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.

Katy Reed-Hodges: Reorientation (Psalm 100)

Katy Reed-Hodges, minister of congregational life with First Baptist Church in Arlington, explained Psalm 100 as a reorientation “back to the things that are most important to us in our lives.”

Psalm 100 is filled with imperatives, as well as “deep theological truths” about why to do what the imperatives command. For example, the declaration “the LORD is God” (100:3) is to exclude any other god from being worthy of worship.

Furthermore, we are to worship God because God created us, and we belong to God. God’s character is described in the closing verse of the psalm and gives further reason for the imperative to worship God. Love is one of God’s principal characteristics.

This sermon was delivered July 18, 2021, for the morning worship services of First Baptist Church in Arlington. It is part of the church’s theme for the year titled “Journey of Faith” celebrating First Baptist Arlington’s 150th anniversary.

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.

Pastor Robert White: We Can Be More (Judges 6)

Pastor Robert White, lead pastor of Freedom Church in Bedford, noted Gideon is one of his favorite people in the Bible because he sees himself in Gideon in different ways. White called his hearers to know who their Father is and that they can be more than they see with their eyes, because they are made in the image of the Creator.

When the Lord told Gideon to save Israel from Midian, Gideon balked, thinking he was a weak man from a weak people. White illustrated how his hearers can be more than their starting position by referring to a historic Olympic 400-meter race.

He challenged them to be more than their limited perspective about God’s presence in their lives. He also exhorted them to be more than the consequences of their sin and their past problems. God’s plan is greater than human ability and failures.

This sermon was delivered July 5, 2021, for the morning worship service of Freedom Church in Bedford. It is part of the series “What I Heard.”

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. Samuel Doyle: It was Necessary (Hebrews 9:22)

Rev. Samuel Doyle, pastor of Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church in Waco, described Palm Sunday as a joyous and a heavy day. Jesus entered Jerusalem in joy at the beginning of the week, knowing what he would do at the end of the week. The whole week is joyous and heavy.

Doyle focused on the word “necessary,” saying it is a sobering word. “Necessary” describes what just has to be done. It also describes Jesus’ view of his life, that he “must be about [his] Father’s business.”

The message of Hebrews 8 is Jesus’ death on the cross mediates God’s covenant promises of transformation, relationship and forgiveness.

Hebrews 9 states the high priest’s offering of blood for the people’s sin ultimately was insufficient, but Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice goes beyond the Most Holy Place in the temple to the actual Most Holy Place—heaven. Jesus’ death was necessary to accomplish this ultimate work.

This sermon was delivered Mar. 28, 2021, Palm Sunday, for the morning worship service of Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church in Waco. It is part of the winter preaching series through the Book of Hebrews titled “Better: How Life in Christ is Better than the Life You’ve been Living.”

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 Ralph Emerson: Food (Fruit) Poisoning? (Genesis 2:9, 16; 3:6)

Pastor Ralph Emerson, associate director for the Texas Baptists’ Cooperative Program, issued a challenge to his hearers not to choose the quick fix over the good prepared for them. Adam and Eve chose what was “detrimental for them” instead of what was “designed for them,” and they paid the price.

Emerson continued his challenge by declaring death sometimes looks more attractive than life. He exhorted his hearers not to choose convenience over what is commendable.

He illustrates the point with reference to food poisoning and its consequences. Just as bad food makes a person physically sick, the sin of eating forbidden fruit has consequences for us mentally, morally and mechanically.

This sermon was delivered online Mar. 28, 2021, for the morning worship service of Freedom Church in Bedford, where Emerson was the guest preacher. It is part of a series titled “Between Two Gardens.”

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.

Pastor Dwight McKissic Sr.: Don’t Take the Bait (Ephesians 4:27; Luke 22:31-32)

Pastor Dwight McKissic Sr., senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, exhorted his hearers not to give the devil any ground. The devil doesn’t just use sex; the devil also uses pride, lying and other avenues of the “flesh.”

McKissic cautioned against making “a permanent decision off a temporary emotion.” He made the point through sharing the story of a person sent to prison as the result of a fight. The “tempter’s snare” can be found in these heated moments. Spiritual warfare against the devil involves reasoning, processing, thinking before acting.

McKissic then turned to the moment at the Last Supper when Jesus told Simon Peter Satan asked to break him down. Jesus prayed for Peter, and Peter still decided to give in to temptation. Even so, Jesus restored Peter, delivering him from evil and establishing him as a leader of the church. McKissic closed by encouraging his hearers that Jesus will do the same for them.

This sermon was delivered Jan. 2, 2022, for the morning worship service of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington. It is part of a series on spiritual warfare.

Sermon audio 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.

J.T. Thornton: Uncomfortable (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12)

J.T. Thornton, lead pastor and elder of Trinity Baptist Church in Sweetwater, sought to encourage his hearers to seek “authentic growth” more than comfort. He likened the tension of discomfort to a stretched rubber band. In response to such tension, we tend to let go or snap, he contended.

Thornton exhorted his listeners to forego the status quo and to “remain in the tension of growth.” He directed attention to Paul’s first letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, where Paul exhorted his readers to grow in their faith. To grow, they must not become complacent or comfortable.

Thornton then walked his hearers through Paul’s instruction on how to live a God-pleasing life, framing it with the question: “Who is God calling me to become?” The process of becoming who God calls us to be “is not an easy process, but it’s a good one,” he said.

This sermon was delivered during the morning worship service Jan. 9, 2021, at Trinity Baptist Church in Sweetwater.

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.

