Pastor at Dover Baptist Church in Goochland, VA.
Introduction: The Song That Started a War Imagine the scene with me. The war is over. The soldiers are coming home. There’s music in the streets, tambourines shaking, people laughing, kids running beside the procession. And leading the way is David, the shepherd boy who stepped up when no one else would. Goliath is dead.... Continue Reading →
Standing Strong in the Valley of Fear Imagine standing on the sun-scorched hillside of Elah. The air wavers with heat. Dust clings to the sandals of Israel’s trembling warriors. Across the ravine, stands Goliath of Gath, a human fortress armored in bronze. His voice bellows taunts across the valley, crashing like thunder against the hills... Continue Reading →
The Setting for the Revelation (John 3:22–26) After explaining the mystery of new birth to Nicodemus, Jesus shifts from words to action: “After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent time with them and baptized” (John 3:22, ESV). John 4:2 later clarifies that it was not Jesus but... Continue Reading →
I. The Weight of a Calling Our passage begins with just five words from John the Baptist. But behind those five words stands a lifetime of longing, preparation, and prophetic expectation. "The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, ‘Behold,... Continue Reading →
Introduction: Before Jesus preached a sermon, before He healed the sick, called the disciples, or walked on water, He went into the wilderness. He didn’t wander there by accident. Mark tells us in Mark 1:12, “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.” Now pause right there. That’s not how we usually imagine the... Continue Reading →
Sermon Audio: LINK Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:7-14 ESV “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you,... Continue Reading →
Sermon Audio: LINK Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:1-4, 16-18 (ESV): “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in... Continue Reading →
Sermon Audio: LINK Introduction: In January we began preaching through the Sermon on the Mount. We began by focusing on Jesus' first message. The call to repent. To turn from the old ways of living and to follow in His footsteps. We noted that repentance is the doorway we must all pass through to enter... Continue Reading →
Sermon Audio: LINK Welcome: Today, we embark on a new sermon series focused on the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5 through 7. However, I’d like to devote this morning to setting the stage and laying a foundation that will support us as we explore Jesus’ teachings in the weeks ahead. As... Continue Reading →
Works Consulted: Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Various); Bible For Hope Study Notes (Various); The Gospel Coalition Website (Various); The Gospel and Same Sex Marriage (Russell Moore); God and the Transgender Debate (Andrew T. Walker); Is God Anti-Gay (Sam Allberry) PROLOGUE: My Hope For This Conversation Many Christians today feel cornered, bullied, silenced, or outright attacked... Continue Reading →
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