Restoration is a network of house churches.
We make disciples, gather together, and
equip people to minister.
God commands His people to teach their children the things of God. Deuteronomy 6 outlines the essential teaching about God and His work, the things we are to believe and teach to our children. With it comes a warning to avoid the gods of the age that tempt us to abandon the Truth. This sermon reminds us of God’s commands to teach the Truth diligently to our children and provides a few practical tools for doing that very thing.
In times like these, it is easy for the relatively moral to point to the egregious sins of our time while ignoring the sins which function as the root system for the overt decay of the age. Children conceived in godly marriages with providing and protecting fathers don’t get aborted. Sexual abuse does not occur without being preceded by lust. Tyranny cannot thrive without lies and theft. The root sins are the support system for the evil that must be purged. This sermon on Romans 6:1-23 and 8:12-17 is about killing sin in our own hearts to choke it out in society. As John Owens says, “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.”
Jesus rose from the dead. It is the historical reality that serves as the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Despite what theological liberals and progressives claim, you cannot be a Christian and deny the bodily resurrection of Christ. Fortunately, there is profound evidence for the resurrection. This Easter Sunday, we discuss biblical and historical evidence for the resurrection, and we remember the joyful hope that we have since Jesus died to pay our sin debt and rose from the dead to give us new life. Pastor Daniel Samms teaches through 1 Corinthians and answers some recent accusations about the “pagan origins” of Easter. (Hint: there are no pagan origins of Easter).
Acts 15 provides two important accounts: One is the first church council (the Council of Jerusalem) at which the apostles and elders discuss whether or not gentiles need to become Jews and follow the law to be saved. The decision and the reasoning are foundational for the future of the faith. Also, it serves as a template for future councils. Praise God that we are saved by grace through faith, and that this salvation is confirmed by the Holy Spirit! The second account addresses how Paul and Barnabas part ways over a practical ministry disagreement. This is important as a model for faithful disagreement and even parting ways without sinning.
Scripture consistently teaches that men are to lead their homes and that godly men who lead their homes well are the ones qualified to lead in the civil arena as magistrates and in the church as elders/pastors. Ephesians 5, 1 Cor. 11, 1 Peter 3, and many other passages give us insight on this biblical patriarchy. Critical to understanding this is that these men are to oversee their homes in an understanding way, loving their wives and children. Proverbs 31 describes a woman who thrives under her husband's authority. She feeds the poor, invests in real estate, speaks wisdom, and is honored by her husband and children. Of course, this requires manly men who lead well, love God, and make disciples in their homes.
According to the StateofTheology.org survey from 2022, 65% of “evangelicals” do not believe that people are born guilty in the sight of God. This is a problem given that 1 Corinthians 15:22 says, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” The fact that the beliefs of “evangelicals” on this and many other topics seem to correlate with the culture as a whole reveals that most are getting their theology from the culture rather than from the Word of God. In this sermon, Pastor Dan teaches from Scripture on Original Sin, equipping the saints and emphasizing that just as in Adam, all die, so all who are in Christ are made alive (Romans 5:12-21). The gospel of Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection is good news indeed!
Pastor Dan provides an overview of the global and national state of the Church before reviewing 2022 and presenting the proposed budget for 2023.
Acts 8 begins with Saul persecuting the church in Jerusalem, leading to the gospel spreading to Judea and Samaria in partial fulfillment of Acts 1:8. But, the focus soon turns to Philip as he explains the gospel to a God-fearing Ethiopian on his way to Africa. Praise God!
Recently, old errors related to the misuse of the Mosaic Law have surfaced with new names. Parts of the Hebrew Roots movement have drifted into Judaizing error, seining to earn merit or favor from God through strict adherence to Mosaic Law and tradition. Some (not all) have even denied the gospel in the process. Additionally, many “evangelicals” have adopted antinomian error, denying the unchanging moral law. What purpose does the Law of God serve? How are Christians to see the Law now? We address these and other questions related to the Law in this sermon, focusing on Acts 15 and Galatians 1, 2, and 3.
The book of Acts is about the proclamation of the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit is the Star. The recurring pattern of this book is that the Holy Spirit does something, and the gospel is preached. Chapter five is no exception. In the first section, we see the account of Ananias and Sapphire lying about their donation to the Church. Pastor Dan clarifies some misconceptions about why these two faced such a severe punishment. Along the way, we learn that the voluntary donation of resources in the church, which provides for the poor, is nothing like Marxism/Communism. The last part of the chapter addresses the apostles’ civil disobedience against the apostate religious leaders of Jerusalem and the magisterial authority of the Roman government, which they welded.
