Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons

Pastor Joshua Plantholt
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Religion & Spirituality
  • Updated Biweekly

Calvary Baltimore's weekly sermons, B-Sides, and home fellowship Bible studies. Featuring teaching from Pastor Josh Plantholt and the Bible teachers of Calvary Baltimore.

  1. 5d ago

    B-Side - Psalm 136

    Based on the phrasing "God of heaven" (common in later books like Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel) and its placement right before Psalm 137 (which talks directly about Babylon), Psalm 136 was likely written after the Babylonian exile. This psalm contains 26 verses, and every single one anchors a title or action of God to His very nature: "For His steadfast love endures forever." The Hebrew word for God spreading out the earth over the waters implies beating or hammering something thin (cross-referenced with Isaiah 42:5). Some modern worship songs take the glorious reality of creation bowing to Jesus and repeatedly change it to "my depression/anxiety bows to Jesus." While surrendering anxiety to God is good, this neuters the majesty of God. True worship should keep God high and lifted up rather than centering the worshipper! The specific Hebrew noun used for God "dividing" the Red Sea in two is only used in one other context in the Old Testament: Genesis 15:17, when God divided the sacrificed animals to make His binding covenant with Abraham. 1 Corinthians 10 refers to passing through the Red Sea as a baptism into Moses. Passing through the divided sea was a covenantal act echoing Abraham's covenant. Why highlight the defeat of Og, King of Bashan? Og was an Amorite giant whose bed was made of iron and measured over 13 feet long. Defeating Og was God directly answering the Israelites' deepest fears about the "giants in the land" that the 10 faithless spies had warned about. Many modern people object to God commanding the Israelites to destroy the Canaanites. A few responses: It's a Worship Song: The Bible expects us to worship God for these acts, not put Him in the moral dock. God's Prerogative: God is the Lawgiver. All righteousness is derived from Him. He has the right to judge a deeply wicked culture that engaged in child sacrifice and demon worship. Modern Hypocrisy: Modern man thinks he is more morally enlightened than Bronze-Age Israel. Yet, the entire population of Canaan (estimated at around 100k) was a fraction of the 1 million babies aborted annually in the US. Judgment as Love: If an evil ideology is leading people to commit atrocities and go to hell, it is actually an act of God's "steadfast love" to put an end to it. The four direct calls to "give thanks" in this psalm are attached to God's identity (He is good, God of gods, Lord of lords, God of heaven), not just His actions. We praise Him fundamentally for who He is. The phrase "steadfast love" (Hesed) is often translated as "mercy" in the Greek and Latin texts. But God doesn't just do mercy or love; He is love (1 John 4:8). If this psalm were written today, it would trace this exact same drumbeat of steadfast love through Christ's incarnation, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, and the future New Jerusalem where the Lamb will be the light!

  2. 5d ago

    God's Eternal Love - Psalm 136

    Psalm 136 canonically follows the "Psalms of Ascent" (120-134). It was likely sung by pilgrims as a grand "Hallelujah" once they arrived at the temple in Jerusalem. While authorship is unknown, phrases like "God of heaven" and references to being rescued from a "lowest state" strongly suggest it was likely just after the Babylonian exile. The phrase "for his steadfast love endures forever" is repeated 26 times! The Hebrew word for this steadfast love is Hesed. It means unexpected, undeserved, active loving-kindness. It is not just an emotion, but generous, merciful action towards God's people that never expires. We reject the modern notion that the God of the Old Testament was "mean" and then somehow grew up or matured into the loving God of the New Testament. God does not change (James 1:17). He has been consistently full of steadfast love from creation to the year 2026 and beyond. We praise Him because He is the God above all gods and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15). Other gods (Baal, Zeus, etc.) are merely deaf and blind idols (Revelation 9). It's easy to get distracted by fascinating theological mysteries (like the Nephilim, Enoch, or end-times charts), but as we mature in faith, the greatest, most profound pursuit is simply knowing the depths of God's grace, mercy, and character. God made the sun, moon, stars, and the dirt we walk on by his brilliant understanding. As Abraham Kuyper said, there is not one square inch of creation that God cannot declare "Mine." Verse 25 shifts from looking backward at history to looking forward and around: "He who gives food to all flesh." God didn't just wind up the universe like a watch and walk away. Quoting G.K. Chesterton, we remember that God possesses the "eternal appetite of infancy." He doesn't make the sun rise out of lifeless routine, but out of a fierce, joyful vitality. Every morning He says to the sun, "Do it again!" We must resist growing so old and cynical that we tire of praising Him for these repetitive miracles. The psalm marches through the defeat of Pharaoh, the splitting of the Red Sea, and the conquering of giants like Og. Every mighty act of warfare and deliverance was fundamentally driven by God's love for His people. We don't need to fear the Hitlers or tyrants of the world. As Psalm 37 promises, the wicked spread out like a green tree, but soon God blows upon them and they vanish. The covenant community of faith will always outlast the enemies of God because the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church. We are all living miracles. From surviving terrifying medical emergencies to enduring the invisible scars and daggers of life, we are only sitting here today because His steadfast love has preserved us. The psalm concludes by lifting our eyes upward... death is no obstacle for God! We will be the objects of the Trinity's love for the rest of eternity. When we reach heaven, we will actually thank God for every trial and hardship we faced, because he used them to bring us safely home. As Spurgeon said, we must learn to "kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages."

