Trinity Church of Portland Sermons
Christ-centered preaching from Trinity Church of Portland, a Reformed congregation in Portland, Oregon. New sermons are added weekly from their Sunday worship services.
Episodes
Matthew 6:5-15
In this sermon on Matthew 6:5-15, Pastor Andrey Gorban explores Jesus' teaching on prayer within the Sermon on the Mount, focusing especially on verse 11: "Give us this day our daily bread." Pastor Gorban emphasizes the profound dependence Christians are called to have on God, highlighting that prayer is not merely about presenting requests but about recognizing God's sovereignty and provision in
Counseling for Kohelet: Honest Questions for an Unfair World
In this sermon titled "Counseling for Kohelet: Honest Questions for an Unfair World," Ahshuwah Hawthorne explores the profound and often perplexing themes found in Ecclesiastes 9:11-18. Drawing from the wisdom literature of the Bible, Ahshuwah presents a unique and imaginative counseling session for Kohelet—the reflective teacher of Ecclesiastes—who wrestles with the apparent injustices and uncert
The Imminence of Death and the Beauty of Life
Andrey Gorban reads Ecclesiastes 9:1-10, where the same death comes to all, and a living dog is better than a dead lion. The Preacher still commands joy: eat your bread, drink your wine, and do with your might whatever your hand finds to do. Jesus says he is the resurrection and the life, and a day is coming when death will be no more.
The Gospel Is Good News for the Whole World
Guest preacher Ryan Robertson opens Romans 10:9–15 and traces the missionary logic of the gospel: confessing Jesus as Lord, believing God raised him from the dead, calling on his name, and sending preachers so the nations can hear. Drawing on the story of John Paton and the New Hebrides, he presses Trinity Church to see that the gospel is good news for the whole world—and that beautiful feet still
The Last Word
Thomas Terry ends Living Liturgy with the benediction and Romans 12:1-2. He loves his slow pour over coffee because the same order, repeated, shaped his love, and he says repeated worship shapes us too. When the good word comes, receive the blessing and the sending, and let God have the last word.
The Heard Word: Hearing as an Act of Worship
Paul preaches Luke 24:13-35 on hearing the Word as an act of worship. He points to the two on the road to Emmaus, and to Cleopas and his companion recognizing Jesus in the breaking of bread. Each week the church hears the Word read, sung, and preached, and is invited to take part in the story.
Before the Face of God
Thomas Terry says preaching from 2 Timothy 4:1-5 is worship, because God is present when his Word is preached. He pictures a hard talk where the crucial ten percent is left unsaid, then says the preacher cannot leave that part out before the Judge. Paul charges Timothy, in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, to preach the word in season and out of season.
The Lord's Table: Remembering and Proclaiming Christ
Andrey Gorban teaches the Lord's Supper from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus broke the bread and took the cup, and he said to do this in remembrance of him. As often as the church eats and drinks, it proclaims the Lord's death until he comes, and the meal is thanksgiving.
A Spectator in the Dark
Thomas Terry recalls a dim megachurch where the people were spectators in the dark, then turns to Colossians 3:16-17. Before Paul mentions songs or hymns, he gives one command, and the aim is a people full of the word of Christ. They open their mouths and sing to one another and to the God who saved them and set them free.
The Gospel Made Visible
Andrey Gorban teaches baptism from Acts 2:38-41 and calls it the gospel made visible. Peter tells the crowd to repent and be baptized, and about three thousand who received the word were baptized. In that water the church sees new birth, a dead person made alive by God.
The Public Reading of Scripture: God Addresses His People
Jared Pulliam opens 1 Timothy 4 and stays with the charge to devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching. Samuel Nagel introduces him as a former elder at Trinity and the founding pastor of Christ Church Selwood. After the reading, the people give thanks, because this is the word of the Lord.
Regulated by the Word: How God Tells us to Worship
Sean Jim says gathered worship must follow God's commands, taking up Deuteronomy 12:32. He compares a checked recipe and an airplane part at thirty thousand feet, because important work stays with the directions given. The form of a service may differ, but the church should keep to what God has outlined in his word.
The Call to Worship: God Speaks First
Andrey Gorban begins Living Liturgy with Psalm 95:1-7, where God calls his people to sing to the rock of their salvation and kneel before their Maker. Worship fills the whole of life, and it begins because God calls and saves through Jesus. We are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
Death to Life
Samuel Nagel thanks Trinity for close to sixteen years with Rachel and their children, then reads Romans 5:18-21. One trespass led to condemnation, and one act of righteousness leads to justification and life, so where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. He goes on to Romans 6, where those who died to sin are called to walk in newness of life.
Either the First or the Last Adam
In Romans 5:12-17, Cody Cannon traces Paul’s contrast between Adam and Christ. Through the first Adam, sin and death entered the world and spread to all humanity. But through Jesus, the true and final Adam, grace abounds, righteousness is given, and life reigns. This sermon considers the doctrine of original sin, the reality of death, and the greater hope found in union with Christ.
Christ Died for the Ungodly
Andrey Gorban reads Romans 5:6-11, where Christ dies for the ungodly while we were still weak. He recalls Nat King Cole's line that the greatest thing is to love and be loved in return, then shows that God's love does not rest on our loveliness. While we were sinners and enemies, Christ died for us, and God looks at us and calls us his own.
Foundation of Faith
A prayer is offered before Paul Hoffman brings the Word from Romans 5:1-5. The church thanks God for giving his Word and asks for boldness as Paul speaks. They ask the Spirit to calm their hearts and open their minds so the Word would be received.
Set Apart For The Work
Samuel Nagel introduces Chris Castro, sent with Lynn and their son Judah to plant a church in Tokyo. Chris then reads Acts 13:1-3, where the church at Antioch is worshiping and fasting, and the Holy Spirit sets apart Barnabas and Saul. A settled church sends, and the Spirit and the church send together.
God's Wrath on Immorality
Elder Sean Jim preaches Romans 1:26-32 and says God's present wrath is that he gives us over to our sin. He points to Genesis 6, where every intention of the heart was only evil, and says no king or science can fix that. Only God gives a new heart and a new identity in Christ, so his people can put sin to death and live in godliness.
God's Wrath on Idolatry
Sean, an elder, opens Romans 1:18-25 with bad trades: two pizzas for ten thousand Bitcoin, and Esau's birthright for stew. Paul says God's wrath is revealed when we exchange the Creator for the created. Seeing that folly lets us see the greater exchange, Christ's righteousness for our sin.
Beginning Romans
Thomas Terry begins Romans 1:1-17 and compares the gospel to breath we stop noticing once it feels familiar. Paul writes to imperial Rome about a crucified Jewish carpenter and says he is not ashamed of the gospel. We do not graduate from that good news, so we need to be reminded of it and its power.
The Salt and the Light
Andrey Gorban reads Matthew 5:13-16, where Jesus calls his hearers the salt of the earth and the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden, and a lamp is set on a stand so the whole house can see. He asks the church to add flavor, preserve what is good, and let that light shine in the midst of pain.
The Things Jesus Did
Andrey Gorban ends the Gospel of John at John 21:20-25. Peter asks about the disciple whom Jesus loved, and Jesus tells Peter to follow him and leave that man's days in Jesus' will. John adds that the world itself could not contain the books of all the things Jesus did.
The One Who Redeems and Restores
Andrey Gorban returns to John 21:1-14, where the disciples catch nothing all night and then see a charcoal fire on the shore. Jesus invites them to breakfast and asks Peter if he loves him. The prayer asks for faith that Jesus can redeem and restore us and use us for his purposes.
