…This coming Lord’s day we need to prepare our mind for the reading of Matthew 4. We are going to see the fact that Jesus Christ was “sinless”. This is an incredible claim or statement to make about another person. Sinless – This means never doing anything wrong; Never saying anything wrong; Never thinking anything wrong. The state of sinlessness is equivalent to perfection. No one would ever claim they are perfect, and many argue the legality, mentality, and philosophy of being sinless. The standard for sinlessness and perfection is the upholding of God’s Holy law. None of us have done this. Jesus Christ did. What’s more, Christ’s perfection made Him the only acceptable person qualified to stand before the living God and enter Heaven by His works…

…The relationships at church are not the same as those at work, or at the ball field, or in school room setting. See: At work, on a team, or in school you get what you deserve. There are rules, expectations, and requirements and if they are not met you are fired, benched, or failed. This is not what happens in Christian fellowship. Church relationships are welded together by Jesus Christ. And none of us get what we deserve!! Sure, some church relationships are deeper and thicker than others, but all are grounded and united by a common faith in Jesus Christ. Within our church relationships we tell each other the truth, sometimes painful truths, and we love one another. The hardest thing about church relationships is also the greatest thing about church relationships – We hurt together. This is why we need church. Your church family provides encouragement, love, and support for whatever the world is putting you through…

…This coming Lord’s Day we begin a new sermon series. The series title is “Meet the Messiah”, and we will walk through the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew was written for us by a man who was called away from his entire life and living by Jesus Christ with two words, “Follow me.” This truth must not be overlooked. Please ponder this for a few moments. Matthew left everything for Jesus Christ with two words. We need to read, study, and duplicate what Matthew did for Jesus Christ. Matthew’s gospel did two incredible things for the Jewish brethren of his day, and for all Christians of our day. First, Matthew connected the Old Testament to the New Testament. Second, Matthew proved Jesus Christ is The Messiah. The Messiah was for every person of Jewish decent, God’s greatest promise and their greatest expectation. Remember the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:25 NLT), “When He (Messiah) comes, He will explain everything to us.” Imagine waiting, really waiting for the person who would, “Explain everything.” Matthew tells us who this person is – The Messiah is Jesus Christ…

…On 04/21/2024, we return to our “normal” schedule, and will begin a new sermon series called, “Meet the Messiah”. The Lord will walk us through the Gospel of Matthew. Your pastor loves a new sermon series as change is always good, yet nothing ever changes in God’s Holy Word. But it is incredible how new and illuminating God’s word is every time we read it. We all are likely very familiar with Matthew’s Gospel and God will certainly show us all something we have never “seen” before. Matthew successfully proved Jesus Christ to be THE Messiah to all his Jewish brethren. Today, Matthew with equal success tells us something much better and vastly more personal: Jesus Christ is OUR Messiah. Jesus Christ is YOUR Messiah. Jesus Christ is MY Messiah…

…We shared a wonderful Easter Sunday. God provided a wonderful congregation with guests from far away who were home visiting family. There were also those who came to celebrate Easter. If there was someone who you have not seen in a while, reach out to them and invite them back. Bethel Baptist is always open, and we always welcome all into the Lord’s house.

This Sunday, Heidi and I will be away for our worship time. We have the opportunity to visit our daughter and son-in-law in Atlanta. And there happen to be two grandchildren who will also be in Atlanta with their parents. We will visit with them too. We will have a blessed time but will miss you all. Pray for us as we travel and return home on the first of the week...