Advancing Word Podcast: Recent Episodes
Dr. T. D. Stubblefield
Advancing Word weds a pastor's love for the people of God with a preacher's passion for the Word of God in powerful and practical sermons. T. D. Stubblefield believes that the Bible contains principles, perspectives and promises that satisfy and sustain those who place their trust in God. These inspirational messages are evidence that the Word of God is alive, powerful, and relevant to the times in which we live.
In Psalm 27, stanzas 4-6, his life threatened, his kingdom in turmoil, David sought God's presence. In his distress, he wanted to "dwell in the house of the Lord". In this place, he experienced a perfect getaway. We can too!
The second Chapter of the prophecy of Daniel records what King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of the most powerful kingdom in the world experienced after he "woke up from a bad dream." In the Old Testament, dreams were used as carriers, conductors, conduits and channels to communicate and convey God’s will. A bad dream is a metaphor for the trials and tribulations we experience in life. This message explores what we can learn from Nebuchadnezzar's experience.
During the 2026 Summer Speaker Series at the One Family Church in University City, MO, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield shares this riveting and reassuring reminder based on The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 4, verses 35-41 that there is “a story in the storm”. Storms are inevitable in nature and in life. We aren’t exempt or preempted from them because we are children of God. Beyond the mystery of the storm, we can experience its ministry and the mastery of the One who places an expiration date on every storm we face.
In many of its modern expressions, the church no longer resembles the biblical picture of the church we see in Scripture. Too often, there is too much of the world in the church and too little of the church in the world. In Acts 2, we are given a vivid portrait—a “baby picture”—of a church alive with the power, unity, devotion, and growth that marked the Lord’s church from the beginning. In this segment, we explore four defining characteristics of that kind of church and consider what every local congregation can become when it truly reflects Christ’s design.
The Book of Job—widely regarded as one of the Bible’s oldest books—tells the story of a man who loses everything yet clings to faith. It confronts one of humanity’s oldest questions: why suffering exists in a world governed by an all-powerful, all-good God. For thirty-seven chapters, Job’s anguish unfolds through grief, debate, and unanswered questions. Then, in chapters 38–41, God responds with seventy-seven questions that are responsive, revealing, and redeeming. Job wants an explanation for his suffering; God gives him a demonstration of His sufficiency. This message reminds us that we can experience this blessing too!
During the 2026 Super Sunday Night Worship Celebration at the historic First Baptist Church of Wright City, Missouri, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield reflects on Mark 8:34 and the feeding of the multitudes. He teaches that our relationship with Jesus Christ, and His presence in our lives through the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit, shapes how we see others. Like Jesus, we too can be “moved with compassion.” This message is especially timely on the eve of our nation’s 250th birthday, reminding the church of the urgent need, despite our divisions and disagreements, to “see others as Jesus sees them.”
In this message, we turn to Jeremiah 8:17–22, where the prophet stands in the shadow of national crisis and grieves the unraveling of his people. With a burdened heart and tear-filled eyes, Jeremiah longs for healing, yet no immediate remedy is in sight. Still, within his sorrow, a deeper hope begins to emerge—a hope grounded in the unwavering love of the God who called him to preach and called the people into covenant. Through the Spirit, Jeremiah points us toward the true cure for what ails us, a cure that remains available today.
In 2 Samuel 11, David’s rise to power and ascendancy to the throne of Israel are both marked and marred by a devastating moral failure. The chapter opens with a popular and victorious king resting in his palace, but it closes with that same king stained by sin after committing adultery with the wife of one of his loyal soldiers. In 2 Samuel 12, however, the sad saga begins to shift as God adds footnotes to a father’s failure, reminding us that failure is not final. Dr. T. D. Stubblefield believes this truth is encouraging and vital for every father who can acknowledge, “I have not been perfect. I have not always made the right decisions or choices.” Yet God has remained faithful, footnoting every failure with His grace and mercy".
In Matthew 9:35–38, Jesus is not celebrating the labor movement. Rather, He is making a sobering declaration about the scarcity and inadequacy of qualified workers in the Kingdom His presence had ushered in. The rule and reign of God were not merely imminent; they were immediate, because the Son of God was present among us. The eternal Word of God had become flesh and was dwelling with His people. Yet His mission to the downcast, the downtrodden, and the disinherited appeared imperiled by a shortage of laborers. This message examines that shortage and explores its implications for the church today.
In 2 Corinthians, Chapter 3, verses 17-18 and Chapter 4, verse 1, the Apostle Paul identifies the basis of his motivation and confidence in ministry. What was it that fanned the flames of his confidence and gave him the courage to continue even when he faced daunting and almost unsurmountable odds? He shares the secret with us in a letter to a church he founded but that was full of naysayers who criticized and condemned his ministry and questioned his credentials as an apostle of the Gospel. His explanation encourages us when we are tempted to surrender, walk away or quit.
In 1 Timothy, Chapter 1, verses 7 - 12, the Apostle Paul shares with Timothy as the lengthening shadow of imminent execution and martyrdom for the faith edged closer to the horizon. Faced with his own mortality, the appeal and exhortation he makes to his beloved son in the ministry in this letter, is distilled through a filter of clarity and urgency. There are some things that Timothy needs to know; essential spiritual data; some classified information for him and for us. Listen to this message by Dr. T. D. Stubblefield and explore “what every Christian needs to know.”
Psalm 23 describes the Great Shepherd’s wisdom, compassion, and devotion. In stanza 5, the metaphor shifts: David sees himself not only as a sheep under the Shepherd’s care but also as a guest at the Shepherd’s banquet table. This message explores how the metaphor holds meaning for past, present, and future, and offers principles that have lasting relevance to believers today.
Nestled in the interior of the prophecy of Ezekiel, in Chapter 46, verses 9 – 10 is an ascription or addendum about worship. Here, like the patterns, procedures and prescriptions in the Book of Leviticus, the worship of the people of God in the house of God was not left to chance. In this passage, Ezekiel envisions the return of the glory of God to the Temple during the millennial period and provides directions and dictates concerning the traffic flow of worshippers that come there. This message uncovers three fundamental principles that apply to worshippers today.
In Luke 7:11–15, we find a powerful narrative of transformation and compassion. As Jesus and his disciples approach the gates of a town, they encounter a funeral procession—a widowed mother grieving the loss of her only son. What unfolds is a journey from heartbreak and despair to renewed hope and joy, as Jesus’s intervention turns sorrow into possibility. This timeless account speaks deeply to the experience of mothers and to anyone who has faced loss, reminding us that moments of despair can be transformed into days of wonder.
In the final message of the “Staying Connected” series, Dr. Stubblefield focuses on our relationship to the local church. Leveraging a passage from the first eight verses of the Third Epistle of John, the primary character Gaius demonstrates three characteristics that every church member should model. If we followed his example, it would transform our churches into spiritual communities where we will serve rather than be served, pray for and follow our leaders, give generously to support the spread of the Gospel to a broken world and learn and grow in our knowledge of the Word of God.
In Part 2 of the sermon series, “Staying Connected”, the focus moves to Psalm 128. It addresses the elements of life, love and legacy that are essential components of the family connection. According to the Word of God, the family is neither an optional or ala carte item on the menu of human life, but an essential component in God’s plan and purposes for this world. In fact, the family is older than the church. After the creation of the human soul, the family is the second Divine institution established. When the humanity of the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, was born on this planet, He was placed in a family. Listen and learn more about this critical connection.
In this segment, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield introduces a series of sermons around the theme of “Staying Connected." This first sermon in the series rooted in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 12, verses 28 - 34, will focus on the most primary, pivotal and pressing connection of all, our relationship to God. To use a baseball metaphor, in this series we will circle the bases on our way to home plate and revisit and reinforce the mission of the New Testament church which is to reach the unsaved for Jesus Christ as ambassadors of Christ.
One Family Church, one of the St. Louis region’s fastest-growing congregations, is committed to “bringing people and God together in love.” Once again, during their Leadership Chapel, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield delivers an inspiring and challenging message. He seamlessly weaves together the timeless truths and permanent principles recorded in Acts 4:13. His message encouraged the church’s key leaders and staff by exploring what it means to “be with Jesus” or in other words, to be "guilty by association.” Listen, reflect, and be blessed!
More space is devoted to Jesus’s trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate in the Gospel of John than any of the other three Gospels. While tragic and disturbing, what happened reveals the heart of the Savior who, while an innocent man was condemned to death by a guilty verdict. Three times Pilate declared Jesus innocent (18:38; 19:4; 6), yet for the sake of political expediency and religious bias, he allowed Jesus to be crucified. Each of Pilate’s affirmations of Jesus’s innocence testify to the perfection of the Son of God and His redemptive mission as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Revelation 14:13 is a text that looks at the “other side of death.” What a powerful reminder of God’s promises as we move toward the celebration of Resurrection Sunday. Disease, death and the grave may be earth’s final words but not Heaven’s. The Apostle John, locked in but not locked out, flipped death on its other side and provided a perspective that should embolden and encourage us today. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he turns the gloomy garment of death over and helps us see its brighter more glorious side.
Psalm 115 is an apologetic or defense of the faith. The Jews responded to their pagan neighbors and contrasted their faith in the living God of Israel with the false, fickle and foolish infatuation they had with false deities. Israel’s history in the Old Testament is a tragic record of their inability to resist idolatry. It was not just their problem but ours too! We face similar challenges. Listen to Dr. T.D. Stubblefield as he shares three principles from this Psalm that encourages us to never be satisfied with idols or substitutes for the living God.
In 2 Corinthians, Chapter 3, while engaging in an apologetic or defense of his ministry, the Apostle Paul affirms something that is true of every child of God. Our spiritual, intellectual, relational, emotional and material resources are insufficient to handle the challenges we face. Sooner or later, life will send us a bill that is too large to pay and, if we try to write a check to cover it, the check will surely bounce. But don’t worry! If you and I truly know the LORD, in such a crisis or contingency, we can and we will experience God’s Overdraft Protection.
According to Acts, Chapter 9, Saul, who would later become the Apostle Paul obsessed with hatred and disdain for the followers of Jesus, had requested arrests warrants from the Sanhedrin to travel to Damascus, and bring Christians back to Jerusalem for trial. But on the Damascus Road, the Risen Lord appeared to him. Blinded and taken to a house on Straight Street in Damasus, he met Ananias who God had appeared to in a vision. On Straight Street, their encounter would transform the church and the world. There, the saint met the sinner, love met hate, the Law met grace, and truth met and conquered the lie. How does this encounter challenge Christians today? Listen and learn.
King David, wrote the Twenty-Third Psalm, a classic and enduring affirmation of his confidence in the LORD during a very straitened and stressful time in his own life. While consisting of only six stanzas and one hundred fifteen words, the reach and relevance of the Twenty Third psalm spans generations of believers who have been encouraged by this profound pastoral portrait. In stanza five, David acknowledges that he is living a sheltered life. Because “the LORD is our Shepherd”, this type of life is the birthright and blessing of every child of God. This message shares why!
In Exodus 3, verses 1 -6, God speaks to Moses from a bush that burned but did not burn up! Moses is one of the most remarkable characters in the Bible. His life can be divided into periods of forty years each. The first forty years were characterized by favor; the second by failure and the third by fulfillment. Like us, Moses made mistakes and missed the mark more than once but, when we look at the broad expanse of his life, his failure was book-ended by favor and fulfillment. In other words, his failures were not final nor are ours.
In Exodus, Chapter 39, four centuries before God leads Moses and the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, God manifested His presence in the life of a young Hebrew boy named Joseph who was sold into slavery, estranged from his family and had “to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land”. While Joseph’s geographical placement was not of his own choosing, God was with him. God's presence in the life of Joseph, can encourage us as we face our challenges in life.
Though they have different last names - Tyus, Middleton, Reed, Simmons, Jarrett, Turner, Vasquez, Foster, Holloway, and Stewart, they are one family. Scattered in communities across this nation, this family has gathered every Saturday since October 2012 for a prayer teleconference—a true testament to the power of shared faith. For twelve years, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield has uplifted them each January with an inspiring message to launch the New Year. Pastor Stubblefield’s challenge for 2026 is simple: when you pray, “expect to be moved.” As an added blessing, experience him leading the cherished hymn “Lead Me, Guide Me.” Let the stirring words of this beloved song move you as you embrace the power of prayer and faith in the year ahead.
The dictionary defines “blast” as a “gust of wind” or “strong rush of air.” Other definitions include “an explosion” or a “launch or takeoff with explosive force.” A blast is something that shakes and rattles us and those around us. Spiritually, this is the focus and the force of Psalm 150. When we worship on blast, sometimes our worship is like the stroke of a gentle breeze or the trickle of a quiet stream. At other times, worship is like a tumultuous storm or raging tsunami. What matters most is that our worship is in spirit and in truth. It has vitality, variety and validation. Listen to this message and learn more!
