Rolling Fork Baptist Church: Recent Episodes
Bruce Nichols
Does it really matter who we spend the most time with? Whose example are we following and who are we setting an example for?
Today's message gives us another example of why Bible study is so important and what to do when we disagree about the meaning of a passage.
In today's passage, the word "ashamed" is used three times. Going back to Romans 1:16, Paul said that he was not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In today's message, we define what is the gospel and what do "gospel believers" do. Do you really believe in the gospel?
The first chapter of 2 Timothy shows how connected Paul and Timothy were and this passage demonstrates how we should be connected as well. God's timing is always perfect and today's message was intensified by the passing of our friend and brother in Christ, Tony Sidebottom. This message will call you to repentance and to live for Christ. I hope that you will listen to it and respond the way that God wants you to...
When you go to a concert, you are mostly focused on the entertainer but when you are gathered with other believers in your worship service, you are not there to be entertained. You are there to worship God with your church family. Today's message deals with some of the relationships in your church family and how to protect them.
Unlike those who will turn away from the true gospel, we must protect ourselves by these four actions.
This week, we looked at Paul's list of qualifications for the deacons and then asked the question "How should the elders, the deacons and the rest of the church work together?"
What is an overseer? Today's message shows the qualifications of being a pastor and also has four applications for the congregation.
What is a godly man and what is a godly woman? That is just two of the questions that we tackled this morning. If we want God to bless our church or bless our homes, we have to be the godly men and women that He has made us to be.
After Junior Sidebottom read today's text, we dove right in these three main thoughts.
- We should be praying for all people to repent and be saved.
- God is sovereign which means He answers to no one, He depends on no one and no one can stop Him from accomplishing whatever He chooses to do.
- We must let the context of the Bible interpret the meaning of the Bible.
We answer many questions today so I encourage you to listen to this and evaluate this message according to God's Word.
Today's passage showed the contrast between the false teachers and the apostle Paul. We need to focus on God's Word so we will recognize what is truth and what is not.
Paul told Timothy to stay in Ephesus and protect the church from false teaching. He wanted to make sure that the church was hearing sound doctrine on a regular basis. We should also be very protective of our churches and not allow false doctrines to come into the church.
Today, we saw the importance of trusting God and moving forward with Him. Too often, we are tempted to look back at the way things were and not see what God is doing now. Let us trust Him. It's time to be strong, to work and to not fear.
Today's message will test your current walk with God. You may discover that you have lost your focus and now you are going through a time of stress and disappointment. If you live according to God's Word, you can be "stirred" and He will be pleased.
The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ accomplished that which would be impossible for man to accomplish. Our salvation. Jesus played the role of a mediator between God and man. Listen to today's message and see how this process worked.
Today's service focused on the need to teach our children about God's incredible works.
Before the message, Chris Godbey read from Matthew 16 where Simon Peter answered Jesus' question correctly but then as we looked at three passages in the book of Mark, we saw the disciples getting into trouble over and over. We must answer these three questions on a regular basis.
Paul dealt with two topics in today's message. Watching out for those who cause division in the body of Christ through false teaching and we need to watch ourselves very closely. God had strengthened us and commanded us to obey Him but do we really fight off temptation the way that we should?
Today's message reflects on the God of endurance and encouragement, the God of hope and the God of peace.
Last week, the message dealt with judging others because of their convictions. This week, we are told not to let our freedom be a stumbling block to others.
Today's message focuses on two important thoughts. 1) Everyone is not on the same level of spiritual maturity as you are. 2) Everyone will have to answer to God. Included in today's message, you will hear why bringing your children to church is so important.
Today's message continued with the idea of what a true Christian looks like and we started with respecting authority and ended with the idea of always preparing to walk with Christ each day.
Today's message is divided into three sections: 1) The kind of love that we are supposed to show, 2) The pursuit of holiness and 3) The focus being on the goodness of God rather than the wrongs of man.
in our last message, we read that we are to present ourselves as "living sacrifices" unto God and today's message explains the first part of that process. Are you doing your part?
