First Baptist Church of Jackson, Michigan - Sermons

This Week: The Story Doesn’t End Here For 187 years, this church has been a place of worship, community, and calling. This Sunday, we gather for one final service. And we ask: what does it mean to believe the story isn’t over? Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what matters most. Over the next 16 weeks, we will walk through the Gospel of Ma...

This Week: Beyond What We Can Sort Out Some questions don’t have clean answers. Some lives don’t fit into neat categories. So what does God do with all the unresolved parts of our story? Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what matters most. Over the next 16 weeks, we will walk through the Gospel of Mark, one chapter at a time, listening aga...

This Week: The One Who Showed Up We all want to be faithful when it matters most. But what happens when it feels like it no longer matters at all? This Sunday, we explore the courage to show up anyway. Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what matters most. Over the next 16 weeks, we will walk through the Gospel of Mark, one chapter at a time...

This Week: It Sounded Like the End “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” sounds like the end of hope. But what if it’s only the first line of a song that leads somewhere else? This Easter, discover what happens when you hear it all. Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what matters most. Over the next 16 weeks, we will walk through the...

This Week: Palm Sunday “Hosanna” means “Save us.” But from what? Palm Sunday exposes something we’d rather avoid: we don’t always want the kind of salvation Jesus brings. So what are you really asking God to save you from? Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what matters most. Over the next 16 weeks, we will walk through the Gospel of Mark,...

This Week: What are you watching? Ever find yourself unintentionally listening in on someone else’s conversation? You can learn a lot just by watching people: what they value, what they’re chasing, what they miss. In this week’s passage, Jesus is watching a crowd at the temple. And what he notices challenges everything we assume about generosity, faithfulness, and what actually lasts. Sermon Serie...

This Week: What if your prayers leaked online? If your private prayers were suddenly made public, what would they reveal about what you truly want? In Mark 10, two disciples accidentally expose their deepest ambition—and Jesus uses the moment to redefine what true greatness looks like. Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what matters most. O...

This Week: What Do You Really Want? Most of us don’t struggle with having too little. We struggle with having too much to let go of. Possessions. Security. Plans. Control. In one unforgettable conversation, Jesus challenges a man who thought he had everything; only to reveal the one thing he lacked. Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what m...

This Week: Who Are You Listening To? Everyone has a voice in your ear right now. News. Podcasts. Politics. Fear. Opinions. Some loud. Some subtle. But here’s the real question: Who are you listening to? This Sunday, let heaven interrupt the noise. Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what matters most. Over the next 16 weeks, we will walk thr...

This Week: Dinner in the Dirt Some seasons feel like you’re running on fumes. Not a crisis. Just stretched. A little worn down. In Mark 8, a crowd runs out of food after three days in the wilderness. Instead of sending them away, Jesus tells them to sit down on the ground. What if the place that feels empty is actually where God is about to provide? Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our...

This Week: Why Does It Feel Like God is Far Away When I Need Him Most? If you’ve ever prayed into silence, felt overwhelmed by what’s in front of you, or wondered if heaven sees what you’re facing — you’re not alone. This Sunday, we sit in that question together. Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what matters most. Over the next 16 weeks,...

This Week: Why Is It So Hard to See People Differently? Why is it so hard to see people differently? We’re often quick to decide who people are and slow to notice when they change. In one of the most unsettling stories in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus challenges how we see “the other.” Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what matters most. Over...

This Week: Why Is It So Hard to Hear God? There are seasons when hearing God feels easy and seasons when it feels almost impossible. If you’ve ever wondered why, you’re not alone. This Sunday, we sit with that question together. Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what matters most. Over the next 16 weeks, we will walk through the Gospel of...

This Week: Crazy Like Jesus How do you tell the difference between faithfulness and foolishness? Between courage and recklessness? Join us this Sunday as we read a story where Jesus’ way of life unsettled everyone around him—and asks us what we do when faith doesn’t fit neatly anymore. Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what matters most. O...

