September 8, 2019: In You!

Holy Spirit series message 7

Text: John 14:15-17

Such comfort and confidence we glean from the phrase, in Him. Because we are in Christ, we are forgiven and free, and have eternity with Him to look forward to. Yet how often do we ponder the correlating statement which is also punctuated with great hope and encouragement? That statement is, in you. In His discourse on the Holy Spirit, Jesus indicated a mighty paradigm shift was coming, that which we now enjoy, and sometimes take for granted. We are in Christ because the Holy Spirit is in you!

September 1, 2019: Your Turn!

Holy Spirit series message 6

Text: Misc.

Most everything we've highlighted, regarding the Holy Spirit thus far, has been His ministry at different times and is true, whether we feel like it or not - also, whether we believe it or not. Now we pivot. As we wind down our series on the Holy Spirit, we'll speak to our role and our responsibility toward the Holy Spirit - and the blessings of cultivating fellowship and a walk with Him. There are four commands to us in the New Testament in regards to the Holy Spirit. We'll examine each of those and encourage each other to walk in the Spirit.

August 25, 2019: When He Comes Pt. 2

Holy Spirit series message 5

Text: John 16:8

When He comes. John paints a beautiful picture in his gospel regarding the significance of the Holy Spirit. From the garden motif to the Jesus' discourse on the Spirit to Jesus breathing the Spirit on His disciples, the ministry of the Spirit is front and center. The Spirit helps us in our walk with Christ, but is also central in our corporate mandate to make disciples. This Sunday we'll see the Spirit's crucial role in our witness to a world that is lost apart from Christ.

August 18, 2019: When He Comes

Holy Spirit series message 4

Text: John 16:8

When He comes. There is so much hope and help pinned to these words! The promised One. We spend a great deal commemorating the advent of the Son and very little, comparatively, on the coming of the Spirit. The Spirit is a wonderful gift to us individually and to the church to fulfill her mission. On Sunday we'll focus on the ministry of the Spirit as we collectively fulfill our mission to make disciples, followed by two weeks examining the ministry of the Spirit in the life of the individual believer. The Spirit emboldens our witness and convicts the world of sin, while forwarding His work on earth and glorifying the Son.

August 11, 2019: Living Waters

Text: Jeremiah 2:1-13

This message is meant to encourage and challenge our devotion to Christ. It stems from some reading in Jeremiah - especially the early chapters in Jeremiah. I think it translates well to abiding in Christ.

August 4, 2019: Before You Go...

Text: Romans 10:1-15

It is easy to get ahead of ourselves in areas about which we are passionate. When we discover the hope of the gospel and the promises of God we often want everyone we know to share in them. However, if we are not careful we can become focused on doing rather than abiding. It is a trap. We unintentionally begin to focus on what we do rather than what Christ has done for us and that is a recipe for disaster. But when trust in the person and work of Jesus, it is only then that we can fully take part in the mission of Jesus.

July 28, 2019: Indispensable!

Holy Spirit series message 3

Text: Misc.

We'll transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant to see how the Holy Spirit is absolutely indispensable in our personal walk with Christ and in fulfilling the mandate of the church. We'll look at some ways the Spirit was active in the Old Testament but then lay the foundation for digging deeper into His ministry today and cultivating fellowship with Him.

July 21, 2019: The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

Holy Spirit series message 2

Text: Misc.

When people think Holy Spirit they often think the book of Acts. Truth is, His power and glory are displayed for all to see throughout the Old Testament! We’ll cover some highlights from creation through the Judges on Sunday as we get better acquainted with the third Person of the Trinity.

July 14, 2019: The Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit series message 1

Text: Misc.

Comforter, Teacher, Guide, Holy One... What comes to mind when consider the Holy Spirit? This summer series is designed to develop a sense of awestruck wonder of His glory, become better acquainted with His ministry, and cultivate a richer fellowship with Him on a daily basis.

June 23, 2019: Richly!

Text: Colossians 3:15-17

One of our DBC values is to "Dig Deeper". We'll speak to the imperative and benefits of having God's Word dwell richly within us while ministering it to each other, and making this an emphasis for our fellowship this year. Abiding in His Word and continuing in discipleship go hand-in-hand.

June 16, 2019: In Remembrance of Me

Text: I Corinthians 11:17-34

I often hear people make passing remarks about those "little cracker thingies" and such, demonstrating a lack of understanding regarding the Lord's Table. This Sunday, I'll take time to more fully explain the purpose and significance of what we call Communion, hopefully to break that which for some has become a rote exercise every several weeks. 

June 9, 2019: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit Pt. 2

Text: Acts (misc.)

This is our second message on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. We established last time that we receive the Spirit the moment we believe - no gap! He is with us, will never leave us, and through His indwelling presence we are able to live the godly life He calls us to. On Sunday we'll examine the various accounts in Acts which deviate from the standard set in the Epistles - be it a gap or something else. The Book of Acts is not a textbook for the normative Christian experience today, but is a history of the transition from the old to the new covenants. 



May 26, 2019: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Text: I Corinthians 12:12-14

The Pentecostal movement has popularized the notion that after becoming a Christian, we should seek a subsequent encounter/experience with the Holy Spirit that is often manifested in speaking in tongues or something similar. This is equated with receiving the Holy Spirit or a deeper experience with Him. This teaching does not bear up under the clear teaching of Scripture nor the purpose of the book of Acts on any of the issues related to the above. It is worth setting the record straight because of how deeply this can cause confusion, despair and disillusionment for believers. 



May 19, 2019: Apostles

Text: Ephesians 2:19-22

In our little mini-series calling out popular false teachings, we'll build a biblical construct on the role and purpose for New Testament apostles. Why is this important? We are not receiving new revelation each generation (sorry) and, furthermore, we don't need to empower already crooked church leaders with more authority and power. 

May 12, 2019: Destiny!

Text: Romans 8:29

A popular teaching today is that God has a specific "destiny" for each of us in the here-and-now which, generally, includes material wealth and is sometimes birthed through financial contributions to the one preaching the message ;-) Though an entire theology has been created around the word destiny, curiously one will not find this word in the New Testament. The New Testament does indeed have much to say about our destiny (or, final destination) but it differs from the popular message offered today. It is on virtually every page of the New Testament and points us to an inheritance, laid up in heaven for us, and brings hope, joy, strength, encouragement, and perspective. 

This message is borne out of the command to Titus to teach that which accords with sound doctrine. There are a few topics such as this I'll be preaching on flowing out of our Titus series, as these false teachings can cause great heartache when believers buy into them. This one seemed apt for Mother's Day, because it gives us something concrete to raise our children towards (and, what to avoid).

May 5, 2019: Remember!

Titus series message 9 - final wrap-up

Text: The entire book of Titus

The whole purpose of Paul's letter to Titus is to instruct him on what's important in a church. So let's not forget: we are slaves of Christ, choose your elders wisely, sound doctrine matters, and we should all be busy doing good. 

April 28, 2019: This... Not That!

Titus series message 8

Text: Titus 3:9-14

In our text, Paul urges Titus to have nothing to do with foolish discussions or with those who promote them. Rather, in keeping with his emphasis on sound doctrine, he tells him to call these peddlers out. It's no accident that this directive is couched in the command to have God's people actively engaged in good works. 

A healthy Christian church refuses to engage in or obsess over foolish sideshows but, being grounded in God's truth, it occupies itself with good works towards believers and unbelievers alike.