What did Paul mean when he told the church to present themselves as a living sacrifice and how does that apply to us?
In today's message, there are four men mentioned... Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Hur. How does this passage apply to us today? Listen and find out...
Why did Jesus come to this world and how did He get here? What does the word "incarnate" mean and how does this change our spiritual condition?
Sure, Christmas is probably the most popular holiday of the year but is it enough? What if we had Christmas but didn't have Easter? Does Christmas have it's true significance without the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
Today's message is closely tied to last week's message. In this message, we look at seven questions every person should answer to see if he is a Christian or not.
Some people believe that Romans 10:9-10 CAUSES us to be saved but as you will see in today's message, Romans 10:9-10 PROVES that we are saved.
"God is God and the Bible is true cover to cover." What does that have to do with Jacob and Esau? Everything. And how we share the gospel? With gratitude, humility, faithfulness and hope.
Today, we used Romans chapter 8 to list 10 things that we should be very grateful for and this list is so powerful.
What qualities are needed in order to be a biblical church? How do these two passages inform us of what needs to be happening in our church family?
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." That is the first verse that we will be reading this morning when I preach today. What an incredible statement... "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"!!! Not only is that statement true, the opposite is also true and should be very concerning to those who are not yet in Christ. There is condemnation for those who are not in Christ Jesus. What does that mean? We will look at both sides of that verse this morning at Rolling Fork Baptist Church.
In today's passage, Paul described what we feel way too often. We see the temptation and we know that it is wrong... we even know the Bible verses that tell us why it is wrong and we know what will happen if we give into that temptation... but we still do it from time to time. What are we supposed to do in this situation?
This week contrasted the difference between a slave to sin and a slave to God. Also, this week's message continues to remind us how much we need to be thanking God for our salvation.
Two questions build the foundation to today's message. If we have "died to sin", how can we willingly go back to it? And if we haven't died to sin, how can we think that we are in Christ?
In today's message, Paul points to two men (Adam and Jesus) and tells us how each man connects to who we are today.
Today, we see the beauty of Paul's message concerning our faith and the power of the cross.
Today, we looked at all three characters in the parable known as "The Prodigal Son" and considered how we have experienced the story from each person's perspective.
Why did Paul mention Abraham and David in today's passage? And how does that apply to us?
The people that Paul was addressing in today's passage were bragging about having the law and the covenant with God and yet they were still breaking the law. Today, we have the Bible and baptism but are we still sinning against God also?
Do you really recognize what repentance is? If God graded you based on your recent actions, how would you do?
What does the phrase "God gave them up" mean and how is that phrase used in today's passage? What is the right balance between love and truth?
It was so good to be back with our RFBC family today. Thank you to Chris and Sam for filling in for me the last two weeks. Today's message centered on Paul's departing words to a group of elders. Two main themes for us today... 1) we need to set the right example for others and 2) we must obey God's Word.
Today's message gives us two more reasons why we should pay close attention to what is being preached and taught in our churches.
God 's Word is the key. It's what saves a man and it's what keeps a man in the faith. We must be faithful sharing God's Word at all times.
Many people claim to be spiritual but that doesn't mean that they are Christians. In today's message, Paul addressed their idol to the "unknown god".
What did Paul use to prove to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ? What did the Bereans use to validate the messages that they were hearing?
There are three main questions in today's passage. 1) Who has mentored you in your faith? 2) Who are you currently mentoring in their faith? 3) Are you protecting your witness from being cut off because your choices?
Sometimes people hate you because of the gospel, sometimes they love you because of the gospel... and then there are times people attack you because of the gospel.
God being sovereign means that He depends on no one, answers to no one and nobody can stop Him from accomplishing His will. Today's message shows three ways that we can recognize His sovereignty in our lives.
