FBC Gresham: Recent Episodes
Andrew J. Douglass
As we continue to look at how to combat sin in Colossians 3 we see that patience and love are ours in Christ Jesus. These are essential for combatting sin and maintaining the unity of the spirit in the church. Having all the attributes of Christ we are prepared to bear with and forgive each other, just as Christ does for us!
In this sermon we examine how the first four attributes of Christ we are told to put on are already ours in Christ. We see how each of these is exemplified in what Christ has done, and we see that Christ "is" each of these, through and through!
This sermon is an overview of Colossians 3:12-17. In the two sermons to follow we will break down the text in much greater detail. But, here we look at how these verses fit with the overall flow Paul's discussion about overcoming sin!
Only the Christian will ever have victory over sinYou must be equipped in ChristYou must live in Christ
As we continue the theme of killing our sin, we find a third command, "Do not lie to one another. Paul give us to reasons for this: We have put off the old man, and we have put on the new man.
John Owen says that we must be killing sin or sin will be killing us! The second way Paul tells the Christian to fight sin is to be killing it, be putting it off, and to not be lying to each other. In this sermon we deal with the first two of these from Colossians 3:5-8.
Colossians 3:1-4
In a very brief series out of Colossians chapter 3 we will address the issue of Colossians 2:23; "These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh." Paul then turns to discuss the things that do help to stop the indulgence of the flesh.
In this sermon we find the first help: Look To Christ.
In Ephesians 4 Paul tells us to walk worthy of the calling to which we have been called. What does this mean? We will see that it begins with humility. Gentleness, patience, a bearing with one another in love, and a desire to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace are all impossible for the prideful man. In fact, the prideful man is the greatest danger to the unity of the church.
In this sermon we see that “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”
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There are many excuses for not coming
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Go out and bring them in
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Go out further and bring them in harder
This sermon was preached at the BMA of Smith County Local Association 2023.
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The Macedonian Example.
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Churches ought to abound in fellowship in the ministry to the churches.
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Christ's Example.
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This will profit you.
In this text we see that we see that we 1. Shouldn't invite those who can repay us (because they will), 2. Should invite those who can't repay us (because then we will be repaid in Heaven).
In this sermon Jesus addresses the attendees at a feast to warn them about the consequences of their desire for glory. If you take nothing else from the sermon, remember that the only glory that matters is found in humility.
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Down (Don't exalt yourself because you are likely to be sent down)
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Up (Act in humility that you might be brought up)
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Upside Down (All who exalt themselves will be humbled and all who humble themselves will be exalted).
In this sermon we find Jesus once again surrounded by Pharisees on the Sabbath, and another healing ensues. What sets this text apart is the Jesus' mission of mercy contrasted with their self-constructed religion. The theme, "Don't let your religion prevent your mercy" is revealed in three parts: 1. Have mercy on your enemies 2. Have mercy on the needy 3. Have mercy on your household.
In this sermon we find that everyone wishes Jesus’ death (for their own reasons), but Jesus wishes life for us (even if we won’t receive it). However, if we reject Him, we may not see that opportunity again until he returns and we all say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
In this test Jesus commands us all to, "Strive to enter through the narrow door!"
We find three reasons we must obey this command; 1. Many will perish 2. Later is too late 3. There will be many regrets
What is the Kingdom Of God Like?
In scripture Jesus uses many parables to tell us about His Kingdom; In Luke 13:10-21 Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath in order to demonstrate what the kingdom is like, then He gives two illustrations to help us understand the healing. The fullness of this scripture reveals to us that the kingdom is about transforming lives, and never about hypocrisy!
In Luke 13:2-9 we find that absolutely everyone must repent or perish; the wicked, the good, and the unfruitful must all turn.
In luke 12:49-59 Three unique sections come together to teach us how important is that we interpret Christ’s coming correctly.
I. A Time for purification, for trials, for division
II. A Time To Interpret
III. A Time To Settle Your Debts
Are you ready for Christ's Return? That is the essential question of Luke 12:35-48. Jesus tells us to get ready and to stay ready, because He is coming at an hour you don't expect. Who needs to here this? Everyone... When He returns, it will be as judge of the living and the dead, for the faithful and the faithless!
In this sermon we find five sets of commands clusters around truths and promises of God we need to know in order to have a healthy relationship with the material things of this world. In the end, it can all be summed up in this: store your treasures in Heaven, because wherever you store your treasure is where you will keep your heart!
