Service Times
Worship Service
Sun. 9:30am – 10:30am
Sunday School
Sun. 10:45am – 11:20am
Prayer Meeting & Bible Study
Wed. 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Crusaders Club (Seasonal)
Thurs. 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Crusaders Teens (Seasonal)
Thurs. 6:00pm – 8:00pm
|
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:26 — 73.6MB) Subscribe: Nehemiah 6
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. It would be easy to feel sorry for Pastor Nehemiah. He had followed God’s instructions, God was blessing the work, the walls were almost finished, people had been loyal to God, and the king doing what they had been given permission to do. In all this Sanballat and his henchmen were still making a concerted effort to stop the work. As Christians we need to remember that under God’s sovereign guidance, His work cannot be stopped! It’s that Prov. 21:30 thing at work in real life. Rumors are (1) seldom good, and (2) the people who start them seldom have good intentions. We can’t control the fact that rumors exist, but we can control how we respond to them.
- THE ENEMY’S STRATEGY TO DESTROY NEHEMIAH! Satan loves for us to forget we are at war with his forces of evil. That very truth is the reason Peter tells us to be alert (1 Peter 5:8), and Paul tells us to put on the armor (Eph. 6:10ff). Sanballat’s actions help us see how Satan uses ungodly people to destroy us. 1- the attack was persistent (vss. 2, 4, 5) Job 1:7; and 1 Peter 5:8 are just two verses that teach us Satan is always on the prowl looking to harm us. Nehemiah’s enemies would not let up in their efforts to stop the work of God! The attack was also 2- a perversion of the truth (vss. 6, 7). A perversion is a lie, and there is no better liar than Satan. Read Gen. 3:4; Matt. 4:6; 2 Cor. 2:11; 11:14. Rumors are most often designed to hurt whoever is the target. That is exactly opposite the Scriptural teaching to Christians. We are to build one another up in the fear of God, never tear people down. Notice also that the attack was 3- perilous (vss. 2, 7, 10). Sanballat tried to lure Nehemiah away from the safety of numbers to a solitary place where Nehemiah would be alone against the enemy. That is exactly how predators work. We are taught that we are a body to strengthen one another. When we are alone Satan loves it because we are no match for him, however, when we are united as one body, we are invincible! Now consider
- NEHEMIAH’S STRATEGY TO DEFEND THE NATION! Once we learn to live the truth that we are at war every day, all day, with Satan’s forces of darkness, putting on the armor of God is as natural as breathing. Nehemiah shows us how to let God work in us privately so He can work through us publically. 1st is Nehemiah’s commitment (v. 3, 11). God always knows how committed to Him we are, but when we suddenly find ourselves, as James says, in various trials, we, and those around us, find out how strong and sincere our commitment is. One can’t be committed to God’s work, if they are not first committed to God! Notice 2nd – Nehemiah’s communion with God (v. 9). Aren’t you surprised to learn Nehemiah was a man of prayer!! He let God speak to Him every day through quiet time with God. He was a man of prayer as his entire book reveals. Finally, 3rd= Nehemiah was determined to complete his mission. When God gives us a burden, He also gives us a plan to complete it. Nehemiah wasn’t going to let rumors keep him from doing what God had called him to do. How about you?
If we can help you with your spiritual questions call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:15 — 48.7MB) Subscribe: Nehemiah 5
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. This chapter could be a commentary on America today – at least to verse 12. There is much taking but not much giving! Faith is physical evidence that God is working in your life (Heb. 11:1, 6). It is also true that faith will keep you out of the wrong kind of debt, and in the right kind of debt!
- DEBT CAUSES RESENTMENT (V. 1-5) Notice it wasn’t the Babylonians oppressing the Jews, it was other Jews. The big picture here is that God was allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild it after 70 years of captivity. The point is that they are no sooner back in Jerusalem than they are demonstrating they haven’t learned anything! Even in all those years of captivity, many didn’t deal with the real cause of the problem which was their sinful hearts. They were still greedy. The essence of the matter here is that debt and greed are physical evidence of a life that is DISsatisfied with what God has provided. Satan caused Adam and Eve to focus on what God had withheld causing them to lose sight of all God had given. Greed causes us to think God is holding out on us, and that we should have all of what everyone else has! We then begin to look for ways to get what we think we ought to have. The most common way is to seal it. We steal reputations through gossip and slander; we steal ministry through opposition and criticism; growth through condemnation and ridicule; and so on. The further we go, the greater our resentment. It is good to remember that sin always ends in destruction.
- DEBT CAUSES RAGE (V. 6-8). Nehemiah wasn’t just angry, he was enraged! Rage means “provoked to much anger.” Why was he angry? He saw God’s people enslaving God’s people. Remember, Go had freed His people from captivity to sanctify them again! Nehemiah’s anger was kindled because he saw the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Sound familiar? These verses sound like today’s headlines don’t they? The question is are we as Christians angry, “enraged” enough over all this to actually do something about it, rather than just be content with “that’s the way it is, and it’s out of my hands.” Why would we do that?