  3. Aug 9

    B-Side - Mark 13:38-44

    Mark 12:38-40... Jesus has been systematically exposing the religious leaders. First, he proved them theologically shallow, and now He exposes them as morally bankrupt. Just before, Jesus summarized the Old Testament as loving God and loving neighbor. The scribes, however, live entirely for self-love, ego, and pride. They walk around in long prayer robes seeking honor in the marketplaces. They demand the best seats in the synagogues and at feasts. They're serving God only because of the respect and benefits the position brings them. The scribes abused their spiritual authority to financially drain the most vulnerable. According to Josephus (a non-biblical source), about 10 years before this, a famous event occurred where four Jewish men in Rome posed as scribes, scammed a wealthy convert out of gold and purple garments meant for the temple, and kept it. This caused the emperor to banish thousands of Jews. Jesus is calling out a known, ongoing, real-world abuse. For their pretense and abuse, Jesus says the scribes will receive the "greater condemnation." Hell is a real place, and Scripture (Romans 2, James 3) indicates there are varying degrees of severity in hell. A terrifyingly abundant judgment awaits those who represent God and abuse people in His name. Mark 12:41-44... Jesus sits in the Court of the Women watching people give. Rich people give large sums out of their abundance, but a poor widow gives two copper coins (basically a penny), everything she had. Right after pointing out this widow's offering, Jesus leaves the temple and prophesies that not one stone will be left upon another (Mark 13:1-2). Malachi 3 predicted the Lord coming to His temple to be a swift witness against those who "oppress the widow." Jesus sees the widow being oppressed by this corrupt system, meaning the temple must come down. Lamentations 1:1 describes fallen Jerusalem "like a widow." In Mark, a widow gives her last coins to a city that is about to literally become a destroyed widow in 70 AD. Similar to the widow in Mark 12, the widow of Zarephath gave her last bit of oil and flour to Elijah. God miraculously provided for her every day after. It is highly likely God provided for the widow in Mark 12 as well. If you give to a church and the leadership is exposed for embezzling or living lavishly, God still honors your offering. You gave it in worship to God; the leaders will face their own severe judgment for mishandling God's money. This text shouldn't be used to manipulate Christians into giving away their rent money or putting their families in poverty. Scripture commands us to be wise, save (Proverbs 21:20), leave an inheritance (Proverbs 13:22), and provide for our own households (1 Timothy 5:8). The ultimate challenge of the text is that God measures our generosity not by how much we put in the box, but by how much we have left over for ourselves!

