Petal First Baptist Church: Recent Episodes
Petal First Baptist Church (Archive)
WORTH IT “Saving for Harvest & Famine” Genesis 41:25-42, 47-49, 53-57 February 16, 2020
The Rest of the Christmas Stories "Herod: The Dark Side of Christmas” Matthew 2 December 15, 2019
“Zachariah & Elizabeth: The Silence Is Broken Before Christmas” Luke 1:5-25, 39-45, 57-80 December 8, 2019
FALL BACK & COMMIT “Our Call to Connect & Care Deeply” Romans 12:9-12, 15 November 17, 2019
FALL BACK & COMMIT “Our Call to Commit by Sacrifice & Service” Ephesians 2:10 October 27, 2019
FALL BACK & GO “Our Call to GO Share with Everyone Everywhere Luke 24:13-50 October 20, 2019
GETTING REAL ABOUT THE HEALTH OF YOUR HOME “How to Raise Your Parents” Eph. 6:1-4 & Prov. 6:20-23 October 6, 2019
GETTING REAL ABOUT THE HEALTH OF YOUR HOME “The Delight & Difficulty of Raising Children” Psalm 127, Deuteronomy 6 September 29, 2019
We are called as parents to… Look to the end to know where to begin Kids Who Become Active Christ-followers as Adults If mom & dad went to church: 72% of kids will as adults If mom only went to church: 15% of kids will as...
GETTING REAL ABOUT THE HEALTH OF YOUR HOME “The Call to the Worthy Woman of God” Ephesians 5:22-24, Proverbs 31:10-12 September 15, 2019
OUR IMPERFECT FAMILY GETTING REAL ABOUT THE HEALTH OF YOUR HOME “The Call to Rise Up & Be Men of God” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 September 8, 2019
GETTING REAL ABOUT THE HEALTH OF YOUR HOME “1 Is Not the Loneliest Number” 1 Corinthians 7:1-9, 25-35 August 25, 2019
GETTING REAL ABOUT THE HEALTH OF YOUR HOME “The Foundation of Family Forged By God” Genesis 2:18-25 August 18, 2019
GETTING REAL ABOUT THE HEALTH OF YOUR HOME “A Reality Check & A Wake Up Call” Genesis 2:18-25 August 11, 2019
ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM “Social Media, Technology & Balance” Ephesians 5:15-18 August 4, 2019
ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM “Homosexuality/Gender Identity or Design” Romans 1:18-32 June 30, 2019
His Final Focus Vs 6-8 ~ The Present
Emptied Himself Exit Was Imminent
~ The Past
He Was in a Right Struggle He Had Stayed on Course He Kept the Faith
~ The Future
The Promise The Prize The Pledge The People - Love His...
ACTS The End of the Beginning "Learning to Survive the Shipwrecks of Life" Acts. 27 April 7, 2019
Acts: the End of the Beginning "God Is Still in Control Even When We Aren’t!” Acts 23-24 March 24, 2019
Acts: The End of the Beginning "Exciting & Challenging Days in the Church" Acts 18:18-20:38
1 & 2 Thessalonians: The Lord’s Return & Our Great Hope 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 November 4, 2018
EPHESIANS: Our Wealth in Christ & Our Walk With Christ” Ephesians 1:3, 7-8; 4:1 October 14, 2018
"Habakkuk & Zechariah: God’s Presence & Promise” Habakkuk 3:16-19, Zechariah 1:1-6 July 29, 2018
Zephaniah gives us a glimpse into the future to motivate us to live for God today. Haggai show us that in spite of our sinful ways, He blessed us with forgiveness and salvation. We should thank Him daily by living for Him and sharing His love to all...
Ezekiel teaches believers that God judges sin but also offers forgiveness and restoration.
The believer should aim to live a life that puts Christ at the center and glorifies God.
1st and 2nd Kings show Israel's decay because of the decline in their spiritual life as a nation.
God invites us to leave our past behind, accept His forgiveness and enjoy fellowship with Him!
The beginning of the Bible is critical – it is the foundation upon which everything is built.
We are called as individuals and as a church family to communicate with our culture (our community, neighborhoods, school, jobs, etc.).
God has a Divine, Sovereign Plan for each of us as well as collectively. Sometimes that plan is easy, enjoyable, exciting and exhilarating; and sometimes it’s hard, difficult, and painful.
How do we take the challenge of God’s call to continue in the course of the great days, difficult days, and the normal ordinary days that come our way?
Living Faithfully means being deeply committed and devoted to Christ and His Church through our time, talents and treasures.
Living Faithfully involves our commitment to live a life devoted to Christ, and serving in and through a local church.
The priority of every believer should be to share the Gospel with those who don't know Jesus.
The believer should be burden for the unbelievers he/she meets daily and willing to share the Gospel with them.
Living Desperately is living with a daily sense that we are totally dependent on God to live life!
To "Live Biblically" is to make the Bible and its principles the guiding force in one's life.
