Restoration is a network of house churches.
We make disciples, gather together, and
equip people to minister.
Acts 8 begins with Saul persecuting the church in Jerusalem, leading to the gospel spreading to Judea and Samaria in partial fulfillment of Acts 1:8. But, the focus soon turns to Philip as he explains the gospel to a God-fearing Ethiopian on his way to Africa. Praise God!
Recently, old errors related to the misuse of the Mosaic Law have surfaced with new names. Parts of the Hebrew Roots movement have drifted into Judaizing error, seining to earn merit or favor from God through strict adherence to Mosaic Law and tradition. Some (not all) have even denied the gospel in the process. Additionally, many “evangelicals” have adopted antinomian error, denying the unchanging moral law. What purpose does the Law of God serve? How are Christians to see the Law now? We address these and other questions related to the Law in this sermon, focusing on Acts 15 and Galatians 1, 2, and 3.
The book of Acts is about the proclamation of the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit is the Star. The recurring pattern of this book is that the Holy Spirit does something, and the gospel is preached. Chapter five is no exception. In the first section, we see the account of Ananias and Sapphire lying about their donation to the Church. Pastor Dan clarifies some misconceptions about why these two faced such a severe punishment. Along the way, we learn that the voluntary donation of resources in the church, which provides for the poor, is nothing like Marxism/Communism. The last part of the chapter addresses the apostles’ civil disobedience against the apostate religious leaders of Jerusalem and the magisterial authority of the Roman government, which they welded.
When should we disobey governing authorities? When should we defy religious authorities? Acts 5 provides a clear example of when to obey God rather than men. Praise God that the gospel remains as its enemies are converted, destroyed, or forgotten.
The doctrine of the deity and humanity of Christ (hypostatic union) is critical to Christianity. In many ways, it is the "lynchpin" doctrine of our faith. Tragically, the 2022 State of Theology survey reveals that 43% of "evangelicals" deny that Jesus is God! In this sermon, Pastor Daniel Samms provides a biblical apologetic for the deity and humanity of Christ, citing several passages of Scripture and the creeds of Nice and Chalcedon. John 1 and 2 John are our primary passages.
Tyranny is when an authority or group of authorities steps outside their God-ordained roles either through overstep or abdication of responsibilities. 1 Samuel 8 warns against tyranny as the prophet reminds God's people that the tyrant will seek to place himself in the role of God, taking a tenth, conscripting for war, and taking children for his purposes. The ultimate solution is to obey God and defy tyrants. The choice is between Christ and chaos. Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Mark 12:28ff, and Matthew 28:18-20 provide clear directions on how to battle tyranny through faithful living. However, there are a few other key passages such as Exodus 1, Daniel 1,3, and 6, Acts 5:29, and Judges 3 and 4 that give models for how to respond to tyranny.
Romans 6 addresses the reality that we have died to sin now that we are baptized into Christ. This means we should live as slaves to righteousness as we have died to the old master, sin. This is a critical passage as it relates to sanctification.
Paul writes Romans 7 to answer the question about the nature of the Law and our relationship to it now that we have been crucified with Christ. The question at hand is related to how we are to battle sin. The believer should rejoice in the fact that they fight sin as the struggle is a sign that they are redeemed. “Be killing sin” knowing that we have the victory in Christ!
Critical Theory in various forms has made its way into the dominant thought of western culture and sadly into much of the “evangelical church.” We live in a season in which “social justice” is esteemed over biblical justice and in which man’s feelings are valued over God’s commands. At the root of all of this is man’s rebellion against God (Romans 1:18ff).
Specifically, the atheistic theories of Marxism reformulated into social (rather than economic) terms has infused itself into culture. This system of thought propagated by Antonio Gramsci and the Frankfurt school seeks to overthrow the “hegemony” of Christendom. It’s tool for destruction is Critical Theory which exists for the expressed purpose of causing division. It sees all relationships through the lens of oppressor/oppressed and attacks “systems” of injustice rather than individual sin. It denies objective truth and implements deconstruction (a la Jaques Derrida) as a means of denying that which is plainly true. It denies the Law of God, and esteems the feelings of the “oppressed” as the authority on morality.
