First Baptist Blowing Rock

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence we examine the roots and background of our founding as a nation and why that still matters to Christians and the church in 2026. What are our responsibilities and obligations to uphold, treasure, share and pass along these founding principles and values to the next generation and how can we most effetely do tha...

What does Peter mean when he quotes Leviticus in saying, "Be Holy for I am Holy"? Is it something that God does for us, or something we do for ourselves? In our passage from Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul says that it is God's will that we all be sanctified and that living Holy lives pleases God but what does that look like in a practical sense ? In this message we answer all of th...

The Apostle Paul was a wonderful encourager to all of those who supported and benefited from his ministry and message and nowhere is that more evident than in his letter to the churches. Since Thessalonians is one of his first letters, it reveals why and how he saw encouragement to be a natural outflow of a Spirit filled and transformed heart. Join us to discover how we can become encouragers and...

How do we respond when its seems like everything we try to do, or feel like God is leading us to do, meets a brick wall? In our message today we will examine how the Apostle Paul dealt with Satan when he blocked him from gong back to visit the young believers at Thessalonika. Too many times we simply give up when the obstacles we face might be there to help us develop and grow in our faith and rel...

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encourages Christians to "store up treasures in heaven" as opposed to storing them up on earth. What are these treasures and how can we store them up? Why does it matter if we are already in Heaven? You might have heard someone talk about getting a "crown" in heaven, or even a jewell in their heavenly crown - are those the same things as what J...

The Apostle Paul is encouraging the young Christians at Thessaloniki as they face opposition and even persecution for their faith. Through this encouragement he makes some profound statements of truth about the message he has been preaching when he was among them. He declares that the gospel is not something put together by men or based on worldly philosophy but rather the actual voice of God. Thi...

As we celebrate mothers, I wanted to look at a mother from the gospels who gets a bad rap from many readers and see if we could not redeem her reputation. Join us as we look at the mom of James and John and her encounter with Jesus that reveals her heart and passion for her boys and a lesson for all mothers.  From Matthew 20:20-24 Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to...

What does it really mean to be a part of a church family? Why do we even call it a family, and who gets to be a part of it? Are their requirements and expectations? In this message we look as the Apostle Paul shares his heart with the Thessalonians about his passion for serving them and what he expects from them. In doing so, we catch a glimpse of what it means to be a part of God's family an...

     All of us have hopes, dreams and goals for our children and grandchildren; be a good person, be successful, do well in school, make and have friends. As they get older those goals grow more specific; get into a certain college, choose a career, be a success in athletics. All worthy and valuable goals; but what about spiritual goals? Most people never think about it in those terms and we can s...

All of us struggle with peer pressure or seeking the approval of others. It is part of our human nature - we want people to like us. What happens when that "want" becomes a "need" that we use as validation and identity? What happens when our desire to please others interferes with our desire to please and serve God? In our study from Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul deals with t...

When you look at the Apostle Paul's initial visit to Macedonia on his Second Missionary Journey it might be easy to label his efforts a failure. He was whipped, beaten and jailed in his first town Philippi. He was forced into hiding and snuck out of town in the middle of the night in Thessaloniki. He had to flee Berea in front of another angry mob and ended up in Athens. Might seem like a fai...

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...