Jesus asked Peter three times "Do you love me?" but Peter's answer wasn't what it was supposed to be. How are we answering that question today?
Tonight, we looked at four men who are in the Easter narrative but not dominant characters and yet the question can be asked "How was their lives changed because of Jesus?"
Sometimes Peter said or did the right thing and then he would say or do the wrong thing. But in spite of his (and ours) many goof ups, Jesus' love was still there.
When sharing the gospel, what do you start with? Paul gives us a great demonstration in today's message.
Some people may try and keep you from hearing the Good News but God's message cannot be stopped.
What did Jesus say about fasting and how were the Pharisees hypocritical about this topic?
This morning at Rolling Fork Baptist Church, the message is entitled "Too Many Steps" and asks the question "what happens when we require more from new believers than what Jesus did?"
This is the most important question you will ever answer. Today we looked at four questions that will help us have a better understanding of our spiritual condition.
When Paul started preaching the gospel, many didn't trust him because they didn't believe that he had been changed. Another topic covered here was "Do we really fear the Lord?".
How do we know if we are ready for baptism? Why should we be baptized? When should we be baptized? What should we expect after we are baptized? The answers to those questions and more in today's message.
Do you act more like Stephen or the ones who were falsely accusing Stephen of going against God?
When the church is growing, the leadership structure has to grow as well. And not just the leadership structure, everyone in the church has a job to do.
Why is Jesus the focus of the gospel? And what did the writer mean when he said that Jesus tasted death for everyone?
In today's message, Chris Godbey emphasized the connection between the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus plus how should we understand the role that Mary played in this discussion.
What is the main takeaway that we should find in the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus? Probably much more than you realize.
Why do we seek the applause of men rather than the approval of God? What if God treated us the way that He treated this couple in Acts 5?
How did Peter and John respond when they were told to stop preaching the name of Jesus? And what can we learn from these men for today's conversations?
Why did the miraculous healing in this passage take place? Does the gift of healing still exist today?
Today's message focuses on the message that Peter preached to the crowd who heard them speaking in different languages. One of the key factors in today's message deals with the connection of baptism and the forgiveness of sin. This verse has confused many people because of how it is worded.
Today, we focused on two questions: 1) What should we know about the Holy Spirit? and 2) What should we know about speaking in tongues?
How does Judas Iscariot connect with Romans 8:28? And how does Matthias connect with us?
Some observations about this passage show us that the disciples didn't always have the right answers either. Also we look at the question "Are there any apostles living today?"
David thought he had gotten away with his sinful ways in chapter 11 but God was totally aware of what happened.
How did David get into so much trouble? Because he didn't make a good decision during the first temptation mentioned in today's message.
How many people do we know that once appeared to become a Christian but then their lives never began to show any indication that they were in Christ?
We see what really happened when Paul was converted but are we preaching and teaching this message properly?
Why is biblical conversion so important to understand? Why are there so many people who call themselves Christians but do not live like Christians?
Is it God's will that everybody be saved? And how should we live if we have been saved?
In today's message, we see a detailed list of characteristics that false teachers have and we saw how faithful and consistent God is when dealing with this kind of people.
Today's message centers around the very precious promises of Christ and the qualities that we should be seeing developed in our lives.
Are we obeying the Great Commission? Are we making disciples or just focusing on ourselves?
What instructions did Peter give the pastors and those who are under their watch care? And how is the entire church supposed to connect to God and resist the devil?
Jesus suffered for us and we are to suffer for Him as well but the main focus of today's message is our responsibility to glorify God in what we say, think and do.
Included in today's passage are two topics that have been discussed a great deal. One is the question "Did Jesus go to hell before He was raised from the dead?" and the other is "Why did Peter say that baptism can save you?"
How do the first seven verses of this chapter stress the importance of obeying God and strengthening your marriage. This passage connects with Ephesians 5 and gives us lots of information to remember.
