First Baptist Church - Troy, TX - Audio

This message introduces the book of Esther by highlighting its central theme: the providence of God. His sovereign hand is evident in every event, quietly guiding history to accomplish His purposes and protect His people. The sermon reviews Israel's covenant with God, their rebellion, exile in Babylon, and God's faithfulness in keeping His promises of both judgment and restoration. We meet the key...

This sermon from Deuteronomy 6 reminds fathers and families that the greatest investment they can make is wholehearted devotion to God and the spiritual leadership of the next generation. Moses gives six directives: make obedience to God’s Word a priority, love God with all your heart, diligently teach His truth to your children, worship Him alone, submit to His authority, and remember His faithfu...

This sermon explores the biblical qualifications for pastors, elders, and bishops in light of a recent Southern Baptist Convention amendment concerning pastoral leadership. Rather than focusing on cultural trends or public debate, the message encourages believers to ask a simple question: “What does the Bible say?” Looking primarily at 1 Timothy 2–3, the sermon explains that God has created men an...

Many drift through life wondering what their purpose is. God created you on purpose and for a purpose (Jeremiah 29:11). There are at least 5 reasons that you have been created. You were created to be a part of God's family – you were adopted! You were created to be part of a local church family. You were also created to become like Christ and created to serve God. One of the ways to serve God is t...

Hebrews 1:1–4 reminds us that God has not remained distant or silent. Throughout history, He revealed Himself through creation, prophets, visions, miracles, and His written Word. But His greatest revelation came when He spoke through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the final and complete revelation of God—the heir of all things, the Creator of the world, the radiance of God's glory, and the exact...

In Psalm 19:7–14, David describes Scripture as perfect, trustworthy, pure, and life-giving. God’s Word restores and directs our lives, gives wisdom to the inexperienced, brings joy to the heart, and shines light on the path we should walk. Because the Bible reflects God’s holy character, it is completely reliable and morally pure. The sermon emphasizes that God’s Word is more valuable than gold an...

This is our final podcast on “losing heart”. We will start out by summing up what we have seen so far about what causes a loss of heart and what feelings go along with the loss of heart. How does a person avoid losing heart – how can a person guard against this? And, how can a person find his heart again? And finally, how you can help people who seem to be losing heart – what can you do for them?

God reveals Himself to all people through creation. Psalm 19 describes the heavens continually declaring God’s glory, power, and greatness without words, leaving evidence of Him everywhere on earth. Romans 1 teaches that people suppress this truth, rejecting both creation’s testimony and the Gospel. The sermon warns that unbelief leads to spiritual darkness and idolatry—worshiping created things i...

Today we will look at some additional verses on losing heart and some examples of people in the Bible who lost heart. What situations were those people facing? How did God help them through those times when all they really wanted to do was give up? 

In our last podcast, we looked at several verses dealing with loss of heart and a few of the causes of this condition. God encourages us to look at our circumstances from His point of view and not to respond to those circumstances like the world would. God has a different perspective – that is not surprising! Now we will take a look at Hebrews chapter 12 and see what God says about endurance and w...

This message reminds believers that every Christian has been entrusted with a role in God’s kingdom. One day, we will answer for how we used what He gave us, so our goal is to faithfully serve and please Him. God is looking for faithfulness. Each person is uniquely designed with spiritual gifts, given through the Holy Spirit, to serve others and build up the church. When we use these gifts, it rev...

Losing heart – what exactly does this mean? Almost everyone goes through loss of heart at one time or another. It can be caused by a variety of things like extreme grief or situations that are so hard that we do not know how to get out of them or heavy disappointments, just to name a few. The Bible actually has a lot to say about losing heart – what causes it and how to recover from it. In this po...

This sermon from Acts 6:1–7 highlights how church growth created new needs, revealing the importance of spiritual gifts in action. Every role—spiritual leadership and practical service—is vital. When gifted believers step into their roles, needs are met, unity is preserved, and the church flourishes. The passage emphasizes that shared ministry and faithful use of gifts lead to continued growth and...

This sermon emphasizes that every believer has been given a spiritual gift by God and is called to actively use it to serve others. Based on 1 Peter 4:10, Christians are responsible for putting their gifts into action rather than simply understanding them. Jesus modeled servant-hearted living, showing that true greatness comes through serving others. Each gift plays a vital role in building and st...

This sermon explains that Jesus gives every believer spiritual gifts through His finished work on the cross, resurrection, and ascension . In Ephesians 4:11–16, four foundational gifts—apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers—are highlighted as people given to the church to equip believers. Apostles establish and build churches, prophets proclaim God’s truth to strengthen and encourage...

Ephesians 4 marks a shift from what believers are in Christ to how they should live. Paul calls the church to unity marked by humility, patience, and love, reminding us that every believer has a place in Christ’s body. Yet within this unity, each person is uniquely gifted. Jesus gives spiritual gifts to every believer according to His wisdom and purpose. These gifts are connected to Christ’s victo...

This sermon from 1 Corinthians teaches that spiritual gifts reveal God’s purpose for believers and build up the church. Gifts like wisdom and knowledge help Christians understand and apply God’s Word, while faith inspires confident trust in His plans. Discernment enables believers to distinguish truth from error in a world of deception. The message also explains that miraculous gifts—such as heali...

This message continues defining spiritual gifts by focusing on giving, leadership, administration, and mercy. The gift of giving is marked by sincere, joyful generosity that seeks God’s glory and the good of others. Leadership is then explored in two complementary forms: administration, which organizes people and resources to accomplish ministry effectively, and leadership, which provides vision,...

Scripture highlights several foundational spiritual gifts that build up the church. Prophecy in the Bible primarily meant declaring God’s revealed truth. Today this is seen in faithfully proclaiming Scripture. The gift of service/helps works behind the scenes, meeting practical needs with humility and love. Teaching is the Spirit-empowered ability to understand and clearly explain God’s Word so be...

God has given every believer spiritual gifts—divine abilities empowered by the Holy Spirit for effective ministry. Like an unopened gift, these abilities must be discovered and used. Spiritual gifts are part of God’s design for each believer and are meant to serve others and strengthen the church. The journey with our gifts follows three phases: discovery, development, and deployment. We begin by...

God has uniquely designed each believer with a divine purpose and specific spiritual gifts to invest in His kingdom. We are created in His image—our personality, temperament, and abilities are intentional, not accidental—and God equips each of us with spiritual gifts at the moment we trust Christ as Savior. These gifts are supernatural graces given by the Holy Spirit to build up the body of Christ...

The Parable of the Talents teaches that God entrusts every believer with unique gifts, abilities, and resources according to His wisdom. These gifts are not marks of personal value but tools for faithful service in His kingdom. God will one day ask each of us, “What did you do with what I gave you?” The faithful servants immediately invested and multiplied what they were given, demonstrating urgen...

In Hebrews 10:24–25, believers are urged not to neglect gathering together, because fellowship is God’s design for spiritual transformation. Like a gym produces physical change through consistent commitment, the church is where believers grow through shared life in Christ. According to 1 John, our fellowship is first with God through Jesus, then with one another. Jesus prayed for our unity in John...

This sermon explains that true worship is a joyful, humble response to God’s immeasurable worth. Scripture shows that when people encounter God, they respond with reverence, service, and praise. Worship begins by understanding who God is—both transcendent, exalted above creation, and immanent, intimately involved with His people through Christ. Because worship reflects God’s worthiness, the heart...