First Baptist Church Thomson, Ga

The world is not how God created it to be. We no longer live in Paradise. What went wrong? How did we get here? And what do we do about it? We'll start with Genesis 3, but we can’t just lay all the blame at Adam and Eve’s feet. That’s where it started to go downhill, but they are merely the first example of a pattern we are all guilty of, and are still tempted by every day, and it’s a pattern Jesus overcame so that we might be set free to resist it as well. In this message we look at the pattern and progression of temptation and sin from Eden to the Exodus to how Jesus overcame temptations in the Wilderness.

When God created people in His image, He gave us moral agency--free will, the freedom of choice. Representing that freedom to choose, God placed two special trees in the Garden of Eden: The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In this sermon we consider this basic choice that God wove into Creation. A simple choice that is essential to what it means to be human. A simple choice that turned Creation upside down, introduced sin, death, and suffering to all humanity, and necessitated God’s redemptive mission through Jesus.

We desperately need a reset when it comes to a healthy work-life balance. We need a new rhythm--the one God created us to live by—work, rest, repeat. Too often, people fall into the extremes of either overworking to the point they neglect family and health, or being lazy with no drive to achieve, produce, or provide. The Bible tells us both are equally sinful and unhealthy. By lookin at Genesis 1-3, we can discover God's plan for how we are to work and live in a 6-and-1 rhythm of work and rest.

The environment, especially the topic of climate change, is on the forefront of a lot of minds. We hear and read stories in the news, hear a lot from politicians, as well as in the entertainment media. However, the ways we think about the climate and how we care for the Earth all depends on our worldview. In this sermon, we begin by looking at what the Bible teaches about where we’ve been and why we’re here, what the source of evil and suffering is today, and where this world is heading. Based on these truths, we will then look at our mandate from God in how we steward His good creation.

We've heard expressions like "a match made in Heaven," but we all know there are no perfect marriages, because there are no perfect husbands or wives. But at one time, there was a marriage made in Paradise. Genesis 2 gives amazing insights into the truth about marriage and some principles that will go a long way in helping us to develop thriving marriages and families.

Last week we looked at what Genesis 1-2 tells us about the WHY of our creation. But in this message, I focus on the WHAT—what makes us different from anything else God made? What is our relationship with the rest of creation? What difference does all of this make in our lives and world today?

Last week we looked at what Genesis 1 specifically teaches about who God is. Today, we turn to what the Creation account tells us about who we are. The shift is evident in Genesis 1:26. In this sermon we will see what it means to bear the image of God, how sin has masked and marred that image, but how Christ came to redeem us and restore the image of God within us, as we are conformed into the image of Christ.

Since none of us were there when "God created the heavens and the earth," we have to rely on what He has revealed to us in His inspired Word. As we saw last week, one of the purposes of Genesis 1 (and of the entire Bible) is to reveal to us the truth about God. In this sermon, we discover seven truths about God that are revealed within Genesis 1:1-2:3.

This sermon introduces this new sermon series in Genesis 1-3 with an overview of where we will be going as we look at how Genesis 1-3 speaks to the most important issues of our day and serves as the foundation for a biblical worldview. As the inspired Word of God, we must take Genesis 1-3 at face value, treating it seriously, and spiritually discerning what God's message is for us. In this sermon, I share six key truths that Genesis 1 tells us about God, the world He made, the people He made and our place in His creation.

As we cross into a New Year, we know that things will change, that we face expected and unexpected blessings and struggles. Yet our God remains the same. While we don't know what 2024 holds, we trust that God is already there preparing us and the way. Moses’s message to Israel as they were about to cross the Jordan into a new land can help us know how to prepare to cross over into the new year with confidence and courage.

Last week's messaged ended with Mary’s story. Mary conceived, carried, and gave birth to the the Word made Flesh, the God who is Love. This morning I want us to notice the ways in which God’s love can grow within us and how we should respond. Mary serves as an example for us.

As we look at the women listed in Jesus' family tree in Matthew 1, we look at the beautiful truth that while we may be sowing seeds of sorrow, through the grace and power of God, those seeds can miraculously produce an abundant harvest of joy! I know many people who are struggling right now with illness, grief, and financial hardships. Christmas can amplify those times of difficulty, or they can help us refocus on the One who works all things together for His glory, our good, and the furthering of the Gospel. May the seeds of sorrow sown in the soil of God's grace and compassion grow into an abundant harvest of joy!

Advent is a season of waiting in great expectation, a time of hopeful longing. What are people longing for more than anything else? Peace--Shalom--Wholeness and well-being. The peace that Jesus brings is far superior to the weak, passive version the world promises (John 14:27). We turn to Isaiah 2, 6, and 11 to discover three important aspects of the powerful, passionate peace of God that passes all understanding.

Hope is something all people long to have. We wait for better days to come, for sorrow and pain to pass away, for new beginnings and second chances, for fresh opportunities. Isaiah 40 is written to the people of Israel, who after languishing in Babylonian exile, wondered if there was any hope that they would be restored to their land, for the temple to be rebuilt, and for their relationship with their God to be made new. As we begin Advent, we also wait. We lament the conditions of our world and we long for God to set things right. We pray and watch for signs of His presence. We need to hear Isaiah’s words and see the Christ who is their fulfilment.

In this final sermon in the Grace Enough series, we discover from 2 Corinthians that there is grace enough for us to give. Paul gives us three examples: the Macedonian churches, the Corinthian church, and Jesus, and helps us see that no matter our circumstances, as recipients of God's grace, we are called to excel in the grace of giving of our resources to the Lord, to meet needs and make disciples.

Service is a gift of grace, because it helps us keep an outward focus, to look up to God in gratitude for His generosity to us, and to look out to those around us in service so we can pass along His gifts to them. This sermon focuses on how God gives us the grace to serve others in His name, to serve the Body of Christ, and how that service helps us overcome our self-centered tendencies. (The sermon led into a deacon ordination for three men in our church, which is not included in this audio).

It's easy for us to grumble and complain in a culture focused on convenience and comfort. Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 9 and the words of Psalm 66 can help us discover that God gives us grace enough to be grateful in good times and bad, through the ups and downs of life, and how gratitude can cure us of selfishness and complaining.

God's grace is certainly amazing. It is also sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9), meaning it is "enough"--enough for our salvation and enough for our daily living. One gift of God's grace is our ability to grieve losses in this life, to deal with the effects of living in a sinful and fallen world, what the Old Testament often calls "lament." In this sermon, we look at King David's example to discover the times when we need to grieve and the tools God gives us to help us grieve.

Jesus calls Himself the True Vine--He is the only way to life in God's Kingdom. And He calls us to be connected to Him, as branches to a vine. In this message, we'll discover what that means, how remaining in Jesus gives us access to His life and love flowing through us to empower and motivate us as His followers. We'll look at some ways we can stay connected with Jesus and what that connection will produce in and through us.

Through this interactive lesson Jesus has with the crowd and with His disciples after the feeding of the 5,000, we discover that Jesus, the Bread of Life, is the true and better bread. Jesus calls us to make a decision about what we will do with the Better Bread. Will we be like the ancient Israelites and grumble, complain, question, doubt, and walk away? Or will we come to learn from Him, feast on Him, and believe and know that He is the Holy One of God? To whom else can we go? Jesus has the words of eternal life!