Unity Baptist Church: Recent Episodes
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Fathers Day comes around every year and you don’t want to repeat the same sermon every time. Let’s mix it up and hear from Genesis 5. That sounds like fun.
This is the picture painted by Johannah referenced in the sermon.
Because of the baptism of Jesus narrative, the Holy Spirit is often depicted as a dove. Fire is more often used to illustrate the presence of God. The tongues of divided fire in Acts 2 are reminiscent of the fire that the led the Hebrews through the wilderness and rarely shot out and consumed people.
If the question is “What would Jesus do” the answer could be have a fish fry. I don’t know about fish first thing in the morning but if you were a fisherman by trade it’s probably not that weird.
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
I have preached this sermon before but we’ve had enough turn over that no present today, with the exception of my family, was there to hear it before. Amram and Jochebed were the parents of Moses. I reckon he turned out all right; here are some things we can learn from his mother.
In yesterday’s sermon on worship, I briefly mentioned the Song of Moses. The daily Bible reading that I’m doing on The Master’s Table is in Exodus 15 today. Half of that chapter or more is Moses recounting what God has done for the children of Israel, and then his sister picks up a tambourine and leads other women as they sing and dance. The Bible is filled with people that worship and it is clear that’s what God wants his people to do. Here is a link; I’m not going to try to sing Hebrew poetry in English but I will read it to you.
What is worship? Why do we do it, exactly what are we doing? Almost more of a workshop than a sermon, we will identify various elements of worship and attempt to answer these questions.
Okay, I’ve been reading the Bible pretty consistently since 1988. But here lately, starting on March 1st, I’ve been reading one chapter per day and then offering some comments, discussing translation choices, etc. I started at Genesis 1. As Julie Andrews said in The Sound of Music “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”
I decided to read one chapter per day out loud and then offer discussion. There have been a few comments but no lengthy comment threads or debates in the discussion as of yet. The decision to record myself reading and then post online created some issues, however. Any modern translation is still covered by copyright. My translation of choice is the ESV but any modern translation has restrictions from the publisher on how much of the text you can reprint and even greater restrictions on how many verses you can read out loud. The KJV and ASV are in the public domain… but they are so old. Now if you prefer reading the King James that’s fine; the best Bible translation is the one you will actually read and plenty of people not only read King James but in many cases that is the only Bible they read and they feel very strongly about it. My only issue is that is not the language we speak on a daily basis. I believe everyone needs a Bible translation they can read in their first language.
So what I do is start with the KJV text and make adjustments. So far no one has come in with their spikes up and attacked me for creating some sort of biblical abomination or attempting to write Clark’s Bible Paraphrase. I change thee and thine to you and your. Most of the time modern translations are in agreement. For instance, the KJV uses the word firmament a few times in Genesis 1. The ESV, HCSB, NASB and NIV all use the word expanse instead. So I read expanse in place of firmament. The Bible says what the Bible says and translating the original texts into English – or any other language – does not change God’s Word. Feel free to read along in the translation of your choice; for the benefit of those who want to read along as they listen, I include the text I am reading in each post. At any rate, we can still talk about the people, places and events of the Bible narrative.
When I started reading Genesis 1 it was almost like an experiment. I think we have settled into a routine and I don’t anticipate any further changes to the format. You can begin at Genesis 1 or jump in at the beginning of Exodus. I just posted the first chapter this morning. J. Vernon McGee used to say it’s like riding a city bus; you can get on or off anywhere but it you stay on long enough you will get to every stop on the route. After Genesis and Exodus I plan to jump into the New Testament and read Matthew’s Gospel. Otherwise, at the rate we are going, it will be a couple of years before we get to any books in the New Testament. The plan, as of right now, is to alternate back and forth and ultimately finish the Old and New Testaments at about the same time. Oh, and it will take a little over three years to finish. We are not just ripping through it and trying to get done as quickly as possible; we are reading for understanding. We are studying the text, considering different translation choices, looking at the original languages in some cases and having a discussion. I talk about each chapter and what is going on but I would love to get your opinions and take your questions, even if I don’t immediately know the answers. We don’t have to agree on everything either but I think the discussion could be beneficial.
Here is a link to Genesis 1 if you want to start at the beginning. I went back a few days ago and listened to it again, it’s not that bad. But know that it does get better.
Here is a link to Exodus 1 if you want to hop on the bus after we finished building it.
Listen every day or pop in every now and then. You don’t have to listen to me read the Bible but I hope this project encourages people to read the Bible. We have more resources available to us than at any point in history but fewer people, including Christians… including pastors and Bible teachers… are reading the Bible than ever before. God wants to speak to us and hear from us. Don’t waste your days chasing after things that will not matter for all eternity.
The tomb is empty. Jesus is alive and lives forevermore. Death, hell and the grave have been defeated. It’s good news.
He is Risen, an Easter poem
In the early hours of the morning, after the Sabbath had ended,
a few women walked toward his grave to finish matters left unattended.
They carried spices for anointing, to honor custom and tradition.
For he had been quickly laid in the grave on the day of Preparation.
