Second Thoughts with Austin Gentry

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Luke 5 features back-to-back stories where Jesus heals someone: first, to a leper; then, to a paralytic. In the following message, we'll see how these two stories are intricately connected, and what they teach us about God, our relationship with Him, and our impact on the world. 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Luke 4 recounts one of the most interesting interactions of Jesus with the religious leaders. In referencing a story of Elijah and Elisha, Jesus shows us a sure-fire recipe for missing God: trying to control and redefine Him on our own terms instead of His. 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Scripture recounts only one picture of Jesus Christ between the time he is a baby and turning 30-years-old when he starts his public ministry. What's significant about this one story? Here's how a story of Jesus' childhood is relevant to us in our adulthood.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | The book of Revelation may be one of the most confusing, complicated, and cryptic books in the entire Bible, but it nevertheless may be the most hopeful, confidence-giving books of the Bible as well. Revelation 5 focuses on repentance, a key tenet throughout the Bible, and certainly the most critical prerequisite for life.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Acts 9 recounts the story of Saul's conversion, and how he is brought from spiritual blindness to spiritual sight. His story, while it might sound extreme, is actually a template for our own. 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | The word 'Pentecostal' usually refers to an emphasis on the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, or intense spiritual experience. But Acts 2 shows us an even larger thrust: the gospel for all peoples, the start of the church, and its health moving forward.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Jesus' statement "I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" may be seen as one of his most controversial statements, but it is perhaps one of his most comforting. In his statement, Jesus also confronts the three biggest prevailing worldviews of our culture: Universalism, Relativism, and Humanism.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | When Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd," He is pulling across the pages of Scripture and invoking one of the most cherished, familiar images of God as a shepherd; and He is also reaching down deep into our own hearts and tapping into what what makes this image resonates so powerfully within us. Everything that God describes himself to be as a sheph...

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Of all 7 "I Am" statements, Jesus' "I am the door" may be the most forgotten. Likewise, we are usually not mindful of the commonness, importance, and relevance that doors play in our own day-to-day lives. Into this motif, Jesus provides us a clear, stunning image of himself, why He is so relevant and important to our day-to-day lives.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | The gospel of John features 7 "I Am" statements of Jesus, and in each one, Jesus claims to be God. In his statement, "I am the light of the world," Jesus connects himself to God's manifest presence, which led and guided the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years. In the following audio, we will hear what his statement, "I...

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Billy Graham once said, "Mountaintops make for great views, but fruit is grown in the valley." By looking at Psalm 42-43, in particular, we can glean 3 fruits while we are in the middle of our own valley.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | The book of Ecclesiastes focuses on the the purposes of life, and everything that it entails. In chapter 4, the author gives three main purposes for community in the life of the Christian.  

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Psalm 119 is one the most famous chapters in the Bible on the law of God. Laws are much more than moral imperatives; they are frameworks for relating with God and others. In the following audio, hear about the 3 types of laws, 3 purposes of the law, and 3 freedoms in the law found throughout Scripture.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX |  Ecclesiastes is a book that shakes up our neat, tidy assumptions about life. As the author communicates that a life 'under the sun'--without God and eternity--is just meaningless and vain. Only if there's a God who's involved in our life do we finally have a design, dignity, and delight in our work that the world cannot offer us.

Coalition for Christian Outreach, Jubilee Conference 2020 | In Matthew 7, Jesus reveals the common denominator between those who build their house on the rock and those who built their house on the sand: everyone has a foundation, and everyone is building upon it. The main question is not whether we have a foundation, but what our foundation is. 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | The book of Joshua marks an entirely new era for the nation of Israel, and it stars with them on the cusp of walking into this new beginning in the land of Canaan. As we look at their story, we'll see 4 main things: 1) Navigating Transition 2) Finding Confidence 3) Exposing The Real Problem 4) Finding The Real Solution.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Transition is an inevitable and normal part of life, although sometimes it can be particularly difficult, regardless of the season that you're transitioning in. In Exodus 16, the Israelites find themselves in a season of transition, and within their story, we can see 3 things: 1) How God Guides, 2) How God Provides, and 3) How We Abide. 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | God's covenant to his people means everything: it informs how we can know God and, therefore, interpret all of life--including our pain and suffering. 

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | The Bible recounts that God sent a worldwide flood to judge and cleanse the world of man's wickedness and corruption. Except, in the middle of justice, there is love and promise. This type of love doesn't overlook sin or compromise justice; rather, it fulfills its own law and cleanses us.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | The book of Philemon is often overlooked, yet, it might be one of Paul's most important letters. Significantly, it is perhaps Paul's only letter that teaches not through theological argumentation, but through gospel demonstration.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | 'Unity' is a hot topic in our culture today, and it remains a timeless ideal, especially in the church. In 1 Corinthians 1, the Apostle Paul lays the blueprints for how to achieve unity, even for a church in the city of Corinth, the world's most diverse city in 1st century.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Acts 1 recounts the ascension of Jesus and then the origin of the church. Even though Jesus leaves, he 'passes the baton' to Someone else, whom Jesus describes will actually be to the advantage of the corporate church and each individual believer.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday - the week of his crucifixion and resurrection - stands unique from all others kings and their entries. Jesus enters with irony and reversal, coming in a way we certainly wouldn't expect, but in a way we'd absolutely need.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Matthew 13 recounts Jesus' parable of the seed and the sower. Through the parable, we'll see the grounds for perceiving, receiving, and believing the Kingdom of God into our own lives.

Second Baptist Church - Houston, TX | Jesus' temptation makes Christianity unique and powerful for many reasons. It gives substance to his humanity. It provides validation to our salvation. And it also endows us with an identity in Christ, the key to power over sin.