Holding Back on Hope
Thomas Terry reads John 20:24-31, where Thomas will not believe unless he sees the nail marks and puts his hand into Jesus' side. Jesus comes through locked doors, offers his wounds, and Thomas calls him Lord and God. Come now and say that with him, and when doubt stays, ask the Lord to help your unbelief.
Read Receipts
Thomas Terry preaches the resurrection in John 20:1-23 and compares a red receipt to Mary Magdalene at the tomb. She sees the stone rolled away and the body gone, and her mind says they have taken the Lord. The risen Christ gives his peace, his presence, and his Spirit, and he sends his people out without fear.
Beauty Marks
Thomas Terry asks for eyes to see the beauty of the cross in Isaiah 53:3-5. The servant is despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, on an instrument of Roman execution. Our transgressions are why he was pierced, and our healing came through his wounds.
The Lamb, Slain Part 2
Andrey Gorban stays with John 19:28-42, where Jesus receives sour wine, says it is finished, and gives up his spirit. The soldiers do not break his legs, but one pierces his side, and blood and water come out. His friends lay his body in the tomb and say goodbye to their rabbi, for that day is not today.
The Lamb, Slain Part 1
Andrey Gorban preaches on John 19:17-27, walking us through the crucifixion scene with reverence and unflinching honesty about what the cross cost Jesus. From the physical horror of Roman crucifixion to the shame of hanging naked before the world, John's account reveals a Savior who bore suffering, humiliation, and abandonment — and yet still turned in compassion to care for his mother. Gorban dra
The True and Better Story About Power and Authority
Paul Hoffman preaches on John 19:1-16, exploring how stories shape our values and how Jesus confronts our narratives about power and authority. The passage reveals the striking irony of religious leaders abandoning their allegiance to Yahweh for Caesar, while Jesus demonstrates true kingship through self-sacrificial love rather than political manipulation. Hoffman challenges the church to resist t
A New You: The Life We Want
A guest from All Saints Church in Bellingham reads Colossians 1:9-14 and names the search for a bigger house, a nicer car, or more money. The Father has delivered us from the domain of darkness and given redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Portland needs Jesus, and the king has sent this church as his ambassadors.
The King Who Came For Us
In John 18, the system designed to protect the innocent condemns the only truly innocent man who ever lived. Religious leaders obsessed with Passover purity orchestrate the death of the Lamb the Passover points to—tragic irony at its worst. As Jesus stands trial before Pilate, he reveals a kingdom that doesn't advance through political power or cultural dominance, but through truth. When Pilate cy
Between Two Fires
Thomas Terry sets Peter between two charcoal fires in John 18:13-27 and John 21:1-17. Peter denies Jesus while warming himself, and later Jesus asks if he loves him and tells him to feed his sheep. If you love him, receive his forgiveness and go serve God's people.
The Lamb, Betrayed and Unjustly Arrested
Andrey Gorban opens John 18:1-12 in the garden, where Judas arrives with soldiers, lanterns, torches, and weapons. A sign of closeness becomes a picture of betrayal, and Jesus still drinks the cup the Father has given him. At the table, we drink this cup because he drank that cup for us.
Jesus Prays For You
Andrey Gorban reads John 17 verses 20 through 26. Jesus prays for those who will believe through the disciples' word, that they may all be one as he and the Father are one. He wants them with him where he is, to see his glory, where there is fullness of joy.
Out of the World, Into the World
Sean Jim reads John 17 verses 6 through 19. Jesus prays for his disciples just before he is betrayed and they feel abandoned. They are protected by the Father and set apart, then sent into a world that is not their home.
Eucatastrophe
Paul Hoffman opens John 17. Jesus prays for his immediate disciples and for future disciples who will join his work. He asks that every man, woman, and child would confess that Jesus is Lord of all.
When Things Fall Apart
Thomas Terry reads John 16 verses 25 through 33. Jesus warns that the disciples will scatter and leave him alone, though the Father is with him. In the world they will have tribulation, but he says take heart, for he has overcome the world.
