Trinity Reformed Baptist Church

Pastor Brandon F. Smith

5.0 (1)
Christianity
Updated Biweekly

The newest sermons from Trinity Reformed Baptist Church on SermonAudio.

6d ago

Achan’s Sin, Divine Accountability, and the Gospel

The sermon provides a detailed analysis of Joshua chapter 7, using the story of Achan as a case study on the seriousness of sin, the necessity of divine accountability, and the ultimate solution found in the Gospel. The speaker contrasts biblical justice with modern culture's emphasis on rehabilitation, arguing that society often downplays the need for severe consequences. The sermon unfolds by tracing the progression of Achan's sin, as framed by James 1:14-15. It began not with God's tempting, but with Achan's own lust or covetousness. This internal "greed of the heart" escalated into the external acts of stealing and hiding forbidden items, a direct violation of God's recent and historical commands. His single act is shown to be a breach of multiple aspects of God's moral law. A key point is Achan's confession. It is portrayed as genuine and theologically significant, akin to David's in Psalm 51, because he acknowledges his sin as primarily an offense "against the Lord." His detailed admission of where the loot was hidden is seen as evidence of true repentance. However, the sermon strongly emphasizes that repentance does not always remove temporal consequences. Achan's private sin had devastating public effects—the death of 36 men and the defeat of Israel—and thus, judgment was still necessary and just within the old covenant's theocratic context. This principle of accountability is extended to the New Testament church. The speaker uses the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) and Jesus' teachings in Matthew 16 and 18 to argue that God's holiness is unchanging and that the church has a God-given responsibility to address sin for its own health and purity.
6d ago

Christ’s Superior Priesthood and the New Covenant

The sermon centers on Hebrews 8:1-6, explaining the superior nature of Christ's high priestly ministry. The speaker emphasizes that the "main point" of the letter is that Christians have a high priest, Jesus, who has taken His seat at God's right hand. The core of the message is built on the dual natures of Christ: 1. His Deity: Christ's majesty is inherent to His divine nature; it is not something added to Him. He was never removed from His throne, even during His incarnation. He can remain in the Father's presence because He is co-equal in essence with the Father. This divine nature was necessary for His sacrifice to be sufficient to satisfy the holy wrath of a holy God, which has been "so offended" by human sin. 2. His Humanity: Christ's humanity is equally essential. By assuming human flesh, He was able to serve as a mediator, live a perfect life, and offer Himself as the final sacrifice. He "obtained" a more excellent ministry and glory through His obedient work on earth. This superior ministry makes Christ the mediator of a "better covenant." The Old Covenant, with its priests and sacrifices, was merely a "copy and shadow" pointing forward to Christ. It was never designed to provide salvation. The New Covenant is truly new because it is enacted on "better promises" and actually accomplishes the salvation and preservation of God's people, making the old ceremonial system obsolete.
Aug 30

Eternal High Priest - Jesus

Gospel Preaching and Teaching
Aug 30

Under the Ban - Joshua 7

• Who God Is: God is holy, just, perfect, and patient. His laws are an expression of His love, designed to protect us. His wrath is not arbitrary but a righteous response to persistent, unrepentant sin. • Who We Are: We are created in God's image with an innate desire to worship. Because of the Fall, this desire is broken. If we do not worship the one true God, we will inevitably find other things to worship (idols). • How We Should Live: o We must recognize the seriousness of sin and the holiness of God. o While our culture is more "sophisticated" and we may not bow to physical statues, we fashion our own idols from the things around us, hoping to find security, purpose, or happiness apart from God. o The story of God's judgment points us to our need for a savior. It is a picture of the wrath we all deserve. Jesus Christ lived the law perfectly, died the sinner's death to bear God's wrath for us, and rose again. We are called to place our faith in Him, who fulfilled the law we could not. The Church is God's intended solution for seeing His purposes worked out among people. As a community of believers, we are called to encourage one another to live according to God's ways. • We help each other recognize the things God has placed "under the ban." • We encourage each other to stay away from these things. • We remind one another that Christ took the wrath of God on our behalf for our transgressions, including the sin of self-worship. The only hope for giving God the glory He deserves is to trust in Christ alone, who took the wrath for the things under the ban upon Himself at the cross.
Aug 23