So early on Sunday morning, even before it was light,
they approached the tomb of Jesus to set things done right.
The stone, however, was rolled away and no body lay behind it.
Was he taken by believers or hid by guards? Their concern was how to find him.
They were startled by an angel, dressed in white, a splendid vision.
“Why seek ye the living among the dead?” he asked. “He is not here, he is risen.”
Filled with fear and excitement at what the angel said,
they ran to tell the disciples that Jesus was not still dead.
The eleven found the women’s story understandably hard to believe.
But Simon Peter ran to the tomb, for himself he just had to see.
The stone was moved, as they said, and the sheet lay in its place.
But the napkin was to the side neatly folded, that had covered Jesus’ face.
Peter saw the empty tomb, Jesus’ body was gone for sure.
That didn’t mean he was alive. Seeing is one thing; faith requires more.
Mary Magdalene met Jesus, and two believers on the road spoke with him.
Finally the eleven were in a closed room, When Jesus did not enter but appeared to them.
It would take time for them to understand all that Jesus had taught them.
His most important work was on the cross, and by his blood he bought them.
The crucifixion, resurrection, Great commission and ascension;
it seems like an awful lot for a few lines of poetry to mention.
So here’s a thought, perhaps a challenge, instead of letting your mind sit idle:
this story of Jesus and many others are all right there inside your Bible.
I posted the poem early this morning then preached the sermon at 11 a.m. (The poem is in there too.)
As we finish Romans 9 we see once again that it takes faith to please God. The children of Israel were given the law, the promises, the prophets and ultimately God’s Son who is the Christ. That last one they did not accept. Law keeping is a work of the flesh, and does produce the righteousness God requires.
Israel was given many blessings, including the law, the promises and eventually the Christ. After the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus being from the nation of Israel did not necessarily mean one was a child of God. Paul laments that many of his kinsmen did not accept Jesus as the Christ.
This sermon, based on Romans 8:18-30, should come after Heirs with Christ and before If God is for Us. I didn’t realize until posting If God is for Us to the website that this sermon was never uploaded. There are four sermons from Romans 8 and this is number 3 of 4.
The Son of God – who died and is now risen – sits at the right hand of God the Father where he ever lives to make intercession. If God is for us, who can be against us?
We continue through Romans beginning this morning at chapter 8 verse 12. We are the children of God and if children then also heirs with Christ. Hear now the Gospel!
“For God has done… what the law could not do. By sending his own Son…in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us,”
Paul writes some long sentences and I have abbreviated Romans 8:3-4 into a summary of the full passage. Click here to read verses 1-11 or click the play button below and I will read it out loud.
I almost forgot to record my sermon at the GMBA annual meeting. As I was reading the text, I realized I had opened the voice recorder on my phone but never hit the button. As soon as I finished reading this text I started the recording. Read Matthew 14:22-33 and then click play.
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Our spirit contends with our flesh and Paul describes his mind following the law of God while his flesh keeps the law of sin.
The clearest, most concise response from scripture for the 10 Commandment/Sabbath is Saturday/can’t eat pork/Hebrew roots crowd. Paul responded to the Judaizers in his letter to the Galatians but Romans 7 explains why we are dead to the law.
Serve sin and earn the wages of death; or serve righteousness and the gift of God is eternal life. Up to you.
This sermon is a little short but as I recover from being sick I am trying to prevent another episode like last week. Romans 6 begins with describing how being dead to sin makes us alive to God through Christ. Let’s look at it.
Full disclosure, I might not should have tried to preach this morning. I was not coughing before the service started and I have not continued since it ended, but trying to sing and preach triggered a response. I feel better than this recording sounds.
Adam and Jesus are both firsts of a time; death came through Adam but life comes through Jesus Christ.
Some well known passages of scripture in today’s text. “The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit” sounds awesome but certainly more well known is “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. This was written not only for him but also for us.
Abraham’s Justification came through faith, apart from works and the law, and before circumcision.
After a few weeks of hearing about God’s judgement, we could call this “The Gospel According to Romans 3.”
After a few weeks we are almost ready to speak to a different subject. The tone is going to change after this week and we will focus on the grace that comes through Christ Jesus.
Keeping the Law would please God but no one can do so perfectly. Circumcision, like baptism, should be an outward symbol of an inward change but the symbol is not the thing.
As we get into Romans chapter 2 keep in mind that Paul is building a case. He is heading towards something, laying the groundwork now for a conclusion later. Only God can be a perfect, righteous judge.
We will exegete the second half of Romans 1, and also address the “cult of Paul” idea and say something about bully verses.
We are starting a series in the book of Romans. We begin with a little background on the Apostle Paul and why he writes churches letters.
In John 19, John cites four things that happened at the crucifixion which fulfill Old Testament prophecies. I recently heard someone question if one of those had actually been prophesied “or was John mistaken?” It should come as no surprise that I am going to land on the side of defending the accuracy and authority of scripture but hear me out as I build a case.
