LBC Sermons & Messages

Text: Acts 1:8; II Cor. 9

Today we are continuing Faith Promise Giving. Last week we defined Faith Promise and looked at the principles of giving and farming that are applicable to us as we give to the Lord. You reap what you sow, you reap more than you sow and you reap later than you sow. This is true in every aspect of our Christian walk.

Today, let us look first at the person of giving. World wide evangelism will not happen over night and it will not happen unless we are all on board. You have heard the phrase, “many hands make light work.” Then more of us that are willing to get involved, the more work will be done and with a lighter load. When a church gives to faith promise, the Lord multiplies His blessings upon that church and the gift itself of that church. The more we give the more multiplication will happen. But it is a group effort that starts with you and I. It is personal between you and the Lord. It is a choice that you personally have to make and then trust God to complete.

Secondly, let us look at the commitment of giving. It is a commitment because it is above our tithe and offerings. It will stretch you and I. Faith Promise is a continual reliance upon the Almighty. It keep the Lord active in our lives on a daily basis. Therefore, we must purpose in our hearts. Satan hates Faith Promise and will do whatever he can to distract and discourage you from giving and being a part of it. Stand strong and know that He is God. It also comes from the heart. It is not through guilt or even desire. It comes from a heart that wants to reach and impact this world with the gospel of Christ.

God loveth a cheerful giver. What does that mean? Christ Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Giving goes against our nature and then pushes us right into His nature. When we give, we have to rely upon Him and His graces. When we give it shows our total reliance upon Him and our love for God. Faith Promise comes from a heart that loves the Lord unconditionally and then the Almighty turns around and blesses. What an absolutely amazing God.

Lastly, it takes faith to give. Faith that God will supply. Faith that God’s message will go forth. Faith that He will take this money and multiply it to reach this wicked world. It is totally up to God. If He wants you to give and certain amount and has made it clear to you then it is up to God to supply it. Remember, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills so nothing is out of His reach. Romans also teaches us that the just will live by faith. Again, when we rely upon Him, God will always come through and He will never leave us nor fail us. He cannot fail.

So, the challenge is to fight. We fight by using our weapon of prayer. We pray, pray some more, and then when we are almost exhausted we pray some more. Men, God has called us to lead, therefore, take up the mantle and be the leaders that God wants you to be. Lead yourself first. You cannot lead others until you lead yourself. Ladies, the men cannot do it without your support. It is the way that God has designed it and it works. Again, this is a team effort and we will be victorious together. Young people, there is always a job for you. You are never too young to give to missions. I have been giving to Faith Promise since I was 10 years old and I only started then because it was a new concept. Give early and get into the habit and watch God bless. You are just as much of a part of this church as anyone else. Let’s work together and see God win this evil, wicked world through us.

Text: Acts 1:8; II Cor. 9

What is missions, what is our role as a church and how do you and I make it possible for worldwide evangelism? Each of us has a role and the church and missionaries are counting on us to hold up our end. To understand world missions, we must first see the need.

Acts 1:8 is the fourth time we hear Christ give the Great Commission of the church in the New Testament. They are the last words the Christ spoke to the church so they are very important. Our job as a church is undoubtedly to reach this world with the gospel message. He has given us all power to do so, all funds to do so, as well as the Holy Spirit. There is absolutely no excuse. John 3:16 reminds us Christ died for the world not just for you and I so that we may have a comfortable church to attend, live the high life, and the spend eternity with Him. He died for all the world.

One of the ways that we support worldwide evangelism is to financially support Faith Promise Missions. It is not a pledge because you sign nothing and nobody knows what you promised but God. No one will call you to collect. The Holy Spirit will remind you of what God wants to do through you. It also is not taken out of your regular offerings and tithe.
Faith Promise Missions is just between you and God. It is waiting before the Lord and asking for His instruction and guidance to see what He would like you to do in reaching the world. Faith Promise must also be carried out by faith that God will supply for other needs as you continue to give what you have promised. If we obey the Father, He will always supply abundantly. We are told to test God all throughout scripture and allow Him to show us that He is God. Let us be obedient.

