Sermons on Fuller:

Overcome Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Feb 1, 2010

How does suffering affect our ability to minister? As Jesus is overcome with grief how is it that He ended up with compassion, not bitterness?

Back in 2006 my wife and I were presented with an opportunity—go to Kenya and minister to folks who have been unreached by other organizations. On one hand it was an obvious opportunity and a way to serve God by spreading the gospel. On the other hand I was scared to death. We were going to a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:1-21

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The Power Of Positive Repentance

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Aug 2, 2011

Taking criticism is one of the hardest things for us humans. When it comes to God's critique of our lives, and areas He needs to touch, we often react with our natural human defenses. But Paul in addressing the subject with the Corinthian church, gives us

What happens when you realize you’ve blown it? You have done something, said something, held an attitude about something—and somehow you get called on the carpet. Perhaps it’s by the Holy Spirit, maybe by a Bible study, or listening to a sermon, or even someone else telling you ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 7:2-16

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Positive Giving

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Aug 8, 2011

What motivates you to give? The Corinthians had an easy time setting unrealistic giving goals that set them up for failure, but a hard time giving in a way that released the gift to God and brought Him glory. In this chapter Paul gives us some valuable le

Giving is one of those subjects that pastors either ignore or really focus on. For us at Calvary Chapel, we teach through the Scriptures so when a chapter comes along on any particular subject then we teach it. Giving should be a part of every growing Christian’s experience, and I’m not ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-24

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

What You Get When You Give

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Aug 15, 2011

What happens when you give of your time, talents, and money? Many ministries teach that you will receive a material blessing for material giving. I think they completely miss the mark. Paul, in this chapter, sets out a wonderful pattern of the true result

Last time we talked about the motivation behind giving, and the process for how to give: it comes from the word “generosity” which means simplicity, sincerity, and singleness. We give who we are, and what we have, back to the Lord who owns it all, for Him to take our simple gifts given ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

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

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Sep 11, 2011

This question haunts many of us, especially as Christians. We think that things should go well if we are blessed of the Lord. When bad things happen, even seemingly disconnected things like losing a job or getting into an accident, we wonder why? Paul won

Finally here in the latter half of Chapter 11, Paul defends himself to the super-apostles by listing his accomplishments. He does it very reluctantly as he should. Taking credit for what you’ve done was normative for the false teachers in Corinth but is “this age” thinking. God is ...read more

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

How Will God Find You?

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Sep 18, 2011

Many times we as Christians live our lives in the dark. We think we are reasonably good people trying our best. But our past, our associations, the flesh, and the culture around us, conspire to blind us to many things that are not like the Lord going on i

The church today is in trouble. Two recent surveys show that church attendance, even among professing Christians, is way down. Many people today also feel that while they acknowledge faith in Jesus, also want a Burger King style religion—the “have it your way” mentality of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:11-21

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Gifts Of The Holy Spirit - Part 2 Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Mar 21, 2011

There is a great deal of controversy today about the use of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. Many more charismatic denominations feature 1st Corinthians 14 as a way of encouraging the use of spiritual gifts, but a close reading of the passage doesn’

Chapters 12, 13, and 14 address a problem Paul had with how the Corinthians were acting in their church services. They had fallen in love with the spiritual gift of Speaking in Tongues. In Chapter 12, Paul talks about how there are a variety of gifts, not just Speaking in Tongues, and that the gift ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:1-40

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The Resurrection Part 1 Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Mar 27, 2011

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the very heart of Christianity. If there was no resurrection then there is no Christianity. Period. Want to know why it is so important? Paul's got that answer.

Plain and simple, the gospel of Jesus Christ stands or falls on the resurrection. The resurrection is the culmination of what we call “the Christ event,” which includes the birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without the resurrection, the gospel is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-34

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 Do You Belong To? Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Sep 16, 2010

Often times we think of our society today as so different from Bible times. But it may surprise you that the things facing the Corinthians are much the same as today, and so is God's grace!

1st Corinthians was written in A.D. 56 from Ephesus at the close of Paul's 3 year residence there (Acts 20:31, 1 Corinthians 16:5-8). Paul's relationship with the Corinthian church is in Acts 18:1-18. He met Aquila and Priscilla there and taught in a house next door to the synagogue for 18 months. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Don't Worship Your Pastor Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Sep 20, 2010

You might never think of yourself as worshiping your pastor. But that's just what has happening in Corinth and it happens in churches all over the world to this day. What are the dangers, how to spot it, and how to avoid it are the subject of part two in

It had been only 18 months since Paul left his newly formed church at Corinth. A trusted family had filled him in on what had happened to this fledgling body: fights, divisions, class envy, a return to paganism, and out and out sin. I picture Paul pulling his hair out and tearing his clothes as he ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Denomination: Calvary Chapel