Jesus didn’t speak softly and smile warmly like Mister Rogers. Sometimes he raised his voice, flipped over tables and more than once the people he spoke to picked up stones to throw at him. Jesus is God, a message that offended some but sounded like good news to others.
On this Father’s Day we are looking at a text in Ephesians that addresses husbands, wives, children and offers instructions to fathers specifically. We are going to try to answer a larger question about why God gave us families.
Just a friendly reminder: We mentioned a few weeks ago that some older sermons would be deleted to make room for new stuff. In the very early days of the website the “sermon” was posted as text. Here is an example titled The Gospel Is Our Privileged and Responsibility. Those take up very little space as far as memory on the server is concerned. About a year later we experimented with adding images and scripture slides to an audio recording. Here is a link to Getting the Gospel Right. This experiment lasted a few weeks and produced less than a dozen videos. Those are hosted on YouTube and linked from the church website, so those are not taking up any of our space here.
The videos were labor intensive and extremely time consuming to create and render in a final format that YouTube would accept. In September of 2016 we started posting the sermon audio to our church website which is hosted by WordPress. Here is a series on the first 12 chapters of Genesis. The audio player looks weird and I don’t think you can download the m4a files. These are from eight years ago, long before churches started scrambling around trying to figure out what to do during the Covid pandemic. We were somewhat ahead of the curve for a small country church back then but looking at this post today the design and the technology is outdated. This is the kind of thing we will be clearing. If you want to hear these recordings again you have a week or two then the oldest audio posts will be deleted. In 2024 we will delete sermon posts from 2016. Next year we will delete 2017 posts to make way for 2025 sermons to be uploaded. That is the plan at this time, we’ll see how it goes. I can’t imagine anyone is going back that far and listening to sermons that I preached when Obama was still in office. If you are this is last call.
The Rewards of the Faithful looked at the Hebrews 11:1 definition of faith, the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen, and provided a few examples from the first 16 verses. This is the second half of Hebrews 11, offering many more examples and explaining what they waited for and have now received. As we began the invitation I read Matthew 25:46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” The Old Testament saints receive the reward we do and for the same reason; trusting in God that he is who he says he is and will do the things he has promised.
Peter told those in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost they needed to believe Jesus was the Christ and had been raised from the dead. What about people in the Old Testament, were they saved based on keeping the Law or based on good works? Let’s consider the faithful of the Old Testament and see what Hebrews 11 has to say about them. This is part 1 of 2.
On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit fell, Peter preached the first Christian sermon and 3,000 were saved. Let’s skip to Acts 13, where Paul and Barnabas encourage the believers at Antioch with a similar message: that children of Israel and all who fear God find salvation through Jesus Christ.
Today is Pentecost Sunday and we are finishing what we started last week. Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 is the first “Christian’ message, that is that we need to believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ in order to be saved.
Last week’s sermon was “Wait for the Promise.” This is part 1 of 2 on Pentecost.
If you download the m4a file it will say Gift, not Promise*. When you listen to the sermon you will see why I had the gift of the Holy Spirit on my mind.
After appearing to his followers for 40 days, Jesus ascended into heaven. His final instructions were to wait in Jerusalem where they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came up on them, and “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
If the question is “What would Jesus do?” then fish fry is always an option. Seriously though, this sermon is not all fun and games. We also praise him when it hurts.
I did not preach this morning and gave the entire time to our Gideon speaker, Jim Marrs from the Rome, GA, camp. The Gideons’ pastors and wives breakfast has restarted for the first time since the pandemic shut it down and 19 different churches in Gordon County had Gideon speakers this morning. If you have ever noticed the hardcover Bible in a hotel room or by your hospital bed those are placed by the Gideons. Printing and distributing Bibles is all they do and every dollar donated goes to that end. New Testaments are given to 5th graders, college students and others who serve as first responders or military personnel. Chances are you seen a Gideon Bible or been handed one in person. Since they first begin distributing Bibles in 1908 the Gideons International and placed more than 2.3 billion copies worldwide.
You can read more about the Gideons and donate to the printing and distribution of Bibles by clicking this link. We want to thank Jim Marrs for sharing with us this morning and those in our congregation that gave over $300 just in our service today.
We’re not stuck on Easter; we are looking at the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. He appeared to many different people, individually and sometimes in large groups, for a period of 40 days. Last week we look at two disciples on the road to Emmaus. This week we are in Matthew 28 which concludes with the great Commission to make disciples in all nations.
We will soon need to make some hard choices, as far as the website is concerned. We have nearly used up the 6 GB of storage space we purchase from WordPress. The vast majority of that is sermons, going back to when the website was launched in 2015. It’s been nearly nine years and for a few different reasons I don’t think buying additional digital storage is the right thing to do.
One would hope that after pastoring this church for nearly a decade my sermons are better now than they used to be. I will go back and replay a few of the older ones and try to confirm the truth in that statement. Some of them are repeats, or close to it. Every year during Advent for instance we retread some of the same ground, and again before and after Easter. Finally there’s the law of supply and demand. I will check the stats but I doubt anyone is looking at the church website and deciding to listen to sermons that I preach seven, eight or nine years ago. Like dusty boxes that sit in the attic they are just taking up space.
