Crestview Baptist Prattville: Recent Episodes
Crestview Baptist Church
Sunday morning sermons preached by Bro. Michael Licina at Crestview Baptist Church in Prattville, AL
Psalm 118:22-23; see also Matthew 21, Acts 4:8-12, 1 Peter 2:6-8, and Philippians 2:5-11
Taken into exile in Babylon, then under Persian rule, the Jews found God faithful in distant lands. In this final part of the History of Israel, Bro. Michael shows us how the prophets and people of the exile and return experienced God's hand at work.
In the Kingdom of Judah, kings good and bad lead God's people down a path of rebellion against and revival toward God.
Israel's history is a rich tapestry of triumph and travail, and shows us the theme of God's grace to a messy humanity. In this lesson, Bro. Michael looks at the first three kings: Saul, David, and Solomon, showing us how Israel reached it's zenith before fracturing apart.
Israel's history is a rich tapestry of triumph and travail, and shows us the theme of God's grace to a messy humanity. In this lesson, Bro. Michael walks us through the early history of Israel, from the time of the Exodus until the establishment of the monarchy.
Rest isn't laziness, but the submission of our efforts to God's perfect work. In this sermon, Bro. Michael calls us to rest in the finished work of Christ.
Submission isn't just doing what God wants, but shaping our will to God's will. In this sermon, Bro. Michael examines the attitude of genuine submission to God.
Service isn't just what we do, it's the how and why behind our actions. In this sermon, Bro. Michael looks at service through God's paradigm in 1 Peter 4:8-11.
Worship is more than a song: it's our rightful response to the nature and actions of God. In this sermon, Bro. Michael considers how worship is about more than Sunday services, but envelopes all of creation as well as all of us.
Dr. Mark Tolbert, Director of the Caskey Center for Church Excellence at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, said it well: "We don't drift into evangelism." Evangelism is a discipline. In this message, Bro. Michael discusses the power of God for salvation - the gospel - and helps us know how to share it.
Nehemiah 4:6, Philippians 3:12-14
Homecoming Sermon by Dr. Garner V. Clark. Dr. Clark served as pastor of Autaugaville Baptist Church, Autaguaville, AL, for over 30 years before retiring a few years ago. In this sermon, Dr. Clark preaches about the importance of "sitting in one chair".
Journaling isn't about "expressing yourself." It's about being conformed into the Imago Dei.
Psalm 2 presents the Messiah as the King, established by God and ruling over all the nations at God's will.
Simplicity isn't just about getting rid of stuff; it's about being more like God. In this sermon, Bro. Michael shows us how God's simple nature provides us a model for our lives.
It's hard in our busy world to get away and be silent, but the disciplines of silence and solitude enable believers to hear God's voice, trust him, and live out his calling. In this message, Bro. Michael bids us to stop and be silent before God.
Fasting is not a common practice in the modern church, but for centuries believers have found fasting to be a means to godliness. In this study, Bro. Michael looks at the proper motivations for fasting and gives some practical tips to help us learn to fast.
Prayer is the breath of God within the Christian's lungs. In this study, Bro. Michael helps us see God's purposes for prayer and some ways of deepening our prayer life.
The spiritual discipline of meditation is a means of hiding the Word into our hearts (Psalm 119:11). In this study, Bro. Michael invites us to stop and meditate on Scripture. After looking at the need and some practical tips, he leads us to meditate on John 11:25.
Taking in God's Word is a foundational discipline for the Christian life. In this study, Bro. Michael looks at the ways we can intake God's Word: hearing, reading, study, and observation. Then we take time to hear and read God's word as various people share their favorite passages.
Nehemiah 5: God's Leader Responds to Wrongs by Following and Leading Others to Follow God's Commands
Philippians 3:1-11: Who ever heard of an athlete, destined to win, who instead choses to be a loser? In this message, Bro. Michael shows us how everything can be worth losing, when there's the right thing to gain instead.
A walk through Section C of Article II of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 on God the Holy Spirit
Philippians 2:1-11 - Jesus gives us the divine example, and the divine imperative, for humility and selflessness.
Philippians 1:19-30 - Paul has found that life is not merely "for" Christ or "with" Christ, but living is Christ.
Philippians 1:12-18 - The Gospel is Resilient against Opposition, Resilient against Exploitation, and Victorious in Every Way
Luke 21:5-6 - The Temple, just as the man-made pseudo-religion it represented, is doomed to destruction.
Deuteronomy 30:11-20
God gives us life, but requires us to use it in obedience to his commands.
Jesus' warning to beware the Scribes in Luke 20:45-47 is a two-fold warning: not only should we avoid the "Scribes," but we should also avoid becoming "Scribes" ourselves.