Why would Peter say that suffering for Christ as a gracious thing in the eyes of God? And how are we to go through that experience?
Today, Chris Godbey preached from the 2nd chapter of 1 Peter and reminded us of what we should be doing each day. Reading verses 1-12, Chris listed several actions should be found in our daily behavior.
What should be our mindset right now and what should we doing? Why should we be obeying God?
Why do we face trials and what should we be focused on during those trials? And how does the Kansas City Chiefs fit into today's message?
How does one become a Christian? When was the last time that you really praised God for your salvation? Peter gives us some great insight on these questions...
Who were the people that Jude was warning the church about? Are you protecting yourself from these people as well?
How does Matthew, Mark, Luke and John compare in their accounts of Jesus' resurrection? Why should we believe that Jesus was raised from the dead?
Even though Jesus healed the ear of the man that Peter attacked and even though the soldiers were knocked down the first time Jesus asked them who they came for, He was still arrested. And Peter did exactly what Jesus said that he would do...
As we begin the week of Easter, we start with the events leading up to Jesus getting arrested. This morning, we looked at how much attention God pays to details, how Jesus protected Judas Iscariot and if Jesus' prayer was answered.
Paul prayed about a painful situation three times but God said "My grace is enough." How can we apply today's lesson to our lives?
One of the ways that Paul proved that he really was an apostle of Christ was by listing some of the hardships that he had gone through as a result of preaching the gospel. Would the false teachers have endured all of that and remained fruitful in their ministry? And how does all of that apply to us?
Paul addressed the need of protecting the church from false teachers. Here are three main statements that you need to practice.
It is a battle we face every day. The question is "How well are we fighting that battle?"
Since we did not have electricity this morning, here is a message from a few years ago.
What is the connection between grieving and repentance? What kind of grieving leads to repentance?
Today's message has some great promises from God and also some very clear instructions.
Included in today's message is a list of qualities that should be seen in each one of us...
Jesus was given an assignment which was to "save His people from their sins". Did He accomplish what God sent Him to do?
This is only the first six minutes of the message due to the mic quitting during the message.
Many discussions are based upon the word "all" but have you noticed how important the word "for" is in that phrase?
If we are saved by God, we are either "at home in the body" which is "away from the Lord" or "away from the body" which is "present with the Lord". If we are not saved yet, then we are "dead in our trespasses" (Eph. 2:1) which is away from the Lord. If we die in that condition, we will be "in torment" which is also away from the Lord.
Regardless of what we may face when sharing the gospel, we must remember that God is faithful...
You need to know who you are listening to and learning from. Are you making sure that you are listening to solid biblical teaching or are you allowing false teachers lead you astray?
Do the people around us notice of the "fragrance" of Jesus on us? In today's passage, Paul talked about the fragrance of Christ that is evident in a Christian's life... one that is pleasant to those who receive the gospel and one that smells like death to those who reject the gospel.
Also in today's message, Paul demonstrated that there are times when we will face anxiety for the right reason.
Today we look at two words that are repeated in verses 3 and following: afflictions and comfort. Then we look at some precious verses of promise.
Today's message comes from a variety of passages packaged together to help us understand what love really is.
What was Paul talking about when he said that they were getting baptized on behalf of someone who was dead? Who was Paul calling "bad company"? And what four steps of application do we have for this section of scripture?
There is much discussion about when Jesus is coming back for His church. Will it be before the tribulation, during the tribulation, at the end of the tribulation, etc? Some verses point one direction and others seem to point another direction. The main question for today was what should we be doing while we wait for Jesus to come back?
Today's message shows the great contrast between Adam and Jesus. Also the contrast between Pelagius and Augustine...
In today's message, Paul gave us a list of what would be different if Jesus has not been raised from the dead... and every phrase was bad news. BUT Jesus has been raised from dead as proven the various statements listed in today's passage.