- DEBT CAUSES RESTITUTION! (V. 19-23) There is a universal truth that says, “all debt must be repaid in full, unless the creditor forgives the unpaid balance.” When debt is unpaid the balance continues to grow because of interest. If the debt is ignored long enough, it will eventually cause one to lose all they have! The motivating factor that set the restitution into motion was “the fear of God! (v. 9). When a person loses the fear of God, they begin to accumulate debt they can’t repay because of the sin involved in ignoring Him. That is exactly what is happening in America today. We are selling ourselves and our children into spiritual debt that will cost them everything unless we repent. Finally,
- DEBT CAUSES RESTRAINT (10, 14-18). Until we learn that we can’t live on what we don’t have and stop borrowing, we are doomed! The question is are you as a Christian willing to STOP living without restraint and seek the Kingdom of God first letting Him provide all you could ever desire?
If we can help you with this or any other spiritual matter call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:05 — 44.0MB) Subscribe: Nehemiah 4:15-23
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. I have come to the conclusion that the only way to completely overcome fear is to DIE! I don’t believe it is possible to live a life in this sin-tainted world, even as a Christian, and not experience occasional fear. If a doctor said you have cancer or some other life-threatening disease, or your family was threatened in a serious way, any reasonable person would be afraid! Someone one who says they are never afraid is just lying! Even Jesus expressed some fear in the Garden just before His arrest! Our focal passage offers us some significant insight in dealing with fear as Christians. Notice the Jews
- PRAYED TO GOD! There are hundreds of verses in Scripture that teach us that for a Christian’s life to be an exact representation of Christ, it must be a life of prayer. Depending on which source you choose, lack of communication is either the #1 or #2 cause of divorce. When I talk to couples in marital trouble 100% of the time they tell me daily prayer, quiet time, and worship are not vital parts of their marriage. When I tell them the only way to fix their marriage is to make each of those activities an intimate part of their daily life, many don’t come back. Prayer is to be the Christian’s natural desire toward God. Why wouldn’t one want to be in constant communication with the One Who redeemed them? Dealing with fear must begin in prayer. Then the Jews
- POSTED A GUARD! God has again gone to great lengths to teach us to “be alert, on guard…because our enemy wants to destroy us. When we make a serious effort to move forward in our spiritual growth, Satan also makes a serious effort to stop us. Notice how some of the people worked while others stood guard. What we learn is that when we are not actively engaged in a project, we ought to be praying for and guarding the backs of those who are. The reason is that you will notice they took turns working and guarding. We must work together as one if we are going to finish the work safely! Notice also these people
- PRESSED TOWARD THE GOAL! In the same way Scripture teaches us just because we are save, we are not free from attack, it teaches us that God doesn’t arbitrarily dump blessings/protection/success on us. James 2 teaches us we are to work (hard) to receive the benefits of our salvation. Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered (Heb. 5:8) and if He learned that way, so must we. When we try to free-load off God, we send the wrong message to the unsaved. These people had every reason to quit building and let the king’s army take over, but they would not have learned to persevere had they quit. We will not overcome fear if we try to walk through this sinful world without, constantly and continually, asking God to guide us. We are fools if we think we can live as Christians on our own without the help of other Christians. Therefore, we must depend on each other. As long as we keep moving toward the goal God has set for us, we need not fear what men can do to us because greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.
If we can help you with your spiritual questions call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:47 — 43.8MB) Subscribe: Neh. 4:7-14
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. As we return to our study on spiritual rebuilding, we are confronted with the threats of Sanballat and Tobiah to stop the work! It is helpful to consider why threats often work.
- THREATS ARE DIRECTED AT THE HEART OF A PERSON! Read Psalm 139:1-4; Luke 6:43-45; and Heb. 4:12, 13. Those passages all teach we have no secrets from God. They also teach that who and what we really are begins in our heart. Threats attack who and what we really are! When Satan wants to stop a person’s forward progress for God, he attacks in the heart! How does an attack on the heart work? 1. It attacks a a person’s heritage. Whether physical or spiritual heritage is at stake, any attack hurts us deep inside. An attack on a person’s heritage is an attack in their heart! 2. In Nehemiah’s case the attack was also on the Jew’s harmony. The implication was they had lived in rubble so long, they couldn’t possibly unite as one to accomplish a project of such magnitude! The truth is, if God is directing the project, and He was, magnitude is miniscule! Jesus said, “with God all things are possible.”
