Scott Aniol
Ministry, Worship, Culture, Aesthetics
Sermons
This sermon on Mark 7:1–13, preached by Scott Aniol at Christ the King on January 10, 2021, in the series “Fundamentals of Worship,” argues that corporate worship must be governed by the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. Aniol uses Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees’ traditions to argue that the elements, content, forms, and order of worship should come from God’s Word, and he presents a biblical pattern for worship drawn from Isaiah 6.
This sermon on Psalm 2, preached by Scott Aniol at Christ the King on August 16, 2020, continues a short series on the opening psalms. Aniol contrasts how the wicked see God’s rule as a burden with the blessing of those who take refuge in the Lord’s anointed King. He draws on Genesis, Israel’s history, and the apostles’ use of Psalm 2 in Acts 4.
This video sermon on Psalm 96 asks why God’s people sing in worship. Aniol shows how the psalm’s groups of verbs show that singing blesses the Lord, declares his glory, and expresses deep affections. He also traces the psalm’s movement toward the future reign of the Lord over all nations and creation, arguing that singing it shapes believers to live in light of that coming reality. This 2020 recording is separate from Aniol’s 2018 sermon on the same psalm.
This sermon on Psalm 11, preached by Scott Aniol at Christ the King on August 23, 2020, asks how the righteous should respond when society’s moral foundations seem to be crumbling. Drawing on the surrounding laments in Psalms 10–14, Aniol urges believers not to flee but to take refuge in the Lord, trusting that he still reigns and will judge rightly, and points to Christ as the anointed King.
This sermon on Psalm 1, preached by Scott Aniol at Christ the King on August 9, 2020, opens a short series on the Psalms about life amid cultural upheaval. Aniol notes how the Psalter moves from lament to praise and contrasts the apparent prosperity of the wicked with the lasting blessedness of those who delight in and meditate on God’s Word.
In this sermon on Psalm 78, Scott Aniol addresses hope for families seeking to follow the Lord in the world. He explains the psalm’s contrast between the tribes of Ephraim and Judah and urges parents to tell their children the works of the Lord, to call them to repentance and faith in Christ, to protect them from pagan influences, and to shape their hearts through faithful family and congregational worship so that they set their hope in God. The video was posted by Providence Baptist Chapel in 2019.
This sermon on 1 Corinthians 12:12–26, preached by Scott Aniol at Christ the King on October 14, 2018, considers the diversity and unity of the body of Christ. It was part of a fall series on the church’s priorities and addresses the members’ ministry to one another.
This sermon on Psalm 96, preached by Scott Aniol at Christ the King on July 29, 2018, examines the psalm as a call to sing in corporate worship. Aniol argues that singing expresses the heart’s affections in response to God’s worthiness and works, and that it shapes believers to live in light of future realities, especially the Lord’s coming to judge and reign. He connects the “new song” to the songs of the redeemed in Revelation.
This message on repentance through singing in corporate worship was given by Scott Aniol at the National Center for Family Integrated Churches conference in Asheville, North Carolina, whose theme was “Repentance: The Reformation Continues.” Aniol preached from Psalm 130, one of the seven penitential psalms, to show how song can express true repentance, and introduced Martin Luther’s paraphrase of the psalm, “Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee.”
This sermon on Psalm 130 considers repentance through singing in corporate worship. Aniol argues that poetry set to music forms God’s people holistically, and that this is as true of repentance as of praise and thanksgiving: congregational songs of confession shape believers to live aware of their sin and their daily need of cleansing through the blood of Christ. The message was given at the 2017 National Center for Family-Integrated Churches National Conference.
This sermon on Psalm 137 explores worship in exile, tracing how Israel’s idolatry led to the Babylonian captivity and what the psalm’s lament meant for God’s people by the waters of Babylon. Aniol argues that this often-neglected psalm is deeply relevant for Christians, who are called to seek the welfare of the culture around them without compromising pure worship while longing for the new Jerusalem. Preached at Christ the King in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 12, 2017.
This video records a chapel sermon by Scott Aniol on drawing near to God in worship from Hebrews 10:19–22, preached at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on September 5, 2017.
This sermon on 1 Kings 18:1–40 draws lessons from Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, read as a worship war recorded for a people in exile. Aniol warns against syncretism, pragmatic compromise, and borrowing from pagan worship, and calls believers to worship God alone, confront idolatry even at personal cost, and seek the Lord with all their heart. Preached at Christ the King in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 29, 2016.
This sermon on Revelation 3:14–20 addresses communion with God, the first of the three priorities that shape the ministry of Christ the King in Fort Worth, Texas. Aniol argues that Christ’s words to the lukewarm church in Laodicea are primarily an invitation to believers, picturing communion with God as table fellowship, and he calls listeners to renew that fellowship through Scripture, prayer, corporate worship, and the Lord’s Table. Preached September 4, 2016.
This sermon on Acts 5:12–42 considers what Christians should do when the commands of God and the commands of human authorities conflict. From the apostles’ reply that “we must obey God rather than men,” Aniol urges believers to distinguish genuine persecution from the loss of comforts, and to respond to conflict with courage, respect, and continued proclamation of the gospel. Preached at Christ the King in Fort Worth, Texas.
This sermon on John 15:1–11 introduces the first of three priorities that describe the church’s philosophy of ministry: our relationship with God through Christ. Aniol expounds Jesus’ teaching on the vine and the branches, stressing that fruitfulness depends on abiding in Christ, and shows how the Lord’s Table unites all three priorities. Preached at Christ the King in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 4, 2015.
This Thanksgiving-season sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:15 examines the place of gratitude in worship. Aniol argues that thanksgiving for grace received is a central expression of worship that brings glory to God, drawing on the Psalms and Jonah 2:9 to show how Scripture links praise with humble acknowledgment of undeserved salvation. Preached at Christ the King in Fort Worth, Texas, on November 23, 2014.
An audio recording of a sermon by Scott Aniol on John 17:1–26 concerning the mission Jesus has given his people.
A video recording of Scott Aniol’s message “Holy Culture” on 1 Peter 1, published by Religious Affections Ministries (2013).
An audio recording of a sermon by Scott Aniol on drawing near to God in worship from Hebrews 10 (2013).