Mt. Vernon Pastor Carl Burkett preached on the need for believers to truly believe in what God can do! Matthew 9:27-30
Acts 13 outlines priorities that the Church is to have as it lives out its purpose in the world.
Acts 13 outlines priorities that the Church is to have as it lives out its purpose in the world.
We will equip parents to lead their families to prioritize Christ rather than conforming to the expectations of our culture.
Petal FBC will equip parents to lead their families to prioritize Christ rather than conforming to the expectations of our culture.
We will equip parents to lead their families to prioritize Christ rather than conforming to the expectations of our culture.
Jesus' resurrection brought delight, deliverance, declaration, discernment, direction and decision for every believer!
Believers are called to invest their time, talents, skills, and resources in ways that produce spiritual benefits.
Believers make every decision based on the absolute truth of the Word of God instead of personal preference.
We desire to live in community doing life together by overcoming barriers that cause isolation.
Believers should pursue the plan God has for them despite the opposition they might face.
Financial debt brings a lot of stress on an individual and family. There are three prayers believers should pray in trying to get out of debt.
Our lives are cluttered by "stuff". As believers, we need to evaluate our priorities and then adjust our lives to match the top priorities.
We All Need Hope but will we choose Worldy Hope or Biblical Hope? The believer should choose Biblical Hope which is in Jesus.
We Have ONE Great Creator & ONE Great Purpose We Have ONE Great Problem & ONE Great Savior We Have ONE Great Decision & Commitment We Have ONE Great Task & ONE Great Opportunity
God desires that the whole world will come to know Christ. It is our responsibility to share the Gospel and tell others about our walk with the Lord.
What God Did - But God… Vs 5-6 One of the most important times the word "but" is used and it is because of what follows behind. This is the great news. It is not what you and I did, it is all about what God did!
I read this week that George Gallup did a survey and discovered that 65 million Americans have no church home, but 34 million of them said they would attend if somebody would just invite them. 34 million just waiting for an invitation! In this...
This morning I want to remind you of one of the basics that is found right in our Petal FBC Logo – it’s what we believe the basics are for every believer and one that we desire for every person who is a part or attending Petal FBC to be doing in their...
Engaging people with the hope of the Gospel to lives transformed; Connect Ourselves & Others to Christ and the Church... These all require one word – intentionality – You have to plan to do them and have a plan to execute them – they simply won’t...
Listen as Pastor Brad shares a compelling message at our Joint Worship Service at Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church called "The Answer is Found in the One Another's".
Here comes Paul charging into Damascus to wreak havoc and destruction, but instead he is brought to his knees and is led into the city blinded, helpless and impotent. When he sees Christ for who He is, he also sees himself for who he really is: the...
Brother Brad walks us through the powerful and challenging reminder of our call to tell someone about Jesus!!
This week we dive back into our Acts New Frontiers Series that we paused from earlier in this year. Today, join us as we look at Saul - the murderer, Stephen - the martyr, & Phillip - the missionary.
The prayer begins with the recognition of who God is and it ends in the same fashion. Let us look closely at each word and its meaning & application for our lives today, this week, & the rest of our lives.
We continue our look at the Lord's Prayer with the section, "Give us this day our daily bread" and the message, OUR PLEA "The One Thing No One Is Exempt From".
No one likes to be called a sinner. Most people have a wrong conception of sin as if it were only reserved for the murderer, adulterer, foul mouthed person, drunkard, etc. They are not guilty of these sins; they live a decent, ordinary, respectable...
Pastor Brad takes a break from the PRAY/ER Message Series, to share a personal testimony.
So we’ve looked at the 1st three parts of this prayer and we now move to the 4th. We will see that our Pursuit (That He is our King and we are living for His kingdom and not our own) is so closely tied to our Purpose (That our will be the same as the...
What is the Kingdom of God? It means the rule and reign of God both in heaven and here on earth. It is not a reference to geography as much as it is to God's sovereignty and dominion over everything. This kingdom has only one King and no earthly...
We talked last week about who we pray to, and who we pray with, but this morning we turn our hearts to "why". Why do we pray? Listen to, "What's So Important About a Name" where Brother Brad really breaks this down for us.
Fellowship with God - Talking to the Lord, fellowshipping with Him, sharing our hearts with Him, worshiping Him, listening to Him, seeking Him. It is not about getting things from God, but instead aligning our hearts with His will and living for His...
No great move of God ever began without it first being birthed in prayer. Look back at all the revivals of years gone by – each one started with people having a deep sense and burden that they needed to pray, and must pray. The Bible says much about...
More than just wishful thinking, hope sustains you. Hope moves you forward. Hope keeps you going through the hardship and uncertainty. But, did you know that hope is at the very heart of Easter? Plan now to join us on March 27th, Easter Sunday, for...
In 1 Corinthians, apostle Paul gives some very clear instructions about the meaning and purpose of the Lord’s Supper and how we are to partake in that supper.
