Sermons

Consider Peter, the black sheep among the disciples.  Peter did a lot of things and was wonderfully used of God, but what we all remember most is his failure.  How could Peter deny the Lord?   Failure is a part of life; I am sure you have stumbled along the way.   Many of those who were greatly used of God have failed miserably at times.   In this message from the pen of Peter, the great apostle, we will observe some of the key statements in 1^st Peter that demonstrate for us how much Peter had grown since those days of being a failure.  As an illustration, it was Peter who wrote “Be ready to give an answer…,”  yet Peter was not ready when they asked him about his relationship to our Lord, instead he denied our Lord.   Listen in to how Peter learned from his failure as we can all identify with the truth that our God uses imperfect people.

In this second message on the subject of the conscience, Pastor Franklin deals with two further ministries of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.  Many are often confused about how God’s Spirit leads the believer.  Scripture actually states that God’s Spirit bears witness with our human spirit in the matter of guidance.  That Spirit will guide the believer by means of the Word, godly counsel, and the conscience.  The second part of the sermon deals with the matter of the Spirit’s control in the believer.  What is the dominant influence in your life?   Is it self or the Spirit of God?  May God grant us a sensitive conscience to follow His leading and will for our lives.

This sermon by Pastor Terry Smith, entitled “Give Me This Mountain,” will challenge all to faithfulness in ministry. Caleb was one of the twelve spies sent out by Moses to scout the land and inhabitants of Canaan.  He, along with Joshua, gave a positive minority report contradictory to the evil majority report of the other ten spies.  The Bible states six times that “he hath fully (wholeheartedly) followed the Lord.”  Caleb had biblical convictions, genuine consecration, and unfaltering courage based upon a strong personal faith in the living God.  Through autumn winds and winter storms, he faithfully served the Lord in old age.  At eighty-five, he requested of Joshua, “Now therefore give me this mountain.”  He depended upon the Lord against all odds, and God gave him and his descendants the land of Hebron.  Regardless of age, may we obediently follow and diligently serve our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

How often do you hear that little voice in your head saying: What are you doing? When was the last time you felt really guilty about something?   What is the source of that little inner whisper?  How does the Holy Spirit of God operate in the conscience of man?  Further, what is this silent reasoning in the heart of every man?  This sermon will detail this matter of the inner voice in the heart of man, with a specific emphasis on the ministry of the Spirit of God when He stirs in the life and when He is silenced in one’s life.

We are always sending messages.  Many use e-mail, text messaging, or a post on a Facebook page.  With our use of technology, many see the little box “Message Sent.”   This sermon will challenge you about the message that you send by your actions, words or posts.  We send a message by our body language, by our actions and by our words.  At times, this includes what we say or do not say, and at times what we do or do not do.   How careful are we with our words and deeds?   How is that “message” being received?  We will consider the challenge of distorted messages and of dual messages.  May God help us to send a message to others that God can be trusted; that truth matters; that there are consequences for sin; that God forgives, then gives; that at times when life hurts, there is hope in the Lord.

Hurts in life run deep, and wounds last a long time.  Forgiving someone is difficult for most.    What is declared in the matter of forgiveness?   What are the steps?   In this message, Pastor Franklin walks the listener through the basic steps, Forgiveness 101..   Three of the penitential Psalms are used: Psalm 32:5, 38:18, and 51:4.   The second part of the message turns one to Luke 17 with an emphasis on seeing the expectation, encounter, and experience of forgiveness.  Simply put, forgiven people forgive.  The church should be a placed where this is modeled.

In times of uncertainty regarding what lies ahead for us, we need to feel the touch of  God’s Hand.    When God DOES hold us with His Hand we are assured that we are not alone  [God’s omnipresence], that He knows the way  [God’s omniscience], and that He can do all things  [God’s omnipotence].  This message underlines a number of specific references to God’s Hand in the comfort portion  [chapters 40-66] of Isaiah’s prophecy.  There are five distinct references to God’s Hand.  This sermon, Touching God’s Hand, will warm the heart and challenge the soul.  As the remnant of Judah needed to hear of God’s Hand, we today need to be strengthened and supported by that same powerful hand.

The title of this message, Far Better than Worse, is a play on the same phrase from the traditional wedding vows. This sermon will challenge you to examine the state of your union, and it will challenge you to ask the question: What am I doing to strengthen my marriage? Pastor examines three summary statements on marriage in the Bible. Each of these statements follows a major paragraph on marriage, Genesis 2, Ephesians 5, and 1 Peter 3. These three witnesses (Moses, Paul and Peter) cause one to take away one closing thought after their discussion of the marriage relationship.

This sermon asks a question to believers in a day when Christians seem to be more tolerant of sin than ever before. We are no longer shocked or ashamed of things that were once very black and white. Two verses in the book of Acts are examined in the first point where believers are challenged to be sensitive to their conscience. The second point turns one to 1 John and details the secret to holding a clear conscience. Sad to say, many are getting used to the dark, and their special moral alarm system, the conscience, is on silent mode.

The fifth vital sign in this series, Signs of Life, has to do with guarding one’s heart.  1 John 5:18 calls upon the believer to be vigilant over his own heart.  A textual difference between the text underlying the KJV and other Bible versions is visited and then the intent of the author explored in these final verses of the Epistle.  The first point is a call to personal sanctification and a call to spiritual vigilance.  Further, a failure to guard one’s heart will leave one vulnerable to the adversary, the Devil.  One who is truly born again will be proactive in guarding their heart.