In the very beginning, March or April of 2015, I was adding slides to the sermon audio and loading the final video to YouTube. That process was time and labor intensive. It took a couple of hours to create and even longer for the final video to render. So those are hosted on YouTube and do not take up any memory here. Then we switched to uploading audio to the website and so it began. If you want to roam the halls of the virtual archive now is the time to start. I will listen to a few of the old ones and might keep a handful for posterity’s sake; maybe Mama’s Buttermilk Biscuits or a few others that really speak to me. I will start with the oldest in the archive and delete sermon posts from 2015 and 2016 so that more 2024 sermons can be added. If you find anything from back then you really like you can listen to it again or download it yourself. One 30 minute audio recording saved as .m4a takes only a few megabits of memory. But when you save 50 a year for nine years it really adds up.
This sermon fills in the gap we left in Luke 24 last week. Two disciples have the scriptures expounded for them by Jesus himself about the scriptures are about Jesus without realizing who is teaching them. He is revealed in the breaking of bread which is pure poetry, if you think about it.
Just like it was God’s flood (not Noah’s) so it was God’s plan of salvation and Jesus was the willing and obedient servant that helped bring it. This sermon concludes the 11 part series “Be About the Father’s Business.”
The disciples were familiar with Passover and had been keeping that annual festival for their entire lives. Jesus sat down with them to receive Passover for the last time and gave it new meaning; or more precisely, he revealed to them what the Passover had really meant all along.
Near the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus began transitioning into his role as our Great High Priest. John 17 has many statements of Jesus yielding to the Father’s will and way.
Throughout the earthly lifetime and ministry of Jesus he sought to do the will of his Father. Our series is nearing the end of that life and realizing this Jesus prayed harder than ever before in Luke 22. “Not my will but yours be done” summarizes his life, ministry and thought process. It was not always easy but it was always his way.
This is the Week of Prayer for North American Missions. We handed out prayer guides at Unity Baptist on Sunday but you follow along online and also watch short videos each day to meet our missionaries and hear their stories. Click this link to view the guide online or download a copy. Keep in mind that the missionaries highlighted this week are examples of work being done across Canada, the United States and its territories. We are also sharing daily on the Unity Baptist Facebook page.
Some can give, some will go, we all pray.
When the Samaritan woman (from last week’s sermon) went into town to tell everybody about Jesus, the disciples returned with food. Jesus said “My food is to the will of him that sent me.” That’s what I mean by eat like Jesus. Prioritizing God’s will ahead of everything else is in our best interest. Be sure to check out Matthew 6:31-33 before you go.
We’re gonna finish Colossians 1 and get into chapter 2 with a look at what Paul does for the church and why he does it.
As we begin a series in Colossians, we start with a brief explanation of Paul’s letter writing ministry. Like being called to the principal’s office sometimes it’s bad news, sometimes good. Colossians is a good letter, written to people Paul … Continue reading →
There are many men and women mentioned in Hebrews 11. Let’s focus on just one, Abram, and what makes his testimony remarkable.
Faith is more than belief, it is belief in action. Faith is the response to what we say we believe. Hebrews 11 offers a long list of those Old Testaments saints commended for their faith and their responses serve as … Continue reading →
God uses foolish things to confound the wisdom of this world and things that are weak to defeat the mighty.
The Lord God himself said he would shepherd his flock after rejecting the shepherds of Israel in Ezekiel 34. We see this promise ultimately fulfilled in the Lord Jesus when declares he is the Good Shepherd in John 10. This … Continue reading →
Last week’s compare and contrast in Psalm 1 led us into Psalm 23. The discussion of the Lord God as shepherd will take us into a discussion of The Good Shepherd next week.
Compare and contrast the righteous person of Psalm 1:1-3 with the unrighteous person of verses 4-6.
Remember those cartoons with a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, whispering things in the character’s ear? The struggle is real and it’s not on our shoulders.
We have many benefits – resources, tools – that believers in the Old and New Testaments did not have. I don’t mean mass publication and internet access but God given benefits that we can and should use to advance the … Continue reading →
Let’s stay in Romans 8 and learn more benefits of the Spirit. And maybe talk about buttermilk biscuits at the end.
Apologies are in order. We had a lot of visitors, my wife Teresa was home sick and not there to lead music, I pulled double duty and forgot to record the sermon.
The text comes from 1 Timothy 3:14-16. We’ve been looking at post-resurrection appearances of Jesus leading up to the Day of Pentecost. On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit fell and believers went out in the the street of Jerusalem and proclaimed the Gospel. 1 Timothy 3 closes with a short paragraph that summarizes who Jesus is and why we can put our faith in him. Here is the text:
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
Here is the fill-in-the-blank outline that I often refer to:
The church is the dwelling place of God.
God is revealed in the person of Jesus.
Jesus is confirmed by many proofs.