Since becoming a Christ follower it has been my desire to be an example and a model of a believer to those who are around me and certainly to those who are coming behind me. I have a desire to live convictionally in such a way that I would not...
93% of males will have viewed pornography before the age of 18 and 62% of females. The average age of exposure is 11 and some studies suggest even as young as 9. 20% of 16 year olds & 30% of 17 year olds have received a "sext" 71% of...
Is there any doubt in your mind that we're living in an increasingly polluted world? There is pollution everywhere. We hear about it most often in the news, about our earth’s environment and how it is being threatened. But, how often are we...
Doubt is a huge giant we'll all face at some point, some of us deeper and further than others. Some of you will cross paths with people who doubt the Lord, and you'll be able to share the truth with them! Even preachers have doubts from...
The title, "Something Worth Living and Dying For", is simply the desire that God has put inside every human being. There has to be something worth looking for. What are you living for today, or better yet, WHO are you living for in your...
Many of us have written on something, carved on something, left our mark on something, that said "I was here" – maybe at a restaurant, bathroom, cabin wall, billboard, etc. We all want to outlive our life – yes to be in heaven with Jesus, no...
The Church here in Jerusalem has experienced explosive growth, going from 120 to numbers that swell into the thousands, well over 5000 in just a few years. Imagine that happening here. Things had to change and grow as the church grew. Problems...
Do you Realize that God has a plan for your life? But is it possible that Satan would have one for you as well? Wouldn’t it be the same for the church, specifically our church?
As a continuation of last week, we Recognize the enemy's vision, and rely on God's. The best is yet to come!
We get to take another glimpse again inside the early church and we find some incredible things takin place in its infancy that didn’t last forever. But from it we can learn some valuable lessons and we can see clearly the ideal church at its birth...
Courage in making the righteous decision isn’t always the right decision. We always need to start at the place of being people of courage who start towards the righteous decision and as we seek the Lord we discover what is the right righteous...
Today's service was directed towards international missions. Listen as Pastor Brad speaks on Psalms 96:3, His Glory Among the Nations.
There is no greater sense of unity than we come and pray together and ask the Lord to put us on the same page! Have you experienced some of those moments. Oh that Petal FBC would be like the early church and pray together in unity! And because...
Guest Speaker, Brother Don Gann, speaks from Hebrews 12:1-3 on "How Not To Lose Heart?"
They returned to their fellowship (perhaps they had already been praying for them and their release – How do we know that? Acts 12:5 What do men of courage do after facing difficult moments – run and hide? No way – they go back to their Church...
The context from last week, Peter’s response to the question, really finishes his sermon the next day to the Sanhedrin council. This was in response to what Peter had been sharing with them in a sense of presenting the message to the council. Luke...
We start a new section today of Acts and we have focused on the early days of the Church and the launch of the Church, and the mission control and their leaving earth and now this morning we turn our attention to how the Lord works through specific...
Our challenge is to understand that the “rediscovery” of the gospel should be a lifelong process that never ends. We began our Christian life by drinking from Christ’s everlasting water. We don’t grow in Christ by enlarging the circumference of our...
As You have been to me, so I will be to others. We turned that corner last week and began to work our way to letting this Gospel spill out of our lives into the lives of others. We love others in response to the love we’ve experienced in the Gospel...
The truth and meaning of John’s writing refers to the believers’ not sinning. All of the verbs he uses referring to sin are in the present tense, indicating continuous, habitual action. In other words, John is not referring to occasional acts of...
We want to talk this morning about having an audacious faith and doing something and seeing something happen that we didn’t think we could do or could possibly happen. Will we really take God at His Word and believe that He will do what He said He...
We start to turn the corner here – again if you missed the last several weeks, then you’ve missed the foundation – the core of what we are talking about and living out this gospel revolution must start at the beginning – the Abiding, Amazement...
The words we have used so far are ABIDE, AMAZED & ACCEPTED. Today we add the words "Our Affection & God’s Affection Approval". The goal of this message is to teach the second part of the Gospel Prayer, which affirms that Christ is...
The verse in I Corinthians 13:13, but now these three remain, faith, hope, and love and the greatest of these is love.” We here a lot about faith and love, but not as much about hope. Gets overlooked a little bit, so let’s take a deeper look tonight...
As we continue through the Gospel Revolution, we are on this journey – taking one step at the time – discovering that how live out the Gospel depends on how we view the Gospel. It really boils down to the difference between religion and a...
When is the last time you and I stood in amazement at God or something that the He has done? When is the last time we stood amazed in His presence for who He is? Too often familiarity (not intimacy) can cause us to yawn at God! This can be a danger...
Does it really matter what we believe? We hear many people today say, as long as you believe something and you are sincere, then that is enough. Is that true? No way. A sincere Dr who means well could give a patient the wrong medicine and it makes...