Christ’s Ministry Transcends Earthly Altars

 Central point: Believers have a high priest (Jesus) seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  Contrast with Mosaic/Aaronic priesthood: earthly sacrifices, inability to sit in holy place; Christ ministers directly in God's presence.  Christ's ministry transcends earthly altars; only baptism and the Lord's Supper are prescribed physical elements in worship.  Fulfillment of types: Melchizedek (priest-king), Zechariah 6:13, Isaiah 6; Christ as priest, king, and prophet.  Warning against idolatry of physical forms, modern inventions, medicine, and statues; uphold the second commandment.  Critique of Roman Catholicism and certain Anglican practices for added physical forms and views on mediation/deification.  Encouragement: Christ's ascension and session guarantee hope; His cosmic ministry is not bound by time.
Aug 23

The Seriousness of Sin

The world needs to understand the doctrine of sin. The Ten Commandments are not just a moral standard; they are the stipulations of God's covenant, flowing from His very moral being. To break them is to break covenant with a holy God. Every one of us has broken this covenant and fallen short. We cannot stand before God and claim to be better than Achan. The only hope any of us has is to recognize the seriousness of our sin—that it is a covenant-breaking act with eternal consequences—and turn to the only remedy. The remedy is to repent and believe. The death of Achan and his family at the end of the chapter only makes sense when we grasp the profound seriousness of sin. But our hope is not in trying harder. Our hope is in the one who perfectly fulfilled the covenant command: the Lord Jesus Christ. The final prayer and hymn served as a call to action: to see our sin, to recognize it as a covenant-breaking act, and to flee to our strong Savior, whose perfect life, broken body, and shed blood are our only hope. We must not be legalists who trust in our own performance, but humble believers who find our rest in Christ alone.
Aug 16

Regulative Principle of Worship - An Early Picture

The Regulative Principle of Worship • The sermon defines the "regulative principle of worship" as the practice of worshipping God strictly according to His prescribed Word, rather than through human tradition or "seeker-friendly" tactics. • Acts 2:42 serves as the foundational text, illustrating an orderly, spirit-led pattern for the early church that avoids chaos . • The speaker argues that this passage is prescriptive, not merely descriptive, because it mirrors the divine pattern of establishment seen in Old Testament Israel . Core Elements of Worship • The four definitive elements of worship identified are the apostles' teaching, the fellowship (koinonia), the breaking of the bread, and the prayers . • "The apostles' teaching" is prioritized as the central, public, and sufficient authority for the church, emphasizing sola scriptura. • "The fellowship" (koinonia) is interpreted as a specific, tangible act of worship involving financial support and material sharing, rather than a general social concept . • "The breaking of the bread" refers specifically to the Lord's Supper, while "the prayers" denotes formal, corporate prayer led by men in the congregation.
Aug 9

The Fall of Jericho

Israel Conquered the City According to God's Orders • The Wall Fell: At the shout, God brought the walls down. The pastor referenced archaeologist Joel Kramer, whose findings suggest the top wall crumbled down over the lower retaining wall, creating a natural ramp for the Israelite soldiers to charge directly into the city. God's catastrophic work enabled Israel's final task. • The City Was Destroyed: The city, its people, and its goods were utterly destroyed and burned, as commanded. The only exceptions were Rahab and her family, and the precious metals set aside for the Lord's treasury. Archaeological evidence of burned grain indicates the attack was near harvest time (confirming the timing in Joshua 3) and that the Israelites obeyed God by not taking plunder for themselves. • The Judgment on Mankind: The total destruction of all people—young and old—demonstrates the severe consequences for anything or anyone that God places "under the ban." This was a holy reckoning, not reckless ruin.

The newest sermons from Trinity Reformed Baptist Church on SermonAudio.

Creator

Pastor Brandon F. Smith
Years Active

2011 - 2026
Episodes

103
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Trinity Reformed Baptist Church
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Trinity Reformed Baptist Church