Brooklyn Tabernacle - Audio Sermons Feed

At some point in our lives, we’ve all felt like we faced something impossible. Maybe you’re feeling that way now—backlogged bills, rebellious children, a totaled car, a new and demanding work position. Impossible situations are burdensome. Good thing we serve the God of the impossible! We can shift our perspectives, knowing nothing is impossible with God.

Remember the phrase, “You can’t thread a camel through the eye of a needle”? Well, Jesus was the first to say that! He said that is how difficult it is for people who love wealth to get to heaven—not because He won’t welcome them, but because they won’t release their riches. Money can be an idol and a master over us. May we always choose to serve God instead.

What is denial? It's blocking something from moving forward. God has given all of us a choice: we can deny Him and block the salvation He wants to give us, or we can deny our own desires and let God reign over our hearts and lives. Today let’s deny ourselves and embrace the love and will of God.

Our lives are so full of phones, tablets, and televisions. But anything that takes away from time spent with God is a spiritual distraction. Prayer and feeding on the Word are our bookends of growing in faith. Let's walk into this new year not distracted but focused on spending time with our Savior.

Some of us have been taught that being Christians means getting rid of all our worldly goods. But in the book of Mark, we see that there’s no issue with having money and things—the problems come when we love that wealth more than we love Jesus. Let’s have a conversation with God today and ask if there’s anything hindering our walks with Him.

Sometimes we wonder where we stand with God. But we no longer have to feel like we're checking all the right boxes—Jesus was the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. We deserve nothing, but through Jesus we can have a relationship with God as our Father. God is always for us! Streamed on January 7, 2025

A wonderful thing about kids is their faith. Children are trusting—they don’t have agendas or ulterior motives. We learn those negative angles as we grow up, but we must keep that childlike faith. Jesus loved little children and welcomed them to Him. He is still welcoming us today!

Divorce is a complex topic that requires strong biblical counseling. If a spouse is unfaithful, violent, or deserting, a pastor may counsel the other toward biblical divorce. While marriage is sacred, serious, and created specially by God, He also cares deeply for us and wants to protect us from harm. Remember, God will never leave or forsake us.

None of us knows what the coming new year holds. But one thing we can be absolutely sure of: Jesus will never, ever leave us or abandon us! Because He is with us, we can be strong and courageous, no matter where God leads us in 2025.

Like it is today, divorce was a controversial topic in Jesus’ day. Old Testament laws allowed it, while New Testament laws forbade it. So what was Jesus’ response to this issue? He highlighted the sacred beauty of marriage. God created marriage to be between one man and one woman. Everything God makes is good—including marriage!

Mistakes from the past can hold us hostage and prevent us from going forward. However, God will work through our past mistakes as we trust Him.

Marriage is a serious thing. Jesus said that the two will become one and that no one should separate what God has joined together. So are there biblical grounds for divorce? Well, God doesn’t excuse unfaithfulness, but He hates divorce. We need to seek God's will regarding marriage and handle it carefully.

Christians sometimes think that in order to reach the world, we have to be like the world. That way of thinking is dangerous! Not only that, it doesn’t work. Jesus talked about this in terms of salt, which preserves. We must stand out and preserve the gospel. Let’s be strong witnesses for Jesus today.

Have you ever seen one Christian blast another on social media? Jesus said it would be better for us cut off our hand than to hurt another believer! Of course we’re not supposed to literally cut off our hands. But Jesus wanted …

We are all too familiar with the stress of comparison. We want better and bigger gifts! If only we would think about the humble birth of the Prince of peace. Jesus was born to a poor family—and His first visitors were lowly shepherds! Yet despite His lowly station, He never lacked peace. Jesus understands us—and He will provide for us.

Christmas isn’t about material presents. Jesus, the Savior of the world, was born in a smelly manger so that we could receive the real gift—eternal life. Yet many of us go about the Christmas season embracing traditions and rejecting the Gift. We look everywhere but to God for happiness. This year let’s accept God’s great gift.

We all love presents at Christmas time! This tradition comes from the Magi who gave baby Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But let’s stop and think about that—those respected grown men bowed down and gave gifts to a toddler. Why? Because they knew who He was. May we remember who Jesus is this Christmas.

