TRC Chattanooga Podcast

Trinity Season marks the beginning of our first sermon series through a letter of Paul in the New Testament. The letter to the Romans is not only Paul's greatest and most treasured work in the Bible, it is also one of his most debated among theologians. This week, Elder Glenn Jones takes us through the introduction to the letter, setting the background context for its purpose and the reason behind...

The book of Hosea is an ever present and relevant word from God to his people, and that includes present day Christian nations that were built upon the truth of God and once faithfully served his Kingdom. In Hosea, God promised to raze Israel to the ground in judgment through a foreign nation, yet he offered them mercy and hope that he would raise them to the heavenlies if they repented and turned...

The conclusion of 2 Corinthians by the Apostle Paul was not the best day for Corinth. After multiples letters and visits by Paul and his fellow Apostolic representatives, he was at his wits end with this congregation and gave them one of his sternest warnings among all his letters. So the question is asked, how should these kinds of warning or exhortations be applied in a healthy local church cont...

Trinity Sunday has arrived and we conclude the first half of the Church Year with the ending of the Gospel of Matthew and the Great Commission. Matthew's Gospel account is unique to the other Gospel writers, with his emphasis on Jesus' own teaching and work as the fulfillment of all the typologies of the Old Testament. And it is that emphasis on typology that gave Matthew the reason for ending his...

The Apostle Paul taught the Roman Christians to remember their baptisms. But as the next few centuries unfolded, aft the death of the Apostles, heresies arose in the church and much confusion abounded about the meaning of one's baptism. What does you baptism mean for your post-baptismal sins? What about the doctrines of penance and purgatory that developed throughout church history? Listen as Elde...

Most Christians are familiar with what happened on Pentecost. Something like tongues of fire rested on the disciples and they spoke in tongues and proclaimed the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thousands of people became followers of Christ. But why were people really gathered in Jerusalem on that day, in the first place? And what’s the significance or the connection between why they were there a...

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul enjoins all Christians to rejoice always. The problem is that sin, death, and the devil hand us all kinds of conditions that do not make us want to rejoice…in fact, often quite the opposite! How is it that Christians can be faithful to the Lord’s command and always be rejoicing? Listen as Elder Wes Keene exhorts the congregation at TRC Chattanooga, based on 1 Thessalonians...

Peter tells new Jewish and Gentile converts scattered throughout the Roman Empire that persecution is normative and that it is a sign one is loved by God. Peter encourages Christians in his day to remain faithful because Jesus would be coming soon to judge the wicked religious leadership and others that were attacking His bride. Peter says that Christians have great hope in a God that has infinite...

Christians today are largely confused about what happened when Jesus ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives after his resurrection and 40 days of appearances. Oddly enough, Jesus' own disciples were also confused, but after the giving of the Spirit they began to understand and they explained all these events to us in the writings of the New Testament. Therefore, we are Christians today ought...

John 15 stands as one of the most memorable allegories from Jesus' teaching ministry. "I am the vine, you are the branches." This sacramental worldview that Christ gives us is something we must both treasure and be formed by throughout our whole lives so that our joy may be full and complete. This is why the doctrine of union with Christ is fundamental to the Christian life. Listen as Elder Glenn...

Happy Mother's Day to the mothers in our congregation and to those listening to our podcast! This past Sunday our exhortation was given to mothers from 1 Timothy 2:14-15. Paul uses a fascinating turn of phrase going from the singular, she, to the plural, they. What does it mean that women are 'saved through childbearing'? What are the implications for this saying in our day today? Listen as Elder...

People look for comfort in all kinds of places. Most of them are worthless. But since we all have troubled hearts, where can the Christian turn for respite and know that their anxieties will be soothed? In John 14, Jesus has a command and a comfort for his disciples - and for us. Our ultimate help and source of solace is not to be found in this world. Listen as Elder Wes Keene preaches this week’s...

