Rejoice in the Lord...Always!

January 14, 2024 . . . Reading I John 3:10-15 we are reminded that there are children of God and children of the devil. Love is essential, not optional. Anger and jealousy motivated Cain to kill his brother, Abel. Cain’s heart was not right. Loving others is a sign of salvation. There are three tests to proof our true Christianity. 1) The truth test, 2) the love test, and 3) the moral test. Are yo...

January 7, 2024 . . . I John 3:4-9 tells us that if we want to look like our Father, we need to remember what Jesus looked like and follow His example. Sin is the transgression of the law. Jesus is the remedy for sin. He came to take away our sins and in Him there was no sin. If you abide in Jesus then you do not sin. Those who sin do not know Him. Where your heart is your actions will follow. As...

December 31, 2023 . . . In the opening words of Romans 1:1-7, Paul reminds us of who we are and what we have been called to do. So, to start the new year off right, let’s remember that the key to opening the door is to know who we are and act that way. We are called to be different and our job is to be messengers. Jesus is human but He is also the Son of God. He came to seek and save the lost. His...

December 24, 2023 . . . Today’s sermon reflects on the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. We will share several hymns and Bible passages that tell the Christmas story. We will be reading the following passages in the Bible that recall this story: Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-16, and Matthew 1:18-25 . Hope you enjoy this sermon and I hope you will all have a very blessed Christmas and keep in mind the tru...

December 17, 2023 . . . In today’s sermon, I will mention several Bible passages that are important to our Christmas story and the seeds that played a role in the four promises God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3 . You may want to have your Bible handy and pause the sermon if you would like to read the verses that I mention here. God has always had a plan for His people and there are many factor...

December 10, 2023 . . . Reading Ephesians 1:3-4 , Paul tells us that we are blessed followers of Jesus Christ who was sent to us by God to provide a way to salvation and eternal life with Him. From the beginning, paradise was lost at Eden but it was gained at Calvary. God provided a ram for Abraham when he was about to sacrifice his son Isaac. But there was no substitute for Jesus Christ on the cr...

December 3, 2023 . . . When we think of Christmas, we typically go back over the story of the birth of Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem as we are told in the books of Matthew and Luke . But the story actually begins in Chapter 1 of Genesis . There was a plan long before Jesus’s birth. In Ephesians 1:3-5 we read that from “before the foundation of the world” God planned for Jesus to come into the wor...

November 19, 2023 . . . What do you look forward to? Do you anticipate Christ’s return? Read I John 2:28-3:3 in which he tells us that we need to abide in Jesus Christ, meaning that we need to LIVE in Christ. And he uses the word NOW to emphasize the urgency of doing so. We should not be ashamed to be Christ followers. If we truly believe in Christ then we are given His righteousness and should ha...

November 12, 2023 . . . We all face hard times in life at one time or another. And when we do, we can always find some comfort in the Bible. One example is Psalm 23. In this song of David, we are reminded that the Lord is our shepherd. We are like sheep needing care, love, and guidance. We find these things in the Lord. He helps us rest, He restores our soul, and He leads us in the right way. Do w...

November 5, 2023 . . . A strong foundation is important in everything you build. Without it, what you are building will likely fail. Reading I John 2:15-29 . Our Christian foundation is built on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. John reminds us that we can get tripped up when we lose sight of that. We often get more focused on the things of the world rather than Christ. John tells us we are in the...

October 29, 2023 . . . Who or what has your heart? Where is it? Read I John 2:15-17 where we are reminded that we should not love the world nor the things in the world. So, just what is the “world”? It’s NOT the earth. The sphere of sin is the world. We are supposed to love each other. The realm of Satan is the world of sin which includes the lust of the flesh, the eyes, life, and pride. These thi...

October 22, 2023 . . . In I John 2:12-14 we are given three stages of Christian growth. Sanctification is recognizing that our redemption has been accomplished by Christ and that the power of the Holy Spirit makes it real in our lives. The three groups addressed are little children, young men, and fathers. This does not pertain to actual age. It reflects the stages of growth as a Christian. The ch...

October 15, 2023 . . . Chapters 1-8 in the book of Romans provides Christians with doctrine that should be followed, and particularly Chapter 8. Today, we are focused on Romans 8:31-39 . Like a potter, God has molded us, called us, justified us, and glorified us. In verse 31 of chapter 8, we are told, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Christ’s love helps us overcome adversities. God gave...

