First Baptist Church of Orange Park - Sermon Audio

Christians are to be imitators of God, as little children. This spiritual game of "Simon Says" is more than an encouragement. It's a command. As parents follow Christ, it is wise to remember that our children (and for those who are not parents - all whom we influence) are watching and imitating us as well. We'd be wise to be as Paul when he told the church to "Imitate me as I follow Christ."

A proverb is not a promise, but sometimes as believers we try to make it so. This leads to a form of prosperity gospel that exchanges an itemized "faith" for healing and wealth (a false gospel that is popular in the world) for an itemized "obedience" that seeks to make God do things for us. Parents have struggled with the proverb focused on training up a child, hoping that it is a promise. Wise wo...

The third in our Equipping for Life series focusing on the passing on of spiritual stories and the greatness of our God to the next generation.

The second sermon in our "Equipping for Life" series focusing on the Shema and the command to love God and teach the next generation well.

This sermon begins our series titled "Equipping for Life" and was preached by Pastor David Tarkington at the FBC Orange Park Campus. This message introduces the Family Equipping Model of discipleship we are implementing at all First Family Network churches and campuses.

Dave Paxton preaches on the cleansing of the Temple at our FBC Orange Park campus.

James and John's mother comes to Jesus, with her boys, seeking good seats for them when he was to bring his kingdom. Yet, she had no idea what she had asked and Jesus made sure she knew that. This passage also shows how division occurs within families, churches, and other groups.

Most of us have been reading the gospel accounts in scripture the wrong way. We've been reading these accounts as we read the epistles, and in doing so, we miss the deeper themes of the gospel. This section of chapter 20 is part of an overarching theme of perceived fairness that we carry with us. Christ here shares the most unfair story to remind us of His grace and mercy.

Everyone holds to a fairness doctrine, and this one has nothing to do with politics, radio, or the FCC. We all live by a set of rules of what we deem to be fair or unfair and while many claim that people should be treated fairly, it often doesn't really seem to matter until one is perceived to be treated unfairly personally. Yet, God's has a different take on fairness.

God's promise to his children is eternal presence where all has been made new.

The promise to God's people through his prophet Isaiah was that a virgin would give birth to a son and his name would be Immanuel. Matthew addressed this ancient prophecy regarding the birth of Christ, cementing the truth that Jesus is "God with us" - the Son of God and God the Son.

When Joshua was given the leadership role of the Israelites, following the death of Moses, God continually instructed and and encouraged him to "be strong and courageous." Living for God is not passive and requires strength. it requires more than confidence. It requires courage. Alone, we never have enough, but God alone provides that which we lack. All for his glory and our good.

Fear of the future can be debilitating. We are all just wanting more information. Yet, we live in an information-saturated world. We have more accessible data than any previous generation and fear still seems to reign. What is the Christian response to personal fear and worry? In this message, Pastor David looks to God's promise of presence for his people in the Old Testament and the promise made...

God promises his presence. This is the greatest gift to those who have the right to be called children of God. In Genesis 28, Jacob dreams of a ladder that has been interpreted by many to be a story of how to get from earth to heaven. Yet, that is not what this dream is about. There's much more here than most get at first read.

The rich young ruler came to Jesus with a question "What must I do to be saved?" Jesus answered clearly, but upon revealing the idolatry at work within this man, he (the man) walked away from Jesus. He missed the opportunity of a lifetime. No, he missed the opportunity of an eternity...and so many others have and continue to do as well.

Jesus told his disciples to let the children come to him in the midst of a deep teaching on some non-kid-friendly topics. What was the point of this? Well, it was not a kid's sermon. It was not a "Gospel Jr" message. Yet, there is a deep message for all in these three verses in Matthew 19.

Matthew 19:1-12 There is no one in our community, much less our churches, , who has not been impacted by divorce. Whether a family member, co-worker, friend, or self, divorce impacts all. It becomes a difficult subject in church because so many, even in the church, have walked back up the aisle to undo the relationship that was solidified after walking down an aisle. The biblical marriage union, b...

What is biblical forgiveness? Are we to forgive everyone unconditionally? Is that what God does? What about living with a WWJD attitude? Is that good? In this message Pastor David explores the biblical teaching on forgiveness while debunking some of the cultural and even "church" versions of forgiveness that are being propagated today.

Church discipline is something that Christians often just don't want to address For some, it's the fear that too much focus on discipline leads to legalism. For others, it's a fear of being judgmental. Both extremes are sinful. Jesus, in Matthew 18, gives step-by-step instructions for Christians and his church regarding holy, redemptive discipline within the body.

Once a year, all the campuses and ministries of First Family gather at our First Baptist Church of Orange Park campus for a time of worship and celebration. It's a time to focus on where we have been, while looking forward to where God is calling.

First, Jesus refers to the roles of angels. This has been confused by so many cultural and historical teachings. Yet, it is vital that we go to Scripture for our proof-texts and do not add nor take away. Then, the message about the lost sheep which hits very close to home when we realize that every church (ours included) has dropped the ball when it comes to connecting and reaching out to those wh...

When Jesus' disciples were arguing about the discipleship pecking order of importance, Jesus used a small child to illustrate the way a person not only enters the Kingdom of heaven, but walks faithfully. The child-like faith leading to repentance, as opposed to childish faith, is key.

Pastor Andres Lavanderos, campus pastor for The Creek Church, preached at our FBC Orange Park Campus on September 24, 2017. His message is from the letter to the Colossian church.

A distraught man brings his disabled son to Jesus' disciples with hope in his eyes and a desire to see the boy healed. Yet, that hope is dashed when the disciples are unable to help. The man then goes directly to Jesus and the boy is healed. What is it that kept the disciples from doing what Christ empowered them to do? The same thing that keeps us from living as He desires.

We all like winners. We like the home-field advantage. So, when Jesus tells his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, be killed, and then rise again, they don't understand. That, to them, seems like a loss. Why leave Galilee? Yet, Jesus makes it clear. In order to win, you must first lose. In order to live, you must first die. This is what it means to carry your cross and live like Jesus.