—Wisdom is a Person with a name: Jesus Christ. This sermon walks through Proverbs 3:19-20, Genesis 1-7, Exodus 14, John 1, and Colossians 1, explaining: • Why Christians feel anxious despite God's wisdom, understanding, and knowledge • The biblical pattern of God breaking through depths (chaos to creation, flood judgment, Red Sea deliverance) • Why Solomon ends with "dew drops"—God's intimate, personal provision • How dew represents God's blessing and provision (Genesis 27, Deuteronomy 33) • The revelation: Wisdom is not just a quality—Wisdom is Jesus Christ (John 1, Colossians 1, Luke 11) • Where to find stability when mental health struggles threaten to overwhelm

📖 John 7:14-18 • How do you know if a teacher is from God or just pushing their own agenda? Jesus gives us two clear tests to discern truth from deception. When Jesus showed up at the temple, the religious leaders demanded, "Where's your degree? Who authorized you?" They valued credentials over truth. We face the same trap today—celebrity preachers, gatekeeping systems, and teachers who seek their own glory instead of God's. This exposition of John 7:14-18 provides two biblical tests to discern any teacher (including your pastor): TEST #1 - THE WILLINGNESS TEST (v. 17): "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." Are you willing to obey what God shows you? The issue isn't your intelligence—it's your willingness. TEST #2 - THE GLORY TEST (v. 18): "He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory...but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true." Who gets the credit? True teachers decrease so Christ can increase. This sermon walks through John 7:14-18, 1 John 2:27, Acts 4:13, and 1 Thessalonians 2, explaining: • Why religious gatekeepers demand credentials instead of truth • The Holy Spirit's anointing in every believer (1 John 2:27) • Why God chose "unlearned and ignorant men" (Acts 4:13) • How to discern if teaching magnifies God or man • The difference between seeking God's approval vs. human applause • Why willingness to obey unlocks understanding • What trajectory to watch in any teacher's ministry

📖 1 Corinthians 11:20-29 • Are you worthy to take communion? The answer will surprise you—because the worthiness isn't yours, it's the Lord's. Many Christians struggle with guilt about the Lord's Supper. "Am I worthy to take communion? I had a bad week." This exposition of 1 Corinthians 11 settles the worthiness question by showing that EVERYTHING about communion is "the Lord's"—not ours. This sermon walks through 1 Corinthians 11:20-29, 2 Corinthians 6, Acts 20, Revelation 1, and Matthew 18, explaining: • Why communion worthiness depends on Christ, not your performance • What it means to "discern the Lord's body" (verse 29) • How to examine yourself without falling into guilt • The biblical pattern for the Lord's day (first day of the week) • Why the Lord's table isn't a denominational table • Where Christ is present during communion (in the midst of believers)

📖 1 John 1:8-10 • Are you trapped in the most dangerous spiritual condition—self-deception? When we claim to have no sin, we don't just lie to others; we lie to ourselves and call God a liar. Self-deception is the greatest type of darkness because when it takes hold, you become convinced you see perfectly. This powerful exposition of 1 John 1:8-10 exposes the deadly trap of claiming sinlessness and the beauty of God's grace waiting for honest confession. Pastor Fortunato walks through the three stages of self-deception that fractured the early church: denying we have sin (our nature), justifying our actions, and ultimately calling God a liar. Using vivid parenting illustrations, he shows how God—like a faithful father—isn't waiting with condemnation, but with cleansing. This expository sermon walks through 1 John 1:8-10, Romans 7, and Psalm 51, explaining: • Why self-deception is more dangerous than any "big bad wolf" sin • The difference between having sin (verse 8 - our nature) vs. having sinned (verse 10 - our actions) • How Gnostic false teachers claimed sinlessness and fractured fellowship • The respectable sins we baptize with our own thinking (pride as dedication, bitterness as realism) • What true confession means—simply agreeing with God about who we are • Why you can be God's child but still out of fellowship with Him • The relief and freedom that comes from honest confession • God's covenant promise: faithful and just to forgive and cleanse from ALL unrighteousness

You know Psalm 46:10—but you've been reading it wrong your entire life. 🎯 "Be still and know that I am God" isn't a peaceful coffee mug quote about calm mornings. It's a POWER command spoken in the middle of chaos—while mountains shake, waters roar, and nations rage. This sermon will completely transform how you understand what it means to be still before God. Why does God command stillness in Psalm 46? Because when we're constantly rushing—fixing problems, playing hero, running on our own strength—we can't hear His voice. We miss His deliverance. We steal His glory without even realizing it. In this message from Psalm 46:10, Pastor Fortunato reveals: • Why "be still and know" appears in the middle of complete chaos, not after it • The dangerous cycle of religious busyness that keeps us from hearing God • What Martin Luther understood about Psalm 46:1 that sustained the entire Reformation • Why men need to stop trying to be the hero in every situation • The Red Sea principle: what happens when you stand still and let God fight • How Isaiah 30:15 gives us the saddest invitation in Scripture—and why Israel rejected it This isn't about doing less for God. It's about stopping long enough to let God be God. The typical American Christian rushes to work, rushes through prayer, rushes to the next thing. Five minutes here, two minutes there. Always moving. Never still. And in that constant motion, we forfeit miracles we'll never know we missed. What if the inconvenience in your life right now—the thing slowing you down—is actually God's intervention? What if He's trying to force you to be still so you can finally hear what He's been trying to say for months?