https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc The newest sermons from New Covenant Church Glen Carbon on SermonAudio. Religion & Spirituality New Covenant Church Glen Carbon http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification https://vps.sermonaudio.com/resize_image/sources/podcast/1440/1440/newcovenantgc.1741955683.jpg https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:36:53 +0000 30 Robert McNutt no The newest sermons from New Covenant Church Glen Carbon on SermonAudio. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/419261929153889 In this Adult Sunday School lesson from his ongoing Luke series, Charles Sebold teaches Luke 8:16-18, the parable of the lamp on a stand, tying it directly to the parable of the Sower that immediately precedes it. He opens by revisiting the sobering sovereignty of God in the Sower's interpretation — that the Lord actively conceals the secrets of the kingdom from some while revealing them to others, a reality that, while uncomfortable, grounds the believer's gratitude rather than indicts God's justice. He then argues that the Lampstand is not a separate subject but the continuation: the fruit borne by good-soil hearers is a light that cannot be hidden. Truth buried deep in the heart is not truth kept secret from the world; it is truth made so central to one's existence that it inevitably shines out. Charlie presses the diagnostic honestly on himself and the class: everyone knows what you are obsessed with, so if those closest to you cannot tell you are obsessed with Christ, that warrants examination. The sermon's hinge is verse 18's command to "take care then how you hear" — a warning that careless, scabbed-over listening forfeits capacity, while glad reception of the Word enlarges the heart to receive still more, producing joy that multiplies and overflows into proclamation. He closes by connecting this growth to the paradox of knowing God: unlike childhood things that shrink as we grow, God grows larger the more we grasp Him, leaving us ever more overwhelmed by His glory and ever more compelled to speak of Him. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/419261929153889 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:28:49 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/41926204295358 In this continuation of his expository series through Romans 8, Pastor Robert McNutt preaches "Those Who Live According to the Flesh" from Romans 8:5–8, delivering what he calls the "negative side" of Paul's argument before turning next week to the believer's side. Grounding the passage in Romans 8:1's declaration of no condemnation for those in Christ, McNutt argues that Paul is not contrasting two classes of Christians but rather Christians and non-Christians, whom he memorably dubs "saints and ain'ts." He draws four marks of the natural man from the text: he sets his mind on the things of the flesh, meaning his thoughts, affections, and pursuits are bent on earthly things with God excluded; his state of mind is death, for he lives as though God does not exist and cannot understand the gospel apart from divine help; he is hostile to God, fashioning a god of his own making rather than submitting to the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture and in Christ; and he is lawless, neither submitting to God's law nor able to, because, as 1 Corinthians 2:14 affirms, the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit. Weaving in 1 John 2:15–17, Galatians 5:19–21, Matthew 16:13–23, Romans 12:1–2, Ephesians 4:17–24, Colossians 1:21–22, and Ephesians 2:8–10, McNutt insists that salvation is wholly God's work: the Word and the Spirit together bring the dead to life, and the regenerate are made a new creation with a radically changed mind, heart, and walk. He closes with an evangelistic plea to the unconverted to cry out to Christ and trust His promise, and a pastoral reminder to believers that the work of sanctification will culminate in being presented holy before the Father. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/41926204295358 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:40:06 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/412262010594704 In this lesson from Luke 8:1-15, Charles Sebold traces Luke's answer to a single question: who actually belongs to Jesus? The session opens with the women of verses 1-3, particularly Mary Magdalene and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, noting that these socially irregular followers were not passive recipients but active patrons funding the kingdom mission. Sebold highlights Luke's characteristic disregard for conventional credibility, pointing out that the first resurrection witness was a woman delivered from seven demons. The lesson then moves to the parable of the sower, reframing it as the parable of the soils: the seed and the sower remain constant while the variable is the condition of the heart that receives the Word. Sebold presses hard on the purpose of parables in verses 9-10, pushing back against the popular notion that Jesus spoke in parables to make things easier, arguing instead that parables simultaneously reveal truth to those who lean in and conceal it from those who have hardened themselves. In explaining the four soils, Sebold emphasizes that only the final soil represents genuine salvation, as the path, rock, and thorns all describe people who are affected outwardly by the Word but never truly changed by the Holy Spirit. The session closes with a call to self-examination: if the seed is taking root, fruit will come with patience, and believers must be doers of the Word and not hearers only. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/412262010594704 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:26:58 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/412262019531662 In "Aints and Saints," Pastor Robert McNutt continues his exposition of Romans 8:1-4, focusing on the phrase "who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." He defines "walk" as the governing tenor of a person's life, "flesh" as unregenerate human nature apart from God's Spirit, and "Spirit" as the Holy Spirit who indwells every true believer. The bulk of the sermon refutes the carnal Christian doctrine, which divides believers into two categories—those who remain in the flesh and those who have received a second blessing to walk in the Spirit. Drawing from John 3, Ephesians 2, Philippians 3, Romans 8:5-11, and 1 John 1 and 3, Pastor McNutt argues that Scripture recognizes no such division: every genuine Christian has been transferred from the realm of the flesh into the realm of the Spirit, and there is no middle category. He shows that "walking in the flesh" does not necessarily mean living in gross sin but can include any life governed apart from the Spirit, such as returning to Old Testament law for justification. He then applies the text pastorally, urging listeners to examine themselves for the propensity and desire to love God and obey His commandments—not perfection, but a Spirit-given direction of life—as the mark of true conversion, and calling any without that desire to cry out to Christ for a new heart. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/412262019531662 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:42:40 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/45261738127236 In this Easter Sunday sermon from Matthew 28:1-10, Pastor Robert McNutt walks the congregation through the final week of Jesus' earthly life—from the Triumphal Entry through the crucifixion and burial—before arriving at the resurrection morning. After establishing the historicity of the resurrection through Matthew's five-fold testimony to its reality, Pastor McNutt pivots to the sermon's central question: what difference does the resurrection make? Drawing on 1 Peter 1:3-6, he argues that the resurrection produces two things every human heart longs for—living hope and deep joy. Hope, because Christ's victory over death secures an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading; joy, because present trials are reframed in the light of that eternal promise. He illustrates these truths with the story of Uncle Harold, a church member who, facing death, asked his pastor to pray that God would take him home—a man so gripped by resurrection hope that he preferred glory to earth. Pastor McNutt closes with an evangelistic appeal and a call for believers to live as people of hope and joy, drinking from a cup that overflows. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/45261738127236 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 05 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:44:42 no Robert McNutt - Easter https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/45261240382169 In this Good Friday sermon on Mark 15:21-39, Pastor Robert McNutt traces the events surrounding the crucifixion of Christ, beginning with the Via Dolorosa and Simon of Cyrene's conscription to carry the cross, and culminating in the centurion's confession, "Truly, this man was the Son of God." The sermon is organized around two questions: Why were the hours of Christ's crucifixion so dark, and what did that darkness accomplish? Pastor McNutt answers the first by showing that the darkness over the land was the outward sign of God's unmitigated wrath being poured out on His Son as the sin-bearer — Christ drinking the cup of divine judgment to its dregs, experiencing the full forsaking of the Father so that He could not even call Him "Father" but cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Drawing on Isaiah 53 and 2 Corinthians 5:21, McNutt emphasizes the substitutionary nature of the atonement: Christ became sin for us, bearing the punishment we deserved. The second question is answered by the tearing of the temple curtain from top to bottom, signifying that Christ, as the greater High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, has opened access to God by offering Himself as the perfect, spotless Lamb. The sermon closes with the centurion's declaration — a pagan Gentile at the foot of the cross whose eyes were opened to the truth — and Pastor McNutt extends the same invitation to his hearers: gaze upon Christ and confess Him as the Son of God. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/45261240382169 Religion & Spirituality Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:31:44 no Robert McNutt - Good Friday https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/329261833564426 In this continuation of lesson 13 in his series on the Gospel of Luke, Charles Sebold concludes the narrative of Simon the Pharisee's dinner party in Luke 7:39-50. Picking up where he left off the previous week, Sebold walks through Jesus' parable of the two debtors — one owing five hundred denarii and the other fifty — and Simon's reluctant but honest admission that the one forgiven more would love more. The teaching's emotional center is Jesus' question to Simon: "Do you see this woman?" Sebold draws out the devastating irony that Simon, who prided himself on discernment, could see the woman's sin but not her worship, her category but not her personhood. Jesus contrasts Simon's dutiful but dispassionate hospitality with the woman's extravagant, costly devotion — tears, unbound hair, ceaseless kisses, and expensive ointment — not to shame Simon as a bad host but to expose the gulf between someone who thinks he belongs at the table and someone who is astonished to be in the room at all. Sebold connects this woman to Peter in Luke 5 and the centurion earlier in chapter 7, showing a pattern of people who recognize the gulf between themselves and Jesus and receive far more than they asked for. The teaching culminates in Jesus' declaration that the woman's many sins are forgiven — past tense, no conditions, no contingencies — and that her faith, not her works, saved her. Sebold emphasizes that Jesus does not minimize her sin but names it and then declares it finished, sending her away in peace as a daughter of the Father. The lesson closes with a personal challenge: are you the woman who is stunned by grace, or are you Simon, who never realized he was lucky to be here? https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/329261833564426 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:32:34 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/329261849393406 In "An Offering," Pastor Robert McNutt continues his phrase-by-phrase exposition of Romans 8:3-4 at New Covenant Church, unpacking three critical phrases: "for sin," "He condemned sin in the flesh," and "in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us." Pastor McNutt begins by explaining that the phrase "for sin" is best understood as "for a sin offering," drawing on the Septuagint's translation convention and establishing that Christ came into the world not primarily to teach but to become a propitiation—both the offerer and the offering on the cross of Calvary. He then shows how God condemned and punished sin in the physical body of His own Son, reading extensively from Isaiah 53 to illustrate the Father pouring out His wrath during the three hours of darkness. Moving to the purpose of this atoning work, Pastor McNutt demonstrates that the righteous requirement of the law has been fully satisfied in Christ, encompassing both imputed righteousness (justification) and imparted righteousness (sanctification). He emphasizes that believers are now freed from the law, joined to Christ, and empowered by the Spirit to bear fruit—not by their own effort but by God's ongoing work within them. Tying the exposition back to Philippians 2:12-13, he urges both the unconverted and struggling believers to trust in Christ's finished work, reminding the congregation that sanctification is a lifelong process of grace with no expiration date. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/329261849393406 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:42:50 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/32326042261897 In the final lesson of his Creeds and Confessions series, Don Arndt surveys the landscape of distinctly Baptist confessions from 1609 to the present day, tracing a recurring pattern of doctrinal precision followed by softening compromise. He begins with a rapid catalog of over twenty Baptist confessions, then focuses on key documents: the strongly Calvinistic Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, the more moderate New Hampshire Confession whose ambiguity opened the door to doctrinal drift, and the Abstract of Principles whose enforcement by Al Mohler rescued Southern Baptist Theological Seminary from liberalism in the 1990s. He traces the three iterations of the Southern Baptist Convention's Baptist Faith and Message (1925, 1963, 2000), showing how each revision either tightened or loosened doctrinal language in response to cultural pressures. The teaching then turns to modern statements that, while not exclusively Baptist, reflect heavy Baptist influence: the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978), the Danvers Statement on complementarian gender roles (1987), the Manhattan Declaration on life, marriage, and religious liberty (2005), the Nashville Statement on biblical sexuality (2017), and the Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel (2020). Throughout, Don argues that confessions exist precisely to draw lines rather than to build bigger tents, and that the recurring temptation to soften language for the sake of unity inevitably invites doctrinal compromise. He closes by urging believers to stand on the truth of Scripture with compassion but without apology, insisting that the gospel itself — not social ideology — must remain the church's singular standard. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/32326042261897 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:53:27 no Don Arndt - Creeds and Confessions https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/32226195775579 In this fourteenth session of his Adult Sunday School series on the Gospel of Luke, Charlie Sebold begins Luke 7:36-50 with a vivid retelling of the sinful woman's anointing of Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisee. Opening with an illustration from Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" — Willy Wonka's remark, "You're just lucky to be here" — Sebold frames the entire passage around the contrast between those who think they earned their seat at the table and those who know they didn't. He carefully reconstructs the first-century meal setting: the semi-public courtyard, the reclining posture, the open hospitality culture that would have made the woman's entry unremarkable but her actions scandalous. Walking through verses 36-39, Sebold traces the escalating awkwardness of the scene — the woman's unplanned tears muddying Jesus' unwashed feet, her desperate decision to unbind her hair in public (an act of social self-destruction) to dry them, her kisses, and finally the breaking of an alabaster flask of perfume worth nearly a year's wages. Throughout, Sebold emphasizes that each step cost the woman more of her already-ruined reputation, yet each step was an act of worship aimed at honoring the One she came to see. The session closes with Simon's internal judgment — "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is" — and Sebold's pointed observation that while Simon wanted Jesus to see through the woman, Jesus was busy seeing through Simon. The teaching ran out of time before reaching the parable of the two debtors and Jesus' pronouncement of forgiveness, which will continue in the next session. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/32226195775579 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:32:51 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/3222620607919 In this continuation of his expository series through Romans 8:3-4, Pastor Robert McNutt examines the phrase "in the likeness of sinful flesh," arguing that it is one of the most precise Christological statements in all of Scripture. He surveys several parallel incarnation texts — John 1:14, Galatians 4:4, Philippians 2:7, 1 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 2:14, and Hebrews 10:5 — demonstrating that while each affirms the reality of the incarnation, none matches the specificity of Romans 8:3. Pastor McNutt then addresses two ancient heresies: Docetism, the denial that Christ possessed a true physical body, refuted from 1 John 1 and 1 John 4:1-3; and the claim that Christ's human nature was itself sinful, dismantled using the virgin birth accounts in Luke 1 and Matthew 1, the impeccability texts of Hebrews 4:15 and 7:26, and the typological parallel between Adam and Christ as federal heads. He distinguishes the biblical doctrine of Christ's sinless human nature from the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, showing from Mary's Magnificat that she acknowledged her need for a Savior. He further defends the impeccability of Christ — that Jesus could not sin, not merely that He did not — by noting that Adam and Eve were tempted in perfection and that combining a sinful nature with the Godhead is inconceivable. The sermon concludes by tracing the necessity of the incarnation through Hebrews 2:9-18 and Colossians 2:13-15: Christ had to come in the likeness of sinful flesh to fulfill the law as our representative, bear our guilt, impart a new nature, serve as our sympathetic High Priest, and destroy the devil's power through His death. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/3222620607919 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:44:04 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/315261952918 In this lesson in his Adult Sunday School series on the Gospel of Luke, lay teacher Charles Sebold examines Luke 7:18-35, where John the Baptist sends disciples from prison to ask Jesus whether He is truly the Coming One. Sebold frames John's question not as a fatal collapse of faith but as a deeply human moment from a man facing execution, reaching out to his Lord for comfort. Jesus responds not with words but by healing the sick and restoring sight before John's messengers, then sending them back with a catalog of fulfilled messianic prophecy drawn from Isaiah. Sebold gives extended attention to Jesus' warning about being "offended," unpacking the Greek skandalon to show that the real trap is letting unmet expectations prevent you from seeing that God is always doing something far grander than anyone imagined. Jesus then addresses the crowd with the threefold "What did you go out to see?" to force a reckoning: John was the last and greatest prophet of the old covenant, the Elijah figure from Malachi, yet the least in the kingdom of God surpasses him because the new covenant's baseline exceeds the old covenant's peak. The teaching closes with Jesus' parable of the marketplace children, exposing the performative skepticism of the Pharisees and lawyers who rejected both John's austerity and Jesus' joyful fellowship. Sebold drives home that wisdom is justified by her children — the fruit of faith will vindicate those who repented and believed, while rejection of God's messengers will be proven foolish. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/315261952918 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:29:04 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/31526198493812 In "Weakened But the Flesh," Pastor Robert McNutt continues his exposition of Romans 8:3–4 at New Covenant Church, moving from what the law could not do to why it could not do it and beginning to address how God accomplished what the law never could. Drawing on Romans 6:2, 6, and 7:4–6, Pastor McNutt reaffirms that the whole purpose of redemption is to free believers from slavery to sin, answering the antinomian charge Paul has faced throughout the letter. He demonstrates that the law's failure was never intrinsic to the law itself but resulted from its dependence on sinful human beings to carry it out — the law was "weakened by the flesh." A vivid illustration of a shovel with a wooden handle that cracks under pressure drives the point home: the steel blade of the law is unyielding, but the human handle always breaks. Turning to Romans 8:3, Pastor McNutt emphasizes that salvation begins with God, not with any human decision, and highlights the Trinitarian structure of the text — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all named within these verses. He stresses the phrase "His own Son," distinguishing Christ's eternal, begotten sonship from the adoptive sonship of believers and the creaturely "sonship" of angels, grounding the argument in John 1:18, Hebrews 1:1–4, and the Nicene language of "begotten, not created." The sermon closes with two applications: first, that God's sending of His own Son reveals the depth of divine love for rebels who deserved wrath; and second, that the eternal sonship of Christ guarantees the believer's assurance of final glorification, since salvation is entirely God's work from beginning to end. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/31526198493812 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:41:36 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/38261852537086 In this Adult Sunday School lesson on Luke 7:1-17, teacher Charles Sebold examines two back-to-back encounters that reveal the emotional and compassionate heart of Jesus Christ. In the first account (vv. 1-10), a Roman centurion—a God-fearing Gentile and outsider to the covenant community—demonstrates a faith that astonishes Jesus Himself by recognizing that Christ's authority is not bound by proximity: Jesus need only speak the word, and healing will follow. Sebold highlights the Greek shift from doulos (slave) to pais (boy), showing the centurion's deep personal attachment to the one he seeks to save, and notes that this is the only time in the Synoptic Gospels where Jesus marvels positively at someone's faith—and it belongs to a Gentile, not one of the chosen people. In the second account (vv. 11-17), Jesus encounters a funeral procession for the only son of a widow in Nain, a woman facing not only devastating grief but total social and economic ruin. Without being asked, Jesus is moved with deep compassion (splanchnizomai), touches the bier—making Himself ritually unclean by Pharisaic standards—and raises the young man from the dead, giving him back to his mother. Sebold draws out the contrast between the two stories: one features an advocate who asks in faith from a distance, while the other features a woman whose grief is too deep for words, for whom Jesus Himself becomes the advocate. The lesson concludes that these twin narratives reveal not merely the power of God but the compassionate presence of God who marvels at faith and is moved in His very being by human suffering—the Lord who has visited His people to care for them. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/38261852537086 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 08 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:34:23 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/3826190567600 In this stand-alone sermon on Hebrews 8:6–13, Charles Sebold uses the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly to illustrate the radical nature of the new covenant. Drawing on the science of imaginal disks—hidden cellular blueprints present in the larva from hatching—he argues that the old covenant given at Sinai was never intended to be God's final arrangement with His people, but rather the chrysalis out of which something fundamentally different would emerge. Sebold walks through the Greek distinction between neos (new in time) and kainē (new in nature) to demonstrate that the new covenant is not an upgrade to the Mosaic system but a total transformation, paralleling the death and resurrection of the caterpillar's body. He outlines three features of the new covenant from the text: God's law written on the mind and heart rather than on stone, a covenant community defined by shared relationship with God rather than ritual apprenticeship, and the complete and final forgiveness of sins that renders further sacrifice unnecessary. Throughout, Sebold emphasizes that believers are currently undergoing this metamorphosis—fighting from a transformed center rather than from neutral ground—and that progressive sanctification uses even the raw material of past sin and brokenness to build the new creation. He affirms that the new covenant was promised to Israel and Judah and that Gentile believers share in it by God's gracious extension, not by replacement of Israel. The sermon closes with a gospel invitation and a call to rest in the finished work of Christ, urging believers to live from their identity in Him rather than toward it. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/3826190567600 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 08 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:48:34 no Charles Sebold https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/3126218573086 In this concluding session on the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:39-49), Charles Sebold wraps up Jesus' kingdom ethics by moving from generosity of possessions to generosity of spirit. After a warm review of the sermon's earlier themes — blessings and curses as covenant reversals, the Father's unmeasured kindness to the undeserving, and the impossibility of out-giving God — the teaching turns to the parable of the blind leading the blind and the speck-and-log illustration, emphasizing that Jesus does not forbid correction among believers but commands that it be done humbly, in community, with full awareness of one's own sinfulness. Sebold highlights the progressive nature of sanctification, noting that God graciously reveals our sins gradually rather than all at once, and that the mark of a Christian is not sinlessness but perseverance — always getting back up. The good-tree/bad-fruit passage is applied to both words and actions as indicators of the heart, with a pointed contrast between the Pharisees' judgmental spirit and the humble mutual accountability Jesus envisions for His people. The lesson closes with the two builders, where Jesus challenges those who call Him "Lord" to prove it by living out the Father's character — building their lives on mercy without calculation and generosity of both possessions and spirit — so that their house will stand when the flood comes. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/3126218573086 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:33:28 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/3126219344740 In "What the Law Cannot Do," Pastor Robert McNutt continues his exposition of Romans 8 by examining verses 3 and 4 as a single unified statement, demonstrating that the Apostle Paul is not introducing new material but restating and expanding what he has argued since Romans 5. Pastor McNutt carefully shows how Paul's logic threads through Romans 5:10, 5:20–21, 6:14, 7:4, and 7:6, each passage reinforcing that the law, though it rightly condemns sin, is utterly powerless to produce the righteousness it demands. He corrects a common misreading of the text — that Christ merely modeled victorious living for believers to imitate — by insisting that "condemned" in verse 3 must be understood consistently with verse 1 as judicial punishment, not moral example, and that the phrase "and for sin" points to Christ's substitutionary sacrifice. The heart of the sermon presents justification as having two inseparable sides, likened to two sides of the same coin: the imputation of Christ's righteousness (a legal crediting, like a "paid in full" stamp) and the impartation of righteousness through the Holy Spirit, which sets the believer on the path of sanctification toward ultimate glorification. Drawing from Romans 8:29–30 and 1 Corinthians 1:30, Pastor McNutt emphasizes that God's work in salvation is comprehensive and secure — He who justified us will also glorify us — and that deep doctrinal understanding is the antidote to shallow faith that cannot withstand trial. He closes with a pastoral appeal to those doubting their salvation, reminding them that assurance rests not in the sincerity of a prayer but in the finished and ongoing work of Christ. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/3126219344740 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:32:08 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/2232611197062 In this installment of his "Creeds and Confessions" series, Don Arndt transitions from the early church creeds to the larger, more detailed documents known as confessions of faith. After briefly reviewing how creeds like the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds addressed specific doctrinal challenges, he explains that confessions serve as comprehensive systematic theologies—clarifying truth, guarding against error, promoting unity, and functioning as teaching tools. The bulk of the lesson focuses on the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), which Arndt identifies as arguably the most influential confession in Protestant history. He traces its origins in the English Civil War, its production by 150 theologians at Westminster Abbey with over 4,000 biblical references, its unexpected adoption by the Church of Scotland rather than the Church of England, and its lasting impact on Presbyterianism and Reformed Baptist theology—particularly through the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession, which retained Westminster's Calvinist soteriology while correcting its positions on baptism and church government. Arndt also addresses the strengths and dangers of confessions, including the risk of elevating them above Scripture and questions of subscription requirements, before discussing practical questions of inter-denominational cooperation, the importance of drawing doctrinal lines, and the consequences visible in mainline Protestant churches that have abandoned their confessional commitments. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/2232611197062 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 22 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:36:41 no Don Arndt - Creeds and Confessions https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/222262156323207 In "Free in Christ," a sermon on Romans 8:1-2 preached at New Covenant Church on February 22, 2026, Pastor Robert McNutt continues his exposition of Romans 8 by explaining why there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Focusing on verse 2, he demonstrates that "the law of sin and death" refers to the moral law of God—the Ten Commandments—which reveals sin, aggravates it, and condemns every person. He traces Paul's argument through Romans 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 to show that the apostle relentlessly establishes this point: the law brings wrath, increases trespass, and produces death. Pastor McNutt then explains the liberating counterpart—"the law of the Spirit of life"—as another way of describing the gospel, the reign of grace, or what Paul calls "the law of faith" (Romans 3:27). He emphasizes that the aorist tense of "has set you free" points to a completed, once-for-all act of justification, and draws on James 1:25's "law of liberty" as a parallel. Using a memorable optometrist's chair illustration, he shows how God fine-tunes the believer's understanding of the gospel so that assurance rests not on works or the sincerity of one's prayer but solely on Christ's finished work. He closes by showing that all three Persons of the Trinity are involved in salvation—the Father who predestined, the Son who lived perfectly and died as propitiation, and the Holy Spirit who convicts and applies redemption—exhorting believers to rest in their freedom and unbelievers to come to Christ in faith. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/222262156323207 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 22 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:42:28 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/21626161559687 In part four of his "Creeds and Confessions" series, Don Arndt examines the Athanasian Creed alongside the Chalcedonian Definition, tracing the historical development of Trinitarian and Christological precision across the early church's three major creeds. He begins by reading through the Chalcedonian Definition's affirmation that Christ is truly God and truly man — 100% of each, without mixture, confusion, division, or separation — and then moves into a detailed reading of the Athanasian Creed, highlighting its repetitive, hammering language designed to leave no ambiguity about the doctrine of the Trinity: the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, yet there are not three Gods but one God. Arndt frames the three creeds as a progression — the Apostles' Creed as the story, the Nicene Creed as the defense against Arianism, and the Athanasian Creed as the precise definition of what it means to be a Christian — emphasizing that the Athanasian Creed's anathema warnings serve a vital purpose: anyone who denies the Trinity, the Incarnation, or the full deity and humanity of Christ cannot rightly be called a Christian. He illustrates the ongoing relevance of these boundaries by pointing to groups like Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons who deny Trinitarian doctrine, and briefly addresses the contemporary controversy over annihilationism, noting that the eternality of hell reflects the infinite holiness of God. The session concludes with the Lutheran Satire video "St. Patrick's Bad Analogies," humorously reinforcing that the Trinity cannot be captured by human analogies but must simply be confessed as Scripture teaches and the Athanasian Creed articulates. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/21626161559687 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:34:28 no Don Arndt - Creeds and Confessions https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/21526192841288 In this Adult Sunday School lesson on Luke 6:17-38, teacher Charles Sebold walks through the Sermon on the Plain, beginning with its parallels to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 and its echoes of the blessings and curses pronounced at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (Deuteronomy 27-28). He explains that Jesus' four blessings and four curses recall the covenant renewal ceremony under Joshua, signaling a new covenant moment in which the kingdom's ethics are no longer founded on the Law but on the character of the God revealed in it. Moving through the radical commands of verses 27-31—love your enemies, bless those who curse you, give to everyone who asks—Sebold emphasizes that Jesus offers no qualifications, no hedging, and no escape clauses, contrasting this with the Pharisees' calculated limits on obligation and forgiveness. The teaching identifies Luke 6:35 as the linchpin of the entire passage: God is kind to the ungrateful and the evil, giving endlessly to people who will never thank Him, and His children should bear the family resemblance. Sebold illustrates God's uncalculating generosity with vivid, practical examples—money, time, forgiveness—and argues that "judge not" in verse 37 must be read in context as a prohibition against judging people's intentions when they ask something of you, not as a blanket ban on moral discernment. The lesson concludes with the image of God measuring blessings by weight rather than volume—pressed down, shaken together, running over—and the reminder that believers possess an inheritance in Christ that cannot burn, fade, or be stolen, making radical generosity not reckless but rational. