Luke – First Baptist Church Dunkirk: Recent Episodes
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Find Peace in the Heart of ChristmasScripture: Luke 2:8-14; Colossians 1:19-22; Ephesians 2:14-16, Matthew 5:9, Colossians 3:12-15Peace = ShalomShalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord.
God’s Peace is for All PeopleShepherd’s were average, ordinary people.
The Messiah would bring Shalom to the whole world.
Peace with God is our greatest need.
Jesus Reconciles Us to GodJesus is the fullness (the shalom) of God.
Peace with God is the promise of God in our lives.
Adventus = arrival
Christ first brought peace with God
His second arrival will bring final peace (shalom) to the entire creation
Peace is Our PurposeWorld needs people who have the peace of God and willing to share it.
Be a peacemaker.
God invites you have peace with Him and others.
What rules your heart?
Take AwaysHave you been reconciled to peace with God?
Do you believe God’s peace is for ALL people?
Are you a peacemaker?
Scripture: Jonah 4:1-4 Burning Anger Jonah’s surprising response: Anger Proverbs 14:29 Slow to anger James 1:19-20 Anger does not produce righteousness Burning Heart Psalm 86:15 Luke 6:27-28 Love your enemies Idols of the Heart An idol is anything or anyone that begins to capture our hearts and minds and affections more than God. Follow the […]
Our MissionThe mission of First Baptist Church is to develop missionary disciples who worship God, grow spiritually, and share the Gospel and their spiritual gifts.
WORSHIP – Our lives are made to glorify God and recognize Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We love God by glorifying him through obedience and showing others what Jesus is like in our words and actions.
GROW – Developing Disciples, Spiritual Growth & Maturity, Fellowship. We love each other as we mature to become more like Jesus and we help disciple each other to grow and mature spiritually. We do this through intentional fellowship and living life involved in each other’s lives.
SHARE – Called to share the Good News of the Gospel and God’s love with our community & the world and to share our spiritual gifts and abilities. We love our local community and communities around the world by serving them and sharing the Gospel with them. God places believers together in local churches to be part of a living body each doing one or more parts.
Biblical Definition of LoveUnconditional
Wanting best for other person
Love is an action – obeying God
Habakkuk 3Can I trust God when everything seems to be going wrong?
The answer is in Hab. 3:18, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will find joy in the God of my salvation. God is my strength. He watches over my steps.
Take HomesDo you have a daily time of reading God’s Word and talking to Him? Are you encouraging others in your family to do this?
A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent BOOK LINK
Bible Reading Plans LINK
Do you bring your worries to Him or do you try to tackle them yourself?
Do you value your salvation and consider what God has done regularly?
Is Sunday worship with the church a priority in your life or just when it’s convenient?
Maybe you are willing to be active in the worship service? Reading Scripture, getting involved in music, sharing announcements and prayer. Talk to Sarah next week or send her a text or email. The address is right there in the bulletin.
Jesus said the most important thing to do is love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. In our Gospel Treason class, Brad Bigney (LINK) said we are all made to worship God but many people worship anything and everything but God. As believers, we need to make sure that God is the one we love most. He is the one we go to first with our joy, our pain, our needs, everything.
Four QuestionsWhat is God Like?
Why Do You Need God?
How Did God Come?
How Did God Do It?
Thin IceIt’s not just a matter of more faith
The object of your faith matters most
God’s Gift to You
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
– Romans 6:23
Once in Royal David’s CityBegins with history
Clearly states Jesus’ divinity
He entered history as a human
Jesus’ is destined for majesty
Scripture: Luke 2:25-35IntroToday is the fourth and final week of advent – or waiting. Next Sunday is Christmas Day. We have been exploring a Christmas Playlist from the familiar Gospel of Luke. These may not be the songs we regularly sing, but these first songs of Christmas are meant to make us think. They are meant to change us as they ask and answer four important questions about Christmas. Last Sunday in the Angels’ song we will answer the question “How did God come?” It was miraculous but very unexpected.
Today, in Simeon’s Song we will answer the final question How Did God Do It? How did He do what? How would God save and redeem His people?
If you pull out the insert in your bulletin, you can jot down some of your own thoughts and questions as we go along. If you’re watching on-line today, you can find the notes at Faithlife.com/DunkirkBaptist.
