Tri-State Community Church - Sermons

Commenting on these verses, the 18th century pastor, J.C. Ryle said, “There are things here that are hard to understand.” In this message, we spend some time explaining some of these tough passages working our way to Jesus’ great petition that the Father keep His children in the faith. Taking in this truth and seeing its powerful foundation will comfort and refresh us in God’s love.

In this incredible passage, Jesus takes us into some incredible mysteries: 1) the invisible made visible 2) the elect 3) the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. In this passage we look at these mysteries to better understand the incarnation, election, and predestination all for God’s glory and our edification.

As we have seen, John is showing us that Jesus is most glorified at the cross. This seems counter intuitive to us. How could Jesus be glorified by hanging in humiliation and anguish on the cross? In this message Pastor Rick Anderson explains.

In this text, Jesus continues to prepare His disciples for His departure. And though they do not yet understand, they will soon see that Jesus has come to usher in a new age–the age of the New Covenant. In this message we look at and apply what Jesus’ shares during this difficult but monumental occasion.

Because Jesus has announced His departure, His disciples are filled with grief. Jesus meets His grief stricken followers with news that it is to their advantage that He departs. In this message we look closely at how Jesus’ departure inaugurates the coming of the Holy Spirit and how the Holy Spirit will resume where Jesus’ has left off empowering the disciples to further the advancement of the Kin...

As Jesus' departure draws near, He prepares His disciples for His absence and what appears to be their greatest danger--falling away. In this message we take a sober look at Jesus' words to His disciples that we too may escape from the snares that could lead us astray.

In this glorious text we find transformation. God is transforming those who are joined to Christ by faith. And here we get some clear cut patterns or models in which we see how God is transforming us and what He is transforming us into. Listen in as we discuss these soul warming and empowering patterns.

In this message we look at this well known passage to see that 1) Jesus is the true vine who produces abundantly 2) Fruitfulness is not an option in the believer’s life 3) Fruitfulness is not something we can do ourselves, but is the product of abiding in Christ. What is this fruit? What is meant by abiding? Listen in as we answer these questions.

The phrase “doctrine divides” has become so popular as to almost be cliché. For years, many have advocated that we do away with doctrine. In this message, we see how unbiblical this notion is and to the contrary, we discover doctrine is a necessary ingredient in maturity.

Last time we saw that every gift comes to the church through Jesus. In this message we continue our journey understanding what unity in the Spirit in the bond of peace looks like and how it is achieved by looking at two pertinent gifts–apostles and prophets.

As we have seen, Paul has called us to be eager to maintain unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The marvelous thing about this unity is it is a unity that doesn’t erase diversity. In this message we begin the journey of seeing how Jesus has gifted His church to be a unity of diverse people.

In this message we look at two passages: 1) “The Father is greater than I” 2) “the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me.” What does Jesus mean when He says, “The Father is greater than I.” And what exactly does it mean that “the ruler of this world is coming”? How is the evil one the ruler of this world? What are the implications of this for unbelieving humanity? How is he coming?...

Jesus says, “Peace I give to you, My peace I leave with you.” The moment we put our faith in trust in Christ we are brought into peace with God. And though this peace (positional peace) can never be improved, things come into our lives which often disturb our inner peace (what I call pilgrimage peace.) In this message I first show how Jesus brings peace and why we should pursue it. And from there...

After briefly explaining the context, we begin a discussion on the peace that Jesus offers and how unique and different it is from anything the world can offer.

In this message we look at three parallels that I believe really help us as believers in Christ to understand what is going on in these sacred verses, 1) Jesus’ life from the Father/ our life from Jesus 2) Jesus’ union with the Father/ our union with Jesus 3) Jesus’ love and obedience to the Father/ our call to love and obey Jesus.

In our text this morning Jesus gives us a powerful word. It is a word that casts off fear and anxiety. In this message we look at how we are to understand and apply this word that we may find security in an hour when so much fear, insecurity, and anxiety abound.

In our text Jesus says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.” In this message we look at these words to discover 1) what Jesus means by being glorified 2) how is Jesus glorified right then and there 3) how Jesus is glorified 4) how the Father is glorified 5) what the practical implications are for those of us who believe.

The virgin birth of Christ is one of the cardinal non-negotiable truths of Christianity and it is an integral part of the Christmas season. The goal of this message is two-fold: 1) to show how to develop and defend the doctrine of the virgin birth 2) to be brought into the joy and wonder of this great truth.

In Mark 1:15 Jesus says, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel.” The kingdom has arrived because the King has arrived. But what kind of kingdom is it? And what are the people of this kingdom to be like? Our text speaks volumes to these important questions. In this message we look at what kind of kingdom community Jesus creates in order to both...

The title, “A Powerful Apologetic,” needs some introduction. By “apologetic” I mean a defense of the biblical faith. The title could alternatively be: “A Powerful Defense.” But I leave it as it is because it is 1) a defense given by Jesus 2) a defense of Christ’s claim to be none other than Yahweh–The Great I Am. Jesus gave this apologetic to His disciples to strengthen them through a dark hour an...

Unfortunately, Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet has been seen by many simply as a lesson in humility and service. But when the passage is developed we see how it symbolizes the Love, Sovereignty, and Humility displayed by Christ at the cross. When Jesus bows down to wash the disciples feet, the Holy Sovereign stoops down to personally cleanse the filthy. In the same way, when Jesus goes to the c...

Our text this morning is about a reversal: 1) Elizabeth, who was reproached and barren has been exalted 2) Mary, an obscure young peasant has been greatly blessed 3) the humble have been exalted 4) the hungry have been filled 4) every believer has been raised from spiritual death to be seated with Christ in the heavenly places. And contrariwise 1) the proud have been scattered 2) the mighty have b...

For some, Christmastime can be very painful. And I am afraid this year this describes a lot of us. When you know there will be empty seats at the Christmas table the sound of joy can be like fingernails down a chalkboard. In this message we look at how the arrival of Jesus can transport us above this grief and loss.

Our text this morning is chock-full of theological truths that are so important that any deviation from them results in a faith that is not true to the Christian faith. In this message we begin to look at a few of these.

One of the questions I routinely ask of Scripture is, what is unique about this particular passage? When this question is asked of Luke 1:1-4 we get an astonishing answer that speaks of an incredible gift to the church. Listen in as we consider and discuss these great blessings.