Heath Kirkwood: Every Don’t Has a Do (Ephesians 4:25-32)

Heath Kirkwood, lead pastor of First Baptist Church in Lorena, summarized religion as “how you do what you believe.” As long as people have engaged in religion, they’ve “done what they can to not make their god mad.” To that end, every religion has “things you do and things you don’t do.” Christianity is no different, Kirkwood asserted, except in its motive, which is to love God as God first loved us.

Kirkwood described Paul’s letter to the Ephesians as telling “what it means to go from living like the world to living like Jesus.” In Ephesians 4, Paul lists things Christians should not do followed by the more important things Christians should do, such as kindness, compassion and forgiveness.

Being kind, compassionate and forgiving is a struggle for us. Therefore, we need to repeatedly remind ourselves to be kind, compassionate and forgiving. To that end, Kirkwood led his hearers in memorizing Ephesians 4:32.

This sermon was delivered during the morning worship service Nov. 7, 2021, at First Baptist Church in Lorena, as part of a series titled “Living in the Spirit.” This series, as well as corresponding Bible studies at the church, is aligned with the Living in the Spirit study published by GC2 Press, formerly BaptistWay Press.

A sermom 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.

Mark Snowden: A Thankless Letter for Thanksgiving (Galatians)

Mark Snowden, pastor of First Baptist Church in Floydada, called attention to the low degree of biblical literacy in the United States. He described how Scripture began with oral transmission and eventually became written documents passed down and intended for everyone. Lack of familiarity with Scripture leads to a flawed following of it.

In Paul’s written letter to the Christians in Galatia, he skipped his typical opening, in which he expressed thanks for those he addressed. Instead, he expressed his anger about the gospel being corrupted among the Galatians by Jewish insistence on circumcision. For their part, the Jews were concerned Paul didn’t take the gospel seriously enough, that he advocated cheap grace.

Just as circumcision became an unnecessary barrier between Gentiles and Jews in Paul’s day, Christians today can raise up unnecessary barriers between people and Christ today. Pure faith has no barriers, is lived in the Spirit and is for everyone.

This sermon was delivered during the morning worship service Nov. 21, 2021, at First Baptist Church in Floydada, as part of a yearlong series. The church read through the Bible in chronological order. The sermon for each week was from the previous week’s reading, only detouring for Easter and the Advent/Christmas season.

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.

Monty Pierce: Stumbling Block No. 1: Angels

Monty Pierce, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Carthage, asks if the Christmas story is a reality or a fable like so many other popular stories. He pointed to fable-like qualities of the Christmas story that can be stumbling blocks to those who don’t believe the truth of God’s word. Angels can be one of those stumbling blocks.

Pierce compares the portrayal of angels in movies, television shows and art with their biblical portrayal. He examines four myths and eight facts about angels, outlining what we learn about them from the Bible. Ultimately, their purpose is to serve and glorify God.

This sermon was delivered during the morning worship services Nov. 28, 2021, at Central Baptist Church in Carthage. It is the first in a series titled “Do You Believe in Christmas?”

Throughout the sermon, Pierce refers to a PowerPoint presentation. The text of that presentation 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.

Collin Bullard: Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1-7)

Collin Bullard, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Longview, focused his sermon on one of the “background characters” in the Christmas story—Caesar Augustus. Though the name of the most powerful human being of the time appears only once in the biblical narrative—Luke 2:1—the details of his family and reign provide essential background to understanding Jesus’ birth.

What might seem a random set of events, Luke set together as integral to God’s divine purpose. The story demonstrates even the most powerful people in the world are players in God’s purpose. The great Caesar Augustus is little more than a footnote in the story of Jesus’ birth.

What might seem unexpected and unwelcome news also is part of God’s divine purpose. The news Mary received from the angel changed the trajectory of her and Joseph’s life forever. Just as God’s “grand design” of love was at work then, God’s grand design is working in the unexpected and unwelcome news today.

This sermon was delivered during the morning worship services Dec. 19, 2021, at First Baptist Church in Longview. It is part of a series titled “The Characters of Christmas.”

The black screen following the end of the Scripture reading was the result of a video feed error.

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.

Ryan Berryhill: Before Your Very Eyes (Luke 1:5-25)

Ryan Berryhill, pastor of First Baptist Church in Marshall, points out that among all the words in the Bible, “blue” is not one of them. In fact, most ancient languages did not have a word for blue. Those who still don’t have a word for blue don’t notice the color like they do greens, reds and yellows.

God gave words—Scripture—so we can see God at work. Luke, in his Gospel, describes God’s work in the lives of Elizabeth and Zechariah. Berryhill focuses on their obedience, prayer and being filled with the Spirit. Each gives evidence of God’s work.

God’s work to bring John the Baptist into the world echoes some of God’s earlier work—Samson (Judges 13), Samuel (1 Samuel 1) and others. Scripture—the record of God’s works—leads and guides those who know it, helping them see what God is doing.

This sermon was delivered during the morning worship service Nov. 28, 2021, at First Baptist Church in Marshall. It is part of an Advent series titled “The Sacred Story.”

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.

Sam Holm: Why Jesus Came (Luke 2:7-14)

Sam Holm, lead pastor of First Baptist Church in McKinney, read the account of Jesus’ birth recorded at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke. He focused on the words of the angels who announced the arrival of Jesus and proclaimed, “Peace on earth.”

Holm gave a brief definition of the biblical definition of peace—not the “absence of conflict,” but “calm in the midst of conflict.” He continued with the deeper biblical meaning of peace.

Jesus came to give sinful humanity this peace with God. Holm explained how this came about.

This short sermon was part of the morning Christmas celebration services held the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 28, 2021, at First Baptist Church in McKinney. It is part of Holm’s Emmanuel sermon series. The full service is available here.

A sermon outline is available here.