Trinitarian Congregational Church - Sermons and Teaching - Sunday Sermons

Dr. Tom Petter is Senior Pastor.

Proverbs 1:2-8

To know wisdom and instruction,

    to understand words of insight,

3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,

    in righteousness, justice, and equity;

4 to give prudence to the simple,

    knowledge and discretion to the youth—

5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,

    and the one who understands obtain guidance,

6 to understand a proverb and a saying,

    the words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

    fools despise wisdom and instruction.

8 Hear, my son, your father's instruction,

    and forsake not your mother's teaching,

Matthew 10:16-20

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Kyle Smethurst is the Students Ministries Pastor.

1 Corinthians 2:1-16

 And I, when I came to you, brothers,[a] did not come proclaiming to you the testimony[b] of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men[c] but in the power of God.

6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,

"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagines,

what God has prepared for those who love him”—

10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.[d]

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Dr. Tom Petter is Senior Pastor.

Hebrews 12:1-11

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

    nor be weary when reproved by him.

6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

    and chastises every son whom he receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

James 3:17

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Dr. Tom Petter is the Senior Pastor.

Proverbs 1:1-7

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know wisdom and instruction,

    to understand words of insight,

3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,

    in righteousness, justice, and equity;

4 to give prudence to the simple,

    knowledge and discretion to the youth—

5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,

    and the one who understands obtain guidance,

6 to understand a proverb and a saying,

    the words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

    fools despise wisdom and instruction.

James 3:17

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Kyle Smethurst is the Student Ministries Pastor.

Psalm 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God,

    and the sky above[a] proclaims his handiwork.

2 Day to day pours out speech,

    and night to night reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech, nor are there words,

    whose voice is not heard.

4 Their voice[b] goes out through all the earth,

    and their words to the end of the world.

In them he has set a tent for the sun,

5     which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,

    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,

    and its circuit to the end of them,

    and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,[c]

    reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure,

    making wise the simple;

8 the precepts of the Lord are right,

    rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure,

    enlightening the eyes;

9 the fear of the Lord is clean,

    enduring forever;

the rules[d] of the Lord are true,

    and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,

    even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

    and drippings of the honeycomb.

11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

    in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?

    Declare me innocent from hidden faults.

13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;

    let them not have dominion over me!

Then I shall be blameless,

    and innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

    be acceptable in your sight,

    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Dr. Matthew Kim is Co-Director of the Haddon W. Robinson Center for Preaching; Director of Mentored Ministry; Associate Professor of Preaching and Ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

2 Timothy 4:1-8

1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Dr. Matthew Kim is Co-Director of the Haddon W. Robinson Center for Preaching; Director of Mentored Ministry; Associate Professor of Preaching and Ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.[a] 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers,[b] of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.