North Bryant Baptist Church

Matthew 1:1-17.        What does your family tree look like? Are there people in it that make you proud? Would a potential employer be more likely to hire you because of someone in your family? Or are there people in your family tree to whom you are not proud to be related? In the opening chapter of his gospel, Matthew lists the family linage of Jesus Christ. He does...

Philippians 2:6-8.         During the Christmas season, it is easy for Christians to think about our go-to Bible passages about the birth of Christ - those found it Luke, Matthew, or even the account in John 1 which speak on Christ becoming flesh and dwelling among us. The are wonderful words we think about like "joy," "peace," "love," "thankfulness," and "gifts." Those words are certainly welcome...

“Living Skillfully in the Fear of God.” A series by Dr. Matt Thornton through the book of Proverbs. If there is one phrase that most children  know very well, it is probably the phrase "because I said so." Often times, parents use this phrase in order to instill a level of trust in the child. While this is not contrary to Scriptural patterns for building trust, and while we certainly have a H...

1 Peter 3:13-16.      “Salvation, Submission, Suffering.” A Study Through the First Epistle of Peter.      When we think of fears, we probably think of phobias and anxieties, and we might even simply consider some of them as quirks and not real fears. We might think of suffering, we might think of difficult circumstances, but one thing we probably do not thi...

“Living Skillfully in the Fear of God.” A series by Dr. Matt Thornton through the book of Proverbs.        After Lady Wisdom gives her invitation, Solomon takes the call to wisdom a step further by showing us what reality looks like to her. Wisdom is prudent and she knows what will happen if we make certain choices, both good and bad. Through the eyes of wisdom, Solom...

1 Peter 3:8-12.          “Salvation, Submission, Suffering.” A Study Through the First Epistle of Peter.          Good days? Loving life? In today’s divided, unloving, and unsettled world, that seems unrealistic. But it is altogether possible by Christians living out the characteristics that Peter describes.  &nbs...

“Living Skillfully in the Fear of God.” A series by Dr. Matt Thornton through the book of Proverbs.        Some forms of wisdom come in mysterious riddles, often requiring the already-made wise to interpret them. However, the wisdom of much of the book of Proverbs is not this way. The truths are not overly difficult to understand, but they can be difficult to put into...

1 Peter 3:7.         “Salvation, Submission, Suffering.” A Study Through the First Epistle of Peter.        It is certainly an odd thing to imagine, after hearing Peter say that the wife is willfully submit to the husband, that the husband also is to submit willfully as well. In a truly loving marriage, the husband submits himself to...

Selected Scriptures from Romans 1 and Acts.          The opening chapter of Romans is in itself a master description of the gospel, however it begins in a way that is quite unexpected from a writer such as the great Apostle Paul. This Apostle, often referred to as a giant among the fathers in the faith, opens his letter with a great word of thankfulness to t...

Psalm 119:57-64. In a year which seems to be one of the worst on record, and living in a world that seems to be getting worse by the day, how can a Christian live with thankfulness? Should we ever celebrate Thanksgiving this year? Or more importantly, are there even blessings of God worthy of thanks? These questions are all valid and the answers are more profound than they might seem. The psalmist...

“Living Skillfully in the Fear of God.” A series by Dr. Matt Thornton through the book of Proverbs.        One might expect the great King Solomon to begin his book with some deep spiritual insight. And while there is tremendous depth in the words in these verses, Solomon begins the core content of his book of Proverbs with a practical, but very profound, teaching abo...

1 Corinthians 1.        Among the churches written to and about in the Bible, there is one which stands out as being probably the most problematic; the church at Corinth. Among the issues of this church, there was one issue that the Apostle Paul addresses first because it is the very foundation for all the rest of the problems in that church. People within the congreg...

“Living Skillfully in the Fear of God.” A series by Dr. Matt Thornton through the book of Proverbs.        Wisdom seems to be getting less and less desirable in today’s world. Not only that, but people often look for it in all the wrong places. The Scripture tells us that wisdom comes directly from God. While that is certainly politically, culturally, and from a human...