  4. Aug 9

    Hypocrisy - Mark 12:38-44

    Yes, Jesus is love. Jesus is so filled with love, he can't stand for evil. He will fight against evil; he's called the Lion of Judah. Yes, he's patient, lowly and kind, but he's not to be trifled with! Jesus hates the religious hypocrisy of the scribes, and he lets them have it. "I don't want to come to church, it's filled with hypocrites!" And it's true, there are hypocrites everywhere. There are also godly people! Not perfect-- we'll all say and do stupid things. A hypocrite proclaims Jesus, but lives consistently against him. If you call yourself a Christian, you'd better live the life faithfully. V38... The long robes are prayer robes... They want to be seen in public as the pious ones. They're seen as men of eminence. You were expected to stop and greet them, honor them. They're abusing their status, and getting rich on the money of the poor and vulnerable.  They make long prayers... showy. It's a facade. They will receive the greater condemnation. The big picture...  The widow story is used to show how it's good to give. The scribe story shows it's bad to take from them. The widow is a living example of the abuse from the scribes.  Next up, we'll see in Mark 13:1-2... Great buildings? Jesus says it'll all fall. Often sweet, desperate people fall prey to people like the scribes (or nowadays, televangelists, etc). On judgment day, tremble not for the tax collector, but for the wicked minister! Every Christian is a kingdom and priest unto our God. Spiritually, you enter into a priestly role. A very high position before God. You are his representative! Are you representing him well, or are you a hypocrite? If you're a hypocrite he will remove your lampstand.  God is so good to us, despite our failings. He's patient. But he will not be mocked! Today's text is an invitation to repent of your hypocrisy and wicked ways. We all fail. But our God forgives! His mercies are new every day. He cleanses it all. There is no sin that has mastery over you. Seek the Lord now, while he may be found! That's the big picture.  V42... The widow is poor; no one is taking care of her. Compared to the rich giving, when she throws her two coins into the receptacle, they hardly make a sound.  Yet Jesus speaks about how much more she has given! Because of its heavenly value. She put in all she had; the gift was at great cost to her. That's the measure of the value of a gift in God's eyes.  In the Old Testament, 10% was required. In the New Testament, we're not commanded to give 10%, but we are called to be generous. God blesses the generous giver. How much you give is between you and God. Giving is an act of worship. We should worship with joy and gladness, not begrudgingly under compulsion! For God loves a cheerful giver. The widow was all in for the Lord, so she's given as a model for us.  Mark 8:34... Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me! The widow gives not for her glory, but for the glory of God! She lives to serve and give. The scribes were on the path to death, and she was on the path to life!

  5. Aug 2

    Castles - 2 Timothy 4:6-7

    A little girl builds sand castles, and a middle aged man builds a business. Both are building a castle. The girl wisely knows hers will eventually die, and when she's done, she goes away and does something else with her life. The man has no concept of his castle ever being washed away. He's concerned with preserving his castle. His whole life is tied up in it. But the little girl's hopes and dreams are not with her castle. She is the wise builder!  We're all building castles. Some good castles, helping other people, helping the environment... But there are sinful castles... Built on stealing money, built on mistreating people, built on things like abortion.  Our castle is built upon Jesus dying for our sins so we can have eternal life.  Paul's trip to Damascus... When he's knocked off his horse, the other men near him saw the light and heard the voice but didn't understand it. Paul saw the person inside the light! He must have thought, how can I be persecuting God? His castle was being built on religion. Paul goes to Arabia and relearns everything he knew about God, after his whole castle is washed away. In every Bible story he read, he saw Jesus! He realized you can't have God without Jesus.  Paul forgets the old castle and builds a new one on Jesus. He goes out and preaches Jesus to the crowds, their castles come down, and they build new ones on Jesus! Acts 16... The Holy Spirit stopped Paul with Timothy and Silas from going to Asia and other places. God lets them go to Troas and on to Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, let Timothy go to Ephesus and Paul go to Athens... no big church planned there. In Corinth, he's persecuted. He stays because God told him, and God protected him. He goes to Galatia, then to Ephesus, and people go from there to Collossi, Laodicea to spread the Gospel.  In Troas, God opened the door for him to preach, but he left and preached at churches of other cities.  Everyone builds a castle. Paul dies in prison. While he's there and finds out he'll be executed, he wants to see Timothy, the one he's closest to in the faith.  2 Timothy 4:6-7...  He says he's ready to be offered. A sacrifice unto God. He never lashes out against the government. He's looking past all that. He stays in prison, and is ready to die if it's his time. And his time is at hand. V7... He's fought the good fight! 2 Corinthians 11:23-28... He was persecuted everywhere. He definitely fought the good fight. He hated when people turned believers away from faithful teaching.  Paul's castle was all finished. All built, nothing more he could add. He'd finished his course, and he'd kept the faith! The greatest thing that can be said of our lives is that we kept the faith! We keep the faith because of who God is. What castle are we building? Is it built upon Jesus crucified and risen to Heaven? All that matters is not success, not people's opinion of you, but whether you kept the faith!

