Central Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

Have you ever been way up high? Maybe on top of a mountain, or a tower, or in an airplane? When you look down from there people look like ants. Cars and houses look like toys. On a clear day you can see for miles. It’s amazing what a change of perspective does. Most of the time as we study the Scripture we look at the details. We study a paragraph or two and then move to the next several paragraphs. We see what’s right in front of us. During our next series, Long Story Short, we are going to be whisked way up high to gain a birds-eye view of the scriptures. We’re going to see how these 66 books written by over 40 different human authors all fit together. We’ll gain a framework of understanding to recognize how each Bible story fits into the larger Biblical narrative. It’s going to be a fun ride and by the end this change of perspective will help you see the threads that weave the scripture together. You’ll gain renewed confidence that God knows what He’s doing and you’ll see that you can trust Him in the chao

This week we wrap up our series titled, The Table. I hope this study has deepened your understanding and appreciation of how the table symbolizes God’s provision for you and His presence with you. The table is this exclamation that yes, God can prepare a table amid your messiness. It’s a reminder that there is no more altar, Jesus paid it all. We’ve seen that we aren’t merely served from a table, we’re invited to the table. I hope you’ve walked away with those as well as other insights.

Life is full of many exciting mealtime celebrations. So much so, that most celebrations seem incomplete if there isn’t any food present. Throughout our table series, we’ve seen that humanity often asks the question from Psalm 78, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?” And God continually demonstrates to humanity that yes He can. Yes, He has, yes, He does, and as we’ll see this week, yes, He will. What’s more, the table to come will be the best mealtime celebration of all time.

There is something so simple about having a meal around a table. Some of the best moments in life are spent in those simple places. So, is it any wonder that when Jesus wanted to give us a picture of his provision and his presence, he didn’t give us a statue or a tower – he gave us a table. We’ll discuss all of that and more this week in our series, “The Table”.

Have you ever been invited to someone’s house for dinner? The joy of the meal is not simply the food, it’s also the people who you share the food with. In fact, it would be strange to be invited over for a meal and then the hosts leave you to eat the meal alone. The provision is simply the means to presence. We see that even in an Old Testament table. You will not want to miss this week as we continue our series titled “The Table”.

God gives his people a variety of images in the bible to convey truth. The rainbow was given so that we would know because of God’s love He is never going to flood the earth again. We are given bread and wine, communion elements, to be reminded of Jesus’s sacrifice for us. That ties into the most iconic Christian image, a cross. There’s another image that appears from Genesis all the way through Revelation. An image that is central to the type of relationship God desires with his people. It’s a table. Sharing a table is one of the most uniquely human things we do. No other creature consumes food at a table. So, God uses the table to remind us that there’s more to food than fuel. God uses the table as a place of connection, a place where broken sinners find belonging and restoration, a place of blessing, a place of mission, a place of fellowship. So much happens at the table. Join us for our next series, The Table. You’ll never see the table the same way again.

Have you ever camped under the night’s sky in a place that was not polluted by light? You look up and you see the brilliance of the heavens. Did you know there are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on the earth? Perhaps that’s one of the reasons the sky speaks of God’s majesty and glory. The night’s sky sometimes spurs us toward pondering the deeper things of life. It did that for David. We’ll see that as we wrap up our series in the Psalms this week. Psalm 8 will surely leave you in awe of just who our God is and who He has created you to be.

We talk a lot about following Jesus with all our hearts. David prayed for that exact same thing in Psalm 86. He recognized the help he would need in order to have whole-hearted devotion. This week we’ll study the psalm from a couple different angles and learn what it means to have a united heart.

Did you know that Martin Luther, famous for the reformation, also wrote hymns? His best-known hymn is probably “A Mighty Fortress”. He wrote that hymn based on his favorite psalm, psalm 46. Luther lived a hard life full of many difficulties. Psalm 46 was a reminder of God’s strength for him.

We’ve all been in that situation where we’re busted. We must come clean about the wrong we’ve done. Sometimes, we think that’s kind of how confession works. Biblical confession is so much deeper, and the results are so much more freeing.

Have you ever had someone jump out from behind a corner and scare you? We all know that heart-racing, adrenaline-pumping feeling. However, those momentary scares are nothing compared to the fears we sometimes face in life. This Sunday we’ll confront our fears in Psalm 34 and learn how to trade anxiety for God’s peace.

Have you ever noticed that often you can have more confidence when you’re with a group, as opposed to when you face something alone? It was common for the Israelite king to gather with his people to seek God’s help as they prepared for battle. We might not be preparing for a physical battle, but Psalm 20 instructs us that in our day of trouble as when trust in the Lord our confidence grows.

Traditionally to develop photographs you had to go into a dark room. By using special equipment like trays, a safe light, and a focus finder pictures are developed and the beauty of the scene is captured. Sometimes, we step into the dark room of life but when we grieve biblically we emerge in the light. Join us this Sunday as we explore Psalm 88.

I am so excited that this Sunday you will have the opportunity to hear Andrew Fry preach to us from Psalm 128. Andrew and Heather have been an active part of Central for about a year now. Andrew is currently studying at Liberty University and we’re excited that he is interning with us this summer. So, make this Father’s Day meaningful by worshipping with us and be encouraged with a psalm that helps us understand family.

Life is full of ups and downs - highs and lows - and everything in between. The human experience is full of a myriad of emotions. During some seasons of life talking to God can be challenging. Our prayer life can become stagnant or routine. The Psalms are songs that help give us words when we don’t know how to pray. During this next series, we will study several Psalms that help us understand the emotions we feel and give voice to the different seasons of our souls. This series aims to help you fall in love with the songs of scripture and deepen your prayer life.

After an exciting year studying through 1st and 2nd Peter, we are coming to an end of our “Confidence” series. Peter ends his 2nd letter on a high note of encouragement to the church. His conclusion ought to stir your heart and your mind toward usefulness and fruitfulness.

It’s that time of year when one day feels like a thousand years … Will the school year ever end? Will the school day ever end? How many more days until summer? When will my tomatoes be ready? When will the AC kick on? Amid delay and deferred dreams, we can become discouraged and get misdirected. And that’s one reason why it’s so important for us to gather together as the church—so we can remember and recommit to our mission as disciple-makers. As believers, we have a responsibility to be always ready, because we don’t know when Jesus will return. And when He does, a thousand years will suddenly feel like a single day.

Some of us enjoy vegetables while for others they may be an acquired taste. However, almost all of us recognize their nutritional value so we try to develop in our kids a palate for vegetables because we want them to be healthy and strong. We come to a passage in 2 Peter that most would not run to as their favorite passage in Scripture. However, this warning passage from Peter is of critical importance for the health of the church.

Waiting is one of the most difficult things to do. Whether it’s waiting for graduation, Christmas, or waiting all day for Sunday night in the fall. We want things to happen quickly, as they should be, and on our timetable. But what do we do when the unexpected happens and what we have been waiting for turns into an impossible situation? We will dive into what our response should be in the waiting.

Have you ever had to raise your voice at someone – not in a sinful, emotional way, but in a protective way? Or maybe there was a dangerous moment in your life when someone raised their voice towards you and saved you from a lot of harm. As we continue our study of 2nd Peter, Peter effectively raises his voice to the church to save them from what would be certain destruction. His warnings are just as important today.