Episodios

  • Romans 3:1-20

    Romans 3:1-20
    Sep 29 2025
    Romans 3:1-20Senior Pastor Alex KennedyPaul continues his letter in Chapter 3 by handling Jewish objections to his teaching by using a diatribe, which means he set up a dialogue with his critics by posing questions and then answering them.
    Objection 1 - "Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value circumcision?" (v1) In other words, "If my Jewishness doesn't save me and circumcision is no guarantee, then what advantage is there to being a Jew and having the sign of circumcision?"
    For us today, it could be stated, "What advantage then is there in being baptized? Is there any advantage to being a member of Carmel Baptist Church?"Answer 1 - "Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God (The Old Testament)." God gave His Truth to the Jews instead of to another people group. They were entrusted with it. (Romans 9:4-5)Objection 2 - "What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?" (v3)Answer 2 - "By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar" (v4)"God is faithful to all His words - the ones that threaten judgment for disobedience as well as to the ones that promise blessing." If, then, Paul implies, God judges Israel for her sins, He is still faithful, true, and just."
    But this same faithfulness that also involved punishment for disobedience was conveniently forgotten.
    Objection 3 - "But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us?" (v5)In other words, if my badness makes God look good, then how can God judge me for my badness? I'm a bad person. You're saying we're all bad, but all we're doing is making God look really good...
    Answer 4 - "By no means! or then how could God judge the world?" (v6-8)Sinning like crazy so we will know grace like never before is bizarre thinking. There are no victimless sins. Every choice to do wrong harms someone. Sin grieves the heart of God, and it is an affront to His character. Sin separates the Creator from the creation He loves so dearly.Verses 10-12 show us we are worthless in terms of our spiritual good, but not in terms of our human worth. All humans are always valuable because the image of God cannot be erased, but it is marred by sin. Sin isn't something we just do, it is something that affects every part of us - our mind, our will, our speech, our relationships. Like a disease, it's spread through the whole system. (v 13-18)The law wasn't given to justify us, but to silence us because it removes all boasting and exposes the depth of our guilt. The purpose of the law wasn't to correct sin, but to reveal it.We must let the law do its work, and then run to Jesus Christ. He is the way, the Truth, and the life. God is going to change us, but it's not going to be by the law. (Romans 1:16)

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    33 m
  • Carmel Baptist Church 60th Anniversary Celebration

    Carmel Baptist Church 60th Anniversary Celebration
    Sep 23 2025

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    31 m
  • Romans 2:12-29

    Romans 2:12-29
    Sep 15 2025
    Romans 2:12-29Adult Pastor Brad FergusonEverybody believes in something. In this portion of his letter, Paul addresses the church in Rome with two things that he knew that they were struggling with - knowledge and works. It is no different for us today.
    Paul is explaining that both Jews and Gentiles are accountable before God. Having the Law (the Jews) or not having it (the Gentiles) does not excuse anyone—what matters is obedience from the heart.
    Gentiles who sin without the Law will perish apart from it, and Jews who sin under the Law will be judged by it. "Judged" and "perished" are equal terms that both mean eternal separation from God. Just hearing the Law does not make a person righteous; only those who obey it (perfectly) will be justified. No one can do that.
    Even Gentiles, who do not have the written Law, sometimes follow their conscience and demonstrate that the Law is written on their hearts (caring for the sick, honesty, etc.). God will ultimately judge all people through Jesus Christ, the One who came on our behalf to take the punishment that we deserve (Isaiah 53).
    Paul then addresses the Jews specifically, pointing out that although they boast in having the Law and their covenant identity of circumcision, they often fail to live by it, which leads to hypocrisy and causes God’s name to be dishonored.
    Finally, he explains that true circumcision is not outward or physical but inward, which he describes as circumcision of the heart. This is brought about by the Spirit rather than just following the letter of the Law. True righteousness and identity before God are not based on external rituals or heritage but on inward obedience and transformation by the Spirit. Only His work of grace in our lives will lead to righteousness. He does the work as we submit to Him.
    What keeps people from Christ:
    1. I've sinned too much - your sins are no match for the love of God
    2. I have unanswered questions - everyone does, but you don't have to wait. With the Holy Spirit, you can grow in your understanding of who Jesus is
    3. I just can't surrender - no pursuit in life is truly fulfilling except for the pursuit of Jesus. He is the way, the Truth, and the life
    4. I've seen too many bad examples - Everyone falls short, and we can not put our hope in a person, but rather we must look to our perfect Father
    5. There's too much evil in the world - Due to God's love of us and His design of our free will, the world will always be fallen. But God is here in His creation of beauty, music, joy. laughter, hope, etc..