Christian growth doesn’t come by adding things into our lives, but by growing in our awareness of what God has already given to us. We don’t grow in Christ by growing beyond the gospel, but by growing deeper into it!
We start a new section today of Acts and we have focused on the early days of the Church and the launch of the Church, and the mission control and their leaving earth and now this morning we turn our attention to how the Lord works through specific...
God has already set into motion his kingdom, and that kingdom begin with the death and resurrection of the Messiah and now looking forward to that time of incredible refreshing, where we will be in the presence of the Lord, truly, face to face. The...
Because God loves perfectly (taught throughout the Word of God) He also hates perfectly. He loves all that righteous, holy, and in line with His will and glorious purpose. Which means simultaneously hates whatever threatens or opposes those things...
Have you ever taken the time to sit and watch the end credits of a movie? We rarely do but if we would we would find the list of hundreds of people who helped to write, produce, and make the movie. Most of the time we only know the actors or...
Because God loves perfectly (taught throughout the Word of God) He also hates perfectly. He loves all that righteous, holy, and in line with His will and glorious purpose. Which means simultaneously hates whatever threatens or opposes those things...
This is an intensely personal message today. Many of you know about my dad's illness and his passing a few years ago. Today, I will share with you my struggles & joys over the past 3 years. The Lord didn’t heal him – he suffered terribly – my...
Because God loves perfectly (taught throughout the Word of God) He also hates perfectly. He loves all that righteous, holy, and in line with His will and glorious purpose. Which means simultaneously hates whatever threatens or opposes those things...
Leaving Earth – we have been building on that idea of space, and rockets, and NASA, and people doing something new that had never been done before and the risk and revolution that it was. These people were jumping on a rocket if you will called the...
This morning we want to take a look at the Impact of the Church as we complete The ACTS: Revolution. As we look back we see a revolution like never before nor has ever been repeated since of the revolution that took place in the lives of those...
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting (basket) of silver. Proverbs 25:11
All Christians have received a portion of God’s resources with which we need to be good stewards. God holds us accountable for the resources he entrusts to us. Those resources are our time, talents, spiritual gifts, energies personalities...
This morning we take a look at Hebrews chapter 11. We are talking about having NOW Faith, that will help us trust Him. God is asking us all today, "Will you trust me?" So many things are going on around us that are causing great concern...
I want us to take a look at the early Church and we see these very things occurring – it was normal, natural, regular, fresh with the Spirit of God blowing through their lives and their church and I pray this morning that it will awaken and ignite...
We are living in perilous days no doubt. Should we be surprised? No! The Lord told us these things would happen – it shouldn’t really shock us. The Church is on a decline in America according to latest Pew Research – we are fast heading towards...
Here he finished the sermon, really hasn’t finished his sermon, but here there was an interruption. He finishes in a minute. But here he is interrupted and it is at this point that we see the reality of the response to the Holy Spirit Fundamental...
Repentance unto salvation here in Acts – repent and turn to Jesus There is also daily repentance as a Christ Follower I repent in my heart because I am a Christian How do you feel when you hear the word repentance? Romans 2:4 It is God’s kindness that...
We are in a series talking about the early church and its beginnings and what that means for us today. In this section we are talking about the Mission Control – talking a look behind the scenes if you will at what was happening in the early church...
The coming of the Holy Spirit had nothing to do with these disciples did Other than, that did what Jesus told them to do. (Go back and wait) It is centered not around them being in one accord and one place but instead it is centered around the...
A huge pivotal point here, the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit. Promised in the Old Testament even to the last prophet, John the Baptist of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Their disciples were waiting, praying together, electing a new...
Remember there were still those that were angry about Jesus and his claims, and angry at his followers over these claims of his resurrection. People that wanted to take these disciples out. They probably were not able to find a job, many were against...
The disciples did exactly what Jesus had told them to. Completely obedient to his direction, without any reservation, and really with no more information than that. Some of us might have said, "Well I’ll go, but I need a few more details, a few...
We live in a broken world, surrounded by broken lives, broken relationships, and broken systems. This brokenness is seen in suffering, violence, poverty, pain, and death around us. Brokenness leads us to search for a way to make LIFE work. In...
We’ve been building a foundation – which is critically important but it then must move into application – living out our faith in real life – in our everyday lives. We talk about being on mission – when we hear that what do we most often think? We...
Our call is to help people understand that they are broken, that our world is broken and what they can do with that brokenness. We have tremendous opportunities when others share their brokenness with us or when we choose to get involved in the...
People who thought their life was over, dreams were shattered, the darkest of nights they had ever experienced that didn’t seem to have an end, disillusioned, wondering where Jesus was now and His plan? They were tired, weary, afraid, they had...
Paul wasn’t one of those people who just talked about sharing Christ with those who were lost, he actually did it! We can see the heart that Paul had and we see these things displayed in his life.
The first place we start is the reminder that it was Christ who started the Church, He died for the Church and set the Church on it’s course of world redemption. And Anything that Christ starts works, and will continue to work. I believe that the...