Today’s question: “How Did God Do It?”Two weeks ago, we answered the question, Why Do You Need God? We wouldn’t have a Christmas to celebrate if Jesus, the Son of God, did not need to come to earth to be the Savior and Redeemer. And so, today’s question of How Did God Do It? is related directly to the question why we need God. Romans 3:23 says All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are all born as sinners separated from God and desiring to be fully in charge of everything. You know that feeling right? We see it in our children from a very young age. They want what they want. And with their actions and words scream “Give it to me, Now!” But God is the true authority, and He calls us to be righteous and holy. We need our sins to be forgiven. We need to be set free from that constant pull to do things our way. We need to be saved because we can’t do it ourselves. And we need to be redeemed or freed from slavery and the control of sin in our lives. Today we will hear in Simeon’s song a glimpse at how this little baby would change the world forever. We love seeing little baby Jesus in the manger, but we can’t forget that He grew up to save the world through his greatest sacrifice.
Our fourth singer is a man named Simeon. Today’s Scripture passage in Luke 2 tells us he was righteous and devout. That means he obeyed God’s laws and wanted to please God with his life. He was also waiting his whole life for the consolation of Israel. That means he was waiting for the promised Messiah to come and save his people. For Israel’s pain and suffering to be relieved. Listen to what happens when he sees baby Jesus in Jerusalem with Mary and Joseph.
Prophecies FulfilledIsaiah’s prophecies in chapters 24, 40 and 66 were fulfilled in Jesus’ birth.
READ Isaiah 40:1-5
Heartbreak is ComingSimeon, also said to Mary, “And a sword will pierce your own soul.” John 19:25 tells us that Mary was standing at the foot of the cross watching her son Jesus suffering and dying on the cross. Any mother that loses a child knows that heart breaking pain.
Your Bill is PaidJesus was crucified on a Roman cross and Mary watched that happen. The perfect man, who committed no sins, was also the Son of God, and He alone could pay for your sins and mine. He said from the cross “It is finished.” But he didn’t remain in the grave. Three days later, he came back to life and proved that He really was the Son of God. You can read about that in Luke 23-24. Just as the angels proclaimed Jesus’ birth, angels returned and sat on the empty tomb to tell the good news. “He is not here; He has risen! Just as He said He would.
So How Did God Do It?How did God offer salvation to His people? How did He fulfill the promises He made to Simeon, Mary, Zechariah, and the shepherds? How did He offer forgiveness and full payment of the sins of the world? He sent His Son to die in our place. To make the payment for our sins with His own blood, His own life. He did all of this because of His unbelievable, unconditional, redeeming love for us.
READ John 3:16-17
That’s the Gospel. That’s our advent theme today. God’s great love for you.
If you have never confessed your sin to God; if you have never accepted Jesus’ payment for your sins; if you have never placed your faith in Him as your Savior; let today be the day! Come talk to me after the service. If you’re watching on-line, contact me through the website Dunkirkbaptist.org or through the church office. This could be the best Christmas you’ve ever experienced because you will know the Savior personally and you will begin a new life in him.
Scripture: Luke 2:8-14A Christmas PlaylistWe are halfway through the four weeks of advent – or waiting. We are exploring a Christmas Playlist from the familiar Gospel of Luke. These may not be the songs we regularly sing, but these first songs of Christmas are meant to make us think. They are meant to change us as they ask and answer four important questions about Christmas. Last Sunday in Zechariah’s song, we addressed the question Why do you need God? And we saw that the answer was our sin. We need God because we cannot do anything about our sin. Today, in the Angels’ song we will answer How did God come?
Today’s question is “How Did God Come?”The Baby’s DetailsBirthplace – Bethlehem
Purpose (job) – Savior & Redeemer
Title – Christ (Messiah)
True Identity – The Lord (God Himself)
Three Big SurprisesThe Virgin Birth
The Birthplace
The Audience
Great Joy & Peace on Earth
“While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief and envy; he cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearns for more than even outward peace.”
– Epictetus
Take HomesWill you accept God’s gift today?
Is there room for Jesus in your life?
Jesus is Lord!