Singing praises to God is good. Very good. And Christ’s church is to bring the message of the Gospel to all people so that they would also sings praises to God. But singing isn’t the only way to praise God and it’s not the only way we can bring the Gospel to those outside the church. Listen as Elder Wes Keene exhorts the congregation at TRC Chattanooga, based on Psalm 66:8.

Jesus models what good shepherding looks like in John chapters 9 and 10. Jesus is angry with the religious leadership because of how they are shepherding His sheep and tells them so to their faces. Jesus calls the scribes and Pharisees thieves and robbers in the context of the celebration of the Feast of Dedication. The religious leadership knows that Jesus is referring to the theft of the office...

The Apostle Peter gives us a sober confidence when it comes to living the Christian life in the face of foolish and ignorant people. This fits very well with our current context here in the American South, as we continue to see more and more foolishness as many Christian nations decline in the West. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones exhorts the congregation of TRC Chattanooga with 1 Peter 2:15-16.

When Jesus appears unbeknownst to two disciples on Easter Sunday, their eyes are unable to discern who he may be. They have closed eyes. But while Jesus explains all of Scripture to them, and their hearts even burn within them while he does so, something else is yet needed in order for their eyes to be opened. Listen as Elder Wes Keene preaches this week’s sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

Some people get confused by Acts 2. It’s understandable how someone could reach the conclusion that some kind of collectivism is called for in Scripture. But this is not correct. While Christians are absolutely obligated to be charitable, first of all, to other Christians - there is no biblical command to abandon property rights. Listen as Elder Wes Keene exhorts the congregation at TRC Chattanoog...

The second Sunday of Eastertide always includes the story of doubting Thomas as an option for the Gospel reading. This is because the Gospel of John tells us that it happened on the original second Sunday of Easter, one week after the resurrection. The story of Thomas is not simply a story about doubt, but a story about our confession of faith and what it means to gather together on the Lord's Day...

None of the Gospels, including John's, tell us anything about how the resurrection actually happened. Rather, they focus on the fact that it did happen. The Gospels don't feed our desire for endless details. How does this inform how we should witness to other people about the resurrection of our Lord? Listen as Elder Wes Keene preaches this week's sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

Maundy Thursday commemorates the night of Christ's final supper with his disciples. It is also the night in which he gave the New Commandment and the night on which he was betrayed. As we listen to the Apostle Paul's application of this event and the institutional function of Holy Eucharist, we come to see that all these things are tied together in the life of the Church and the administration of...

Palm Sunday is one of the most explicit moments in Jesus' ministry where he kept from no one who he was and what he was coming to do for the house of Israel. In these events recorded in Matthew's Gospel, we find that Jesus' triumphal entry and his cleansing of the temple were all part of the great fulfillment of the Old Covenant types and shadows and they teach us richly still today. Listen as Eld...

Jesus came to us in the name of the Lord and we, as his house, his church, are called to bless his name and give him all the praise and glory he is due. Listen to this exhortation from Psalm 118:26 on Palm Sunday as Elder Glenn Jones reminds us of who we are as Christians in the New Covenant.

In Ezekiel 37, the Lord shows his prophet a very morbid scene - a field of dead bones. Then Ezekiel is tasked with prophesying to the dead bones to tell them that they will live. A scene filled with hopelessness and despair is turned by the Lord into a mighty army. In this week’s sermon, listen as Elder Wes Keene explains how it is that it happens, and what its implications are for us as Christian...

In Romans, Paul asks us to consider to whom we submit ourselves as slaves. And the effect of that rhetorical question is staggering. Is there no way to avoid slavery? And if we submit ourselves to something, what does it mean? It turns out we have all submitted ourselves to sin which leads to death many times. Paul’s remedy for it is simple. Listen as Elder Wes Keene exhorts the congregation at TR...

The church calendar began to be formulated practically the moment Christ was crucified and rose again. In this second installment of our trip through the church’s calendar, we lay things out in the order they are practiced today and take note of regional variations in the observance of church holidays. The church catholic has always looked for ways to observe and celebrate the life of Christ, but...