Restoration Church

The theme of the Gospel of Matthew is that Jesus is King. Through His signs and teachings, He proves Himself to be the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Man, the Lord of the Sabbath, and God. Matthew 2 shows Jesus' early life parallels the history of Israel to eventually show that Jesus is Perfect Israel.

Remember that the Gospel of Matthew is structured around five of Jesus’ sermons/discourses, much like the Book of Deuteronomy is structured as sermons. Jesus seems to be showing that He is the prophet greater than Moses. However, more than that, Matthew continually refers to Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfills, proving that He is the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Man, and (most importantly) God.

Deus Vult is Latin for "God Wills It." It was a battle cry for the Crusades, but it is here appropriated for application to Christ's Kingdom. In a time when wicked rulers seem to go from bad to worse and the effects of sin bring new crises in our culture, it behooves us to remember that God has willed and will accomplish victory over all nations. Christ is King. In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 15, Pastor Samms addresses the Old Testament prophecies related to the Kingdom of God (Daniel 7, Psalm 2, Psalm 10, and Zechariah 14:9) as well as the New Testament teaching that Christ's Kingdom has indeed come, and of its increase, there will be no end!

Hosea is categorized as a “Minor Prophet,” which is another word for “The Book of the Twelve.” Hosea is only minor in the sense of its length. It is no less important than any other book of Scripture. The theme of the book is Israel’s unfaithfulness and God’s faithfulness. The theme is seen in God’s appeal to Israel in Hosea 6:6 when He says that He desires “mercy and not sacrifice,” meaning “steadfast love and not mere ceremony.”

The doctrine of Creation is the foundation of God’s redemptive Self-revelation. There are a multitude of theological implications from Genesis 1. In this sermon, Pastor Daniel teaches through Genesis 1:1-27 while addressing various inaccurate views as well as the biblical view of divine fiat creation. Join us at Paper Moon Vineyards (2008 State Road Vermillion, OH) at 10:30am on Sunday for this important sermon.

Christians are commanded to be unified in Christ, but how do we know who is a Christian to be unified with and who is a false believer to be evangelized or avoided (false teachers)? What about denominations? How do I know who is a faithful brother or sister? More than that, what do we need to do to build unity in the Church that Jesus has bought with His own blood? Sometimes it seems that those calling for unity are the ones pressing false doctrine, but if we are not careful, those with good doctrine will cut off faithful Christians who simply aren’t mature in the faith enough to be grounded doctrinally. This sermon addresses all this and more from Ephesians 4:1-16.

We live in a culture that is rejecting God. Whenever people reject God they find ways to worship the creation rather than the Creator, suppressing truth in their unrighteousness (Romans 1:18ff). It is no coincidence that old pagan practices have emerged in the West. While this is at times seen in overt demon worship in the form of Norse myth and witchcraft, the idolatry of our age often wears the mask of scientism as the heathen gods of climate change and materialism are worshipped through abortion, transgenderism, and transhumanism.

Here is the thing about idols, they cannot ultimately make things better. Life under paganism devolves as the blessings of God fade in the culture that rejects him. Pretty soon the wealth of cathedrals, technological advancements, and art amassed by great men of faith are torn down or forgotten as hope fades. So, idolaters do as they always have and add sorcery to their false worship.

We often forget that the root of the word for sorcery is tied to substance use. When idols fail to deliver, pagans mask their depression with distraction through substances. It seems our culture has followed suit. Distractions in the form of endless scrolling, pornographic amusement, and chemical comforts isolate the worshipper until he forgets that he was made to worship a greater God, the greatest God. He was born to build cathedrals and fight off the Ottoman hordes. He was made to win the heart of a bride, to sire a house full of children, to build an inheritance to pass down to his children’s children.

Idolatry and Sorcery are robbing us, our children, and our grandchildren of the life we were designed for. Thus, we must return to the old and faithful practice of idol destruction. Deuteronomy 12:1-5 (among a host of other passages) calls us to brutal destruction of idols of every kind. This sermon is designed to help us understand the roots of idolatry, the practices associated with it, and the manner in which we must destroy them as we replace idolatry with faithful worship of the One True God.

We will begin with the destruction of our own idols….but we will not stop there. Stop being nice, and start crushing idols.

The topic of Church Discipline often makes people uncomfortable at first. Most Americans have grown up in a version of Evangelicalism that sees “niceness” as an essential of the faith. Subsequently, few Christians have seen faithful church discipline applied. Either they have been a part of a body of believers that was functionally antinomian (anti-law), allowing even the most egregious sins to continue without confrontation. Here is the thing: Every Church disciplines; it is a matter of who they discipline. When a man leaves his family, refuses to repent, but is allowed to continue in fellowship with impunity, the church is effectively disciplining his wife and children out of the church. When an abuser continues to harm and the church leaders claim that it is better that he be in the church than not in the church, his victims are left unprotected. So it is with false teaching, gossip, sexual immorality, and the like. Faithful discipline is critical for the protection of the saints.

However, it is not just individuals that are at risk. 1 John gives us a detailed overview of the deep fellowship (koinonia) that is to be at the center of the Body of Christ. It is this love for one another that is to be the mark of Jesus’ disciples (John 13:35). We tend to think of church discipline in negative terms, but it is helpful to remember that Church discipline is not merely about punishment, it is about cultivating and protecting fellowship. The fellowship we share is not just with one another, it is with God (1 John 1:1-9). In this sermon, Pastor Daniel will talk about biblical fellowship from 1 John 1 before addressing the critical issue of church discipline.

The ordinances of the Church are baptism and the Lord’s supper, and both are topics of much debate. We discussed baptism in a previous sermon. This week, Pastor Daniel addresses the command to remember the Lord’s death through communion. We learn what it does and why it is important to build faith in the believers and break down the defenses of Hell through the proclamation of the Gospel. In the process, we address the various views of communion to affirm a biblical stance.

Jesus commands His disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This command is critical to the great commission, but baptism is an oft-debated topic among Christians. What is baptism? How important is it? What is the proper mode of baptism? Pastor Daniel Samms teaches from several key passages on baptism and addresses key quotes from church history and the London Baptist Confession as we clarify the importance and function of baptism in Christianity.