Tabernacle Baptist Church

1. Submit as a WitnessA. Peter gives us two reasons why we submit:     - These are institutions ordained by God.     - Our humble submission and civic goodness help silence the foolish. B. This doesn’t mean there isn’t room for civil disobedience, but we obey every law that we can.- Peter was martyred for refusing to stop preaching the gospel, but most of us aren’t in that type of situation. 2. Fe...

1. Understand Your Need for God’s WordA. Peter gives three qualities to the Word of God:- It’s Imperishable – He quotes Isaiah 40:6-8- It’s Good News – He quotes Psalm 34:8- It’s Alive – Jesus is the Word! 2. Build Your Life on God’s WordA. The cornerstone is the most important part of any building!- Jesus has to be our foundation. B. Peter again quotes Isaiah and Psalms to support his argument.-...

1. We are NonconformistsA. Peter shifts from talking about the living hope we have to a challenge of how we should live.- We need to prepare our minds for action. B. We shouldn’t be conformed to this world.- We need to let God’s Word drive our worldview, not popular opinion. 2. We Should be HolyA. A defining mark of our faith should be holiness. B. We should conduct ourselves in reverential fear....

1. Our Hope is CertainA. Peter starts with a song. B. God’s mercy has given us a living hope! C. Peter reminds us that we have an incredible inheritance as sons and daughters of the King. D. We are living on Saturday, but Sunday is coming! 2. Our Hope Gives us Joy in TrialsA. We rejoice even when we are suffering because of our living hope. B. God is refining us in trials.- What if the pain of thi...

How do we reconcile what the Bible teaches as God’s goodness and all-powerful nature with the existence of evil in the world? What is the biblical answer to the question “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Having a biblical framework is crucial when bad things happen to us.  1. When we make bad decisions, CONFESS AND ASK FORGIVENESS.2. When others make bad decisions, FORGIVE THEM. 3. When d...

1. An Overview of 1 Peter- The author is Peter.- It was written in AD 64-65, right around the time that Nero burned Rome.- Persecution was increasing and Peter was writing to believers to remind them of their hope in the midst of difficulties. 2. We are Exiles- Chosen – Jesus does the saving!- Exiles – We live between two worlds and don’t fit in.- Instead of conforming to culture, we are called to...

1. Act Like You Know What You are Talking About- A main theme in 1 Peter is that we should be living hope-filled lives in a hopeless world.- Peter’s presupposition is that we will be living in such a way that nonbelievers will want to ask about the hope we have. 2. Actually Know What You are Talking About- We need to be able to articulate our faith!- Focus on answering two questions:- Why do you l...

Taking the Lord’s Supper was how we decided to start off 2023. What a blessing to be a part of the Tabernacle family! We are certain the Lord still has great things to do to us and through us!

1. There is a Scarlet Thread through Scripture- Every story in Scripture whispers Christ’s name- The common theme that brings all of the Bible together is the atonement  2. Foreshadowing Swaddling Bands- There is a repetition of the idea of Jesus being wrapped in cloths in both verses 7 and 12- When something is repeated that closely in Scripture, it means we should pay attention!- The lambs used...

1. God can Turn your Marks of Sin into Memorials of Grace- It’s not a license to sin, or a reward for sin, but we often grow in grace when we are disciplined.- Zechariah had nine months to reflect on God’s promise to him. - Meditate on God’s Word in the midst of difficult times! 2. Jesus is our Horn of Salvation - What does that mean? Not a horn that you blow. - Psalm 92:9-10 gives us a picture of...

1. Angelic Pronouncements- Mary is given the news that completely flips her world upside down- He is called Immanuel – God with us! (Isaiah 7:14) 2. How Can This Be?-  The angel has to explain to Mary about the Virgin Birth – an incredibly important doctrine forbelievers- Gabriel’s final words? Nothing is impossible with God! 3. Working In before Working Through- Though she doesn’t understand, Mar...

1. Breaking the Silence- God speaks after 400 years of silence- God correlates this announcement through Gabriel with Malachi 4. 2. Is this Really True?- Just like Zechariah, our initial response can often be doubt- Make no doubt about it, Luke’s gospel was right on, declaring he had done the work; therefore, what he is writing and telling, is completely accurate. What you believe and what others...