What do we do with God's blessings? This text teaches us that God allows us to judge what is right in apportioning what we have. At the same time, we are commanded to guard against all forms of covetousness/greed, because one day, God will judge what we have done, and He will give us a portion of the inheritance in Heaven based upon what we have done on earth. Finally, we are told to be rich toward God rather than storing up for ourselves. This sermon may change your mind and heart regarding earthly finances. The Lord bless you!
The Christian should not be anxious because of the Holy Spirit
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Don't Be anxious about the judgment
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Don't be anxious about your eligibility
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Don't be anxious about getting it right.
The main thrust of this sermon is that we must fear God and nothing else, because Jesus ransomed us from hell.
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You SHOULD NOT fear man
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You MUST fear God.
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You MUST NOT fear anything in this life.
What's wrong with a little hypocrisy? 1. Hypocrisy hides our motives (for a while). 2. Hypocrisy spreads. 3. Hypocrisy will be revealed.
In this sermon we find that the scriptures are the key to knowing God. When we attempt to altar the message we hinder those who are coming to Him.
In this sermon from Luke 11:47-51 we find that the lawyers have deceived themselves into thinking that they are better people than their ancestors. They are deceived, even as to their need for Christ, and the results are deadly!
So what's wrong with a little legalism? It discourages the lost from coming to faith. Jesus warns the lawyers about the burdens they place on the people in this sermon sermon over Luke 11:45-46.
One of the dangers of legalism is that a person is spiritually dead, but they don't know it, perhaps the church around them doesn't know it, and it wreaks havoc on everyone. Why wouldn't they know it? Because the headstone has been removed (Legalists don't hold to the truth of scripture about the life that is from above). Join us for a sermon from Luke 11:44.
In Luke 11:43 we find out that the desire for honor and recognition comes from inner greed and corruption. This desire is: 1. Dangerous 2. Self glorifying 3. Unsatisfying.
At the heart of tithing is relationship to God. We see this with the first tithe, given by Abraham to Melchizedek "after" the blessing. We see this in Luke 11:42 where Jesus condemns the pharisees for tithing while walking right past them commandments to seek justice and to Love God!
In Luke 11:37-41 we see that the only power to be clean is found in Christ, all else is self righteousness, greed, and wickedness
Luke 11:33-36 reveals to us that not everyone who thinks they have seen the light has the true light of Christ, therefore Christ tells us to take a look at what we are calling light. In this sermon we find: the purpose, the source, the the danger, and the difference of what we call light.
In this Mothers' Day sermon from 1 Samuel 1:1-20 we find that there is peace for the troubled soul when we surrender our desires to God.
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Sources of Affliction
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Misunderstandings
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Peace in Surrender
Dr. Charlie Holmes, President of the BMA Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX preached from 1 Kings 17 addressing questions of how Christians can remain faithful even as God's judgment is beginning to be poured out on a land.
Life is short and hard because of our sin, yet who lives with the fear of God in accordance with His wrath? We need God to teach us to number our days, that we might get a heart of wisdom. It is only in the wisdom of God that we will live out this life as God desires, with eternity in mind!
In Psalm 23 we see what it means for us if the Lord is our shepherd, how the Lord becomes our shepherd, and what life is like under His care.
Religious does not mean saved. We find in this text those who are religious by choice and those who are religious by birth. In either case there is a danger for the religious person who doesn't see their need of Christ, and for the church which brings them in as though they were saved.
In this sermon we see that there will always be division about Christ, but there must never be division within Him.
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There is always a divided response to the Messiah.
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A house divided cannot stand.
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Jesus came to divide what was Satan's.
This easter we examine 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 to see that the resurrection is the proof of everything the bible says Christ came to do. Because of the resurrection Christian preaching and saving faith have substance, the gospel is certain, our faith has effective power, we are no longer in our sins, we have hope in Christ in life and in death, we are the most blessed, and we can look forward to the resurrection when Christ returns!
We look to Colossians 2:13-15 to find that the cross changes everything. Namely, the dead are brought to life, we have union with Christ, we have union with each other, we have forgiveness of our sins, and he’ll is put to shame.
We finish the Lord's teaching about prayer with Luke 11:5-13. God wants you to be shamelessly dependent on Him in prayer because His promises are great - and He is good - and this will change your character!