Now, the Biblical basis for Faith Promise, II Cor. 9. As Christians, we love verse 8 and we claim it all the time. God will make all grace abound toward us having all sufficiency. This is true but only if we obey verses 6 and 7. We tend to over look this. When we give to God what He tells us to, obedience, when we purpose in our hearts that nothing will stop us, and we obey, God always blesses and does much more than just supply.

If we look to the farmer, we can learn a lot about sowing and reaping. First, you and I will only reap what we sow. If you want tomatoes, you must sow tomatoes. If you want peppers, you must sow peppers. Before we go any further, let me remind you that the ground must be worked, sowing must happen, and the garden must be tended. Secondly, you will reap more than you sow. Each plant will produce more than one fruit. Most of the time, this is dependent upon how good the ground was worked and how well the garden was taken care of. Lastly, you will reap later than you sowed. No farmer plants one day and then reaps on the next. It takes time. In spiritual matters, we may not see the harvest until we are in heaven. We must be patient.
In closing, let me challenge you to pray. Ask the Father, “What part do I have in the missions of Londonderry Baptist Church? How much will You give through me to reach out to this world?” Then trust God to bless and you will not be let down.

Text: Ephesians 2:14-f.f.

What do you have in Christ? We can make lists of Christ being our Counselor, our High Priest, our Savior, our Friend, our Propitiation, our Peace, etc. Do we really know what these all mean or are we just conditioned to say them? Today, Paul discusses some of the benefits of Christ Being our peace. This world and its possessions definitely do not offer peace. Peace is only found in Christ.

What is involved in the peace of Christ because Col. 3:15 tells us to let the peace of God rule in our hearts but we cannot allow peace to rule if we do not understand it. First, Paul tells us that the peace in Christ helps us with each other especially the Jews, vs. 14. In Isaiah, one of God’s judgments to His people Israel for their blatant disobedience is that the world will despise them. In our natural estate before Christ, man is born into this world with an anti-Semite attitude. On the other hand, there was an outer gentile court in the temple that was the only place a gentile could go in the temple to worship God. Only the Jews were able to go in past this court. The peace of God now reconciles Jew and Greek, Rom. 10:12; Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11.

We are also all reconciled to the Father, vs. 15-17. In Matt. 25 we see that when Christ arose from the dead the temple curtain blocking off the holy of holies was torn right down the middle allowing all to enter into the presence of God. II Cor. 5:17-f.f. reminds us that we are reconciled to the Father through Jesus Christ and then made ambassadors.

Then, Paul reminds us that through it all we have the presence of the Father, vs. 18-f.f. He will never leave us, forget about us, or abandoned us, Heb. 13:5. To remind us of this truth on a continual basis, we are sealed with the Spirit who is our earnest or our promise, II Cor. 1:22, Eph. 1:13, 4:30. We are never alone no matter how tough it gets. Whether we feel His presence or not, God is always there watching, guiding and protecting us. It may be too dark at times to see and feel God but rest assured that the presence of God is always with His children. Remember this week to let the peace of God rule your heart.

Text: Ephesians 2:1-13

Happy New Year! Did you make any New Year resolutions? Some are hilarious and some are very serious. The most made and broken resolution is to loose weight. I have never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions because they are so easily broken. However, I believe they can be good and each year should be closed out with careful consideration of what we did right and wrong so this new year we can make changes accordingly. So, I suppose you could call that a New Year’s resolution. This year, I would like to draw attention to the grace of God. If there is one thing that I need to work on and we as a church need to be mindful of, it is growing in the grace of God. We are saved by grace through faith but is that it?

To grow in the grace of God, we must be an equipped servant. II Peter 3:18 tells us to grow in the grace of God. We are saved by grace but that is just the beginning. How have you and I limited the grace of God this past year. In II King 22 we find how and what happened when King Josiah became an equipped servant. He grabbed hold of the Word of God and it transformed his life. He became equipped. How can you and I become better equipped and be a people of truth this year?

Also, to grow in grace, we need to be enlightened servants. Prov. 8:33 and 19:20 both tell us how a wise man responds to truth. How often have we heard truth and rejected it. This world does it all the time but we are no different. Satan does not want us to know truth so every time we hear truth it is a battle. A wise man hears truth and puts it into action. Josiah heard the truth, became equipped and then took hold of truth and allowed it to transform his life. He did not care what others thought of him or would do to him. It was truth period. This year, we will hear truth and we must be in the Word daily. The question is what will you do with it? Will you and I be wise and take hold of truth or will we just absorb truth and do nothing with it?

