Sermon Archives 2023

I Samuel 26:7-12

The term "friendly fire" is a military-term which refers to an incident whereby some of the members of your force, accidentally or intentionally, fire upon your own troops! Sadly, this happens in the church. The church is the only army in the world that shoots their wounded. Most church members are loving and gracious, but there are a few church members who are determined to sow dissension and hurt around, regardless of what that does to the church or some individual(s). However, today we want to talk about how we should respond when these people hurt us.

Revelation 22:18-21

Today we are going to take a look at the "signs of the times"- again! Realizing that some have heard this so much that they have just tuned it out, I believe with all my heart that something different is happening today! Although, these "signs" have been around 'forever,' Matthew 24:8 indicates they will increase with frequency and intensity as we move closer to that day, just like birth pangs! So, let's be aware of current events, and take our Bibles out, and let's be LOOKING UP for our redemption draweth nigh!

Mark 14:32-36

Robert Frost wrote a well-known poem titled, "THE ROAD NOT TAKEN." It was an illusion to his own life when he came to a fork in the road and he had to choose his career choice. He could use his enormous talent to write novels, which meant good money, or he could use that talent to write poetry and most likely be poverty-stricken for the rest of his life.

We too face decisions and choices every day- all day! Today we look at how our Lord Jesus faced the biggest decision of His life and what He did. We learn that our choices come down to one simple prayer- "NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE!"

Acts 6:1-7

America's first astronauts were known as the Mercury 7, and they had to go through a rigorous process before their selection to see if they had the "right stuff" to be an astronaut! Likewise, whenever a church is considering ordaining a man to the office of Deacon in their church, we too put the candidate through a rigorous vetting to make sure they have the right stuff to be one of our Deacons. Our church is currently in the middle of that process, and so today we will talk about the Biblical basis of the process, because in the end the whole congregation must approve.

Revelation 2: 18-29

In 1995, the United Nations declared that year a "Year of Tolerance," which supposedly encourages open mindedness to other cultures and viewpoints. Intolerance is the greatest of all sins in our society today! Unless you are a Bible believing Christian! If we take a stand on truth, we are tagged with all kinds of phobias. Obviously, we Christians do not hate, nor should we be prejudiced toward anyone, but we still must "speak the truth" "in love" of course. Because this spirit of tolerance in our society has a way of seeping into the church, and as we will see, this led to all kinds of problems in the church at Thyatira.

Revelation 2:12-17

The church named Pergamum and the word polygamy come from the same root word! This is interesting because this church was "married" to her faith, and at the same time she was "married" to the world, which included idol worship and fornication. So, she was a compromised church! She had one foot in and one foot out! She was straddling the fence! Why? Well, it all started when she allowed false teachers and false teaching into their church, because bad believing leads to bad behavior! Let's see what our Lord has to say about this kind of church!

Revelation 2:8-11

A cross section of American adults were asked, "If you could ask God only one question, what would you ask Him?" The # 1 response was, "Why is there so much suffering in the world?" This is something that bothers some believers and nonbelievers alike. Some people use this as a way to question the goodness, or even the existence of God! However, God is not responsible for sin and suffering in the world; man is responsible. It started with Adam and each one of us continues to perpetuate a sin-stained world. The reason for the suffering in the world can be traced back to sinful people making sinful choices. Let's see what we can learn from the church at Smyrna when we face persecution and suffering.

Revelation 1:4-8

Our passage today begins with a reference to the doctrine of the Trinity! I don't totally understand it, nor can I adequately explain it to you, but the Bible teaches it, so I believe it! But the passage today puts things in a little different order. Normally, we say the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but today it says Father, Spirit, and then Son! Why? Maybe to emphasize the point that Jesus Christ the Son is the central person in this passage as well as the rest of the Revelation! We are going to put all the focus on the Lord Jesus Christ today, and we are praying the Holy Spirit will draw all men unto Himself! I wonder today, do you know Him?

Revelation 1:1-3

The title of the last book in the Bible is, "THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST." This word "revelation" literally means to take off the cover! This suggests to me that something is about to be unveiled, much like an art masterpiece when the black velvet drape is dropped, and people see the masterpiece for the first time. Of course, the masterpiece was already there but was not seen until it was unveiled. The REVELATION is the unveiling of Jesus Christ and His return to Earth for His church in all His splendor and glory! Let us worship this ONE today!

I Corinthians 9:24-27

The Apostle Paul uses various images to describe the Christian life! One of my favorites is running a footrace. In the track and field world, you have both sprinters, and then you have long distance runners, with the marathon being the longest of all. Likewise, in the church we have sprinters and we have some marathon runners. We need more of the latter: servants who are all in and willing to grind it out day in and day out, week in and week out. Christians who are faithful in their service to their Lord! Let us run our race, and run it well, as "we fix our eyes on Jesus" and the finish line.

