Brooklyn Tabernacle - Audio Sermons Feed

Do you need more of God’s power to live a life that glorifies Jesus and draws people to Him? We don’t get it by being tough. We get it by dying to self. In our weakness, God’s grace is enough—and His power is made perfect in us. As we get to the end of ourselves, we’ll begin to live—and the power of God in us will draw others to Jesus Christ.

What are you going through today? Problems, anxiety, heartache? Fix your eyes on Jesus. Not only is He the originator of faith, but He also helps us in our own races of faith. He knows that we can’t do anything on our own, and He helps us as we’re running our long marathons. Whatever your need, you can trust God to help you today.

We’re not the first people ever to believe. Think of it: we’re successors in the school of faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Samuel. That’s why Hebrews tells us, “The great men and women of faith went this way first. Remember what you’re part of! Throw off everything that hinders you, and run with perseverance.” Let’s keep running the race today.

We’re in a race. And Hebrews 12:1 tells us to run our race “with perseverance.” Not only that, but we also have to stay on the course “marked out for us.” Are you running on the track God wants you on? Or are you fighting cultural, political, racial, financial wars? We need to run with perseverance, and we need to stay on track—in the race of faith.

A lot of people don’t like the word “sin.” It’s negative. But Christians have to deal with this issue, because Hebrews tells us to throw off “the sin that so easily entangles.” Jesus didn’t save us so we would put up with sin but so we would overcome! Let’s pray and root for each other to avoid sin at all costs—by the grace of God.

Do you have a listening heart? We need ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us. We don’t add to Bible revelation; the canon of Scripture is closed. But the Spirit is still speaking today—guiding us, encouraging us, making His Word real to us. The Lord has a timely word for us in our times of need, but we have to be listening.

Ever tried to run with a ten-pound weight on your back? It slows you down. That’s why the writer of Hebrews told us to throw off “everything that hinders.” Whatever slows us down—staring at our phones, binge-watching a show, getting likes on social media—let’s throw it off. We need endurance. Let’s get in shape spiritually.

Too many Christians today have lost sight of heaven. They’re earthly minded. But the real reward of faith is not here on earth. How could it be when some of the heroes of faith were sawn in two, or beaten half to death, or lived in holes in the ground? No, our reward is in heaven. God’s got something better for us than anything on this earth.

God doesn’t live in a building. He lives in His people, both collectively and individually. But Satan attacks, seducing people through false teaching and inciting division in the church. That’s why God has given us gatekeepers to protect His temple. Let’s discern God’s Word and keep out of the church all that would contaminate the people of God.

There’s a dichotomy in faith. Sometimes it delivers, and sometimes it says, “You’re going to go through a rough patch, but hold on. Keep your testimony. Keep believing. Your reward will be greater on the other side.” Yes, things are hard, but it’s not the end of the world. Let’s not fear when difficult times come. Our citizenship is in heaven, and it’s a lot better there than anything we have here...

Too many of us quake when we’re challenged about being a Christian. “Well, I go to church, but I’m really not into it that much.” But the heroes of Hebrews 11 faced “jeers and flogging, chains and imprisonment,” and they stood—by faith. Let’s stand for the Lord Jesus Christ by faith. He’s watching, and we will get our reward.

Have you ever heard a preacher say, “Just have faith, and you’ll never have trouble”? The Bible says the opposite. Faith is a mystery. Sometimes we’re delivered from trials—and sometimes we’re strengthened in our trials. Let’s not be knocked down by persecution. Let’s be strong in faith, like the Old Testament saints were. Our real hope is in heaven.

Before He left the earth, Jesus told His disciples, “Tell people about Me. That’s your mission.” Where were they to start? At home. It’s hard to talk about missions around the world if we don’t start right where we live. But they couldn’t do this without power—and neither can we. Let’s ask God to fill us with His Spirit so that we can be His witnesses, starting at home and then to the ends of the...

Do you believe in miracles? Jesus said, “Only believe. All things are possible,” and no scripture says that He’s changed that. In Hebrews 11, “women received back their dead.” It’s rare, and God is sovereign over healing, yet He calls us to believe. Or maybe you have a son or daughter who is dead in sin. God can save them. Let’s draw a line in the sand and believe the Lord to raise our children to...

We never know what God can do until we step out by faith into battle. The Old Testament heroes of the faith became powerful, where? “In battle.” They trusted God for victory and said, “Let’s go face this.” What battles does the Lord want you to fight in ministry, in your family, in His calling on your life? Let’s find out how powerful God will be when we face them in faith.

Jesus is coming back, and when He does, He will ask each of us one question: “What did you do with the gift that I gave you?” We all have different gifts. But t’s not how much we have; it’s what we do with what we have. Let’s not be lazy for Jesus, like the servant who buried his gift in the ground. Let’s use what we have for the Lord and hear Him say, “Good job, faithful servant!”

God loves to take weak people and make them strong. How? By faith. We’re all weak. But when Satan berates us and says, “How can you live for God? That habit is too strong. You don’t know enough verses. How will you stand for Christ in that job when people mock you?” we can go to God and say, “God, You love to turn weakness into strength. By faith, I trust in You.” God will make us strong.

What mountain are you facing today? The Old Testament men and women of faith conquered kingdoms—not by weapons but by faith. For those kingdoms that have to come down in front of us today, let’s not feel sorry for ourselves, complain, give way to anxiety. Let’s face the challenges and trust God. Faith is the victory. It overcomes the world, conquers kingdoms, and gets what’s promised.

Nobody’s perfect. Not even the Old Testament people God commended in Hebrews 11—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah. But God so honors faith that He mentioned these people by name. What an encouragement to us. So we’ve failed. So we haven’t had faith. We can overcome our failures and obstacles—not by trying harder but by faith. With God nothing is impossible. Let’s try Him, and we’ll see.

We don’t like the “s” word: suffering. But James makes it clear that suffering comes to all of us. Here’s the good news: every problem has a purpose behind it. God uses our difficulties to develop our maturity. Like Joseph, in our suffering we can say to the enemy, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”

What honors God? Not perfection. Rahab, a prostitute, was honored by God. Why? She risked her life to side with the Israelites—by faith. If God was honored by perfect holiness, who would He honor? We’re all sinners. Rahab had some things to straighten out, but she dared to stand by faith. Let’s be courageous and stand for Jesus today. Faith always has its reward.

Sometimes walking by faith means doing things that don’t make sense. God told Joshua, “March around Jericho silently for seven days. Then blow the trumpets and shout!” The people must have wondered how in the world that would give them victory. But they did it by faith. Has God asked you to do something that you don’t understand? Walk by faith and not by sight.

Are you discouraged, thinking that God doesn’t care about your need? Too often we lose our grip on faith, but Jesus empathizes with weaknesses! The enemy wants to steal God’s blessing on our lives, but we need to fight back by approaching God’s throne of grace. What’s your need today? Don’t lose your grip. God has enough power to move the mountains in your life.

Maybe today you are facing a Red Sea. It’s scary, yet you hear God saying, “Move on. Go! Trust Me.” But those walls of water on either side! Will they crash down? We want a guarantee that God will take us safely through, but He says, “March! Go forward by faith.” Don’t panic; keep your eyes on Jesus. The just shall live by faith.

Do you believe that Jesus’ blood is enough to cleanse you from your sin? When God told Moses to put the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts to be saved from the death angel, he had to believe God. And by faith he obeyed. If you too believe God and apply Jesus’ blood to your heart and conscience, no judgment will come upon you, because Christ bore your judgment. Let’s do it today.