New Hope Baptist Church

Names are very important, and were even more so in Bible days. In the Hebrew mindset, a name was more that just a title of a person. It spoke of a person's character. In Isaiah's prophecy concerning the coming Messiah, God revealed what Christ would be like through numerous names and titles.

God desires all nations to come to Him and He will do whatever is necessary for them to do so. This is typified in the magi's visit to the baby Jesus.

What is so special about the virgin birth of Christ? Many things, but most revolve around this central truth: Jesus, the Son of God, came to be born of a virgin, die a substitutionary death on the cross, and be raised to live forevermore.

How do you prepare for Christmas? How do you prepare to celebrate the birth of the King? As Jesus was embarking on His public ministry, John the Baptist went before Him to make a prepared people. Today, we look back on Christ's coming, but we too need to follow John's direction in order to be prepared to meet the King.

Every Christian is responsible to praise the Lord and be thankful to Him; both because of Who He is and what He does.

What is preaching? Some think it is the same as simply giving a speech. Others think it is any boring religious talk. There are many different views of what preaching is. A better question is, "What should preaching be?" This message looks at the first biblical example of what preaching should be to learn responsibilities for both the preacher and the hearers.

Most people would probably agree that prayer is important. In the account of Daniel and the lions' den, Daniel shows through his example three keys to having an effective, powerful prayer life.

The handwriting is on the wall. That phrase has come to mean that the end of something is at hand. But for Belshazzar, this was a literal experience. Unfortunately for him, he learned the hard way that rejection and pride bring God's judgment.

Who rules this earth? Is it man? Is it the devil? No. God rules on the earth! God had to teach king Nebuchadnezzar this basic truth in a very strong way. It would behoove us to learn from his example and humble ourselves. Otherwise, God might do the humbling for us.

This is a message from a student preacher from Southwest Baptist University.

When Daniel's three friends faced pressure to compromise, they firmly stood their ground, fully knowing that it would lead to a death sentence. Their story not only inspires us because of their resoluteness, but mainly because of God's deliverance of them from the fiery furnace.

Many situations in life require wisdom from God. Daniel faced such a situation. Daniel experienced the promise of James 1:5 that God would liberally give wisdom to those who ask Him.

Even though Daniel was faced with the temptation, pressure, and opportunity to compromise his convictions, he didn't do it. Let's learn from Daniel the right ways to stand up for what we believe in.

In the second part of this two-part sermon, we see some blessings of being adopted by God. When we become His children, we get assurance of salvation, become His heirs, and have a future glory to look forward to.

When we become Christians, we are adopted into God's family. But what does that mean, and more importantly, what does it matter? Our spiritual adoption is a glorious truth that affects how we should live every day. Listen in to find out how.

We need revived in America and our churches. However, our greatest need is to be revived in our own hearts. While we cannot manufacture a revival, there are certain things that characterize sweeping revivals throughout history. Many of these ingredients of revival are seen in the life of Josiah.

The Bible is not filled with accounts of stained glass saints. Instead, it is filled will stories of people who hosed up. They were short-sighted, sometimes unloving, and stubborn. Such was the case with Jonah. In this final episode from Jonah's life, we see some wrong priorities that were present in his life that are often present in the lives of believers today too.

Do you want a sign to prove to you that Jesus is Who He claims to be? According to Jesus, the only sign you need is the sign of Jonah. That is the sign that Jesus promised to the religious leaders of His day when they were steeped in their unbelief.

Jonah and the big fish. Jonah and the whale. Jonah the reluctant prophet. Though each of these is a theme or event in Jonah's life, they are not the focus of the book that bears the prophet's name. In the book of Jonah, we see what he was like. More importantly, we see what God is like. In this sermon, we get a glimpse of the God Who pursues us, even when we flee from Him.

The siege of Samaria resulted in one of the vilest crimes against nature - a mother eating her own child. How could this be? Why would God allow something like this to happen to His people? It happened as a judgment from God. In this oft-overlooked biblical account, we see that the plight of Israel and their subsequent salvation mirrors spiritual truth for today.

Greed. Despite the culture's lack of concern about it, it is a sin. In fact, it is a very serious sin. In the sequel to Naaman's healing, we see a man ensnared with covetousness who pays the high price for his sin.

"God bless America." That phrase is uttered by countless millions every year. It adorns bumper stickers and car magnets. The question of the hour is whether God can bless America. Why should He since we have turned away from Him? Rather than blessing, we deserve judgment.

People can claim that they have faith until they are blue in the face, but if they don't have any works to back their claim up, it is just a bunch of hot air. Faith results in obedient action. The story of Naaman highlights the importance of being obedient to God.

Men are called to love their wives and families as Christ loved the church. But what does that mean? Paul expands that instruction in our sermon today.

God is unlimited. Yet, His presence and power in our lives is anything but limited. The problem lies with us, not with God. Let's unlimit God!