1 Peter 3:1-6.        “Salvation, Submission, Suffering.” A Study Through the First Epistle of Peter.        As Peter wraps up his discussion of Christ’s submission under unjust suffering, the theme of submission continues into the next chapter where he begins to talk about the home. Sometimes, when we are so focused on being submissive i...

“Living Skillfully in the Fear of God.” A series by Dr. Matt Thornton through the book of Proverbs.        King Solomon begins his marvelous book of Proverbs stating the book’s five-fold purpose; to know wisdom, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction, to give prudence to the simple, and to understand a saying in order to carry out its implications. As...

1 Peter 2:22-25.       “Salvation, Submission, Suffering.” A Study Through the First Epistle of Peter.       Peter has been giving us examples of how we are to look more and more like God and not like the world even though we live in the world. While we live in this world as privileged pilgrims, even though we are part of a greater spiritual Kingdo...

“Living Skillfully in the Fear of God.” A series by Dr. Matt Thornton through the book of Proverbs.      The book of Proverbs is incredibly full of marvelous wisdom from King Solomon, the son of King David. However, the wisdom found in this amazing book of pithy, memorable statements is from a much greater source and a much higher power. In the early chapters of First Kings, we...

1 Peter 2:18-21.      “Salvation, Submission, Suffering.” A Study Through the First Epistle of Peter.      In the ancient world, slavery was an unfortunate and bitter reality of life. In fact, was a major part of the economy in the Roman empire. It is estimated that one-third of the population of Rome were slaves as well as one-sixth of the empire as a whole...

Associate Pastor Connor Harris takes us through "The Dangers of Idolatry."    In today’s American culture, most people do not bow down to a wooden carving or a golden statue. The idolatry of today is much more subtle than that, and in some ways that makes it all the more dangerous to our spiritual health. Some of us often worship our goals in life, we put our families or our friends befo...

1 Peter 2:13-17.      “Salvation, Submission, Suffering.” A Study Through the First Epistle of Peter.      One of the hottest topics of today’s world, and especially American culture, is the subject of submission – specifically submission to human institutions that have authority given by God. Throughout Scripture, God gives examples of people who willingly...

Associate Pastor Connor Harris takes us through "The Dangers of Idolatry."    When Moses received the Law of God, the glory of God shined on Moses’s face and caused it to glow. Because of that, Moses would put a veil over his face so the shining glory would not be seen, presumably to not frighten the people. The problem is that the glory of the Law was fading, and by veiling his face, Mo...

1 Peter 2:11-12. “Salvation, Submission, Suffering.” A Study Through the First Epistle of Peter. In the second century, Aristides of Athens wrote that the greatest evidence for the validity of the Christian faith is the Christian lifestyle. If he is right, then that means that every Christian has the ability within them, and the opportunity around them, to be the greatest reason for someone else t...

Associate Pastor Connor Harris takes us through "The Dangers of Idolatry."    When God created man, He made us inherently His image-bearers. Not only that, but we were designed to fulfill a higher purpose – to glorify Him, love Him, and worship Him with our whole lives. The problem came when man sinned fell short of the glory of God. We fell short of the purpose for which God designed us...

1 Peter 2:9-10.   “Salvation, Submission, Suffering.” A Study Through the First Epistle of Peter.   Before God reached out and called the children of Israel His own, they were not even a "people" - not even an organized group. And now, because of God’s marvelous grace, they are His people! This remarkable reality is also true for every Christian. As Christians, we are united as a holy pe...

Associate Pastor Connor Harris takes us through "The Dangers of Idolatry." The psalmist said in Psalm 115 that those who worship idols become like them. Throughout the Old Testament, we can see that unfortunate reality manifested in the people of Israel. They become like the idols they worship and thus fail to be who God designed them to be, and they fail to accomplish the divine purpose He gave t...