I referenced Philippians 2 about the humility of Christ taking the form of a servant. I cited 2 Corinthians 4:7 which I quoted last week but couldn’t give a book, chapter and verse to. Somewhat out of character I discussed the translation issues and even gave a Strong’s Concordance number, 5319, in the discussion of phaneroó (φανερόω) which is translated manifested in some places but as appeared or revealed in others.
I don’t know if this morning’s sermon can be recreated but look at the text again. Verse 16 says everything that needs to be said. That’s who Jesus is in the New Testament Church. And now we wait for him to return.
I have been sick this past week and spent a couple of days on bed rest. I’m 99% better but had to pace myself in order to get through the service without a coughing fit. The text is great and I did the best I could to bring the sermon.
The last installment in our series on post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. Next week: Pentecost.
This is the image referred to in the bulletin. You may have already seen this around. Thanks to the Robertson family and Unashamed Nation.
You don’t have to choose between honoring mothers on Mother’s Day and sharing the Gospel. Any message can and should begin with scripture and present the Gospel no matter happens in between. Elizabeth and Mary are not just characters in a shory; on this Mother’s Day we look at two of the most important individuals in the history of humanity.
Eating fish at every meal wouldn’t seem strange if you were a fisherman by trade. They also fished all night so our breakfast was more like supper to them.
All the disciples had trouble believing Jesus was alive even after hearing from the women who went to the grave, the two men that met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and remarkably after seeing Jesus himself. It is a shame that we identify one disciple in particular as doubting Thomas.
Second week of post-resurrection appearances. We continue in Luke this week, going to John 20 next week.
Sometimes our faith is tested and we might wish it was easier to always believe. Take heart, even the disciples struggled at times.
Why did Jesus have to die? He saved others, why could he not save himself? Spoiler: that was not God’s plan. His purpose was to save us.
In the early hours of the morning,
after the Sabbath had ended,
a few women walked toward his grave
to finish matters left unattended.
They carried spices for anointing,
to honor custom and tradition.
For he had been quickly laid in the grave
on the day of Preparation.
So early on Sunday morning,
even before it was light,
they approached the tomb of Jesus
to set things back to right.
The stone, however, was rolled away
and no body lay behind it.
Was he taken by believers or hid by guards?
Their concern was how to find him.
They were startled by an angel,
dressed in white, a splendid vision.
“Why seek ye the living among the dead?”
he asked. “He is not here, he is risen.”
Filled with fear and excitement
at what the angel said,
they ran to tell the disciples
that Jesus was not still dead.
The eleven found the women’s story
understandably hard to believe.
But Simon Peter ran to the tomb,
for himself he just had to see.
The stone was moved, as they said,
and the sheet lay in its place.
But the napkin was to the side neatly folded,
that had covered Jesus’ face.
Peter saw the empty tomb,
Jesus’ body was gone for sure.
That didn’t mean he was alive.
Seeing is one thing; faith required more.
Mary Magdalene met Jesus,
and two believers on the road spoke with him.
Finally the eleven were in a closed room,
When Jesus did not enter but appeared to them.
It would take time for them to understand
all that Jesus had taught them.
His most important work was on the cross,
and by his blood he bought them.
The crucifixion, resurrection,
Great commission and ascension;
it seems like an awful lot
for a few lines of poetry to mention.
So here’s a thought, perhaps a challenge,
instead of letting your mind sit idle:
this story of Jesus and many others
are all right there inside your Bible.
He Cannot Save Himself
A poem for Good Friday
Many questions were asked of him, though no answer was heard.
Pilate pressed him to respond, but Jesus spoke not a word.
As prophesied by Isaiah, like a lamb he was silent.
Which angered the crowd even more, and they began to riot.
Governor Pilate faced the Jews, and in order to honor custom,
told them that at their choosing, he would release one prisoner among them.
He knew that Jesus was delivered out of envy, malice and vice.
But the crowd choose Barabbas, shouting “Crucify Jesus Christ.”
Pilate washed his hands before them, saying “I am innocent of this man’s blood.”
The crowd said “Let his blood be upon us, and upon our sons.”
They stripped off his own garments, placed on him a robe and crown.
And then pretended to worship, before him kneeling down.
They placed on his head a crown made of thorns.
Then they spat, hit and slapped him, and mocked him to scorn.
They compelled the man Simon to carry his cross.
And divided his garments, by casting lots.
They made for him a sign, placed over his head.
“This is Jesus, King of the Jews” the words read.
Thieves were crucified with him, on his left and his right.
One was loud and boastful, the other more humble, contrite.
“We are guilty of our crimes, and deserve to die this way.”
And when Jesus saw his faith, promised paradise that day.
“He cannot save himself” they mocked, as his blood fell to the ground.
But they were crucifying an innocent, in whom no guilt was found.
This was God’s plan of salvation, established before there was time.
Each event had been prophesied, and now fell perfectly in line.
The trial, the false witness, his hanging on a tree;
It was all prophesied clearly in Isaiah fifty-three.
So the words of their mocking are actually true, you see.
He could not save himself, for on the cross… he saved me.