Lastly, we need to be encouraged Christians. Is 54:17 reminds us that no weapon fashioned will be able to stand against us. No one can destroy us. They may be able to hurt this old body but our souls are in the hand of God and no one, including Satan himself can touch us. We are secure. II Cor. 4:3-12 also tells us that we can do it. We can do what ever God desires us to do no matter how steep the mountain is. No matter how difficult the going gets, we can do it. We may be beaten up physically but we can go on through the wonderful grace of Jesus Christ.

So, will you join me this year and make a decision to grow in grace. Lord, help us to be people that are continually growing in grace. Help us to be families and a church that is constantly growing in grace. Let this year be a year that is full of grace and miracles to Your praise and glory. Amen!

Text: Luke 1:26-2:20

Merry Christmas and Peace to all! Now I know Christ most probably was not born in December, but what a wonderful day. Celebrate the birth of our Savior and celebrate it every day. For unto us a child is born and He is the Christ that sets us free from sin and death.

Let us this morning just take a look at the names of the Messiah and then allow them to penetrate our hearts and make a difference in our lives. First, He is named Jesus or Jehoshua. This means salvation. There is no other name under heaven that can break the chains of sin and death but the precious name of Jesus, Acts 4:8-12. Christ said that He was the Way, the Truth and the Life, John 14:6 and no one comes to the Father but through Him. Salvation belongeth to the Lord.

The Messiah is also called Wonderful. This word has become so common place today but it literally means full of wonder, miracle. Now think about Jesus and miracles. From his miraculous conception by the Holy Ghost to miracles He did in life. He turned water into wine, he gave sight to blind men and healed the lame. He also raised the sick and dead. Then think of His miraculous death and resurrection. He stayed in the grave for three days and then rose again. He is alive and gives us all salvation and peace today. What a Wonderful Messiah.

He is called Counselor. Christ leads us in the paths of Righteousness, Ps. 23. He is the author and finisher of our faith, Heb. 12:2. In other words, He gives us the ability and wisdom to please the Father through obedience. He is our counselor.

He is the Mighty God or a giant. Who else can teach the Rabbis at the age of 12? Who else can make mud with His spittle and heal a blind man? Who else can speak and heal a dead child or His friend? Who else can speak and level a group of Roman soldiers? Who else can lay down his own life then take it up giving us life everlasting? Only our giant and Mighty Savior can!

He is the Everlasting Father. Christ has no beginning and no end. Man tried desperately to destroy Him only bringing in salvation to all. His throne and dominion are also everlasting, Ps. 93:2. One day, Christ will come back and rule and reign for all of eternity.

Lastly, He is called the Prince of Peace. There is no peace with the Almighty apart from Christ. If we are not at peace with God the Father than we will never know peace here on earth. Christ ushers in that peace allowing us to live at peace with man. He is the Prince or the ruler of peace. His is the one who can take an upside-down world and give sense to it. He can take lives that are torn apart by sin and heal them and make them whole again. Only he can melt away the hate of this world.

So, the question is will you allow the Messiah truly into your life? Will you allow Christ to be your Savior? Will you allow Christ to be the Wonder of your life? Will you listen to the Messiah and be obedient to the Father this Christmas and this year? Will you and I allow Christ to be our all in all and watch Him do great and mighty acts through us? It is our choice and He is just waiting to be allowed in.

Text: Ephesians 2:11-13

Have you ever lost something and blamed someone else for moving it only to find it exactly where you left it? If you could have only remembered, you would have saved yourself time and frustration. For me it is usually car keys and of course I need them when I am in a hurry.

Paul here tells us to remember. Once again, we must remember where we came from to understand the love of Christ and to see the path that we are to take. So, take a look at this past year. It is almost over and if we are to remember, we need to reflect. What were some victories you had? What were some failures? What can be done to help promote more victories this coming year?