Why would the perfect Son of God be born in a dirty manger to a poor couple? Because the world lacks peace. Jesus came to change that! We can have confidence that we are going to heaven because of God’s gift of salvation—and that assurance will bring peace to our hearts. Let’s allow Jesus to be our peace today.

Is there anything happening in your life right now that reminds you of a sweeter time you had in your life with Jesus? God used a star to guide the Magi to Jesus. He can use anything to call us to Himself. Follow that longing you have today. Let it bring you back to Jesus.

We hear the word “Emmanuel” often during the Christmas season. But do we know what it means? “Emmanual” means “God with us.” Calling Jesus by this name reveals to us a unique opportunity to study God. Any questions we have about God are answered by looking at Jesus—His life, His movements, His words. God is with us, this Christmas and every day!

God has the power to fulfill every single promise He’s made, like when He kept His promise to send us a Savior. And He wants us to celebrate that power. We’re already celebrating during this Christmas season, right? So let’s give God a gift. Yes—we can give the Almighty a present! When we trust Him and pour out our hearts to Him, God is so pleased. Let’s try that today.

Your story might include pain—but it can bless someone else! In our prayer meeting tonight, Dan Smither shared how God used an injury from college to help him reach the Zulu people in South Africa. With him, the Key of Hope Children’s Choir, directed by Dan's wife, Rachel, belts out a joyful message of hope and faith in God. Let’s stop hiding our scars and start sharing our proof of God’s goodness!

Most of us associate Christmas with presents. We give and get them all season long. But in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we often forget about the real gift: Jesus Christ. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, who saved us from an eternity without God, should be center stage. Let us praise Him for His amazing gift!

We often want to call out people who wrong us. Think about how Joseph must have felt when he found out his fiancée, Mary, was pregnant! He could have ruined her reputation, but he cared for her. Together they raised the Son of God. Love cares for and protects others. Let’s practice that this Christmas season.

While Jesus is the most famous person ever to live on this earth, there must be more clarity about who He is. Our family, friends, and world deserve to know that no one can change a life like Jesus Christ.

Did you know that we will get rewards in heaven? That’s not to say that we have to earn our salvation or buy our way out of purgatory. Rather, knowing that we will be rewarded is an incentive for us to bless others. Let’s reflect Jesus’s love today.

We like neutrality—a fence to sit on or a line to toe. But Jesus said, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” In other words, either we are all in for Jesus, or we are totally out. There is no neutrality with God. Let’s be all in for Him!

Our world is so divided. But you know what else is divided? The church. The Bible talks about something called a party spirit, and it is detrimental to the body of Christ. A party spirit is all about division—cliques, groups, teams. We need to be kingdom-minded churches. We should root for all Christians everywhere, not just those who think like we do.

We can get so caught up in our circumstances that we begin to look for help anywhere but God. Every day we must be in Jesus’ presence. When we return to Him, everything falls into place, and we receive what we need. The Christian faith is not about fixing ourselves—it's about coming to the Lord. Today let’s listen to the conviction He’s placing on our hearts. Let’s return to Jesus.

We are saved by faith, not by works. Yet we are still called by God to do good deeds. Jesus set us an example by welcoming little children. He taught His disciples that there are heavenly rewards for those who do good to others. How can you bless someone today?

Remember when we were children, and our biggest concern was who we’d play with at recess? Now we’ve seen and heard so much that we overcomplicate things as simple as trusting God. We need childlike faith today. Let’s just love and trust our Jesus.

Many Christians today shy away from the Holy Spirit, often because of excesses they have seen in the Spirit's name. But we need the Holy Spirit! The Bible describes Him in many ways—the Spirit of God's Son (Galatians 4:6), the "Spirit of counsel and strength" (Isaiah 11:2), and a Spirit of love (2 Timothy 1:7). Let's open our hearts to the Holy Spirit. We'll find that He provides the best help we could ever ask for!

Who is greater, the person ordering food or the waiter? Well, in God’s eyes, whoever is serving is greater than who’s being served. In other words, God doesn’t have favorites—He just wants us to help others. Jesus was the ultimate example of a leader who served. In His name, let’s be servants of God today.

We can’t always see what the Lord is doing, and that scares us. We want to know the who, where, and when. But that’s not how God works! The more we move away from the simplicity of childlike faith, the farther away we move from the power and blessings of God. Let’s step out in faith today and trust the Lord’s plan.

