Sermons on Fuller:

Radical Trust Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jul 2, 2012

Mark wrote nothing by accident in his gospel. Just prior to the arrest of Jesus, he presents a stark contrast between those who think they have it all and those who have nothing. Which group is which? The answer may surprise you.

As we begin this portion of Mark 12, Jesus has just finished his series of debates with the religious leaders. They’re done, but Jesus isn’t. He came to Jerusalem to first proclaim His hostile takeover—retaking for God the thing man had conformed to his own image. He proclaimed ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:38-44

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Looking To The End Times Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jul 9, 2012

There is a lot of excitement generated in the Christian community around the return of Jesus. Jesus' men were excited too, but what Jesus tells them is not a timeline or series of events, but how they should act while waiting. It's good advise for us too

There’s one thing that is pretty clear—no one understood Jesus’ mission as the ultimate action hero. The people that followed Him closely were starting to get that He was the Messiah—but what did that mean? As I’ve mentioned several times in our journey through Mark, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 13:1-23

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

Maturing Is Hard To Do - But It's Worth It!

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Sep 26, 2011

Too often as Christians we take short cuts to maturity. In reality the only way to become complete is to let the Lord take you through difficulty and make you seem to "fail." In the process He builds life and a character in you that will lead you into His

We all have a decision to make. After we become a disciple of Jesus Christ the culture around us, our own brokenness, and an invisible enemy—will all try to mitigate the work that the Holy Spirit is doing inside of us: transforming us into a new character. The decision we have to make is how ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:1-13

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Any Other Gospel Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Oct 3, 2011

Without attention and energy, we humans will default back to our flesh pleasing ways even after coming to Jesus. That's where the lie of legalism is so pervasive. Paul begins his battle against legalism by contrasting human achievement with grace.

We humans love to accomplish things. It’s so we can tell whether we are a success or not. This is also true when it comes to pleasing God. “Lord, I prayed and read your Word for an hour today.” “Father, I refrained from clobbering that guy who cut in front of me.” We ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 1:1-23

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Don't Go Under The House! Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Oct 10, 2011

What do you rely on for how you behave? That might seem like a simple question but who and what influences you can mean the difference between relying on your own abilities or falling on the grace of Jesus. The answer is simple: die!

We start out so well. We come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and we’re filled with excitement and that “first love” feeling. Once the realities of the flesh with dwell with and the world we dwell in begin to sink in—we face a fork in the road of our Christian maturity. ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:1-21

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Billboards And Contract Law Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Oct 17, 2011

If we're not supposed to follow the law to please God, then what is its purpose? Do we ignore it altogether? Paul wants the Galatians to understand the two main purposes of the law.

Driving down the freeway there are two types of signs we encounter: billboards and direction signs. Direction signs tell us of upcoming exits and towns. Billboards advertise products and services to us. It’s important that billboards use a graphic that grabs the attention and no more than ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 3:1-26

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

A New Family Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Oct 24, 2011

Are you happy with the family you grew up with? Chances are you aren't and that even now your vision of family is tainted. But what if you could have the perfect family and perfect relationships? Believe it or not, it is possible, with a family you have b

Today as we venture through the last verses of Chapter 3 and into Chapter 4, Paul reminds us that we have a new family relationship—different than what we came from, and that in this family How you relate to your family of origin can affect how you relate to the family of God that you have ...read more

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Riding The Fence Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Nov 1, 2011

More times than we would probably like to admit, we slip into legalism. It can happen when God takes too long to answer a prayer, or answers in a way we don't expect. We take over the reigns, and it's a mistake!

To continue Paul’s arguments against legalism he turns again to a story in the Old Testament. This time it is the children that God promised to Abram. The issue is whether you let God fulfill His promise of righteousness in you, or whether you want to take the controls and do it yourself. ...read more

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The War Within Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Nov 7, 2011

Being human we are born with certain default settings that drive us to think in certain ways. When we become a Christian a war starts between a new nature seeking to establish a beachhead and take over and the old regime that wants to stay in control.

The human mind is self-rationalizing. In other words, we will rationalize our thoughts and actions according to ourselves, rather than to some external source. Even when we read something or hear something and alter our behavior, it is because we choose to believe that thing we read or ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:13-18

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The Real You Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Nov 21, 2011

What is God like? Is your opinion of God based on an aloof, disconnected, or angry vengeful powerful being who is stern and judgmental? What would He be like if you ran into Him on the street? It might surprise you, but God is a lot like Galatians5:23-26.

I had the opportunity to drive in a foreign country recently. At first I tried to use Google Maps directions but ended up hopelessly lost and confused. Finally I discovered that in this particular country you could find your ultimate destination by just getting to the next community. There would ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:23-26

Denomination: Calvary Chapel