Luke 17:11-19

Last week we had a great VBS and we have a lot to be thankful for! Why? Because we had "prayer warriors" believing that God is able to do exceedingly and abudantly more than we can think or ask. Although we are a small church, we serve a big God! Yet, too often when God answers our prayers and shows up in a big way- we forget to give Him the praise and thanksgiving! Today, we are not going top do that. Rather, we will spend the rest of the service offering up a sacrifice of praise!

Ephesians 5:25-30

Many years ago there was a TV show called, "Queen for a Day," in which five contestants told about their financial or medical trial they were going through. Then the studio audience would decide who was most deserving of help, and the "winner" was lavished with prizes! Every woman would like to be a "Queen for a Day" everyday! Oh, but this is Father's Day not Mother's Day, so let me rephrase the question. Men, would you like to be 'King for a Day' everyday? Yes? Then treat your wife like a queen! You say, what does this have to do with being a father? Answer=Everything! Because the best way to be a good father to your children is to be a good husband to their Momma!

2 Corinthians 5:18-27

Southern Baptists have a program designed to educate boys about missions called Royal Ambassadors! When I first came to faith as a 19 yr old, my initial place of service was assisting older men with this ministry on Wednesday nights. This was a big step in my growth in ministry. However, I later realized that every Christian is a Royal Ambassador in the sense we are all God's representative, and spokesman while here on Earth. Let's see what the Apostle Paul has to say about that.

John 8: 31-36

Martin Luther King once famously said, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!" Subsequently. he was assassinated because of the freedom movement he was leading! Reminding us that freedom is never free! Someone paid a price, and in some cases the ultimate sacrifice of their life! Today we honor those who laid down their lives so we can enjoy the freedoms we enjoy in this country, but we must also focus on the "ultimate sacrifice" of Jesus Christ, which sets us free from the biggest problem in our lives, which is sin!!

John 18:15-17

The moral foundations of our country are crumbling before our very eyes, and we see it manifested in our teens and children. Which makes King David's question in Psalm:11:3 most pertinent for today. "WHEN THE FOUNDATIONS ARE BEING DESTROYED, WHAT CAN THE RIGHTEOUS DO?" A good place to start is for our Christian moms and grandmoms to double down on pouring Jesus into the lives of their precious ones. The only hope for America is Jesus! So, Mom you have not been called to be a "king maker" but a "Kingdom Kidz Maker"- will you answer the call today?

Ephesians 6: 10-20

We know this is no longer politically correct, but when "Six Flags Over Texas" was opened in 1961, the six flags represented the six flags that have flown over Texas since her inception. Also, they divided the park into six sections corresponding to each of the eras the flags represented. One of those flags and sections represented the Confederacy! (Tt's just a fact of history.) I remember as a kid seeing guys dressed in gray uniforms marching around yelling: "CALL TO ARMS!" "CALL TO ARMS!", which was a portrayal of how the South was being called to the cause! Today I am calling our people to arms for a much bigger cause, because we are engaged in a war- a spiritual war- but a war!

I Corinthians 12:12-27

As a High School student, I experienced the pressure of our culture to show independence, individualism, and self-expression especially in the way we dressed. Yet, we nonconformists ended up conforming to the "new norm." The point is our American culture values stark individualism, and this may be good to a point, but we were not created to be Lone Rangers. We were created for community. This is the way we are wired. This is especially true when it comes to the church of Jesus Christ! Today we will see the Apostle Paul makes that very point by comparing the church to the human body. Join me!

Mark 10:17-22

There is an iconic line in the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where a 400 year old knight says, "He chose poorly!" This comes after Indy's adversary chose to drink from the most ornate cup, from a host of plain cups. So, instead of giving him the eternal life he sought, he aged rapidly until he was a pile of dust. Let us look at a young man who faced a critical life choice, and we will see that he "chose poorly" too and see how can we avoid making that mistake as well.

Luke 22: 54-62

In past years you could buy a live Chameleon at the State Fair for a dollar, and it was money well spent to a ten-year-old boy, because they were such fascinating creatures. The best feature was their ability to change colors in order to blend into their surroundings. Likewise, some Christ followers can be like a chameleon when they act and talk like a Christian when they are around Christians, yet they act and talk like the world when they are around the world. We see an example of this in our passage today in the life of Peter.

Matthew 25:13-23

Our main text this morning is embedded in a larger section of Scripture which deals with the second coming of our Lord to Earth! In context, our passage is preceded by the Parable of the Ten Virgins, which is telling us to "be ready" in light of the Lord's return to Earth for His bride. So, the next logical question is, "What are we supposed to be doing while we wait for His return?" Our text today answers that question. We are to be found "faithfully serving" our Savior until we hear the midnight cry! Be ready by getting busy for Jesus!

South Park Baptist Church