In Luke 20:27-40, the Sadducees try to "shut down" Jesus with a ridiculous scenario, but they are the ones who are silenced.
In Luke 20:41-44, Jesus turns the tables and asks a question to challenge the conventional wisdom of what the Messiah truly is.
In Luke 20:19-26, some pretenders as Jesus a trick question, but the Son of God sees through their attempt and silences them with godly wisdom.
In this sermon on Luke 20:1-8, Bro. Michael examines the source of Jesus' authority, and our need to accept his authority over us.
Luke 19:45-48 details one of the most interesting incidences in Jesus' ministry - the cleansing of the temple. In this sermon, Bro. Michael shows us how Jesus was both bringing divine judgment on a broken system while seeking to restore it's true purpose.
What does the Triumphal Entry teach us about Christ? In this sermon on Luke 19:28-40, Bro. Michael examines this passage to find our more about Jesus and how he challenges us to follow in his steps.
A quick internet search will show numerous blogs and sermons about how to increase your faith. The disciples wanted a bigger faith, too. In this sermon on Luke 17:5-10, Bro. Michael looks at Jesus' response. Hint: He's not just interested in a bigger faith...
The story of Zacchaeus is a favorite of many children. In this sermon on Luke 19:1-10, Bro. Michael calls us back to the Scripture to fill in the details our Sunday School teachers missed.
When the disciples wanted to learn from Jesus, they could have asked him to teach them anything. They chose to ask "How should we pray?" In this sermon on Luke 11:1-13, Bro. Michael helps us learn to pray at the feet of the Master.
Jesus said that we needed to be like children to enter the Kingdom of God. But what does he mean? In this sermon on Luke 18:15-17, Bro. Michael examines Christ's teachings about children and how we must become like a child to enter His Kingdom.
In this sermon from Luke 10:38-42, Bro. Michael explores how our service to God can distract us from him, and how to realign ourselves with him.
For our Homecoming service, we were honored to have Dr. Chuck Kelley preach. Dr. Kelley is the Distinguished Research Professor of Evangelism and President Emeritus at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and the Founder of Innovative Evangelism. He preaches this sermon from Matthew 5.
Now that our vision has been examined, what will it take to live that vision out? In this sermon, Bro. Michael reveals three milestones to help us track our progress, and three simple steps it will take to make God's vision a reality.
Who do we need to be to live out the vision God has for Crestview? In this sermon, Bro. Michael shares the six core characteristics that we will need to have to see God's vision realized.
In Ephesians 1-2, Paul talks about the adoption we have in Christ. This sermon seeks to explore our relationship with God through Christ.
God has given his church a directive: proclaim His gospel and make disciples. But how does our church do that in our context: with our people in our community? In this sermon, Bro. Michael considers how this vision of being God's Family gives us a blueprint for fulfilling God's Great Commission.
As Crestview Baptist pursues God's mission for our congregation, we recognize that we are God's family, and that our community needs us to live in light of our relationship with God.
In this sermon on Luke 21:29-36, Bro. Michael finishes his series in the parables of Jesus. Jesus is coming back - the signs are all around. The question is: are you ready?
In this sermon from Luke 20:9-19, Bro. Michael examines the characters of Jesus' parable of the wicked tenants, and finds the story of humanity.
Revelation 21:9-22:5 gives us a picture of the New Jerusalem, the place of God's permanent presence with men, and the River of Life flowing from his throne.
The new heaven and new earth demonstrate the culmination of God's redemptive work in human history.
In this sermon from Revelation 20:7-15, Bro. Michael shows us the certainty and severity of God's ultimate judgment of the Devil, the Dead, and Death.
In this sermon on Luke 18:1-8, Bro. Michael examines the parable of the persistent widow and Jesus' charge to not stop seeking God's perfect justice.
In this sermon from Revelation 20:1-6, Bro. Michael examines how Satan is incompetent to thwart God's justice.
In this sermon from Revelation 19:11-21, Bro. Michael reminds us that Jesus will judge the wicked and reign over all.
No man can serve two masters. In this sermon, Bro. Michael calls us to give up the other masters and serve God.
In this sermon on Revelation 19, we see that God's character and actions, displayed through judgment, bring both the heavenly host and faithful disciples into a spirit of worship.
Through three parables in Luke 15, Bro. Michael shows us that God rejoices over all repentant sinners, and we should too.
In this sermon from Revelation 18, Bro. Michael shows how those who oppose God are destined from destruction.
In this sermon from Luke 14:34-35, Bro. Michael reminds us that the disciple who loses his flavor is useless in the Kingdom of God.
In this sermon from Revelation 17, Bro. Michael shows us that the "beauty" of Babylon is destined for destruction.