We must also remember the old paths, Jer. 6:13-19. This is not necessarily talking about music, dress, food, etc. It is talking about a heart issue of following the Lord. God pleads with Israel, His chosen people, to remember how their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David, and more walked with Him. They were not perfect but they walked with God and desired to be godly and pass on a godly heritage. It is all about a relationship with God being led by His Word the Truth. When we are led by His Word it will show in our music, dress, food, etc. We must remember the godly heritage we have been given and pass it on. If you were not given a godly heritage then become a heritage builder and pass it on. It is never too late.

When we reflect and remember the past, we then can see the hope we have in Christ, vs. 12. This hope is eternal life with Christ in heaven, John 14. This is why we celebrate Christmas. This world is dark and on it’s way to hell and no way out. This world is hopelessly lost in sin and rebellion as enemies of God. Then comes the Light of the World, the Prince of Peace born of a virgin to eventually become the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the whole world. God Himself shows us that it is more blessed to give than receive, Acts 20:35. He gave His life’s blood to redeem mankind to the Father. So, remember the old paths, remember what Christmas is all about, and give the glory to God.

Text: Ephesians 2:1-7

If we forget where we came from, we will most likely never understand truly what we are in Christ. To start off, Paul reminds us that we are new creations in Christ alone. There is no other way to be made new apart from Christ. We cannot do enough good works to gain favor with the Father. It is only through Christ and His mercy, grace and love.

Now, let us discus just a few benefits that come with being a new creation. First and foremost, we have an eternity of life. Apart from Christ we only have death and torment in hell to look forward to. Now with Christ we shall live eternally in heaven with the Father, John 3:16.

Secondly, we have newness, II Cor. 5:14-18. The word used in this passage give the idea of freshness. When Christ lives in us the world becomes fresh. The problems and hurt do not magically go away but we begin to see them in the light of truth and we have understanding. We begin to see that the Father has a purpose for everything.

Next, we have victory, Gal. 6:15, I Cor. 15:52-f.f. No matter if we hurt, get walked on, and understand it or not we will one day have the victory. Even more than that, we can live each day in the victory that we have in Christ. No matter what happens Satan will one day get his due.

Lastly, we have purpose, Ii Tim. 1:8-11. We were placed on this earth with a purpose. We did not evolve or come from some other planet. We are all a special creation by God even though we are born into this world broken and sinful. The love of God enters into our lives in the form of Christ the Savior and when we allow Him to come in, He alone makes the difference. Christ then fixes our broken estate and sets us on a new path. We no longer have to mindlessly wander around wondering why we exist. The Bible now is illuminated to us by the Holy Spirit and we know that we are special creations of God that are placed here to honor and glorify Him. The best way to do this is to spread the gospel message. So, this week why not live like the new creation you are?

Text: Ephesians 2:1-7

Paul reminds us in the first chapter of how even before the fall of man, God chose to redeem man through Jesus Christ. Then, when man chooses to follow Christ he or she is predestined to a home in Heaven. We are so blessed.

In chapter 2, Paul continues to encourage the church by reminding them of where they came from. We all have a natural estate and a natural master. Our natural estate is that we are born into this world as children of wrath, vs. 2, 3. We deserve the full wrath of God the Father because we are sinners and He is a holy and just God. We also are enemies of God by nature, Rom. 5, Col. 1:19-22. Even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, the Just for the unjust. Also, we are in spiritual darkness, Acts 26:15-18. We cannot understand the truths of God’s Word for we have not the Holy Spirit to illuminate us.

We also have a natural master that each person ever born serves from the time of birth until they turn to Christ as Savior. John 8:42-47 tells us that everyone naturally serves the Devil himself. We are his children when we are born into this world. We also are dead in sin meaning that we cannot help but serve sin, vs. 1, I Peter 2:24. We also serve our selves, Rom. 1. We must use the knowledge of our natural estate as fuel to go out and tell others that they too can be adopted into the wonderful family of God, receive forgiveness, and have a Savior for all of eternity.

