Sermons
Sermons from Bay Vista Baptist ChurchO Little Town of Bethlehem
On this, the fourth Sunday of Advent, we celebrate the Love of God for His people, and the love that we are commanded to share with others. Brother Danny shares from Malachi chapter 5 this morning, showing how the love of God was shown to man in the act of sending His son to be born in the mosy humble of circumstances, in the tiny, little town of Bethlehem.
Be Glad and Rejoice!
This morning, the third Sunday of Advent, we celebrate JOY! As we look forward to the full realization of out faith, we need to remember that God will quiet our fears. No matter what we face, fear does not have to reign in our hearts. God will also join in our celebration; He takes great joy in moving us closer to His side! God will wecome us home to the new Jerusalem. And finally, God will restore our fortunes. Though that may not be in the way that we expect, all of the pain caused by sin will be removed from our existence and we will finally be made whole.
The Righteous Branch
This morning we celebrated the second week of advent with the lighting of the candle of peace. Brother Danny shared with us from the book of Jeremiah that we have a promise to cherish. We need to remember that God keeps His word and will send a deliverer. And that one day the peace that He will shower upon us will be fully known.
The King Is Coming
This morning, we celebrated the first week of Advent, with our scripture and message being focused on Hope. Brother Danny shared from Malachi chapter 3, which shows us that the foundation of our hope is in the promise found in this passage. We need to remember that God works to bring His plans and purposes to reality. No matter our perspective of timing, God’s plans will always come to fruition. When the time is right, the Lord will come. We need to be prepared for whenever that time may come. And, ultimately, He will bring cleansing to His people. He will not leave us in our sin.
Shining on for Jesus
Thank you for bearing with our technical difficulties. This morning, Brother Danny shared the final message in the “Why Are We Here” series, with a look at Matthew 5:14-16. In this very familiar passage, Christians are reminded that we are a light that can make a difference in this world. We are a light, because of Christ in us. Thus, that light should never be hidden. We cannot be effective as gospel light-bearers if we withdraw from the world. And finally, letting our light shine in this world will bring glory to God, by letting the world see what a difference christ makes in our lives.
Making Excuses or Making Disciples
This morning, on Reformation Day, Brother Bill shared with us the importance of believeing God and obeying His commands as we seek to fulfil the statement found in Romans 1:17 “the righteous shall live by faith.” As we seek to do so, we can be obedient to both the great commandment found in Matthew 22:37-40 and the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20.
What if I Don't Have What It Takes to Minister?
This morning, Brother Danny shared from John’s gospel, chapter 6, verses 1 through 13, the feeding of the 5000. In this passage, there are some important principles for the believers within the church to hold onto as we minister in our families, in our congregation, and in our communities. First, we need to recognize that ministry is something we cannot do by ourselves. We may need other believers, and we always need the Holy Spirit in order to be successful. Second, we need to assess the resources that we have available for ministry. We cannot forget that we have the indwelling presence of God to help us as we are obedient. Finally, we need to remember that God will bless whatever we give for the ministry that He has prepared for us to do.
Caring Enough to Do Something
This morning, Brother Danny encouraged the church to care enough to do something. Using the parable of the good Samaritan found in Luke 10, verses 25 through 37, we are encouraged to remember that involved ministry requires us to have hearts of compassion. In order for the church to be successful at this, we need to turn our hearts over to the Lord. We must also have a willingness to help “whoever.” Finally, we need to remember that this kind of ministry has a cost, and we need to be willing to pay that cost.
Sanctified, Made Useful
This morning, Brother Danny continued with his series on “Why are we here” looking at 2 Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 20 through 22. In this small passage, Paul reminds his readers that one of the ways we honor God is by living sanctified lives. While sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, our cooperation with the Spirit is what makes that sanctification effective. We also honor God by being useful in the kingdom. Our usefullness is directly related to our sanctification. Finally, we honor God when we are prepared to serve, when He wants us to serve. We need to recognize that all believers have been called to serve.
Hearts Given to Ministry
In this morning’s message, Brother Danny encouraged the church to consider if we can say that we have hearts that are given to ministry. There are three questions for the believer to ask of themselves on a regualr basis: Are we ready to minister when we see a need? Does our presence bring gladness? and Does our willing service help others to continue their service. Every believer should be able to answer these questions with a “yes” if we truly have hearts to minister to others.