Stonebridge Bible Church Sermons

Guest speaker Dr. Dave Gibson preaches on Psalm 73.

Titus, a young minister, is left on the island of Crete by Paul to begin the challenging task of organizing new converts into local churches.  In this letter, Paul shares with Titus some practical wisdom regarding church organization and administration.  Leaders must be chosen on the basis of proven character and conduct; false teachers must be quickly detected and removed; church members of all ages must be encouraged to live lives worthy of the gospel they claim to believe.  Young and old, leader and laity, must demonstrate the reality of their faith by being "careful to maintain good works."  (Wilkinson & Boa, Talk Thru The Bible.)   Michael continues The Big Book series, teaching on the book of Titus.

2 Timothy is Paul's last will and testament to his spiritual son Timothy.  Writing from a Roman prison cell, Paul imparts his final words of wisdom and encouragement to Timothy who is ministering in the midst of opposition and hardship in Ephesus.  Paul stresses the importance of godly living, preaching the Word both in and out of season, and preparing for the coming apostasy within the church.  Underlying all that Paul says is the importance of God's Word -- the only foundation strong enough to withstand persecution from without and problems from within.  (Wilkinson and Boa, Talk Thru The Bible.) Michael continues The Big Book: Cover to Cover with the book of 2 Timothy.

According to Wilkinson and Boa in their book Talk Thru the Bible, Paul, the aged and experienced apostle, writes to young pastor Timothy who is facing a heavy burden of responsibility in the church at Ephesus. The task is challenging: false doctrine must be erased, public worship safeguarded, and mature leadership developed. In addition to the conduct of the church, Paul talks pointedly about the conduct of the minister. Timothy must be on his guard lest his youthfulness become a liability, rather than an asset to the gospel. He must be careful to avoid false teachers and greedy motives, pursuing instead righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness as befitting a man of God. Join Michael as he teaches on the book of 1 Timothy.

Michael returns to his series The Big Book: Cover to Cover with the book of 2 Thessalonians.   1-2 Thessalonians are generally considered the earliest canonical Pauline letters.  2 Thessalonians is only 47 verses long, but it's a very practical book in many ways, and very applicable in our current situation. “Paul’s first letter evidently left some Thess. believers unconvinced. They still questioned whether the Day of the Lord had already come and gone, they may have been confused by other issues wrongly attributed to Paul’s teaching (2 Thessalonians 2:1–2). 2 Thessalonians is the apostle’s further clarification regarding the return of Christ. (In a way, this gives me solace; even under Paul’s teaching, people were confused about the eschaton!) Beware of deception. As to this “confusion”, we read in 2:1–12 the apostle clarification on Christ’s return, warning the Thessalonian believers should not be too easily swayed by any rumor that Christ has already returned. This event, he explains, will be preceded by a rebellion (v. 3), by the exposure of “the man of lawlessness” who is presently restrained but will proclaim himself divine (vv. 3–7), and finally by Christ’s destruction of this person (v. 8).Paul again confronts certain believers who continued their refusal to work because they felt that the imminent return of Christ rendered labor unnecessary. Citing his own ministry among them as an example to be followed (3:7–9), Paul repeats the command he had given in person that anyone refusing to work not be sustained by the others (v. 10). He then urges the idle believers to earn their living (v. 12). 2 Thessalonians may be less affectionate in tone than its predecessor, but its corrective comments on Christ’s return have admirably comforted believers through the centuries.” (From Allen C. Myers, The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary)

Guest speaker, Jonny Ardavanis, preaches on Psalm 90.

Alfy Austin preaches on the Parable of the Rich Fool.

Sanctification: Becoming more like the person of Jesus Christ, less like my sinful self and more like my savior. It’s a transformation process. We often differentiate between salvation and sanctification. The backdrop of the Thessalonian letters is found in Acts 17:1-5: Thessalonian Jewish leaders had chased Paul all the way to Berea (about 90 miles) According to Wilkson and Boa, Talk Thru The Bible: “The church at Thessalonica was in many ways a model church. Paul had many things to commend the believers for: their exemplary faith, diligent service, patient steadfastness, and overflowing joy. But in the midst of his commendation, Paul voices a word of caution. Abounding in the work of the Lord is only one step removed from abandoning the work of the Lord through complacency. Thus, Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to excel in their faith, to increase in their love for one another, and to give thanks always for all things. In short, Paul encourages them to “stay on target” as they labor for the Lord.” Listen as Michael teaches an overview to the book of 1 Thessalonians.

Written to believers in Colossae, Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey, Colossians is another of the “prison epistles” written, most likely, while Paul was imprisoned in Rome.  The letter’s intent is to correct the false teaching that had infiltrated the church of Colossae. According to Wilkinson and Boa, Talk Thru The Bible: “Colossians is one of the most Christ-centered books of the Bible. Paul stresses the supremacy of the person of Christ and the completeness of the salvation He provides in order to combat a growing heresy in the church at Colossae. Christ, the Lord of creation and Head of the body which is His church, is completely sufficient for every spiritual and practical need of the believer.” Join Michael as he teaches on Colossians, which affirms that Christ is the sovereign King of the universe, there is no other. That’s always a comfort and recalibration.  

“Philippians is the epistle of joy and encouragement in the midst of adverse circumstances. In it, Paul freely expresses his fond affection for the Philippians in view of their consistent testimony and support, and lovingly urges them to center their actions and thoughts on the person, pursuit, and power of Jesus Christ. Paul also seeks to correct a problem with disunity and rivalry, urging his readers to imitate Christ in His humility and servanthood. In this way the work of the gospel will go forward as believers seek to stand fast, be of the same mind, rejoice always, and pray about everything.” (Wilkinson and Boa, Talk Thru The Bible)  Join Michael as he teaches an overview of the book of Philippians, offering a fresh look at a text many may be familiar with.