-Clark J Bunch
Pastor, Unity Baptist
Beginning in Matthew 21 we are going to walk through some key events of Passion Week/Holy Week that starts with the Triumphal Entry and ends with Jesus being placed in the tomb.
When we do the work of ministry we rely on God to work through us. He calls us to a work that he does, and the more we work for him the greater the reward we receive… for what he does!
There is a very well known verse in today’s sermon text. It is a promise to believers that applies to us, if we apply it correctly.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Do not be anxious about anything, pray about everything. Pray with thanksgiving. Philippians 4; lot of good stuff in there.
The Apostle Paul is not perfect and never claims to be but says he does one thing that we should imitate: forget what is behind, strain toward what lies ahead, press toward the mark. There is no backwards to the Christian walk. Sometimes it feels like running a race, other times it feels like going uphill into the wind. Press on. There are enemies of Christ but we are citizens of heaven.
The title kind of says it all. As we begin Philippians 3, Paul considered everything he had gained as loss, equating it all to garbage compared to the value of righteousness and eternal life in Christ Jesus.
Everyone needs one, two or three friends that will move heaven and earth, so to speak, in times of need. Paul had Timothy and Epaphroditus in Philippians 2 and a few others mentioned in other letters.
“Work out your own salvation” doesn’t mean you need to figure it out yourself. Paul is writing to believers who already have the Holy Spirit inside of them. It is God who works through us. So keeping doing that; searching for God’s will, doing his works that please him, and shining light into this dark world so that others may find him too.
Paul’s directions are clear in Philippians 2: Have the same mind as Christ. That sets the bar pretty high. Striving together in one faith, serving others in humility, acting in one accord are all secondary to thinking and acting like Jesus. He humbled himself so that God could lift him up. The goal for believers: do the same.
“To Live is Christ, to die is gain.” Well known statement in Philippians 1:21, but what exactly does it mean?
“All things work together for good” in Romans 8:28 is also a Paul quote. His observations in Philippians 1 is a good example of how that works sometimes.
This is part 1 of a series in Philippians.
Letters were written to individuals and churches for a number of reasons. Who were the Philippians and why was Paul writing to them?
Advent is the invention of something new or the appearance of something for the first time. The incarnation describes God becoming flesh and walking among us. Epiphany is the celebration of Jesus, the Christ, God incarnate, revealed to the Gentiles. The shepherds were near, the wise men were far off.
And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. -Ephesians 2:17-18
Jesus never works alone. From before his birth, through his earthly ministry, the establishment of the New Testament church and beyond Jesus has always been a real team player.
The Old Testament prophets gave Israel a future hope. The Ephesians, like all Gentiles, did not receive the Law and the prophets. When Jesus came, he preached peace to those near and those far.
The first theme of Advent is hope. The next is faith, specifically the faith of Joseph and Mary as they journeyed to Bethlehem. We’re going to back up to Genesis 15 and start there.
I don’t like to mess with the banner image on the website. At different times of the year we change the cover pic on the Facebook page. Back in 2017 we had a rare 4 inch snow in December, while the Christmas wreaths were on the front doors. Ain’t God good like that? Merry Christmas from Plainville.
Christ is concealed in the Old Testament but revealed in the New. Advent is a journey. As we begin Advent and look toward Christmas, let’s go way back and begin at the beginning. Like, Genesis 3 in the Garden of Eden beginning.
Last week’s sermon from Psalm 100 was more of a traditional Thanksgiving type message. Psalm 121 is about who God is and what that means to us, for which we should be thankful.
All of God’s commands are meant for our ultimate good. They steer us from evil and toward the God that loves us. He deserves our praise and it really is the least we can do.
Start by reading the list of 10 Commandments in Exodus 20. Then take a look at The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6. Then let us connect the dots.
The image of the invisible God in which all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. The world was made by him and for him and in him all things exist. We will explore these ideas and more in … Continue reading →
We do not have a god that cannot see, cannot hear, and is unable to act on our behalf. We have a God that has walked many miles in our shoes.
God exists outside of time. Jesus stepped right into with us, along with all the other frailties of the human condition.
God created time, which he exists outside of, and someday we will be right there with him.
Finishing up 1st John. We are in Jesus, he is in the Father, this is the true God and eternal life.
Following Doug Ledford’s retirement in May of this year, a search committee began the process of finding our next Director of Missions/Associational Missionary. Dr. Tony Chester officially started on September 15th after receiving a unanimous vote from all pastors and … Continue reading →
The church website gives us a reach greater than our small rural community in Plainville. More people listen to the sermon online that often attend on Sunday morning. I don’t know how many look at the bulletin online – if … Continue reading →
We overcome the world through our faith, which is in Jesus the Christ, so it’s nothing we do but belief in what he has already done. The Father, Word and Spirit bear witness in heaven while the water, blood and … Continue reading →
Testing the spirits in the first half of 1 John 4 reveals if the spirit is from God or is the spirit of antichrist. The test of our spirit is this: if one abides in God then His Spirit abides … Continue reading →
Because of false prophets and teachers, we must not believe every spirit but test if they are of God. The test is this: do they teach Jesus Christ was the Son of God in the flesh? Jesus was more than … Continue reading →
This sermon was preached on September 4, 2022, at Unity Baptist as part of the First John series. The text is 1 John 3:10-24 and reminds us that love expressed not in words but in action.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; 1 John 3:1
The text is the second half of 1st John 2. The message is about not loving the world or the things in it but I never explained the sermon title. Many antichrists have come that revealed they were never of … Continue reading →
We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, the propitiation for our sins.