What is the main theme of chapter 14? Building up each other in the church. How are we to do that? That is what we are looking at today.
Do we really love one another? What kind of measuring stick did God give us in this area?
What spiritual gifts are permanent and which ones were not? How should we use our spiritual gifts?
Today's message uses three passages: 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and Matthew 25. Two of the questions asked are 1) For what purpose does God give us spiritual gifts? and 2) How can you measure the effectiveness of a preaching ministry?
What examples are in the Bible to help us make the right decisions? And how should we handle the temptations that we face?
In today's message, Paul explained the right mentality that we should have when sharing the gospel with others...
Even though it appears that food is the main topic in chapter 8, the actual main topic is the warning against being a stumbling block to others. Are you aware how easily you could be leading someone astray if they do not understand your actions?
Are you practicing sin or does that describe how you used to be? Today's passage warns us about the danger of practicing sinful ways.
In today's message, Paul explains why it is so important to address public, significant and unrepentant sin the church.
In today's message, we see Paul's words describing the relationship between the preachers/teachers and the congregation. When they are all unified in message and mission, then God is most glorified.
How would Paul describe your spiritual maturity? And what about the way that you are building on the foundation which is Christ?
What was important about the way that Paul proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ? And why does the "natural person" not receive the message of God like we do?
We need unity in the church and clarity in the message of the church. Listen to today's message and see how this passage points us to Christ.
When sharing the gospel, are you using words and phrases from the Bible or catch phrases that have become popular the last century?
Sure, people RECOGNIZE John 3:16 and they may be able to QUOTE John 3:16 but how many of us really UNDERSTAND John 3:16? That is our focus this morning.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ..." are such powerful words beginning this passage and how sweet the message of verse 21 which says , "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Today, we look at five sins that the Bible clearly speaks against... do you find yourself in this list?
How would God describe the way that you are living right now? Would He say that you are building on the right foundation? And if you are, are you using the right material?
Today's message reminds us of what happens when we ignore our spouse and pursue "the forbidden woman".
Today's message shows the importance of setting the right example for our family and friends. Especially our children. What are they seeing us do each and how will that impact their lives?
How much do you trust God? Today's message shows us why we need to trust God in every way.
The lady that we should be chasing is "Wisdom" but how often are we tempted by "the forbidden woman"?
God calls us to repent... are we listening and obeying God or are we refusing to repent? (If we do not repent, we will wish that we had.)
We have two choices in this passage. We can be wise or we can be foolish. Which one do you choose?
The mind, the flesh, the Spirit... what determines which direction we will walk in this year?
Did Jesus say "Go make Christians" or "Go make disciples?" What is our role in evangelism and what is God's role? In what ways have churches confused ourselves in the last 50 years?
Today's message shows us what "real worship" is and what can happen when we gather for real worship.
Today's message includes the four directions of biblical forgiveness that we must learn about and see how it impacts our lives. Plus we see how Paul was pointing Philemon in the direction of forgiveness towards Onesimus.
Today's message looks at the last two verses of Jude showing another reason that we can rejoice because of what God is doing in our lives through Jesus Christ.
Today, we look at Jude's warning to remember, the need to focus on Christ and the need to preach the Word to those who don't believe the right doctrine.
Listen to how Jude described the false teachers and what it takes to protect ourselves from false teaching. Then we answered this question, "When sharing the gospel, what should be our focus?"
Today we look at a list of examples that Paul set for us and the instructions that he gave to our churches.
Listen to see how God worked out detail to get Joseph from the pit to the prison to the palace and to the position that caused all of his brothers to bow down to him like he said they would.
As we look at these events in Joseph's life, we see that his life was not easy. In fact, he went through many difficult situations in today's message. And why? That is what we are looking for today.
We hear people talking about "God moments" but are they using the term correctly? How can we recognize true "God moments" in our lives? How does God use these "God moments" in our lives? So many questions and today, we look at the answers.