Many opportunities to defend the biblical case for the abolition of abortion are likely to arise in the wake of the upcoming Supreme Court Decision: Dobbs v. Jackson. The decision could overturn both Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood. Pastor Daniel Samms teaches on the biblical case for life (Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 9, Matthew 28:18-20) and how to respond to challenges from the anti-life culture. Central to our response is the gospel message. Do you want to know how to respond to the abortion debate? This sermon is designed to equip you for that.
The Holy Spirit is often misrepresented in modern Christianity. We often neglect the fact that He indwells believers and grows spiritual fruit in us (Galatians 5). This sermon addresses the work of God to make us more like Christ.
Every year we celebrate Christ’s victory over death. This year we talked about 1 Corinthians 15 (as usual) and also mentioned the pre-textual creed Paul refers to in verses 3-7 (“what I received”) as a reminder of the simplicity and power of the Gospel message.
In this sermon, Pastor Dan discusses the full divinity and personhood of the Holy Spirit, addressing HIs action in the Old Testament and the promise in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36 that He would indwell believers in the New Testament. We then discuss the work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament and new as it relates to believers obeying God and preaching the gospel.
Pastor Dan teaches on worshipping God with our resources, including time and finances. In the process, he answers questions about whether tithing is a principle for the Church or just Old Testament Israel. We also discuss key principles related to tithing related to caring for family and those in need.
Daniel Samms (Pastor) takes us through several key principles of worship as it relates to Lord’s Day (Corporate) gatherings. He builds on the series’ key passage, John 4, in which Jesus reminds us that worship must be in spirit (devoted worship from regenerated believers, not lip service from the unredeemed) and in truth (in accordance with how God has revealed Himself and commanded us to worship). Dan then takes us through 1 Peter 2, Hebrews 10, 1 Cor. 11, 14, and other key passages to point out key commands related to worship. We address philosophies of worship (Normative Principle vs. Regulative Principle), the idea of Coram Deo (living “before the face of God”), and what it does it mean to enjoy “the means of grace” in a reformed, protestant, biblical sense.
Pastor Daniel walks us through key biblical principles related to worship, noting that everyone worships. The issue is Who or what they worship. Romans 1 serves our primary text, though we address several other texts, especially John 4 in which Jesus reminds us what is seen in Scripture as a whole: that truth and spirit are both critical to faithful worship.
This sermon is about the command to make disciples. Pastor Dan addresses Matthew 28:18-20 and talks about how discipleship is comprehensive. We are to make disciples, not just converts. However, disciple-making begins with repentance and faith. We are to proclaim the gospel and call unbelievers to repentance and faith (Acts 2). Further, we address biblical methodology related to evangelism. When we delight in God and honor Christ as Lord, the fear of men decreases and boldness for the gospel abounds (Acts 4:20)!
Pastor Daniel teaches on Romans 8 and addresses how in trial, persecution, and struggles with sin, God is the one who helps us in our weakness, intercedes for us in prayer, and has saved us by His eternal decree. We address foreknowledge, predestination, calling, election, justification, sanctification, and glorification. We also talk about how the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us on our behalf.
Regeneration is spiritual birth. It is what Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3. You are born dead in sin, and you cannot respond positively to God until God brings about the miracle of regeneration in you. When he does, you repent and believe the gospel, and you begin your new life in Christ. In this sermon, Pastor Dan discusses the distinction between people who have not been regenerated and those who have. The result is that the faithful get edified by knowing they are saved, the lost will hopefully be convicted to repent and believe, and it all this God receives glory. We are primarily in Ephesians 2 and 1 John 3 for this sermon.
The doctrine of the atonement is central to the Gospel. Jesus paid our sin debt, restoring us back to God. This doctrine has been under attack from liberals and “progressives” for years. However, the truth of the Gospel as it relates to Christ’s substitutionary atonement stands strong. In this sermon, we address several key passages to define the doctrine and understand how it relates to our salvation and to our evangelism efforts.
This sermon is a continuation of our series on The Doctrines of Grace in which we are addressing the topic of evangelism by taking an in-depth look at the gospel. This sermon focuses on Ephesians 1 which describes God’s adoption of the believing in Christ. This adoption is unconditional and before the world began, emphasizing that it is God who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