John’s Gospel is something of a different flavor compared to the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. In 1st John he again immediately cuts straight to the chase. The chapter is short, only 10 verses, but shares the Gospel … Continue reading →
We finish 2nd Peter with encouraging final reminders: The day of the Lord will come. God is not slack concerning his promises. *Enter an email address in the right-hand sidebar and press Subscribe to receive post updates via email.
2nd Peter 2 describes false teachers and what their fate will be. Spoiler alert: it’s not good.
The New Testament Christian church grew rapidly in the early days. Filled with the Holy Spirit, believers were on fire to spread the Gospel and build the Kingdom. But the things they were doing should not have been new or … Continue reading →
The early Christian church grew very quickly in the first century. Filled with the Holy Spirit the multitude of new believers can still teach us a thing or two.
Peter preaches the first Christian sermon, proclaiming that Jesus is both Christ and Lord, and calling on those in Jerusalem to repent, be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit.
After the Holy Spirit filled the house on the day of Pentecost, Peter preached what may be considered the first Christian sermon. We will look at his sermon from Acts 2 in two parts, beginning this week and finishing up … Continue reading →
“Gospel” is a word we borrowed from New Testament Greek that means good news. The good news of Jesus Christ is that he died to offer salvation. He loved us when we were still in our sins and unlovable. Those … Continue reading →
Jesus appeared to numerous disciples and believers over 40 times following the resurrection. At the time of his ascension he told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise. Last week we read about a promise made; Acts 2 begins … Continue reading →
We’ve spent the past few weeks looking at the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. This is the last one, from Acts chapter 1. He tells his disciples to remain in Jerusalem, wait for the promise, then when they receive power from … Continue reading →
If you lived on a fishing boat it’s probably not that weird. Jesus continued doing post-resurrection what Jesus always did, providing for people’s physical as well as spiritual needs.
To put it simply, everything is functioning now the way it should. The website is up and running, the email address pastor@unitybaptist.church can send and receive email, if you had problems over the weekend those should be resolved. The full … Continue reading →
1 Timothy 3:16 is another text that provides a succinct description of who Jesus is. The mystery aspect will be explained at the end. Note: Somewhere in the middle of this sermon I get confused by my own notes. I … Continue reading →
Jochebed was the mother of Moses. He had an older brother and sister but Exodus 2 details the events of his birth and his mother’s love. She loved her son and chose to fear and obey God rather than Pharaoh.
In John 20 Jesus breathes on the disciples and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. If they were not receiving the promise of the Comforter at that time (and they were not, that’s the day of Pentecost after the … Continue reading →
An Easter Poem In the early hours of the morning, after the Sabbath had ended, a few women walked toward his grave to finish matters left unattended. They carried spices for anointing, to honor custom and tradition.For he had been quickly laid in the … Continue reading →
There were other people, from the Old and New Testaments, that were dead and restored to life. Jesus is the firstborn of the resurrection. Colossians 1 describes the incarnation and how we are redeemed and reconciled to God through the … Continue reading →
A Poem for Good Friday Many questions were asked of him,though no answer was heard.Pilate pressed him to respond,but Jesus spoke not a word. As prophesied by Isaiah,like a lamb he was silent.Which angered the crowd even more,and they began … Continue reading →
Many events during Jesus’ earthly ministry had been recorded prophetically hundreds of years earlier. As Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, let’s connect some of those dots to see the whole picture. Or at least more of it.
The introductory verses of Hebrews says a lot about Jesus in just a few words. Let’s unpack some of that profound understanding contained in just a few short statements.
Up until this point Daniel has been interpreting dreams and visions for the kings of Babylon. Beginning in chapter 7, Daniel describes and gives the interpretation of his own visions of the end times.
It may be a story we all know well but what is the application for the New Testament believer? Interestingly enough Daniel 6 is more about Darius than Daniel.
Belshazzar had the opportunity to learn from his father, Nebuchadnezzar, and not make the same mistakes he had made. He did not heed those lessons and did even worse than his father had done. Knowing better does not always mean doing better.
Daniel chapter 4 is… different… than the rest of the book. It is a letter from Nebuchadnezzar addressed to all people and nations, recounting a 7 year period of his life that humbled him and forced him to acknowledge God.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being thrown into the fiery furnace is one of the most well known stories in the book of Daniel and perhaps the Old Testament. We may all know what happened but what can we learn from Daniel 3 that will help us this week be about our Father’s business?
Last week Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar he could reveal his dream and the interpretation. As we pick up in Daniel 2:31, we will learn what the king saw and what Daniel told him it meant.
