First Baptist Blowing Rock

As we celebrate Easter, we discuss what "Silent Saturday" must have been like for those early followers of Jesus. Imagine the pain, struggle, suffering and utter hopelessness that must have filled their hearts after watching Jesus be tortured and killed on the Cross. We tend to look back at Saturday through the lens of Sunday and the resurrection, we know how the story ends - but they di...

This is the message Pastor Rusty gave to prepare for Communion on Palm Sunday 2026. It includes the presentation of the bread and drink. From 2nd Samuel 9:1-13. Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to subscribe to our page and share with others.  Join us for our weekly worship online at www.firstbaptistblowingrock.com or our Youtube page .  Contact us at office@firstbap...

In 1st Thessalonians 1:7 the Apostle Paul calls the Thessalonica Church a "model" church. As a new church with recent converts, what were they doing that led him to describe them this way and what does "model" mean? This message unpacks not only the term but the characteristics that made them an example for others to follow. The challenge for us as individual Christians and as...

In this introduction to our new sermon series from 1st and 2nd Thessalonians we look at the context of the Apostle Paul's visit to Thessaloniki from Acts 17 and how that relates to the letter. As one of the oldest books in the New Testament, and Paul's first letter to any church, we can see the building pattern and themes that will be prevalent in all of his letters. As he encourages and...

This is the short Pastoral Prayer time before the message "Three Dangers Facing the Church in 2026" where Pastor Rusty sets the stage for the message but also offers a warning about judgement that could befall the American Church if we do not get serious about contending for the faith. From Matthew 11:20-24. Please listen to the following podcast to get the full understanding of this mes...

In this message, Pastor Rusty identifies and breaks down the three greatest dangers facing the church in the coming year and to follow. Jude 3 tells us that one of our responsibilities as Christians is to "contend for the faith" yet so many in the church think that must be someone else's job and as we have grown comfortable, the world continues to press in and divide, discredit and...

       In this message we examine what its means to be part of a "Baptist" church. What we believe and why and what makes us distinctive from other denominations and groups. We look at church history from the early church in Acts through the protestant reformation to the founding of the first "Baptist" separatist. We examine the doctrines and theology that form, guided and dire...

In this message we examine the state of families and marriages in American today and discuss the importance of having a marriage based on a Biblical worldview. We look at the foundation of a Biblical Marriage and talk about why marriages dissolve, crumble and fall apart so quickly in today's culture and what we can do to strengthen, restore and redeem marriage. We also examine the 5 most prom...

In this message we examine the purpose statement for First Baptist Church of Blowing Rock. We discuss what people should be looking for in a church family and how we should fit into that search. We describe and discuss what our goal is as a local body of Christ and how every member has a role to play in helping us to accomplish those goals. From Colossians 3:11-17. Thank you for listening to our p...

We wrap up our series on living in the second mile by looking at the second metaphor that Jesus uses to describe his follower - Light. What did he mean by calling us light and how does that impact not just our own personal lives but the influence we have on others? Join us as we take a deep dive on the importance of light in our lives and how that translates to our everyday spiritual lives and our...

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus calls his followers "Salt". Of all the metaphors you could think of to describe Christians, salt does not sound like much of a compliment. What did he mean by describing Christians as salt and how does that relate to the second Mile? Join us to uncover why "salt" fit perfectly when describing the church and what can happen when a Christian or church loses...

While most Christians strive to actively pursue all of the characteristics we have discussed for living in the second mile from Jesus's teachings on the Beatitudes, there is one that we actively avoid - persecution for being a follower of Jesus. Around the world today in places like Nigeria and Syria, Christians are not only facing terror and persecution for following Jesus, many are facing d...

The Bible talks a lot about purity and being pure at heart but what does that mean? Is that something that God does for us or do we play a role in it - or both? Join us for this message on another characteristic that is evident in the lives of those who want to live in the second mile as Christians. We explore the confusion behind what it means to be "justified" and "sanctified&quot...

When do we most resemble Jesus? When do our actions and behaviors cause others to see Jesus in us the most? While Jesus tells us that the world will know we are His disciples "by our love", in Matthew 5, he identifies another characteristic that allows us to be most recognizable as Children of God. This morning we look at what does it really mean to experience "the peace that passes...

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...