    Questions to Consider:
    1. Why is it important that God is just (fair) with everyone?
    2. How do you feel knowing that God sees and knows your heart?
    3. How can our actions affect how others see God? Why does that matter?
    4. Is your faith more "outward" (what people see) or "inward" (your heart before God)? Why?


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    40 m
  • Romans 2:1-16

    Romans 2:1-16
    Sep 15 2025
    Romans 2:1-16Senior Pastor Alex KennedyWe tend to be a lot more vocal in our criticism of others than we are of ourselves. We find all kinds of excuses for our sin. Condemning others while excusing ourselves is what allows us to hang onto both our self-righteousness and our sin. Paul is pointing out in this portion of his letter that, "you are condemning yourself."
    Both the Jews and the moral Greeks might conclude that God's condemnation did not apply to them because of their higher planes of living, but the entire human race stood condemned before God because God's judgment is based on three things:
    1. Truth (v2-4)
    2. inescapable impartiality (v5-11)
    3. Jesus Christ Himself (v12-16)

    God is not grading on a curve. God's judgment is not based on our self-evaluation of our morals, but is based on the Truth. We should never try to take God's place as judge by condemning others without examining our own lives.
    Verse 4 tells of God's kindness, forbearance, and patience. It is God's kindness that leads us to repentance. It is intended to give us space to repent, not to give us an excuse for sinning.
    Romans 1 and 2 are setting before us the same two people that Jesus does in His parable about the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Romans 1 is about the younger brother, and Romans 2 is about the prodigal son. Both are lost. Sin is sin.
    Verse 6 is a quote from Psalm 62 where the Psalmist is complaining about a group of religious people who honor God with their mouths while their feet are quick to run after violence. They have an external show of religion, but internally they are still filled with wickedness. Paul's point is that external practices of religion do not equal inward transformation.
    Christians are justified by grace alone, but this grace is a transforming grace that leads to deeds. A person doing good shows that his heart is born again. On the other hand, a person who continually does evil and rejects the Truth shows that he is unregenerate, and therefore will be an object of God's wrath.
    Without judgement, salvation has no meaning. Without the reality of God's present and future wrath, the cross is emptied of its glory. We cannot appreciate who Christ is unless we have first acknowledged who we are.
    "There are but two objects that I have ever desired to behold; the one, is my own vileness; and the other is, the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ: and I have always thought they they should be viewed together." - Charles Simeon
    Questions to Consider:
    1. Why do you think it’s easier to notice sin in others than in ourselves?
    2. How could you show the same patience and kindness toward others that God has shown you? In what areas can you give friends, co-workers, or teachers the benefit of the doubt?
    3. How can you cultivate a heart that seeks God’s glory rather than your own interests?
    4. Paul stresses that God shows no favoritism. How does this challenge you when you are tempted to think of yourself as “better” than others?
    5. If God were to “repay each one according to their deeds” today, what would that reveal about the direction of your life?