I. BE SHAMELESS IN PRAYERII. BECAUSE YOU HAVE GREAT PROMISESIII. BECAUSE THE HEAVENLY FATHER IS GOOD
As we conclude the Lord's prayer in Luke 11, we see that we must be with the shepherd, we must be with the flock, and we must be vigilant, because Satan desires to make shipwreck of our faith through extraordinary trials.
In this sermon we learn that If we want God to forgive our sins and hear our prayers, we must forgive others. The key to this principle is relationship.
In this sermon we find that the absolute best thing for our lives is to be completely dependent on God: We look at 1. The Day 2. Our Substance 3. The Bread
In this sermon we see that when we pray for His Kingdom to come, we are asking God to complete His conquest of all creation, bringing about His perfect rule, and casting out all rivals. We will examine: The King, The Kingdom, and The Conquest.
In Luke 11:2 we find Jesus teaching His disciples to pray, and the first thing He says to pray for is that God would make His name to be holy. All of our prayers hinge on this one thing, that the name of God would be Holy: to us, to our families, to our churches, and to the world.
As we begin Luke 11:1-13 we find a disciple asking Jesus to teach them how to pray. In this first sermon we look to Christ as our perfect example, we look at his heart for prayer. And, we look at the humble heart required to be a true disciple. Finally, we look at God as the father from whom every good thing flows. Make no mistake, there is a right way to pray, and in these verses we begin to take a deeper dive into this important aspect of our Christian lives.
We conclude Luke 10 with a deep look at the story of Martha and Mary. Through Martha's struggle to get her sister to help her serve Jesus we learn that having the wrong priorities always leads to sin, and we must keep "first things" first in our lives! The better portion for us in life is to be at the feet of Jesus.
In Luke 10:29-37 we find the parable of the good Samaritan. We find that the answer to the question "who is my neighbor?" to be the one who draws near to share the love of God with those around them. We might be tempted to ask "who must I love?" but Jesus turns it into a more important question, "how am I supposed to love!"
We handle the parable of The Good Samaritan in two parts. This first part answers the question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life." The simple answer is that you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and you must love your neighbor as yourself. In this sermon we see that in order to love God or our neighbor as commanded, we need to love ourselves much less!
Luke 10:17-24 shows us that of all the blessings we have received, we must be most grateful for the grace of salvation!
We look at Luke 10:12-16 and find that the most cursed people in hell are not the worst sinners, but those who rejected the gospel.
We look at Luke 10:1-12 to see practical and appropriate application of Jesus' instruction to the 72.
Luke 9:37-45 In this sermon we find the same answer to three questions: Why does Satan have a hold on the lives of unbelievers? Why are disciples of Christ ineffective in their ministry? Why don’t disciples grasp the glory of the cross, living instead by their own efforts? The answer: A faithless and twisted generation!
In the first half of the text in Luke 8:40-56 We see that Jesus not only has power to save, but heal also desires to address our pride and doubt. We see the woman with an issue of blood who desperately wants to be healed, but also desperately desires that no one know about her 12 years of uncleanliness. Jesus, in His grace, exposes her, so that she may have peace!
We look at Philippians 3:1-11 to see how a "Christ plus" gospel is no gospel at all. We will look at Paul's command to "look out" for the dogs/evildoers/mutilators of the flesh who would take people away from the true gospel. We will also look at the need to regret any claim we think we have on God and the need to count it all loss compared to the worth of knowing Christ Jesus!
Epaphroditus was an ordinary Christian in many ways. But his dedication to the Lord, his love for his church, and his willingness to "let it all ride" on Jesus Christ set him apart in an extraordinary way. We will look at how his life applies to us in Philippians 2:25-30.
We continue in the book of Philippians, looking at verses 2:19-24. Here we see the incredible impact on the church of a life that is fully committed to the Lord's interests.
In Philippians 2:12-18 Paul speaks to Christians about what to do after salvation, when the apostle is absent, and at all times... OBEY. In fear in trembling, without complaining or internal dialogue, and holding fast the Word of Life!
From Philippians 2:1-11 we see the call to Christ-like humility; to be of one mind, one spirit, without division, following our King!
In light of the motion calling to fire the pastor, Pastor Douglass preaches wisdom from Proverbs 18:10-18. To God Be The Glory. Amen
In today's sermon we take a look at two more qualifications for a pastor: respectability and hospitality...