The Promise of Joy
Dear Church Family,Your generosity this past year has not only been remarkable, but a clear marker of genuine faith. It has been steady, joyful, generous, and deeply faithful. More than numbers on a page, your giving reflects something far more important. It reflects a heart that understands money as a gift from God, entrusted to us for the sake of His gospel.When Scripture says, “Where your treas
The Helper
Andrey Gorban reads John 16 verses 5 through 15. The disciples' hearts are full of sorrow because Jesus is going away. He says it is to their advantage that he goes, so the Helper, the Spirit of truth, can come and stay.
The True Vine
Thomas Terry reads John 15 verses 1 through 17. Jesus says he is the true vine, and apart from him no branch can bear fruit. He calls the tired, and those worn out from striving, to come to the vine and abide in him.
The Humble King Has Come
Andrey Gorban reads Zechariah 9:9 in the Advent series. The promised king would be unlike any king the world has seen. Jesus came in a humble birth in a manger, lived a meek and lowly life, and gave himself on the cross for sinners.
No Kings
Thomas Terry begins Advent in 2 Samuel 7 verses 12 through 16. God promises David a house and a throne forever, even though the sons in that line will fail. His steadfast love will not depart, and he sends the king a longing world needs.
Love Fueled Obedience
Thomas Terry reads John 14 verses 15 through 31. Jesus says if you love him, you will keep his commandments, for love shows itself in what it does. He promises another Helper, the Spirit of truth, and he will not leave his people as orphans.
The Comfort for Hurting Hearts
Cody Cannon reads John 14 verses 1 through 14 in the upper room. Judas has gone, Jesus has said he is leaving, and Peter asks where he is going. Jesus says let not your hearts be troubled, for he will come again so that they may be with him.
Love Redefined: Glory in the Shadow of Betrayal
Thomas Terry reads John 13 verses 31 through 35, after Judas has left. Jesus says the Son of Man is glorified, and he commands his own to love one another as he has loved them. Thomas tells of his 40th birthday, when a pastor said he loved him and wounded him a year later.
A Tale of Two Betrayals
Andrey Gorban reads John 13, where Jesus foretells two betrayals. He dips a morsel of bread and gives it to Judas, who goes out into the night. Peter says he will lay down his life, and Jesus answers that the rooster will not crow until Peter has denied him three times.
The Blessedness of Being a Servant
Andrey Gorban reads John 13 on the night before the cross. Jesus, knowing the Father has given all things into his hands, ties a towel around his waist and washes the disciples' feet. He says they are blessed if they follow his example and serve one another.
The Agony and The Glory
Thomas Terry reads John 12 verses 27 through 50. Jesus says his soul is troubled, and still he prays, Father, glorify your name. The agony that once filled the garden now fills eternity with praise, and the cross that looked like defeat has become the symbol of victory.
The Cost and Worth of Following Jesus
Sean Jim reads John 12, beginning at verse 20. Some Greeks ask to see Jesus, and he says a grain of wheat must fall into the earth and die if it is to bear fruit. Following Jesus is costly, but it is worth it.
A Reenactment Reinterpreted
Thomas Terry reads John 12 verses 12 through 19. The crowd takes palm branches and cries Hosanna as Jesus sits on a young donkey. They want a king like Judas Maccabeus, and Thomas prays we would not conflate that longing with Jesus' kingship.
Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life
Andrey Gorban reads John 11. Lazarus dies, and Jesus tells Martha that he is the resurrection and the life. She believes he is the Christ, and Jesus will not let his people perish.
He Will Hold You Fast
Thomas Terry reads John 10 verses 22 through 42. At the Feast of Dedication, Jesus says his sheep hear his voice and no one can snatch them from his hand. Thomas pictures a father holding a child's hand on a steep trail, and he says the shepherd will hold you fast.
