Josh McLachlan Plevna Sermons

We have the choice to be "Self-righteous" or "God righteous". A self-righteous Pharisee named Simon is rebuked for his self-righteousness, and a repentant sinful woman is blessed because of her "God righteousness".  Jesus tells her that it's obvious her sins are forgiven because she loves Jesus so much, and he reassures her that indeed, her sins are forgiven. Simon made the wrong choice, the...

 Wisdom is proven by its children.  You have two options; God's wisdom and man's wisdom.  Choose God's wisdom.  In this passage, Jesus differentiates between two groups of people. People who proved the wisdom of God by belief and baptism, while those who proved they were following the wisdom of man by rejecting God and His baptism.

First Baptist Church celebrated its 100th anniversary.  Reverend Stephen May, a previous pastor, reminds us of the importance of continuing in our spiritual growth. After we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, we need to live and walk with Christ, to remain rooted and built up in Christ.

The wise man built his house on the rock. Be a wise man and build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ.  In this message, we see 3 steps to making Jesus Lord of your life, and some proof that He is.

Be careful what you put in your life, because that will come out.  The good man brings good fruit, the evil man brings evil.  This is also a good test of a true follower of Jesus, or one that just claims it.

Should I not? Should I? If so, when and how?

The "Golden Rule" is more than just "Not" doing to someone what you don't want them to do to you. Jesus says, be proactive, and do something positive for them.

A pproved W orkmen A re N ot A shamed.  Do your best to be found approved.

The mother of Moses was a determined mother. She demonstrated determination in three ways: Fearing God over man, being the best mom she could be, and never giving up on her children.  All three apply to mothers today, but to the rest of us too!

In life, you will make many choices. When you are going up you are not going down. When you are going left you are not going right. In the same way, you are not blessed by going the wrong way. You have to walk in God's ways if you are going to be blessed with God's blessing. 

God chooses people, not based off of what they have done or can do, but based on how He can use them.

Pharisees say the Law is more important than human need.  Jesus says human need is more important than the ceremonial Law.  Following God isn't about following a bunch of rules, follow Jesus is about showing mercy (compassion and love) to others.

When Easter morning came, no one  was there to meet Jesus, because no one believe he would rise.  Jesus had to convince his disciples he had risen.  When the disciples saw Jesus, of course they believed. We haven't seen Jesus, but Jesus says "Blessed are you who haven't seen and yet believe". Do you believe?

 God calls ordinary people to be “Fishers of men”. God will use the ordinary people He calls.  Many people don’t fish because of fear, or because they aren’t prepared.  A good fisherman figures out the best fishing bait.  Use that same philosophy to catch men.

“God has called more people to be hometown missionaries, than foreign missionaries”.  Jesus traveled around to sharing the good news to the surrounding areas, but he started at home in Nazareth.  We need to be missionaries in our hometown too.

Facing temptations are a part of the human experience.  Jesus experienced the same kind of temptations we faced so He can help us fight them.  We also explore ways of combatting temptations.

Jesus had a human genealogy leading up to his birth.  There were good guys and bad guys. Jews and Gentiles. Kings and average people.  This list isn’t about who is in it or not, but about how God uses everyday ordinary people to accomplish something special, even if they aren’t perfect. 

Right to life Sunday.  God created you in a special and unique way. God loves you so He created you, knows everything about you, goes everywhere with you, and thinks about you.  We, in turn, should care about Him and what he cares about.

“artificial repentance,” says I am sorry because I am getting into trouble. “Genuine repentance” is the sorrow for my sins that is accompanied by a true change of heart toward God. Genuine repentance is a proof of Salvation.

Maintain faithfulness in following God’s word.  God is faithful to keep promises, so we should be faithful to keep God’s word.  Simeon and Anna both prove this point.

“Good news” is only good, if you share it.  The Shepherds knew the “Good News” of Jesus birth and told everyone about it.  We should share the “Good News” with people too.

There were several different responses to the news of Jesus birth.  Some positive, and some negative.  What is your response? Your eternity depends on it.

When you choose to follow Jesus, you can expect resistance, but you can also expect God to keep His word.  We should also expect it of ourselves, to share it with others.

We can be blessed by God when we choose to put Him first in our lives over what this temporary world has to offer. God won’t make you move, but He will bless you when you do.

John the Baptist was the forerunner to the first coming of Jesus. We need to act like this forerunner and prepare the way for Jesus second coming.