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    36 m
  • Romans 1:18-32

    Romans 1:18-32
    Sep 2 2025
    Romans 1:18-32Senior Pastor Alex KennedyA God of love must hate anything that harms those He loves. Paul spends Romans 1:18-3:20 showing us why we need God to give us righteousness, and why we cannot earn, deserve, or attain it ourselves. God's wrath is a righteous and holy response to humanity's sinful, rebellious nature. Ultimately, Paul is showing us that the gospel is necessary because there is such a thing as "the wrath of God".
    Verse 18 tells of a vertical brokenness (ungodliness) and a horizontal brokenness (unrighteousness of men). Another term for this is sin. When we choose to sin, we express contempt for God's character, calling bad things good. The verse ends with the phrase "suppress the truth". In other words, a choice is made to sin.
    The natural world bears witness to God through its beauty, complexity, and design. Creation testifies to the existence, greatness, power, and glory of God. God, who is invisible and unknowable, has made Himself both visible and knowable through what He has made (Psalm 19).
    So, verses 19-20 show us that it is against this deliberate human rebellion that God's wrath is revealed. It is His righteous opposition to evil, and is directed against people who have a knowledge of God's truth through creation, but deliberately suppress it in order to pursue their own way.Verse 22 it says, "claiming to be wise, they become fools". In Greek societies, someone who was a "moros" deserved to be silenced because the Greeks despised volitional stupidity. Paul is saying that man chooses to be stupid in his disobedience to a good and loving God.The heart of Paul's message is idolatry. An idol is any person, place, thing, or thought that you look to in order to get your needs met apart from God. Today's idols are more "mental than metal". In verse 23, Paul is saying that this is the worst possible exchange. Man turns his back from the Creator to the created. In other words, "those made in the image of God start making God in the image of man." Even when people refuse to acknowledge and depend on God, they do not stop worshipping. We always worship someone or something. It is how we are created.The consequence of idolatry is the moral disintegration of human society (v 24-32). We have a habit of looking to the gift rather than the Giver (Jer 2:11-13). Verse 24 says, "therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves." His anger goes quietly and invisibly to work in handing sinners over to themselves. Idolatry leads to immorality.The vertical disobedience leads to horizontal disobedience (v 26-28). The men and women of Rome practiced homosexuality, which Paul calls out as "unnatural". Whether it is homosexual sin or heterosexual sin, it is all sin and is not a part of God's plan for His creation. Sex is to be between one man and one woman who are married as a part of a covenant relationship. That is God's way.Paul ends this portion by saying, "as a society, you asked to be free from God. This is what you get." Then he lists 21 qualities that defined the culture (v29-31).Not only do the ungodly:
    1. know God exists and
    2. that what they are doing is morally wrong
    3. but they also go further to approve of it, meaning they consent to doing evil and even praise their debauchery. (Prov 28:4)
    The wrath of God is all about His love.


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    44 m
  • Romans 1:8-17

    Romans 1:8-17
    Aug 25 2025
    Romans 1:8-17Senior Pastor Alex KennedyAs a reminder, once the Jewish people were allowed to return from Rome, they came back to a church full of Gentiles. They found a church that had become non-Jewish in its customs and practice. This culture clash created lots of tension, and by Paul's day, the Roman church was divided. They disagreed about how to follow Jesus, debating about whether or not non-Jewish Christians should observe the Sabbath, eat kosher, be circumcised, etc. Paul is writing to them to show them how to do life together.
    The church in Rome was a big deal because Rome was known for people living in a vile and abominable culture. Paul is thankful "because your faith is proclaimed in all the world."
    Why does Paul want to visit this church?
    1. To be able to mutually encourage one another with the gifts given to each of them. To encourage means "to strengthen". (v11-12)
    2. To evangelize with the gospel

    Why?Verse 14 says, "I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish." This obligation means "indebted to". One definition that applies here for obligation is "to be given something from someone, for someone else, a third party." At this point, you are a debtor to the third party. You have an obligation. You must deliver it.
    And what is the debt...the gospel! Paul was in debt to the Romans to give them the gospel that had been given to him by Jesus.
    He emphasizes both Greeks and barbarians. Just as the Jews divided everyone into Jew or Gentile, the Romans divided people by Greek (learned and sophisticated) and barbarian (any foreigner ignorant of the Greek language and the Greek culture, whether mental or moral).
    Paul is eager to preach the gospel, but why would Paul preach the gospel to people who were already Christians? Everyone needs the gospel, both the "you" inside the church and the "you" who are yet outside it because the gospel is the way people are called to faith, and the way people grow in faith.
    Paul then says in verse 16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel". The gospel will always cause offense, because it reveals us as having a need that we cannot meet. So we will always be tempted to be ashamed of it. The gospel message is actually the power of God in verbal form.It is powerful because it does what no other power on earth can do: it can save us, reconcile us to God, and guarantee us a place in the kingdom of God forever! All that is required to know this salvation is belief. (v 16) This is the first explicit statement that the only way to receive the gospel and its power is through faith. Faith is the channel or connection to the power of the gospel. Paul does say it is boundless and boundaried. It is for everyone...who believes.Paul found so much joy in evangelizing Rome because he recognized the gospel:
    1. is an unpaid debt to the world
    2. and the saving power of God
    We are in a post-Christian nation. We cannot be "asleep in the light". We must choose, and the choice sticks out to the world. The gospel brings us to life (born again), and we must live like that for the rest of our lives by faith.