An Abundant Life with the Good Shepherd
Andrey Gorban reads John 10. Jesus is the good shepherd, and he lays down his life for the sheep. The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but Jesus came so his sheep may have life, and have it abundantly.
Messiah: God's Work Displayed
Jan Verbruggen reads John 9. Jesus makes mud, anoints the eyes of a man blind from birth, and sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man comes back seeing, and after the Pharisees cast him out, he believes and worships Jesus.
When Light Meets Darkness
When Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world,” He confronted darkness, exposed unbelief, and offered life to all who believe. In John 8:12–59, Pastor Thomas shows how this bold claim exposes hostility, reveals our deepest need, and points us to Christ as the only answer-calling us to belief, worship, and witness in a world of darkness.
The Cross in the Courtroom
Thomas Terry reads the opening of John 8. The scribes and Pharisees place a woman caught in adultery before Jesus, hoping to charge him. He says the one without sin should throw the first stone, and then he tells her he does not condemn her, and to sin no more.
The Words of The Word
Thomas Terry reads John 7 verses 32 through 52. Officers sent to arrest Jesus return and say that no one ever spoke like this man. On the last day of the feast he calls the thirsty to come and drink, so rivers of living water can flow out to others.
Unbelief in the One Whom God Has Sent
Andrey Gorban reads John 7 at the Feast of Booths. Even Jesus' brothers do not believe in him. Some want more miracles and some want the miracles to stop, yet he stands as the true tabernacle and goes on to the cross.
The Better Bread
Thomas Terry reads John 6 verses 22 through 59. The crowd seeks Jesus because they ate their fill of the loaves, not because they saw the signs. He is the bread of life, and he calls the hungry and thirsty to come and feast on him.
Lord, to Whom Shall We Go?
Andrey Gorban reads John 6:60-71, after Jesus has taught that he is the bread of life. Many disciples call the teaching a hard saying and no longer walk with him, and Jesus asks the twelve if they want to go away as well. Simon Peter answers that Jesus has the words of eternal life, and so there is nowhere else to go.
The Brokenness that Leads to Joy
Andrey Gorban pauses the series in John and reads Psalm 51. David begs God to blot out his sin, create a clean heart, and restore the joy of salvation, for God will not despise a broken and contrite heart. Ignatius, facing death among wild beasts, asked only to enjoy Jesus, and that joy comes by way of brokenness.
The Presence That Casts Out Fear
Andrey Gorban reads John 6:16-21. After rowing three or four miles in a strong wind, the disciples see Jesus walking on the sea and are frightened, and he says, it is I, do not be afraid. They take him into the boat and at once reach the land, their panic turned to joy.
Holy Hospitality
Samuel Nagel reads John 6:1-15, beside the Sea of Galilee near Passover. A boy has five barley loaves and two fish, about five thousand men eat, and twelve baskets are gathered before the crowd tries to make Jesus king. He prays that the church would practice hospitality full of grace and tell others that their greatest needs are met in Jesus.
Choose Life
Sean preaches John 5:19-30 after Andre introduces him and prays for the preaching. He says God got humanity right the first time, and that the Father loves the Son and shows him all he is doing. Jesus alone is the source of life, and the call is to choose life by coming to Jesus himself.
The Miraculous Timing of Jesus
Andrey Gorban reads John 5:1-18. At the pool called Bethesda, a man who has been an invalid for thirty-eight years hears Jesus say, get up, take your bed, and walk. The day is the Sabbath, and Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath, stops for this one man to give hope of a world where no one needs healing.
Faith and Fact-Checking
Thomas Terry reads John 4:43-54. An official from Capernaum asks Jesus to heal his dying son, believes the word that his son will live, and learns the fever left at the seventh hour. In a world that demands proof, the church is urged to be people of the book, rooted in the word of Jesus.