How should we seek reconciliation? What determines if we should seek reconciliation? What if the other party does not want to reconcile? Answers to these questions and more in today's message.
After Jacob had a confrontation with Laban, he was worried about the next confrontation which would be with his brother, Esau. Today, we look at his prayer and see what he did right and what he did backwards.
How much have the churches of today been influenced by men like Charles Swinney and Jacob Knapp? What is the real evidence of being born again?
Today we see another family going through deception and jealousy. We also see what appears to be "paybacks" to Jacob for how he did his dad and his brother but there is more to it than that. God was using this time to shape Jacob into being what he needed to be. We finish today's message with three areas that we need to work on in order to please God.
Today we will be asking ourselves three tough questions concerning our families and then we will look at two closing statements that give us the right direction if we want our marriages and our families to be what God wants us to be.
Abraham's servant prayed a series of prayers that we should pay attention to. Although there is one aspect of his prayer that we should not try to copy, there are plenty of helpful tips to strengthen our prayer lives.
This is one of most important questions that you need to answer. Do you really fear the Lord the way that you are supposed to? What does it mean to "fear the Lord"? Where does the fear of the Lord come from? And what if we do not fear the Lord? Please listen to this passage and be ready to respond to God...
Such a tense series of moments leading up to God providing the answer for Abraham. Let this message be empowering in our lives as we see Christ taking our place.
Today, we look at three sets of repeated words or phrases and three statements of application. God is faithful and He always keeps His promises.
Today's message centers around God's judgment on Sodom and you will be asked five questions today that will show if you are focused on pleasing God or not.
Another challenging message from the book of Genesis. Today we looked at four words that describe how Abraham served the Lord in this passage. We also asked two crucial questions that with your faith and spiritual growth.
Some people believe that they are going to heaven because they were baptized but is that what the Bible says? Today's message begins with the covenant that God made with Abraham and then we look at some passages in the New Testament.
We know that nothing happens outside of God's sovereignty and today's lesson shows what happens when we take matters into our own hands instead of doing the way that God wants it done.
When did John start believing the scriptures that dealt with the resurrection of Jesus? How much of God's Word do you believe? And do you really want to please God?
If someone asked you if you are going to heaven, what would you say? If you said "yes", how would you support that answer? Do you really know where you stand with God? That is the emphasis of today's message.
Are you worried about the future? Are you waiting for one of your prayers to be answered? Today's message will encourage you in many ways.
Even though Abraham is called the "father of faith", he didn't always live like that, did he? Today's message shows him living by fear and wait until you see how God shows that He is in control no matter how bad we mess up.
When God told Abram to go to the land that He would show him, He also gave a list of "I will's".
Unity is important to God but if we are unified in disobedience, unity is not enough, is it?
Today, we look at eight observations from Genesis 6-8. These observations not only tell us what God did for Noah but what God does us for us now.
Sure you have heard this story before and maybe you have read it a few times as well but I am asking you to listen to today's message with a fresh approach and hear the serious warnings that are found in this passage.
Today's message helps us recognize the ways that the devil tries to tempt us plus a helpful reminder that God sometimes does certain things that we see as punishment but He does it for our good.
What phrases are repeated in Genesis chapter 1 and how do they display God's characteristics?
What is the gospel of Jesus Christ and who should be sharing the gospel? These questions and more in today's message.
If we really understand what Christmas is all about then we will be living our lives in such a way that God is glorified in "whatever you do".
Which is more important, Christmas or Easter? What had to happen with the birth of Jesus to make Easter happen? Was Jesus really tempted and how because God cannot be tempted? These questions and more in today's message...
I have always enjoyed Billy Joel's music but today we looked at two songs that voice a different direction than Christians should be going. What songs am I talking about? Listen in and find out.
Today, we looked at some ways that people will look down on you and say that you are not as holy as they are because you don't ___________________. Not only should we not allow others to make us feel inferior because of what they do, we should not act that way to anyone else.
