Solid Rock Sermons - Riverdale, MD

Curt Allen, 4/28/26

In this message, Pastor Curt revisits the doctrine of justification and assurance to clarify how it should function in the Christian life. Justification—being declared righteous before God—is meant to stabilize our identity and encourage perseverance, not produce doubt or false certainty. Believers should have confidence that they are running the race of faith, but Scripture never teaches that we can claim we have finished it while we are still running. Like Paul in Philippians 3, maturity means pressing forward toward Christ rather than assuming we have already arrived. The sermon then turns to the story of the rich young ruler in Mark 10. The man approached Jesus with humility and genuine obedience, yet Jesus exposed the one thing he lacked. The issue was not merely money but what his heart treasured most. When faced with the trade—earthly security for eternal treasure—he walked away sorrowful. The key lesson is that many believers resemble the rich young ruler. We may know Scripture, have a history of obedience, and still cling to something we value more than Christ. The deeper problem is often a lack of eternal perspective. Scripture repeatedly motivates believers with future rewards and life with God. When eternity fades from our focus, compromise becomes easier. But when eternity motivates us, we keep running the race until the finish.

In this sermon, Pastor Curt challenges what he calls the modern church’s “theology of trying to”—the belief that Christian obedience mainly consists of continually attempting to obey God while expecting repeated failure to be normal and acceptable. He argues that this mindset comes from Satan twisting biblical truth, much like the serpent did in Genesis by questioning God’s word. Instead of denying Scripture outright, the enemy distorts it, producing half-truths that lead to full deception. The message focuses on the doctrine of justification by faith, explaining its biblical origin in Genesis 15:6 and its development through Paul’s writings in Romans and Galatians. While justification rightly teaches that we are declared righteous by faith and not by works of the Mosaic law, Pastor Curt warns that the modern church often misapplies this doctrine by separating faith from transformation. Paul and James, he argues, were not contradicting each other—both taught that genuine faith produces a life that continues believing and obeying God. Using Abraham as the model, the sermon shows that the declaration of righteousness in Genesis 15 was validated through a lifetime of obedience, culminating in Genesis 22. The call for believers today is not casual belief but persevering faith—living lives that continually place ourselves and our desires on the altar before God.

This sermon continues the series examining the first three statements of Satan in Genesis 3 and how those same deceptions still influence believers today. The focus is Satan’s claim that eating the fruit would make Eve “like God, knowing good and evil.” Pastor Curt explains that this statement attacks identity and subtly implies that God approves of compromise. In the modern church, this lie often appears in the phrase, “God knows my heart,” suggesting that sincere attempts are enough even when obedience is inconsistent. The message argues that Scripture does not frame the Christian life around trying but around conquering. The New Testament consistently uses language of striving, diligence, training, and victory rather than casual attempts. While the Bible acknowledges that believers stumble, it does not assume failure as the normal trajectory. Instead, grace trains believers toward holiness and empowers them through the Holy Spirit to overcome sin. The core warning is that many believers have become comfortable with compromise and have lost confidence that real transformation is possible. The call of the sermon is to shift from the mindset of “I’m trying to obey” to “I’m training to obey,” trusting that God’s Spirit enables believers to conquer sin rather than merely manage it.

This message continues Solid Rock’s focus on removing distraction and pursuing maturity in Christ. Drawing from Colossians 1:28–29 and 2 Corinthians 11:1–3, pastor Curt shares his burden to present the church “mature in Christ,” warning that believers can be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Jesus. Returning to Genesis 3, he highlights Satan’s lie: “You will not surely die,” explaining that this is the root belief behind compromise—the idea that there are no real consequences. Compromise often dresses itself as obedience, as seen in Saul’s partial obedience in 1 Samuel 15 and Peter’s hypocrisy in Galatians 2. Even small compromises create spiritual distance from God. Though God is omnipresent, relational nearness is conditional: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4). When distance becomes normal, believers settle for emotional highs instead of daily surrender. The call is not condemnation but imitation—humble, contrite, obedient pursuit of God. Instead of protecting comfort through compromise, we are invited to conquer through submission, trusting that intimacy with God is worth the cost.

This sermon explored how belief and conviction are formed by examining the first recorded words of Satan and the first recorded words of Jesus in Scripture. Building on last week’s discussion of belief, conviction, and compromise, Pastor Curt reframed the question: What do we need to believe in order to have a deep conviction that does not compromise? The message showed that the core battle is not primarily about behavior, but posture—specifically, suspicion versus submission to God’s Word. Satan’s first words in Genesis introduced suspicion: questioning God’s Word, presuming on God’s character, and offering a version of godlikeness without God. Each statement subtly invited reinterpretation rather than outright rebellion. In contrast, Jesus’ first recorded words revealed submission: confidence in God’s Word, obedience to God’s will, and complete dependence on what God has spoken. From His childhood declaration in the temple, to His baptism, to His response to temptation in the wilderness, Jesus consistently trusted, fulfilled, and lived by God’s Word. The sermon emphasized that temptation succeeds when we grow suspicious of what God has said, leading us to revise truth to suit ourselves. True obedience flows from submission, not confusion. To grow in conviction and resist compromise, believers must examine whether their posture toward Scripture is one of suspicion or surrender.