The first place we start is the reminder that it was Christ who started the Church, He died for the Church and set the Church on it’s course of world redemption. And Anything that Christ starts works, and will continue to work. I believe that the...
Church still works today! It is God’s plan for world redemption until Jesus comes back for us His church. Anything that Christ starts works, and will continue to work. There is much skepticism of the church today. Is it relevant? People on the...
It first starts with our transformation in every area of our lives. This is the prerequisite and the requirement before we can do anything. Once we allow the Lord to do this transformational work in our lives then the Lord can begin to use us to be a...
Somebody might say “Isn't our church getting big enough?” But we don't grow for our benefit. We grow because everybody needs Jesus, because people need the Lord. See, the wrong question is, “How big should we get?” The right question is...
You were made to make a contribution, not just to consume. God made you to make a difference. What matters is not how long you live, but how you live. We’re all meant to give something back. We’re all meant to make a contribution. The Bible says we’re...
We all have a tendency to get comfortable when things grow and if we are not careful we can let the weeds grow as well. If, in our excitement and confidence, we don’t tend to the garden like we once did, the growth will go for a while but eventually...
We must begin with transformation in every area of our lives. This is the prerequisite and the requirement before we can do anything. Once we allow the Lord to do this transformational work in our lives then the Lord can begin to use us as a conduit...
I am so excited about what we are sharing with you today! Our Vision Team has been working on and crafting this report for over a year & a half. Recognize them! This is isn't the Preacher’s Vision – this is this team’s vision alongside me...
I’m so glad that you are here as we begin together this journey that will take us through the next 6 weeks helping us to make the most of the next 5 years, to get us to the next decade. We are praying that the Lord will do a new thing in us and in our...
Don’t you want to REALLY live? To live life to the fullest? To get the most out of it and to make a maximum impact on those around you? All of us want to feel that our lives matter, that we are making a difference. In order for this to be true, we...
Let's celebrate what the Lord has done in the year 2014! Take a look at Ezekiel 37 and let's think about how this passage relates to us personally, relates to us corporately, and relates to us theologically...
What do you think of when you talk about kings? They didn't associate with commoners. They lived lavishly while most other people lived ordinary or even poor and peasant lives. They instilled a great fear in their own people. They were famous...
Jesus, Immanuel, Messiah, Son of God...Many different names are used to refer to Jesus--and there is meaning behind all of them. Join us this morning as we dive into the different names of our Lord and the BIG DEAL about each one!
Today, I wanted us to address what perhaps is the most important doctrine or truth that we base our Christian faith upon. If it breaks down here, or we say, "Well it is not really that important", the rest of His life and subsequent death...
Let’s answer the question: what’s the big deal about Christmas? What’s so important about this holiday that we put so much effort into? This week, we ask: what’s the big deal about Jesus’ family tree?
To the Jew, family pedigree was critical to...
As we continue our Thankful Series, let's turn back to last week when we talked about our decision to be thankful--this concept sets up this entire series: The 1 Important Perspective that we must have: Giving Thanks. Ephesians 5:20 tells us...
People ask me, "How do we know that Jesus really loves us? I don’t understand, I cannot feel that love." Have you realized the incredible fact that Jesus Christ, the God of this Universe, died for you? He loved you so much that He would...
This morning we turn our hearts towards the third thing for which we are thankful: Our Support. Outside of Christ, our greatest and most important spiritual support is Our Church Family. Our support includes our LifeGroups, our Church Family, other...
We now turn to the 2nd thing that we are called to be thankful for – Our Season to Share. Now let me be clear, though this is a time that we really focus on sharing and giving to others, my desire is that we will look far beyond just this month and...
It’s that time of year, Fall is here, Halloween – thank goodness!! – is over and we are waiting for Christmas to come. Sometimes this season of Thanksgiving can be overlooked or simply relegated to one day a year. Yet the call is clear in Scripture...
Welcome to all of our Guests today. For the past seven weeks we’ve looked at seven different dimensions of our lives. And the Lord’s desire to transform us in every way in these dimensions. He is not interested in seeing us change in one area only...
Your ability to dream is a God given gift. It’s what makes you different from animals. Animals cannot imagine the future. God gave you as a human being, made in his image, the ability to see the past. That’s called memory. And to visualize or imagine...
It may surprise you that Jesus actually talked more about money than he did about heaven or hell. In fact, half of all of the parables that Jesus told are about money. Half of them. In fact, in the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke one out of every six...
This week I want us to look at relational health: transforming your relationships. I want us to look at diffusing the fears that ruin relationships. To do that we’re going to go all the way back to the book of Genesis, the very first book of the...