Lots to unpack in this message including the need to read the Bible as it is written instead of how we wish it was written. This passage is very similar to Ephesians 2.
Today's passage looks at three areas that Paul was drawing our attention to... the message of the pastor which is God's Word, the rejoicing of a pastor and the struggles of a pastor.
We should pray about what has already happened in the lives of other believers and we should pray about what is supposed to happen in the lives of other believers.
What should we be doing when we gather each Sunday? How much does God's Word affect what we do each week?
What is "true Christianity"? What is "true evangelism"? What does it mean to follow Christ?
Why are the Bible and prayer the most important elements of a healthy church? How should we be praying for each other?
So many lessons in today's passage including the fact that we are often attacked from an external force after we have attacked each other internally. This is illustrated by the people fighting against Moses because there was no water to drink. But GOD IS FAITHFUL and He took care of the problem. Then the battle with the Amelakites started but God gave them the victory because GOD IS FAITHFUL.
Tonight, we walked through the experience of Moses sending 12 spies into the land that God said that He was giving them. 10 of the spies came back with a bad report which showed no faith in God at all but Caleb said "Let us go up at once..." Are you more like the 10 who lived in fear or Caleb who expressed great faith?
Why would Paul tell anyone to stay away from their brother or sister? How long are we to stay away from them? What is purpose of staying away from them? And how is the church today opposite of the churches that Paul was writing to back then?
We often tell people to calm down, be still, have faith, etc. and then we are asked "Why?" Today, Paul says "Stand Firm" and we see 7 reasons why we should stand firm.
Who are the two groups of people in this passage? What did God do differently to the second group that He did not do with the first group? How should we respond to that answer? How should we respond to Bible verses that we do not like? These questions and more are answered today in this message.
Peter said that the preaching that they heard could be trusted because it came from men who were there with Jesus. Not fables or made up stories about a man named Jesus. They heard the voice of God on the mountain. They saw Jesus teach, pray and do miracles. They saw it all.
Paul gave us a lot to consider in the second chapter of 2 Thessalonians and today, we see the coming of our Lord, the gathering of the saints, and the day of the Lord being listed again. How do three actions or events work together? That and so much
5For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
Big questions asked in today's message such as "Is the "coming of the Lord" the same day as "the day of the Lord", "What happens to someone who goes to hell?" and "Will the people in hell be separated from the presence of the Lord?"
We will see five things that we must do in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20 plus a reminder that should encourage us greatly.
Today we looked at three connections: the congregation and their pastor, the congregation within itself and the congregation pleasing God. As you listen to today's message, ask God how you are doing in each area.
What does it mean to "shepherd the flock that is among you"? What significance do the words "among you" have? What do you do when sheep keep running away? Just some of the questions we asked tonight.
What is the connection between the "coming of the Lord" in chapter 4 and the "day of the Lord" in chapter 5? What has God destined us for? Who did Jesus die for? These questions and more are asked in today's message.
The Thessalonians were upset about the possibility of missing the return of Christ plus they were concerned about those who had already passed but Paul had good news for them and then as well as us.
We are to live our lives for the glory of God instead of pleasing the flesh. Tonight we see more of Peter's instructions concerning this matter.
We know we are supposed to show brotherly love to each other but are we doing so? What are four possible hindrances to us showing brotherly love and are we guilty of any of these?
Paul told the Thessalonians that they needed to do more and more of what they were already doing, but what was that? Listen to today's message and find out.
This message was recorded after the service today so that you would be able to hear it as well. Timothy told Paul and Silas how well the Thessalonians were doing... but what would he say about us?
Tonight we looked at 7 verses that deal with marriage and asked ourselves if our marriages look more like this passage or like the world...
Paul shows us how to properly share the gospel in this passage. As you listen to these verses, ask yourself if you are sharing the gospel the same way as they did in this passage.