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    38 m
  • Romans 1:1-7

    Romans 1:1-7
    Aug 25 2025
    Romans 1:1-7Senior Pastor Alex KennedyRomans was written by Paul. This is the same man who was Saul, a Pharisee and a persecutor of Christians. On a road to Damascus, he was temporarily blinded and was changed from the inside out. From that moment on, his life was about the gospel. His letters have made up over half of the New Testament, and he is a champion for Christ!
    In the year 57AD, during his 3rd missionary journey, Paul was writing to the church in Rome. He did not set up this church and he had never visited there. That said, his reputation preceded him, and he would have been known, at least by the Jews in Rome.
    During the early time of this church, the Jews were ordered to leave town, and when they came back, Gentiles were in the church. This was a very "new" development for the early church because Jews and Gentiles did not associate with each other.
    Paul chooses to introduce himself at the beginning of this letter, and he didn't start by telling them that he was a Pharisee, a scholar of Gamiliel, or even a Roman citizen. He starts by telling the people that he is a doulos (slave) to Christ, and an apostle set apart for the gospel of God. The word Pharisee means separated, so Paul had lived his early life as an "other" to the people (Phil 3:5). Pharisees prided themselves in being unlike everybody else, but here Paul doesn't say that he is separated from something. He says that he is separated to/for something...the gospel.
    6 Markers of the Gospel
    1. The Gospel is from God (v2 - which He promised)
    2. The OT bears witness about the gospel ( v2 -beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures)
    3. The Gospel is about Jesus (v3-4 - concerning His Son)
    4. The purpose of the Gospel is obedience (v5 - the obedience of faith)
    5. The reach of the Gospel is the nations (v5 - among all the nations)
    6. The 'end game' of the Gospel is His glory (v5 - for the sake of His name)

    We can say that the good newsis the gospel of God,about Christ,according to the Scripture,for the nations,unto obedience andfor the sake of the Name.-John Stott
    He finishes his greeting by saying this is "to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
    Questions to Consider:
    1. Why is it so unique that Paul introduces himself the way he does?
    2. As a follower of Christ, what do you separate yourself from? Why?
    3. As a follower of Christ, what do you separate yourself to/for? How?
    4. How might Paul’s introduction prepare his readers for the difficult theological discussions later in Romans?
    5. Read the book of Romans this week as you prepare for this sermon series.


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    42 m
  • Summer on the Mount - Matthew 7:24-29

    Summer on the Mount - Matthew 7:24-29
    Aug 11 2025
    Matthew 7:24-29Senior Pastor Alex KennedyStorms and life go together. There is no place on earth where we can be completely free from trauma, tension, or trouble. The storm will almost always reveal the truth, and where someone puts their hope and trust.
    In this wrap up of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus compares two foundations. The people would have easily understood what He was talking about, because His illustration was something they had to live with every day.
    A wadi is a valley with two hillsides. The hills were made of bedrock and were very stable. If a storm happened miles away, a wall of water would surprise the people as it washed through the valley. The only thing left after the flood was sand at the bottom of the wadi.
    The wise builder put his house on the strong foundation of bedrock, while the foolish builder would be lazy and reckless and build his house at the bottom of the wadi in the sand.
    We must ask ourselves the question, "do we do what we say and do what we know?" In other words, are we allowing the Lordship of Jesus be our "narrow path" that leads to life?
    So, the sermon ends on the same note of radical choice of which we have been aware of from the start. Jesus does not set before His followers a string of easy ethical rules, so much as a set of values and ideals which is entirely distinctive from the way of the world.
    He summons us to renounce the prevailing secular culture in favor of the Christian counter-culture.
    The crowds were astonished by His teaching because He spoke with authority. Typically, the scribes quoted the rabbis before them and were afraid to express an idea without bolstering it up by some predecessor. Every time Jesus said, "but I tell you", it was a shocking statement! It definitely caught the attention of everyone there, and it stayed with them. Jesus stood on His own authority!
    There is a connection between His voice and your heart. When you hear these Truths, there is a decision to be made. Jesus is inviting you to be like the wise builder and build your foundation deep into His Word so that you can live a life of love and obedience to Him.
    Questions to consider:
    1. What are some of the highlights from this sermon series that have stood out to you?
    2. We have wise and foolish choices we can make every day. What is a choice you must consider, and what are the wise and foolish options for that choice? (relationships, media, work, school, neighbors, etc.)
    3. What steps do you need to take in order to be like the "wise builder" in this season of your life?


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    44 m