What kind of person is truly worthy to live in the presence of God? No one. Unless… he is perfectly righteous.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao takes us to the fifteenth psalm in our Wisdom and Worship study, in which David asks this very question:
“O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?”
The answer:
Only the one whose life is blameless…
whose heart is pure…
whose actions are flawless…
whose words are faithful…
and whose love is unwavering.
In other words — no one but Jesus.
This portrait of holiness stands not as a ladder for the proud to climb, but as a mirror for the humble to see their need.
Jesus Christ is the only Man who ever walked this earth with perfect integrity, perfect truth, and perfect love.
He alone is worthy to dwell on God’s holy hill.
But by His grace, His righteousness becomes ours—
and we too, amazingly, will one day dwell on the holy hill with the Lord God Almighty.
Because in the end, Psalm 15 is not about us meeting the standard… but about the One who already has.
When our sin feels too heavy to face, we all have places we run.
We cover. We excuse. We delay. We bury what we hope will simply disappear in the dark.
But concealed sin is not erased sin. It doesn’t fade — it festers. It hardens our hearts, isolates our souls, and sooner or later… it breaks us.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues our Wisdom and Worship study by taking us to Proverbs 28:13 —
where Solomon tells us that God’s mercy is found not in hiding, but in honesty…
not in perfection, but in repentance.
This verse opens a doorway to gospel hope:
for the God who sees our sin is the same God who invites us into mercy
— because Christ has already borne the full weight of our transgression, and has opened wide the arms of forgiveness.
The way out of hiding is not through trying harder.
It’s through Him.
Because the real question is not whether you’ll try to cover your sin…
but whether you’ll come into the light where mercy lives.
Lilies. Life. Light.
Words we often associate with Easter.
But what if the story doesn’t start there?
What if resurrection begins in the dark—
with rebellion, a storm,
and a prophet sinking into the sea?
Today, on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Resurrection Sunday, Pastor Monty Simao takes us to the book of Jonah — where a man runs from God, faces judgment… and is swallowed by mercy.
It’s a gritty, unexpected picture of how God pursues sinners —
not to destroy,
but to save.
Jesus said, “No sign will be given except the sign of Jonah,” pointing to His own death and resurrection.
This morning, we trace Jonah’s descent and Christ’s triumph— and we’re reminded: Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Whether you’re lost in sin or weary in faith, this is the story of a God who appoints storms, commands salvation, and raises the dead.
What if everything you’ve ever done, everything you’ve ever thought, or everything you’ve ever intended — every hidden sin — was written down and made visible?
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Zechariah in which we’re given a vivid and unsettling vision of this very thing: a flying scroll exposing sin and a woman in a basket — confined, contained, and carried away.
It’s a picture of God’s holy standard and His active judgment. And yet, it also serves as a backdrop making the gospel shine all the brighter.
For on this Palm Sunday, we should see that Christ didn’t just come to be praised — He came to purify.
And He came to carry the curse so we wouldn’t have to.
If we can just get beyond the lights, gifts, and celebrations…
What is the true meaning of Christmas??
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, on this Sunday before Christmas, Pastor Monty Simao turns to the book of 1 Timothy where Paul cuts to the heart as to why we celebrate Advent. And he does it with a simple, clear, yet profound, answer to our question.
The true meaning of Christmas is that…
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”
— God’s incredible grace and mercy made visible in the coming of Jesus… bringing hope to a broken world.
…the king who had come to save them —the Jewish people— from the oppression of the Romans.
But, instead (fulfilling Old Testament prophecy), Jesus —just five days before what would be Good Friday— humbly entered Jerusalem, not on a white steed, but a gray donkey… symbolizing peace, not war.
Today on this Palm Sunday, Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Deacon David Teves examines a passage that most just see as a historical account of the path Jesus took to the cross. But is it more than that?
Today, Christmas Eve morning, on the Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao delves into the story that changed the course of humanity: God’s perfect creation and the entrance of sin into all that He had made.
This story is not just about the first sin, though, it’s a mirror reflecting our own struggles, hopes, and the profound need for redemption.
Because when all that Adam and Eve ought to have expected was God’s wrath, in the midst of Almighty’s curse was (and is) a promise of a Savior to come.
So even as sin entered the world, hope also entered with the promise of Jesus the Savior who would crush the head of the serpent once and for all.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans in which Paul addresses, in chapter 7, the very real internal struggle that Christian believers experience everyday: the battle between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit.
Yes we live in a Romans 7 world… but it is equally true that we live in a Romans 8 world where victory is certain.
But until then, life will be marked by battle and this battle will never lighten up… until we are called home or the Lord comes again.
It’s attractive because it stresses obedience to the law. It’s weak because the law is unable to help us in our plight.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans and shares how Paul had been accused of preaching a gospel that encouraged immoral living — for some lived as if sin still reigned in their lives.
But that was not what Paul was doing at all!
Rather than encouraging loose living, Paul preached the gospel of GRACE.
For grace is able to do what the law cannot:
Grace gives desire and will to obey…and power to the once powerless.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans and shows us how with Abraham, Paul provides a case study concerning faith.