  6. Jul 26

    At His Right Hand In Power - Mark 12:35-37

    Psalm 110:1... Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. Echoed in Mark 12:36! The best tried to stump Jesus, to trip him up so they could put him to death, and failed. So he turned the tables and started to ask them questions. V35... Jesus starts with the tradition of the scribes. He begins building his point using their own teaching!  V36... Echo of Psalm 110:1. Jesus is asserting the divine inspiration of Scriptures, that the Holy Spirit wrote David's Psalms. God is perfect, and his Word is infallible! Ultimately, God wrote the entire Bible.  Don't be ashamed of God's Word, and let it stand on its own merits! V36... The beginning reads like, "Yahweh said to Adon..." Could be a human lord or divine.  V37... David calls his coming son Lord... Ponder that, scribes! The answer is in the incarnation, the birth of Christ. Jesus comes from the blood line of David. In Revelation he, resurrected, refers to himself as a son of David! He took the form of a servant, and subjected himself to death on a cross.  How did the scribes respond? They couldn't, as shown in Matthew. They were stumped.  The crowd didn't realize they were in the presence of the Savior! We're all in danger of failing to recognize and revere our King! Even in church.  Live stream is a good resource when you're absolutely stuck home. But it doesn't replace the local church body! YouTube teaching and worshipping is not church!  We need God's presence, and Jesus is assembled with the lampstand, the Church, on the Lord's day! Don't waste the opportunity to be there in person with God and his people!  To close, here's what Jesus said: 1. You'll sit at my right hand... Jesus is right now at the right hand of the Father.  Acts 2:29ff... Peter shows that David foresaw Jesus dying and rising again!  V32... Many witnesses to his resurrection V33... He's enthroned in power at the right hand of God! Revelation 5:1ff... None is worthy, except the Lion of the tribe of Judah.  We will not be defeated because Jesus is King! Every created being in Heaven falls on its face worshipping him.  Jesus pours out his spirit on his people, so we may see, hear, and glorify him!  The Church is not losing. Jesus is on the throne, and his enemies are becoming his footstool! He's not worried. Then Peter says, essentially, "and you killed him!" They realized they'd made the biggest mistake ever, killing the son of God to the sound of applause. Peter told them to repent of their sin and be baptized, and even they will be saved!  Come as you are, but you can't stay as you are. He will change you, grow you toward his own image.  Daniel 7:13ff... On the clouds of heaven, Jesus ascends into Heaven. His Kingdom shall not be destroyed!  Jesus at his trial knows what's going to happen, and the high priest tears his garments, asserting Jesus is blaspheming! The high priests will one day face judgment in Heaven, and the judge will be the one they spat on. The scariest situation imaginable.  2. Revelation 14:19-20... There's nothing more foolish or disastrous than being an enemy of God! To reject his friendship is to be at enmity with God. You'll be like a corpse under his feet. All you must do is repent and be baptized, and all your sins, big and small, will be forgiven! If you die rejecting his forgiveness, you too will be rejected, and will not spend eternity in Heaven. He is a good God who wants to give good gifts to his children! He gives us salvation, a way home to the Father! He'll one day say of you, "this one's mine!" And despite all our failings, our imperfections, he'll actually say to us, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!"