A Ministry Focused Layout The e360 WYCLIFF Theme (mk022) comes with Sermon Layout 4. Check out other Sermon Layout options here. E360 SERMON LAYOUTS
A Ministry Focused Layout The e360 WYCLIFF Theme (mk022) comes with Sermon Layout 4. Check out other Sermon Layout options here. E360 SERMON LAYOUTS
Last week we talked about how to manage our mind and our thoughts. This week I want us to look at what the Bible says about how to manage our emotions: how to deal with how you feel. In Mark 12:29-30 Jesus says this “The most important commandment is...
Let me sum up what I want to say today in one sentence: God is far more interested in changing your mind than in changing your circumstances. We want God to change our circumstances. We want him to take away all of the problems, all of the pain, all...
This week we’re going to look at the most famous Psalm in the Bible, Psalm 23. It’s true we spend an awful lot of money on relieving stress in our lives. Stress at its core is simply a threat – real or perceived. Whenever your body feels...
The further away you get from God, the more your life is troubled. The closer you get to God, the more your life is transformed. Welcome to Fifty Days of Transformation. Today we begin part one as we start looking at seven key areas of your life...
It is one thing to talk about the Gospel and Jesus, but it is quite another to live out this truth with our daily actions. The second is far more difficult. By this point in our study, Paul has clearly moved from inside the walls of the church and our...
Last Sunday we looked at the WAY we should live our lives. Especially, in the church itself. Now, Paul gives us the why we should live our lives this way so that people may see Christ in us. So, what is it? Why do we need to live our lives from the...
Our relationships and how we live our lives matter greatly both in and, especially, outside the Church. God’s Biblical Call for the Church is to be Multi-Generational. In this passage, we see this statement played out in Paul’s instructions. Many...
This message is the first in our Inside Out series. In this series we will focus on the type of Church we should be on the inside so that we can be the type of Church we should be on the outside. Titus 1 has a lot to tell us about Godly Leaders. What...
When is a person baptized by the Holy Spirit? The Bible says it is at the moment of conversion It is instantaneous, simultaneous. Salvation and being baptized in the Spirit are not separate occurrences If you are not baptized in the Holy Spirit...
Today's passage is in Acts at a time when many miracles were happening. People would line up their sick and handicapped along the path Peter was walking in hopes that his shadow would touch them and heal them. The passage can remind us to take a...
What is the definition of a testimony? It is the story of how Christ has made a difference in your life. How Jesus has transformed you, how He has made you alive. Despite the personal nature of testimonies, we still have a tendency to rank...
Has God promised the security net of his hand to keep believers from the eternal fall? Is there eternal security for a Christ Follower? Once a person is saved-born again-can they be assured of their salvation for the rest of their lives, until they...
We believe that there are 2 ordinances (an ordinance is that which is ordered, set out, decided or put in place) of the Lord to the Church that we must follow. They are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Both of these were clearly commanded by Jesus to...
There was a millionaire in Texas before the Great Depression. As a member of First Baptist Church of Dallas he was very faithful in giving. He became known as a generous and kind man to others. Then the crash of 1929 came and someone asked him, “How...
A distinctive and theological Baptist doctrine that most Protestant denominations share is the priesthood of every believer. It was lost in the Dark Ages but Martin Luther recovered it as part of the Reformation…
What is our identity? What makes us distinctive, different as Southern Baptists? Two weeks ago we learned the first letter of BAPTIST was the B: the Bible is our sole authority above anything else! We will read this morning that the clear...
We had a Secret Agent theme this week at Kid Extreme. Today we will look at the three Ds that our kids learned about all week: Discover, Decide, Defend.
You are either a believer or not, a child of God or not, there is no middle ground. A Christ Follower or not! Our identity is wrapped up in the cross and the Word of God. Once you have encountered the cross and the Word of God and that impacts you...
At this point, we are thinking, “Chapter 4 will be great! The party that must be happening, Jonah must be thrilled. He probably had to go home and tell everybody. And before left, he probably rejoiced with the people of Nineveh!” Not a chance. Jonah...
We are now talking about a different Jonah than the one in Chapter 1. No longer rebellious, no longer running from God and His plan for Jonah but now ready and poised to do what God was calling him to do. Jonah was humbled, and he had been lovingly...
Now this morning we come to a critical question: do we continue in our rebellion and disobedience? If we are honest, many of us are just like rebellious children. We do for God what we want, when we want, how we want, and if it doesn’t fit our agenda...
The people of Nineveh were horribly wicked and God’s judgment was coming on them for their sin! This is not some allegory or parable to just illustrate a truth. This is a real story about a real man and most importantly about the work of Almighty...
Today we finish the incredible series that we started back in March. It led us on an exciting journey to meet lots of different people who encountered Christ. We saw how their lives were forever changed. They did a literal 180° turn and were never...
The event we are looking at today plays out with the backdrop of Jesus' resurrection that morning. Two of Jesus followers are headed out of Jerusalem leaving behind all their hopes and dreams: a dead Messiah who some said was alive but they...
Today, we see ourselves being able to identify so easily with the Desperate and the Unworthy! We often ask the question, "How good do I have to be to get into heaven?" Which leads us to, "How good is good enough?" It’s really...
Each inch of the nails that were driven into our Savior make a statement about the hope we have in Him...
This morning as we continue our journey through the book of Luke we’ll look at the incredible Devotion of 4 friends who did whatever it took to get their friend to Jesus. As a result, their friend experienced amazing Deliverance by Jesus from being...
We have seen how Jesus dealt with Disease and Death and now we will see him deal with the Demon Possessed or Demoniac. As we continue our journey we jump backwards in our study of the book of Luke and see where Jesus commissioned the first missionary...
“Be still there is a healer.” I have to believe that if there could have been a song written by the individual we are talking about today, this would have been the song…
We continue to look at 180° moments in the book of Luke and how these people were at dead ends in their lives until they met Jesus. The question and challenge for us this morning is, "Are we willing to make the 180° turn that we need in our...
This morning we turn our attention to the Unbelievable as Jesus faces Death head on. We will simply be amazed at these 2 events in the lives of two very different people yet with the same amazing outcome.
We begin a new series today, one I am looking forward to for I love reading the gospels about Jesus and how He affected the people that came in contact with Him. Over the next 9 weeks we will see his influence in people's lives particularly in...
We come to what has been a powerful and, I pray yet again, life-changing and church changing kind of message series – that we put into practice as we move forward. The question is will we truly be committed to the Church and stay the course?
This morning we come to the Third part of the journey on discovering what it means to be a Church Member – my commitment to be A Healthy Church Member. If we want to have a healthy church, which is vital, then it must full of healthy Church...
This morning we move to the 2nd commitment of our Series – I Am a Church Member –: A Unifying Church Member. Unity is critical to the health of a church and vital for us to be the kind of biblical church members He is calling us to be. So let’s...
Christianity as a whole is on a decline in our nation, and as a result so is Church Membership, even in our own Southern Baptist Convention. There are lots of reasons for that, but I believe with others that one of those is the gross...
Last week we talked about the Incredible Value of Life that begins at conception and goes all the way to the grave. Today we talk about the last one – though there are certainly more things God values, I think these would be at the top. The Lord...
This series is designed to look at what God Values the most and though He values everything for sure, we wanted to see what would be the top 3-4 things...
Mitch Williams speaks about how we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
The people of Israel had been unfaithful but God had been faithful. They returned to the Lord with all their hearts, they repented and turned away from their false gods and directed their hearts to him and pledged to serve Him alone. The Lord...
We have come to the end of our journey of this 26 word parade of Hope, perhaps the most important Scripture if not at least the most precise to put the gospel in a nutshell. The 26 greatest words that changed my life and has changed many of yours. I...
Great news today – it’s the greatest news… you don’t have to perish, you can have eternal life! You can make that decision today, there could be no greater Christmas Gift than this!! Receive that gift of salvation TODAY! Remember it is as simple as...
What Do We Have to Believe? In Something we cannot see or hear or touch; in Something we can see and hear, feel and touch; that Jesus is who He said He was, and that He did what He said He would do, and that He will do what He promised to do; in...
Invitations come in all shapes and sizes now, from weddings to birthday parties, to anniversaries, to showers and everything in between. Old fashioned, to the newest thing, fancy writing you can hardly read to plain a plain old font. Really that is...
His One and Only Son… The Greatest Gift. For God - Who God is, and what that means for me, who I am, Who I can Be, What I can Have, The Greatest God So Loved… God defines loves, He is love personified. The Greatest Lover Who is His Love poured out...
Gave: to provide, bestow, grant, yield Isaiah 9:6, Romans 8:32 What Did God Give & Why Did God Give? Because God chose to love, He chose to give – His only Son. Because He loved us perfectly and completely. How Did God Give? He gave…to...
For God - Who God is, and what they means for me, who I am, Who I can Be, What I can Have, So Loved… God defines loves, He is love personified. Who is His Love poured out on? …The World… The greatest number!!
Last Sunday we talked about “For God…” Who God is… Because God Is I am…Because God is I Can Be…Because God is I Can Have. We turn to the next words. “…So Loved…” Love = Agape A God Love. The NLT says, For God so loved this world this much or so...
Has there ever been a moment in your life where you realized the bad news…that without a personal relationship with Christ you are doomed, lost, and hopeless? Has there been a moment..............
Is there anybody here this morning that is forgetful? I have the cure! How often we forget, we make a list to go the grocery store, put post it notes everywhere, calendars, palm pilots, phones, Ipads, computers, things that send reminders, etc. We...
A ROCK SOLID FOUNDATION BUILT BY… Loving Together. Let them see in your marriage relationship love, let them see your affection! It brings them security, they know things are ok between mom and dad. Love them with their love language: Touch, Gifts...
We must be committed to instill godly traits in our children, instill confidence, conviction, character, compassion, competence, and love for the Church, Both parents must be committed to take a stand for the family. The Church must be committed to...
