Advertise on podcast: Pastor Cole's Sermons

God’s promises rest on His faithfulness, not our strength. In Psalm 132:11–18, we see three reasons to trust Him: God will keep His promise, He delights to dwell among His people, and His King will reign in victory. Tracing God’s covenant with David to its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, this sermon calls us to rest in His Word, rejoice in His salvation, and live with confidence in the King whose reign will never end.

What place does God hold in your life? In Psalm 132:1–10, David’s determination to honor the Lord challenges us to examine our priorities. This sermon explores wholehearted devotion, reverent worship, and dependence on God’s favor. As Israel seeks the Lord’s presence, we are reminded that worship centers on His glory and that our confidence in drawing near rests in Jesus Christ, our great High Priest.

What actually makes someone a Christian? In John 15:4–11, Jesus describes the Christian life through the picture of a vine and its branches. A true Christian is not merely someone who professes Christ, attends church, or has had a religious experience. A Christian has been brought into living union with Jesus Christ. Because Christ is the Vine, His people abide in Him, bear spiritual fruit, remain with Him, abide in His Word, obey Him out of love, and find their joy in Him. None of these things earn salvation; they are the evidence of the new life God has given. As Jesus declares, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The Christian life begins, continues, and ends in complete dependence upon Christ. Abide in Christ. Bear much fruit. Glorify God.

The Lord’s Supper is not an empty ritual or a routine tradition. It is an ordinance given by Jesus Christ to His church so that His people would remember His sacrifice, commune together as His body, proclaim His death, and anticipate His return. In 1 Corinthians 11:23–32, Paul calls believers to approach the Lord’s Table with reverence and careful self-examination. But examination is not intended to drive the repentant Christian away from the Table. Paul says, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat.” We examine ourselves, confess our sin, repent, seek reconciliation where needed, and then come with our eyes fixed upon Christ. The Lord’s Supper is not a reward for Christians who had a good week. Our confidence is not found in our own worthiness, but in the worthiness and finished work of Jesus Christ. His body was given for us. His blood was shed for us. Through Him, sinners are reconciled to God. So come reverently. Come repentantly. Come thankfully. Come believing. Come to the Table, remember Christ, and proclaim His death until He comes.

In Psalm 131, David gives us a beautiful picture of spiritual maturity: a soul that has learned to rest in God. The mature believer no longer has to be great, no longer has to get his way, and no longer has to know everything. Like a weaned child resting quietly with its mother, we learn through sanctification to surrender our pride, our demands, and our need for control. Our peace is not found in getting everything we want or understanding everything God is doing, but in knowing that God is great, God is enough, and God can be trusted. David therefore calls God's people to “hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.”

Life is brief, uncertain, and completely under the sovereign hand of God. We do not know what tomorrow will bring, but Jesus reminds us that our heavenly Father does. In Matthew 6:31–34, Christ calls His people away from anxiety over a tomorrow we cannot control and toward faithful obedience with the day God has actually given us. Rather than living consumed with the cares of this world, believers are commanded to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” We are called to trust our Father, pursue holiness, love and serve others, and live for the glory of God today. Tomorrow has not been promised to us. But God has given us today. So we must not sacrifice the day God has given us worrying about a day He has not promised us. Seek the Kingdom. Pursue righteousness. Trust your Father. And leave tomorrow in His hands.

Every believer eventually discovers that the greatest battle is not merely the hostility of the world around us, but the remaining sin within us. In Psalm 130, one of the most beloved Songs of Ascents, the psalmist cries "out of the depths" as his soul is overwhelmed by the weight of sin. Yet this is not a psalm of despair—it is a psalm of hope. Through God's abundant mercy, the broken soul finds forgiveness, learns to wait upon the Lord, and rests in the promise of His plentiful redemption. Join us as we see how God graciously restores the soul of every repentant pilgrim, leading us from conviction to confidence, from waiting to hope, and ultimately to Christ, our Redeemer.

What does God call a strong man? In a culture that celebrates either passive masculinity or worldly power, Scripture presents a radically different picture of biblical manhood. In this Father's Day message, The Man of Valor, we walk through several Proverbs passages to discover what it means to be a godly man according to God's design. This sermon is not a call to self-improvement or moralism. Proverbs was never intended to produce men who simply try harder. Instead, it serves as a mirror that reveals what a life transformed by the Gospel looks like. Before a man can become a man of valor, he must first be made new through faith in Jesus Christ. Together, we will examine the marks of biblical manhood: • The Man of Integrity (Proverbs 20:7) • The Man Who Pursues Godly Brotherhood (Proverbs 27:17) • The Truly Strong Man (Proverbs 14:26) • The Man Who Leads His Home (Proverbs 22:6) • The Man Who Conquers Himself (Proverbs 16:32) • The Man Who Rejects Selfishness (Proverbs 18:1) • The Man Who Trusts God (Proverbs 3:5-6) Ultimately, we will discover that valor is not defined by success, influence, or worldly strength. Valor is God-given strength that faithfully accomplishes God's purposes despite opposition, fear, or difficulty. This is the direction of a life transformed by the Gospel and submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Esther is a powerful reminder that God is always working behind the scenes. Though His name is never mentioned in the book, His providential hand is evident on every page. In this sermon, we will examine Esther's defining moment and discover three crucial truths: 1) God was working before Esther ever knew it 2) God's providence does not mitigate our obedience 3) Faithfulness requires surrender Through Esther's story, we are reminded that God sovereignly places His people exactly where He wants them and calls them to trust Him there. No matter your season of life, your job, your trial, your family situation, or your health, God has not made a mistake. He has assigned your post. The question is not whether God will be faithful—the question is whether we will be faithful where He has placed us. Join us as we learn what it means to trust God's providence and obey Him "for such a time as this."