Today we have a special sermon spanning Leviticus 9-10. We see how serious God is about the holiness of His worship and the practical implications for our church services.
Today we examine the first four qualities required of a pastor: "above reproach," "husband of one wife," "sober-minded", and self-controlled."
As we continue to look at 1 Timothy 2, we will see how God tells both men and women to conduct themselves in the church.
This sermon is an overview of the major themes of 1 Timothy Chapter 2. The clear message from this passage is that God has placed us all under authority, and He has instructed us as to how we should live under authority- even when that authority fails.
In 1 Timothy 1:12-20 we see that first Paul, and then Timothy were set apart for Christ's service. This calling is based upon 1. God's Grace 2. God's Mercy 3. God's War Against False Teaching.
We begin a new series from the book of 1 Timothy
In this first sermon God charges us to combat false doctrine from a heart of love, and we see how the law is used lawfully in the life of the church rather than unlawfully by false teachers.
For Mothers Day we look at 2 John where the apostle gives three commands to mother church: Love one another by obeying God's commands, Watch out for yourselves (plural), and do not even greet a false teacher...Why? To have a valid witness to young believers and those who are being brought to spiritual life in Christ, and not lose them to false doctrine.
In the conclusion of Daniel chapter 6 we see that God saves the one who trusts in Him! The stages of salvation are illustrated through Darius who is first anxious over (Daniel's) salvation, then learns the means of (Daniel's) salvation, and finally gives praise for (Daniel's) salvation.
The key to Daniel's decision to pray to God when it was forbidden, knowing that he would be thrown into the lions den, is his great love for God. Daniel knew that it is more important to love God than it is to love ourselves. In Daniel 6:1-15 we find three keys to helping us live out our lives in Christ from this text: 1. Love for God sanctifies 2. Love for God is compromising 3. Love for God is stoked in prayer.
We see that God bring charges, issues a verdict, and executes the sentence against Belshazzar here in Daniel chapter 6. We will find not only judgment, but God's grace as well, as we look at how this text applies to the world, to the life of the believer, and to God's Church.
What makes you feel secure?
For Belshazzar, it was his defenses, and his wisdom. But in this sermon we see that there is no security outside of God!
This Easter we examined the gospel message from Isaiah 53. We saw: The savior we rejected, The death we deserve, and The resurrection we hope in.
Our concluding sermon from Daniel 4 shows us the link between discipline and blessing. God disciplines those He loves and is working to save as well as those who are already His. That discipline is always about changing us! And, with discipline comes blessing for God and His Kingdom as well as for our own lives as He sanctifies our lives.
We take a look at Daniel Chapter four where we see God at work in the life of pagan king Nebuchadnezzar to use him to pour out His grace on the world, to reveal His sovereign grace over all man kind, and to give particular grace through salvation.
In the final sermon from Daniel 3 we see the effect that our witness has on the lost world when Jesus is at work in our lives.
In the second of three sermons from Daniel 3, we examine verses 16-23 to see how the three Hebrew boys were prepared to suffer for their stand on God's behalf, and how this points toward Christ, we well as what it means for our own lives.
In Daniel 3:1-15. We discover 1.How idols are made, propped up and their worship is commanded by men. 2. Idols are worshiped for hope of short term gain and not intrinsic worth. 3. Idols are all about self. In this sermon we will see that Only God, is worthy or worship, and how he is to be worshiped for what Christ has already done and not for anything we hope to gain in the future!
This is our concluding message from Daniel Chapter 2. And in this sermon we see Christ who comes as a rock but will become the Mountain who leaves no room for other kingdoms, on earth, or in our lives. We will also the profound meaning of a pagan king's confession that Daniel's God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and the Revealer of Mysteries!
In Daniel 2:31-45 we see that I. The future is frightening apart from Christ. II. God Assigns Kings and Kingdoms, and none will last except for the Kingdom of Christ.
To conclude the expository preaching of Daniel chapter 1, we take a look at verses 8-16 to find the truth that obedience to God challenges the culture. 1. It starts with resolve. 2. God will make a way. 3. The culture really believes that its way is better. 4. A little with the Lord is better than much without Him.
We see in Daniel 1:1-7 that the culture has 4 reasons desperately wanting to convert you.
This tenth sermon in our series from the Gospel of John is based upon the text of John 3:14-21
John 1:1-5
This is the first sermon in a series as we preach through the gospel of John expositionally at FBCG.