1. A Heart Revealed- There is something fundamentally wrong if we don’t celebrate God giving grace to others- Jonah wants to remake God in his own image- God is asking Jonah two questions:- Why are you doing this to yourself?- Are you sure you’ve gauged this situation properly?- Jonah was saved from the belly of a fish, but he needed to be saved from the power of sin in his life- God’s response to...

1. The Church Needs to Redefine Success- Intimidating odds should not make us cower- Hold fast to our supernatural God- Success is obedience 2.  Throw the Pass Anyway- If we proclaim it, God’s Word can change hearts- God humbled Jonah, and then used him to humble the Assyrians- Your lost cause could be God’s tool for greatness     3.  God is Unbelievably Gracious- God has made a way- God’s wrath h...

God is still in the business of restoring people’s lives. We can see Him bringing restoration throughout the Bible, and He’s still bringing restoration today.  God restores our identity as sons and daughters of the King. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. God restores our calling. Identity should naturally lead to activity because we are God’s ambassadors on earth. When your “brushwork”...

What is it going to take for us to cry out to God? We need to realize that even in the depths, God is still in control! When we encounter ourselves in the depths, this can be the result of two things: the reality of living in a broken world or a consequence of our sin.  In the depths, we realize we are helpless and hopeless without God. Just like Jonah realized that in the past and cried out to Go...

Are you a blessing or a barrier to the people around you?  Jonah was a barrier to the people on the ship. He almost killed them all, however, God is sovereign. Like the sailors paddling for shore, any effort to save others apart from God falls short. In his providence, God used Jonah’s warped witness to lead these pagan sailors to worship Him.  We must understand that our most important citizenshi...

When is the last time you meditated on the fact that the Creator of the universe speaks to us? If our Creator speaks, we should listen to Him. There are only two responses when God speaks: obedience or rebellion. Jonah rebelled. He was fearful of his enemies and had a difficult time understanding why God cared for the Ninevites. Just like God has spoken to Jonah, he has spoken to us. Are you going...

In Dr. Zach Crook’s first sermon as Tabernacle Lead Pastor, he talked about Esther’s story in Est 4:11-16. 1. God knows what He’s doing. God is sovereign and doesn’t make mistakes. So, whatever you are walking through, you have to trust that God is allowing it to happen 2. We need to get ready. If you just come to church once a week, you won’t be ready!  It’s daily getting in his Word and praying!...

Who are you ultimately trying to please? Don’t you long for the Master to say upon His return, “Well done, good and faithful servant? But you might say, “It’s too late.” No, it is not. You can decide that you are going to accept what you’ve been given and quit griping about what you don’t have. You can decide that you are going to invest what you’ve been entrusted, as you discover what God has pla...

Do you think you’re paying good money to watch what goes on up here week after week at church? Sadly, that’s what many church attendees believe; but that’s not the way God designed the church. Some Christians consider themselves followers of Christ and even members of Tabernacle, but they feel like they are on the sidelines of what God is doing in the church, and desperately want to be a part of w...

Paul in this letter is combating heresy in the church and people who have distorted the image of Jesus. Paul loves this church dearly and cares for their spiritual maturity and well-being. Paul’s response doesn’t attack or spend time critiquing the wrong view, rather Paul draws people to worship the risen Savior by showing Jesus in His supremacy, power, and beauty.  Colossians 1:15-20 will present...

This is the first sermon of now, our Lead Pastor, Dr. Zach Crook preached at Tabernacle. 

God has wired us all with a need for other people; for community. But what is biblical community? Biblical community is a small gathering of people for Bible study, ministry, and accountability. When it comes to biblical community, just attending a worship service like this doesn’t put you in community. It’s difficult to experience community within a large group like this. Being in community means...

Genesis 1:1 is the most well-known verse in the Bible. Here we see the God Code for humanity, where, God, the Creator of the whole universe presents Himself as the Intelligent Designer who designed the entire universe.