This sermon continued the church’s ongoing reflection on the question, “Where are you?” by reframing it into a deeper examination of belonging: What does it mean to belong to God? Drawing from three key scenes in the book of Daniel, the message traced a consistent pattern—belief in God shapes conviction, and conviction determines whether or not we compromise. In Daniel 1, Daniel’s refusal to defile himself with the king’s food showed that conviction is a pre-decided posture, not a last-minute emotional reaction. His resolve flowed from identity, not circumstance, even when obedience was costly and uncertain. In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego demonstrated a faith that trusted God’s power without demanding guaranteed outcomes, choosing obedience even in the face of death. In Daniel 6, an older Daniel modeled lifelong faithfulness, refusing to stop praying openly despite threats to his life, showing that conviction can endure beyond youthful zeal. The sermon then turned inward, challenging listeners to examine their own “obedience threshold”—the unspoken “I will obey God unless…” that leads to compromise. True maturity, the pastor argued, is not arrival but embracing a posture of self-denial, where life revolves around God rather than fitting Him into leftover time. The call was to remove the “unless,” allowing belief to form deep conviction that resists compromise, not just on Sundays, but throughout everyday life.

This message focused on the connection between intimacy with God and real transformation, emphasizing that holiness is not achieved through effort alone but through abiding in God’s presence. The sermon began in Genesis 3, where Adam hides from God, highlighting humanity’s instinct to withdraw rather than engage. God’s question, “Where are you?” is not meant to condemn but to invite honesty and repentance. The pastor then explored distraction, noting that it is often not sinful things but misplaced priorities—and ultimately the self—that pull our attention away from God. Using Peter’s life as a case study, the sermon showed how a genuine believer can both confess Christ faithfully and, moments later, resist God’s purposes when personal expectations take over. Peter’s rebuke of Jesus revealed a mind set on human concerns rather than God’s plan. Yet Peter’s story is ultimately hopeful: despite inconsistency, failure, and denial, Jesus did not abandon him. Instead, He prayed for him, restored him, and continued to use him. The sermon concluded by urging believers to examine their responses, recalibrate regularly, and intentionally set their minds on the things of God. Growth may look different in different seasons, but perseverance, humility, and intimacy with Christ remain essential.

This sermon continued the church’s focus on being in awe of God by addressing how distraction undermines intimacy with Him and leads to spiritual drift. Pastor Mike emphasized that transformation into Christlikeness does not come through effort, gifting, or activity, but through the presence of God. Holiness, which Scripture says is necessary to see the Lord, flows out of intimacy with Him rather than religious performance. Using Hebrews 2, the message warned believers to “pay much closer attention” to the gospel so they do not drift away—not through open rebellion, but through neglect. Drift was described as subtle and often unintentional, marked by spiritual apathy, postponed obedience, and diminished attentiveness to God. The pastor illustrated this personally and biblically, showing how even good or necessary things can slowly replace intentional dependence on the Lord. The sermon culminated in Jesus’ interaction with Mary and Martha in Luke 10. Martha loved and served Jesus but was distracted, anxious, and demanding. Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen. Jesus affirmed Mary’s choice as the “one necessary thing.” The message called listeners to examine their prayer lives, priorities, and distractions, and to return to a posture of listening, presence, and attentiveness so that intimacy with God can again fuel genuine transformation.

This sermon is centered on God’s question to Adam in Genesis 3: “Where are you?”—a question that still confronts every person today. God was not seeking information, but inviting broken people back into His presence. The message reminds us that after sin entered the world, humanity began hiding from God, even though He continued to pursue them with grace. In the same way, God calls us now, not because He is unaware of our condition, but because we often are. Pastor Mike emphasized that knowing where we are spiritually determines how we live spiritually. Drawing from Ephesians 6 and 1 Peter 5, we were reminded that we live in a real spiritual battlefield, even when we don’t recognize it. Strength for this conflict does not come from effort, knowledge, or morality, but from positioning ourselves in intimacy with God. Being “strong in the Lord” means allowing ourselves to be strengthened through time in His presence. Much of the sermon warned against neglect rather than outright rejection. Distraction, busyness, and misplaced priorities slowly cause us to drift. God continues to call—through Scripture, prayer, quiet nudges, and conviction—and the question remains whether we will respond. The call is simple: come to Him, treasure Him, and refuse to treat intimacy with God as optional.

Curt Allen, 12/28/25

Curt Allen, 12/21/25

Curt Allen, 12/14/25

Curt Allen, 12/10/25

Curt Allen, 11/30/25

Curt Allen, 11/23/25

Mike Dickson, 11/9/25

Curt Allen, 11/2/25

Curt Allen, 10/19/25

Curt Aleen, 10/12/25

Curt Allen, 10/7/25

Curt Allen, 9/29/25

Curt Allen, 9/22/25

Curt Allen, 9/14/25

Curt Allen, 9/7/25

Mike Dickson, 8/31/25

Mike Dickson, 8/24/25

Mike Dickson, 8/17/25

Mike Dickson, 8/10/25

Mike Dickson, 8/24/25

Curt Allen, 7/27/25

Curt Allen, 6/29/25 Text: 1 Peter 1:10-12, Genesis 12:1-3, 13:16, 15:5, 32:28, 41:50-52, 48:5, 14-19, Exodus 12:38, 43-49, 19:1-8, Jeremiah 31:31-34, John 4:39-42, Galatians 3:26-29, Romans 2:25, 9:1-8

Curt Allen, 6/15/25

Curt Allen, 6/1/25

Curt Allen, 5/25/25

Curt Allen, 5/18/25

Curt Allen, 5/11/25

Curt Allen, 5/5/25

Today we're taking the cheat codes we've learned thus far and applying them to a bible story we're all familiar with: David and Bathsheba. Curt shows the cheat codes in action in David's heart and thoughts. By examining his life, we can make connections to our own.