God has prepared for us a great banquet in the bounty of his grace. In this sermon from Luke 14:15-24, Bro. Michael reminds us that to enjoy the bounty, we must accept his invitation of repentance from sin.
In this sermon on Luke 14:1-14, Bro. Michael helps us learn to eat our humble pie instead of seeking honor on our own terms.
Covering Revelation 15-16, John details for us the final act of God's wrath on the unrepentant on the earth. In this sermon, Bro. Michael helps us see how God's wrath shows us His righteousness.
In this sermon on Luke 13:22-30, Bro. Michael considers the parable of the narrow door, reminding us that we must forsake everything else in order to enter God's Kingdom.
In Revelation 14:14-20, we see two reapers harvesting the earth. Bro. Michael shows us how the judgment of God should move us to action - repenting of sin and proclaiming the gospel.
In this sermon on Luke 13:18-21, Bro. Michael shows us how the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven illustrate the nature of the Kingdom of God - it might start small, but the Kingdom produces big results in the faithful.
In this sermon from Revelation 14:6-13, Bro. Michael details the calls of three angels, reminding us that we must heed the warnings of God's impending judgment on all humanity.
In this sermon on Luke 13:1-9, Bro. Michael warns us that we must repent of our unfruitfulness or we will face God's judgment.
Jesus's parables of the Ready Servant, the Ready House-master, and the Two Servants in Luke 12:35-48 demonstrate the importance of being ready for what's to come, even when we don't know when. In this sermon, Bro. Michael reminds us that we, as Jesus' followers, must be ready for his return, faithfully doing his work until he comes again.
After looking at the false Christ and his prophet in chapter 13, John sees the True Christ taking his position on Mt. Zion. In this sermon from Revelation 14:1-5, Bro. Michael takes a closer look at those standing with him, and how our lives should match theirs.
Something is not right about a fool who is rich. In this sermon on Luke 12:13-21, Bro. Michael examines Jesus' parable of the rich fool, showing us the characteristics of a rich fool, and how to protect yourself from becoming one.
The eye is the lamp of the body. In this sermon from Luke 11:33-36, Bro. Michael explores how we can shine God's light (hint: it starts by having God's light within us).
In this sermon on Revelation 13:11-18, we take a look at the false prophet of the false Christ. Satan cannot match the Messiah, but he can imitate him. Bro. Michael calls us to discern and follow the true Christ and not the cheap knock-off.
Satan has two beasts that will do his work in the later days. In this sermon on Revelation 13:1-10, Bro. Michael tells us about the first beast, reminding us that those who oppose God are often the means He uses to accomplish His will.
Jesus said that hearing the Word and not acting on it is like lighting a lamp and hiding it. In this sermon from Luke 8:16-21, Bro. Michael warns us to take care how we hear God's Word.
Our study in Revelation brings us to chapter 12, where we discover that evil has already been defeated, but won't go down without a fight.
In the Parable of the Soils (Luke 8:4-15), Jesus reveals that its the condition of our hearts that determine the fruitfulness of God's Word in us. In this sermon, Bro. Michael calls us to be good soil for the seed of God's Word.
We are a seeking people. Always have been. In this Easter sermon on Luke 24:1-12, Bro. Michael helps you discover what you've always been searching for, and where you can find it.
A sermon on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, with references in Matthew 24, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 5, and Revelation 3. This sermon discusses the doctrine of the Rapture.
How can we interpret the book of Revelation rightly? In this introduction, Bro. Michael gives some ground rules for interpreting the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
A Sermon on Luke 2:22-40. In this sermon, Bro. Michael takes a bigger-picture view of Jesus' dedication in the temple and the roles Simeon and Anna played in God's redemption of Israel.
A sermon from Luke 2:22-40. In this sermon, Bro. Michael focuses attention on the Salvation of God by examining the story of Simeon.
In the fourth and final week of this series, Bro. Michael addresses some questions from church members concerning the Holy Spirit. Questions include whether man is a trichotomy (body, soul, and spirit) or dichotomy (body and soul/spirit), can the Holy Spirit ever leave a believer, and what blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is.
In this third week of a four-week series, Bro. Michael discusses the role of the Holy Spirit as God's active presence in the lives of believers, focusing on the teachings on the Holy Spirit in the NT epistles.
In this second week of a four-week series, Bro. Michael walks us through the four gospels and Acts, describing the work and person of the Holy Spirit in the lives of John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and the early church.
In this first week of a four-week series, Bro. Michael walks us through several OT passages, describing the work and person of the Holy Spirit.
A special edition of the podcast: Homecoming 2019! Featuring the music of Heartline, a group based in Prattville, AL, and the preaching of Dr. Dale Huff.