Scripture References: Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Kings 8:27, Hebrews 8:1-6, 2 Chronicles 36:19-20, 22-23, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Peter 2:4-5. Introduction: “Oh your grace so free, washes over me. You have made me new, now life begins with you.” -Death was arrested A fitting lyric for this week. There is nothing quite like a baptism service!…
When I first started getting involved in music ministries, there was (at that time) a “new” rendition of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. It was widely embraced as a great modern take on a beloved hymn. However, there was a problem — I had little to no idea what the lyrics meant. I wasn’t the main leader at that…
This week we are starting a three-week series on thankfulness. Our key text for the series is1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” If we zoom out a little, we’ll see that our theme verse is part of a larger section that focuses on instructions to believers. Paul gives…
Scripture References: Genesis 3:14-15, Deuteronomy 31:27-29, 4:26-31, 30:6, Jeremiah 31:33, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Isaiah 25:6-9 Introduction: “Don’t spoil the ending for me!!” We’ve probably heard this phrase before. I’ll set the scene…maybe there’s a popular movie or TV series that just came out. You’ve been wanting to see this movie or series for a long time now…the anticipation is killing you.…
For a brief time in college, I was an accounting major. It was brief because the only thing I managed to understand was credit and debit—and that you wanted more credits in your ledger than debits. That’s a very simple (and possibly incorrect) view of accounting, but it’s a realistic way that most of us live our lives. We try…
Scripture References: Lamentations 3:40, Mark 1:1, Luke 2:10-14, Galatians 4:4-7 Introduction: “There is one Gospel on which I standFor all eternityIt is my story, my Father’s planThe Son has rescued meOh what a Gospel, oh what a peaceMy highest joy and my deepest needNow and forever He is my lightI stand in the Gospel of Jesus Christ” – ‘There is one Gospel’ by: CityAlight…
Scripture References: Isaiah 9:4, 6-7, 1 Kings 12:4, 13-14, Matthew 11:28-29, Ephesians 6:23-24. Introduction: The Kingdom of God vs. The Kingdom of man… Which of these kingdoms are we serving and what does each kingdom offer? I’m sure all of us have come to a point where we serve the kingdom of man, and the results just leave us feeling…well…hopeless.…
Last week the big idea of the sermon was that while God has incommunicable traits, we can still know Him. He has attributes that set Him apart from us—He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere. Yet, He has not hidden Himself from us. He is knowable. In the devotional I wrote last week, I said: “How do we know what…
I remember one of the first baptisms I ever witnessed at First Baptist. A young girl was being baptized, and she shared her favorite Bible verse: Romans 1:20: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are…
In college, I had to take a broad introduction to theology course. I don’t even remember the exact name of the class, but I do remember one specific assignment. In this class, we were asked to analyze a hymn. There was a list of hymns given to us, and I picked one I recognized—Holy, Holy, Holy. I remember this project…