All for the Kingdom with Ben Smith

In this sermon, Pastor Ben Smith expositionally preaches from 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, addressing the critical issues of the sin of idleness and the often-abandoned practice of church discipline. He emphasizes that  sin is a serious threat  to individual Christians and the church, rightly understood as rebellion against God's lordship. The sermon highlights that faithful labor is submissi...

The advancement of the gospel and the endurance of the church are testimonies to the faithfulness and power of God, not the tenacity or ingenuity of man. What has enabled the church to endure in a hostile world? What empowers Christians to share the gospel when faced with such difficulties and costs? How can you remain faithful and encouraged in a world that is indefatigably working against God? 2...

From the archives. Originally preached in September 2020. What is your true treasure? Is it God's truth and God's glory or worldly pleasures and comforts? James 5:1-6 gives the church three warnings related to wealth.

Almost every believer will struggle with doubt at some point in their life. Very often, Satan uses moments of spiritual failure or weakness to sow the seeds of doubt. Because of the pressures of persecution and the confusion of false teaching, the Thessalonian Christians were struggling with doubt. They wondered and worried if they were truly saved. They wondered and worried if they were worthy of...

Fear is a powerful emotion. Though some are more prone to it than others, all struggle with it. Fear can paralyze your ability to take action, and fear can cause you to forfeit what is good. However, the most destructive and dangerous reaction to fear is that it can cause you to lose your confident hope in God's promises and surrender your expectant joy in the kingdom of God. The Thessalonians Chr...

Salvation is not transactional but transformative. When God calls you to salvation, it is a calling to believe and be transformed by the power of God to accomplish His will and bring glory to His name. In the secular world, you become very accustomed to transactional relationships. Unfortunately, not only do many people approach their most intimate relationships with a transactional mindset, but m...

Christians endure the present with confident faith in the coming of Jesus, who will rightly judge the world, rescue the saints, and reveal His full glory. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to encourage the saints who were enduring persecution. The encouragement is that Jesus is coming again to rescue the saints and judge the wicked. Thinking of the vengeance and judgment of God is uncomfortable for...

In this sermon, Pastor Ben Smith explores 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, focusing on how the faith and actions of believers serve as a powerful testimony to other Christians. This passage highlights that a Christian's faith and testimony of sanctification testify to God's goodness and work to encourage other believers. While we often think of ministry as what we can  do  or  give , Paul rem...

The desire of God is not that you would be insulated or isolated from the world, but that you would be a living testimony to God’s truth in and to the world. Every Christian experiences a tension between desiring to be separated from the world and obedience to proclaim the gospel to the world. Throughout history, there have been excesses on both sides of this tension. Sometimes, Christians have ov...

For Christians, the resurrection of Jesus is not something that is celebrated once a year but a moment that forever changes your life. In a few weeks, many will celebrate the completion of their high school or college studies. To recognize these achievements, schools will host graduation ceremonies, called commencement exercises. Because these ceremonies celebrate the completion of a course of stu...

The resurrection of Jesus is more than a historical event. The resurrection of Jesus is a confrontation of faith. Do you believe that He is the resurrection and life? This interaction between Martha and Jesus is dripping with emotion. Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, had a close and affectionate relationship with Jesus. Verses 33-36 tell us that when Mary met him, accompanied by many mour...

Everyone who has been saved by God is being sanctified. God begins the work at the moment of salvation and continues the work until it is fully completed when he raptures the church. The fundamental truth to understanding 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 is that God is the one who saves and the one who has, and is, and will completely sanctify every believer when he raptures the church. The church is a con...

The work of salvation transforms how you relate to those whom God has put in authority in the church, your brothers and sisters in faith, and how you live in the world. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 are the final instructions of Paul's letter. From the start, Paul encouraged the church that they were doing well and demonstrating true evidence of faith. These instructions are not a rebuke of sin or an id...

Christians do not ignore God's coming judgment and wrath but, because of the redemptive work of salvation, have both a hopeful and sobering anticipation of the Day of the Lord. The judgment of God is a terrible thing. For all the suffering and hardships of this world, nothing compares to being completely and eternally separated from God and His unrelenting wrath. It is unpleasant to think of such...

The hope of heaven and the promise of the second coming of Jesus change how you understand and experience the hardships of this world. There are many things you will never experience, but the Bible declares that until Jesus comes again, there is one thing that everyone will experience, and that is death. Grief is the common bond between every generation, every culture, and every people group. When...

Pastor Ben Smith preaches from 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 on how growing in brotherly love transforms your relationship with the saints, the direction of your life, and your testimony before the world. The transformation of the gospel has both a restrictive and empowering effect on your life. In the previous verse (1-8), the Bible declares that the transforming work of God in the lives of true Christi...

God’s will for your sanctification requires that you abstain from sexual immorality, possess your body in honor, and live holy before God. We are living in a hyper-sexualized culture. It seems sexual perversion and sexual immorality are everywhere. However, though the world may be full of sexual immorality, the command of God and the evidence of salvation is that Christians must abstain from sexua...

The heart desire of Christians must be for other Christians to grow in faith and obedience. This statement seems so obvious and elementary that you may be tempted to assume that it does not need to be stated or given much attention. It is indeed obvious and elementary, but it needs to be said and given attention because it often conflicts with your flesh's natural desires.  Often, what is cel...

Pastor Ben Smith preaches from 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5 on how to strengthen and exhort the church to stand firm against the attacks of Satan. The passion of God’s servants must be to strengthen and exhort the church to stand firm against the attacks of Satan.   Verses 17-20 of chapter 2 express Paul’s lament that he was forced to leave the church shortly after they had come to faith and his...

I am excited to announce a new podcast project titled View from the Pulpit . Each episode will feature interviews with pastors and church members exploring the role of preaching, the labor of preparing to preach, the effectiveness of how one preaches, and so much more. This podcast is about preaching, but it is not just for preachers. So whether each Sunday you are behind the pulpit or in the pew,...

Pastor Ben preaches from 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 that salvation is not the result of man's work or ability but a testimony to God's power and sovereignty alone. Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA. Sermon preached 2/16/2025. When sinners receive the gospel as the word of God and are saved, it is not the result of man's work or ability but a testimony to God's power and...

Pastor Ben preaches from 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 on what your labor and faithfulness testify to. Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA. Sermon preached 2/9/2025. Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources. F or more information on Central B aptist Church, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.

Pastor Ben preaches from 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 that the work of the church and your personal service to God must be God-directed, God-honoring, and God-pleasing. Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA. Sermon preached 2/2/2025. Books and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon notes are available at http://bensmithsr.org/resources. For more information on Central Baptist...

The evidence of true salvation is more than words; it is evidenced by a life transformed by God, a rejection of sin, and obedience to God. One of the struggles for the church in a post-Christian culture is rediscovering what it means to be saved. In a Christian culture, salvation was often assumed rather than evidenced. Now that we live in a post-Christian culture, many are no longer compelled to...

Romans 6:20-23 is about the consequence of sin and the hope of the gospel. It is a precious passage that I have often preached in no small part because of the great gospel promise of verse 23. Generally, when preaching this passage, the majority of attention is given to the hope of salvation, which is the main idea of the passage. However, with this sermon, I want to give attention to the warning...