Part 2 in the Daniel series.
There’s a lot we can learn from Daniel about a right relationship with God. This sermon could easily have been titled “Be like Daniel.”
We will not be going verse by verse, chapter by chapter through the Book of Daniel. This is the first in a series of sermons and we begin with some history and context. It is always beneficial to seek after God. Take that truth with you this week.
It’s not a meaning of life inquiry or question of existentialism. What I mean is, when we gather at church, when believers meet together at the same time in the same place… why do we do that? Is it necessary for the New Testament church? Let begin in Hebrews 10 and finish in Romans 12.
The sermon title is Epiphany and we begin with the visit of the Wise Men in Matthew 2. The sermon deals with the Messiah the Jews were expecting versus the one that God sent. In a manger in Bethlehem seemed like the wrong place for a king to be born. Nazareth, up north in Galilee, is seemingly the wrong place for the Messiah to come from. The Jews were looking for a Messiah that looked and sounded a lot like themselves; we must be careful not to do the same. If Jesus looks a lot like us to start with, it would be a small thing to be conformed to his image.
I was under the weather a few days this week but feel much better. It doesn’t take a lot of activity to feel winded and after teaching Sunday School this morning I was not able to preach without breaking down into fits of coughing. Instead of upload the sermon audio I’m going to write out a long form blog post. Just like the good old days (circa 2015).
A gift is something of value. If I were to clean out the contents of my car, such as empty snack wrappers and 20 oz. drink bottles, and bag all of that up and offer it to you “free of charge” that wouldn’t make it a gift. Just because there is no charge doesn’t mean that anyone wants my garbage. A gift has to be something that a person wants or could use. Some things have intrinsic value, other things have sentimental value associated with them and some gifts would only mean something to the person getting it. Sometimes the rarity of an item makes it more valuable. Even if it’s the thought the counts, a gift has some type of value to someone.
A gift blesses the recipient. Even if an item costs a lot of money it is worthless to someone that can’t use it or doesn’t want it. A complete set of golf clubs in a bag could run hundreds of dollars, possibly thousands if you got carried away, but I would have no use for one. The thought of peanut butter fudge might start your mouth to drooling but if your best friend has a peanut allergy or your is diabetic then that would not be a good gift idea. A thoughtful gift involves knowing something about a person’s interests, hobbies, passions, likes and dislikes.
A gift honors the giver. Maybe you have something given to you ages ago by a parent or grandparent. You might honor that person’s memory as you continue to cherish an old pocket knife or a piece of heirloom jewelry. Likewise a grandparent may be proud of a small child’s handmade gift or watercolor picture. As it hangs on the refrigerator and ages over the years, the child grows up knowing how proud you are. All of these characteristics may exhibit in small ways but a thoughtful gift, big or small, will possess these qualities.
We are just coming out of the Christmas gift-giving season. With these thought in mind, take a look at John 3:16. You probably know it.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Jesus is of great value. Consider the Colossians 1 text we read last week and preeminence of Christ in all creation. Being the only begotten Son speaks to his rarity. He is truly and uniquely one of a kind. Jesus blesses those who receive him. He will be rejected by most even when offered freely. Jesus honors God the Father. Everything that he says and does brings honor and glory to his Father in heaven. he does not speak or act of his own accord but only according to the Father’s will.
The gift that is Jesus brings mercy, grace and salvation. Eternal joy. Peace that surpasses understanding. Sharing this gift does nothing to decrease your own blessings. Freely you have received, freely give.
Christmas is more than the celebration of a baby’s birth. The Son of God became like us so that we could become the children of God. The long road to the cross at Calvary begins in Bethlehem.
We light the Shepherds candle and celebration joy on the third week of Advent. We light the angels candle on the fourth Sunday in Advent and the theme is peace. “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men” was their proclamation.
When the shepherds received good news of great joy, their immediate response was to share that with others. The shepherds are the pattern for what we need to do.
Bethlehem Faith is today’s sermon as we mark the 2nd Sunday of Advent. Click the play button below or the three dots at right to download the audio file. Two notes:
1) Last week I may have said that Elizabeth was three months along when Mary came to visit. Elizabeth was six months along carrying John and Mary stayed with her for three months. Just to clarify.
2) I took part in an online discussion this week about the ages of Mary and Joseph when Jesus was born. I did not add that to my notes and told myself the lie that I would remember. A well-meaning individual reasoned that Mary must have been at least 15, more likely 17 or 18, when she carried Jesus. She mentioned how dangerous it would be for a 13 year old to carry a child to full term. Dangerous? This line of reasoning shows a lack of faith in God, exactly the lesson that the Bethlehem story teaches us. If God could miraculously cause a virgin to conceive, he could see to her health and safety and that of the baby. The birth of Jesus was ordained before the foundation of the world. Once Gabriel told Mary it was going to happen, there was a 0% chance than anything could prevent it.
John the Baptist began his ministry just before Jesus began his earthly ministry. John was called to prepare the people to receive Jesus, like turning the soil before planting. Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the season of preparation in which we get ready to receive good things from God.