This Week: Get Up! It's Time to Go Jesus doesn’t just meet people in church—he follows them home. In Mark 1, a quiet family house turns into a crowded doorway, and then Jesus walks away from it all. This week’s sermon asks a simple question: where is Jesus calling you to get up and go? Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approach our church’s final chapter, we are returning to what matters mos...

This Week: The Beginning of Good News Every good story starts somewhere—but not always at the beginning. Mark’s Gospel opens in the middle of the action, reminding us that faith is something we step into, not something we start from scratch. This Sunday’s message is an invitation to remember who helped shape us—and how we might help shape what comes next. Sermon Series: Mark This Down As we approa...

This Week: New Creation Begins with New Vision We often decide who people are before they’ve finished growing. Paul believed God was still shaping lives, even in broken places. This Sunday, we’re invited to see others—and ourselves—with a little more hope. That’s often where new creation begins. Sermon Series: The Long Labor of Hope The Christmas story didn’t begin in a manger—it began generations...

This Week: So… Where do (spiritual) babies come from? This week, we explore why new life in God isn’t something we cause, control, or complete—and why that’s actually good news. Sermon Series: The Long Labor of Hope The Christmas story didn’t begin in a manger—it began generations earlier with parents who thought their time had passed and prayers that seemed unanswered. This series explores how Go...

This Week: Love Makes a Way In a world that trains us to compete for attention, Elizabeth shows us a different way. Instead of centering herself, she recognizes God at work in Mary—and her encouragement sparks a song of hope. Discover how love can prepare the way forward for others. Sermon Series: The Long Labor of Hope The Christmas story didn’t begin in a manger—it began generations earlier with...

This Week: The Joy of Letting Go What if joy doesn’t come from finally getting what you want—but from letting go of what you’re trying to control? This week, we explore Hannah’s story of longing, surrender, and the surprising joy that comes when we release our grip and trust God with what matters most. Sermon Series: The Long Labor of Hope The Christmas story didn’t begin in a manger—it began gene...

This Week: When God’s Promises Sound Like Jokes Faith isn’t always solemn—sometimes it’s awkward, sarcastic, or full of nervous laughter. Sarah’s story reminds us that God can turn even our cynicism into joy. Join us as we explore what it means when promises sound like jokes. Sermon Series: The Long Labor of Hope The Christmas story didn’t begin in a manger—it began generations earlier with parent...

This Week: Are We Giving Satan Too Much Credit? A lot of Christians blame Satan for everything that goes wrong. Revelation actually does the same thing…but not the way you think. In the end, the text shows how small the monster really is compared to the God who saves. Sermon Series: Monsters and Miracles The Bible isn’t short on monsters: sea dragons, demons, locust swarms, even kings who lose the...

This Week: When God Seems to Opens the Abyss What do you do when life feels like the abyss just opened beneath your feet? This week, we’re diving into one of Revelation’s strangest chapters—and finding hope even when the monsters rise. Sermon Series: Monsters and Miracles The Bible isn’t short on monsters: sea dragons, demons, locust swarms, even kings who lose their humanity, but behind every ter...

This Week: When the Holy Becomes Hollow What happens when the place meant to heal us… ends up hurting us instead? This week we’re talking about church hurt — and what happens when the holy becomes hollow. Sermon Series: Monsters and Miracles The Bible isn’t short on monsters: sea dragons, demons, locust swarms, even kings who lose their humanity, but behind every terrifying image is a deeper truth...

This Week: Will God Give Up on Me? A demon haunts a bride. A blind man prays for death. A fish attacks a traveler. And somehow, out of all that chaos, God weaves a miracle of love. This Sunday, we’re asking a question we’re afraid to ask: Will God give up on me? Sermon Series: Monsters and Miracles The Bible isn’t short on monsters: sea dragons, demons, locust swarms, even kings who lose their hum...