Sermons on divide:

Bringing A Sinner To Repentance - Luke 15:11-32 Series

Contributed by Darrell Ferguson on Oct 16, 2024

Our natural response to those in sin is to either be hostile toward them or ignore the sin to avoid an uncomfortable conversation. Both are unloving. God requires us to work at bringing the person to repentance, and this message is all about the various ways to accomplish that.

Luke 15:11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. 13 "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

The Church Has Left The Building!

Contributed by Michael Stark on Nov 2, 2024

God may use persecution to compel the faithful to fulfil His commands. That was assuredly the case for the first church, and it may be the case in this day.

ACTS 8:1b-4 THE CHURCH HAS LEFT THE BUILDING! “There arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ...read more

Scripture: Acts 8:1-4

Denomination: Baptist

Stress-Free Suffering - Matthew 6:27-34 Series

Contributed by Darrell Ferguson on Nov 6, 2024

Anxiety is not caused by trouble. It is caused by an untrusting heart’s response to trouble. There are six spiritual causes of anxiety, and Jesus shows us the solutions.

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:27-34

Wrong About Religion

Contributed by Michael Stark on Nov 30, 2024

If we focus on our tenets to the exclusion of focusing on the will of the Lord, we are in danger of drifting into Pharisaical Religion. If we allow this to happen, we will displease the Lord and oppose Him.

“When the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

Thicker Than Blood - 1 Peter 2:5 Series

Contributed by Darrell Ferguson on Dec 9, 2024

Most Christians fail to appreciate the value of what Jesus promised us in the Church.

1 Peter 2:4 As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:5

Who’s Winning? - 1 Peter 2:6-8 Series

Contributed by Darrell Ferguson on Dec 10, 2024

Even in human rejection God wins. God always wins, and those who trust in the Cornerstone cannot lose. But those who reject Him cannot win.

Peter 2:4 As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:6-8

The New Temple - Mark 11:11-24 Series

Contributed by Darrell Ferguson on Feb 9, 2024

The new way to find forgiveness

Mark 11:11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. 12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig-tree in leaf, he went to find out if it ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:11-24, Matthew 21:12-22, Luke 19:45-48

Marks Of The True Church: Unity Series

Contributed by Michael Stark on Mar 1, 2024

The unity of the Faith transcends denominations, embracing all who are twice born through faith in Christ the Lord.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to ...read more

Scripture: John 17:20-23

Denomination: Baptist

Paul And His Greeting To The Roman Church Series

Contributed by Bob Faulkner on Mar 2, 2024

Paul warmly greets the church he would one day see face to face, but as a prisoner.

1:1. “Paul.” We first meet him on the Damascus Road. But his life is told in other parts of the book of Acts, and the epistles. Circumcised the 8th day. Sent to Jerusalem to study eventually under Gamaliel, the grandson of Hillel, the most famous rabbi of Jewish history, except for Jesus ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:1-7

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Man Who Honored The King’s Son - Mark 15:40-47 Series

Contributed by Darrell Ferguson on Jun 1, 2024

Why do all four gospels make such a point about the details of Jesus burial? His death matters, his resurrection matters, but why is his burial so important? And what are the implications for us?

Mark 15:40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. 42 It was ...read more

Scripture: Mark 15:40-47, Matthew 27:55-61, Luke 23:48

Christ And The Law - Matthew 5:17-18 Series

Contributed by Darrell Ferguson on Jul 20, 2024

Critics often accuse Christians of picking and choosing which parts of the Old Testament we consider binding today. Why do we appeal to the prohibition on homosexuality, and yet we don’t put an incorrigible child to death by stoning?

Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:17-18

Moses, The Wisdom Of The Egyptians, And Modern Education

Contributed by Michael Stark on Aug 9, 2024

God will use you and what you bring to Him for His glory. But God does not depend on your education to advance His cause.

Earlier this year, I read an opinion piece that opened with these thought-provoking words. “Imagine a world where your child becomes the child of the state, effectively no longer under your care or influence. Their heart, soul, mind, and body are captured by the state's dictates, philosophy, ...read more

Scripture: Acts 7:20-38

Denomination: Baptist

Picky Picky - Mark 2:23-28 Series

Contributed by Darrell Ferguson on Jul 29, 2023

The Pharisees accuse the disciples of Sabbath breaking when they pick grain while traveling. Jesus responds by pointing to David eating the bread of the presence.

Mark 2:23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his ...read more

Scripture: Mark 2:23-28

Galatians 5:1-15 Choosing To Be Free

Contributed by Carl Willis on Apr 17, 2024

The Galatian church was dealing with Jesus + teaching. Paul addresses the issue in this discussion of real freedom.

Today, we're going to be in Galatians chapter five, and what we're going to talk about is choosing to live in the freedom you've been given. I'm going to read this passage; we'll be in Galatians chapter five, looking at the first 15 verses. Then we're going to stair-step our ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:1-15

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Take And Eat - Mark 14:22-26 Series

Contributed by Darrell Ferguson on May 4, 2024

Why do some verses in the Bible make our relationship with God sound conditional, and other verses make it sound unconditional? The answer to that question is the key to understanding the gospel and having the closest, most intimate relationship with God possible.

Mark 14:22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." 23 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 "This is my blood of the covenant, which is ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:22-26, Matthew 26:26-30, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26