From both the Old and New Testaments, we find affirmation that the church is called to be a community of worship. This calling extends to every person who is born again. Yet there are moments when it feels as though our worship has been muted and our voices lose their joyful sound. In Part 2 of the series “Wired for Worship,” based on Psalm 96, stanzas 1- 2, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield explores the boundaries and inner workings of our worship, as well as how the act of telling and the element of timing work together.
The National Football League playoffs are in full swing this Divisional Weekend. NFL Films, known for wiring energetic players for sound, captures their lively commentary for later broadcast on major sports recap channels. In Psalm 100, God’s people are charged with "making a joyful noise”. In the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 2, when the people in Capernaum heard that Jesus was in town, the Bible says, “It was noised that He was in the house”. Every local church and every believer is wired for sound, for worship! This two-part series, based on Psalm 96:1-2, explains why.
During the 2025 New Year’s Eve Worship Celebration at the First Baptist Church of Chesterfield, Missouri, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield, the first Pastor Emeritus in the church’s storied history, delivered an uplifting message to attendees from four area churches. Drawing on 1 Peter 1:5, he emphasized that believers are protected, regardless of what 2026 may hold. We are KEPT because of our priceless pedigree, powerful protection and promising prize!
Lot's actions in Genesis, Chapter 19 is not only a warning to us of the dangers of dwelling on the past but a primer on what we must do in order to move forward and fulfill the purposes of God for our lives.
Anyone searching for a “nativity narrative” in the Gospel of John or the fourth Gospel, need look no further than John, Chapter One, verse 14. There is a compelling account of Jesus's nativity compacted in this one verse. It reaches back into eternity past and reaches forward into eternity future. It is a key verse in the most magnificent prologue or introduction in all literature. In this powerful and celebratory Advent message, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield insightfully focuses our attention on three affirmations in this profound verse that reveals Jesus is more than just a man!
There are two birth narratives in the four Gospels. Joseph is the focus of the narrative recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. Mary, the mother of Jesus is the primary character in the narrative in the Gospel of Luke. This message explores Luke, Chapter 1, verses 26 – 38 and Mary’s role in the birth of our Savior. She is a compelling feminine voice, a woman of faith testifying of the purposes, presence and power of God. She was favored by God, fruitful for God and focused on God.
The Gospel writer Mark is not alone in his portrayal of the pivotal role that John the Baptist plays as the forerunner of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist stood at the intersection of the Old and New Covenant; a true man of conviction that God had shaped and molded in the classical prophetic tradition. The truth about the coming Messiah concealed in the Old Testament prophecies would be revealed through John's ministry and through the life, death and resurrection of the One John bore witness to. This message inspires us during this Advent Season to do what John did – stand for the Truth, stand with the Truth and stand by the Truth!
During Advent, the nativity narratives in the Gospels remind us that God came into this broken world in the person of Jesus Christ. This “Messianic Migration” culminates in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 3, verses 20 – 21 where Jesus stands at the door and knocks. The symbolism is an urgent summons to the Church, every child of God and the world to “let Him in!”
While preaching at the Ninety-Seventh Anniversary Celebration of New Salem Baptist Church in Decatur, IL, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield draws insights from 1 Peter 2:9-10, exploring the theme What Makes the Church So Special! The church, empowered to engage the world, possesses a unique status, vital mission, and invaluable blessing because Jesus lived a sinless life, died for our sins, and rose again. Before returning to heaven, He entrusted the church to share the Gospel with all nations, promising His continual presence throughout this journey.
British Prime Minister and prominent leader during World War II, Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.” He could have very well been gleaning truth from a passage that King Solomon wrote centuries earlier that is recorded in Proverbs Chapter Eleven, verse twenty-five. That verse and this sermon addresses the question, “What do we gain when we give?”
In Psalm 12, David feels isolated and marginalized as a man of faith amid a rising tide of wickedness in his world. The challenges he faced highlight a harsh reality that echoes across generations and speaks to our own era. Societies face dire consequences when the faithful falter. From a spiritual and moral perspective, the dangers of such a collapse are more severe and far-reaching than a nuclear Iran, a global pandemic, or another economic recession. What unfolds when godly men and women disappear from marriages, families, churches, communities, and nations? This message dives deep into that pressing and urgent question.
Exodus, Chapter 13, verses 19-22 is one of many biblical passages that expresses truth about God’s presence. Further exploration of these verses reveal that geographically and experientially, a passage can be a road, a path, a course, that takes us from one place to another in life just like the one the Israelites embarked on as they left Egypt for the Promised Land. God is present in that kind of passage as well. This message helps us celebrate and understand more about how God’s people experience God’s presence.
In Chapter 11, verse one of the Book of Ecclesiastes, the biblical writer uses the merchant who stocks and sends ships out to sea as a metaphor for the life of faith. Faith is not afraid! It lives boldly, broadly, blindly and bountifully.
October is Clergy Appreciation Month. Once again, we share from our Legacy Collection aclassic sermon by Dr. T. D. Stubblefield on the biblical office of Pastor -Teacher based on Jeremiah 3:15. “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” (1 Timonthy 5:17). Bless and encourage someone you know in ministry by sharing this link with them!
Listen as Dr. T. D. Stubblefield delivers a passionate and powerful message on the true character of Christian ministry, preached during the licensing service of his son, Charlton, as a Gospel Minister at the First Baptist Church of Georgetown, Kentucky. This sermon—part of our Legacy Collection—is shared as a special gift during Clergy Appreciation Month and in celebration of the fifth anniversary of The Advancing Word Podcast. Share this message with a pastor or minister you know as a source of encouragement and inspiration.
Join the rapturous celebration of the Word of God as Dr. T. D. Stubblefield preaches at the Colossians Baptist Church, Newport News, Virginia during Annual Revival. Listen as he powerfully and passionately parse, punctuate, and proclaim the timeless truths and permanent principles in Psalm 133 that constitute “a blueprint for a blessing”.
As Jesus concludes what scholars have described as the Upper Room Discourse in the Gospel of John, Chapter 16, verse 33, He weaves and weds truth and trouble in an unbreakable union that would bless not only the apostles but those who would believe on the Lord through their word and witness. Jesus’s words were deliberately designed and deputized to encourage their (and our) faith. What do you do when trouble comes? Listen to this message and learn!
The story of the father and his epileptic son recorded in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter Nine, verses 14 - 29, is repeated in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. This riveting account reminds us that we are not strong all the time but even when we struggle, little faith in a crisis can produce great blessing.
During the first of a series of Super Sunday Night Worship Celebrations at the First Baptist Church of Wright City, Missouri, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield explores a key passage in Chapter 1 of the First Epistle of John. Refuting their glaring lack of knowledge, the elder apostle of the church turns the light on the Perfect Light, Jesus Christ who is both fully God and fully human. This sermon is a timely reminder of what it means to embrace Jesus Christ as our Light in a dark world and to live in that Light!
Step into a riveting exploration of Psalm 55, often called a “song of sorrow” and traditionally linked to David’s anguished flight during the Absalom rebellion—the darkest episode of his reign. This segment delves into the heart of David’s despair as his own son leads an uprising, leaving David desperate for escape and relief from overwhelming pressure. But rather than a physical exit, David’s journey leads him toward an inner transformation—a rerouting of his spiritual compass that opens a corridor of faith and peace. Draw inspiration from Dr. T. D. Stubblefield’s concept of “through traffic,” and learn how moments of crisis can become gateways to unexpected strength and tranquility.
At the Victory Family Church, a Spirit-filled, diverse and fast-growing congregation located in the heart of O’Fallon, Missouri, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield shares from the magnificent Prologue that is the First Chapter of the Gospel of John. Two words in verse 11 anchors the conviction that is at the heart of the Christian faith. “He came.” In other words, Jesus showed up! Jesus, the second member of the Trinity and the Eternal Word of God, which was with God in the beginning, and which was God became human and came to this planet. Listen to this message and learn about what happened when Jesus showed up.
The first chapter of Joshua launches with the somber note, “After the death of Moses.” The absence of their great leader created an immense vacuum and void in the life of the Israelites. Yet, when the chapter ends, it is not his death that is in view but the fulfillment of their destiny as a people of God. Loss and victory are two different and distinctive notes on the same keyboard of life. You can’t experience one without expecting the other. This message is a reminder that our experience of loss establishes our eligibility and candidacy for victory because God’s plans are unchangeable, God’s presence unshakeable and God’s precepts unbeatable.
In 2 Timothy, Chapter 4, verses 6 – 8, The Apostle Paul encourages his son in the ministry Timothy to be faithful. Even while in prison and expecting to be executed, Paul had a winner's view or vantage point of victory. Like Timothy, as we face our own challenges in this world in which we live, we can be encouraged because every child of God has been set apart to be a winner. This sermon explores what this means!
In 2 Corinthians, Chapter 3, verses 4 -6, the Apostle Paul was careful to acknowledge that, while the Corinthians were living and breathing evidence of a fruitful, impactful and productive ministry there, he personally has no basis for boasting. God was responsible for all the spiritual progress and growth in the church! At the Union Baptist Church in Chesterfield, Missouri during the 2025 Pastoral Anniversary Celebration, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield encourages both Pastor and People that “ministry in the key of grace means leaning not on our adequacy, but on God’s ability.”
During the 2025 Annual Revival at the Cedar Hill Baptist Church in Cottage Grove, Tennessee, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield explores the Gospel of Mark, Chapter Two, verses 1-5 and powerfully proclaims what the church looks like when Jesus is in the house! Listen and be blessed
In Psalm 34:8, David urges his audience to “taste and see that the LORD is good,” a bold invitation rooted in his own experience with God. Refusing to be silenced, he speaks with conviction. Yet too often, our spiritual palates grow dull. In this memorable message, The Flavor of Favor, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield explores this powerful passage while preaching during the 2025 Summer Speaker Series at One Family Church—one of St. Louis’s fastest-growing and most diverse congregations.
In verses eleven through fourteen of the first Chapter of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul is writing from prison. He ends a sweeping summary of the plan of salvation by focusing on the unique role the Holy Spirit. This message highlights the measure, matter and mark of our spiritual oneness in Christ.
Though the Apostle Paul penned his letter to the Ephesians from behind prison walls, his spirit remained unconfined. The chains that bound him could not bar him from the promises of God. Far more than a prisoner of earthly authorities, Paul was utterly devoted—captivated—by his faith. In Ephesians 4:1–3, he shares what it means to live as a prisoner of faith. In these verses, Paul shows us not just the chains of circumstance, but the strength and beauty of a faith that holds us fast. This sermon explores what that kind of “captive faith” truly looks like.
John 16:33 marks a pivotal moment in the Fourth Gospel, closing the Upper Room Discourse with Jesus declaring victory and hope for his followers. The verse connects truth and trouble, offering encouragement to both the apostles and future believers. This message which Dr. Stubblefield shared recently at the historic St. Paul United Church of Christ in Carlinville, IL explores the “truth about trouble” revealed in this passage.
In Psalm 51, "then" is a spiritual location that should be the goal of every believer. Because of sin, David had taken a detour from his destiny, but through confession and repentance reached his destination.
In Jeremiah, Chapter 8, the prophet laments and mourns because of the plight of the covenant people of Israel. Thousands were living in captivity in Babylon. The prophet’s anguish is ultimately demonstrated by the questions he raises and not the declarations he makes. Down through the centuries, priests, prophets, preachers and pastors are sought out for their answers to life's perplexing and troubling questions. The reality is that we have questions too and more than often we must stand compassionately, yet silently with others who are trying to live with the questions that life inevitably brings. This sermon offers help, hope and healing for those who are living with the questions!
In Chapter Eleven, verse 6 of the Book of Hebrews, the biblical writer, with a pastor’s heart discusses the spiritual foundation of the Christian faith to those who may be considering returning to Judaism due to suffering and persecution. The text emphasizes the importance of maintaining one's faith and experiencing God's favor as demonstrated in Jesus Christ, presented in this book as a Superior Person, Superior Priest, and Superior Principle. This message highlights how the requirement, relationship, and reward mentioned in this pivotal passage remain relevant to believers today.
In Joshua Chapter Fourteen, verses six through fifteen, Caleb, at the age of eighty-five years old, expresses his willingness and desire to go to battle as the Israelites solidified their gains in the new land of promise. He was by all accounts, “a faithful man” because he was devoted, delivered and daring. Even in the seasoned sunset of his life, he was still looking for another opportunity to serve the Lord.
Habakkuk whose name means “to embrace” or “cling to” was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah and served during the difficult days that preceded the demise and destruction of the nation of Judah and the subsequent Babylonian Captivity. Fear and uncertainty were rampant! So many people were living lives of quiet desperation. It is not unlike the times in which we live. Uniquely, Habakkuk did not confront the people but CONFRONTED GOD as he wrestled with the problems of sin, evil and suffering around him. God’s final word to him and to us was “the just shall live by faith” (2:4). This message challenges us to have “the faith that holds on when life holds out”.
We are bombarded daily with choices and risk becoming increasingly preoccupied and self-absorbed. The Gospel of Luke, Chapter Ten introduces us to two extraordinary women who invited Jesus into their home. On this occasion, Martha was too busy to be blessed. On the other hand, her sister Mary ends the evening sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to the Word. While Martha was pulled and pressured by her work and the immediate needs of the moment, Mary withdraws from what she was doing and sits quietly at the feet of Jesus and listens to His teaching. She overcame the “attraction of distraction” and so can you! This message tells us how.
His life threatened, his kingdom in turmoil, in Psalm Twenty-Seven, David sought God's presence. In his distress, he wanted to "dwell in the house of the Lord". In this place, he experienced a perfect getaway. We can too!
This segment explores Psalm 78, examining the storied history of Israel and the profound question posed in stanza 19 of the psalm, "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" This question, fueled by doubt and skepticism, challenges God's ability to provide for and protect His covenant people. Today’s message offers a compelling and timeless response to the question, a resounding "Yes!" Listen and discover how God alone can transform difficult deserts into delightful diners, proving His unwavering provision and care.
In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter Ten, verses 25-37, while teaching, Jesus was challenged by an expert in Jewish law. His primary motivation was to justify himself and indulge his own sense of self-righteousness. Jesus responds to this man’s errant theological speculation by sharing a story that was designed to move him and us from law to love, from saying to serving and from religion to relationship. What begins with a question in the text ends with a challenge to every child of God to be "like a good neighbor.”
Do you ever feel like you are backed up against a wall? In 2 Kings Chapter 20, verses 1-11, King Hezekiah did! He faced a problem that seemed as large and looming as the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea which spans 133,000 square miles and can be seen from outer space. Yet, with fervent faith and powerful prayer, he was able to transcend the disabling weight of his own mortality. You and I can too if we have “barrier belief.”
In Psalm 55, stanza 22, after lamenting the disappointment that had resulted from the betrayal of a close friend, David expressed his unconditional faith in God who redeems. This sermon navigates the fertile ground between our problems and God’s promises. It resonates with the marvelous possibility and hope that whatever we are facing in life, whatever our struggles, we are not alone. God is ever-present to help us and hold us.
Setbacks happen—to all of us. But with God, they don’t have to be the end of the story. In this encouraging Resurrection message, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield looks at the life of Joseph to remind us that what feels like a setback can actually be a setup for something greater. Originally shared during the 2025 Black History Month Celebration at Refresh Community Church in University City, Missouri, this sermon will lift your spirit and strengthen your faith.
On Palm Sunday according to Luke Chapter 19, verses 36 – 40, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey amidst the applause and acclaim of the crowds that had gathered. When His enemies criticized the crowd’s response, Jesus said, “If they hold their peace the stones will cry out!” This message explores what a stone would tell us about our Savior? What is the story in the stones?
In Part 6 and the final sermon of The Perfect Match series, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield concludes with a focus on the last of four fundamental dynamics of biblical marriage based on Genesis Chapter 2, verses 18 – 25. Intimacy provides the physical, spiritual and emotional depth in the marital union. It is derived from the Latin word intimatus, which means to “put or press into.” It is “a GPS coordinate to the most innermost and essential being of another person.” In this space, the essential you and the essential me can be found. Intimacy involves the awareness of the self, the acceptance of the self and the atonement of the Savior.
In Part 5 of The Perfect Match, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield focuses on “unity”, the third dynamic of biblical marriage based on Genesis Chapter 2, verse 24. Like separation and permanence, in strong and vibrant marriages, unity and intimacy, the last dynamic in this compelling quartet co-exists, coalesce and cooperate. Unity is the pattern and intimacy is the passion. Unity is the fuel and intimacy is the fire. Unity is the mechanics and intimacy is the mystery. Unity is not only a key component of biblical marriage but a fundamental concern in God’s redemptive plan.
God designed marriage to last! In the fifth sermon of The Perfect Match Series, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield explores the dynamic of permanence in marriage. Marital failure and fragmentation have reached pandemic levels—49% of marriages end in divorce, and Christian couples face the same struggles. But is there hope when the thrill is gone and love’s intensity fades? This sermon offers biblical wisdom and practical guidance on renewing commitment, rekindling love, and building a lasting, God-centered marriage.
In the fourth sermon of The Perfect Match Series, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield explores the first key principle of a successful marriage: separation. Based on Genesis 2:24a— “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother”—this message highlights the need for couples to realign priorities, relationships, and family ties. A strong marriage requires an intentional shift, establishing a bond that is independent, rooted in love, and guided by God’s design.
In Part 3 of The Perfect Match sermon series, Dr. Stubblefield focuses on the significance of the word “therefore” in Genesis 2:24. This pivotal word serves as the bridge between God’s divine work and the blessing of biblical marriage. Up to this point, God has orchestrated every detail—forming, shaping, and providing—while the man simply rested. He awakened not through his own effort, but to the fulfillment of God’s grace and goodness. This foundational truth reminds us that every biblical marriage is built not on human striving, but on the work of God, who prepares and provides long before we even realize our need.
In Part 2 of The Perfect Match series, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield unpacks Genesis 2:21-23 under the theme The Design It Features. Biblical marriage is a reflection of the Divine Designer’s will and wisdom—crafted discriminately, deliberately, distinctively, and delightfully. This sermon is a timely and transformative journey through a precedent-setting passage that still speaks powerfully to our present day.
Genesis 2:18-25 is a foundational passage for any thoughtful and comprehensive discussion of biblical marriage. In this first installment of the sermon series The Perfect Match, Dr. T.D. Stubblefield explores The Desire That Fulfills. In the first marriage in human history, God placed within Adam the very desire He would later fulfill in the creation of Eve.
One Family Church, one of the St. Louis region’s fastest-growing congregations, is committed to “bringing people and God together in love.” During their monthly Staff Chapel, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield delivers an inspiring message, seamlessly weaving together the timeless truths of 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 and 4:1. His message encouraged the church’s key leaders and staff by highlighting the marks of a meaningful ministry. Listen, reflect, and be blessed!
At some point in our spiritual journey, we are all destined to face what the ancient mystics and seers referred to as “the dark night of the soul.” This profound period of spiritual eclipse and desolation disrupts and distorts the divine light of the SON (as distinct from the “sun”) in our lives, casting shadows over our hearts and obscuring our spiritual vision. In the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 21, the Edomites found themselves plunged into such a dark night. The prophet Isaiah, with his words both timely and timeless, offered them, and us, a beacon of hope and clear guidance on navigating through these shadowy times. His message is a reminder that even in the deepest darkness, there is a path forward illuminated by faith and perseverance.
In Joshua, Chapter 17, verses 14-18, the descendants of Joseph, namely the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, approached Joshua with a grievance regarding the distribution of land in Canaan. This meeting transformed into a profound lesson, as they gleaned invaluable insights on the blessings of faith through the wise and considerate guidance of Joshua, their leader and kinsman. The timeless principles Joshua imparted in this passage remain relevant today, offering us enduring wisdom. This enlightening sermon delves into three key aspects of this text, centered around "the blessing in believing."
Despite having different last names—Tyus, Middleton, Reed, Simmons, Jarrett, Turner, Vasquez, Foster, Holloway, Stewart, they are one family. They live in towns and cities across our country. Since October 2012, this remarkable group has connected every Saturday for a prayer teleconference. Truly, they are a family that prays together! For the past eleven years, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield has inspired them with a powerful January message, setting the tone for the year ahead. This year is no exception. Be uplifted by Pastor Stubblefield’s Year 2025 challenge to this family.
As a bonus feature, experience Pastor Stubblefield who retired as the first Pastor Emeritus in the storied history of the First Baptist Church of Chesterfield, Missouri—leading the church in singing one of his beloved hymns, “Have Thine Own Way.” Let the timeless words of this cherished song stir your heart as you reflect on the power of prayer and faith.
Faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the foundation of the believer’s sense of well-being. This message based on Chapter 7, verse twenty-five of the Book of Hebrews, offers four assurances that encourages anyone who is facing a crisis of faith.
In this New Year, because of God’s perfect plan for our lives, we each are “pregnant with potential.” If you are truly a child of God, you are wearing spiritual maternity clothes because God has placed inside the womb of your very being something that the world didn’t give to you and the world can’t take away. This sermon reminds us of “promises to remember” in the New Year!
Do you feel like your life is moving in the wrong direction or things aren’t quiet working out as you imagined they would? The holidays have only exacerbated your disappointment. What can you do? You can do like Ruth did in the first chapter of the book of the Bible that bears her name. You can “face north when life is going south”. This sermon tells you how.
Biblical scholars agree that an innumerable multitude of angels; indeed, an angelic army were singing in The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2 verses 13 – 14 on the night Jesus was born. Their singing and majestic, moving and melodious music announced, affirmed and acclaimed the birth of the Savior. But their compelling cosmic concert raises a question as well. What is the message in the music? If you would like to know, listen to the insightful sermon Dr. T. D. Stubblefield preached before Christmas this year at the historic First Baptist Church, Wright City, Missouri.
In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, verses eight through twenty, shepherds watching their flocks in the field at night were summoned by the angel of the Lord to be witnesses of the birth of Jesus. Viewed as common laborers by some and ostracized by others, they still teach us by their example how to observe Christmas.
The Gospel writer Matthew uses the story of the wise men in Chapter 2 and the Great Commission in Chapter 28 like conceptual bookends to sound a universal note in his Gospel. The birth of Jesus was not just a Jewish affair. Even as a child, Jesus faced hostility at home but received homage from afar. Wise men came from afar to seek the Savior that was born as an infant child in Bethlehem. Whether kings, philosophers, astrologers or scientists, these men are timeless examples of what should be our primary preoccupation during the Christmas season. This sermon reveals four things we can learn from them.
The first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke narrates the events surrounding the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There we meet Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus. She is a model of grace. Mary is special! This sermon reveals four reasons why.
In the first four stanzas of Psalm 145, the author reminds us that whatever else worship is it is infectious, viral, virulent, transmissive, and highly contagious! When infected people worship, it is not just transformational but GENERATIONAL! Contagious worship is characterized by its motivation, mechanics, measure, and ministry.
We do not know who wrote Psalm 100. The anonymous author pushed through doubt, disillusionment, desperation, disappointment and arrived at a place where, in a magnificent, melodic and moving anthem of praise and thanksgiving, he affirmed that God is good! In stanza five, he tells us why. God is good because of His exalted essence, matchless mercy and amazing availability.
Wouldn’t it be great if when we experience a reversal, a setback or find ourselves in a difficult place, to have the ability to grab a remote and fast forward through the pain, the sorrow, the tears, the disappointment or difficulty? So often we find ourselves in life at worst "stopped" and at best "paused" as we experience and endure the inevitable reversals - the trials and tribulations that will surely come. This sermon based on Romans Chapter 8, verse 18, is a spiritual remote that will help you fast forward through any crippling and cumbersome commercials that advertise on your life channel.
In the spiritual realm, storm chasers are rare. We don’t go looking for a storm! Rather, most of us are like the author of Psalm Fifty-Five who, while looking for an exit ramp from the storms of life wrote, “Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away and be at rest.” The compelling storm narrative recorded in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter Four, communicates Jesus’s dominion over not just the demonic, disease and dysfunction in the human body, but over the disastrous forces of nature. In other words, when Jesus is on board with us, every storm we face in life has an expiration date. This sermon is a powerful reminder that there is a “story in the storm.”
In Joshua Chapter Three, the Israelites receive instructions from God about crossing of the Jordan River. Before they encountered the towering fortress that was the city of Jericho, they faced the turbulent flooding of the Jordan River! The crossing of the river at this time of the year and their location was risky and fraught with danger and disaster. But God uses this situation not only to validate Joshua’s leadership but also to fortify the people’s faith. This experience would become a moving and monumental reminder to them and to the generations of believers that followed them, that God has an upstream provision for a downstream problem.
In Second Kings, Chapter 4, a single mother whose husband had died faced an insurmountable debt. Failure to pay would result in her two sons being sold into servitude. The prophet Elisha challenges her to do an inventory of her household possessions. She found nothing to resolve her crisis but “a little pot of oil.” God miraculously turns her little into a lot! In this sermon, preached during the 2024 Annual Revival at the Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Humboldt, TN, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield exposes and explores the transcendent truths and practical principles of this epic text.
October is Clergy Appreciation Month. Once again, we share this classic sermon by Dr. T. D. Stubblefield on the biblical office of Pastor -Teacher based on Jeremiah 3:15. “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” (1 Timonthy 5:17). Send the link to this inspiring message this month to your pastor, or some other minister you know who serve God’s people faithfully along with a note of appreciation for their labor of love.
According to the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 4, verses 16-20, Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah to mark the official commencement of His public ministry. In the synagogue, Jesus uses the prophet’s words to communicate the character of His ministry to this broken world. Dr. T. D. Stubblefield leverages this passage as a lens to look through and view the providential joining together of Pastor-Elect, Reverend Eddie Burton and the St. Paul United Church of Christ, Carlinville, IL for ministry during their Welcoming Celebration. In this sermon, he shares how Jesus’s words in the text provides a blueprint, a template, a roadmap indeed a “model for ministry.”
During the Retirement Celebration of Dr. & Mrs. Joseph L. Owens of the Shiloh Baptist Church Lexington, Kentucky, after twenty-five years of faithful service, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield encourages his friends and the church. He draws timeless truths from the historical and experiential setting of Isaiah Chapter Fifty-Two, verses 12 – 13. This sermon is a compelling reminder that “God can be trusted in a new season” because of God’s promises, presence and provision.
In the soaring crescendo of Galatians Chapter Two, verse 20, Paul declares the essential fact of the Christian Gospel, “The Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”. The Apostle’s life was powerful, prolific and productive because it was secured, anchored and stabilized by two irrefutable truths. Dr. T. D. Stubblefield in the concluding sermon of the series, “The Power of a Changed Life” reminds us of what those truths are. A love that will not let us go and a life that will not let us die!
A “changed life” is the standard and bar to which every child of God must by grace assent and ascend to. It requires commitment, courage and consistency. These characteristics are in short supply in the contemporary church. In Part 2 of this series, based on Galatians 2:20, the “changed life” is viewed through the lens of surrender. The Christian life is not about dying but about letting Jesus live in and through us!
The Apostle Paul’s compelling affirmation about the spiritual life in the Book of Galatians, Chapter 2, verse 20 is formative, informative and transformative. In the first of a three-part sermon series focused on “The Power of the Changed Life,” Dr. T. D. Stubblefield explores the first implication of this pivotal passage in the Word of God for believers today. The “changed life is a sacrificed life.”
What makes the church so special? This question is implicit in the Apostle Peter’s compelling commendation of the church in Chapter 2, verses 9-10 of his first epistle. The question is still relevant considering the increasing pressure on the contemporary church from within and from without to cave, compromise, and capitulate to a secular culture. This sermon exposes the movements in the text that is pivotal and primary in this ongoing challenge by providing three key responses to the question, “What makes the church so special?”
In Psalm 73 Asaph, a worship leader in the Temple during the reign of King David experienced a crisis of faith as he observed around him "the prosperity of the wicked". When he worshipped, he faced his crisis, found clarity, and framed a confession of his renewed faith in God. His experience still provides insight for the uptight.
While pursuing perfection, the Apostle Paul was in a war. The battleground was within him, and the adversaries were the flesh and the spirit. For those who are struggling with sin today, we learn from Paul’s words and experience that, we cannot win the war with human reason, resolve or resources but only with and through the Heavenly Redeemer, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The Book of Acts, Chapter Three, verses 1 – 10 is relevant to anyone who occupies residence, domicile, territory, and hiatus in holy places. The primary character in this narrative had settled on the premises. Yet, when his story concludes, he is standing on the promises. Dr. T. D. Stubblefield has preached all around our country and abroad. In this classic sermon preached during revival at the Colossians Baptist Church in Newport News, VA, he shares how this man moves from settling to standing!
In Chapter Three of the Book of Daniel, the primary characters, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, did not make a purchase at a clearance sale or in a bargain basement but transacted the business of their faith under the most difficult and deadly of circumstances. They embraced the “high cost of standing.” Their courage, commitment and confidence are an inspiration to every generation of believers. They stood up, stood in and stood out! We can too!
In Psalm Fifty-five, stanza 22, King David laments the suffering and disappointment that he experienced because of his son Absalom’s attempt to usurp the throne and from the betrayal by a close advisor and friend. Yet David expressed his personal, persistent and profound faith in God who can handle every demanding situation we face in life. In this moving passage and its larger context, David offers timeless and relevant encouragement to each of us. This sermon tells us how.
During the 225th Anniversary Celebration of the Historic Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield parses powerfully and passionately the Risen Lord’s commendation of the Church of Smyrna recorded in Chapter Two, verse 10 of the Book of Revelation. While doing so, in this memorable message he exposes and explains the three characteristics of "the kind of church the Lord blesses".
Chapter Eleven of the Gospel of Matthew begins with an exceptional interrogation by the John the Baptist but ends with an exclusive invitation in verse 28 by the One whose mission, ministry and message that John seemed to momentarily question. This invitation should not be so easily dismissed or discarded. On the one hand, to do so would forfeit an unparalleled opportunity for love, joy, peace and happiness now and in eternity. On the other hand, ignoring it could place and plunge one’s life into extreme jeopardy or eternal danger. This sermon explores the characteristics of this “exclusive invitation.”
Samson would never be a poster child for Great Fathers of the Bible; in fact, there is no record that he ever had children. But here we are! Parked at this text. Why? Because Samson demonstrates for us the power of a praying man; no matter how finite, fractured or flawed he was! For most of the narrative about him recorded in Chapters 13 - 16 of the Book of Judges, he is playing and not praying. And yet, at the end of his life, he prays, and God answered in a mighty way.
As Jesus’s public ministry comes to an end, he intensifies the training of the disciples. He teaches them that genuine faith can move mountains! Faith does not retreat from impossibility but trusts in God. The principles in this message will encourage believers today to talk to and conquer our mountains no matter what forms they take!
In Chapter Thirty-Six of Exodus, Israel upsized their giving with an “over-the-top” offering. Fresh out of Egyptian bondage and responding to an appeal to support the construction of the tabernacle, they gave so much that they were restrained by their leaders from giving. The means, motive, measure and model of their giving is a challenge to believers and churches today and is a powerful precedent for what constitutes authentic biblical stewardship.
During the Twenty-Third Pastoral Anniversary and Church Birthday Celebration at the Christ Way Missionary Baptist Church in Louisville, KY, Dr. Stubblefield preaches from Isaiah, Chapter 52, verse 12 and reminds Pastor and People that there are “assurances for the journey”. On our journey with the LORD in life and in ministry, we can be assured of His promises, His presence and His power. Because of these assurances, we don’t travel economy but First Class!
In many homes in America, the voice of the father has been muffled, muted, maligned, misrepresented or gone missing altogether. This reality is deeply damaging to the fabric of our society of which biblical marriage and family is the foundation and the father and husband is the chief cornerstone. This deficiency and disparity impact negatively our churches and ministries as well. In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter One, verses 62-66, Zacharias, a Jewish priest, found his voice after losing it because of a lapse and lack of faith, We can too!
The Parable of the Good Samaritan recorded in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 10, verses 30 -37, is Jesus’s response to an expert (scribe) of the Law, who came to Him attempting to justify himself. The parable leverages one of the frequently used metaphors in the Bible of the spiritual life, that of a journey or a road trip. The journey that is the life of the child of God involves dangers seen and unseen. There are steep mountains to climb and deep, desolate valleys to go through. Like the man in the parable, we can find ourselves broke, bent and beat down on the side of the road of life and in need of assistance. This sermon reveals the need for and the nature of God’s roadside service.
The questions asked at many places in the Bible opens and pushes back the panoramic horizons of spiritual reality and truth. Whether, God asking Adam in Genesis Chapter 3, “Where are you?” or the disciples on stormy sea in an act of desperation asking the Lord, “Care not that we perish?”, questions can be profoundly provocative and redemptively revealing. One of those questions is recorded in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter Twenty-Two, verse 71. “What need we any further witnesses?” This sermon offers three responses to that question and is a reminder that Christian witnesses are needed in our world today, but experience is necessary.
One of the Apostle Paul’s favorite metaphors for Christian life and ministry was the military. 2 Timothy, Chapter 2, verses 3 – 4, is one of many places in his writings where this image and analogy is used. One gets the sense when reading his letters in the New Testament that Paul was all too familiar with the clank of armor, the thump and thud of soldiers’ feet as they marched under command and in formation, brandishing swords, shields and spears. As we celebrate the contributions of those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, this sermon leverages the Apostle words in the text to develop a “biography of a good soldier” for the Christian life is not a playground, but a battleground and every Christian is a soldier in the Lord’s army.
The final installment of the sermon series “Improving Our Serve” focuses on the call of Isaiah to the prophetic ministry recorded in Chapter Six, verses 1 -8 of the book that bears his name. This passage reveals that before the prophet committed to be a servant before his Sovereign, he also acknowledged being a creature before his Creator and a sinner before his Savior. God requires the same from any of us who are serious about ministry.
A mother who could quality as the poster child for “bad luck magazine” is driven into Jesus's presence because of a personal crisis. Her faith will not allow her to settle for crumbs from the Lord's table because she believes she can have the crust. She learned, as can we, that "Jesus is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think!"
While the church grows stronger through worship, larger through evangelism and witnessing, deeper through discipleship and wider through ministry, we grow warmer through fellowship. This sermon, Part 4 of the series “Improving Our Serve” focuses on the account of the victory that David and his army won against marauding Amalekites. Although an Old Testament passage, this account recorded in the Book of First Samuel, Chapter 30, verses 18-25, is a timeless precedent and primer on what authentic fellowship is in the life of the church.
Someone defined discipleship as “thought accompanied by endeavor.” In the Book of Judges, Chapter 7, Gideon leads three hundred Israelite soldiers with unconventional weapons to victory against a vast Midianite army. Their actions demonstrate the characteristics that should be present in the life of every disciple. In this sermon, Part Three of the series, “Improving Our Serve”, Dr. Stubblefield shares “The Three B’s of Discipleship”.
In Part 2 of the series, “Improving Our Serve”, this sermon focuses on the account of Naaman the Syrian general recorded in Second Kings, Chapter 5, verse 1 -15. Despite his position of power and prominence in the Syrian nation, military renown, and wealth, Naaman was a leper. His visit to the prophet Elisha in Israel began with the faithful witness of a Jewish slave girl and culminated in healing and spiritual wholeness as he experienced firsthand the awesome power of God. Naaman became a witness too!
In the first of a series of sermons around the theme, “Improving Our Serve,” Dr. Stubblefield focuses on worship. Using Second Samuel, Chapter Six, verses 12 – 15, he makes the compelling case that worship is the church’s SPD, “Spiritual Prime Directive”. Worship is the pressing priority of the church and the perennial occupation of heaven. Worship is compliant, costly, compelling and contagious. Like King David in the text, worship gives every child of God an opportunity to “breakout”!
If the life of Jesus was a movie, the Transfiguration recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke and in the Second Epistle of Peter is a “spiritual trailer” and “a preview of coming attractions.” It revealed God’s purposes regarding the death of His Son on Calvary and is the precedent that is the future hope of the Church because Jesus tasted death for all of us and His transformation on Mt. Hermon was the powerful pregnant prelude to His resurrection. On a practical note, this sermon reminds us that the “glimpses of glory” God gives us in everyday life and in ministry stabilize us when we are facing challenges.
This sermon focuses on the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Nine, verse 36, and the compelling profile there of Jesus’s ministry as the Good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep. His compassion is the hub around which this text and sermon pivots and pulsates. Jesus models compassion with His searching awareness, His sincere affection and His sobering assessment. These commitments propel the sacrificial accommodation that is the powerful prelude to Resurrection Sunday. Jesus gave His life on the Cross for those who are helpless, harassed and hopeless. He lives now not only as the Compassionate Shepherd but also as the Conquering Sovereign.
The Cross on which our Savior died is at the epicenter of human history. It defines everything that goes before it and determines everything that comes after it. One of the seven sayings or utterances of our Lord from the cross was “It is finished.” This cry was not the wobbling, woeful words of an abused victim but the triumphant trump of a valiant Victor. “It is finished” is not the rant of a tragic resignation but the regalia of treasured redemption. These powerful and poignant words of Jesus announce not only the “finish of the start” but the “start of the finish.”
This sermon is Part 2 of a two-part series. It introduces “huddle disease”, the malingering, malicious, malignant malady that cripples the contemporary church. Huddle disease frustrates the church’s efforts to develop laborers for the spiritual harvest that Jesus said, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 9, verses 35 – 38 , “is plentiful”. This disease accounts for the anomaly of a “church on every street corner,” yet this massive physical presence failing to impede the moral, spiritual, social and economic decline in our cities and communities. We have become hostages to the huddle, and it has crippled our ability to model the Master’s ministry and to fulfill the Great Commission. Do not listen to this message if you don’t want to be challenged.
