Sermons on Penitential Rite:

The Spirit God Gave Us

Contributed by Michael Stark on Aug 21, 2020

The Spirit of God lives in each twice-born follower of Christ. Because He lives in us, we are enabled to walk in power, to love as God loves, and to act with divine wisdom. God calls us to be controlled by the Spirit He placed in each of us.

“God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” [1] She was a recent convert to Christ, and she was in tears when she phoned me. The lady was suffering from disquieting events that were occurring each night. Each evening after retiring to her bed, a malevolent presence ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7

Denomination: Baptist

Don’t Try To Be Someone You’re Not

Contributed by Thomas Swope on Oct 5, 2018

A study in the book of 1 Kings 14: 1 – 31

1 Kings 14: 1 – 31 Don’t try to be someone you’re not 14 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. 2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 14:1

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Negative To Positive Series

Contributed by Troy Walliser on Feb 23, 2023

Turning a negative situation into a positive profession means releasing the impulse of SELF-PRESERVATION and being motivated by the attitude of SELFLESS LOVE.

Turning A Negative Into A Positive Acts 21:27-22:29 All of us deal with negative situations from time to time; it's a part of being human, right? We face them at work, at school, at home, in our neighborhoods and even sometimes at church. Sometimes there are those people who it seems just ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Do We Believe Him? Series

Contributed by Michael Stark on Oct 1, 2021

If we take responsibility for ourselves at the Lord's Table, it will not be necessary for Him to discipline us. Let us approach Him with reverence and awe as we worship.

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:27-32

Denomination: Baptist

God In The Dark

Contributed by Michael Stark on Apr 5, 2023

God made atonement as Jesus hung on the cross. All who receive Him as Master over life are brought into the family of God, forgiven all sin, and saved forever.

“From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, ‘This man is calling ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 27:45-54

Denomination: Baptist

When The Bottom Drops Out Series

Contributed by Michael Stark on Jul 20, 2024

Even the righteous suffer when judgement is poured out on the nation. God's people are what holds back judgement at this time.

“How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold is changed! The holy stones lie scattered at the head of every street. “The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands!” [LAMENTATIONS 4:1-2] [1] What a dramatic ...read more

Scripture: Lamentations 4:1-22

Denomination: Baptist

No Excuse Series

Contributed by Bob Faulkner on Mar 6, 2024

God has revealed Himself to humanity. No one can offer an excuse for not knowing Him.

1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven…” This is the God we love to cover up. A God of wrath? Is He not love? Yes, but His love is a holy love. His wrath is the heart of the surgeon who must get rid of the disease so that the body can live. His wrath is the heart of the gardener who ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:18-23

Denomination: Assembly Of God

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

Wrong About Judgement

Contributed by Michael Stark on Dec 7, 2024

Christ is the Righteous Judge of all mankind. Ultimately, we shall appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ, or we must appear before the Great White Throne. It is Christ Who will judge in either case.

“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” Serious questions concerning the administration of justice have been raised by rulings and charges brought against people in Canada and the United States. ...read more

Scripture: John 5:30

Denomination: Baptist

Diversity. Equity. Inclusion.?

Contributed by Michael Stark on Dec 29, 2023

While we would never encourage a church to be "woke," there is a biblical expectation that we will practise Scriptural diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as demonstrated by Jesus.

“[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:16-30

Denomination: Baptist

Men Have Forgotten God

Contributed by Michael Stark on Jan 11, 2025

God must judge the sin of societies, and He does so even now. In the midst of judgement, He shows mercy to all who look to Him.

“The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning. The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned! For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim, for Mount Zion which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it. But you, O ...read more

Scripture: Lamentations 5:15-22

Denomination: Baptist

A Different Time, A Different Place

Contributed by Michael Stark on Jan 25, 2025

Is the Sabbath Mandated for Christians? How should we approach the concept of the Sabbath?

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11

Denomination: Baptist

"i Know The Plans I Have For You!" Does This Apply To Us?

Contributed by Michael Stark on May 10, 2025

God guides His people as they serve Him. The means of His guidance may vary, but it will never contradict what is given in His holy Word.

“I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” [1] Years ago, I read Herbert Lockyer’s delightful tome, “All the Promises of the Bible.” [2] In that book, Dr. Lockyer discussed what a promise is, cautioning that the ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11

Denomination: Baptist

There!

Contributed by Michael Stark on Oct 9, 2025

The criteria for worship are established when the Lord God spoke to Moses , dictating what was necessary for worship to be accepted.

“These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 12:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

How To Interpret Typologies, Metaphors And Prophecies

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Aug 14, 2001

How to Interpret Typologies, Metaphors and Prophecies

HOW TO INTERPRET TYPOLOGIES 1. Definition - A type is a pattern, image, or a symbol of a person, place, or thing. For example, Adam was a type of Christ, baptism corresponds to the deliverance experienced by Noah and his family in the flood. Joseph was a type of Christ, as the people looked to ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational