Category: Preaching

On Sunday Pastor Tom completed his series on the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22 – 23:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Just click on any of the links above to hear a sermon in this series.  Here are a few study questions for this week:

• Why is self-control an essential part of the Spirit’s fruit?
• Read 2 Timothy 3.  What role will acting out self-centered desires play in the “last days”?
• Read 1 Samuel 25.  Who exercised self-control; who did not?

Last week’s sermon on gentleness set the stage for the last sermon in this series on the Fruit of the Spirit: Self Control.  Here are the study questions for this week:

• Read Galatians 5 and review your sermon notes.  Why is gentleness so important?
• Read Matthew 11.  How does this chapter reflect both Jesus’ strength and his meekness?
• Read Proverbs 15.  What do we learn about gentleness here?
• Read Proverbs 16.  What are the problems with being a hot head?
• Read Proverbs 25.  What does this teach about self control?
• Read 2 Peter 1 (especially verses 5-7).  How do these points work together?  Why do you think self control is part of this list?

This week Pastor Tom will preach on Gentleness – the seventh in a series on the Fruit of the Spirit.  Here are a few study questions to help prepare for the sermon.

1. Read Matthew 5.  Why would meekness be on this list?
2. Read 2 Corinthians 10.  What contrasts does Paul make between meekness and gentleness compared to boldness and timidity?
3. Read Colossians 3.  How does Paul’s instruction in this chapter coincide with the fruit of the Spirit?

This week’s sermon was about faithfulness – the sixth in this series about the Fruit of the Spirit.  Here are the study questions for this week:

1. Read Galatians 5 and review your sermon notes.  Why is faithfulness important?
2. Read 1 Corinthians 10.  What is revealed here about the character of God?  What does that mean for us?
3. We sang Psalm 89 on Sunday.  Why is God’s faithfulness such a key point in this Psalm?

If you missed the sermon this week, you can listen to it here:

[mejsaudio src=”http://pasadena-ep.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/tom_2012-08-12_Faithfulness.mp3″]

 

Pastor Tom is continuing his series on the fruit of the Spirit; this week he will preach on kindness and goodness.  Here are this week’s study questions:

1. Read Psalm 109.  How is the lack of kindness viewed here?
2. Read Colossians 3.  Paul says we are to clothe ourselves with kindness and a few other things.  Compare this list with the fruit of the Spirit.
3. Read Psalm 116.  How can the goodness of the Lord be repaid?

If you have been waiting for Pastor Tom to use an illustration from the 1977 album Music Machine: The Fruit of the Spirit, alas he hasn’t yet.  But for those of you who grew up listening to this, here is a plug for patience by Herbert the Snail:

Have patience, have patience
Don’t be in such a hurry
When you get impatient, you only start to worry
Remember, remember that God is patient, too
And think of all the times when others have to wait for you

OK, now for the study questions for Sunday’s sermon on patience:

1. Read Romans 2.  Is God patient with us?  To what should this lead?  Why?
2. Read Ephesians 4.  To what other qualities is patience linked?  Why do we need these?
3. Read Proverbs 15 and 16.  With what is patience compared?  Why?

Sunday’s sermon was about peace – specifically peace as a fruit of the Spirit.  Pastor Tom has prepared some study questions to review the main themes of the sermon.  He has actually been preparing these kinds of questions for several years and including them with the Sermon Outline and Family Catechism Study (a.k.a. “the tan sheet”).  We’ll try to post some of these questions to the blog if people find that helpful.  Feel free to respond in the comments section.

1. Read Galatians 5 and review your sermon notes.  Why is peace with God so important?
2. Read Psalm 3 and 4.  These were probably a single psalm at one time.  What was David going through?  Where does he find peace?
3. Read Isaiah 26.  What is necessary to be at peace?

If you missed Sunday’s sermon you can listen to it here:

[mejsaudio src=”http://pasadena-ep.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/tom_2012-07-15_Fruit_of_the_Spirit_Peace.mp3″]

A few weeks ago, Pastor Tom started a series on the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  In his first sermon, he read from Galatians 5:16-25 to provide some context for the series.  Then he provided a brief introduction to the topic of “the fruit of the Spirit”, including an excellent quote from Jay Adams’ Christian Counselor’s Commentary on Galatians:

Now, in contrast, Paul sets forth (again, non-exhaustively) the “fruit of the Spirit.” By “fruit” he means the result of the work of the Holy Spirit within. While we may take credit for the works of the flesh, we may not take credit for the fruit of the Spirit for which He must be praised. That doesn’t mean that there is no work on your … part in cultivating and harvesting this fruit. Indeed, elsewhere, Paul speaks of the “pursuit” of such fruit (I Timothy 6:11). It is a joint venture in which the Spirit pro­vides both the desire and the ability for you to do as He pleases (Cf. Phil­ippians 2:13). Neither extreme of the swing of the pendulum is biblical. The Christian does not produce righteousness by his own, unaided efforts. Nor does the Spirit produce it for him, instead of him, Together, as the Spirit gives wisdom, encouragement and power, the fruit grows. Christian responsibility thus is not impaired.

Regarding love as a fruit of the Spirit, Pastor Tom looked first at our culture’s confusion about what love is, then love’s inner work and outward expression. Finally, he pointed us to the gospel:

Do you see how he gave us the Spirit as a gift to bring this fruit out of us?

So, in those times when you have pushed back against the Spirit and have evidenced the fruit of the flesh return to your Savior.  Flee to the one who died for you.  Embrace his sacrifice.  Seek to love him as he has loved you, and then purpose in your heart to cooperate with the Spirit and live in love, both in its inner aspect and its outer expression.

Pray for this.

You can listen to the message here:

[mejsaudio src=”http://pasadena-ep.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/tom_2012-06-17_Love.mp3″]

Before planting Pasadena EP Church in October 2001, Pastor Tom Wenger ministered at Severna Park EP Church and Aisquith Presbyterian Church.  Here is a throwback from his early days at Aisquith (click on the sermon title to listen).  An excellent presentation of the gospel!

Whose Righteousness
Matthew 23:15-36
Preached June 27, 1976

Recognize that voice?