The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 9, verses 35 -38, provides a preview of the primary parameters of the ministry of Jesus. The priorities, perspectives and principles that Jesus models in this passage is a blueprint for the contemporary church. In the first sermon of a two-part series, Dr. Stubblefield will focus on how Jesus was committed to reaching out, reaching in and reaching down.
In our Bibles, Psalm 86 is ascribed as a “prayer of David”. The psalm expresses the comprehensiveness of the care David expects and experiences as a member of the covenant community. As members of the Lord’s church, we are the bountiful beneficiaries of that care and coverage as well. In this sermon, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield, in vintage form and focus conducts a policy review of stanzas four through seven and concludes that our relationship with the LORD provides coverage you can count on. Refresh Community Church in University City, MO, one of the St. Louis Region’s fastest growing churches was blessed by this compelling message during their 2024 African American History Sunday Worship Celebration. You will be too!
In the Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verse 6, Jesus reminds His disciples and us that He is the “Ultimate Treat”. He has no equal! Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life.” This passage uniquely highlights the uniqueness of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is both God and man and, according to this sermon, is the path that marks our purposes, the principle that molds our perspectives, the provision that motivates our participation and the Person that mediates our pardon.
In the Book of Lamentations, Chapter Three, verses 21 – 24, the prophet Jeremiah is overrun and overwhelmed by ruin. Exiled from his homeland and having to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land, he recalls the calamitous and catastrophic failure of a nation that had been destined for greatness. He was taking this failure personally because it had happened on his watch. He painfully laments the plight of the people. The words in the text flow from the vortex of national and spiritual disaster. But while he starts with ruin, he does not end there. He chooses not to focus on the ruin but found rest, assurance; encouragement and comfort in his faith in God's faithfulness; this confidence became the basis of his hope in the present and for the future. He experienced rest in the ruins. You and I can too. This sermon explores that possibility.
The first five stanzas of Psalm 103 are reminders that forgetting the blessings that we receive from God can be spiritually deadly, debilitating, damaging and destructive. Any such incidence of “spiritual amnesia” dampens and detaches our worship from its True Source who is the LORD. According to the Psalmist, the LORD “satisfies our desires with good things” (stanza 5a). Because of our sin nature, worship is not a natural response but requires us to be intentional about remembering what the LORD has done and blessing or worshipping Him. This sermon focuses on three components of that response: our temptation, our task and our testimony.
Jesus is not considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but He is the Lover of our souls who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despised the shame and is now set down at the right hand of God. Chapter 15, verses 1 – 2 of the Gospel of Luke introduces us to the “World’s Greatest Attraction”. This sermon tells us why this is true.
Rare is the person who has no need for truth, self-understanding, purpose or significance. The search for meaning is weaved into the very fabric of our humanity. Unguided, this search can leave us frustrated, unfulfilled, unmoored and restless. This sermon based on two key passages in the Gospel of Matthew is a reminder that we can only find our true selves in the True Savior.
This sermon is based on a pivotal passage pocketed in 2 Corinthians, Chapter 12 and is "rated for mature audiences only". It is for survivors; for those learning how to live with living without; for those who are discovering the advantages of adversity and finding strength in the struggles of life. Grace for survivors is characterized by a new perspective, persistence, power and pleasure.
On the eve of the national celebration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this classic sermon from the archives of Dr. T. D. Stubblefield draws parallels between the lives of Dr. King and that of John the Baptist as recorded in Chapter One of the Gospel of John. The lives of both men reflected Divine calling and purpose. Both were born to ministry couples and grew up passionate and courageous about their convictions. Both men witnessed to the truth and yet had moments when they wrestled with doubts, disappointments and despair. Both men were seen by those closest to them as often being precocious and withdrawn. Both incited the hostility and wrath of the powers that be and inevitably died much too young, tragically giving their lives for the causes in which they believed. These two men mirror “the dignity, duty and destiny of the messenger.”
Lot's actions in Genesis, Chapter 19 is a warning about the dangers of dwelling on the past. This chapter of the Bible could be tagged with the title, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” It is tragically revealing of the depths that a child of God can plunge and plummet if he or she is not vigilant with their walk with the LORD. This sermon highlights four things Lot’s experience reveals to us today if we want to move forward in this New Year and not look back!
According to the author of Psalm 121, as Jewish pilgrims approached Jerusalem to worship, seeing the pagan shrines on the hills surrounding the city, they reaffirmed their faith in God. Their positive outlook was influenced by a profound spiritual “uplook.” Today, our personal awareness of God’s powerful availability will give us promising assurance in whatever situation we face in life.
In Chapter Fifty-Two, verses 7 – 8 of his prophecy, in typically colorful and compelling manner, Isaiah provides a picture of a herald or messenger running hurriedly along some Judean mountain ridge bearing good news for all to hear. The herald’s feet are happy feet, tapping with joy that God’s people are about to leave captivity and experience restoration and renewal in their homeland. If the coming of this messenger was joyful, how much more the herald who announces that Jesus, the Son of God has come into this world “to save His people from their sins.” This is the essence of the Christmas story! This sermon explores that theme.
In the second sermon of the 2023 Advent Series, Dr. Stubblefield explores the implications of Luke Chapter 2, verses 11 – 14 for the Christmas season. This passage amplifies the magnificent merger of cradle and cross that causes angels to erupt in heavenly praise and thanksgiving. God enters this world of sin and suffering through the cradle and cradles a cross to rescue and redeem us from spiritual darkness.
The Gospel of Mark begins with the sentence,” The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God”. Unlike the parallel accounts of Matthew and Luke, Mark does not share a genealogy of Jesus. His use of the word “beginning” is not accidental but intentional, announcing that four-hundred-years of prophetic silence was disrupted by the appearance of Jesus on this planet. He announces the beginning of something big. This sermon tells us why.
His life threatened, his kingdom in turmoil, In Psalm 27, David sought God's presence. In his distress, he expressed a fervent desire to "dwell in the house of the Lord". In this place of refuge, he experienced a perfect getaway. We can too!
The 100th Psalm is a universal call to all people to render praise to the LORD who is both Creator and Redeemer. God’s people should be in the vanguard of the response to this summons, praising God for who God is and thanking God for what God has done. Our worship should be multi-generational, multi-cultural and multi-faceted. We should be poised for praise. This sermon tells us why.
The calling of Matthew or Levi, the tax collector by Jesus to be a disciple recorded in Mark, Chapter 2, verses 13-14 is very compelling. This passage and its parallels in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke reveal a Divine perception or perspective that should encourage every believer. Jesus “saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office”. When Jesus saw him, He saw him personally, professionally or positionally and potentially. He sees us in the same way.
After two nights of lectures on “Biblical Spirituality” drawn from the first Chapter of the Epistle of James, during the 2023 Church Development Conference at New Covenant With Harmony Baptist Church in St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Stubblefield concludes with a sermon on verses 2 – 4 of that chapter. Despite what they were going through, and the difficulties they were facing, James, a prominent leader in the early church and the half-brother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, encouraged his audience to exercise a “calculated joy”. Dr. Stubblefield shares, in this compelling and memorable message, what that means!
In the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 14, verses 12-16, Jesus’s earthly ministry was ending, and his arrest, trial and crucifixion loomed like a threatening dark cloud on the horizon. He sends two of His disciples into the city and tells them to look for "a man carrying a waterpot.” This man would lead them to the place where Jesus would observe the Jewish Passover with His disciples. While performing a task that was usually done by women in this culture, this man is a timeless reminder that there is significance in insignificance. Preaching during the 2023 Big Enough Conference at the Clay Street Missionary Baptist Church, Shelbyville, Kentucky, Dr. Stubblefield tells us why.
At the historic Clay Street Missionary Baptist Church, Shelbyville, Kentucky during their first ever “Big Enough Conference”, Dr. Stubblefield offers encouragement to pastors and churches with memberships less than two hundred by powerfully and creatively parsing a passage from the prophecy of Zechariah, Chapter 4, verses 6 – 10 that reminds us all not to discount, diminish or denigrate what God is able to do with small things. Not to “despise the day of small things” requires that we acknowledge a perspective, advance a pattern and anticipate a provision.
First Chronicles Chapter 24, verse nineteen is a short yet profound passage that erupts with a significant salute and timeless tribute to the ministry of the prophets. Prophets were “essential workers”, devoted servants who, through the ministry of the Word of God, challenged God’s people to faith and faithfulness as they struggled to recover their national dignity and destiny after seventy years of exile. They were, like pastors today, God’s “first responders”. This sermon tells us why.
During the Pastoral Anniversary Celebration at the historic Chantilly Baptist Church in Chantilly, Virginia, Dr. and Mrs. Stubblefield encourage their journey friends to be faithful. Ministry is characterized “not just by donation but also duration”. This is the essence of Apostle Paul’s principled, passionate and personal declaration from prison in 2 Timothy Chapter 1, verses 11 – 12. This segment of Advancing Word offers a compelling profile of a “leader who lasted”. Share the link to this message with your pastor or minister and a note of gratitude during Clergy Appreciation Month.
October is Clergy Appreciation Month. Once again, we share this classic sermon by Dr. T. D. Stubblefield on the biblical office of Pastor -Teacher based on Jeremiah 3:15. “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” (1 Timonthy 5:17). Send the link to this inspiring message this month to your pastor or minister along with a note of appreciation for their labor of love.
All prisons don’t have bars. Some prisons are relational; others are financial and there are experiential prisons because "stuff happens"! These unwelcome confinements stretch our limits and test our faith. In the Book of Acts, Chapter 12, verses 5 - 11, the Apostle Peter had been imprisoned for the preaching of the Gospel. But in prison, surrounded by guards, he slept and later was miraculously released by an angel sent by God to escort him to freedom. Peter experienced a “breakout faith.” We can too. This sermon shows us how.
In Jeremiah, Chapter 8, the prophet laments and mourns because of the plight of the covenant people of Israel. Thousands were living in captivity in Babylon. The prophet’s anguish is ultimately demonstrated by the questions he raises and not the declarations he makes. Down through the centuries, priests, prophets, preachers and pastors are sought out for their answers to life's perplexing and troubling questions. The reality is that we have questions too and more than often we must stand compassionately, yet silently with others who are trying to live with the questions that life inevitably brings. This sermon offers help, hope and healing for those who are living with the questions!
On a basic level, baggage is a suitcase, container or a trunk used for storage when traveling. On another level however, baggage is the beliefs, perspectives and experiences that make us who we are. The Bible reminds us that there is a relationship between expelling unhealthy, unneeded and unspiritual baggage and experiencing blessing. This sermon leverages a short, succinct yet powerful passage in 2 Chronicles, Chapter 4, verses 9 – 10, where the profile and the prayer of a man named Jabez reveals the truth about moving from the baggage to the blessing.
The Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey took him and Silas to Phillipi, a Roman province in the region of Macedonia. There, they were incarcerated for the preaching of the Gospel. But in a prison cell, while they worshipped God, they not only experienced a miraculous deliverance but a monumental demonstration of the power of the Gospel to touch hearts and to change lives. What began with worship ended with a powerful witness that changed the lives of the jailer and his entire family. Burdens become blessings, barriers become bridges and our bonds become badges when we truly and authentically worship. This sermon tells us how!
What is “first class” travel? It involves special amenities, preferred status, luxury accommodations, and select and exclusive participation. This sermon posits that when Jesus directs our course, develops our character and discern our cries, we are traveling “first class”. This is what the disciples experienced with Jesus during a storm recorded in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 4, verses 35 – 41, It is unlikely that the disciples felt they were traveling first class but, in hindsight they realized and so should we that any ship with Jesus aboard offers first class accommodations and will reach its destination.
At the Ninety-First Anniversary of the historic New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis, MO, Dr. Stubblefield leverages Psalm 34, stanza eight to encourage the congregation to not only celebrate their success, achievement, progress and legacy but to remember “to taste and see that the LORD is good!”. Indeed, to experience the “flavor of His favor”; the sense of it, the source of it and the stewardship of it!
Based on Hebrews Chapter 10, verses, 23-25, this sermon provides a profile of an effective encourager. In a time when Christianity is becoming more subject to criticism and ridicule, when churches and denominations are fracturing and fragmenting, when church members are taking flight and joining cults and false religions, when biblical doctrine is being compromised and divine institutions such a marriage and family are being vilified, when in many churches’ pews are empty and hearts are cold, we must encourage one another.
Psalm 145, stanzas 1 – 4 teaches that worship is contagious and when spiritually infected people worship, the consequences are not just transformational but generational. In these stanzas, the author's experience of worship moves from the individual to the community, from the personal to the public, from the one to the many and from isolation to integration. This sermon focuses on the motivation, mechanics, measure and ministry of "contagious worship" as the key components of that movement.
