Sunday Sermons | Evergreen Church

The confession now turns to the human condition, the presence of sin, the need for salvation, and the practical expressions of God's people in every generation. Baptist thought is particularly distinctive when it comes to understanding the church and its practices. 

"Baptists are amazing people. They have no creed, yet they enjoy a remarkable unity. Scattered throughout the earth, having different ethnic backgrounds, living under varied types of government, and faced with problems inherent in different social environments, they share a unity in diversity. This unity is a living faithand an abiding message." - Herschel H. Hobbs

Practical ministry is not merely a program element in a church or even just an aspect of the healthy Christian life. Touching the world in the name of Jesus is commanded by God and ministry is meant to make an impact for the Kingdom of God in every generation. Doing good works is not just what we do…it’s who we are!

Pastor Philip Jackson brings us a timely word from Deuteronomy about the importance of the Word of God.

Paul does not leave believers with a simple list of religious duties to perform. Rather, he calls us to a noble purpose, a higher life. He now explains the theological foundation and eternal motivation for living the Christian life and taking the gospel to the entire world. Authentic Jesus-followers are motivated by grace to do amazing things.

Having identified both elders (biblical leaders) and enemies (dangerous influencers), Paul now describes what ordinary church members ought to look like. Emphasizing life stages, he reveals how individual spiritual maturity is designed to have a positive impact on the entire family of faith. At Evergreen, it’s called “sharing life.”

Paul next explains why the selection of godly elders is so necessary for a healthy church—because there are always individuals with ungodly agendas who masquerade as devout believers. This challenge demands loving confrontation by the pastors as well as Spirit-filled discernment by the membership.

Pastor Nick Dyer brings us encouragement through Testimony. 

God’s standards for leadership in the church are high, an extremely crucial truth that many churches today ignore. This is the starting point for a God-honoring church; and it is the first priority for Paul in the manual of church life that he sends to his faithful son, Titus.

As Joshua’s leadership comes to an end, he turns the eyes of Israel to unfinished tasks. The call for God’s people is to settle always the question of spiritual loyalty and to finish well what you have begun with God. This attitude is especially crucial as a man leads his family.

Pastor Emilio Lartigue brings us a timeless message on the Gospel. 

As the division of the Promised Land unfolds, Caleb again enters the story as a prominent example of what God does with one man of singular commitment and vision for God’s glory. Who will be a Caleb for the people known as Evergreen?

The next chapters of Joshua present the most criticized writings in all the Bible. God’s use of nature as a tool of judgment and His call to completely annihilate the enemies of Israel are often claimed as proof that the God of the Old Testament is not worthy of worship. Simply put, the critics of God are wrong again.

The Lord who gives the Promised Land to His people, and Who just furnished a striking instance of this in the destruction of Jericho, demands of His people loyalty to the covenant He has with them.  Holiness requires a radical response to the presence of sin in our lives.

The previous chapter outlines the final preparations for conquest: attention to the details of obedience, reminder of God’s great faithfulness, and renewed vision of supernatural assistance. The battle is now upon them and Israel must recognize here, before advancing, that all warfare is ultimately spiritual for God’s people. Do the churches in America today remember this truth?

God’s people often suffer from spiritual amnesia. The psalmist opined, “They forgot what He had done, the wondrous works He had shown them” (78:11). The inconvenience of the moment, the clamor of the urgent, and the concerns of the future all may contribute to this forgetfulness. God calls today to secure past memories in order to inspire future victories.

Every church today faces a choice—staying silent, politically correct, and uninfluential OR crossing over into conflict and opposition with the culture in order to extend the kingdom of Christ in the world. The first option offers aimless futility and requires nothing. The second option offers a purposeful future with eternal impact. This path requires three things. 

Every great biblical adventure begins in a seemingly strange place: the place of personal consecration before God. Before cities are conquered or sacrifices are offered, God always requires the spiritual preparation of each believer. So it is with a people called Evergreen.

A survey of the Bible reveals extensive teachings about Satan, the enemy of God. As such, no believer should be ignorant about our spiritual adversary. Recognizing his masquerades and tactics is essential to the daily spiritual warfare of the Jesus life.

As we celebrate the Resurrection today almost 2000 years after the fact, there is a tremendous encouragement to be found from an ancient cry for Easter almost 2000 years before the fact. In the midst of troubles known by few men in history, Job affirms his core theology—“I know that my Redeemer lives!”

Peter now returns his attention to life together in the church. Here, he is writing to us personally, pastors and people. Before addressing warfare with Satan, Peter reminds us of our call to live in proper standing with one another according to God’s community plan.

When time is short, things get urgent. And simplified. As Jesus approached the cross, His focus and intensity increased. Suffering produces concentration. Peter brashly scolded Jesus and received the harshest rebuke in the NT (Mt. 16:23). Years later, Peter instructs believers how to possess Christ-like focus during persecution.

Peter continues to call believers to live the “Jesus life” in hard days—to strength, to resolve, to unwavering firmness like a soldier entering battle. Accordingly, he outlines four motivations for “swimming upstream” and three practical steps for “living the life.”

Peter now outlines an ideal picture of life inside church as well as strategies for believers who must live in the hostile world outside church. This timely and practical advice is given for “all of you.” The “Jesus life” lived well is a life of victory in every circumstance.

Marriage is one of the wonderful mysteries of the universe. God’s intention is to communicate His glory through this most intimate relationship. The secret for success in marriage is simply to make the other person more important than yourself. Supernatural joy is the result!