Church of The Word | Sunday Sermons

Church of The Word
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For over 10 years Church of the Word has preached, taught, witnessed to, served and loved others in the Saint Louis area. Our name “Church of the Word” right...

  1. 5d ago

    Fasting In The Sight of God | Matthew 6:1

    Fasting is a means of grace given by God to cultivate humility, repentance, and godliness in the lives of His people. Scripture teaches that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, fasting is not simply an exercise in abstaining from food. It is a spiritual discipline intended to humble the heart before God and draw believers into greater dependence upon Him. Fasting provides an opportunity for honest self-examination. It is a time to take inventory of the soul, considering both sins of commission—the things done that God forbids—and sins of omission—the things God commands that have been neglected. Through this examination, believers are called to repentance, renewed obedience, and greater sanctification. But fasting carries a serious danger when practiced with the wrong motives. The very discipline intended to produce humility can become an occasion for pride. A person may begin to esteem himself as more spiritual, more disciplined, or more righteous than others simply because he fasts. What God intended as a means of grace can become an empty religious performance that strengthens self-righteousness rather than weakening it. The purpose of fasting is not to impress others or establish spiritual superiority. It is to humble oneself sincerely before the Lord. True fasting is done in the sight of God, not for the praise of men. The call is to examine the heart, repent of sin, pursue godliness, and trust the promise that God gives grace to the humble. As Scripture teaches, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:10). Do you want to support Church of The Word? https://cotwstl.org/give/ Check out our church here! https://cotwstl.org/ #biblestudy #faith

  2. Oct 22

    Thy Kingdom Come | Matthew 6:9-15

    When Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” He is teaching them to pray for something far greater than their individual needs. This is a prayer for the reign of God to be recognized, His authority to be obeyed, and His kingdom to advance throughout the earth. To understand the weight of these words, consider the world in which Jesus first spoke them. The Jewish people lived under the oppressive rule of Rome. Foreign soldiers occupied their streets, heavy taxation burdened their lives, and their nation no longer enjoyed the independence it once had. They longed for the promised Messiah who would establish God's kingdom and bring peace, deliverance, and righteousness. Then Jesus arrives and announces the kingdom of God. But rather than merely encouraging His disciples to wait for a future kingdom, He teaches them to pray for its coming. Jesus is already King. His authority is not waiting to be established by earthly governments, nor does His kingship depend upon the approval of men. The call is for people to surrender to His rule and for His kingdom to expand throughout the world. So “Thy kingdom come” is not simply a prayer for personal improvement or political deliverance. It is a prayer that God's will would increasingly be done on earth as it is in heaven. It begins with submission to Christ in individual lives, extends into families and communities, and looks toward the nations coming under His righteous reign. The point is that Christians are not praying for Jesus to become King. He already is King. They are praying for His kingdom to advance, His will to be obeyed, and the earth to be brought increasingly under His gracious rule. Do you want to support Church of The Word? https://cotwstl.org/give/ Check out our church here! https://cotwstl.org/ #biblestudy #faith

  3. Oct 13

    How to talk to Our Father | Matthew 6:5

    Jesus teaches His disciples to pray to God as Father. That is a stunning emphasis in the Sermon on the Mount. In the Old Testament, God is only occasionally spoken of as Father, often illustratively, such as being a father to the fatherless. But in the Sermon on the Mount alone, Jesus repeatedly speaks of “your Father” and “our Father,” bringing His disciples into a new and intimate understanding of their relationship with God. This does not make God less holy, sovereign, or majestic. He is still the Lord of hosts, the Creator of all things, the jealous God, and the Shepherd of His people. But Jesus teaches His disciples that this glorious God is also their Father. He is not distant, cold, or reluctant to hear them. He loves His children, welcomes their prayers, and delights in their coming to Him. For some, the word “father” carries pain because earthly fathers may have failed, neglected, wounded, or disappointed them. But Jesus does not define God by broken earthly fathers. He redefines fatherhood by revealing the perfect Father. God is the Father who provides, protects, listens, loves, and receives His children. So prayer is not merely a religious duty. It is communion with the Father. Jesus teaches a practical way to pray that keeps the priorities of God’s people aligned with His priorities. Prayer begins with knowing who God is and who believers are before Him: children coming to their Father, with reverence, trust, dependence, and love. Do you want to support Church of The Word? https://cotwstl.org/give/ Check out our church here! https://cotwstl.org/ #biblestudy #faith

  4. Oct 9

    True Charity | Matthew 6:1

    True charity is not merely giving money. It is love expressed through generosity before the eyes of God. Jesus assumes His disciples will give, but He warns them not to practice righteousness in order to be praised by men. If the goal is human recognition, then human applause is the full payment. But if giving is done before God, in faith and love, the Father who sees in secret will reward it. The sermon defines charity as more than financial help. The older use of the word points to love—agape love—for God and neighbor. Giving that is not motivated by love for God or love for the person receiving help is not true charity in the biblical sense. Much of what the world calls charity is driven by reputation, guilt, social favor, or public image. But Christian charity is different: it is not reputation-driven, guilt-manipulated, or self-exalting. It is done to the glory of God and for the good of others. But love must also be governed by wisdom. Compassion without discernment can harm the very person it is trying to help. Giving money to someone in destructive addiction may feel merciful, but it may actually strengthen their bondage. True charity must therefore be guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, not merely by emotion or impulse. God calls His people to be generous, but also wise. The promise attached to generosity is that God Himself sees and repays. Proverbs says that whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and the Lord will repay him. That reward may be financial, but it may also come through contentment, provision, health, blessing, opened doors, or joy. The great question is: whose reward is more valuable—man’s approval or God’s payment? Generosity is not optional decoration on the Christian life. Jesus says, “When you give,” not “if you give.” The assumption is that disciples of Christ will be a giving people. Psalm 112 describes the righteous man as one who deals generously, lends, distributes freely, and gives to the poor. Paul carries that same principle into the New Testament, reminding believers that Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” A church shaped by that truth becomes trustworthy, compassionate, honest, and strong. Entitlement breeds theft and suspicion; generosity builds community. Do you want to support Church of The Word? https://cotwstl.org/give/ Check out our church here! https://cotwstl.org/ #biblestudy #faith

  5. Sep 24

    Love Your Enemies And Keep A Pistol Handy | Matthew 5:17-18, 38-42

    Matthew 5 forces Christians to wrestle honestly with retaliation, pacifism, justice, and self-defense. The passage cannot be brushed aside, because Jesus really does command His people to turn the other cheek, bear wrongs patiently, and love their enemies. A faithful reading of Scripture must take those words seriously, even when they challenge natural instincts, family background, national history, or personal convictions. The opening story of family history illustrates the tension. One family line came from pacifist Anabaptists who refused to fight in the War for Independence and paid a real price for their convictions. Another came from a family involved in the cause of independence as scouts. Those two worlds—pacifism and armed resistance—ended up joined in one family. That tension mirrors the larger biblical question: when is it right to suffer wrong, and when is it right to resist evil? The answer requires all of Scripture, not one passage isolated from the rest. The Bible teaches that there is a time for war and a time for peace. The civil magistrate bears the sword for justice, punishment of evildoers, and protection of the innocent. The law of retaliation—eye for eye and tooth for tooth—belongs in the halls of justice, where punishment must fit the crime and vengeance must be restrained by lawful authority. But pacifism has a real place in personal relationships. When Jesus speaks of turning the other cheek, He is not abolishing justice, defense, or the sword of civil authority. He is confronting personal revenge. He is teaching His people to endure insults, bear wrongs, refuse petty retaliation, and overcome evil with good. Christians are not to live with a hair-trigger spirit, always ready to strike back over every offense. So the sermon holds together two truths: love your enemies, and do not confuse meekness with weakness. God’s people should be peace-loving, patient, and ready to suffer personal wrong for the sake of Christ. But they should also recognize that there is a lawful place for defense, justice, and protection. The Christian calling is not cowardice, vengeance, or passivity, but wisdom—knowing when to suffer wrong personally, when to seek justice lawfully, and when to protect what God has entrusted. Do you want to support Church of The Word? https://cotwstl.org/give/ Check out our church here! https://cotwstl.org/ #biblestudy #faith

  6. Sep 15

    Defining Yes and No | Matt 5:17-20, 31-37

    Jesus is concerned that the words of His people be pure. A simple “yes” should mean yes, and a simple “no” should mean no. Just as gold can be strengthened by adding other metals but is also devalued by impurity, words can be devalued when they need constant additives—promises, oaths, and extra assurances—to make them believable. The problem is not that promises are always evil, but that people often use them because their ordinary words no longer carry weight. When someone says, “I promise,” they may be admitting that a plain “yes” or “no” is not enough to be trusted. But God’s people should not need verbal decorations to make truth sound reliable. They should say what they mean and do what they say. This matters especially in the home. If a parent tells a child something will happen, and the child asks, “Do you promise?” the better answer is not to build life around constant promises, but to teach that a parent’s word should already be trustworthy. If something was said, it should be done. If follow-through is missing, the word becomes devalued, and children learn that speech is flexible, negotiable, and unreliable. The deeper issue is that God created the world by His Word, and He calls His people to reflect His truthfulness in their own speech. In a society where words have been greatly cheapened, Christians should recover the weight of honest speech. Swearing and promising can devalue the power of a simple yes or no, but the people of God should be known for words that are plain, truthful, and dependable. Do you want to support Church of The Word? https://cotwstl.org/give/ Check out our church here! https://cotwstl.org/ #biblestudy #faith