Chapter Eleven of the Gospel of Matthew begins with an exceptional interrogation by the John the Baptist but ends with an exclusive invitation by Jesus, the One whose mission, ministry and message John seemed to momentarily question. This sermon surveys the characteristics of the exclusive invitation the Lord gives in verse 28 of this momentous passage.
All three Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke record Jesus stilling the storm at sea. Furthermore, in each of these accounts, in the wake of the Lord’s magnificent demonstration of power, the disciples ask the searching question, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” This sermon based on the account in Mark 4:35-41, posits that Jesus, our Lord and Savior is a man of Divine character, of demonstrated compassion and of dynamic capability.
At the City-Wide Revival in Dayton, Ohio sponsored by the Dayton Baptist Pastors and Ministers Union, Dr. Stubblefield encourages believers to endure the challenges we face in life. On the way to “still standing,” there are times in life we must “stand still.” The focus of this sermon is the faithful and heroic leadership of Moses as the Israelites prepared for the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea recorded in Exodus Chapter Fourteen, verses 10 -14.
Dr. T. D. Stubblefield is not only a pastor-teacher but preaches throughout the continental United States and abroad as a revivalist. In the first of two segments this season devoted to this dimension of his ministry, listeners will experience Dr. Stubblefield sharing his unique gift during revival at the Colossians Baptist Church, Newport News, Virginia. This sermon based on 2 Kings, Chapter 4, verses 1-7 with its focus on a poor widow facing an insurmountable crisis, provides a spiritual roadmap on “how to handle the breaks in life.” 4
In First Timothy, Chapter Three, verses 14-16, the aged Apostle Paul moves to the central concern of this letter. Christian belief and Christian behavior are Siamese twins and are inextricably intertwined in “‘the house of God.” This message posits that the church is the spiritual environment where then and now believers in living and loving community demonstrate “household matters.”
On Father’s Day at the Pilgrim Baptist Church in Lexington, KY, Dr. Stubblefield preaches from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1, verses 62-66. The focus of the sermon is Zacharias, a Levitical priest who lost his voice during an encounter with an angel in the Temple. During his newborn son’s circumcision and the official declaration of his name, he found his voice! He gave inspiration and hope to those who heard him and to contemporary fathers whose voices in their homes, marriages, families, churches and communities have been silenced.
At the Warrenton Community Church in Warrenton, Missouri, Dr. Stubblefield shares a sermon rooted in the account of the shipwreck in the Book of Acts, Chapter Twenty-Seven. The Apostle Paul and two hundred seventy-five other prisoners were on board a ship to Rome that was pummeled by hurricane force winds. The ship ran aground forcing many of the passengers to swim to safety. Some got to land on broken pieces of the ship. The “broken pieces” in this text are symbolic. They represent realities we experience, resources we employ and reminders we embrace in life and in ministry.
The Book of Joshua, Chapter Twenty-Four, verse fifteen records Joshua’s epic challenge to the nation of Israel as they consolidated their conquest of the Promised Land and as he entered the sunset of his life. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” were not only the words of a great leader and courageous soldier but those of a father who experienced favor from God. This sermon examines the sources of Joshua’s divine favor.
For fifty-seven verses, in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 15, the Apostle Paul shares the truth about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the impregnable fortress and irreplaceable foundation of Christian faith. And then, with but one word, “therefore,” in verse 58, he moves from principle to practice, from rhetoric to relevance, from argument to application, from exposition to experience and challenges the Corinthian church to be focused, faithful and fruitful. We can do this too because of the "power of the previous" as it is embodied in Jesus’s glorious resurrection.
In the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 4, verses 14 – 16, the author writes with the expressed purpose of encouraging persecuted Christians to hold on to their faith. He reminds his readers that they have a friend in high places. This sermon reminds us that Jesus is that Friend and He is unique because of His position, promotion, person and provision.
Writing from prison in Philippians, Chapter Three, verses 7 - 11, the Apostle Paul shares the essence of the Gospel. He is committed to telling the truth. His powerful witness extended to the “saints in Caesar’s household”. This sermon focuses on the characteristics in the life of every believer and every church who stands up for Jesus.
On a very practical level, Psalm 46, stanzas 10 – 11, is a command to slow down, to stop, relax or quit. It is a spiritual speed bump. The author of this psalm recognizes the possibility that in life we will find ourselves at times speeding up because of pressure, problems and pain. It is like being on a treadmill but someone else is controlling the speed or incline. When this happens, we can “step out of the traffic and take a long, loving look at our God”!
In the fifth and final sermon of the “Quit Jiving, Forget Surviving and Start Thriving” series, we learn that we can thrive through times of physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual weariness. In 1 Kings, Chapter 19, verses 1 – 8, the prophet Elijah, after courageously confronting idolatry in the nation is experiencing burnout and severe depression. God taught the prophet yet another lesson. He had to learn to lean. We must as well!
A few years ago, the word “rumble” became associated with a fight or conflict. Today’s message, Part 4 in the “Quit Jiving, Forget Surviving and Start Thriving” Series focuses on the possibility that we can thrive through times of spiritual conflict. In First Kings, Chapter 18, the prophet Elijah challenged King Ahab and his entourage of false prophets to a fight. His valiant and victorious confrontation strengthened the faith of God’s people.
Facing a crisis in life? In Part 3 of the “Quit Jiving and Start Thriving Series, Dr. Stubblefield believes we have a choice! We can stress or we can stretch! This timeless spiritual lesson and biblical principle takes center stage in 1 Kings, Chapter 17 when the prophet Elijah resuscitates the dead child of a disadvantaged and distraught woman who hosted him in her home during a famine.
In the second sermon of the series, “Quit Jiving, Forget Surviving and Start Striving,” the focus is on 1 Kings, Chapter 17, verses eight through sixteen. God orders the prophet Elijah to leave the Brook Cherith and travel to a town called Zarephath. Here, the prophet and the desperate widowed mother who became his benefactor survived and thrived through economic difficulty. They exercised God’s precepts, embraced God’s priorities and experienced God’s power.
In the first sermon of a series titled, “Quit Jiving, Forget Surviving and Start Thriving”, Dr. Stubblefield focuses on an epic passage in First Kings, Chapter Seventeen, verses one through eight. The prophet Elijah, facing opposition was booked during a famine at the Brook Cherith where he experienced God’s miraculous protection and provision. We can too when we follow where God guides, know how God provides and trust that God abides.
Chapter Eleven of the Book of Hebrews chronicles the lives of Old Testament believers whose faith not only allowed them to survive but to thrive! The chapter is preparatory and preliminary, setting the stage for the introduction of the “Ultimate Survivor” in Chapter Twelve. As we celebrate His resurrection, He is worthy of this distinction because of the faith He fostered, the focus He favored and the future He fortified.
At the historic First Baptist Church of Wright City, Missouri, Pastor Stubblefield shares a message from Psalm 122: 1-2 about “The Worth of Worship”. We can learn from the ancient Jewish pilgrims who travelled to Jerusalem each year to worship at the Temple. Character, community and confidence inspired the worth they ascribed to worship. We must value worship too!
Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). In Him all truth converges. In the Gospel of John, Chapter Sixteen, verse 33, Jesus prepares His disciples for the crisis that will erupt with His arrest. The Lord prays for the disciples who are present with Him but he also prays for believers of future generations (Chapter 17). Before He begins His priestly intercession, He tells them and us the truth about trouble. This sermon reminds us that when it comes to trouble, we can expect it, embrace it and we can endure it!
Based on the First Epistle of Peter, Chapter One, verses three through five, every born-again child of God is heir to a fortune! In and through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we have an eternal inheritance that is privileged, priceless and protected. This sermon examines that spiritual portfolio.
While preaching at one of St. Louis’s fastest growing, mission focused and diverse congregations, The Journey Hanley Road, Dr. Stubblefield shares a message from Psalm 27, stanza five. During a “time of trouble” in his life, King David found encouragement and strength in his covenant relationship with God. For him and for every child of God, that relationship is a “safe house “that is select, sacred and secure.
In Chapter 40, verses 28 through 31 of the Book of Isaiah, the author’s focus has moved from a critique of Israel’s waywardness to comfort and encouragement. The Jewish Rabbis called this part of the prophecy, the Book of Consolations, believing that Isaiah was seeking to comfort the Jewish remnant in Babylon after their years of captivity and to assure them that God has not left them or forgotten them. The prophet is reminding the people of God in every generation, despite what we are experiencing, of the worth of waiting on God. This sermon tells us why.
The Book of Second Kings, Chapter Four, verses one through seven introduces a desperate mother facing suffocating debt. The choke hold on her life was tightening because of the real threat that her two sons could be forced into slavery to satisfy her creditors. She cried out to the Prophet Elisha who challenged her faith. A miracle occurred that allowed her to pay her debts and live on the rest. Her breakthrough began with the question, “What do you have in the house?” This sermon explores four responses to that searching question.
In Part 3 of this series on biblical stewardship and giving, Dr. Stubblefield completes the last side of the Golden Triangle of Giving. It is generosity that enlarges our giving. According to Proverbs, Chapter Eleven, verse 24 - 28, this happens when we give eagerly, exceptionally and expectantly.
True love is the greatest motivator of all! Our love for God is the passion that energizes our giving. In Part 2 of the sermon series, The Triangle of Giving, Proverbs 8:17-21 reveals the Person that love seeks, the prize that love secures and the promise that love satisfies. Love is the key that unlocks the treasuries of God’s blessings.
Three pivotal passages in the Book of Proverbs provide a compelling summary of the Bible’s teaching on giving and stewardship. The first of these, Proverbs 3:9-10, is the focus of this message and the foundation of Part 1 of “The Triangle of Giving”. This sermon focuses on “the perspective that elevates our giving”.
While preaching at the historic Galilee Baptist Church in St. Louis, Missouri, one of the city’s storied congregations, Dr. Stubblefield shares a message from Second Kings, Chapter 6. The prophet Elisha miraculously recovers an axe that had slipped off the handle and plunged into the waters of the Jordan River. The user of the axe panicked because the axe was “borrowed.” When we lose our edge in life, marriage or ministry, God can work a miracle in our lives too.
In 2 Corinthians, Chapter Twelve, verses seven through ten, the Apostle Paul prays passionately and persistently for the removal of something (or someone) he identifies as “a thorn in the flesh”. God doesn’t remove the problem but gives Paul the strength to bare it. So often in life and ministry, we learn that through God’s grace, we can abound in adversity. This sermon tells us why.
According to Philippians, Chapter Three, some aspects of our past can be like a dangerous and life-threatening rip tide or undercurrent that flows opposite of the peace, joy, love, faith, hope and prosperity that God has for us. In verses thirteen and fourteen of this epic chapter, the Apostle Paul recognizes that his pursuit of godliness could be jeopardized by the pull of the past. This sermon shows us how to overcome this pull and live our lives in the future tense.
If time was a bank account, what would your personal balance be? The answer to that searching and perhaps unsettling question is that none of us really know. It is this issue that motivates the Apostle Paul’s attempt to encourage a sense of urgency among the members of the church at Rome. According to Romans 13:11-14, the recognition that “time is running out” anchors not only their expression of Christian love but their experience of Christian liberty.
Do you feel like your life is moving in the wrong direction or things aren’t quiet working out as you imagined they would? The holidays have only exacerbated your disappointment. What can you do? You can do like Ruth did in the first chapter of the book of the Bible that bears her name. You can “face north when life is going south”. This sermon tells you how.
According to Titus, Chapter Two, verses 11 – 14, the birth of Jesus is “grace appearing”. The Apostle Paul is writing to Titus who is ministering in Crete, an island city located 100 miles south of Greece. He uses the Greek word from which we get our English word “epiphany”, to describe the birth of Jesus on the first Christmas morning. This is one of several passages in the New Testament that validate the Advent message outside the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Dr. Stubblefield shares what happened on the day grace appeared.
Christians are God’s witnesses to a broken world. We share the message of salvation in our homes, schools, communities, on our jobs and even in our churches. The Epistle of First Peter, verse fifteen captures the essence of this responsibility. The Advent Season provides a unique opportunity for those who are ready to share the truth about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with others. This sermon provides a description of “a ready witness.”
First Chronicles Chapter 24, verse nineteen is a short yet profound passage that erupts with a significant salute and timeless tribute to the ministry of the prophets. Prophets were “essential workers”, devoted servants who, through the ministry of the Word of God, challenged God’s people to faith and faithfulness as they struggled to recover their national dignity and destiny after seventy years of exile. They were, like pastors today, God’s “first responders”. This sermon tells us why.