Sometimes we go through hardships and wonder if our faith is decreasing. But every trial and tribulation is actually an opportunity to grow our faith. We must take time with God in prayer and Bible study—sometimes even fasting—and cultivate the level of faith we need for each day. God will provide it.

Does God care about the little problems in our lives? Well, He cared when a man in the Bible lost a borrowed ax-head. When the ax-head sank, the Lord used the prophet Elisha to make it float. God had a plan for that man, and he has a plan for us and our needs too! Let’s trust in His providence today.

Our society likes to teach mantras and affirmations. Many have faith in the supernatural—but what we need is supernatural faith. There is a true, all-encompassing faith, and it comes straight from God. Let’s ask the Lord to help our unbelief and increase our faith today.

We’re stressed out way too often. We worry about things like finances, health, and relationships—and don’t forget about politics! But when all this stress fills our lives, how much faith do we have? See, the power of God is released by faith. Everything is possible if we believe in God and His power.

Every one of us has felt fear. We live in a world burdened with anxiety. The Bible tells us not to be afraid, but sometimes we all wonder, How do we do that? The best and only way to deal with anxiety is to look to perfect Love: Jesus. The Lord loves us and cares for us. We can have peace if we look to Him today!

When Peter, James, and John were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, they wanted to stay there. But alas, we can’t stay on the mountain. We’ve got to come back to the valley, where there are problems galore. We need rich time with Jesus, but we also need to work for Him. Let’s ask God for balance so that we can be effective in our service for Him.

Some Christians say that followers of Jesus won’t suffer. But John the Baptist suffered. So did Jesus, and He said, “If they persecute Me, they’ll persecute you.” We’ve got to read the whole counsel of God, which says, “It’s through much tribulation we enter the kingdom of heaven.” Then we’ll know how to praise God in the good times and the bad.

Spiritual leaders are important. But when Peter, James, and John were awed by seeing Moses and Elijah with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.” A good rule for life is “Listen to Jesus.” He came to show us what God is really like so that we can live and speak and love like Him.

The Bible tells us always to rejoice, pray, and be thankful—which is difficult when we think we deserve everything! It is so humbling when we stop and realize that we deserve nothing but that God has still given us all we need. There is so much to be thankful for! Let’s give thanks to God today for His grace.

Nothing should be more important in our lives than Jesus. But let’s think for a minute of everything we put above Him—jobs, relationships, bills, social media, etc. If one of the disciples once put Jesus on the same level as a prophet, imagine how much lower we place Him. We must reevaluate our priorities and elevate Jesus!

The people we’re close to know us well—sometimes maybe a little too well! But are we that close to Jesus? Sure, we follow Him and read the Bible. But we should be moved by what moves Him. Like the old hymn says, “Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord.” Let’s get closer to Jesus today.

The presence of God is not confined to a church building or even to religion. The Holy Spirit is alive and working in our lives! Most of us don’t acknowledge Him enough—but He dwells in our hearts. The Spirit of God is invisible, holy, and real. Let’s invite the Spirit into our lives today and see the transformation He makes!

Some of us are secret Christians—afraid that others might find out that we love Jesus. But we shouldn’t let the godless, sinful culture around us make us ashamed of our devotion to Christ. Jesus is coming back, and when He does, He will know who has been embarrassed of Him and His words. Today let’s live for the Lord—unashamedly.

Jesus tells us to take up our crosses, but what does that really mean? We aren’t called to be publicly humiliated or beaten like He was. Instead we just have to humble ourselves. We must go against what our flesh wants every single day—that’s our cross. But when we do that, it’s so much easier to follow Jesus. Are you willing?

Many of us feel that God has called us to do something for Him, but often we’re not willing to step out in faith to start doing it. But like the people of Israel did, we have to march into the land before we will see God work. The Lord didn’t deliver us from sin so we could live complacent lives. He wants us to take the promised land of His will—by stepping out in faith.

Christians often disagree over doctrinal points. In fact, we even divide over issues like the historicity of the book of Genesis or how baptism should be done. But here’s the main question all of us need to consider: who do we say Jesus is? The disciples had the right answer to this question. Like them, let’s make our primary focus knowing Jesus.