  7. Sep 10

    Loose Lips Sink Ships | James 3:1-18

    The tongue is too powerful to treat casually. James 3 is like a needed warning shot for the church—a reminder that words can either build up or tear down, heal or destroy, bless or corrupt. “Loose lips sink ships” is not just an old wartime slogan; it is a spiritual reality. Careless words can sink friendships, marriages, families, churches, and entire communities. The wartime picture makes the point clear. A sailor did not have to reveal everything to endanger lives. A small detail, a loose comment, a careless hint in the wrong place could give the enemy what he needed. In the same way, Christians often underestimate the damage of “little” words—subtle complaints, gossip, sarcasm, slander, discouragement, harsh counsel, or careless speech. The tongue may be small, but James says it has enormous power. But the tongue is not only dangerous; it is also a gift for great good. The gospel must be spoken with words. People cannot hear of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection merely by watching someone be nice. Words are necessary to preach Christ, communicate truth, give wise counsel, encourage the weak, strengthen the family, and build up the church. The same tongue that can wound can also become an instrument of grace. That is why the issue goes deeper than speech itself. Words come from the heart and the thought life. The mouth reveals what is being stored within. Earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom produces division, harm, bitterness, and discouragement. But wisdom from above produces speech that is pure, peaceable, gentle, truthful, and life-giving. So the call is not merely to talk less, but to have the heart governed by God so the tongue can be used for His glory. The church needs this warning again and again because words are never neutral. A wise person uses speech to build the house; a foolish person tears it down. The tongue can sink ships, but under the rule of Christ, it can also strengthen souls, preserve fellowship, and proclaim the gospel that saves. Do you want to support Church of The Word? https://cotwstl.org/give/ Check out our church here! https://cotwstl.org/ #biblestudy #faith

  8. Sep 1

    Adopting the Rebel | Romans 8:1-17

    Adoption is not just a sentimental issue; it is a gospel issue. The sermon begins with the reality of earthly adoption and the fatherless, but it moves quickly to something even deeper: God Himself is a Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, and a God who hears the cries of the vulnerable. His people cannot be indifferent to what He loves. A church shaped by the heart of God should not develop a disdain for the difficult, but should welcome, celebrate, and support a spirit of adoption, foster care, respite care, mentoring, and care for those coming from broken homes. The personal adoption story displays this truth in real life. What began as hesitation, selfishness, and fear became a testimony of God’s providence. A child’s picture stirred the heart, the financial need seemed impossible, and yet the Lord provided exactly what was needed—down to the penny. Adoption was not pursued because it was easy or affordable, but because God made His will clear and supplied the grace to obey. The difficult did not disappear, but God revealed His heart through it. Yet the sermon does not reduce adoption to a moral cause or emotional appeal. The deeper foundation is the gospel. Christians rejoice in forgiveness and justification, and rightly so, because the guilty sinner stands before the Judge and hears no condemnation in Christ. But the gospel goes further: the Judge does not merely declare the sinner righteous and send him away free. He brings the rebel into His own house and makes him a son or daughter. That is the wonder of adoption. God becomes Father. Rebels become children. Those who were spiritually orphaned are brought into the family of God by the Spirit of adoption, crying, “Abba, Father.” This changes identity, and a changed identity should produce changed compassion. Those adopted by God should increasingly reflect the Father’s heart toward the fatherless. Not every Christian is necessarily called to adopt in the same way, but no Christian is free to ignore God’s concern for orphans, widows, and the vulnerable. Scripture plainly reveals the Father’s care for them, and the specific obedience may look different depending on providence, gifts, resources, and calling. But the heart of the matter is clear: those who have been adopted by grace should live as children of the Father, loving what He loves and caring for those He calls precious. Do you want to support Church of The Word? https://cotwstl.org/give/ Check out our church here! https://cotwstl.org/ #biblestudy #faith

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For over 10 years Church of the Word has preached, taught, witnessed to, served and loved others in the Saint Louis area. Our name “Church of the Word” right...

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