  7. Jul 26

    Sunday B-Side

    The events of Mark 11 and 12 run parallel to Psalm 2 ("Why do the nations rage..."). The religious rulers in Jerusalem have been plotting against the Lord's Anointed, but God sits in heaven and laughs, establishing His King on Zion. When the New Testament quotes an Old Testament verse, the surrounding verses are often in view as well (e.g., Jesus crying out "My God, my God" from the cross points to the entirety of Psalm 22). By quoting Psalm 110:1, Jesus also brings Psalm 110:4 into view, which states, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Genesis 14... Melchizedek was both the King of Salem (an ancient name for Jerusalem) and a priest of God Most High. He uniquely brought bread and wine to Abraham. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this type. He is the Son of David (King of Jerusalem) and the Great High Priest. Just like Melchizedek, Jesus is about to institute the Lord's Supper using bread and wine in Jerusalem. He is establishing both a Kingdom and a priesthood. Jesus took His place at the right hand of the Father during His ascension. While Psalm 24 ("Lift up your heads, O gates") historically deals with the Ark of the Covenant entering Jerusalem, it is also beautifully viewed as an ascension text. It paints a picture of the resurrected Jesus arriving at the gates of heaven, being welcomed in as the victorious "King of Glory." In ancient times, victorious kings would physically put their feet on the necks of defeated enemies (as seen in Joshua 10). Psalm 110 says God will make Christ's enemies His footstool. Those who proudly oppose Jesus will ultimately be conquered and placed under His feet. In the age of Google and social media, it's easy to pretend to be an expert on a topic with only cursory knowledge. It is freeing and healthy to simply admit when you don't know something. The scribes considered themselves the ultimate experts on biblical prophecy, yet they completely missed the Messiah standing right in front of them. When Jesus stumped them with simple logic, they could have humbled themselves and asked Him to teach them. Instead, their wounded pride turned to violence. When people can't win with facts and logic, they often resort to yelling or violence because it is easier than humility. True maturity means approaching the Word of God like a blank piece of paper. We must be willing to let the Bible challenge and change our long-held traditions.

  8. Jul 19

    B-Side - Mark 12:28-34 Part 2

    v28... The scribe asks a common rabbinic question about which of the 613 laws is the heaviest. About 20 years earlier, the famous Rabbi Hillel summarized the Torah negatively ("what you would not want done to you, do not do to your neighbor"). Jesus answers positively with love, anchoring it first in the nature of who God is. 1. Quoting the Scriptures... Jesus connects Deuteronomy (The Shema) and Leviticus. If Jesus needed to quote Scripture, we certainly do. We are never closer to truth than when speaking God's Word. Satan also quotes Scripture (as in Genesis 3 and the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4), but he twists it for his own agenda. False doctrine is demonic because it perverts God's Word. 2. Jesus's answer masterfully summarizes the Ten Commandments. The first four commands are entirely about loving God, and the last six are about loving your fellow man! 3. Loving Your Neighbor Practically vs. Eternally... Though physical help (mowing lawns, being generous with time) is good, the absolute best way to love your neighbor is to introduce them to Jesus. The Great Commission... true love involves making disciples, leading them to baptism, and teaching them to observe God's commands. v32... To obey is better than sacrifice... The scribe correctly connects Jesus's words to Old Testament truths (like 1 Samuel 15:22 and Hosea 6:6), recognizing that loving God is weightier than burnt offerings. The setting matters; this realization happens at the Temple during Passover week. With potentially hundreds of thousands of lambs being sacrificed around them, the scribe declares that relationship with God is weightier than the massive religious system he specializes in. It also directly follows Jesus flipping the money changers' tables the day before. Being near the Kingdom vs. in the Kingdom... v34 3 final thoughts... 1. The scribe approached Jesus alone, stepping out of the "echo chamber" of his peers, which allowed him a genuine path to discover the truth. 2. False Assurance: Jesus tells him he is "not far" from the Kingdom rather than immediately declaring him saved. This serves as a warning against modern altar calls that quickly give false assurance of salvation to people who only intellectually agree but have unregenerate hearts. This scribe's assent was only intellectual, and Jesus made a distinction! 3. The early Church and the didache... - The way of life vs. the way of death: the Didache (maybe the oldest non-canonical church document) opens by echoing Jesus's teaching: the "Way of Life" is to love God and love your neighbor! - Loving your enemies: the text commands believers to pray and fast for their persecutors. If we love even those who hate us, we will have no personal enemies. When people hate us, it should be not because of our own sin, abuses, or bad character, but for righteousness's sake. Be a person full of love!

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About

Calvary Baltimore's weekly sermons, B-Sides, and home fellowship Bible studies. Featuring teaching from Pastor Josh Plantholt and the Bible teachers of Calvary Baltimore.

Information

  • Creator
    Pastor Joshua Plantholt
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    199
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Calvary Chapel Baltimore
  • Show Website
    Calvary Baltimore Weekly Sermons