Berean Baptist Church - Portage, MI - Sunday Sermons

1 Chronicles 29:10-19 Pastor Bill Abernathy David wanted to build God’s temple, but God said “no.” David didn’t become bitter. Instead he prepared for Solomon to build it. In 1 Chronicles 28-29 David’s heart for God is revealed. Let’s just examine a small piece of those chapters and notice what David teaches us about eternal investments.

Joshua 24:28-33 Pastor Bill Abernathy If Joshua wrote the book that bears his name, he did not write these last verses of it. Here the author reflects on the impact of the life of Joshua – even in the words God guides him to use about Joshua. Let’s think about how Joshua left a legacy and how we can, too.

1 Corinthians 3:5-15 Pastor Josh Greiner

1 Peter 5:1-7 Pastor Bill Abernathy Everything rises and falls on leadership. Thus, this question is critical for all of us, and Peter, while not giving us a specific name, does help us see who he MUST be. Three terms are used for him. These are NOT different offices, but three roles of a pastor.

Matthew 25:14-30 Pastor Ryan Bump

Joshua 24:1-28 Pastor Bill Abernathy We often give attention to the “last words” of people. In these verses the great warrior Joshua gathers Israel together at Shechem (24:1) and addresses them for the final time. His theme is God’s grace and 2 necessary responses to it.

Joshua 23:1-16 Pastor Bill Abernathy The book of Joshua and the life of Joshua are hurrying toward a conclusion. Joshua addresses the leaders of his nation as an aging patriarch (23:1-2), and he reminds them (and us)….

Joshua 22:10-34 Pastor Bill Abernathy As the book of Joshua winds down, a crisis pops up. The division that was hinted at earlier in chapter 22 now threatens to explode into full-blown civil war. Sometimes families, workplaces and even churches experience those kinds of issues, so let’s learn relevant truths from an ancient situation.

Joshua 22:1-10 Pastor Bill Abernathy What would you think of a sports team that was content with always being 2nd? What would that say about their level of commitment? But how is our level of spiritual commitment? These verses allow us to evaluate ourselves.

Joshua 20-21 Pastor Bill Abernathy Israel is in the Promised Land. Now some of the logistical work God and Moses spoke of in the past needs to be put into place, including the giving of cities to the Levites and the establishment of some of those cities as places of refuge. Once again, verses that seem mundane to us can teach us important truths about God.

Joshua 14: 6-15; 15:13-19 (Numbers 13-14) Pastor Bill Abernathy Father’s Dad seems like a good day to think about challenges – and a man who conquered them. Caleb demonstrates the positive responses to God’s grace that we saw last week. Let’s look at these scenes from his life and notice how he conquered challenges.

Joshua 13-19 Pastor Bill Abernathy Joshua’s military campaigns are over, but there is still work to be done – dividing the land. Sometimes we see these chapters as repetitive and unnecessary, but God put them in His Word to teach us. God faithfully kept His promise to give the land. Now, how will Israel respond? How will we respond to God’s grace?

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 Pastor Ryan Bump We all have areas in our lives that we feel good about. Strengths that can make us confident. Do we still need to grow in our strengths? A life devoted to God will always take effort.

James 4:13-17 Kelly Fath, Pastor of Adult Ministries & Missions West Cannon Baptist Church, Belmont, MI

Luke 23:32, 39-43 Pastor Steve Nichols To learn more about God’s great love and grace given to us through Jesus, we turn to the Scriptural account of those who were crucified with Him. There were three crosses on that day…

1 Peter 5:10-14 Pastor Bill Abernathy Peter and the recipients of his letter knew what it was like to be under pressure; to feel like life was overwhelming them. Perhaps you feel that way today. As Peter closes his letter he zeroes in on how moms and all of us who experience the pressure of life can handle it in a godly way.

Joshua 11-12 Pastor Bill Abernathy The book of Joshua now moves rapidly in summing up the conquest of the land. Israel has fought in the central highlands and the southern regions of Canaan. Now they turn their attention north, and they face an enormous army, but as they take on their task, they teach us…

Joshua 9:22 - 10:43 Pastor Bill Abernathy Last week we observed Joshua and Israel fail in a major way. The good news is that God is greater than our failures. As the story of Israel and the Gibeonites continues to unfold, we see our gracious God at work redeeming our failures.

Joshua 9:1-18 Pastor Bill Abernathy As we resume our study of Joshua, Israel has just come off a huge spiritual high in chapter 8 – a victory at Ai and a covenant renewal ceremony. Opposition is rising and battles are ahead, but surely they can sail on to victory. Or maybe not. In this chapter they “drop the ball,” and in so doing warn us…

Guest Speaker: Doug Crawford, Executive Director - Bridge Fellowship

Luke 23:49-24:12 Pastor Bill Abernathy The journey from Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday was brief in time, but astounding in the transformation of various people from loss to joy

Joshua 8 Pastor Bill Abernathy Achan’s sin left Israel reeling, but the sin was dealt with. Now what?! Often, even after we repent, we tend to wallow in our failure and defeat, but that is not God’s plan for us.

Joshua 7 Pastor Bill Abernathy Israel’s emotional high after Jericho came crashing down almost as quickly as Jericho’s walls. In a stunning upset, they lost the battle at Ai because Achan sinned. This chapter confronts us with counter-cultural realities about our sins.

Joshua 6 Pastor Bill Abernathy When we think of Jericho, we think of the walls falling. Even my title mentions the walls, but the real focus of the chapter is on the One who is bringing down the walls. The story reminds us about God and our response to Him