The God Who is Immeasurably Gracious
Andrey Gorban reads John 4, where Jesus sits at Jacob's well in Sychar and asks a Samaritan woman for a drink. He offers living water that wells up to eternal life, and he tells her she has had five husbands. John Newton called himself a miserable sinner and Jesus an all-sufficient Savior, and we thank God that he is a greater Savior than I am a sinner.
The Ambition We Breathe
Thomas Terry reads John 3:22-36. John the Baptist, the friend of the bridegroom, says he must increase and John must decrease, even while his disciples worry that all are going to Jesus. He names the ambition that wants to be seen and praised, the kind fed by comparison on social media, and he prays that Trinity would decrease so Christ receives the glory.
Born Again to an Abundant Life
On Mother's Day, Andrey Gorban reads John 3:1-21. Nicodemus comes by night, and Jesus tells him that unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. The Son of Man must be lifted up, as Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness, and this new life is Jesus, whom we love because he first loved us.
What's at the Heart of Worship?
Andrey Gorban reads John 2, beginning at verse 12. In the temple, Jesus drives out the sellers, pours out the coins, and says, do not make my father's house a house of trade. He is speaking of the temple of his body, and those who loved their ministry and miracles, yet never loved him, hear him say, depart from me.
The Better Wine
Samuel Nagel reads John 2:1-11, the wedding at Cana, where the wine runs out. Jesus has the servants fill six stone jars with water, and the master of the feast finds the good wine kept until now. This first sign shows his glory, his disciples believe, and the joy of that wine belongs with the shed blood of Jesus and the wedding supper ahead.
Curiosity Concerning Christ
On Resurrection Sunday, Thomas Terry reads John 1:35-51 and celebrates that Christ rose from the grave. Andrew brings his brother Simon, Philip brings Nathanael, and Jesus says he saw Nathanael under the fig tree. Come and see who Jesus truly is, and you will see greater things than these.
Behold The Lamb of God
Andrey Gorban reads John 1:19-34. John the Baptist tells the priests he is not the Christ, only a voice crying in the wilderness, unworthy to untie the sandal strap of the one who comes after him. The next day he sees Jesus and says, behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
The Prologue in Poetry
In this opening sermon of our new series in the Gospel of John, Pastor Thomas guides us from the very first words of Genesis to the poetic prologue of John’s Gospel, showing us how the story of creation finds its fulfillment in Christ.Fresh off our time in Genesis 1–11, we now turn to John 1:1–18-not as a new story, but as the next chapter in the same divine drama. The themes of Word, Light, Incar
The Perfection of Christ
Josh Petersen reads Philippians 3:12-16. Paul has not already been made perfect, but he presses on toward the prize because Christ Jesus has made him his own. He warns against confidence in the flesh, though he could call himself a Hebrew of Hebrews, and he asks the church to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus.
The Safety
Thomas Terry preaches Noah and the flood from Genesis 6-9, in four sections: creation, decreation, recreation, and new creation. Ten generations from Adam to Noah bring no head crusher, and violence fills the earth. In Jesus we are safe, and he prays that many more would come into the ark of Jesus.
Raising Wise Children to the Glory of God
Juan Sanchez preaches Proverbs 3:1-12 on raising children to the glory of God. He tells of leaving the parenting books to his wife until, six years into marriage, the Lord took hold of his heart. Parents seek heart obedience and corrective discipline for the long haul, and they are justified by grace alone through faith in Christ alone.
The Heart of Paul
Thomas Terry reads Colossians 2:1-5. Paul writes of his great struggle for the Colossians and for those at Laodicea, so that no one may delude them with plausible arguments, for all treasures of wisdom are hidden in Christ. Saul once approved the stoning of Stephen, until a light on the road to Damascus knocked him to the ground.
The Sickness
Andrey Gorban reads Genesis 4 and 5. Cain and Abel's story turns horrific, and the genealogies that follow point to Jesus, the better Adam. Abel's blood cries out from the ground, and the blood of Jesus speaks a better word, remembered at the Lord's Supper.
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