Psalm 129 is a song for weary pilgrims. As one of the Songs of Ascents, it reminds God's people that the Christian life is not a life of ease, but a lifelong journey of faithfulness in a world that opposes God's ways. Israel testifies that they have been afflicted from their youth, yet their enemies have never prevailed against them. The scars are real, the opposition is real, and the fatigue is real—but so is the preserving grace of God. In this sermon, we explore how believers today experience the ongoing pressure of living as strangers and exiles in a fallen world. Whether through the challenges of parenting, standing for truth, resisting cultural compromise, or enduring seasons of discouragement, God's people are called to persevere. Psalm 129 teaches us not to be defined by our wounds or our hardships, but by the faithfulness of the Lord who sustains us. The central truth of the psalm is found in verse 4: “The LORD is righteous.” Because God is faithful to His promises, His people may be deeply afflicted, but they will never be ultimately defeated. The enemies of God may appear to prosper for a season, but their success is temporary. God's kingdom alone endures forever. Because the Lord is righteous, His people may endure lifelong opposition, but they will never be ultimately overcome.

What does true blessing look like according to Scripture? In this sermon through Psalm 128, we examine God’s design for the family and the foundation upon which a blessed home is built. This Psalm of Ascents reveals that blessing does not begin with money, comfort, success, or cultural approval—it begins with the fear of the Lord. As pilgrims journeying toward Zion, Christians are called to walk in God’s ways, trust His provision, disciple their households, and pursue generational faithfulness. This sermon explores the biblical roles of husbands, wives, children, and grandparents within the covenant structure of the home. We examine the mission of marriage, the discipling of children, the importance of intentional family leadership, and the connection between the Christian home and the prosperity of the church. This message is a pastoral and theological call to build homes centered on the Word of God, the fear of the Lord, and the glory of Christ.

What does God define as a truly strong woman? In a culture that celebrates self-exaltation, independence, and autonomy, Scripture gives a radically different picture of biblical womanhood. In this Mother’s Day sermon, The Woman of Valor, we walk through several Proverbs passages to discover what it means to be a godly woman according to the Word of God—not according to modern culture. This sermon is not moralism. Proverbs was never meant to be taught as a list of external behaviors disconnected from the Gospel. Instead, these passages function as a mirror and a direction-checker for those who have truly been transformed by the grace of God. Before a woman can “put on” the characteristics of a woman of valor, she must first be born again and made a new creation in Christ. Together, we will examine what Scripture says about: -Strength and submission -Wisdom and self-control -Building the home -The power of the tongue -The fear of the Lord -Biblical femininity versus feminism Ultimately, this sermon calls women to reject the world’s definition of success and embrace God’s design with joy, humility, and Gospel-driven obedience.

In a society marked by instability, anxiety, and constant upheaval, where can true peace be found? Isaiah 26:3–4 directs us to a profound and unshakable reality: God alone keeps His people in perfect peace. This sermon explores the biblical promise that peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of a steady, God-centered mind rooted in trust. Drawing from the broader context of Isaiah 24–27, we see a world under judgment and yet a people sustained by divine peace. The same God who shakes the nations is the One who secures the souls of those who trust in Him. This message calls us away from self-reliance and worldly comforts and exhorts us to fix our minds on the Lord, trusting Him fully in every season. For the Lord God is an everlasting Rock—unchanging, faithful, and eternally worthy of our trust.

In Habakkuk 3:17–19, we are confronted with a powerful truth: rejoicing in God is not dependent on circumstances, but on who God is. Habakkuk stands on the brink of national collapse as Babylon is about to invade, yet he declares, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD.” This sermon explores what it means to find joy in God when life does not make sense—when the wicked prosper, when we are waiting, and when everything around us seems to fail. Rather than merely enduring hardship, the believer is called to actively rejoice in the God of his salvation. We will see that true joy is rooted in God’s sovereignty, His faithfulness, and His saving work, not in temporary stability. Ultimately, Habakkuk reminds us that our strength is not found in ourselves or our circumstances, but in the Lord alone, who sustains His people through every season of life.

In seasons of sorrow and loss, it can often feel as though God is distant from our pain. Yet Psalm 34:18 gives us one of the most powerful promises in all of Scripture: “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” This sermon explores the depth of that promise by examining the verse word by word, revealing the character of the God who draws near to His suffering people. We begin by considering who the LORD is—Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God who is eternal, sovereign, and faithful to His people. The comfort of this verse rests not in our strength, but in the character of the One who acts on our behalf. Next, we examine what it means that the LORD is near. Though God is present everywhere, Scripture teaches that He draws especially near to His people in their suffering. In moments when our hearts feel most fragile, the presence of God becomes most precious. We then consider the condition of the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. These words describe the soul that has been humbled by sorrow and stripped of self-reliance. Far from rejecting such hearts, God moves toward them with compassion and grace. Finally, we see the promise that the LORD saves. The God who draws near to the wounded soul is also the God who delivers, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who was Himself crushed so that sinners might be rescued. Psalm 34:18 reminds us that when the heart is broken, the Lord is not far away—He is near, and He saves.