Sermons on Fuller:

Who Is Better?

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Aug 29, 2011

It is human nature to compare ourselves to one another. We do it all of the time very naturally and almost without noticing it. That's what was happening in Corinth and it was giving the Corinthians a false impression about who to trust.

There is an old saying “appearances can be deceiving.” Or: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” In the case of the Corinthians, those sayings apply very well. They fell into a trap that many of us fall prey to, using human senses to judge spiritual realities. In this ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:1-18

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Don't Put Yourself Above The Gospel Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Dec 28, 2010

What's permissible for me to do once I believe in Jesus Christ? The answer to that question is actually tied up in how Jesus wants to use you in spreading the gospel. Learn in this lesson how to put His love above your freedom.

As we begin chapter 8, Paul answers a second question the Corinthians posed. And for that I want to mention two things: 1. I want to go back to what I’ve said throughout this study. As believers in Jesus Christ we are first being transformed into the character of God (Rom 12:1 , 2 ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

What Good Are You? Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jan 3, 2011

Sometimes we feel like God has to completely change us in order to use us. Paul shows us that God takes the background, weaknesses, and even difficulties and uses them for His kingdom, if we let Him.

Who are you as a person? Who are you as a Christian? Do those two questions get two different responses from you? I think often times we think that when we come to Christ, Jesus basically considers us to be a blank slate that needs to be redrawn into the character of Jesus and that everything about ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Don't Let Temptations Sink You Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jan 10, 2011

Though so often we start out with such good intentions, things happen in our life to trip us up from serving God. What are those things and how can we avoid them?

Paul has just gotten finished encouraging us to pursue our relationship with the Lord and our being used by Him in the furtherance of the gospel like we were competing for the Olympic games, or in a boxing match where winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing! It’s a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Don't Let Temptations Sink You

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jan 10, 2011

Though so often we start out with such good intentions, things happen in our life to trip us up from serving God. What are those things and how can we avoid them?

Paul has just gotten finished encouraging us to pursue our relationship with the Lord and our being used by Him in the furtherance of the gospel like we were competing for the Olympic games, or in a boxing match where winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing! It’s a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

What's More Important: You Or The Gospel? Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jan 18, 2011

We have a lot of sources that would like us to imitate them: sports stars, movie stars, politicians, movers and shakers, even religious icons and leaders. Though we know we should imitate Jesus Christ, it is often hard for us to do that because He isn't h

In the latter half of chapter 10 Paul comes back to the argument he was making in 8 about food offered to idols. The Corinthians were arguing with Paul that because idols aren’t anything, and certainly aren’t gods, that eating food sacrificed to them was of no consequence. Paul tells ...read more

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Letting The Gospel Shine Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jan 25, 2011

1st Corinthians 11 is one of the most controversial and misunderstood sections of Paul's writings. We'll explore it using culture, context, character, and language to find out what Paul is and is not saying to the Corinthians and to us today.

The first thing to know about this section is that it is not about marriage or the role of women in the church. It is about having respect in worship for each other within our culture. Just prior, Paul was telling us to have respect for the conscience of others who are weak in terms of the freedoms ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Who Am I More Important Than? Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jan 30, 2011

Divisions are never good in the body of Christ. But when the divisions take place over a celebration of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, things get serious real fast. In this lesson, we learn about avoiding the things that separate us, and clinging to that

Among the many problems of the Corinthian church was division. Earlier in the letter he talked about division around choosing one leader over another. In the second half of chapter 11 he focuses on another type of division that was splitting the Corinthian church: the division of rich and poor and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:17-35

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit - Part 1 Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Feb 7, 2011

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit has split churches and The Church for thousands of years. Paul delves into this lively and controversial subject in the next three chapters of 1st Corinthians. His reason for the discussion is not to provide a complete guide t

Chapter 12 might look to some as a right turn in the letter—Paul introducing a totally new subject that has nothing to do with what came before. Although it appears to an answer to yet another question from the Corinthians, the undertone of the letter continues—“let the gospel shine brighter than ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The Resurrection Part 2 - Are You Ready? Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Apr 4, 2011

Do you ever hear those commercials for beds where they are giving big discounts on last year's model when the only difference is the fabric? As we study the second half of 1st Corinthians 15, we will look at our new model of resurrected body. But it's far

My granddaughter got a cool 4 wheeled toy vehicle for her 1st birthday that she can ride and it’s battery powered. But what is that compared to a big 4 wheel Pickup truck? That’s sort of like comparing this body with the resurrection body. The body we have in this age is like one of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Principals For Giving – Principals For Living Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Apr 11, 2011

Often times as a Christian we think that what we do only affects us. In reality the body of Christ is an intertwined unit and who we are and what we do does indeed impact others for good or not. With that in mind, the Apostle Paul gives some parting but v

Usually people ignore the final chapters of many of Paul’s letters. They are usually filled with last minute instructions, greetings, and signatures. We don’t know who many of the people are, and already know who Paul is, so we skip over these sections. But in 1st Corinthians 16 there ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 16:1-24

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Come Out Of Hiding - Part 2

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Apr 25, 2011

For some of us, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a reminder, not of the victory over death, but the death of victory in our lives. We fear really relishing in the resurrection because of our own failures, fears, and weaknesses. If that's you, then I've

The first Resurrection Sunday was not a happy day for the most part. For the disciples it was a day to cower in fear that they were next to be hauled away and crucified. It was a day of extreme sorrow for the women who loved Jesus so. It was a day of fear and dread for the Roman soldiers who ...read more

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The Purpose Of Suffering

Contributed by Tom Fuller on May 2, 2011

Why do we go through hard times? Is it because God is not pleased with us? Is it that we just must suffer in order to really be deserving of God's grace? Though the reasons might be many (and those two are not among them), Paul gives us one of the most im

Having received a very stern letter from the Apostle Paul, you’d think that God’s problem church, Corinth, would have gotten their act together. The church was rife with pastor worship, division, misuse of spiritual gifts and the Lord’s supper, class distinctions, tolerance of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Who's Using You?

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jun 13, 2011

How do respond when someone hurts you? Is it with veiled hatred and open contempt? The Apostle Paul had to deal with just such a situation and how he handled it can help us to deal with pain in a godly way.

Sometimes the right thing to do is confront bad behavior or attitudes. As a leader there have been times when I have had to call someone on the carpet. It’s never easy and too often that person does not receive the exhortation or even rebuke well. As a leader, my job is to protect and nurture ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:1-17

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Leaning Against Legalism

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jun 20, 2011

We often measure our success by how closely we stick to a set of expectations - whether on the job, at home, or in our walk with the Lord. We do good, we feel good - we do bad, we feel bad. But measuring success is really much different in a relationship

When you apply for a job you supply your resume—it’s that collection of information that tells why you are qualified for a particular position. Until not too long ago, a very important thing to have when going to a new area was a letter of recommendation. We still use them occasionally. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:1-18

Denomination: Calvary Chapel