Homeland Security, a brand new department created after 9/11. To make the connection we need, more than ever, to ensure that the most important homeland is secured permanently!! There are holes in the wall, enemies lurking about that are intent on...
As we continue through our series here that focuses in on the family, children the same requirements apply for you too – we must be filled up with the Holy Spirit and submit to one another. This is Christ’s call on your life and we will see this...
So this morning we come to talk to ladies. Now men don’t zone out here. This is how you can help her, pray for her, and encourage her. Ladies, I am not a lady obviously, so I am no expert; so I am relying heavily on the Lord this morning (as I should...
We have different roles to play in the family as God designed it. Roles that are distinct and different and yet just as important as the other one. The man is called to be thermostat in the home, which determines and regulates the temperature in the...
Can you remember back to the day of your wedding? For some of you that is easier than others, and hopefully your wedding wasn’t like that! It was a special day, a day you will never forget, a day of passion, of romance, of worship, of sharing, of...
THE GODLY MAN IS SUCCESSFUL - Why? Because he is blessed. The word blessed is the Hebrew Word ashreey meaning oh how happy, blissful. We see the same word used in Matthew 5 it is from the Greek Word, Makarios, means happy, fortunate, blissful, joyful...
We really don’t know who wrote this Psalm, but what a wonderful and powerful Psalm it is. How appropriate is the Psalm today in the days of terrorist attacks, crazy new diseases, drive-by shootings, school shootings, and the list goes on and on. We...
At night the shepherd would count and inspect every sheep to make sure they were there and ok. Shepherds use oil for three purposes, to repel insects or as we just saw snakes, to prevent conflicts, and to heal wounds. Bugs drive sheep crazy, can even...
I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the...
When David wrote this Psalm – Remember David was a shepherd early in his life, maybe then. Perhaps when right after he faced Goliath, or maybe when running from Saul or even his son Absalom, but I would like to think that he wrote it later in life as...
The emphasis in this, the longest psalm, is on the vital ministry of the Word of God in the inner spiritual life of God's children. It describes how the Word enables us to grow in holiness and handle the persecutions and pressures that always...
Savior – 17 times – save 37 times – In the book of Psalms alone – there are many Psalms called Messianic Psalms that refer directly to Jesus, that are prophecies of His life, His crucifixion, his death one of the most descriptive and lengthy is from...
We continue to look at the Psalms this summer and take a deep look into who God is as He revealed Himself to the Psalmists and as they responded back to Him in worship and prayer. Background of Psalm – Written by David – He is sharing his personal...
As we continue our Series in the Psalms we come to Psalm 33. Looking at it from a personal standpoint, from our church’s standpoint, and then as a nation, God has a Word for us indeed. Every day we live, our world continues to spiral downward taking...
3 different pictures we can see here in this Psalm 1. The reference for the Jew of the day and the importance of temple worship, perhaps written by someone who couldn’t get there, or perhaps written during the exile when they were far away from the...
This is definitely by far one of my favorite Psalms, and even some of my favorite songs as this Psalm has been put to music in several different songs! It is full of important theology and depth about God. Wiersbe said it best, “What we think about...
We begin a new series this morning that dives into the book of Psalms and we will take a look at 17 different Psalms from now through August.
The Direction to Take: Trust in the Lord With All We Are This is one is so easy to say – well of course I trust the Lord. Are you truly trusting the Lord with everything you are, with your whole heart? When is the last time you took a risk to obey...
We move to the third message today and that is what is the path that God will direct – what path do I need to put my life on today that will assure me I am on the right one? This Scripture includes perhaps the 2 most recognizable verse in Proverbs, so...
God is longing to do a fresh work in our land, our world, nation, state, and our community, but in order for that to happen we must be willing. We must be willing to the be the church that He wants us to become and for that to happen we as...
The call to grow includes fleeing from the carnal, following Christ and fighting the good fight of faith.
The Gain = Godliness + Contentment. See also Vs 6,2 Corinthians 3:5, 9:8; Philippians 4:11-13; Proverbs 30:8-9; Ecclesiastes 5:10
So we are called to OutLive Our Lives and we will talk over the next 4weeks of how we are called to that from 1 Timothy 6 and we add the description a Giving and Growing Emphasis.
The Great I Am Still Is, He Was and He Still Will Be!! Is He the Great I am in your Life – is the powerful, awesome, and amazing God to you? The Champion–Crowned King, Conquered Death, Hell and the Grave, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 No Constraints Can’t...
What the Cross Showed Us! Christ’s Suffering & Sorrow– Physical suffering beyond our wildest imagination of pain and suffering and worse than that –bearing the sin of the entire world!! Christ’s Stunning Sacrifice: What He Gave Up – Heaven, face...
We begin this series of the 3 C’s of Easter, the Choice, The Cross, and the Crown. This morning we have just witnessed the story of the first C, and it is perhaps the most important in some aspects for it was here that the final yielding and...