Buffalo City Church

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul begins his letter to the Thessalonians by expressing gratitude to God for them and for their work in Christ. When armed with gratitude, Christians are equipped to pray for and recall Christ's work in and through their brothers and sisters.

Mark Reeves \\ Scripture paints a clear picture of the qualities characteristic of a life that is being impacted by the transformation process carried out by the Holy Spirit. Remember from last time, we’re not talking about transactional grace, a system of “weights and balances” which determines our trajectory in the afterlife. Rather, these descriptives serve to grant insight into what Christ-lik...

John Baumgartner \\ God did not give the Ten Commandments to keep us in a constant state of fear and guilt for not measuring up to His standards. In Christ, we are empowered to keep the commandments. Our motivation for living should not be fear of our Father’s displeasure. We should be motivated to keep the command, “You shall not steal,” by the thought of pleasing our God and Father.

Blaze Culliton \\ For those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, they have been remade and reborn, and provided a new identity as children of God. The Apostle John provides that as part of that identity we cannot keep on sinning, and whoever practices righteousness is righteous as God is righteous. May we press into our identity, continuing to repent of our sins and believe in the f...

John Baumgartner \\ The Ten Commandments are not mere prohibitions. They do not only prohibit—they protect. God protects the glory and sanctity of marriage by the commandment, “And you shall not commit adultery.” He forbids adultery, fornication, homosexuality, and all other kinds of sexual immorality in order to protect the blessing of marriage. God is not depriving us of something good by forbid...

Mark Reeves \\ For more than two millennia, both within and outside of the Church, the central truth of the Gospel remains veiled for many who are motivated by the desire to somehow "measure up." This is problematic, because the grace that sent Jesus to the cross was not, is not, and will never be, transactional. We can't barter or negotiate for it. We can't work for it or earn it. All we can do i...

John Baumgartner \\ This commandment teaches us that murder is a terrible sin deserving of death. Our culture rationalizes this sin and breaks this commandment through abortion, euthanasia, and suicide. Our own hearts break this commandment through anger, bitterness, and name-calling. The only one who can free us from the death our sin deserves is the one who died in our place, Jesus Christ.

John Baumgartner // God is the one who gave you your father and mother. We glorify God by keeping His command to honor our father and mother. Young children do this by obeying their parents cheerfully. Grown children honor their parents by treating them with the respect and dignity that their position deserves.

John Baumgartner \\ God’s commandments are not burdensome. We see that clearly in the Fourth Commandment. Whereas we are prone to constant labor, God has appointed a day for us to rest. He has given us this day of rest to help us remember that He is the one who cares for us. We are to look back and remember all that God has accomplished for us and practice resting in Him for everything we need in...

Cody Weckerly \\ In this sermon, we learn about how much value Jesus gives to little children, and how we should as well.

Philip Reeves \\ The prophecy of Malachi gives us a picture into a time of Israel's history in which their worship had been corrupted by spiritual apathy. Their blindness towards their sin and its effects on their lives led them to violate God's covenant with them, and as a result were found beneath a curse. In contrast, the immutable God extends His hand in grace towards these wayward ones, seeki...

Blaze Culliton \\ The Apostle John provides a warning that it is the last hour and the antichrists have come, which points squarely to the truth of Jesus Christ. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father. The protection against this warning is provided to believers through being anointed with the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done. As truth abides i...

John Baumgartner \\ The third commandment forbids the misuse of God's name and teaches how precious His name is. God's name is more than a title or just a way to refer to Him. God's name is who He is. He communicates Himself to us by sharing His name with us.

Caleb Drahosh \\ Nineveh repents and Jonah is angry. Jonah knows that the repentance of Nineveh is not good for Israel because God has turned His attention away from Israel. But God is always merciful and spares those who genuinely turn from their sin and to Him. Salvation belongs to the Lord and He extends it to whomever He desires.

Caleb Drahosh \\ After the fish spits Jonah upon dry land, God speaks to Jonah a second time, much like He did the first. This time Jonah brings God's message to Nineveh, calling it to repentance. And the city repents. Jesus—like Jonah—was in the belly of the earth for three days. But—unlike the Ninevites—when Jesus came out, His generation refused to repent.

Caleb Drahosh \\ After the sailors throw Jonah overboard, the Lord appoints a great fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah has now hit rock bottom; he is in the belly of Sheol. Jonah, knowing the Lord intends to show mercy to the Ninevites, tried to take matters into his own hands. But Jonah, seeing that even in his disobedience God's purposes are fulfilled, now finally responds to God: "salvation belongs t...

Caleb Drahosh \\ Jonah's journey takes him down — down into the ship and down into the sea. He tries to flee from the requirement of God's Word, but even as he resists, the word of the Lord has its effect on the sailors, who all repent and fear the Lord. Jonah descends into the sea and the sea threatens to take Jonah's life, but God is sovereign over even the greatest of threats.

Caleb Drahosh \\ God sends His Word to Jonah to go to the capital of Assyria, Nineveh, and call the city to repent. Jonah knows that Israel is threatened by Assyria and a call to repentance is an act of mercy toward Nineveh. And Jonah knows that Israel's sin has provoked the Lord to jealousy and the Lord is now provoking Israel to jealousy. For these reasons Jonah disobeys God's command and flees...

Caleb Drahosh \\ Like He did with Lazarus, Jesus raises Peter. Jesus died so that Peter's sins and Peter would die. Jesus was buried so that Peter's old way of life and Peter would be buried. Jesus was raised so that Peter would be raised without his sin and without his old way of life.

Caleb Drahosh \\ Jesus appears to the disciples for a third and final time in this passage. Peter's act of going fishing is his default; he's not sure what to do, so he goes back to his old way of life. But upon seeing Jesus a third time, Peter and the other disciples quickly realize that their lives can't go back to what they were before Jesus. Those who are in Christ have the course of their liv...

John Baumgartner \\ God is jealous over His people. He is jealous that His people do not worship Him in any way other than He has provided. He is jealous that His people do not worship Him through images. Images cannot substitute for God. Only Jesus Christ—who is truly God and not a substitute—reveals God to us. We worship God not through images but through Jesus Christ.

Caleb Drahosh \\ John's Gospel contains nearly one-third of the total uses of the word "believe" in all of Scripture. And these two verses summarize John's purpose for recording his Gospel account. The preceding telling of Thomas' movement from unbelief to belief indicates that it is more blessed to believe on God's terms instead of our own. God has chosen to use human witnesses to bring the messa...

Caleb Drahosh \\ Jesus appears to the disciples on the first day of the week, the day that Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene. He greets them with peace and commissions them to go into the world with the message of forgiveness. Thomas is absent and does not believe. He appears again to the disciples and Thomas is present. Even in unbelief, Jesus is patient with Thomas. And He is patient with u...

Caleb Drahosh \\ On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene discovers the tomb where Jesus was buried is empty. She tells Peter and John who run to the tomb and find it empty and leave. But Mary stays and two angels appear and then Jesus Himself appears to her. She doesn't recognize Him at first, but then He speaks her name. The resurrection is announced by Mary to the disciples: "I have seen th...

John Baumgartner \\ In the First Commandment, God lays the foundation for every command that comes after. In it we see the exclusive relationship God has with His people. Through the act of saving His people, the Lord has shown that He is the only true God, and He is our God. Since He saves us from both the consequences of sin and its power, He is the one who gives us the ability to keep the First...