Zion Hill Baptist

Part 2 of What We Believe: The Basics of Christian Doctrine and the Baptist Faith. The lesson aims to present a comprehensive theological exploration of God's nature, beginning with the assumption of God's existence as foundational to Scripture and human reason, supported by logical arguments from creation, design, and moral awareness. It then unfolds the doctrine of the Trinity—not as a term foun...

This sermon, drawn from James 1:13–18, centers on the reality that temptation originates not from God or external demons, but from within—specifically from our own lusts and desires. It emphasizes that while all people face temptation, the root of sin lies in the heart's voluntary surrender to selfish longing, which, when nurtured, gives birth to sin and ultimately leads to spiritual death. Believ...

Part 1 of What We Believe: The Basics of Christian Doctrine and the Baptist Faith. This lesson, a first in the series, establishes the Bible as the foundational, inerrant, and sufficient revelation of God, emphasizing its divine inspiration, historical unity across 1,500 years and 40 authors, and its role as the sole authority for faith and practice. It distinguishes between doctrine—non-negotiabl...

The sermon centers on the divine guidance of God's people through the wilderness, illustrated by the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, which symbolized God's constant presence and direction. Drawing from Exodus and Numbers, it emphasizes that God's people were to remain obedient to His leading—staying when the cloud abode and moving when it lifted—regardless of personal comfort or timing....

True spiritual vitality and lasting joy come only through abiding in Christ, the true vine, as illustrated in John 15. Believers are branches dependent on Christ for life and fruitfulness, with God the Father acting as the loving gardener who prunes and nurtures each branch to produce more fruit—symbolizing the fruits of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, and self-control. While the passage warn...

Today, the final Sunday before we celebrate Christmas, we ask, what did Christ do for us? Its an intriguing questions, not because it is unique, but because shockingly few know the answer, even among saved church people. We learn today that Christ came for us to rescue us, pay the penalty of sin that we could and reunite us with God. This had been the plan from the beginning of time, as God knew w...

The central message of the sermon is that Christ's true desire for Christmas is not material gifts, but a transformed heart characterized by justice, mercy, and humble obedience to God. Drawing from Micah 6:8, we emphasizes that God does not require external sacrifices or grand gestures, but rather a life marked by doing what is just, loving mercy, and walking humbly with Him. This call to spiritu...

The sermon centers on the profound purpose of Christ's incarnation, emphasizing that He came not merely to be worshipped, but to fulfill God's redemptive plan through obedience, light, truth, judgment, service, and sacrifice. It highlights Jesus' own declarations that He came to do the Father's will, bring illumination to a dark world, bear witness to divine truth, and ultimately offer Himself as...

The sermon centers on the profound theological significance of Christmas, reframing the traditional nativity narrative through the lens of Old Testament imagery, particularly the symbolic role of the Tower of Adar in Bethlehem as a place of ritual purity where sacrificial lambs were raised. By connecting this historical and prophetic context to the birth of Jesus as the ultimate Lamb of God, we em...

This sermon centers on the biblical imperative to give thanks in all circumstances, framing Thanksgiving not merely as a cultural observance but as a spiritual discipline rooted in God's unchanging character and redemptive plan. Drawing from key passages such as 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Philippians 4:4–7, and Colossians 3:15, it emphasizes that thankfulness is God's will for believers, extending beyo...

Do we want to live the satisfied life? Of course, we all do. But have we realized that for our lives to be satisfying we must daily crucify our self and desires for Him. It is not about us, our selves, or what we want or think we need. No, we must desire to have a restored relationship with Christ. We must be willing to take up His yoke and have our lives controlled, limiting our freedom and follo...

Today we learn a valuable lesson from Gibeon. Joshua had already been commanded what to do and what not to do. Yet, when an uncertain situation came to him he used his own wisdom and judgment to make a decision rather than seek the Lord for advice (as was required). This error led to an alliance that brought the people into war. We must learn from this. No matter the circumstances we must always r...

The first sermon preached at Zion Hill Baptist Church after being unanimously elected pastor that morning. The message reflects the Psalmist David in Psalm 8 and leads the listener to consider our place before God and his love and care for us.

During this time of year we are thankful for the harvest season. But the harvest usually spoken of in the scripture is a spiritual harvest. We are reminded that God is the Lord of the Harvest, that he gives the increase (yield), that the field is white and ready to be harvested, and that we are to pray for harvesters. Jesus knew the workers are few, so let us share with our family, church, work, s...

What did we do 100 years ago when it was night. Much of the time we looked up at the stars and moon, and were silent allowing God to revel himself to us. Today we stare at our phones and drowned out the Lords voice with lights and electricity. But someone who could not do that was Jacob before he met his brother. There at Peniel Jacob wrestled (stove) with God. He was alone, anxious, and not wanti...

We are instructed in the wisdom literature to buy truth and not to sell it. And we are told that truth contains: wisdom (practical knowledge), instruction (discipline and morals), and understanding (discernment). These are we to get at all costs and never to give up. Yet, we find ourselves at all stages of life trading for something. None of us is truly neutral, we are always trading our time, as...

There are many points in our lives when we just have no idea. This was my feeling as I became your pastor and had many 'firsts' and continues to be my experience. Many persons in the bible had no idea what to do or how to accomplish God's will. So, we are not alone in that feeling. In fact, we should admit more often we have no idea what we are doing or need to do, rather than depend on our own lo...

We are called to a life of sacrifice. In our society today we don't need to sacrifice much and have remained like small children. It is one of the reasons for the collapse of our culture. But we are called into a grand adventure with Christ, we are called to sacrifice our own nature for Him. Sacrifice to a higher purpose is when we find fulfillment.

Waiting is difficult, especially in our culture today. We are in a hurry for everything. To make it even worse, we have the wrong idea of what we do when we wait. We have the idea it is a time of nothingness. But the Hebrew word for wait reveals the opposite. It means that we have a hope in an anticipated outcome. But, it also means to gather, twist, or bind together. Waiting is being active. We a...

The Holy Spirit was among us today as we were reminded that in the good times, the hard times, and all the times in between--God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. No matter what we may face, God is greater and He is in the midst of His people and shall not be moved! Finally, we are to be still and know that I am God!

Hear me O Lord, is the cry of David. It should be ours as well. As we look unto the Lord, our rock, our light, our salvation, our strength. Whom shall we fear? Let us join with David in saying, one thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after...

We must always be ready to stand for the Lord in an evil world. We do that through the putting on (daily) the armor of God and remaining in a state of constant prayer.

Today we consider how we are to live our lives in order to be blessed by the Lord.

Communion is a command from Jesus Christ that we are to follow. We take the bread and fruit of the vine to remember His sacrifice of a broken body and blood poured out for out sins. We take the Lords Supper to communion with God and as a body of believers. We are reminded that we should conduct a self-examination prior to taking and to be serious when we partake.

What do we know about the third part of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. Today we are reminded that the Holy Spirit is there are our comforter, guide, helper, gift giver, intercessor, counselor, encourager, and seal. The work of the Spirit is to bring conviction to who are are not saved and guidance to those who are. We know we can grieve and quench the spirit, but we must listen and be obedient. The...