Tri-State Community Church - Sermons

While the word guaranteed may be abused by the advertising industry, it is still a powerful word. In this message, Rick develops the point that because the great promise of the gospel does not rely on the law it can be guaranteed to all who believe!

Nothing comforts, strengthens, and invigorates our faith like meditating on the fact that every believer in Christ is a fellow heir with Christ of the New Heaven and New Earth. In this message, Rick develops this great promise and then shows how it re-aligns our priorities, re-sizes earthly riches, and renews adoration and thanksgiving in Christ.

Signs, Seals, and Promises // Romans 4:9-12 by Tri-State Community Church

A very common error today is to think that the good things we do will outweigh the bad and therefore earn us entry into heaven. But the gospel message says, “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.” In this message Rick opens up this passage paying special attention to the word “counted” to show that the gospel is much better news.

We have learned from our study of Romans that we have no merit or achievement of our own upon which we can use to stand in God’s presences or enter His heaven. But God has provided the necessary merit and achievement in Jesus Christ. Only through faith in Christ is this merit ours. In this study Rick looks at how this provides the environment for true community

Beginning in Romans 1:18 all the way through 3:20, for 64 verses, Paul describes the mess unbelieving humanity is in. Then comes the greatest paragraph, 3:21-26, which reveals God’s righteousness through the gospel. In this message, Rick develops this great paragraph to show that in Christ, God justifies sinners righteously--no accusation against them can stand.

We all want to be effective at sharing the gospel because we all want to see men, women, and children come to faith in Christ. But could there be something missing from our presentations? Something that is so crucial that it is causing the gospel to fall flat? In this message we look to this missing link.

How do we make sense of scripture? How do the various parts tie together? Listen as Donald Bean explains and walks through some Old Testament types of Christ showing that Jesus Christ is key to understanding all of scripture.

When we find it easy to pass judgment on others for their sins we can be sure that we are out of touch with God’s amazing kindness, patience, and forbearance toward our sins. In this message Rick explains Paul’s words on this subject as well us pointing us to the cure.

To Us a Son is Given: Part 2 Isaiah 9 presents the faithful with the greatest of gifts--the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In this message, Rick looks at this gift from the standpoint of 1)who this gift is for 2)the value of this gift 3)every blessing from God is given in this gift.

Isaiah 9:1-7 is one of the greatest passages of the Bible. It raises us up from one of the darkest passages. In this message we go into Isaiah’s dark valley and learn a lot about our own valley. From there we see how God’s light transforms this darkness. To Us a Son is Given Part 1

Every Christmas we read, see, and hear verses like Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” But what is the context of this famous verse? How is it a sign? What is its significance? In this message, Rick takes us through the context and in doing so we see the force of this powerful verse afre...

In this message, Rick explores the terrible news of the fallen human condition showing us how it not only reveals our utter need for Jesus but also the tremendous grace God offers us in the gospel.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the best of news. But it makes sense only in the light of what is sometimes called: “The Bad News of the Gospel.” In this message, Rick begins to expound this bad news examining Paul’s indictment that all men know God exists by virtue of creation.

All of us who have attempted to share the gospel have had the painful experience of giving in to fear of potential rejection. In this message, Rick discusses the cause of this fear as well as the biblical remedy for overcoming it--eager and unashamed.

When we touch things we leave fingerprints behind. The marks are peculiar to each of us. When God touches the soul of a sinner with His gospel He also leaves a number of marks behind. In this message, Rick discusses three of these powerful marks.

We all like gifts and it is oppressive, even painful, to be without a purpose or cause. In this message Rick shows us what a gift apostleship is. It is a gift because the apostles are our eyewitnesses of Christ’s risen life and they have turned the world upside down with a message that has both a life changing purpose and a motivational cause.

We all have things in our past that we wish we could change. We have hurt others and others have hurt us. How wonderful it would be to made brand new, re-created. In this message Rick shows us one of the great blessings of the gospel message, being re-created in Christ.

Paul’s letter to the Romans is not only a remarkable literary work it is also a message with absolute authority. In our fallenness we are naturally bent on rejecting authority. In this message Rick demonstrates that if we reject the message of Romans we do so at our own peril. The only way to be free is to surrender to the “gospel of God.”

Why do we gather each Sunday to worship? Is this really necessary? Listen as Donald Bean, elder at Tri-State Community Church, answers this question.

For the last few weeks we have been studying the covenants. In this message Rick takes us into an important application of the covenant of grace, namely baptism. Listen in as Rick shows us how baptism serves not only a sign of the covenant of grace but also how it powerfully strengthens our faith.

In the Garden of Eden the human race, under the representation of Adam, falls into darkness. Adam has rebelled against God before the entire cosmos. What is God’s response to this rebellion? What is His response to the broken covenant of works? In this message, Rick picks up where we left off last time to discuss the covenant of grace.

An old friend of mine was fond of saying, “I would like to go to heaven but I can’t be good.” Have you ever tried to be good? Perfectly good? That is what it would take to get to heaven without a Savior—a perfect record. How then can those of us without a perfect record get to heaven? In this message Rick takes us to the Covenant of Works where we see what Christ has done in order to offer us a pe...

In the first instalment of this series we travel back into eternity where the way of salvation is not only made possible but certain. We will be looking at a number of mysterious passages of scripture which reveal an agreement, a disposition, a deep desire on part of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to bring fallen man into deep everlasting fellowship with Him. Listen in as Rick takes us to what i...

According to some studies, only a third of Americans describe themselves as “very happy.” Amazingly, it could be your view of happiness that is bringing you down. How do we typically view happiness? How is this affecting us? In this message Rick looks at these questions and offers a biblical corrective.