Every circumstance in Abraham’s life defied the promises of God, and yet Abraham defied the circumstances… and believed God — and God credited him with righteousness.
While our story may not seem as grand, this is our story as well:
The promises of God, given; the circumstances of life attempt to defy; and yet, He is faithful. And… we believe God.
If there was ever any counterargument to the doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone, the Jews need only point to their forefather Abraham. After all, he was the first and great patriarch. He was even recognized as the “friend of God.” If anybody had a resume of “works” to gain justification, he did.
But, he didn’t.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans and shows us how Paul masterfully reminds the reader that the justification God provides has nothing to do with what what Abraham did, or what we do, for God. It’s about what GOD DID for Abraham… and what GOD DOES for us.
Abraham did not achieved justification by working to please God, but by believing God. It was God’s grace through Abraham’s faith that brought about his righteous state… and God purposely did all this, while Abraham was still [gasp!] uncircumcised.
Now that we’re beginning to understand the truth of justification, what do we do with it?? How does it apply to our lives?
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans in which the apostle Paul masterfully distills for us the implications of the doctrine of justification:
Avg Guy:When it comes to justification, I have so many questions!
SBC Host: Okay.
Avg Guy:Well, for starters, WHAT IS IT?? … Is it MORE than the removal of sin?… Are we simply pardoned by God? And if so, how can God be JUST if he gives the wicked a pass and declares them as righteous?! Surely THAT would be a travesty of justice!
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans and shows in our passage that not only does Paul address these questions, but throughout the rest of the book of Romans, he expands upon these truths.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans to share with us what some call the most important paragraph every written — words of the most important person and most important news.
It’s the crux of Christianity. For the central and most critical point of the Christian faith is contained in this concise and precise explanation by Paul: justification by faith alone.
Avg Guy: Here’s my take: Man is good… basically. But sometimes there are exceptions where — either because of circumstances or people — he becomes evil.
SBC Host: Interesting, but that’s NOT the Bible’s take.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans in which he shows us how the Bible paints a much bleaker picture regarding the human condition. It’s a picture of BAD NEWS:man’s inability to do anything righteous or good.
But the Bible also proclaims the contrasting GOOD NEWS of the Gospel of Jesus Christ… good news that overwhelms even the sorrowful picture of Romans chapter 3.
Avg Guy:Well, so far in Romans we’re learning — whether Jew or Gentile — God is impartial and judges us on the law in light of the revelation we’ve received.
SBC Host: That’s right.
Avg Guy:So then, is there any advantage to being numbered among the Jewish nation? Is the Jew still honored in some way?
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans in which he reveals Paul’s response to this question… a response which just might surprise you.
SBC Host: Have you every questioned what happens to the poor native who never hears the gospel, never meets a Christian, or never reads the Bible?
Avg Guy:Yes! I’ve had that question for a long time. Will God judge that person??
SBC Host: You’re not alone in wondering this… Especially when we consider that there are many others who have repeatedly heard the gospel, been given the opportunity to repent, and yet continue to reject Christ.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans and shows us that the Bible provides the answer to our quandary… quite clearly.
Ask a number of different Christians this question, and you’re likely to hear a number of different answers. But how many people would say that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation?
Paul would.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans and shows us how Paul shares that the gospel is not just simply a message… but POWER.
And when the gospel is preached, the power of God is at work… not an aimless power but a directed power.
For the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
Apostle Paul:Tertius, my amanuensis, grab pen and ink… I must write to the church in Rome.
Tertius of Iconium:At the ready Paul.
Apostle Paul: [dictating] Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord…
Bible scholars agree: Of all his epistles, Paul’s letter to the Romans stands out.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao embarks upon a new study in the book of Romans— a letter that many not only credit as Paul’s magnum opus, but as the clearest articulation of the Gospel found anywhere in the Scriptures.
Apostle Paul: [dictating] …to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao reaches our LAST sermon for the book of Hebrews—
Avg Guy: —Imagine a discussion with God, it would always be God who got the final word, right?
SBC Host: Right. After all, who can argue with God?
Avg Guy:We would be like Job who exclaimed, “What can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; even twice…
SBC Host:…and I will add nothing more.”
Avg Guy:But all our fret and worry over what God’s final word to us might be is needless.
SBC Host: For God’s final word to His people is always benediction and blessing for those who are in Jesus Christ.
Sermon Archives
Given New Life
in SBC Classic Edition
We’re in the process of digging through the colossal SBC Sermon Archive Library to bring forth the rich and timeless Biblical Truths found within the hundreds and hundreds of sermon cassettes from yesteryear, in our Tape to Podcast Project.
Currently on the workbench:
The Jim Allen Gospel of John Study (1997-1998) is now complete and in our SBC Classic Edition collection!
Watch our Steeple Study grow! … Great for a listen-study through a book or series.
Our Find-A-Sermon resource page helps you find what you’re looking for.
With the increased release of sermons from our archives, SBC Classic Edition is now podcasting on its own dedicated feed, separate from our current Sunday sermons.
Sermon Notes
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Sermon Notes
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