Scripture: Luke 1: 67-80 The music of Christmas often brings back happy memories. But instead of only looking back, we should also be looking ahead. Looking forward to all of God’s promises fulfilled. Through the four weeks of advent – or waiting, we are exploring a Christmas Playlist from the familiar Gospel of Luke. These […]
Scripture: Luke 1:26-56 Over the next four weeks of advent – or waiting, we will explore a Christmas Playlist from the familiar Gospel of Luke. While these four songs may not be one’s we regularly sing, they are meant to change us as they help us answer four important questions about Christmas. Today in Mary’s […]
Scripture: Luke 9 Luke 9:18-20, Isaiah 53:3-7, Luke 9:23, Luke 9:24-26, Luke 9:57-62, Luke 14:25-33 My hope and prayer is that we all take up our cross, we all keep the plow straight, because the gospel needs to be spread. And it needs to be the true Gospel of repentance not a counterfeit one of […]
Scripture: Mark 10:1-16 Pharisees’ Test Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? Jesus’ Response • What did Moses command you? • God’s Original Marriage Plan from Genesis 2 • Mystery of Marriage & the Gospel from Ephesians 5 Disciples Questions • Jesus’ answer indicates they may have asked about remarriage • Matt […]
Scripture: Mark 9:30-41 Intro How many of you are Pride & Prejudice fans? If you like great drama and romance there are plenty of movie and mini-series versions and spin-offs out there of this classic Jane Austin novel – including Pride & Prejudice and Zombies a few years ago. If you want to save watching […]
Hope The result of hope in your life should be praising and thanking God and then encouraging others with that same hope. Peace When the shepherds heard this message of peace they ran to see the newly born Messiah and left glorifying and praising God telling everyone they met about Jesus. Do you take credit […]
God’s Promises of Hope Peace Joy Love were all fulfilled in the nativity of Jesus Christ. The Son of God was born in a manger, Emanuel – God with us. He lived a perfect, sinless life, and offered his own life on the cross to pay for our sins. All who repent, seek God’s forgiveness, […]
Scripture: Isaiah 7:14, Luke 1:26-38 How many of us have a nativity scene set up in the living room or on the mantle of the fireplace. Ours is on a radiator cover in the Dining Room. What is a nativity? And what does that word even mean? Our word nativity comes from the Latin word […]
Scripture: Luke 1:8–20, 39-45, 57–66; Isaiah 40:3–5 1: Jesus’ Birth is the Source of True Joy God’s Glory will be revealed in the Messiah Jesus Christ 2: It is a Joy to Share God’s Plan The name “John” means Graced by God – or – God has been Gracious 3: Our Joy Comes from the Grace of God […]
Scripture: Luke 2:8–14; Isaiah 9:6–7; Romans 8:6–7 Nativity Person(s):the Shepherds THE PEACE OF CHRIST IS FOR EVERYONE Maybe you could use some good news today because your spirit does not know real peace. In the arrival of Jesus Christ, we are given good news. The good news is this: you have not been forgotten by […]
Scripture: Luke 2:25–35; Isaiah 9:2; 1 Peter 1:13 1. HOPE IS A CERTAINTY ABOUT THE FUTURE THAT IMPACTS THE PRESENT Simeon’s day-to-day life was filled with hope because he believed God would keep His promise of a Savior, the Messiah. 2. HOPE IS BORN OUT OF DEEP LONGINGS AND DESPERATE NEED “The only ones who […]
Scripture: Mark 2:13–17 Jesus called sinners to relationship with Him Centuries ago Italian workmen transported a huge block of marble from the famous quarries of Carrara to the city of Florence. It was meant to be a statue of an OT prophet. The great sculpture Donatello, saw many imperfections in the stone and he refused […]
Meeting Jesus We’ve found the Messiah! Simon = one who hears Cephas/Peter = stone/rock Fishers of Men “I am a sinful man” Left their nets Followed Jesus Peter’s Family Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law Peter saw Isaiah’s prophecy fulfilled Step of Faith Jesus walked on water Peter asked if he could go to Him Peter took […]
We would all like to be remembered after we die. Some people go to a lot of expense to make sure that they are remembered well – with large monuments, elaborate memorial services, donations to charities in their name, or even building a hospital wing with their name on it. In my family, before he […]