When should we disobey governing authorities? When should we defy religious authorities? Acts 5 provides a clear example of when to obey God rather than men. Praise God that the gospel remains as its enemies are converted, destroyed, or forgotten.
The doctrine of the deity and humanity of Christ (hypostatic union) is critical to Christianity. In many ways, it is the "lynchpin" doctrine of our faith. Tragically, the 2022 State of Theology survey reveals that 43% of "evangelicals" deny that Jesus is God! In this sermon, Pastor Daniel Samms provides a biblical apologetic for the deity and humanity of Christ, citing several passages of Scripture and the creeds of Nice and Chalcedon. John 1 and 2 John are our primary passages.
Tyranny is when an authority or group of authorities steps outside their God-ordained roles either through overstep or abdication of responsibilities. 1 Samuel 8 warns against tyranny as the prophet reminds God's people that the tyrant will seek to place himself in the role of God, taking a tenth, conscripting for war, and taking children for his purposes. The ultimate solution is to obey God and defy tyrants. The choice is between Christ and chaos. Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Mark 12:28ff, and Matthew 28:18-20 provide clear directions on how to battle tyranny through faithful living. However, there are a few other key passages such as Exodus 1, Daniel 1,3, and 6, Acts 5:29, and Judges 3 and 4 that give models for how to respond to tyranny.
Romans 6 addresses the reality that we have died to sin now that we are baptized into Christ. This means we should live as slaves to righteousness as we have died to the old master, sin. This is a critical passage as it relates to sanctification.
Paul writes Romans 7 to answer the question about the nature of the Law and our relationship to it now that we have been crucified with Christ. The question at hand is related to how we are to battle sin. The believer should rejoice in the fact that they fight sin as the struggle is a sign that they are redeemed. “Be killing sin” knowing that we have the victory in Christ!
Critical Theory in various forms has made its way into the dominant thought of western culture and sadly into much of the “evangelical church.” We live in a season in which “social justice” is esteemed over biblical justice and in which man’s feelings are valued over God’s commands. At the root of all of this is man’s rebellion against God (Romans 1:18ff).
Specifically, the atheistic theories of Marxism reformulated into social (rather than economic) terms has infused itself into culture. This system of thought propagated by Antonio Gramsci and the Frankfurt school seeks to overthrow the “hegemony” of Christendom. It’s tool for destruction is Critical Theory which exists for the expressed purpose of causing division. It sees all relationships through the lens of oppressor/oppressed and attacks “systems” of injustice rather than individual sin. It denies objective truth and implements deconstruction (a la Jaques Derrida) as a means of denying that which is plainly true. It denies the Law of God, and esteems the feelings of the “oppressed” as the authority on morality.
Many opportunities to defend the biblical case for the abolition of abortion are likely to arise in the wake of the upcoming Supreme Court Decision: Dobbs v. Jackson. The decision could overturn both Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood. Pastor Daniel Samms teaches on the biblical case for life (Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 9, Matthew 28:18-20) and how to respond to challenges from the anti-life culture. Central to our response is the gospel message. Do you want to know how to respond to the abortion debate? This sermon is designed to equip you for that.
The Holy Spirit is often misrepresented in modern Christianity. We often neglect the fact that He indwells believers and grows spiritual fruit in us (Galatians 5). This sermon addresses the work of God to make us more like Christ.
Every year we celebrate Christ’s victory over death. This year we talked about 1 Corinthians 15 (as usual) and also mentioned the pre-textual creed Paul refers to in verses 3-7 (“what I received”) as a reminder of the simplicity and power of the Gospel message.
In this sermon, Pastor Dan discusses the full divinity and personhood of the Holy Spirit, addressing HIs action in the Old Testament and the promise in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36 that He would indwell believers in the New Testament. We then discuss the work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament and new as it relates to believers obeying God and preaching the gospel.
Pastor Dan teaches on worshipping God with our resources, including time and finances. In the process, he answers questions about whether tithing is a principle for the Church or just Old Testament Israel. We also discuss key principles related to tithing related to caring for family and those in need.