British Prime Minister and prominent leader during World War II, Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.” He could have very well been gleaning truth from a passage that King Solomon wrote centuries earlier that is recorded in Proverbs Chapter Eleven, verse twenty-five. That verse and this sermon addresses the question, “What do we gain when we give?”
This sermon focuses on prayer in the life of the early church. It is a compelling reminder that what happens in a prayer meeting has world-changing implications. According to Acts Chapter Four, verse thirty-one, while praying, the church experienced a connection that cannot be disrupted, a community that cannot be discounted, a capacity that cannot be depleted and a confidence that cannot be discouraged.
In Joshua, Chapter 3, before the Israelites encountered the towering fortress of Jericho, they had to face the turbulent flooding of the Jordan River. Miraculously crossing the river at that time of the year not only validated Joshua’s role as their new leader but revealed that God had an upstream provision for their downstream problem. This promise, provision and possibility is available for believers today!
Faced with the blatant contradictions around him, the timeless problem and paradox of the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous, the author of the Seventy Third Psalm cries out to God. Muddled and mired in doubt and skepticism, he plods and slogs along until he experiences a breakthrough during worship in the sanctuary. This sermon is a compelling reminder that in our nation and in the life of the church, it is “sanctuary time”!
This sermon reminds us that the ministry of Jesus was both prophetic and proleptic. The dictionary defines “proleptic” as “the representation or assumption of a future act or development as if presently existing or accomplished.” In Mark 6:1, Jesus’s own ministry foretells and frames what should be the agenda and activity of every local church that is connected to His person, purpose, passion and power.
In Joshua Chapter Fourteen, verses six through fifteen, Caleb, at the age of eighty-five years old, expresses his willingness and desire to go to battle as the Israelites solidified their gains in the new land of promise. He was by all accounts, “a faithful man” because he was devoted, delivered and daring. Even in the seasoned sunset of his life, he was still looking for another opportunity to serve the Lord.
Feeling overwhelmed or stretched to your limits? In 2 Chronicles Chapter 20, verse fifteen, facing a superior opponent, King Jehoshaphat was reminded that “the battle is not yours but God’s.” He trusted God and experienced the victory. We can too!
In the Book of Second Corinthians, the Apostle Paul defends his apostleship against critics, antagonists and opponents of the ministry. In the first verse of Chapter 4 of the epistle, he very succinctly delineates the three characteristics that constitute the measure of authentic ministry. If you would like to know what they are, you must listen to this sermon!
In honor of Clergy Appreciation Month, Dr. Stubblefield shares biblical perspectives about the office of pastor-teacher based on Jeremiah 3:15. This timely and relevant message focuses on the measure, model, ministry, and motivation of the pastor.
Dr. Stubblefield shares via video with the Bethesda Evangelical Church in Cape Town, South Africa for their Twenty Fifth Anniversary on September 25, 2022. In this message, he reflects on his long history with the church using Psalm 122, stanzas 1 - 2 to encourage their transformative work of ministry in the community.
In Psalm 42: stanzas 1-8, beneath the chaos of circumstances emerges a compelling portrait of spiritual maturity. The author is experiencing a torrential storm of life, and it appears to him that the LORD is asleep and cares not that he perishes. The “deep” called on the writer of this psalm. That is deep trial, deep suffering, deep tribulation and deep despair and anguish. And when deep called, his faith though tried and tested met the challenge.
Chapter Eleven of the Gospel of John records the raising of Lazarus from the dead. It is one of seven miracles in the Gospel attesting to the Divinity of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At the urgent request of two desperate sisters, Jesus shows up in this crisis and He still shows up in ours. He shows up in our problems, our prayers, our perspectives, and our prisons.
The Gospel of Matthew Chapter Twenty-Eight, verses 18 – 20 is commonly known as The Great Commission. It is Jesus’s culminating critique of Judaism’s encrusted tradition and narrow exclusivism. These verses occur only here in the New Testament. They are moving and momentous reminders that the Risen Lord has placed a NO PARKING sign in the very heart of the Church’s mission. This sermon tells us why.
In the Upper Room, shortly before his arrest and trial, Jesus speaks of the horrific death He faces as if it was a celebration. With love and deep affection, He encourages the disciples who remained after Judas exited to finalize his betrayal. In verses 34 – 35 of Chapter 13 of the Gospel of John, Jesus shares a new commandment with the disciples. His timeless teaching answers the question, “What’s love got to do with it?” Dr. Stubblefield believes the Commandment requires it, the Cross reveals it and the Church reflects it.
Chapter Fifty-Three of the prophecy of Isaiah is one of the most compelling chapters in the entire Bible. The prophet looks down the corridors of the centuries and sees the ministry of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Jewish expectation. His sacrificial and substitutionary death is the price of our pardon. According to this sermon, the price Jesus paid was high, it was heavy, and it was honored.
In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus faces growing opposition. He begins speaking openly about His death and resurrection. He transforms this setting into a teachable moment and reveals what happens when He builds the church. This sermon explores the construction site!
We do not know who wrote Psalm 100. The anonymous author pushed through doubt, disillusionment, desperation, disappointment and arrived at a place where, in a magnificent, melodic and moving anthem of praise and thanksgiving, he affirmed that God is good! In stanza five, he tells us why. God is good because of His exalted essence, matchless mercy and amazing availability.
In Chapter Seventeen of First Kings, verses 1 – 9, at an obscure and rocky ravine east of the Jordan River, the prophet Elijah began his stay in an “inconvenient hotel”. By any standards, his accommodations there would have received a 1 Star rating. But during drought conditions in a country permeated with shameless idolatry and base moral degeneracy, God made sure he received 5 Star service!
During the 2022 Commencement Service at the Zion Hill Baptist Religious Institute and Seminary, in Dayton, OH, Dr. Stubblefield reminds the graduates that they are “chosen for change.” Based on 1 Peter 3:15-16, this commission involves the adoration of a surpassing person, the activity of a singular purpose and the anticipation of a satisfying promise.
This storm narrative is recorded here in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 4 but in Matthew and Luke as well. In context, it communicates Jesus’s dominion over not just the demonic or disease and dysfunction in the human body, but over the forces of nature. In other words, when Jesus is a passenger in our lives, every storm we face has an expiration date. There is a story in every storm!
In Exodus 13:17-22, Moses and the children of Israel experience a new beginning. God guided His people as they moved from captivity to Canaan. Moses displays exemplary leadership skill during this period because he did not get ahead of God. The principles in this text are relevant to us today because, like the Israelites, we face dangers we cannot discern, experience data we cannot dismiss and witness demonstrations we cannot deny.
According to Colossians 1:17, Jesus is “before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” This affirmation encouraged and strengthened believers who were being challenged by false teaching regarding the true nature of Christ. Christians “live behind before” for Jesus Christ is our consummate covering, powerful protector and perfect provision.
In 2 Chronicles, Chapter 7, King Solomon prays passionately in order to secure protection coverage for the people of God and the nation against perils of all kinds. He wanted to assure God's favor in the event of any contingency or crisis they might face. He recognized even in his own life the possibility of failure. This message outlines the fix for a flawed faith revealed in this epic text.
In many homes in America, the voice of the father has been muffled, muted, maligned, misrepresented or gone missing altogether. This reality is deeply damaging to the fabric of our society of which biblical marriage and family is the foundation and the father and husband is the chief cornerstone. This deficiency and disparity impact negatively our churches and ministries as well. In Luke 1:62-66, Zacharias, a Jewish priest, found his voice after losing it because of a lapse and lack of faith, We can too! This message tells us how!
In the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 10, verses 13 - 16, parents bring their children to Jesus. He takes them into his arms and blesses them. There is nothing more moving, meaningful or momentous for a parent or grandparent than believing that our children are safe in His arms. In His presence, every child of God “backslides into the simplicity of childhood.”
In Chapter 1, verse five of his first epistle, the Apostle Peter reminds persecuted Christians that they are “kept” by the power of God. They were the bountiful beneficiaries of the very best in personal security. Their experience of favor, exercise of faith and expectation of a glorious future in Jesus Christ was the basis of “an inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled” that was reserved in heaven for them and for us.
In Psalm 84, stanza six, the author mentions “the Valley of Baca”. The Hebrew word translated “Baca” occurs only here in the Bible and means “weeping or sorrow.” Whether an actual place or a symbol of the struggles of the spiritual life, this valley is unavoidable. God uses our experiences there to advance us in His perfect plan. It is not a detour but part of our destiny as children of God.
In Chapter 55, verses 1 - 3 of his prophecy, Isaiah shares one of the most compelling invitations in the Bible with the Jewish nation in exile. At the heart of God’s everlasting covenant was a priceless provision for all people that was comprehensive and Christ-centered. It is still today’s best value at yesterday’s low price.
In a message during chapel at Missouri Baptist University, St. Louis in March 2022, Dr. Stubblefield reminds faculty, staff and students that we are “originals and not copies.” Using Psalm 8 as the biblical focus, he emphasizes our duty, dignity and destiny as God’s children through creation and redemption.
Authentic and life changing worship is costly! The real issue is not how much you will get or gain but what are you willing to give to experience wonderful worship. In 2 Samuel 24:18-25, King David shows us how. His worship was compelling because it was not convenient or casual but costly.
A woman who could quality as a poster child for “bad luck magazine” is driven into Jesus's presence because of a personal crisis. Her faith will not allow her to settle for crumbs from the Lord's table because she believes she can have the crust.
In Part 3 of the series, “The Economics of Grace,” Dr. Stubblefield returns to 2 Corinthians 8:9. The last movement of this verse reveals how Jesus’s voluntary and willful sacrifice and His undeserved shame and suffering for a broken and sinful world is the basis of an unfathomable provision that offers to every child of God, new possibilities, new potential and new perspective.
In the second message of the three-part series, “The Economics of Grace,” in 2 Corinthians 8:9, the Apostle Paul, to encourage the stewardship of the church at Corinth, offers Jesus as the supreme model of sacrificial giving. Jesus experienced poverty so we might enjoy the riches of salvation that is in Him!
In the first message of a three-part series based on 2 Corinthians 8:9, this message addresses the production, distribution and consumption of spiritual wealth. Jesus became poor so we can experience the riches of His person. He is rich in position, power and possessions. We can never exhaust His provision.
Our lives often resemble a roller coaster ride with peaks and valleys, highs and lows and sharp turns. Whatever our struggle, this message based on the promise of 1 John 3:1-3 is a compelling reminder that the essence of the Christian faith is the hope that the best is yet to come.
On Palm Sunday according to Luke Chapter 19, verses 36 – 40, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey amidst the applause and acclaim of the crowds that had gathered. When His enemies criticized the crowd’s response, Jesus said, “If they hold their peace the stones will cry out!” This message explores what a stone would tell us about the Savior? What is the story in the stones?
In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 9, the Jewish religion had become one massive huddle of religious rules, rituals and regulations. Jesus saw the multitudes and was moved with compassion for them. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. It was time to move from the huddle to the harvest. The church faces the same challenge today!
In Genesis, Chapter 32, Jacob was overcome by fear at the prospect of meeting his brother Esau whom he had wronged. Deception, deceit and duplicity had caught up with him and was demanding payment. To experience the promises that God had made to him, he had to supersize his faith and downsize his fears. The supernatural support that God provided to Jacob is available to believers today!
In verses eleven through fourteen of the first Chapter of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul is writing from prison. He ends a sweeping summary of the plan of salvation by focusing on the unique role the Holy Spirit. This message highlights the measure, matter and mark of our spiritual oneness in Christ.
In Chapter 11, verse one of the Book of Ecclesiastes, the biblical writer uses the merchant who stocks and sends ships out to sea as a metaphor for the life of faith. Faith is not afraid! It lives boldly, broadly, blindly and bountifully.
This message is based on Jesus’s miraculous feeding of the multitude with only a child’s meager lunch recorded in the Gospel of John, Chapter 6. If the life and ministry of the church were a musical score, children and youth would be “a major note in a minor key.”
Habakkuk confronts God as he wrestled with the problems of evil and suffering around him. In Chapter 3 of his prophecy, he declares his faith in God no matter what. His faith was determined, discerning and dynamic. His faith overcame his fears.
In 1 Peter 5:8, the apostle warns us that spiritually every Christian lives in lion country. Satan, our adversary "prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” We must be guarded, girded and grateful if we are to survive and thrive in this dangerous terrain believing that the roar of the lion has been met and muted by the silence of the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.
There is a seismic shift and monumental move in Chapter 7 of the Book of Romans. The Apostle Paul begins with a searing critique of human good but concludes with a soaring celebration of heavenly grace. Our good is never good enough. Only grace is!
The Apostle Paul conducted a spiritual appraisal that revealed resources that could be leveraged to unify the church at Phillipi. In a key passage that bridges Chapters 1 and 2 of the epistle he reminded them that they are a church that has the “since” to stand together.