What Time Is It? October 8, 2023 . . . It’s high time to wake up!! Romans 13:11-14 should be a wake-up call for everyone. It’s about the age we are living in right now; the last days, we are at the end. There are many examples of how bad things can happen when one is sleeping. America is spiritually asleep. Are you? The return of Jesus is nearer now than ever before. Night is almost over and day i...

October 1, 2023 . . . In II Kings 5:1-14 , we find that a mighty warrior of Syria, Naaman, was seeking to be cured of his leprosy. The king of Syria sent him to king of Israel to be healed, but this angered the king of Israel. So, the prophet Elisha said, “Bring him to me.” Naaman was offended when Elisha told him to go wash seven times in the Jordan River, (he thought any river would do) but his...

September 24, 2023 . . . In Luke 19:1-10 we are told about the time when Jesus was the company and Zacchaeus was the host, but he did not know he would have a visitor at his house until Jesus spoke to him while he sat in a tree trying to get a better view as Jesus walked through the streets of Jerico. Everyone in the area knew Zacchaeus was a short man, a tax collector, and a rich man and they loo...

September 17, 2023 . . . The verses in Philippians 3:7-11 begin with the words “That I may know Him”. Paul is in prison and has suffered much for his faith and preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul has been ridiculed, punished, imprisoned, and suffered for his message of salvation. But through all the difficulties, he maintained his resolve to tell others about Jesus. He says that all h...

Turning the World Upside Down . . . September 10, 2023 . . . In Acts 17:10-34 , we find Paul traveling to Athens and preaching about the one true God, judgment, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The philosophers were interested in what Paul had to say and he told them that their “Unknown God” was indeed Jesus Christ. In verses 22-31 , Paul explains the resurrection and how repentance was at ha...

September 3, 2023 . . . As we pray for Bro. Andy’s recovery from surgery, we welcome Bro. Dewayne Daugherty as our guest preacher today. Speaking of “Catching Men”, we look at Luke 5:10 where Jesus tells His disciples that they will become catcher of men rather than fish. One way to look at this is that “we catch ‘em and God cleans ‘em”. As the church, it is our calling to carry the gospel to a lo...

Today, August 27, 2023, Old New Hope Baptist Church celebrates our 2023 Homecoming. For 76 years we have been a part of the Christian community in Fairview, Tennessee. Brother Scott Pearl tells us that in First Thessalonians 4:13-18 , we are reminded that if we are covered by the blood of Jesus as true Christ followers then God sees His righteousness in us. We will have a heavenly home waiting for...

August 20, 2023 . . . Have you ever been lost or have lost something that was important to you? In Luke 15 Jesus is being criticized by the Pharisees and scribes for being around sinners, which basically were those who were not Jewish or were considered unclean. When He heard their murmuring, he took the opportunity to tell some parables that might open their eyes. In Luke 15:4-7 Jesus tells the s...

August 13, 2023 . . . II Kings 6:8-23 tells us about the time around 891 BC when Israel was threatened by Syria. So, the prophet Elisha was asked, “What shall we do?” He told them to not fear saying that the Lord was on the side of Israel. Read verses 16-23 to see what God did. The world we live in is pushing FEAR on us every day in forms of jobs, money, climate, and relationships, just to name a...

Jeremiah 2:12-13 . . . In these two verses, God gives Israel a very strong message through Jeremiah the prophet. From the beginning of this book “Thus saith the Lord” is written several times to make sure they know this comes directly from Him. In Verse 12 , God lets them know that they have strayed. Then, in Verse 13 , He gives the two evils they have committed. They have forsaken the living wate...

July 30, 2023 . . . Matthew 13:1-23 gives us the parable Jesus told to help people understand about the various ways in which the Word of God is received. He uses “seeds and soil” to describe the “Word and the Receiver of the Word.” The seeds are God’s Word. The Soil is the one who hears the Word. The Sower is the one who spreads the Word randomly to cover as many people as possible, but the Soil...

July 9, 2023 . . . In a review of Genesis Chapter 3 , we find that the beautiful relationship that God had with man was disrupted when Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan. God had commanded them to not eat or touch the tree of knowledge. Satan convinced them that God was lying to them and that He just did not want them to be like Him. Satan made sin look desirable. Sin is often too powerful. But si...