Restoration Podcast - Restoration Church Restoration Church

As we approach June, faithful Christians brace themselves for an avalanche
of propaganda affirming that which God condemns. For the last few decades,
mainstream evangelicals have attempted to be nice in hopes of winning
hearts. If you can't tell, nice doesn't work against attacking wolves.
Kindness is a Christian virtue, but niceness is not. Loving your neighbor
means crushing his idols and living in faithful defiance against the false
gods of the age, all while joyfully preaching the gospel of Jesus' atoning
death and resurrection. The history of the Christian faith is a history of
building churches and destroying pagan idols. We don't win by being nice to
abomination. We win with a gospel that offends. We win with taunts against
the enemies of God. We win with axes set against pagan trees as the
Odinists, Ba'al worshippers, and Sodomists bend the knee to the one true
King of Kings. Join us as we preach the game plan for crushing the enemies
of God with the Gospel of Christ.

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.

Pastor Dan provides a myriad of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus before teaching about the Living Hope we have as a result of Christ's work!

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.

Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Christ, but this event has far greater implications than many understand. This sermon gives a brief overview of how the Bible fits together in one, comprehensive metanarrative in which the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central, paradigmatic event.

The Bible is understood best in four movements that together explain what we call the Gospel (Good news), the message that Jesus Christ has died to pay for our sins, rose from the dead to give us new life, and is currently making all things new. The four movements are Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. We have hope of eternal glory because of His saving work.