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/21526192841288 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:37:59 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/21526193734668 In "The Essence of the Christian Gospel," Pastor Robert McNutt preaches from Romans 8:1, declaring the absolute, irrevocable nature of the believer's freedom from condemnation. He unpacks the word "no" as entire, complete, and absolute — not a conditional or fluctuating status but a permanent reality for everyone in Christ Jesus. He warns against the erroneous view that Christians oscillate between condemnation and forgiveness with every sin, recounting his own early confusion from faulty teaching on this point. Framing Romans 8 with its bookends — "no condemnation" in verse 1 and "no separation" in verses 35–39 — he builds an airtight case for eternal security, then points back to Romans 6:1 to answer the charge that grace incites sin. The sermon's heart explores what it means to be "in Christ Jesus," tracing Paul's theology of union with Christ through Romans 5–7, 1 Corinthians 1:30 and 12:27, 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 15's vine-and-branches imagery, and Ephesians 5's body-and-head metaphor. Pastor McNutt emphasizes that justification not only declares the sinner righteous but places him into Christ, so that Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension become the believer's own reality. He illustrates this through Peter's three denials in Luke 22 and his threefold restoration in John 21, highlighting the charcoal fire as a deliberate echo linking both scenes. He closes with a gospel invitation and a pastoral charge: since there is no condemnation and no expiration date on the Christian life, God will keep using His people until He brings them to glory. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/21526193734668 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:46:03 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/2926241224557 In the third session of his Creeds and Confessions series, Don Arndt teaches through the Nicene Creed by comparing it line by line with the Apostles' Creed, explaining the historical controversy that necessitated it. He traces the origins of the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 to the heresy of Arius, who taught that Christ was a created being—"there was a time when the Son was not"—and explains how Bishop Alexander of Alexandria and the deacon Athanasius championed the orthodox position that Christ is homoousios (of the same substance) with the Father, not merely homoiousios (of similar substance). Don highlights how the Nicene Creed strengthens the Apostles' Creed at every point where Christ's deity is at stake, adding phrases like "God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made" to leave no room for Arian subordinationism. He then addresses the filioque clause—the Western addition of "and the Son" to the Spirit's procession—explaining how it was intended to reinforce Trinitarian unity but became a flashpoint for the Great Schism between East and West because the Western church added it unilaterally. The session concludes with an interactive discussion on baptism in the creed, the development of infant baptism and sacramentalism in the post-Nicene church, the role of the printing press in the Reformation, and the importance of every believer having access to Scripture rather than depending solely on ecclesiastical authority. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/2926241224557 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 08 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:41:42 no Don Arndt - Creeds and Confessions https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/2826209246610 In this sermon, Pastor Robert McNutt provides a sweeping overview of Romans chapter 8, framing it as the grand exposition of truths already introduced in embryonic form in Romans chapter 5. He argues that the word "therefore" in Romans 8:1 connects not to the immediate context of chapters 6 and 7—which he treats as parenthetical responses to anticipated objections about antinomianism and the role of the law—but reaches back to the declaration of justification by faith in Romans 5:1-2. Pastor McNutt organizes the chapter into several major sections: no condemnation from the law (vv. 1-4), deliverance from our sinful nature (vv. 5-14), our adoption as sons and daughters of God (vv. 15-17), the cosmic scope of redemption encompassing all creation (vv. 18-25), the intercession of the Holy Spirit in our prayers (vv. 26-27), and the golden chain of God's saving purposes—foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification (vv. 28-30)—culminating in five unanswerable rhetorical questions that demonstrate nothing can separate believers from the love of God in Christ Jesus (vv. 31-39). Throughout, he emphasizes the absolute certainty of the believer's perseverance, critiques "easy prayerism" that substitutes a recited prayer for genuine regeneration, and underscores that salvation is entirely the work of God from its inception in eternity past to its consummation in eternal glory. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/2826209246610 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 08 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:42:13 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/2826209597638 In this Adult Sunday School lesson on Luke 6:1-16, teacher Charles Sebold walks through two Sabbath controversies and the calling of the Twelve Apostles. Beginning with the disciples' grain-plucking on the Sabbath (vv. 1-5), Sebold explains the Pharisees' objection by tracing the 39 categories of forbidden Sabbath work back to their exegetical roots in Exodus 35, acknowledging that the reasoning came from a legitimate place but was taken to legalistic extremes. He then contrasts Old Covenant thinking—which fixates on the exact location of the line—with New Covenant thinking, which asks why the line exists and what God's heart is behind it, grounding this distinction in the promises of Jeremiah and Ezekiel that in the New Covenant all God's people would know Him personally. Jesus' response to the Pharisees is shown to be a direct messianic and divine claim, with Sebold noting Luke's deliberate omission of the "Sabbath was made for man" saying found in Matthew and Mark, instead focusing on the Christological declaration of Jesus' authority. Moving to the healing of the man with the withered hand (vv. 6-11), Sebold highlights Jesus' penetrating question—"Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm?"—as cutting to the root of the Pharisees' failure: they protected the rules but never the people. Sebold argues that Luke's narration mirrors good medicine by going after the underlying disease rather than symptoms. The lesson concludes with a brief treatment of the calling of the Twelve (vv. 12-16), emphasizing that Jesus calls broken, unqualified sinners—not because they've proven themselves, but because He has always known them and will make them who they need to be. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/2826209597638 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 08 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:39:20 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/21261857305918 In this teaching on Luke 5:27-39, Charles Sebold examines the calling of Levi the tax collector and the radical nature of Christ's ministry to sinners. After establishing the cultural context of Roman occupation and the deep contempt Jews held for collaborators like Levi, Sebold emphasizes that grace always precedes transformation—God invades a life, gives new life, and only then does the sinner respond in faith. Levi's feast becomes the setting for confrontation with the Pharisees, who object to Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus responds by identifying Himself as a physician who came for the sick, not the self-righteous, and as the Bridegroom whose presence demands celebration rather than fasting. The lesson culminates in an extended explanation of the parable of the wineskins, using visual illustrations to demonstrate how new wine expands and bursts old, inflexible skins. Sebold applies this directly: the new covenant cannot be patched into the old Pharisaic system—it is a total replacement, not a repair. The Pharisees' religious comfort made them enemies of gospel transformation, preferring their familiar system to the revolutionary work of Christ. The teaching concludes with a challenge for believers to let Jesus overwhelm all their categories and completely transform their lives, because He will not conform to our old wineskins. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/21261857305918 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 01 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:39:44 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/212619635435 In this Lord's Table message concluding his exposition of Romans 7:13-25, Pastor Robert McNutt examines Paul's climactic cry, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" and his triumphant response, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Pastor McNutt demonstrates that this thanksgiving is properly understood in the future tense—not merely gratitude for past or present deliverance, but confident anticipation of final deliverance from sin's very presence. He outlines three stages of salvation: deliverance from sin's penalty (justification), deliverance from sin's power (sanctification), and the future deliverance from sin's presence (glorification). Drawing from the struggles of Job, David, and Isaiah, the pastor emphasizes that the Bible's most exceptional saints were most conscious of their transgressions, yet they knew where to return for forgiveness. Using a memorable illustration about watching Michigan football replays when the outcome is already known, Pastor McNutt encourages believers to fight on against sin with confidence, knowing that in Christ the victory is already secured. The message connects directly to the Lord's Supper, which proclaims Christ's death "until He comes," pointing believers backward to the Cross, forward to Christ's return, inward for self-examination, and outward to the community of faith. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/212619635435 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 01 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:38:44 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/12426184314598 In this expositional sermon on Romans 7:13-25, Pastor Robert McNutt addresses Paul's declaration "O wretched man that I am" and identifies this cry as coming not from an unbeliever or carnal Christian, but from a mature believer who feels the "hot heat" of God's law exposing sin in his heart. Pastor McNutt demonstrates that Paul's purpose in this passage is to defend the law's goodness while showing its ongoing function in the believer's life: the law is spiritual, revealing sin's deep depravity and ongoing resistance even after conversion. Using military imagery, he illustrates how sin "digs in" like a terrorist operating in familiar territory, creating pockets of resistance that seem unbreakable. Yet the sermon emphasizes the security of the believer—like a captured soldier who never loses citizenship, the Christian cannot lose his standing in Christ even when temporarily overcome by sin. Pastor McNutt concludes with a vital clarification: the Christian is not two men at war or someone with two natures, but "one new man with a renewed human nature that is as yet imperfectly renewed." Until glorification, the battle continues, but God sovereignly uses this struggle to conform believers to the image of Christ, and the closer we draw to the light, the more our remaining darkness is exposed—driving us, like Isaiah, to cry out and receive cleansing grace. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/12426184314598 Religion & Spirituality Sat, 24 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:47:35 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/118261351292461 In this Adult Bible class session on the Apostles' Creed, Don Arndt traces the origins and structure of Christianity's most ancient and widely used confession, noting that while it was first called "the Apostles' Creed" around AD 390, its core formulations likely date to the second century when it served as a baptismal confession for adult converts. Don walks through each of the creed's three Trinitarian sections—affirming God the Father as Creator, Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son who suffered, died, was buried, rose, ascended, and will return to judge, and the Holy Spirit who indwells the universal Church—demonstrating how every phrase finds its warrant in Scripture. He explains why New Covenant Church substitutes "Christian" for "Catholic" (to avoid confusion with the Roman Catholic denomination while affirming the same *katholikos* or universal Church), and why the phrase "he descended into hell" is omitted for clarity rather than doctrinal disagreement. The teaching includes extended discussion distinguishing Protestant convictions from Roman Catholic claims, particularly regarding justification by faith alone, the sufficiency of Scripture over tradition, and Christ building His church on Peter's confession rather than on Peter himself. Don concludes by encouraging believers to recite the creed not as a mantra but as a daily reminder of who they are and what they believe, recognizing their unity with the persecuted Church worldwide who confesses these same truths. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/118261351292461 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 18 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:46:01 no Don Arndt - Creeds and Confessions https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/118261350101051 In this expository sermon on Romans 7:13-25, Pastor Robert McNutt examines four major interpretations of the identity of the "wretched man" Paul describes: (1) Paul as an unregenerate person, (2) Paul as a carnal or immature Christian, (3) an unsaved person under conviction, and (4) Paul as a mature believer describing the ongoing struggle with indwelling sin. Pastor McNutt systematically evaluates each view, noting the grammatical shift from past tense (verses 1-13) to present tense (verses 14-24), Paul's delight in God's law, and the immediate answer of deliverance through Christ. He concludes that the fourth view—held by Augustine and the Reformed tradition—best fits the context: Paul describes the mature Christian's continual conflict with sin, teaching that neither justification nor sanctification can be achieved through law-keeping but only through the work of the Holy Spirit. The sermon's application encourages believers to recognize that the fight against sin continues until glorification, that this struggle is universal among God's people, and that the Christian's groaning for redemption (Romans 8:23) will one day give way to complete deliverance. Pastor McNutt closes with a gospel invitation, comparing Christ's suffering on the cross to a woman's labor pains—both culminating in joy when new life is born. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/118261350101051 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 18 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:40:59 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/118261350566539 In this Adult Sunday School lesson on Luke 5:17-26, teacher Charles Sebold examines the healing of the paralytic lowered through the roof, focusing on Jesus' shocking declaration, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." The teaching explores how Jesus lived by the power of the Holy Spirit during His incarnation—the same Spirit available to believers today—and encourages Christians to boldly bring others to Christ as the paralytic's friends did. Sebold unpacks the Pharisees' theologically correct objection that only God can forgive sins, explaining that forgiveness means setting aside divine judgments and claiming authority equal to the Law itself. He draws parallels between first-century Pharisaic authority and medieval Catholic sacramental control, showing how religious gatekeepers throughout history have positioned themselves between people and God's forgiveness. Jesus' healing of the paralytic serves as visible proof of His invisible authority: if He can do what they can verify, they should believe what they cannot. The teaching concludes with Jesus' implicit challenge to the watching religious leaders—and to us—after demonstrating undeniable divine authority: "Your move." https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/118261350566539 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 18 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:39:53 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/118261328426524 In this introductory session on creeds and confessions, Don Arndt establishes why Baptists, despite their commitment to Scripture alone as the ultimate authority, value historic creeds as useful summaries of biblical truth. He distinguishes between non-creedalism—which he associates with dangerous "rugged individualism" that rejects accountability to the broader church—and the proper Baptist position that creeds serve as helpful, though non-authoritative, declarations of what Christians believe. Arndt traces creedal roots directly to Scripture, beginning with the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 as the earliest confession of monotheism and total devotion to God, then moving through New Testament creedal statements in Romans 10:9-10, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, Philippians 2:6-11, and 1 Timothy 3:16. He emphasizes that these passages formed the basis for later creeds, which synthesize biblical teaching into memorable, unifying confessions that connect believers across centuries. The session previews upcoming studies on the Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, Definition of Chalcedon, Westminster Confession, Second London Confession of 1689, the Abstract of Principles, and modern statements like the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and the Statement on Social Justice. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/118261328426524 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:26:50 no Don Arndt - Creeds and Confessions https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/111262113133783 In this Sunday School lesson on Luke 5:1-16, Charles Sebold continues examining Jesus's divine authority through two episodes that demonstrate how sinners must approach the Lord. In the miraculous catch of fish (vv. 1-11), Peter obeys Jesus's command to cast nets in the daytime despite knowing it makes no sense—"at your word I will let down the nets"—and this obedient faith, even without understanding, becomes the hinge of the story. When the catch overwhelms two commercial fishing boats, Peter's response echoes Isaiah 6: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Peter has progressed from calling Jesus "Master" (appropriate for a rabbi) to "Lord" (the Greek term for God Himself), and his terror at being in God's presence is met with Jesus's implied refusal to depart. Charles emphasizes that the call to discipleship came after Jesus extended grace, not as a condition for it—God always makes the first move. The second episode (vv. 12-16) reinforces this theme: a man "full of leprosy" who had lived years in isolation approaches Jesus, and Jesus does the unthinkable—He touches the untouchable. Under Levitical law, this contact should have contaminated Jesus, but instead "the changeable changed": Jesus's holiness cleansed the leper. Drawing on Craig Blomberg's concept of "contagious holiness," Charles shows this pattern repeating throughout Luke—the hemorrhaging woman, the dead He will touch, the sinners He will eat with. The application unites both stories: you do not have to get clean before coming to Jesus, you cannot clean yourself, and you must never present the gospel as "get your act together, then come to the Lord." https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/111262113133783 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:35:04 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/11126211972158 In this sermon on Psalm 34:1-10, Pastor Robert McNutt sets a vision for New Covenant Church to become a people devoted to prayer in 2026, beginning with a foundational truth the Psalm emphasizes fifteen times: God hears us when we pray. He identifies three reasons Christians struggle with prayer—the weakness of the flesh, a lack of conviction about whether prayer truly matters given God's sovereignty, and a fundamental disbelief in God's attributes—then provides three instructions for believers who know God listens. First, we should pray in order to bless the Lord, speaking words of praise and gratitude directly to His face throughout each day. Second, we should pray in order to cry out for help, recognizing our desperate dependence on God for both daily bread and deliverance from life's major challenges. Third, we should pray in order simply to draw near to Him, illustrated vividly through the metaphor of tasting: just as knowing about goulash differs from eating it, so merely knowing about God differs from experiencing intimate communion with Him through prayer. Pastor McNutt concludes with the illustration of a wise father who is more interested in a relationship with his son than merely giving him things, pressing home the application that God desires relational nearness from His children above all else—that we would cry out, "Dad, I don't want nothing. All I want is You." https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/11126211972158 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:42:30 no Robert McNutt https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/14261314197302 In this sermon celebrating thirty years of pastoral ministry at New Covenant Church, Pastor Robert McNutt exposits Titus 2:11-14 to demonstrate the comprehensive work of God's grace in the believer's life. He structures his teaching around three functions of saving grace: first, grace saves us from the penalty of sin through the finished work of Christ; second, grace trains us to renounce ungodliness and pursue godly living through the sanctifying process of putting off the old man and putting on the new; and third, grace sustains us as we wait for our blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Drawing on Philippians 2:12-13, Ephesians 4, and 1 John 3:2-3, Pastor McNutt emphasizes that sanctification is impossible in our own strength but is accomplished by divine grace working in us both to will and to do His good pleasure. He illustrates the put-off/put-on principle with Paul's instruction that a thief is not truly reformed until he not only stops stealing but labors to give to those in need. The sermon concludes with a personal testimony of Pastor McNutt's conversion through the hymn "And Can It Be," an exhortation to unbelievers to recognize their need for a Savior, and an encouragement to struggling believers that one day Christ will complete His purifying work in them—so they must keep fighting the battle, knowing that because of Jesus alone, we win in the end. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/14261314197302 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 04 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:36:00 no Robert McNutt https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/142619275717 In this Sunday School lesson, Pastor Dick Wittenberg expounds on Jesus' warning against false prophets from the Sermon on the Mount, emphasizing three key aspects: their danger, their deception, and their destiny. He illustrates the peril of false teaching through contrasting examples—Charles Templeton, who abandoned the faith to become an atheist, versus Billy Graham, who remained faithful to God's Word—and the tragic account of Jim Jones leading nearly a thousand people to destruction in Guyana. Pastor Wittenberg explains that false prophets are especially dangerous because they masquerade as true shepherds, wearing "sheep's clothing" to gain access to God's flock, yet inwardly remain ravenous wolves without the indwelling Spirit. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 11 and Jude, he shows that Satan transforms his ministers into apparent "angels of light," but their true character will eventually be exposed through corrupt theology producing corrupt living. The teaching concludes with the sobering reality that false prophets, like bad trees bearing bad fruit, will be cut down and cast into the eternal fire of God's judgment, urging believers to evaluate teachers by both doctrinal fidelity and personal practice. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/142619275717 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 04 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Dick Wittenberg 0:27:49 no Dick Wittenberg https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/122825195333739 In this post-Christmas message from Revelation 21:1-5, Charles Sebold directs believers' eyes beyond the manger to the consummation of all things—the New Jerusalem descending as a bride adorned for her bridegroom. He emphasizes that the covenant formula ("I will be their God, they will be my people") is wedding-vow language, revealing that the entire biblical narrative moves toward the marriage of Christ and His Church. Charles offers profound comfort to those currently suffering: God will not erase our tears but redeem them, for every tear shed in faith is "raw material of redemption," seen, counted, and transformed into glory by the One who Himself wept at Lazarus's tomb. He urges believers not to settle for a harp-and-halo caricature of heaven but to anticipate a renewed creation where God dwells with His people forever. Practically, he exhorts the congregation to rest in grace rather than white-knuckling their way to God's favor, to live as a betrothed bride marked by purity, fidelity, and longing for Christ's return, and to let the certain hope of the end shape present endurance. The teaching connects Christmas as "invasion"—God stepping into the broken world—to Revelation 21's fulfillment, calling unbelievers to enter through faith in Christ before the wedding day arrives. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/122825195333739 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 28 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:39:36 no Charles Sebold - New Year's Exhortations https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1221251949172705 In this Christmas morning message from Matthew 1:18-25, Pastor Robert McNutt examines the birth narrative of Christ by focusing on four main characters: Mary, Joseph, the angel of the Lord, and Jesus Himself. After establishing the apostolic foundation upon which the church is built, Pastor McNutt walks through Matthew's careful, Spirit-inspired account of the virgin conception, Joseph's righteous and compassionate response, and the angelic announcement. The sermon's central thrust is Matthew 1:21—"He shall save His people from their sins"—emphasizing that Jesus came not merely to make salvation possible but to actually accomplish it for His elect. Pastor McNutt applies this truth by warning against three responses to Christ: ignoring Him entirely, sentimentalizing or domesticating Him as a seasonal decoration to be pulled out only in times of crisis, or facing reality—that we are sinners under God's wrath who desperately need the Savior whom God sent. The message concludes with the hope of glorification, when believers will be delivered not only from sin's penalty and power but finally from its very presence in the new heavens and new earth. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1221251949172705 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:42:17 no Robert McNutt - Christmas https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1214251949454959 In Luke 4:38-44, Charles Sebold examines Jesus's demonstration of total authority over the spiritual and physical realms through His healing of Peter's mother-in-law, His ministry to the crowds after the Sabbath, and His silencing of demons who attempted to prematurely declare His identity. Jesus's authority is exercised in perfect submission to the Father's will, as He refuses the crowd's desire for Him to remain in Capernaum and instead departs to preach the kingdom of God elsewhere, declaring "I was sent for this purpose." Sebold contrasts this with Moses at Meribah (Numbers 20:1-13), where Moses's moment of anger and presumption—"shall we bring water?"—cost him entry into the Promised Land, warning believers that authority is granted for mission, not control, and must be wielded in humility and submission to God. The teaching concludes with the reminder that Jesus is the perfect picture of authority: He possesses all power and uses it entirely for the Father's glory and our good. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1214251949454959 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 14 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:32:35 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/121425195974450 In this fifth installment of the Advent series, Pastor McNutt explores Isaiah 9:6-7 and the magnificent names given to the coming Messiah—Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace—demonstrating that these titles reveal both Christ's divine nature and His perfect provision for every human need. The sermon emphasizes that the Messiah's kingdom will not only be perfect but will eternally increase in government and peace, a reality beyond human comprehension where each day in eternity will surpass the last. Contrasting the darkness, anguish, and rage of those without Christ (Isaiah 8:21-22) with the light, joy, and satisfaction found in Him, Pastor McNutt shows that what our hearts truly long for—righteousness, peace, and joy—cannot be found in worldly trinkets but only in the child born in Bethlehem. He connects this Old Testament prophecy to its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who preached in the very regions Isaiah foretold (Galilee, Zebulun, Naphtali), and who through His perfect life, substitutionary death, and shed blood makes sinners right with God through justification by faith alone. The sermon concludes with the glorious hope that all Old Testament prophecies find their "yes and amen" in Jesus, who will one day return to establish His eternal kingdom of perfect righteousness, justice, peace, and joy for all who receive Him as Lord and Savior. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/121425195974450 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 14 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:48:37 no Robert McNutt - Christmas https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/12725198523670 In Part 4 of his series "All the Promises of God Find Their Yes in Him," Pastor Robert McNutt expounds Isaiah 61, focusing on the mission of the Messiah and its glorious outcomes. He observes that when Jesus read this passage in the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4), He deliberately stopped before mentioning "the day of vengeance," presenting a "play with two acts"—the first being the year of grace now extended to sinners, the second being the coming judgment. Pastor McNutt emphasizes the radical transformation Christ brings: ashes exchanged for beauty, mourning for gladness, and a faint spirit for praise. The sermon's climax centers on Isaiah's botanical imagery—believers become "oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord"—offspring who bear the character of Christ through imputed and imparted righteousness. This transformation, Pastor McNutt stresses, is not primarily for the comfort of believers but for the glory of God, who displays His splendor through changed lives. Drawing the series toward its Christmas application, he reminds the congregation that the good news of great joy announced by the angels finds its substance in this Jesus who came to preach liberty, break sin's bondage, and produce a harvest of righteous oaks for His own praise and glory. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/12725198523670 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 07 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:37:19 no Robert McNutt - Christmas https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1130252037546106 In this lesson, Charles Sebold contrasts the misuse of divinely delegated authority with the perfect exercise of inherent authority. Beginning in Numbers 20, he examines Moses's failure at Meribah, where the prophet—weary of Israel's grumbling—struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it as commanded, usurping God's glory by declaring "shall we bring water for you?" This sin cost Moses entrance into the Promised Land and illustrates how even the greatest servants can abuse the authority God gives them. Transitioning to Luke 4:31-33, Charles shows the opposite: Jesus teaching in the Capernaum synagogue with an authority that astonished his hearers because, unlike the scribes who endlessly cited rabbinic tradition, He simply declared what Scripture meant. This authority belongs to Christ because He is the Word made flesh—the one who wrote Scripture, embodies it, and alone can definitively interpret it. When an unclean spirit confronts Jesus, Charles pauses to examine what Scripture actually reveals about demons, challenging listeners to set aside cultural assumptions derived from horror movies or Enlightenment skepticism and instead let the biblical text define these spiritual realities. He emphasizes that while demons are personal, evil spirits opposed to God, they remain entirely bounded by God's sovereign authority—as illustrated by Satan's limitations in Job. The lesson concludes with an exhortation to "be people of the book," approaching Scripture humbly and allowing God's Word to demolish faulty preconceptions. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1130252037546106 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 30 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:41:26 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1130252045122548 In this third installment of his Advent series on messianic prophecy, Pastor Robert McNutt expounds Isaiah 52:13–53:12, the fourth Servant Song, demonstrating that Jesus Christ is the suffering Servant prophesied 700 years before His birth. The sermon unfolds in three movements: first, the description of what happened—the rejection, suffering, and death of the Servant, whose humble origin as "a root out of dry ground" contrasted sharply with expectations of the powerful "arm of the Lord"; second, the purpose of this suffering—substitutionary atonement, wherein the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all so that sins would not be punished twice by a just God; and third, what the Servant accomplished—justification of the many and the satisfaction of God the Father, who looks upon His redeemed family from every tribe and nation with joy. Pastor McNutt emphasizes the Trinitarian nature of salvation: the Father chose before the foundation of the world, the Son accomplished redemption at Calvary, and the Spirit opens eyes to believe. He concludes with an evangelistic appeal—"Are you part of the many?"—and an exhortation that the same gospel which saves also sanctifies, urging believers to walk in Christ as they received Him. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1130252045122548 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 30 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:47:30 no Robert McNutt - Christmas https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1123251432582190 In this second installment of the Advent series examining God's promises in Isaiah, Pastor McNutt expounds Isaiah 42:1-4, identifying the Servant of the Lord as Jesus Christ—the one anointed by God's Spirit to bring justice to the nations. Through careful analysis of the "servant" motif throughout Isaiah (chapters 41-53), McNutt demonstrates how this figure is both corporate Israel and the individual Messiah who fulfills Israel's calling. The sermon emphasizes three questions: Who is this servant? (God's beloved chosen one, indwelt by the Spirit); What does He do? (He brings justice gently, not through aggressive dominance but through tender care symbolized by not breaking bruised reeds or snuffing out faintly burning wicks); and What does this mean for us? (Believers can trust Christ's compassionate, patient care even in brokenness and discouragement). Drawing from Matthew 11:28-30 and Isaiah 40:11, McNutt paints a picture of Jesus as the shepherd who disciplines in love, nurtures with warmth and acceptance, and ultimately restores His people while establishing global justice—calling the congregation to set their hope fully on Christ's faithful character and God's unbreakable promises. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1123251432582190 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 23 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:42:55 no Robert McNutt - Christmas https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1123252122394150 In this exposition of Luke 4:14-30, Charles Sebold examines Jesus' rejection at Nazareth after His temptation and initial Galilean ministry. The teaching emphasizes that Jesus operated in the power of the Holy Spirit as the model for Christian living, demonstrating how believers should likewise depend on the Spirit's empowerment. When Jesus returned to His hometown synagogue and read from Isaiah 61, the people initially marveled but quickly turned hostile when He refused to perform miracles on demand, instead confronting their hearts with examples of Elijah and Elisha ministering to Gentiles rather than Israelites. Sebold highlights the profound irony that Jesus proclaimed "the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:19) yet declared "no prophet is acceptable in his hometown" (Luke 4:24), revealing how the Nazarenes presumed to judge whether God's Messiah met their expectations. The teaching concludes with the mob's attempt to throw Jesus off a cliff and His miraculous escape, underscoring the central application: believers must stop dictating terms to God about how their lives should unfold and submit instead to His sovereign purposes, recognizing that God owes no one proof of His plans. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1123252122394150 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 23 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:41:48 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1116252011104109 In the third temptation from Luke 4:9-13, Satan takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and tempts Him to throw Himself down, quoting Psalm 91:11-12 to suggest that God's angels will protect Him. This temptation exemplifies testing God by creating an artificial crisis that demands divine intervention, treating God's promises like magical formulas that can be invoked to compel Him to act. Satan's poison pill lies in omitting the crucial phrase "in all your ways" from Psalm 91—the promise of angelic protection applies to those walking in obedience to God's will, not to those presuming upon God through self-devised tests. Jesus responds with Deuteronomy 6:16: "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." Unlike Israel who repeatedly tested God in the wilderness, Jesus succeeds where they failed, demonstrating that true faith submits to the Father's will rather than demanding that God prove Himself on our terms. We must align our ways with God's ways, trust His provision without creating crises, and avoid disguising unbelief as faith by saying "I'll trust you if you first prove yourself." https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1116252011104109 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 16 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:40:14 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/11162521119365 In this Advent sermon on Isaiah 11-12, Pastor Robert McNutt explores the prophetic picture of the Messiah who will establish a kingdom of perfect righteousness and justice. Beginning with the promise of a shoot from the stump of Jesse, McNutt traces how Christ—anointed with the Spirit—will judge with righteousness, defend the poor, and strike the earth with justice. The sermon emphasizes that the peaceful kingdom described in Isaiah 11:6-9, where the wolf dwells with the lamb, finds its ultimate fulfillment in the new heavens and new earth (Isaiah 65:17-25). Central to McNutt's message is the identification of Jesus as the "signal" or "banner" raised for the peoples (Isaiah 11:10), which He Himself interpreted as His crucifixion: "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself" (John 12:32). The cross becomes the means by which Christ changes places with sinful humanity, dying the death we deserve so we might have eternal life. McNutt concludes by pointing to Isaiah 12 as the song God's people will sing "in that day"—a song of joy and thanksgiving that echoes Israel's past deliverances and anticipates the final gathering of all nations to worship the King. The sermon's central exhortation is both evangelistic and encouraging: salvation is found in Christ alone, and for those who know Him, "the best is yet to come." https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/11162521119365 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 16 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:48:33 no Robert McNutt - Christmas https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/111625194285940 In this concluding session of the Baptist Distinctives series, Don Arndt examines the seventh distinctive—"Two Offices"—affirming that Scripture prescribes only two offices for New Testament church governance: pastor/elder and deacon. He clarifies that terms like pastor, elder, overseer, bishop, and shepherd all refer to the same leadership office, whose primary responsibilities include shepherding the flock, teaching and preaching God's Word, protecting the church from false doctrine, providing pastoral care, equipping believers for ministry, and serving as examples of godly living according to the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Deacons, originating from Acts 6, are called to serve the church's practical needs—managing facilities, visiting the sick, handling administrative duties—thus freeing pastors to focus on spiritual leadership and biblical teaching. Arndt emphasizes that confusion between these distinct roles has historically caused church problems, and that while qualifications for both offices are similar, the key distinction is the pastor's requirement to be "apt to teach." The teaching concludes with a robust Q&A session addressing congregational authority, apostolic church planting practices, and the relationship between elder-led, congregationally-governed Baptist polity. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/111625194285940 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 09 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:32:58 no Don Arndt - Baptist Distinctives https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/119251715506300 In this exposition of 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Pastor Tim Garrett examines how God uses our afflictions and scars—whether from living faithfully in a fallen world, being sinned against, or enduring the brokenness of creation—not as endpoints but as conduits of divine comfort to strengthen others. Drawing from Paul's letter to the troubled Corinthian church that valued worldly success over suffering servanthood, Garrett explains that believers are inseparably connected through both trials and comfort, like fiber optic cables transmitting light without breaking. Through illustrations ranging from the movie Jaws to his work with fiber optics, he demonstrates that our scars are meant to become tools for ministry rather than causes for bitterness or retreat. The sermon culminates in the reminder that God's most powerful work occurs in suffering—supremely demonstrated in Christ's sacrificial death—and challenges believers to ask not whether they will suffer, but how they will use their scars to minister presence, comfort, and gospel hope to fellow believers walking through their own afflictions. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/119251715506300 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 09 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Tim Garrett 0:41:48 no Tim Garrett https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/11925171867473 Charles Sebold continues his study through Luke 4, examining the second temptation of Christ in the wilderness. After 40 days of fasting, Satan takes Jesus to a high place and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, offering Him authority and glory in exchange for worship. Sebold explores the partial truth in Satan's claim to authority over worldly kingdoms, noting Scripture's testimony that Satan is "the prince of this world," "the god of this age," and "the prince of the power of the air." The teacher emphasizes that Satan's most effective lies contain 99% truth with one poisonous distortion. Jesus' response from Deuteronomy 6:13—"You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only"—affirms His deity and commitment to the Father's plan, rejecting the shortcut to His kingdom that would bypass the cross. Sebold applies this by warning against shortcuts in the Christian life, whether in relationships, finances, or spiritual growth, reminding believers that there is no substitute for following the hard path God has laid out, just as Christ did. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/11925171867473 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 09 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:31:15 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/112251628407422 In this sermon from the "Moving to the Right" series, Pastor Robert McNutt addresses the persistent challenge of worldliness in the Christian life, examining 1 John 2:15-17 and James 4:1-10. He critiques the legalistic "thou shalt not" approach to holiness that characterized many churches—emphasizing external rule-keeping over heart transformation—and instead argues that true victory over worldliness comes not through mere prohibition but through displacement: we resist the world by finding our supreme satisfaction, joy, and delight in God Himself. Drawing on Jeremiah 29:4-7, McNutt affirms that believers are called to engage the world responsibly without conforming to it, shining as lights in a crooked generation (Philippians 2:15). He emphasizes that God's grace is unlimited, that He yearns jealously over His people, and that drawing near to God—pursuing Him with all our heart, soul, and mind—is the only pathway to genuine holiness and happiness. The sermon concludes with a gospel appeal, reminding both believers and unbelievers that acceptance with God comes not through performance but through faith in Christ's finished work on the cross. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/112251628407422 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 02 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:41:10 no Robert McNutt - Moving to the Right https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/112251924452241 In this Sunday School lesson on Luke 4:1-4, Charles Sebold examines Jesus's first temptation in the wilderness, emphasizing that Satan attacked Christ's identity not by questioning His deity, but by tempting Him to act independently of the Father's will. After 40 days of fasting, Jesus was physically, emotionally, and mentally drained—pushed to the uttermost human limit—when Satan suggested He turn stones into bread to meet His legitimate need for food through illegitimate means. Jesus responded by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, affirming that life comes from trusting God's Word, not merely from eating. Sebold applies this truth personally and congregationally, challenging believers to recognize that our greatest problem is independence from God, and that true faithfulness means waiting for God's provision in His way and timing rather than taking shortcuts or feeding ourselves outside His will. The teaching stresses that Jesus, as fully human, models complete dependence on the Father for daily provision—a dependence required of every believer in every moment of life. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/112251924452241 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 02 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:35:40 no Charles Sebold https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/102725333384272 Don Arndt taught on "Regenerate Church Membership," the seventh distinctive in the "Baptist Distinctives" series at New Covenant Church. He emphasized that while choosing which church to join is voluntary, not joining a church at all is unbiblical for believers. Drawing primarily from Acts 2:41-47, Arndt explained that church membership must be limited to regenerate believers—those who can give a satisfactory testimony of salvation—because the local church is a gathering of redeemed people unified by the gospel. He addressed the necessity of membership for involvement in teaching and leadership roles, the importance of church discipline and accountability, and the danger of allowing unregenerate people to participate in church governance. Arndt stressed that believers need regular fellowship, mutual encouragement, and accountability within the body of Christ, warning against the modern trend of professing Christians who refuse to commit to a local church. He concluded by emphasizing that each member's presence matters, that the church is a family bound together by Christ's sacrifice, and that prioritizing church attendance over extracurricular activities demonstrates proper spiritual priorities. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/102725333384272 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 26 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:48:30 no Don Arndt - Baptist Distinctives https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/102625184243453 In this second sermon of the "Moving to the Right" series, Pastor McNutt exhorts believers facing spiritual fatigue to persevere in the Christian race by fixing their eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of faith. Drawing from Hebrews 12:1-14, he addresses the congregation's weariness by reminding them of the great cloud of witnesses, Christ's example of enduring the cross, and the reality that their suffering has not yet reached the point of martyrdom. The pastor emphasizes that God's fatherly discipline—though painful in the moment—is always for the believer's good, holiness, peace, and righteousness, ultimately conforming them to the image of Christ. McNutt concludes with the pastoral call to lift drooping hands, strengthen weak knees, and encourage fellow believers who struggle, all while recognizing that endurance is possible through God's sustaining grace and active presence in every trial. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/102625184243453 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 26 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:40:32 no Robert McNutt - Moving to the Right https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1026251843312600 In Luke 3:21-38, we witness the magnificent Trinitarian revelation at Jesus' baptism, where the Father audibly declares His pleasure in the Son while the Holy Spirit descends as a dove—a display of divine approval that launches Christ's earthly ministry. This passage reveals the eternal, fierce love shared within the Godhead and reminds us that when we are baptized, we identify with the very man who pleased the Father perfectly. The Father's declaration, "With You I am well-pleased," speaks to the subjective divine pleasure (related to the word for "glory") that the Father has always had toward the Son in their eternal relationship. Luke then traces Jesus' genealogy all the way back to Adam (unlike Matthew's focus on Abraham and David), emphasizing that Jesus is not merely the God of the Jews but the God of all humanity. The genealogies differ because Matthew follows Joseph's legal, kingly line through Solomon, while Luke likely traces Mary's biological line through Nathan, thereby avoiding the curse on Jeconiah while still establishing Jesus' Davidic credentials. Ultimately, this passage reminds us that God sees us in Christ and has imputed Christ's righteousness to us, enabling us to stand before Him as objects of His pleasure just as His Son is. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1026251843312600 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 26 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:39:25 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1019252155596407 In this teaching on Baptist distinctives, Don Arndt explores two interconnected principles: individual soul liberty and separation of church and state. Individual soul liberty affirms that every person—believer or unbeliever—is personally responsible before God for their beliefs and actions, free to interpret Scripture and follow their conscience without coercion. This liberty, however, is not license; it is corralled by Scripture, subject to church discipline when necessary, and exercised in charity toward weaker consciences. Arndt clarifies that this liberty does not conflict with Reformed soteriology; rather, it emphasizes personal responsibility and freedom from institutional force. The second principle, separation of church and state, asserts that government must not compel religious belief, and the church must not wield state power to enforce doctrine. Drawing on Romans 13:1–7 and historical Baptist voices like John Leland and John Smith, Arndt argues that the purpose of government is to punish evil and protect good, while the church exists to make disciples (Matthew 28:19–20). Christians are called to influence government through individual action and biblical principle, not institutional control, and must resist both the "me and Jesus" isolationism and the perversion of liberty into license. Arndt concludes by urging believers to faithfully exercise their freedom under Christ the King, who alone rules the church and conscience. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1019252155596407 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 19 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:43:39 no Don Arndt - Baptist Distinctives https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1019251932585432 In Luke 3:1-20, Charles Sebold examines John the Baptist's ministry of preparing the way for Christ through a baptism of repentance. Setting the historical context in AD 26-27 under Tiberius Caesar and various regional rulers, the teaching emphasizes that John—himself a legitimate Levitical priest—called Israel to genuine heart repentance, not mere ritual observance or genetic connection to Abraham. John's message was urgent and confrontational: he warned his hearers that they were like snakes fleeing a fire, that God could raise up children of Abraham from stones, and that the axe was already laid to the root of unfruitful trees. True repentance, John insisted, bears visible fruit—sharing with the needy, honest tax collection, and righteous conduct by soldiers. John pointed beyond himself to the Coming One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, dividing the wheat from the chaff in final judgment. Despite the severity of his message, Luke calls this "good news" because it prepares hearts for the Messiah's throne. The teaching concludes with Herod Antipas imprisoning John for rebuking his unlawful marriage to Herodias, illustrating the choice all face: submit to conviction or silence the messenger. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1019251932585432 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 19 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:36:37 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1019251947473103 In "Press On," Pastor Robert McNutt expounds Philippians 3:12-16, challenging believers to examine their spiritual progress as if undergoing an annual review. McNutt establishes that the foundation of Christian growth is the reality that "Christ Jesus has made me his own"—a declaration of God's sovereign, saving work through imputed righteousness, not human effort. Building on this foundation, the apostle Paul models the expectation: believers must press forward in sanctification, continually growing in faith, obedience, and godliness. McNutt uses the analogy of a grueling Marine Corps force march to illustrate the Christian life as a continual climb, marked by incremental progress toward the ultimate goal: the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. He warns against complacency, coasting, and waiting for ideal conditions, reminding the congregation that spiritual vitality requires ongoing effort empowered by the Holy Spirit. The sermon concludes with the assurance that the Christian journey has a glorious destination—eternity with Christ—and that there is no retirement from Kingdom service until the Lord calls us home or returns. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1019251947473103 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 19 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:38:05 no Robert McNutt - Moving to the Right https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1012252247362657 In this fourth lesson of the Baptist Distinctives series, Don Arndt teaches on the two ordinances recognized by Baptists: the Lord's Supper and Believer's Baptism. Arndt explains that Baptists use the term "ordinance" rather than "sacrament" because these practices are divine commands that do not themselves impart saving grace, which comes only through faith in Christ's finished work. Regarding the Lord's Supper, he advocates for the spiritual presence view, arguing that while communion is clearly memorial and symbolic, it is more than merely symbolic—Christ is truly present when believers gather to partake. On baptism, Arndt presents the Baptist position of believer's baptism by immersion only, demonstrating from the Greek word "baptizo" (meaning to immerse or submerge) and from New Testament examples that immersion is the biblical mode. He emphasizes that baptism symbolizes identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, serves as the first act of obedience after conversion, and should be administered only after careful examination by the local church to ensure genuine profession of faith. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1012252247362657 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 12 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:51:14 no Don Arndt - Baptist Distinctives https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1012251535561147 In Luke 2:22-35, Jesus is presented at the temple forty days after His birth to fulfill the Law of Moses regarding Mary's purification and the redemption of the firstborn. The teaching provides detailed exposition of Old Testament sacrificial practices, explaining why the firstborn belongs to God (rooted in the Passover), and the graphic reality of animal sacrifice that every Israelite family experienced. Simeon, a righteous and devout man guided by the Holy Spirit, recognizes the infant Jesus as the consolation of Israel—the fulfillment of God's promise to comfort His people. In his prophecy (the Nunc Dimittis), Simeon declares that Jesus is salvation prepared in full view of all peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to Israel. The teaching emphasizes that believers are "holy to the Lord," meaning our entire lives belong to Him as living sacrifices. Simeon also prophesies that Jesus will cause the fall and rising of many, that He will be opposed, and that a sword will pierce Mary's soul, revealing how people respond to Jesus reveals how they respond to God Himself. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1012251535561147 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 12 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:39:38 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1012251537344482 In this exposition of 2 Corinthians 4:1-7, Mark O'Neill contrasts the Old Covenant ministry of law (which brought condemnation and death) with the New Covenant ministry of the Spirit that reveals the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He emphasizes that gospel ministry is deeply personal—born from experiencing God's mercy—and must be conducted with straightforward honesty, avoiding cunning or manipulation. The sermon highlights the spiritual warfare inherent in evangelism: Satan, the god of this world, blinds unbelievers to keep them from seeing Christ's glory, but the same God who commanded light to shine out of darkness can sovereignly open hearts to believe. Believers are "jars of clay" carrying an incomparable treasure, demonstrating that the surpassing power of gospel transformation belongs entirely to God and not to human skill or eloquence. Every Christian, regardless of ability or personality, can participate in this ministry because God delights to work through ordinary people to display His extraordinary power. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/1012251537344482 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 12 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Mark O'Neill 0:32:43 no Mark O'Neill https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/10525162231525 In this exposition of Luke 2:1-21, Charles Sebold examines the historical precision of Luke's Gospel, anchoring Christ's nativity in verifiable history under Caesar Augustus and Quirinius. He explains the census regulations, Joseph and Mary's ancestral journey to Bethlehem as descendants of David, and the humility of Christ's birth in a stable. The teaching emphasizes God's sovereign grace in bypassing Jerusalem's religious establishment to announce the Messiah's birth to shepherds—society's most despised and ceremonially unclean outcasts, considered legally unreliable witnesses alongside dice players and pigeon racers. This divine reversal demonstrates that the Kingdom of God values humility, faith, and divine calling over social status, ritual purity, and human credentials. The shepherds become the first evangelists, proclaiming what God revealed to them by grace alone, foreshadowing Christ's entire ministry to sinners, tax collectors, and the marginalized. The incarnation begins in complete humility—from throne to manger—so that we might ascend from death to life through the Shepherd King announced to shepherds in David's city. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/10525162231525 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 05 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:36:45 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/10525223594470 Pastor Robert McNutt expounds the Great Commission from Matthew 28:16-20, emphasizing that Jesus possesses all authority in heaven and earth as the fulfillment of Daniel 7's prophecy of the Son of Man receiving an everlasting kingdom. Despite the disciples' wavering and weakness—illustrated by Peter's hesitation on the water—Christ commissioned them to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Triune name and teaching them all He commanded. The message underscores that the local church's mission is rooted in Christ's completed work at the cross, where He won His kingdom through death, burial, and resurrection. Believers enter this kingdom the same way—through repentance and faith in Christ—and are called to share the gospel, knowing that Christ promises to be with His people always, even to the end of the age. New Covenant Church's mission is fulfilled when God is most honored and His people are most happy through worship, mutual service, and taking the gospel to the nations, all empowered by the King of Kings who is building His church and will one day establish "Eden on steroids" in the new creation. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/10525223594470 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 05 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:35:41 no Robert McNutt https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/9292502717157 In this teaching on Baptist distinctives, Don Arndt examines the priesthood of the believer—a doctrine that radically distinguishes Baptists from Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. While Old Testament priests served as mediators offering sacrifices and maintaining ritual purity, Christ's death tore the temple veil, granting all believers direct access to God's throne of grace. Drawing extensively from 1 Peter 2:4-10, Hebrews 4:14-16, and 1 Timothy 2:5, Arndt demonstrates that Jesus is now our great High Priest, making daily sacrifices obsolete and eliminating the need for human mediators. Every believer is called to be part of a "royal priesthood," offering spiritual sacrifices of praise, service, and holy living. This means Christians have both the freedom and responsibility to read Scripture under the Holy Spirit's guidance, pray directly to the Father through Christ alone, and proclaim God's excellencies to the world. Unlike hierarchical systems where priests dispense grace and forgiveness, the New Covenant grants equal standing before God to all who trust in Christ—regardless of ethnicity, social status, or gender—making each Christian accountable to live as a priest in daily life, work, and witness. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/9292502717157 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 28 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:35:42 no Don Arndt - Baptist Distinctives https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/928251557282225 Pastor McNutt expounds Romans 7:12-13, defending the law's character against false accusations while explaining its true purpose in God's economy. Paul declares the law holy, righteous, and good, yet acknowledges it brought death to him—not because the law is defective, but because sin seized the commandment as a base of operations to deceive and kill. The law's function is not salvation but revelation—showing us both God's character and sin's exceeding sinfulness. McNutt traces this theme through Scripture, demonstrating that salvation has always been by grace through faith, with the law serving as a guardian until Christ came. The sermon concludes by applying Paul's conversion experience, suggesting the apostle was under deep conviction before Damascus, and challenges believers to prepare their personal testimonies for evangelistic opportunities. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/928251557282225 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 28 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:45:24 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/928251849407539 This lesson examines the Magnificat (Mary's song, Luke 1:46-56) and Zechariah's prophecy (Luke 1:67-80), emphasizing how both songs reveal God's covenant faithfulness to Israel while simultaneously pointing to universal salvation through Christ. The teacher explains that these are prophetic utterances announcing the births of the two greatest prophets - Jesus and John the Baptist - and demonstrates how the Holy Spirit inspired these songs while preserving each speaker's personality and knowledge. Mary's song echoes Hannah's prayer and proclaims divine reversal where the proud are humbled and the humble exalted, while Zechariah's prophecy connects Jesus to Old Testament messianic imagery (particularly the "branch" and "sunrise" terminology) and shows how John's preparatory ministry extends beyond Israel to include Gentile salvation. Both songs illustrate how God's promises to Israel remain valid while the church serves as the present agent of kingdom blessings, awaiting the future fulfillment of all covenant promises. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/928251849407539 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 28 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:43:35 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/9222510375401 In this second installment of the Baptist Distinctives series, Don Arndt explains the autonomy of the local church—the principle that all human authority for doctrine and practice resides within the congregation itself, not in external hierarchies like bishops, popes, or presbyteries. Unlike Episcopal or Presbyterian systems, Baptist congregationalism places final decision-making authority in the membership of the local church under Christ's headship. The teaching covers biblical support for this distinctive, showing that the local church has authority to handle discipline (Matthew 18:15-17), appoint leadership (Acts 6:1-7), commission missionaries (Acts 13:1-3), and regulate membership (1 Corinthians 5). Practical applications include the church's freedom to determine its own doctrines, ministries, budget, associations, and standards—all constrained only by Scripture, Baptist principles, and ultimate accountability to Christ. This autonomy requires congregational government, where the pastor leads, deacons assist, and the congregation affirms, maintaining the local church as the final earthly authority under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/9222510375401 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 21 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:37:16 no Don Arndt - Baptist Distinctives https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/92125201376422 In Romans 7:10-11, the Apostle Paul continues his vital exposition on the relationship between God's holy law and human sin, explaining through personal testimony how the very commandment that promised life proved to be death. Paul emphasizes that the problem is not the law—which is holy, righteous, and good—but sin, which seizes the law as a military base of operations and uses it as a fulcrum to deceive and destroy. The law's conditional promise ("do this and live") exposes our utter inability to keep it, particularly when we understand the tenth commandment's prohibition against coveting reveals internal, not merely external, sin. Sin's deceitfulness leads us to misunderstand the law, making us think either that external compliance is sufficient, that our situation is hopeless, that God is unfair, or that consequences don't matter. Only through recognizing our helplessness under the law can we flee to Christ, the only One who perfectly kept the law and whose substitutionary death satisfies God's righteous demands, offering justification by grace through faith alone—the same grace that sanctifies believers, freeing them from attempting to achieve holiness through law-keeping. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/92125201376422 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 21 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:42:33 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/9212520877241 In this exposition of Luke 1:26-33, the teaching explores Gabriel's announcement to Mary of Jesus' conception, emphasizing the theological significance of the virgin birth and Christ's identity. The lesson traces Luke's narrative technique of "zooming" from Jerusalem to the obscure village of Nazareth, where an ordinary betrothed virgin receives an extraordinary calling. Through careful examination of the Greek text and Old Testament allusions, the teaching demonstrates that Gabriel's greeting establishes Mary as a recipient of God's grace rather than a vessel "full of grace" as Catholic tradition suggests. The angelic declaration that her son will be "the Son of the Most High" reveals Jesus' divine nature and equality with God, while the promise of David's throne points to the Messianic reunification of all Israel. The parallel between the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary and God's glory filling the tabernacle in Exodus 40:35 provides the climactic revelation: just as God's glory pushed Moses from the tent, God's grace in Christ displaces the condemnation of the law, filling believers with divine presence. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/9212520877241 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 21 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:39:51 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/91525131555647 In this introductory session of the Baptist Distinctives series, Don Arndt establishes the foundational principle that separates Baptists from other denominations: Biblical Authority. Using the BAPTISTS acrostic (Biblical authority, Autonomy of local church, Priesthood of believer, Two ordinances, Individual soul liberty, Saved church membership, Two offices, Separation of church and state), he demonstrates that New Covenant Church identifies as Christian, Reformed-ish in soteriology, and distinctively Baptist. The teaching emphasizes that Scripture alone (sola scriptura) serves as the final authority in all matters of belief and practice, rejecting Catholic claims of equal authority between Scripture and tradition. Through verbal plenary inspiration, the Bible bears God's own authority as His inerrant, infallible, all-sufficient Word. Like the Emmaus disciples whose hearts burned when Christ opened the Scriptures, Baptists must bring their Bibles to every theological discussion, allowing God's Word to dictate belief rather than conforming Scripture to personal opinions. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/91525131555647 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 14 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Don Arndt 0:31:39 no Don Arndt - Baptist Distinctives https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/914251739548118 This teaching explores the historical context and spiritual significance of the announcement of John the Baptist's birth in Luke 1:5-25. After 400 years of divine silence since Malachi, God breaks into history through the faithful priestly couple Zechariah and Elizabeth. The lesson emphasizes God's sovereignty in orchestrating every detail of redemptive history, the significance of the temple service and incense offering as symbols of prayer ascending to God, and the contrast between Zechariah's demand for proof versus Elizabeth's simple faith. The teaching highlights how John the Baptist, as a Nazarite from birth filled with the Spirit, would come in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare Israel for the long-awaited Messiah, fulfilling Malachi's final prophecy and resuming God's redemptive plan after centuries of apparent silence. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/914251739548118 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 14 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:46:00 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/91425182503651 Pastor McNutt exposits Romans 7:7-12, focusing on Paul's personal testimony of spiritual awakening through the law's convicting power. He explains Paul's relative statements about being "apart from the law" and "alive" before understanding the true spiritual nature of God's commandments, particularly the tenth commandment against coveting. The sermon traces Paul's journey from self-righteous confidence as a Pharisee who believed himself blameless, to the devastating realization of his sinfulness when the law came with power and conviction. McNutt demonstrates how the law serves as a schoolmaster to reveal our desperate need for an alien righteousness found only in Christ, using parallel accounts from the Gospels to show the two possible reactions to God's holiness: humble repentance or hardened hatred. The message concludes with the gospel hope that those who are spiritually dead can be made alive through faith in Christ's finished work. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/91425182503651 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 14 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:44:26 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/97251847382031 Pastor McNutt expounds Romans 7:7-12 to demonstrate that sin is not merely negative behavior but a positive, powerful force that uses God's holy law as a fulcrum or base of operations to produce greater rebellion in the human heart. Using the illustration of a stuck tractor and fulcrum, he explains how sin seizes the opportunity provided by the tenth commandment's prohibition against coveting to actually produce "all kinds of covetousness" in fallen human nature. The law itself is holy, righteous, and good, but sin exploits it to awaken desires that might otherwise lie dormant, proving that the problem lies not with God's law but with the corrupt human heart that is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." McNutt emphasizes that sin works through three mechanisms: causing rebellion against God's authority, making people resent moral standards as unfair, and introducing evil thoughts that weren't previously considered. The only remedy for this extreme power of sin is the blood of Christ, who died to free believers from sin's dominion and unite them to Himself through death and resurrection. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/97251847382031 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 07 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:41:18 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/97251848154310 Charles Sebold introduces the Gospel of Luke by examining Luke 1:1-4 and providing extensive background on Luke as author. He emphasizes that Luke was a Gentile physician who traveled extensively with Paul, making him "one of us" as an outsider to the covenant people. Luke wrote as a careful documentarian, interviewing eyewitnesses to provide an orderly account for Theophilus and future generations. The teaching highlights Luke's unique perspective as a Western-minded historian who connects the real historical Jesus to Paul's gospel message, demonstrating they are the same. Sebold emphasizes Luke's themes of Jesus as the great physician, his care for outsiders (Gentiles, women, sinners), forgiveness, the Holy Spirit's role, and salvation by faith rather than works. The lesson establishes Luke as writing before 70 AD, providing the most complete narrative of Jesus's life with particular attention to the final push to Jerusalem that other gospels largely omit. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/97251848154310 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 07 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:44:06 no Charles Sebold - Luke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/83125124084527 In "The Vindication of the Law," Pastor Robert McNutt expounds Romans 7:7-12, addressing the crucial question of whether the law is sinful since it seems to increase transgression. Paul emphatically denies this charge, demonstrating instead that the law serves the vital function of revealing sin's true nature, particularly through the tenth commandment against coveting. McNutt explains that the law exposes not just external actions but the sinful desires of the heart, bringing conviction of sin that drives us to seek a Savior. The pastor emphasizes that while the law cannot justify or sanctify us, it remains holy, righteous, and good because it performs its intended purpose: showing us our desperate need for Christ. The sermon concludes with the reminder that our righteousness comes not through law-keeping but through faith in Jesus' finished work at Calvary. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/83125124084527 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 31 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:41:02 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/8242519942882 Preaching from Romans 7:1–6, Pastor McNutt contrasts the "old way of the written code" with the "new way of the Spirit," explaining that believers have died to the law in order to belong to the risen Christ and bear fruit for God. The Mosaic law written on stone functions externally and exposes sin, but in the New Covenant God writes His law on the heart by the Spirit, granting new desires and true understanding as the veil is removed in Christ. Thus the Christian's motive shifts from self‑preserving fear to grateful love, leading to freedom, adoption, and practical service in the church. The Spirit who indwells also empowers: we "work out" what God "Himself works in," so serving is not drudgery but Spirit‑enabled obedience flowing from union with Christ. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/8242519942882 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 24 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:42:29 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/817251938596075 In Romans 7:1–6 (with emphasis on v. 6), Pastor McNutt proclaims that believers—having died with Christ—are released from the Law's condemnation and inability to justify or sanctify, in order to "serve in the new way of the Spirit." Drawing on Romans 3, 6, and 2 Corinthians 3, he contrasts old-covenant, code-driven effort with Spirit-enabled transformation, insisting that salvation is not an add-on but a punctiliar new birth that produces sanctification and fruit for God. The aim of grace is holy service: freed from the old husband (the Law) we now belong to the risen Christ, bearing fruit as slaves of God who delight to obey. The urgent questions: Can you truly say "but now"—that everything has changed? And, if so, are you actively presenting your members as instruments of righteousness in the Spirit's power? https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/817251938596075 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 17 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:45:09 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/810252110491734 In Romans 7:5–6, Pastor McNutt contrasts our former state "in the flesh" with our present life "in the Spirit." Being "in the flesh" means the unregenerate condition under sin's dominion and under the law, where "sinful passions"—even aroused by the law—worked in our members to bear "fruit for death." By union with Christ's death and resurrection, we have died to the law and now "belong to another," serving in the new way of the Spirit to bear fruit for God. He rejects the "carnal Christian" as a category of believer, arguing instead for progressive sanctification: true believers are in the Spirit, though they may act carnally at times. Moralism and law-keeping cannot change the heart; only the gospel—Christ's finished work and present intercession—saves and sanctifies. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/810252110491734 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 10 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:43:11 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/8325192030556 In "That You May Belong to Another," preached on August 3, 2025, Pastor Robert McNutt expounds Romans 7:1–6, drawing on the marriage metaphor Paul uses to illustrate the believer's transformation from bondage under the Law to freedom in union with Christ. Pastor McNutt emphasizes that believers have died to the Law through the body of Christ, that they may belong to Him who was raised from the dead—Jesus Christ. This union, he explains, brings with it profound privileges: we share Christ's name, standing, spiritual riches, angelic ministry, and access to the Father. McNutt insists that this "marriage" to Christ is not optional but essential for bearing spiritual fruit. The message culminates in a call to evaluate one's relationship with Christ and to embrace the sanctifying, fruit-producing intimacy offered through His Word. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/8325192030556 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 03 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:42:24 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/727252153206344 In this sermon from Deuteronomy 8:7–20, Pastor Mark O'Neill contrasts the spiritual trials of the wilderness with the subtler dangers of prosperity in the Promised Land. While the wilderness taught Israel their desperate need for God, the Promised Land—with its abundance and ease—posed a greater threat: forgetfulness. O'Neill exhorts believers not to presume upon comfort but to remain constantly dependent on God, recognizing Him as the giver of both material and spiritual blessings. He warns against spiritual pride, self-reliance, and the illusion of control, and urges gratitude, obedience, and engagement in community as safeguards against drifting from the Lord. Drawing from C.S. Lewis's *Screwtape Letters*, Paul's teaching in Colossians and 1 Timothy, and Jesus' warning in Matthew 19, O'Neill stresses that wealth and ease are not inherently evil, but become spiritually dangerous when they dull our sense of need for God. The call is to trust, obey, and give thanks—whether in the wilderness or the Promised Land. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/727252153206344 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 27 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Mark O'Neill 0:35:02 no Mark O'Neill https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/72025195586197 In his sermon "God's Purpose in the Wilderness," preached on July 20, 2025, Mark O'Neill expounds Deuteronomy 8:1–8, urging the church to recognize God's sovereign purpose in seasons of hardship. Drawing parallels between Israel's wilderness wanderings and the trials believers face today, O'Neill teaches that God leads His people into difficulty to humble them, test their hearts, and deepen their dependence on Him. True humility, he argues, is not low self-esteem but high trust in a mighty God who provides daily sustenance—manna, clothing, even discipline—for His children. Referencing Christ's own wilderness testing in Matthew 4, the sermon calls for obedient trust rooted in relationship with "the Lord your God." With pastoral vulnerability, O'Neill shares personal suffering, affirming that God is not cruel but is a wise Father doing us good in the end. The goal is not just behavior change, but heart transformation through faith. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/72025195586197 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 20 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Mark O'Neill 0:34:58 no Mark O'Neill https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/713251849242374 In "The Glory of God's Grace in the Church," Charles Sebold unfolds Paul's towering doxology in Ephesians 1:3–14 as a singular, sweeping sentence celebrating the triune work of redemption. From the Father's eternal purpose in choosing and adopting His people, to the Son's blood-bought redemption and the Spirit's sealing guarantee, the sermon exalts the sovereign grace that undergirds salvation. Sebold vividly illustrates that this grace shines brightest against the backdrop of human sin, even declaring that there had to be sin in order for God's grace to be displayed. With references from *Les Misérables* and *Pilgrim's Progress*, he drives home the point that God's plan from eternity was to unite all things in Christ and glorify His grace through the Church. The message concludes with a call to believe the gospel, join the Church, and live for the praise of God's glorious grace. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/713251849242374 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 13 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:35:36 no Charles Sebold https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/7625199461119 In "Union with Christ," Pastor Robert McNutt expounds Romans 7:1-6 to reveal the believer's profound spiritual reality of being united to Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. Using the analogy of marriage, he explains that just as a woman is bound to her husband only while he lives, Christians have died to the Law through Christ's death and are now "married" to Christ, freed from the Law's condemnation. This union is a one-time, definitive act accomplished through Christ's penal substitutionary death, which satisfies the Law and grants believers freedom from guilt and condemnation. The sermon emphasizes that sanctification flows from this positional truth and urges believers to rest in their new identity, remembering that the Law, though holy and good, no longer has dominion over them. Pastor McNutt anchors this doctrine in several key Pauline passages (Romans 5, 6, 8; Galatians 2, 4; Ephesians 5) and concludes with assurance that nothing can separate the believer from the love of God in Christ Jesus, affirming eternal security and calling unbelievers to repentance and faith. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/7625199461119 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 06 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:35:59 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/62925115245206 Preaching from Romans 7:1–6, Pastor Robert McNutt expounds on the believer's death to the law and union with Christ as the core reality of Christian identity. Drawing on Paul's marriage analogy, he explains that regeneration brings a decisive break from our former bondage under the law, inaugurating a new relationship, purpose, and power through Christ. The Christian life is not moral reformation but resurrection life—marked by spiritual fruit, new desires, and assurance in God's fatherly love. McNutt outlines four characteristics of true Christian experience: a new life, a new relationship, a new purpose, and a new ability. He then offers tests for self-examination: delight in worship, freedom from condemnation, spiritual hunger, and a desire to serve God. Throughout, he emphasizes that salvation is grounded entirely in the atoning death and bodily resurrection of Christ, not human merit. Christians live by grace, empowered by the Holy Spirit, bearing fruit not for self but for God. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/62925115245206 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 29 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:38:24 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/6222515022741 Keith Jones preaches from Isaiah 6, expounding on the missionary call to proclaim God's glory among the nations. Framing this as both a privilege and a sacrifice, he challenges the listener to consider whether they are truly hearing and responding to God's call—be it through formal ministry, cross-cultural missions, or simple gospel witness to neighbors and coworkers. Drawing from the story of his fellow elder Paolo, Jones highlights the often-unexpected and sacrificial nature of God's call. He soberly confronts Isaiah's commission in verses 9–13, where the prophet is sent with a message destined for rejection, paralleling the slow, arduous ministry in places like Italy. Yet the message ends in hope: the holy seed, the stump, will remain—a promise of the enduring success of God's mission. The sermon closes with a call to reject worldly measures of success and embrace a life poured out in joyful obedience, trusting that God's Word will not return void. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/6222515022741 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 22 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Keith Jones 0:18:25 no Keith Jones - Missionary Reports https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/61625235542009 In his sermon "Released from the Law," based on Romans 7:1–6, Pastor Robert McNutt explains Paul's illustration of marriage as a metaphor for the believer's relationship to the law. Just as a wife is no longer bound to her husband after his death, so believers are released from the law through union with Christ's death. McNutt emphasizes that the law's dominion only extends to the living, and spiritual death in Christ frees the believer to be united to Christ in new life. This freedom does not abolish the moral law, but enables believers to truly fulfill it by the Spirit. The purpose of this release is not antinomianism but fruitfulness: just as marriage was instituted for multiplication, so too is salvation designed to produce spiritual fruit. The sermon closes with a call for unbelievers to come under grace by trusting in Christ's finished work, and for believers to remember they are empowered to bear fruit by the Spirit because they are no longer under the condemning power of the law. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/61625235542009 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 15 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:49:54 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/68251558166910 Pastor Robert McNutt preached "Overview of Romans 7" on June 8, 2025, focusing on the believer's relationship to the Law in light of justification and sanctification. Drawing a clear progression from Romans 5 through 8, Pastor McNutt emphasized Paul's logic in dismantling legalism by explaining that just as the Law could never justify a sinner, neither can it sanctify a believer. Using the metaphor of marriage, he taught that through Christ's death, believers have "died to the Law" and now belong to Christ in order to bear fruit to God. Pastor McNutt highlighted the three divisions of Romans 7: (1) verses 1–6 establish the believer's death to the Law; (2) verses 7–12 defend the Law's holiness while showing its incapacity to produce righteousness; and (3) verses 13–25 explore the inner conflict of a regenerate person striving to do right but finding sin still present. This "wretched man" tension resolves in Christ, who alone delivers us from sin's power. Pastor McNutt concluded by exhorting believers not to return to legal bondage and reminded them of the assurance found in Romans 8:1: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/68251558166910 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 08 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:39:48 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/6125203651586 Pastor Robert McNutt's sermon "The Great Contrast," based on Romans 6:15–23, draws a sharp line between the two spiritual paths available to every human being: slavery to sin or slavery to righteousness. Emphasizing Romans 6:23 as the gospel in summary, he contrasts the earned wages of sin—death—with the unearned gift of God—eternal life through Jesus Christ. McNutt illustrates these two opposing destinies with Scripture from the Sermon on the Mount and other New Testament texts, explaining the stark differences between the terms of service (wages versus gift), the masters served (sin versus God), and the ultimate outcomes (death versus eternal life). He warns against sentimental or moralistic views of righteousness apart from Christ, declaring that without regeneration and the knowledge of God through Jesus, all human goodness remains slavery to sin. The sermon concludes with an urgent gospel appeal, inviting the unsaved to repent and trust in Christ alone for salvation, while urging believers to rejoice in their justification, adoption, and future glorification. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/6125203651586 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 01 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:40:38 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/525251622303544 In this sermon on Romans 6:15–23, Pastor Robert McNutt explores the transformative identity of the believer as a "slave of God." Beginning with the tension inherent in that phrase, he traces Paul's logic through doctrine, command, and encouragement. The believer is no longer a slave to sin but has been radically and completely changed—purchased, transferred, and devoted to a new Master. Sanctification, Pastor McNutt explains, is not a feeling but a state of being set apart for God's service, leading to spiritual fruitfulness and eternal life. Drawing from John 15 and 1 Corinthians 6, he stresses that this willing slavery is not demeaning but exalting, because it conforms us to the likeness of Christ. The message concludes with a call to personal holiness, joyful surrender, and the hope of glorification as co-heirs with Christ—a reminder that though we are slaves, we are also sons, destined for eternal glory. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/525251622303544 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 25 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:41:28 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/52025116337587 Doug Dunton's sermon, "The Heart of Ministry," preached on May 18, 2025, focuses on Colossians 1:28–29, where Paul summarizes the aim and agony of gospel ministry. Dunton emphasizes three key questions: What do we do? Why do we do it? And how do we do it? The answer to all is Christ-centered discipleship. Christians are called to proclaim Christ, warning and teaching with all wisdom, not for comfort or applause, but to present everyone mature in Him. Dunton underscores that disciple-making is not optional or for the spiritually elite, but the essential calling of every believer. Ministry is likened to a marathon—arduous, joyful, and purposeful—and requires both human effort and divine empowerment. Growth in Christ is an "infinite game" pursued relationally, communally, and persistently. The cost is real—misunderstanding, loneliness, toil—but so is the eternal reward. The sermon ends with a call to examine one's life and embrace the agony of ministry as a sign of faithful labor in the Lord. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/52025116337587 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 18 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Doug Dunton 0:46:34 no Doug Dunton https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/52025175992511 In this Sunday School missionary report from May 18, 2025, Doug Dunton shares how God has used "unlikely leaders" like Gideon—and himself—to advance the gospel worldwide, particularly through his new ministry, M2R (Moving to the Right), based on Colossians 1:28–29. Dunton details his past work with Word Partners training African pastors in expository preaching and introduces M2R's new initiatives, including a Business Owners Forum discipling Christian entrepreneurs, and a deeply moving new mission focus in India. There, he partners with a courageous local leader named Praveen to rescue children from slave labor, plant churches, drill wells, and train pastors amid rising persecution. With personal stories, biblical reflection, and a global vision, Dunton challenges the church to think developmentally, move people "to the right" spiritually, and embrace God's call—even when it leads to unexpected places like quarries in Andhra Pradesh or boardrooms in San Diego. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/52025175992511 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 18 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Doug Dunton 0:47:59 no Doug Dunton - Missionary Reports https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/511252128381325 In this worldview review class, Charles Sebold leads a wide-ranging discussion on the fundamental lies modern people believe about identity, purpose, and eternity—contrasting humanist delusions of autonomy, moral relativism, and technological salvation with the objective truths of the Christian worldview. Drawing examples from Nazi Germany, Ayn Rand, and transhumanist aspirations, Sebold dismantles secular narratives that elevate self or society as ultimate. He emphasizes the biblical answer to human sin and suffering in Christ's redemptive work and the church's ongoing role in God's plan. Through the lens of "already and not yet," he explains that believers are citizens of a kingdom that is breaking into the present world, awaiting the full consummation in the resurrection and eternal reign of Christ. Eschatological topics are covered from a dispensational perspective, including the rapture, millennial kingdom, final rebellion, judgment, and the eternal state. Sebold concludes with reflections on glorification, bodily resurrection, and the believer's eternal calling to rule and rejoice in Christ's restored creation. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/511252128381325 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 11 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:45:47 no Charles Sebold - The Christian Worldview https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/5122511947797 In "Faithful to the End," Dennis concludes the Genesis series by reflecting on the final chapter of Joseph's life and legacy. Teaching from Genesis 50:15–26, he emphasizes Joseph's consistent trust in God's providence and his refusal to take vengeance on his brothers, echoing the principle "Am I in the place of God?" Dennis draws parallels between Joseph's mercy and Jesus' command to love enemies (Luke 6), urging believers to respond supernaturally—through the Spirit, not the flesh. He highlights the theological depth of Genesis 50:20, affirming that God sovereignly intends even evil for good. Joseph's prophetic trust in God's promises, even unto death, serves as a model of enduring faith. The lesson closes by tying Joseph's hope in future deliverance to Hebrews 11 and 12, urging the class to fix their eyes on Jesus and live as strangers and exiles, faithful to the very end. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/5122511947797 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 11 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Dennis Howell 0:31:16 no Dennis Howell - Genesis https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/51225125113425 In his sermon "Remember," Pastor Robert McNutt expounds Romans 6:15–23, urging believers to live faithfully by remembering both who they were in sin and who they are now in Christ. He contrasts the former slavery to sin—which bore shameful, fruitless works and led to death—with the new identity of being slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification and eternal life. Using vivid imagery and doctrinal clarity, McNutt explains that unbelievers, no matter how moral, are "free" from righteousness, meaning they are not governed by God's standards and are instead enslaved to self and sin. He draws from Ecclesiastes, Philippians 3, and Isaiah 64 to demonstrate the futility of self-made righteousness and highlights Christ's substitutionary death as the only means of receiving true righteousness. With pastoral warmth, he calls unbelievers to repent and believe, echoing the plea of the thief on the cross: "Remember me." This message equips believers with a potent "bullet" for sanctification: the memory of grace that compels a life of obedience. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/51225125113425 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 11 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:46:04 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/5425232564729 Charles Sebold taught on the nature of curses, particularly addressing the question of so-called "generational curses" from a biblical worldview. He began by defining curses as essentially the opposite of blessings, reviewing scriptural examples from Genesis, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, and James. He emphasized that while some Old Testament curses had generational consequences, they were largely tied to covenantal disobedience under the Mosaic law. In the New Testament, the concept of the curse is simplified and focused through Christ, who "became a curse for us" (Galatians 3), thereby removing the curse from believers. Sebold argued that though sins and consequences may naturally affect subsequent generations, Ezekiel clarifies that people are judged for their own sins, not their ancestors'. He concluded that Christians should not fear generational curses, for in Christ there is "no condemnation" (Romans 8:1), and that sin patterns can be broken by grace and repentance. The focus should remain on Christ's finished work, not superstition or blame-shifting. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/5425232564729 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 04 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:41:20 no Charles Sebold - The Christian Worldview https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/5525030294952 Pastor Robert McNutt expounded Romans 6:15–23, focusing on Paul's exhortation to present ourselves as slaves to righteousness just as we once presented ourselves as slaves to sin. Emphasizing that our members (faculties and personality) remain fundamentally the same after conversion, Pastor McNutt argued that sanctification involves using those same capacities for godly purposes. Rejecting the notion of needing a "second blessing" or deeper experience beyond conversion, he taught that believers already possess everything needed for godliness, citing Philippians 2 and 2 Peter 1. Sanctification is not passive surrender but active obedience flowing from our union with Christ. McNutt challenged hearers to assess their priorities in time, energy, perseverance, and money, calling them to wholeheartedly serve Christ with the members once given to sin. Ultimately, sanctification is reasonable in light of Christ's redemptive work, and achievable through divine power already granted to believers. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/5525030294952 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 04 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:43:36 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/427251828205120 In this Sunday School teaching on April 27, 2025, Charles Sebold emphasized that Scripture alone must define our worldview, particularly regarding controversial topics like gender, sexuality, marriage, and authority. Drawing from Genesis, Romans, and 1 Corinthians, he defended the created distinction between male and female as central to God's design, rejecting cultural attempts to redefine identity. Sebold argued that gender and sexuality are rooted in the nature of creation itself and image deeper theological truths about the Trinity and Christ's relationship to the Church. He critiqued modern trends like transgenderism, homosexuality, polygamy, and even radical singleness (MGTOW), stressing that rebellion against God's created order leads to personal and societal destruction. Throughout, he urged the class to submit their thinking fully to biblical authority rather than cultural norms. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/427251828205120 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 27 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Charles Sebold 0:43:55 no Charles Sebold - The Christian Worldview https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/427251832375628 Pastor Robert McNutt preached "Natural Limitations" on April 27, 2025, expounding Romans 6:15–23. He focused on verse 19, where Paul explains using human analogies to account for believers' natural limitations—the fallen mind's inability to fully grasp spiritual truth without the Spirit's illumination. McNutt clarified that Paul's slavery analogy teaches believers that though freed from sin, they are now bondservants of righteousness, compelled not by tyranny but by Christ's love. He warned against twisting Scripture due to spiritual dullness and called Christians to grow through disciplined study and obedience, moving from spiritual milk to meat. The sermon emphasized total depravity, the necessity of the Holy Spirit for salvation and understanding, and the call to mature discernment through consistent application of God's Word. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/427251832375628 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 27 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:44:58 no Robert McNutt - Romans https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/427251921145855 Dennis Howell's lesson, *You Are Forgiven*, explores Joseph's mercy toward his brothers in Genesis 50:15–21, revealing how their guilt resurfaces after Jacob's death despite Joseph's consistent kindness and explicit forgiveness. Howell draws a parallel to how believers sometimes struggle to believe in God's forgiveness, leading to spiritual unrest and works-based anxiety. Using Joseph as a model, he emphasizes that true forgiveness reflects a trust in God's sovereignty and goodness, both toward ourselves and others. The lesson ties together themes of divine grace, biblical forgiveness, and the believer's call to forgive like God forgives—without remembering wrongs, harboring resentment, or spreading the offense. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/427251921145855 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 27 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Dennis Howell 0:35:11 no Dennis Howell - Genesis https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/420251841342786 In his Resurrection Day sermon "Resurrection Questions," Pastor Robert McNutt preaches from Matthew 28, addressing two pivotal issues: Did the resurrection really happen? And what difference does it make? He affirms the historical reality of Christ's resurrection, citing biblical eyewitnesses and historical plausibility. From there, he expounds on three profound implications: the defeat of death, the gift of resurrection life, and the call to live for eternal purposes now. Drawing on Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 15, and 1 Thessalonians 4, he emphasizes that union with Christ grants believers both present assurance and future hope. Pastor McNutt weaves doctrinal truths with personal reflections and pastoral exhortations, calling both unbelievers to repent and believe, and believers to live joyfully and missionally. Anchoring the message is the Gospel call: "Look and live." The sermon ends with the church's mission — worship God, serve one another, and take the Gospel to the nations — grounded in the risen Christ's authority and abiding presence. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/newcovenantgc/sermons/420251841342786 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 20 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Robert McNutt 0:43:10 no Robert McNutt - Easter