- THREATS ARE A DISPLAY OF POWER! Sanballat and Tobiah used their leadership positions for self-exaltation. They used threats to intimidate those “under” their reign of terror. The more personal the threat, the more powerful it seems! If we believe the person threatening us can really hurt us, we tend to react to defend ourselves. Often when our loved ones are threatened, we compromise what we know to be right to win the favor of the one threatening us. We often do the same thing to protect our reputation, don’t we! It is interesting to know that many times those who threaten us don’t really have the power they think they do. In the Christian threats are often used by ungodly leaders who haven’t yet learned to trust God. Therefore, they are insecure in themselves and must use threats to keep others from exposing their insecurity. See how all of this is a downward spiral! The best way to handle a threat is like Jesus did. He prayed for the person doing the threatening to become a man or woman of God.
- THREATS DISTRACT US FROM OUR MISSION! Remember, Satan’s number one goal is to destroy us. He does that by separating us from God. He separates us from God by getting us to take our eyes off God and put them on ourselves. Satan knows where we are most vulnerable and is a master at attacking us there. Some of Satan’s most effective work is among Christian leaders. I mean Christian husbands and fathers who neglect their spiritual leadership responsibilities at home. As Paul says, “If a man can’t lead his family, he can’t lead the Church.” We all know children who can recite more sports stats, TV channels, movie stars, singers and the like, but have no idea what John 3:16 says; worse yet, they have no idea where John’s Gospel is. What are you teaching your children and grandchildren? Threats are part of everyone’s life. The question is – how do you handle them?
If we can help you with any question or any other spiritual matter, call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:45 — 45.6MB) Subscribe: Matt. 26:36-42
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. One might think the sufferings of Christ is a weird topic for the first message of a new year. For us at BCC this New Year’s Day is also communion Sunday. The focus is more on why Jesus suffered. Matt. 5:10-12 records Jesus’ teaching that when a true Christian lives life from a truly spiritual perspective persecution is guaranteed. We will look at three viewpoints of Christ’s suffering to remind us this year (and always) that the Christian life is not as easy as some current teaching wants us to believe! Jesus suffered
- BECAUSE OF HIS HOLY CHARACTER! In 2 Peter 2:7, 8 we read that Lot’s soul was distressed by the filthy lives of the lawless lives of the men of Sodom. It is impossible to humanly comprehend how much more The Holy, Sinless Son of God was grieved in His heart when John tells us “He came to His own and they did not receive/accept Him (as Messiah.)” After 40 days of fasting and prayer, Satan came to Jesus and attacked His holy character trying to make Jesus sin with earthly satisfaction, then with calling God’s bluff, then finally with temporal power and possession. Throughout His earthly life Jesus was tempted to put the temporal (physical) before the spiritual. Jesus couldn’t sin because He didn’t have a sin nature, but He had free choice as He tells us in John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 8:28, 29. He was constantly being tempted to take His Father out of first place in His heart. Jesus also suffered
- BECAUSE OF HIS COMPASSION! Heb. 1:3 tells us Jesus was an exact representation of His Father. Many times we read that “Jesus had compassion on the people.” In every case when compassion is used in reference to Christ it means “distress or suffering because of the ills of another.” We might say, “because someone else hurt, Jesus hurt.” Jesus understood so deeply that people suffer because of sin’s relentless attack to completely destroy them. He also understood how people suffered because they continually rejected eternal spiritual satisfaction for the temporary deception of temporal attractions. So many times we cause our own suffering for those very same reasons. Jesus also suffered
- BECAUSE OF HIS CONTEMPLATON! Jesus is the only human being ever to contemplate living the life He freely offered His Father. From eternity past to Calvary He contemplated being the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Jesus rehearsed His death, burial and resurrection often with His disciples who just “didn’t get it – then.” The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper we share is a vivid reminder of the cup poured out on Him that caused Him to live His entire earthly life “in the valley of the shadow of death.” It’s humanly impossible to comprehend the sufferings of our Savior. It was perhaps, more than any part of His suffering, the worst suffering when His Father turned His face away from His Son as Jesus became sin for all the world. Because He suffered in every way we are tempted, He understands from personal experience all that you could suffer. He is waiting to help you relieve your suffering with His own compassion.
If we can help you with your spiritual questions call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:50 — 42.9MB) Subscribe: Galatians 4:4, 5
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. This month we have studied how the Savior was promised, and the world prepared! All that was so God could present The Savior. Presentation is promises and preparation becoming reality. On a personal level – you can promise God and prepare all your live to be a “good” Christian, but until you present all that in daily living, it just talk! God always carries through on His promises and preparation to make them reality. There are many reasons why the Savior came, here are three that sum them up.
