Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact eric.black@baptiststandard.com.

Chris Bruce: Christ Conquers Evil (Colossians 2:15)

Chris Bruce, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Lexington, opened with reference to Russia’s war against Ukraine. He described Russian President Vladimir Putin as one in a long line of tyrants in history. Such tyrants and others who toss aside or use human beings for their own ends engage in evil, Bruce said.

How can a good, righteous, loving, all-powerful, all-knowing and sovereign God allow such evil to run rampant—from our perspective—in the world, Bruce asked. Christ triumphed over evil at and through the cross, he asserted, though this looked to the earthly rulers like they won.

In Paul’s words, Christ “disarmed the rulers and authorities,” both human and spiritual. Bruce described these powers as “power-hungry, greed-seeking, ego-driven.”

“Make no mistake,” Bruce said, “any time we see the rich and the powerful oppressing the poor and the needy, any time we see the strong abusing the weak, all in the name of greed and pride and lust and control, we are seeing the fruit of evil, we are seeing demonic influence.”

Christ’s victory at the cross, sealed through his resurrection, empowers his people today to withstand evil. Bruce details two threats Christians withstand in Christ.

This sermon was delivered for Sunday, March 20, 2022, at First Baptist Church in Lexington. It was part of a six-week Lenten series titled “At the Cross.”

A sermon script is available here.

Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact eric.black@baptiststandard.com.

Hannah Brown: Envy or Kindness (1 Peter 2:1, Colossians 3:9-14, Isaiah 43:1-4)

Hannah Brown, preaching resident at First Baptist Church in Temple and student at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary, examined the root desire of honor and worthiness, and our struggle with envy. She defined envy as an internal focus based on what one has or doesn’t have. Envy measures worth and honor by how one ranks against others.

Brown listed symptoms of envy that most people can identify with at some point. She was vulnerable about her own struggle with envy through comparing herself to her fellow seminarians. Quoting from the movie Cool Runnings, Brown noted envy doesn’t want us to know “if you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.”

The antidote to envy is to reject the lie and to embrace the truth. The truth is God knows everything about us and already loves us. Our root desire for honor and worthiness is already fulfilled in God. This should change our outlook, our pursuits and our behavior. Brown concluded with a list of practical ways to practice kindness to combat envy.

This sermon was delivered March 10, 2022, for the morning worship services at First Baptist Church in Temple. It is part of a series titled “Vice & Virtue.”

A sermon manuscript is available here.

Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact eric.black@baptiststandard.com.

Jared Alcántara: Perseguido por Causa de la Justicia (Mateo 5:10-12)

Jared Alcántara, profesor asociado de predicación en Truett Theological Seminary de Baylor University, examinó tres lecciones de las enseñanzas de Jesús sobre la persecución contenidas en su Sermón del Monte registrado en Mateo 5-7.

La persecución vendrá a los que siguen a Jesús. Los seguidores de Jesús deben esperar ser perseguidos pero no deben salir a buscarlo. Alcántara citó el número de cristianos que fueron perseguidos en el último año.

Aquellos que son perseguidos pueden responder dejando que los insultos se deslicen “como el agua de la espalda de un pato”. Los perseguidos se fortalecen al saber que Dios está con ellos y que no sufren nada peor que Jesús.

Además, los perseguidos por seguir a Jesús pueden encontrar fortaleza al saber que son bendecidos y que “las recompensas de Dios sobrevivirán sus pruebas”, dijo Alcántara.

El manuscrito en español de su sermón está disponible aquí. An English translation of his sermon manuscript is available here.

Este sermón fue entregado el 27 de febrero de 2022 para el servicio de adoración matutino de First Baptist Church Waco en Español.

Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact eric.black@baptiststandard.com.

Jared Alcántara: Persecuted for the Cause of Justice (Matthew 5:10-12)

Jared Alcántara, associate professor of preaching at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary, examined three lessons from Jesus’ teaching on persecution contained in his Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 5-7.

Persecution will come to those who follow Jesus. Followers of Jesus should expect to be persecuted but should not go out looking for it. Alcántara cited the number of Christians who were persecuted in the last year.

Those who are persecuted can respond by letting insults slide off “like water off a duck’s back.” The persecuted are strengthened by knowing God is with them and that they don’t suffer anything worse than Jesus.

Also, those persecuted for following Jesus can find strength in knowing they are blessed and that “God’s rewards will outlast your trials,” Alcántara said.

An English translation of his sermon manuscript is available here. El manuscrito en español de su sermón está disponible aquí.

This sermon was delivered Feb. 27, 2022, for the morning worship service of First Baptist Church Waco en Español.

Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact eric.black@baptiststandard.com.

David Lorenz: Life in His Name (John 20:19-31)

David Lorenz, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Friendswood, declared the Easter message has not changed in 2,000 years, and he is excited about that because it is a message about life and the giver of life.

John wrote his Gospel so everyone coming after him “might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 20:30), Lorenz read. Just before those words, John recounted Jesus appearing to him and the other disciples as they hid in a locked room. Jesus appeared to his disciples to send them on the mission he gave them.

Lorenz described Thomas, who missed the joy of Jesus’ resurrection by being stuck on Jesus’ death. When Jesus appeared to Thomas along with the others, Thomas’ unbelief was overcome. Not only did Jesus not condemn Thomas, but he also said twice, “Peace be with you.”

Thomas’ response to Jesus demonstrated his newfound faith.

This sermon was delivered for Easter Sunday, Apr. 17, 2022, at First Baptist Church in Friendswood.

Sermon notes are available here.

Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact eric.black@baptiststandard.com.

Rev. Jewel M. London: There is Value in the Dirt (Genesis 3:17-19)

Rev. Jewel M. London, pastoral assistant to Dr. Ralph D. West at The Church Without Walls in Houston, learned from her mother, “There is value in the dirt.” Her mother could grow just about any plant from even the smallest clipping with the help of sunlight, water and the right soil.

Dirt looks “undesirable, unless it’s in the right hands,” London said. In the right hands, like her mother’s, dirt can be useful and productive. Though human beings are dust and will return to dust, the hands of God give us dignity.

As humble dust, we are captured by sin and justify it in ourselves. London called her hearers to take responsibility for their sin, to sense conviction and to repent of it. God offers grace and redeems and restores those who do.

This sermon was delivered Mar. 2, 2022, for the Ash Wednesday noon service at The Church Without Walls.

Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact eric.black@baptiststandard.com.

Pastor Santiago Vasquez: The Golden You (Exodus 32:1-29)

Pastor Santiago Vasquez, pastor of Valley Hi First Baptist Church in San Antonio and a graduate of Baptist University of the Américas, read a pointed list of reasons why people need spiritual revival. Many of the reasons share in common a focus on earthly and temporal concerns rather than eternal things. Another common factor is apathy about God and salvation.

Vasquez walked through the cautionary story of Moses’ brother Aaron making a golden calf for the Israelites while they were in the wilderness. After reading the story, he asked, “Today, what have you fashioned into an idol?” In the pause that followed, one such idol made itself known.

Turning to idols is to reject God, which leads to death. Vasquez pointed to God’s instruction to kill those who worshipped the golden calf. He expressed gratitude Jesus came to offer a different response to our sin.

This sermon was delivered in August 2017, on the fourth day of a revival held at West Main Baptist Church in Alice, Texas. The revival was based on the list “We Need Revival …” by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.

A sermon outline is available here.

Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact eric.black@baptiststandard.com.

Israel Loachamin: The Voice of Power: The Power of our Voices (Luke 7:1-17)

Israel Loachamin, associate pastor of Spanish ministry at First Baptist Church in Waco and director of La Puerta Waco, invited his congregation to meditate on the power of their voices. Their voices can be shaped by deception to generate destruction. He exhorted his hearers to shape their language with a different lexicon—a language of recognition, compassion and restoration—in imitation of Jesus.

The Roman centurion who wanted Jesus to heal his servant was a recognized authority. He, in turn, recognized Jesus’ authority. Loachamin pointed to the outcome of the mutual recognition.

The power of Jesus’ voice also extends to forgotten people and places. In compassion, Jesus recognized the widow’s plight and raised her dead son—restored him—to life. Loachamin invited his congregation to “meditate on how we use our voices,” calling them to confess Christ at least as much as they profess Christ.

Loachamin—originally from Quito, Ecuador, and a graduate of Baptist University of the Américas—preached in Spanish. An English translation of his sermon manuscript is available here. El manuscrito en español de su sermón está disponible aquí.

This sermon was delivered March 13, 2022, for the morning worship service of FBC Waco en Español.

Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact eric.black@baptiststandard.com.

Israel Loachamin: La Voz del Poder: El Poder de Nuestras Voces (Lucas 7:1-17)

Israel Loachamin, el pastor asociado del ministerio español en First Baptist Church en Waco y director de La Puerta Waco, invitó a su congregación a meditar sobre el poder de sus voces. Sus voces pueden ser moldeadas por el engaño para generar destrucción. Exhortó a sus oyentes a moldear su lenguaje con un léxico diferente—un lenguaje de reconocimiento, compasión y restauración—a imitación de Jesús.

El centurión romano que quería que Jesús sanara a su siervo era una autoridad reconocida. Él, a su vez, reconoció la autoridad de Jesús. Loachamin señaló el resultado del reconocimiento mutuo.

El poder de la voz de Jesús también se extiende a personas y lugares olvidados. En compasión, Jesús reconoció la difícil situación de la viuda y resucitó a su hijo muerto, lo restauró, a la vida. Loachamin invitó a su congregación a “meditar sobre cómo usamos nuestras voces”, llamándolos a confesar a Cristo al menos tanto como ellos profesan a Cristo.

Loachamin, originario de Quito, Ecuador, y graduado de la Universidad Bautista de las Américas, predicó en español. El manuscrito en español de su sermón está disponible aquí. An English translation of his sermon manuscript is available here.

Este sermón fue entregado el 13 de marzo de 2022 para el servicio de adoración matutino de FBC Waco en Español.

Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact eric.black@baptiststandard.com.

Wade Berry: Questioning the Identity of Jesus (Luke 8:22-25)

Wade Berry, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Ranger, preached in challenging circumstances. Two days earlier, the church’s building was destroyed by fire. The church met outside and across the street, with a stiff breeze blowing and the burned-out building in the background. Just two minutes into the sermon, Berry was interrupted by a long freight train—almost five minutes long.

Berry’s planned sermon was on Jesus calming the storm.

When the disciples expressed their fear to Jesus, he didn’t question the danger, their perception of it or their skill in the situation; he questioned the substance of their faith.

During uncertain times, such as when the disciples were in a big boat on a big lake being pounded by an even bigger storm, Jesus’ identity and mission—his power and love—became evident to his disciples. What’s more, it became evident in a way everyone there could see and experience.

“Those of us who follow Jesus will face storms … and there’s no sense in denying the peril and the trauma that come with them … but those storms are an opportunity for us to consider what it is that we really believe about Jesus,” Berry contended.

“Do we worship a Jesus who only matters when times are good, or do we worship a Jesus who is always King of kings and Lord of lords? Do we only trust Jesus when he gives us what we want, or do we trust Jesus when everything around us is falling apart?”

This sermon was delivered March 20, 2022, for the morning worship service of Second Baptist Church in Ranger. It is part of a Lenten series through the Gospel of Luke titled “Walking with the Disciples to Easter.”

Sermon notes are available here.

Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact eric.black@baptiststandard.com.

Kimberly Texidor: Conquering Virtual Giants (Philippians 4:4-9)

Kimberly Texidor, kids’ and women’s pastor at The Woodlands First Baptist Church, reflected on whistleblower indictments of Facebook that also apply to other social media platforms. Social media is credited with a host of negative effects on mental and social health, many of which the whistleblower claims are by design in service of increasing profits.

The Bible provides instruction for overcoming social media pressures, Texidor said. Being more firmly grounded in one’s identity in Jesus enables a person to be less likely to succumb to pressures aggravated by social media. The God Paul described to the Philippian Christians is this firm ground.

Paul’s social milieu exerted cultural pressures similar to today. In his letter to the church in Philippi, he named qualities that should characterize followers of Jesus. These qualities provide a direct response to how social media tries to shape us and how we can shape social media.

This sermon was delivered Oct. 10, 2021, for the morning worship services of The Woodlands First Baptist Church. It is part of a series titled Hypernikao, a Greek word often translated as “more than conquerors.”

A sermon transcript is available here.

Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact eric.black@baptiststandard.com.

Hannah Coe: Love Builds Up (1 Corinthians 10:23-33)

Hannah Coe, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, pointed out, “Creative license has its limitations.” Paul made the same point about freedom. Coe highlighted Paul’s approach to “all things are lawful,” accentuating his qualifier that “not all things are beneficial.” Not all things build up.

Paul addressed the debate over the legitimacy of Christians eating meat left over from pagan sacrifices. Rather than choosing one side or the other, Paul exhorted his readers to choose what benefits the other—builds up the other—for the sake of Christ.

Coe quoted Susan B. Anthony: “I distrust people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.” In keeping with Paul, Coe noted, “Following Christ means considering more than their own desires.”

Paul’s open and unanswered question to the Corinthian church, Coe asserted, is how Christians will live in community with those whose convictions are so different, amidst strong disagreement. The answer is found in Christ’s love.

This sermon was delivered Feb. 13, 2022, for the morning worship service of Calvary Baptist Church in Waco. 

A sermon script is available here.