First Baptist Blowing Rock

In today's culture we once again find the idea of being merciful or offering mercy to be politicized and considered a weakness - the same was true in the 1st Century during the life of Jesus Christ. That is one of the reasons that the "Good Samaritan"s " actions in the parable in Luke 10 are considered controversial. It was much easier then and now to stay disengaged and not ge...

Here we examine what it really means to "Hunger and Thirsty for Righteousness" by breaking down what each word means and what that means for our Christian walk. Are we really hungry for the presence of God or are we hungry for what God can do for us, or for a religious experience, or does it only happen during tragedies and struggles? If we are ever going to thrive living out "Secon...

When you think of the most powerful people on earth, meekness is not one of the character attributes we would usually use to describe them. Yet when Jesus is listing character traits that a Christ Follower will need to live and operate in the second mile, one of the most important is meekness. Not only is it the practical application when we seek to live the first two traits he has mentioned - it...

At the start of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus follows up his call for those who want to follow him to be "poor in spirit" to promise for those who mourn that they will be comforted. It is easy to read this as meaning "mourn" in a sense of our emotional response to facing death, sickness or tragedy, and there are plenty of those promises in the New Testament, but that is not wh...

When we realize how difficult it is for us to follow Jesus by living in the second mile, we come to understand it is only through the help and power of the Holy Spirit that we might accomplish it. It is easy to live in the first mile in our own strength, understanding, talents and ability - but for "second mile people" it requires a total dependence on the Holy Spirit. Even that can be d...

As we start this new sermon series, we will be exploring what Jesus meant in Matthew 5:41 when he encourages his followers to "go the second mile" and what that might look lived out in our everyday lives. We explore the context and history related to the passage as well as examining how it fits into the overall theme of the Sermon on the Mount. This new series will be looking at the Beat...

We close out our sermon series on those who had encounters with Jesus with probably the most relatable character in our entire series. He is the only one who was already a Christian and had probably known Jesus and followed him in his early ministry, but our encounter takes place much later while he is living in Damascus and Jesus comes to him while he is praying. Jesus ask Annanias to complete wh...

In this encounter with Jesus, we look outside of the Gospels for the first time to the book of Acts as we meet Saul the Pharisee. Introduced to us at the murder/stoning of Stephen, one of the first deacons in the new Jerusalem church, by the Pharisees and religious leaders. We discover that when it comes to opposing, persecuting and pursuing the new Christian converts, Saul is unmatched. With the...

In this encounter with Jesus, we look at the dinner party thrown by Simon the Pharisee that was crashed by an unnamed "sinful woman" with an alabaster jar full of perfume. While it is actually two encounters, both reveal something about worship that many "seasoned" Christians lose sight of our take for granted. As we discuss this encounter, we will look at both our personal and...

In this message Pastor Rusty starts by offering some thoughts and reflections on the murder of Charlie Kirk and is aftereffects. He also ties in this assassination and several other troubling current events to the Encounter that Jesus had with the man born blind and the question of "Why". Why does God allow this kind of evil to run free? Why would God allow such evil to happen to good pe...

Any time a Christians mentions the dangers and consequences of living a sinful lifestyle, it doesn't take long to hear someone proclaim Matthew 7:1, "Judge not least you be judged" or John 8:7 "You without sin cast the first stone." They try to use these versus to silent their critics or anyone who doesn't celebrate their life choices. In this message we examine John...

When discussing his desire to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, President Trump stated that he hoped that by securing a lasting peace, he could gain a spot in Heaven.  While it is easy to point out how this view does not line up with scripture, the Presidents view is shared by almost half of all those who claim to be Christian and who attend churches. This gives us a perfect opportunity to...

In this message we examine the importance of not just "feeling thankful" but rather the call on our lives to "be thankful" and how that looks in our everyday lives. We unpack how expressing our gratitude to both God and others can transform our perspective as well as our hearts. We discuss the foundation of a thankful heart - humility and contentment as well as the greatest ene...

In this follow up to last week's message we examine the aftershocks of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan Woman at the well in John 4. We look at the disciple's response to the encounter and how that relates to the modern American church. We also break down what Jesus meant when he declared that the type of worshipers that God desires worship Him in Spirit and Truth. John 4:19-26,...

In this message we explore Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan Women at the Well. Why did the Jewish people despise the Samaritans and why does the Gospel of John say that Jesus "had to go" to Samaria when most Jewish people would go around it? Who was this woman and why was it important that Jesus speak with her? Listen in as we unpack those questions and find some commonality with...

In this message we examine Jesus' encounter with the money changers in the outer courts of the temple. Why was Jesus so angry and what can it tell us about the modern church? We look at the background to the encounter and how Jesus responded to the religious leaders to discern some priorities for a modern church Jesus might attend. From Matthew 21:12-17.  #11 in the sermon series Thank you fo...

In this message we examine the importance, power and responsibilities of freedom as Americans and followers of Jesus Christ. If we celebrate our freedoms as Americans, how much more should we be living out and celebrating our spiritual freedoms as Christians. Sadly, most in the church don't understand what it means to be spiritually free and don't understand what they have been set free...

What are the expectations that Jesus placed on those wanting to follow him and how does that relate to His expectations for you and me? In this message we examine 3 people who encountered Jesus all with the intention of following him, yet they all walked away in the end. From Luke 9:57-62. Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to subscribe to our page and share with othe...

Our encounter with Jesus this week involves the well know story of Zaccheaus the chief tax collector. Not only do we examine his encounter with Jesus that shocked those around them, but we also look at Zack's transformation and what that might mean for our lives. We also discuss how the parable of the Lost Sheep where the Shepherd leaves the 99 to go find the one that was lost relates to Jesu...

In this Father's Day message and in keeping with our Sermon series, we examine an encounter that a desperate dad and "royal official" had with Jesus. Through this story, we examine the characteristics of a dad who transforms his home and family's spiritual legacy by his approach and response to Jesus. This story gives us some insight into the types of dads the world needs today...

This week we look at the encounter Jesus had with who we call the "Gadarian Demoniac", which might be a misnomer since he might not have even been from Gadara. We examine the background of the encounter and how the area that was given to the Tribe of Gad where the encounter takes place might have been the perfect place for demonic activity and why. We also look at how demonic activity ca...

Back in the 1980's and 90's there was a theological debate in the evangelical community on whether someone could accept Jesus as Savior (forgiven, redeemed, eternal security) and not accept him as Lord (submission and surrender). Some of that still lingers today in the way we parse out what it means to be a genuine follower of Christ and seem to use those two terms as if our response to...

In this Mother's Day message, we discuss a desperate mother who seeks Jesus out for help with her demon possessed daughter and gets a surprising response. Many people misunderstand Jesus's response in seemingly calling her a "dog" and get sidetracked on the real power of the story - the persistent faith of a determined mother. By the end of the encounter, Jesus calls her a &quo...

In this message we examine the four men who were so intent on getting their paralyzed friend to Jesus that they ripped open the roof of the house and dropped him through. We discuss which group that we might identify with in this story (crowd, critics, companions) and how that reflects on our sense of urgency or complacency as it relates to our obedience to God's Word and His Will. From Mark...

We kick off a new sermon series based on the description given to John and Peter by the religious leaders in Act 4:13 "They were ordinary and unschooled men but they were astonished and took note that they had been with Jesus.". This new series will look at every day, ordinary individuals who encountered Jesus and how it changed or impacted their lives. We kick the series off by looking...