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.
Avg Guy: How can that be fair?! I mean, don’t you think the Jews had an inside edge with Moses and all those prophets directing them? What advantage did the Gentiles have??
SBC Host: That’s a fair question.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans in which find an answer to this question.
For in our passage we find the standard that God will hold man accountable to.
…And how God will account for those who have been given less.
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.
Description: Reading through chapter 11 of Hebrews — the Hall of Faith chapter — may seem like a history lesson, but that was not the intent of the writer.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Hebrews in which we begin chapter 12 — a chapter in which the true intent of the Hall of Faith chapter is revealed: encouragement… encouragement to the believer.
The Christian life is like a race. And our encouragement in this race comes, not only from the throngs of witnesses who have gone before and who live in God’s presence, but most importantly, the greatest encouragement and strength comes from Jesus, Himself, who not only is the supreme example of faith… but faith’s object, author, and finisher.
Description: It’s a subject that most would rather ignore, but all agree is certain: DEATH. And inextricably linked to this inevitability is an even more avoided topic: JUDGEMENT.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Hebrews and reminds us how the Scriptures necessarily tie death and judgment together. After all, death comes as the consequence of sin.
But we need to understand, death is NOT the end… rather, it’s the BEGINNING of eternity — an eternity where we either enter into the fullness of joy in the presence of our Heavenly Father, or an eternity filled with condemnation when we are cast into the lake of fire.
Because you see, which eternity becomes your destiny, hinges on that very topic most of us would rather not ponder: JUDGEMENT.
Description: We know that Jesus was tempted as we are tempted… and yet, He was without sin.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Hebrews and points out that Jesus’s temptation, and corresponding sinlessness, is supposedly mentioned in the book to help us draw near to Him, for He sympathizes.
The problem is that Jesus’ sinlessness makes us think Him unapproachable.
The whole community was in an uproar, wailing all night long. All the People of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The entire community was in on it: “Why didn’t we die in Egypt? Or in this wilderness? Why has God brought us to this country to kill us? Our wives and children are about to become plunder. Why don’t we just head back to Egypt? And right now!”
Soon they were all saying it to one another: “Let’s pick a new leader; let’s head back to Egypt” (Num 14:1-4, MSG).
Why would the Israelites — in the middle of the Exodus, after having seen the Red Sea part and manna fall from heaven — want to return to Egypt?
Why would they prefer slavery in the hands of cruel task masters, once again?
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Hebrews and states that when it comes to the Israelites wanting to return to Egypt, a more dramatic example of foolishness would be hard to find.
But, incredibly, there is a greater example: those who turn back from Christ.
Bible Reader:“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private—”
Christian Brother:I OBJECT, Your Honor!
[crowd rouses and is quickly tamped down by gavel banging]
Judge:Order! Order in the court!
To cover any topic completely, we must look at the objections that are raised against our position — objections raised by Christians who are looking at the situation from a different point of view and try to understand where they are coming from and what their concerns are.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues our deep dive on Church Discipline within our series on The Church and explains that even sincere Christians who love the Lord, often object to the practice of church discipline.
What are these objections?
We’ll look at some and then examine two case studies from the Bible showcasing churches that did not practice church discipline…and their ensuing outcomes.
Description: We know that sin — all sin — is bad, and that God hates all sin. But is every possible sin under the sun grounds for formal church discipline?
Today on Scandia Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues our miniseries on Church Discipline within our greater study on The Church and posses the question: “Where do we draw the line?”
Is it possible to entirely miss the point of church discipline and have every member of a church calling out every other member for every little thing?
Or do we find that there are other factors to consider?… such as wisdom and love.
Description: The cross: a Christian symbol evoking comfort and love for many, many people. But for some, it stands as a graphic warning sign declaring danger ahead.
Today on Scandia Bible Church podcast, Elder Keith Barker exhorts that the cross is SHOUTING that God hates our sin — so much so that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to pay the price for it by hanging on the cross. His blood was a ransom for us — freeing us from an eternity separated from Him, our loving Heavenly Father.
Yes, the cross serves as a merciful word of comfort to Christians of God’s finished work but, to the unsaved, a stark shout of danger.
Description: You either are acceptable to God or you are acceptable to the world…you can’t be both.
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Revelation and shares with us that perhaps the biggest problem facing the church in America today is the pressure to compromise.
For as the culture continues to decline morally, the pressure rises to succumb to the teachings of this world and become acceptable to those around us.
There are many reasons that Jesus went to the cross. There are human reasons such as Judas Iscariot betraying Him and the Sanhedrin wanting to kill him. …But those reasons see the cross from the perspective of man of things that happened to Jesus – they don’t ultimately answer the question “why.” Because obviously, He had escaped the grasp of evil men before.
Today on our Easter Sunday Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao rightfully sharpens our thinking on this question and shows us that the cross wasn’t just a thing that happened …it was necessary. Jesus didn’t just go to the cross, He needed to go to the cross…He needed to die. For that was His purpose in taking on flesh. So perhaps a better question we need to ask is “Why did Jesus need to die?”
Description: The Gospel is the central message of the church and the central figure of the message is Jesus Christ. Yet many in the church can’t define what this message is. Sometimes they even define it in ways that are the opposite to what the Scriptures reveal…ways that don’t lead sinners to salvation but leave them condemned with no good news.
Description: For 950 years, Noah walked with God. But in the last captured moment of his life, we read that he was drunk and naked and ridiculed by his own son… leaving many of us wondering: “What happened??? He was such a righteous man.”
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, we see that the Bible is careful to record sad events such as this in the lives of great men, to both warn us – lest we also fall – and for us to remember that God alone – not Noah – is the hero in this story (and in every story), and it is to Christ that we are to look.
Description: Chapters 4-6 of Genesis show us the fullness of sin as it takes dominion in the hearts of men. In the opening verses of Chapter 4, we see the complete spectrum of human experience from righteous worship to heinous murder.
Description: The last five verses of Genesis Chapter 3 give us a glimpse into the work that Christ would accomplish and a picture of substitutionary atonement. We are left with a picture of a God who is a Savior and who will bring about good in the midst of man’s sin and rescue Adam’s fallen race from their sin and misery.
Description: God placed Adam and Eve in a holy temple we call the Garden of Eden. There they would enjoy unrestricted access and fellowship with God as God covenanted with them and gave them the world. And in all of God’s creation, there was only one thing He forbid and that was the eating of a single fruit. How could Adam and Eve throw it all away? How angry God must have been by there disobedience, and yet even as God pronounced a curse upon the wayward couple, He announced His plan to rescue them.
Description: Genesis Chapter 3 is one of the most pivotal and important chapters in all of scripture. It records man’s darkest hour as Adam and Eve commit the first sin against God and plunge the entire human race into sin and rebellion against the Creator God who created the world that He once could pronounce as “very good”, but now no longer.
Description: Paul reveals to us the “Reason for the Season” in a simple statement that summarizes the Gospel in his letter to the young pastor Timothy.
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 Lamentations Study (1998-1999) has joined our SBC Classic Edition.
The Jim Allen MARK Study (1999-2001) is (finally) complete! …as part of our SBC Classic Edition.
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.