Bethany Baptist Church, Lubbock, TX

There isn’t a day that goes by when we aren’t tempted in some way. Temptation takes many forms. We’re tempted to lie. Tempted to take what isn’t ours. Tempted to gossip, to hold a grudge, to overeat, to indulge in lust, to manipulate others, or to withhold from God what rightly belongs to Him. But here’s the deeper issue: we often don’t treat temptation as something to resist—we treat it as someth...

As we return to our text in Luke 16, Jesus invites us to overhear eternity—two men, two deaths, two destinies. Today, our focus is on Heaven. In plain terms: Heaven is even better than you imagine. It’s not a myth, not a wish, and not a vague dream. It is a real place, prepared for a real people, purchased by a real Savior.

Galatians 6:7: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” You reap what you sow; You reap whether you want to or not; You reap later than you sow; & You reap more than you sow.

For decades, Jeremiah had preached God’s warning: “Repent, turn from sin, or this city will fall!” Yet the people refused to believe. King Zedekiah thought he could delay judgment, politicians thought they could negotiate peace, and the people assumed God would never allow Jerusalem to fall. But Jerusalem burned, because the people ignored God’s Word. Yet in the midst of judgment, God preserved a...

In the book of James, we find a bold call to believers: live out your faith with conviction. His pressing question still hits home today—“If you claim to believe, why do you live as if you don’t?” James demands a faith that transforms daily life, not just beliefs. Writing to Jewish Christians facing fierce persecution—hated by Gentiles for being Jews and by Jews for following Christ—he doesn’t off...

This morning, we’re going to consider one of the most important questions anyone could ever ask: “What happens one minute after we die?” It’s not a question we often dwell on, but it’s one we all must face. The Bible is not silent on this subject—it speaks with clarity, authority, and urgency. Every heartbeat brings us one moment closer to eternity. We often live as though time is unlimited, but S...

When the Lord established the church, He envisioned a unified body of believers—all working together with one message about one Savior. There’s power when homes, churches, and ministries are aligned for the gospel. But wherever there’s potential for impact, there’s also opposition. The enemy works hard to divide what God has joined. That’s why this message matters—because sometimes the very people...

When most people think about the book of Jonah, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The big fish that swallowed Jonah, of course! But guess what — it’s not about the fish! Even though Jonah is listed among the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament, there’s actually no real prophecy in the book. Instead, it’s all about Jonah and his relationship with God. We see a prophet reluctant to carry ou...

Over the years, a deeply troubling pattern has emerged: some of the most confusing and contradictory preaching often takes place at funerals. In the very moments when people are most in need of hope, truth, and clarity, they’re instead met with vague ideas, mixed messages, and even unbiblical claims. If the voices behind the pulpit seem uncertain about eternity, how much more confused must the wor...

The fact that the lack of peace is so pervasive is nothing new. We can trace it all the way back to the book of Genesis. Humans have been at war with God ever since Adam and Eve sinned. We have had strife in the home and every other possible realm up till now. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for thy shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) The Bible is a book of peace as the word “peace”...

Before Babylon conquered Jerusalem, God warned His people through prophets like Isaiah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah. But Judah ignored the warnings. Idolatry, injustice, and empty religion filled the land, so judgment came in three waves over nineteen years. In the first, Babylon took the temple treasures and the best young men—including Daniel. Surrounded by compromise, Daniel chose to stan...

“...He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44) In a world overflowing with religious ideas, spiritual sounding phrases, and groups that appear “Christian” on the surface, it can be hard to know what's truly grounded in God’s Word. Many belief...

We’ve all seen it—lives that seem too far gone, hearts too hardened, and situations too broken. But the truth is, God is always at work, even in the messiest of stories. Again and again, He steps into the darkest places and brings light, often in ways we never expect. And many times, He does it through someone who simply chooses to care. Someone who shows compassion when it’s not easy, not conveni...

In life, we all face moments when our faith is put to the test—not in comfort, but in the heat of pressure, temptation, and opposition. It’s in those fiery moments that what we truly believe is revealed. Will we compromise to avoid the heat, or will we stand firm, even if it costs us? Tonight, we’re looking at three young men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego —who refused to bow, even when threatene...

The story of Jeremiah in chapter 38 is a powerful testimony to the cost of speaking God’s truth in a world that does not want to hear it. Rejected, persecuted, and nearly left to die in a muddy cistern, Jeremiah’s experience mirrors the suffering of Christ and the trials of faithful believers in every age. Though his message was unpopular, it was true—and because it was true, it could not be silen...

God created us with a need for relational connection, and marriage is the pinnacle of fulfilling that need. But it requires that we communicate with one another in godly, positive, and kind ways. It requires that we purposefully drive both directions on the communication highway—listening and speaking into one another’s hearts. A relationship with poor communication is like a traffic jam. You’re n...