We also, must not forget that Satan wants so badly to destroy us and anything that has to do with God. He is a roaring lion on the prowl, I Peter 5:8. All through scripture, God has given us Satan’s game plan and it is plainly found in Matt. 4. Satan attacks us in the flesh first, 1-4. If he fails he will then move on to attacking our pride or the mind, 5-7. Then as a last attempt, he will attack us spiritually, 8-11. Satan is really a fool. He does not alter from his game plan and yet we fall. God has given us strength, wisdom, and everything we need to defeat Satan and yet we struggle. We must remember where we came from, where we are going, and what we are called to do in between. If this world does not hear the truth, their natural estate will send them to Hell.

Text: Ephesians 1:15-f.f.

Happy Thanksgiving. This is my favorite time of the year. I love to look over the last year and see what God has done in His church, my family and in me. He truly is a wonderful Savior.

What are you thankful for? It is very ironic but some of the most ungrateful people I know will force their children to say thank you when you give them something. We all do not want rude and ungrateful children. However, forcing them to say thank you will not change the lesson they are being taught by the action of their parents and adults around them. The world today grows more and more ungrateful and selfish. Look at all these occupy groups. They should be thankful for all that free market capitalism has done for them as they talk and make transactions on the cell phones, drive cars powered by gasoline, live in tents and everything they have at their disposal. It is all because of free market capitalism and yet they are ungrateful and even hateful.

So, what are you truly thankful for? Paul in this last section of the first chapter thanks God for the church. Are you thankful for temporal possessions? Are you thankful for eternal blessings? We must realize what we have in the Lord and be thankful before we can be grateful in this world.

There is so much to praise God for, salvation full and free, John 3:16, Eph. 1:1-7, Heb. 9:11-15. No one deserves it and yet God gives. Praise God we have an unshakable foundation in the Word of God, Col. 2:6-12. We have strength and true courage, Acts 5:27-33, II Cor. 12:6-10, Daniel 3:14-18. God gives us life and provision, John 10:7-30, which no one deserves. Then to get back to what Paul says, we have unity in the church, I Cor. 1:4-10, Phil. 1:25-28. What an amazing God we can have through the shed blood of our Savior.

In closing, if you are feeling depressed and down about the present state of the world, let not your heart be troubled for we are the victors, Rom. 8:33-f.f., I John 5:1-5, I Cor. 15:50-f.f. Everyday we must battle for our Lord and there is no rest with our relentless enemy. However, one day his head will be bruised, the old serpent the Devil will be vanquished, and we will be the Victors to His praise.

Text: Ephesians 1:15-f.f.

We have been given a precious gift that no man deserves and that is the eternal gift of salvation. It was given by a God full of grace, mercy and love. His plan of redemption through Christ’s blood alone was chosen even before the foundations of the world. Once we act favorably to His plan we are then predestined to eternal life with Him and nothing can take that away. We are secure.

Paul then reminds us that we now have a job to do. God has entrusted us with a great treasure and we are foolish if we do not invest it in others. If we are not spreading this gift, we may not even be one of His children, Matt. 7, 25.

Then Paul tells us what tools we will need to please the Father and shows us how to pray for fellow believers. First, we will need the spirit of wisdom. This is not the wisdom of the world but wisdom of the Word, I Cor. 1:26-f.f.; Prov. 1, 2; James 3:11-f.f.; 1:5. We cannot serve our King in foolishness and wisdom comes with knowledge.

Secondly, we are to have the spirit of revelation, vs. 17b. We will not have revelation without knowledge and wisdom. God has given us all we need in His Word and gives us knowledge of His will, Ps. 37:23; 119:104, 105; II Tim 2:15. We just have to look and study.

After we gain wisdom and revelation from God, we can then truly understand the hope that lies within us, vs. 18. We are secure in Him and one day will most definitely live with Him throughout eternity, John 10:27, 28; Rom. 8:38, 39; Heb. 6:17-f.f. There is no one and no thing that can take that away. When we truly understand this truth, it will change our lives and become the focal point of our existence.

Lastly, when we understand this hope and it transforms our lives we will then have boldness to live life as the Father wishes and will see His great power, vs. 19. One example is Paul himself, Ph. 3:7-11. Others are found in Heb. 11. we can know the great and dreadful power of the Almighty. In closing, remember it is not us and sometimes we need to just be obedient and let God. Be still and know that He is God and He is powerful, Ps. 46:10.