Covenant Examination of a Mega Church Sermon "Called to Salvation"
- Charles
- Aug 29
- 6 min read
Fair Use Statement
This commentary and analysis of the Brentwood Baptist sermon Called to Salvation (August 3, 2025 | Jay Strother) is provided under the principles of Fair Use (17 U.S.C. § 107). The purpose of this work is non-commercial, educational, and transformative. It engages the original sermon with critical examination, theological reflection, and covenant-based analysis.
The use of brief excerpts, imagery, and reference to the sermon does not infringe upon the original work’s market value. Instead, it serves the public interest by fostering deeper understanding, discussion, and evaluation of the message within the framework of Scripture and covenant fidelity.
Original sermon video may be accessed here:👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv4SIqdREEE
All rights to the original sermon, recording, and branding remain with Brentwood Baptist and Jay Strother. This examination is offered with respect for their work, and solely for the purposes of study, critique, and the strengthening of covenant discernment.
The sermon Called to Salvation began with bold reading of Romans 1:16–17 at 00:00:44. This was the right starting place. Paul’s words are the heart of the gospel: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” This declaration is true, timeless, and covenantal. It sets before us the gospel as Elohim’s power, not man’s invention.
The preacher rightly declared that salvation comes through faith in Messiah, and that the gospel must be proclaimed to both neighbors and nations. There was energy, zeal, and sincerity in these words. Yet as the message unfolded, it followed a pattern common in large evangelical churches: emotional storytelling, simplified diagrams, and strong calls to personal decision—all while neglecting the covenant foundation that gives the gospel its eternal substance.
First Base: The Baseball Story (00:04:30)
Strother’s baseball illustration about missing first base was memorable. The player’s triumphant run ended in disqualification because he never touched the first bag. This was applied to the need to get “first things first” in the gospel. The analogy is sound in part. Without beginning rightly, everything else collapses.
Yet from a covenant perspective, the true “first base” is not a generic belief in the gospel, but the Ten Words—the incorruptible vows written by the Finger of Elohim (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10). To run past these vows while celebrating a personal decision for Christ is to miss the very foundation Messiah came to restore. Paul himself never divorced faith in Messiah from covenant fidelity.
He proclaimed Messiah as the end of the Book of the Law, bringing those who believe back into Covenant righteousness (Romans 10:4). To frame “first base” as simply believing the gospel, without binding it to the Ten Words, is to begin at second base and hope the Umpire will not notice.
Promises Fulfilled in Messiah (00:07:06)
The sermon highlighted that the gospel “originated with God” and was “promised through the prophets.” This is true, and it is central. Elohim’s plan of redemption has never been accidental. From the promise of the Seed who would crush the serpent (Genesis 3:15), through the covenant sworn to Abraham (Genesis 22:18), through the prophet Isaiah’s Servant (Isaiah 53), the Scriptures testify to Messiah Yeshua.
But Strother stopped short of showing the covenant depth of these promises. The prophets did not speak of abstract salvation; they spoke of covenant renewal. Jeremiah declared: “I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah… I will put My law within them, and on their hearts I will write it” (Jeremiah 31:31–33). When Paul declared the gospel, he was not introducing a new religion, but proclaiming that these promises had reached their climax in Messiah.
The Three Circles (00:12:55)
The sermon turned next to an evangelism tool called the “three circles”: God’s design, human brokenness, and the gospel. This is visual, simple, and memorable. Strother praised it as one of the most effective methods of recent years.
But from a covenant perspective, it falls desperately short. Brokenness is not merely the pain of addiction, loneliness, or lost purpose. It is the breach of vows.
Israel at Sinai swore, “All that YHWH has spoken we will do” (Exodus 24:3). They broke that oath at the golden calf, and every generation since has shared in that covenant breach. Messiah came not simply to fix human despair but to restore the Bride to her vows. The true biblical diagram is not three circles, but the covenant arc: Oath → Blood → Table → Presence (Exodus 24:3–11; Luke 22:19–20; Revelation 19:9). Evangelism without this covenant arc risks producing converts without covenant loyalty—hearers who know about Jesus but do not walk as His Bride.
Repentance and Faith (00:18:57)
The sermon called for repentance, described as turning around, and faith, described as trusting Christ’s finished work. This was a faithful appeal. Repentance and faith are indeed the first steps in response to the gospel (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38).
Yet here too the covenant dimension was muted. Repentance is not just turning away from bad choices; it is returning to the covenant vows.
Faith is not just trust but allegiance—binding oneself to the Bridegroom. James makes this plain: “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). True repentance is the Bride turning back to her Husband, and true faith is the Bride’s loyalty to His Ten Words written on her heart by the Ruach HaKodosh.
The Supper as Remembrance (00:26:18)
The climax of the message came as the church observed the Lord’s Supper. Strother reminded them that Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me,” and emphasized that it helps us not to forget.
But the covenant weight of the Table is far more than memory. At Sinai, Israel swore vows, blood was sprinkled, and the elders ate in YHWH’s Presence (Exodus 24:3–11). Messiah repeated that pattern with His disciples: “This cup is the New Covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). Paul reinforced it: “As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).
The Table is covenant renewal. To reduce it to a mere reminder empties it of its covenant gravity. This weakness is a hallmark of megachurch preaching: the sacraments become symbols of inspiration rather than covenantal encounters with the Living Elohim.
Gospel Confidence (00:34:26)
The sermon closed with Strother urging the people not to be ashamed of the gospel and reminding them they are “loved and sent.” This captured Paul’s own confidence in Romans 1. But again, the focus was more on church mission branding than covenant restoration.
The people were encouraged to participate in programs, to support missionaries, and to embrace their church identity. Paul, by contrast, wrote Romans to declare that Elohim was gathering all Israel—Judah, Ephraim, and the sojourner from the nations—into one Bride under one covenant (Ezekiel 37:15–28; Romans 11:25–27).
Overall Covenant Assessment
The sermon Called to Salvation contained much that was true: the centrality of Messiah’s cross, the necessity of repentance and faith, the call to missions, the reminder of the Supper. These things should be affirmed. But in form and tone, it bore the marks of megachurch culture.
It relied heavily on storytelling (the baseball tale, the Cracker Barrel memory, the family photo).
It used simplified evangelism tools that flatten the covenant witness.
It emphasized programs and branding over covenant identity.
It treated the Supper as remembrance, not covenant renewal.
It invoked the Spirit’s power but did not honor the Ruach HaKodosh as the One who inscribes the Ten Words on the heart.
Romans 1:16–17 is indeed about not being ashamed of the gospel. But the gospel is not just forgiveness of sins; it is covenant restoration. The Bridegroom shed His blood to seal the Bride back to Himself. Faith is allegiance to His vows.
Repentance is returning to His Ten Words. The Supper is renewal of the covenant union. The mission to the nations is not just about spreading a message, but about gathering the scattered Bride into one flock under one Shepherd.
The megachurch message can inspire for a Sunday. The covenant message prepares the Bride for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. One entertains with stories; the other binds with vows. One produces decisions; the other produces disciples. One leaves people clapping; the other leaves people trembling in holy awe.
Paul’s words remain the plumb line: “I am not ashamed of the gospel.” To be unashamed is to proclaim the full covenant truth: Messiah has sealed the New Covenant in His blood, inscribed the Ten Words by the Ruach HaKodosh, nourishes us at His Table, and will soon bring us into His Presence. This is the gospel in covenant fullness.
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