If Paul was writing to you and me, would he say the same things that he said about the Thessalonians concerning their faith and obedience? What does the Bible say about the end times? Today's message shows us how Paul described those believers and tells what to expect in the future.
Tonight we read the first section of chapter 2 and saw Peter telling the elect exiles to "put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander " and "long for the pure spiritual milk ".
Today, we see Jesus restoring Simon Peter and reminding him of the mission that Jesus called him to do. When you listen to this message, I hope that you will have some of these moments in your heart... that moment when it all started, those moments that Jesus did incredible things to reinforce your faith, those moments when He reminds you of what you are supposed to be doing and so much more.
What did Jesus pray about in this chapter? What did He not pray about in this chapter? How does this prayer apply to us? These questions and more in today's message.
Two key words in this passage are "ask" and "joy". Listen and hear the connection between the two. Be reminded once again how faithful Jesus is.
Jesus said "it is to your advantage that I go away". We know that if Jesus had not been crucified, buried and raised from the dead then we would still be in our sins. However, on top of that, Jesus gave us a look at the various tasks that the Holy Spirit does and shows us why He called the Holy Spirit "another Helper".
Usually we talk about those who love Jesus but who hates Jesus? The answer may include more people than you realize...
So much to unpack in this great passage. We hope that this message encourages you and strengthens you.
It is easy to wonder why the disciples had a hard time understanding Jesus and what He said but how much do we struggle with the same problems?
Do you have complete confidence in God or is your heart often troubled? Do you see the connection between "Jesus", "The Word" and "Truth"? And if you are a child of God, are you consistently showing gratitude to God for saving you?
John wrote about the resurrection from the perspective of Mary Magdalene and showed his competitive nature with Simon Peter...
The Jews knew which buttons to push in order to make Pilate give in to them. Tonight, we looked at their devious plan against Jesus.
After Judas Iscariot was excused from the table in order to set the stage for Jesus' arrest, we see that Jesus told them that they would all fall away from him. Simon Peter, of course, disagreed with that statement. See what happens in this powerful selection of passages.
Have you ever considered how much Jesus did to protect Judas Iscariot so that Judas could do what he needed to in order to betray Jesus?
Today's message shows us how Judas and Peter both messed up in this passage of scripture. As you listen to this sermon, ask yourself if you do the same thing.
What did Paul mean when he said that he handed Hymenaeus and Alexander “over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme”? What did Paul mean when he said that some folks had “made shipwreck of their faith”? What did Paul mean when he said that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”?
In today's message, we see a group of "believers" that did not acknowledge that they believed in Him. Found out why they acted that way in today's message.
Do you really believe in Jesus Christ or are you trusting in your denomination to get you to heaven? And what did Jesus and Paul say to the Jews about them going to heaven?
There is a very important word in this passage that is only used in one other place. When we find words like that, we should recognize how special that word is and pay close attention to what it means.
Also in this passage, God did something that is only recorded in two other places in the Bible. Find out what that is and see where the other two occasions are found.
When Jesus was told that Lazarus was sick, why did He wait 2 days before He headed that way? Why was Lazarus going through this illness? And how does this passage apply to us? [The last part of message did not record but you have enough of this message to benefit from.]
What kind of limitations does your faith have? Do you have the right perspective about Jesus? And what if Jesus had said "Ok, as you wish" after Martha said “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”? All of this more in today's message.
Today's passage is also found in Matthew 26 and Mark 14. Our focus in this message deals with the perfect example that Mary gave us when she honored Jesus.
In this Wednesday night Bible Study, we read Joshua chapter 7 and saw what happens when there is sin in the camp. Joshua and the Israelites thought that they were in good standing with God but made a costly decision. Then Joshua blamed God for their defeat at Ai but God said "Get up!" and then He said these powerful words "I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you." I hope that you will listen to this message and see how our unconfessed sin can not only hurt ourselves but also our loved ones as well.