- CHRIST CAME TO FULFILL PROPHECY! Jesus fulfilled at least 332 specific OT prophecies when He became Man. Reread Matt. 1 and Luke 2 and see how many prophecies you can find in just these two passages Jesus fulfilled at His birth. What’s the significance of fulfilled prophecy? Fulfillment in both OT and NT means complete, full, or finished. Prophecy means one who speaks before, or, foretelling. Prophecies were truths from God that had not happened yet. In Christ the God of Truth brought into reality what He had promised or predicted about Messiah. The next truth Christians are waiting for is the return of Christ to take us to heaven. When we consider the promises of God we must ask ourselves if we are willing to allow God to fulfill His promises in us?
- CHRIST CAME TO MANIFEST DEITY! Deity is one of those words we use to describe the nature and character of God, but God never uses the word Himself. How did Jesus manifest deity? According to John 1:1-3, 14 (and many other verses) Jesus showed us God is real. In Gen. 1:25, 26; 3:6; 3:15; John 14:9-11; 15; 17:6-8, 20-23 (and many others) Jesus show us God is relational. Jesus’ power over all creation is a “real” revelation of God. In fact, all of Scripture is a divinely inspired record of God’s relationship to His creation. Read 1John 1:1-3. Next
- CHRIST CAME TO REDEEM MANKIND! It is primarily for our salvation/redemption that God promised, prepared, and presented the Savior, Jesus Christ. God’s nature is to save, not to destroy. God chose to save us by redeeming us from sin. He comes to get us where we are, the way we are – then recreates us into a new creature in Christ’s image. The current lie of easy-believism wants us to think God recycles us. If God did that, He would be doing nothing more than reusing what we already are. 1 Corinthians 5:17, 18 (and many others) clearly teach that God recreates us into an entirely new creature! The recreation begins at the instant of our salvation and will continue until every last piece of trim is in place. So the question is Dear Reader, have you been as extravagant in giving yourself to God as you have been in giving to others this year? Or is the reality that God gets only the left overs! Shouldn’t the God Who has given all to you have all of you there is to give? Wouldn’t this be the perfect time to give Him all of you then allow Him to make you into His finished workmanship?
If we can help you with your spiritual questions call us at (574) 643-9419.
All of us in the Baptist Christian Church family wish you and your family the most Blessed Christmas and the Happiest of New Years!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:53 — 47.5MB) Subscribe: Psalm 2
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. Last week we studied how God’s extravagant creation extends from the far reaches of the universe to the depths of a person’s heart. We saw what extravagant lengths to create a nation and covenants that are all designed for an eternal relationship with Him through His redemption in Jesus Christ. We also saw through the first part of the OT how God established a foundation, and how that foundation is the basis for
III. AN ENDURING AFFILIATION! An eternal God establishes eternal relationships! Those relationships are national as well as individual. Watch how Israel responded to the eternal, intimate relationship He established with them. In the book of Judges we see Israel as an unsettled nation without an earthly king. The book reveals the cycle of relationship as Israel sins, is punished, repents, is blessed, then starts the whole process over again. One of the major themes of the book is the Lordship of God among His people and the consequences of sin. In the book of Ruth we see a picture of the dedication and selfless love of God for His people. The book shows how God takes those who are desolate and raises them to a position of honor and dignity. In Ester we see a protected nation. God’s sovereign relationship to Israel protects her when Haman tries to destroy all Jews. The book is a living example of Prov. 21:30. I Samuel shows us a nation established. The people want a monarchy rather than theocracy. God shows them how complicated life under a human king is. In II Samuel we see the nation expanded. Under David’s leadership Israel enjoys her most magnificent time as a nation. David is represented as an ideal king (although he has his sin problems) whose love for God rules his life. I Kings reveals the decline of Israel. After Solomon, human sovereignty returns to Israel and the kingdom splits because the people forget the responsibilities of their affiliation with God. II Kings is an account of a nation deported. The book is not a socio-economic account, but a record of God’s sovereign direction over His people whose lifestyle is directly affected by their adherence to His covenant Laws. I, II Chronicles is the prophetic history of Israel repeated from a priestly viewpoint. A central theme of the books shows how God’s enduring affiliation with His people reaches to them even when they are in the depths of sin, and how He reclaims them for Himself. Ezra and Nehemiah concern a nation returned and rebuilt. It teaches us how God never abandons His people no matter how long they are in captivity. Then we see
IV. AN EXPRESSION OF ASPIRATION in the poetic books. Job shows us meditation centered around human suffering, especially that of the innocent. Psalms reveals the deep need of the human heart to commune with God. Proverbs, in Jesus’ words, teaches us to “do only what The Father tells us to do.” Eccl. shows us life’s aspirations are ultimately found only in God. Song of Solomon is an account of a deep, intimate love relationship with God. Finally, there is
V. AN EXPECTATION OF MESSIAH as found in the prophetic books that tell us Messiah will come and establish His kingdom to be forever with His people. Consider how much God has done to prove His interest in you. What have you done to prove your interest in Him.
If you would like help in answering your spiritual questions call us at (574) 643-9419.
|
|