In the fortieth chapter of his prophecy, verses 25 – 31, the prophet Isaiah is reinforcing to a proud and pompous people the hard lesson that their disobedience and defection had taught them. God has no equal! Search the vast array of nations of the world or among the pantheon of illusive idols and distant deities and there are no matches found!
In the Gospel of John, Chapter One, verses forty through forty-two, three things occur in the life of the Apostle Peter that galvanized his role as the unlikely leader of the early church. Each of these things is evidence of the grace that Peter experienced and became the lens through which he would see himself as God saw him. We can learn from his example!
In 2 Timothy 4:16-18, imprisoned and experiencing several departures, desertions and disappointments in his personal circle, the Apostle Paul acknowledges the faithfulness of God who never leaves us or forsakes us. God stayed with him, stood with him and strived with him. In life and in ministry, God is the “Exceptional Exception"!
Faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the foundation of the believer’s sense of well-being. This message based on Chapter 7, verse twenty-five of the Book of Hebrews, offers four assurances that encourages anyone who is facing a crisis of faith.
Simeon was an aged and devout Jew who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” This man whose name means “hearing” was reverent before God and righteous before men. In Luke 2:25 – 32, Simeon shows us that there is worth in waiting and that serving the Lord will pay off afterwhile. Upon seeing the baby Jesus, and the Holy Ghost upon him, he launches into a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. So should we!
In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, verses eight through twenty, shepherds watching their flocks in the field at night were summoned by the angel of the Lord to be witnesses of the birth of Jesus. Viewed as common laborers by some and ostracized by others, they still teach us by their example how to observe Christmas.
During Advent, the nativity narratives in the Gospels remind us that God came into this broken world in the person of Jesus Christ. This “Messianic Migration” culminates in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 3, verses 20 – 21 where Jesus stands at the door and knocks. The symbolism is an urgent summons to the Church, every child of God and the world to “let Him in!”
The prayer of Zacharias recorded in Chapter 1 of the Gospel of Luke erupts out of silence. Because he doubted God’s word, for nine months he was unable to speak as the miracle baby, who would become John the Baptist grew in the womb of his wife Elizabeth. When the baby was born, he erupted in praise, turning up the volume on a victory. During the Christmas season, the church should follow his example.
The first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke narrates the events surrounding the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There we meet Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus. She is a model of grace. Mary is special! This sermon reveals four reasons why.
Jude 3 challenges believers in every generation to contend for the faith, defending the truths that the ungodly is trying to destroy. The text is a bold biography of contenders who are known by their fellowship, focus, faith, and finish.
In Psalm 34, stanza eight, David offers to his generation and ours the results of a “taste test” he experienced during a challenging time in his life. God does not major in either success or failure but in favor. And favor has a flavor!
In Chapter 6 of his prophecy, Isaiah embraces his call to ministry after encountering the second member of the Trinity. In a transforming vision in the temple at Jerusalem, he experiences “his-story” as a creature, a sinner, a servant and a sheep in the revelation and radiance of the glory of God.
The wise admonition of King Solomon in Proverbs 14:12 is viewed as spiritual signage at the intersection where human reason meets Divine revelation. It is a timeless warning to life’s travelers to exercise caution because our decisions have consequences.
In the eighth century BC, the great and noble King Hezekiah of Judah was faced with an insurmountable crisis. Despite his faithfulness to God’s covenant, the nation he led was threatened by an invading army. His trust in God was on trial! Because of his confidence in the prophet of God, the presence of God and the promises of God his trust was vindicated. His example of faith is timeless.
In Genesis Chapter 32, the patriarch Jacob is cornered. At this point in his life, he is better known for grifting and grabbing than for grace and generosity. The shadow of past transgressions had caught up with him. In his hour of desperation, he prays and learns that despite his sins and shortcomings, he is still covered by God’s unconditional love. God still looks beyond our faults and sees our needs!
In honor of Clergy Appreciation Month, Dr. Stubblefield shares biblical perspectives about the office of pastor-teacher based on Jeremiah 3:15. This timely and relevant message focuses on the measure, model, ministry, and motivation of the pastor.
In Genesis Chapter 26, Isaac returns to the wells that his father Abraham dug in the Palestinian soil. The lessons we learn encourage us to embrace healthy tradition with the dependency we must acknowledge, the debt we must accept, the difficulties we must anticipate and the discovery we must appreciate.
In Chapter 18 of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus shares a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector who went into the Temple to pray. The prayer of the tax collector prevailed because he focused on reality not ritual, appeal not applause and mercy not merit. What is the focus of our prayers?
In Part 2 of this message, Jesus’s love for Mary, Martha and Lazarus is a timeless reminder that God weeps with us, offering His presence for our prayers, His promises for our perspectives and His eternal person for our provision. All this is bound up in His declaration that all who lives and believes in Him, shall never die.
In Chapter 11 of the Gospel John, two sisters send an urgent message to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” Jesus arrives in their small village four days later, weeps at the tomb of their brother and then raises him from the dead. In the reality of painful paradox, He still shows up in our difficulties, weeps with us and reveals His unlimited power.
At the heart of the Christian faith is the conviction that failure, however daunting, discouraging, or depressing, is not the last word. Through the grace of God, no matter how far you fall, you can still get up! In the tragic life of Samson recorded in the Book of Judges, Chapters 13 – 16, failure meets favor. This message helps us to understand the face, fact, folly, and forgiveness of failure.
In the first four stanzas of Psalm 145, the author reminds us that whatever else worship is it is infectious, viral, virulent, transmissive, and highly contagious! When infected people worship, it is not just transformational but GENERATIONAL! Contagious worship is characterized by its motivation, mechanics, measure, and ministry.
Asaph, a worship leader in the Temple during the reign of King David experienced a crisis of faith as he observed around him “the prosperity of the wicked.” When he worshipped, he faced his crisis, found clarity, and framed a confession of his renewed faith in God. His experience still provides insight for the uptight.
David’s faith exudes high definition clarity and comprehension as he affirmed God’s sovereign authority, sobering appraisal, satisfying availability and searching apprehension of his life in Psalm 139. If we would see more clearly God's plans and purposes for our lives, we should follow his example.
A desperate mother welcomes the prophet Elijah to her home during a famine. In an unselfish act of faith, she shares her last meal with him only to discover that miracles happen when the God of Israel comes to dinner! Her faith in a devoted prophet’s daring pronouncement resulted in an unexpected experience of God’s dynamic provision.
Our lives are as much about our detours as our destinies. After a detour, the prophet Jonah arrives in Nineveh and is focused on his calling and destiny. We can appreciate his present location and purpose and learn from his experience if we understand the discoveries that brought him there.
While pursuing perfection, the Apostle Paul was in a war. The battleground was within him, and the adversaries were the flesh and the spirit. For those who are struggling with sin today, we learn from Paul’s words and experience that, we cannot win the war with human reason, resolve or resources but only with and through the Heavenly Redeemer, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Frustrated with the condition of his nation, Habakkuk confronts God. In the encounter, his renewed faith, stretched by purposeful witnessing, patient waiting and passionate worshipping, overcomes his stress. His example is timeless!
In Acts Chapter 9, the risen Lord appears to Saul on the Damascus Road. This experience was a turning point in Saul’s life. God’s motion (intervention) in Saul’s life was so compelling and transforming that the persecutor of the church became Paul, its greatest advocate, ally, and apostle. When we second what God motions, He will use us mightily too!
As Jesus’s public ministry comes to an end, he intensifies the training of the disciples. He teaches them that genuine faith can move mountains! Faith does not retreat from impossibility but trusts in God. The principles in this message will encourage believers today to talk to and conquer our mountains no matter what forms they take!
According to the author of Psalm 121, as Jewish pilgrims approached Jerusalem to worship, seeing the pagan shrines on the hills surrounding the city, they reaffirmed their faith in God. Their positive outlook was influenced by a profound spiritual “uplook”. Today, our personal awareness of God’s powerful availability will give us promising assurance in whatever situation we face in life.
At the inception of his ministry, the prophet Isaiah summons a rebellious and disobedient nation to repentance. The compelling proposal he shares is a promise to every generation that God provides complimentary and comprehensive cleaning for the crippling contamination of sin.
The Apostle Paul declares his readiness to share the Gospel with the unsaved. He is without a doubt, a "ready witness". He was motivated by four factors that should encourage every Christian in this present day to witness to others about the salvation we have in Jesus Christ.
In the spiritual life, dry ground is the place of confidence, stability, security and the corridor that leads us from bondage to blessing. In the wet places of trial and tribulation, dry ground is the place where God meets our needs.
His life threatened, his kingdom in turmoil, David sought God's presence. In his distress, he wanted to "dwell in the house of the Lord". In this place, he experienced a perfect getaway. We can too!
Proverbs 14:12 teaches that our decisions and choices in life have consequences. Life is a path or road that we take and wrong turns and detours can be costly or even deadly.
In John, Chapter 21, the resurrected Jesus meets the disciples near the Sea of Galilee. His interaction with Peter transformed him. The Lord redeemed his past, rekindled his passion and reshaped his purpose. Failure is not final.
In John, Chapter 21, the resurrected Jesus meets the disciples near the Sea of Galilee. His interaction with Peter transformed him. The Lord redeemed his past, rekindled his passion and reshaped his purpose. Failure is not final.
In John, Chapter 21, the resurrected Jesus meets the disciples near the Sea of Galilee. His interaction with Peter transformed him. The Lord redeemed his past, rekindled his passion and reshaped his purpose. Failure is not final.
In the wake of the death of their great leader Moses, the children of Israel are experiencing loss. Yet, when the textual dust settles, it is not the death of their leader that is on the horizon but the fulfillment of their destiny as a nation as the new leader Joshua leads them to victory.
In John, Chapter 12, Jesus provides a template for anyone who is seriously interesting in knowing who He is and becoming salt and light in world that has become increasingly antagonistic to the truth and to the church.
If you had to produce a "spiritual receipt" validating your relationship to the Lord, would that receipt survive the scrutiny of an examination?
Spiritual maturity and advance can be measured and quantified by the basic mathematical principles of addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. The Christians at Corinth exhibited all these dynamics.
Rather than being the source of devastation, disappointment or despair, the "dark night of the soul" becomes a blessing in disguise that deepens one's relationship to God.
The silence and submission of His Son, the Lamb of God, is the compelling conduit and corridor through which God channels His amazing grace to anyone who will receive it by faith.
According to Isaiah 53, God speaks ultimately to humanity through the voice of a Silent Sufferer and Sacrificial Savior who redeems us from our sin.
Jesus heals a man born blind from birth. His disciples learned that God's purposes always transcend our problems and that day and night belongs to Him.
Jesus ordered the man who had been tragically separated from his family, possessed by a legion of demons and living in a cemetery to "go home." This is perhaps the greatest commission of all.
In the wilderness, Israel complained about bitter water. Moses's response reminds us that no situation is beyond the transformative power of God.
An axe head floating in water reminds us that God's power is greater than any trial we face in life. The Old Testament prophet Elisha acts in faith and shows his generation and ours what to do when life loses its edge.
In Psalm 51, "then" is a spiritual location that should be the goal of every believer. Because of sin, David had taken a detour from his destiny, but through confession and repentance reached his destination.
The unique ministry of John the Baptist is a window through which we can view the life and ministry of those called by God, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to serve Him and His people.
Lot's actions in Genesis, Chapter 19 is a warning to us of the dangers of dwelling on the past but a primer on what we must do in order to move forward and fulfill the purposes of God for our lives.
Mark and the other Gospel writers are consistent in affirming that a new start in the history of the world is actualized by the birth of God's son in a stable in Bethlehem. In life, God offers us fresh starts and new beginnings.
The real message of Easter is how God in the person of Jesus Christ came to this planet, became poor, that we might become rich in Him. He literally stooped so we an stand.
Crowds gathered to see and hear Jesus. A crippled man carried by four friends came too but their path was blocked. Determined, they found a way to push through the traffic and bring their friend to Jesus. Because of their faith, their friend was healed.
The story of the father with the epileptic son is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. It reminds us that we are not strong all the time but even when we struggle, little faith can produce great blessing.
Mephibosheth lived with a tragic deformity. He was crippled! Yet because of grace, he found himself seated at the King's table.
Many of us become so comfortable and satisfied with our present situation that we literally, cannot stand to be blessed. In the Old Testament, Hannah seized on God's promises and power with a holy discontent that energized her desire for a blessing.
Pummeled by crisis, catastrophe and calamity, Job declared to his generation and ours that help is on the way!
Faced with the potential loss of his kingdom and his life, David celebrates God's faithfulness.
Feeling overwhelmed or stretched to your limits? King Jehoshaphat trusted God with his fears and discovered that the battle is not ours but the Lord's.