First Baptist Shreveport

Jonah preaches a five word sermon to the Ninevites summed up in one word: “Overthrown!”  And then Nineveh repents.  But Jonah was not happy.  In fact, he was filled with unbelievable loathing!  Jonah was angry because the world was not conforming to his expectations.  His biggest mistake?  Jonah was rejecting the grace upon which he depended.  Jonah is angry at God because of his great love.  But...

Jeff and Ryan share highlights and stories from their recent trip to Ukraine to visit and connect with Baptist pastors in Kyiv and Life Church in Kovel.  

God's first command to Jonah is to arise, to take action.  But Jonah, not afraid of the cost or the travel, is filled with fear and loathing for the Ninevites.  Jonah had a heart issue- hating his enemies.  But Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.  There is a modern temptation to "follow our hearts" and "chart our own paths," but we canno...

Paul writes about our hope as adopted children of God in Ephesians 1 like this: "...may the eyes of your heart be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you..."  Being in the family of God comes with privileges and hope is for today!  God is with us, his hope changes everything and alters how we live.  We are not to live as worriers but as confident believ...

It's easy and natural for us to make snap judgments.  But favoritism is a denial of Jesus and a personal insult to Christ.  Every person is made in the image of God and deserves kindness and honor.  "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2 Let's replace our quick judgements wi...

In a disturbing passage recorded in Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus tells us that not all of us who call him Lord will be known by him.  In light of this warning, how can we live with confidence?  This passage is a bookend of the Beatitudes which offers assurance, but we actually need both assurance and a challenge.  Following Jesus and his teaching is not the default path of life. The gate is small and th...

How do we find wisdom in life? 1- Ask God.  Part of wisdom is realizing we need it.  We have to ask for it.  2- Be humble.  No one is born wise.  We must receive instruction. 3 - Move past gullibility.  Now more than ever, it's hard to know what's read.  We must consider the source.  "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."...

We're not the ones blazing trails in life- God is.  Jesus' call is "Come and follow me." How can we make sure we're on Jesus' path?  We have to let Jesus wash our feet which is to say to accept Him the One who provides the ultimate sacrifice for our sins as seen on the cross.  Jesus calls us to follow him and live a life of service.  Jesus told his disciples that they...

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:12-18 God is good, just, and reliable- he gives us the gift of stability.  God is beyond us and we don't comprehend God, but we know that he is consistent, loving and holy and clear in his expectation that we would turn from our sin and...

Last week, we looked at Jesus' resurrection and this week, we're looking at our ultimate hope- our resurrection.  Our ultimate destination is resurrection on the New Heaven and New Earth as seen in Revelation. Now we experience bodies that are perishable, dishonored, and weak,  But when we experience resurrection, we will receive bodies that are imperishable, glorious, and strong.  We wi...

The foundation of our faith is the resurrection of Jesus!  Jesus' resurrection was a preview for the eternal life we have in Him.  Jesus' resurrection gives us purpose, informing how we live.  Jesus' resurrection is a promise for us - for new bodies and new life together. Jesus' resurrection is a victory proclamation.  Death has been defeated!  Hallelujah, what a savior!  The r...

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells the church to desire gifts, but then in 1 Corinthians 13, he tells them the greater gift to desire is love.  God's agape love validates all other spiritual gifts.  Paul only uses one word here - "agape" - the sacrificial, life giving love of God.  It's not an emotion- it's an action!  The cross is the true definition of this love.  We see in...

On one hand, there are passages of Scripture, taken in isolation, that appear to prohibit women from leading or even speaking in worship (1 Timothy 2:11-12). On the other hand, there are passages of Scripture, taken in isolation, that appear to allow women to express a full range of giftedness by the Spirit for ministry (Acts 2:17-18). Therefore, believers can honestly and diligently engage with G...

The Body of Christ is living and connected, doing unseen work, unnoticed and unpraised, making the wheels turn.  If you have professed Jesus as Lord, then the Holy Spirit is at work within you.  You've been given a gift and a calling.  Without you and the application of your gifts, the Body of Christ is not whole. You are capable, wanted, and part of the work we are doing here at FB Shrevepor...

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 we are called to run our races in such a way to get a prize. 1 - Prepare  Corinthians were having a problem with their freedom in Christ- they heard about love and grace, but didn't understand that because of that grace, love, and freedom, we were meant to give up our freedoms to love and serve others.  The race of the gospel is the only race that matters. 2 - Partici...

In 1 Corinthians 10:11-13, we find this bedrock promise:  God is faithful.  He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear and always provides a way out.   The struggles of the church in Corinth point us to two truths: 1.  Temptation often comes disguised as freedom.  We have rights, but what is the impact on others?  It is better to be loving, to love our neighbor, than to insist on our fr...

What matters is the work of the gospel, not the personalities or people doing it.  God is the one who makes things grow!   Our work's foundation must be Jesus.  We are social, but we are not a social club- we are disciples of Jesus Christ.   What we are building is a temple and we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.   Let's all be farmhands and construction workers- giving together, servi...

What does it mean to have the mind of Christ?    1.  You have to be part of a “WE.” You cannot have the mind of Christ without the people of God.    2. It’s not a human achievement but a divine gift of the Holy Spirit.  3. We have the mind of Christ when we are focused on God’s glory instead of our own.    4. The mind of Christ stays close to the cross of Christ.    5. The mind of Christ unifies. ...

Paul's letters to the churches in the New Testament can be great guidance for our lives and there are many parallels between the church in Corinth and us today:  they were in a new nation, there were divisions between people, and there was great tension between culture and faith.  In 9 verses, Paul mentions Christ Jesus 9 times!  Clearly, Jesus was his great passion.  He reminds them of his a...

📝 The Sermon Notes  May 17, 2026 - Ryan McCoy  Romans 6 - Free Indeed Christian freedom is not personal autonomy, but being set free from the power of sin and death through Jesus Christ. As the scripture says in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Through Christ’s sacrifice, believers a...

The Bibles doesn’t give us happily ever afters.  The people in the Bible are real people with real struggles!   In 2 Samuel 15, we see David recovering compassion, humility before God, a life of prayer, and patience with others.  Clearly something has changed for David!   Is there a fog you need to come out of?  What would it take to create change in you?   David is going through a mess and great...

Difficult relationships are not healed by avoidance.   In 2 Samuel 14, David encounters a delicate situation with his son Absalom. Do we deeply see others we're in relationship with? Some reasons we fail in this: - we're too self centered to try  - we're too anxious - we reduce them to one characteristic - we freeze people in time  Sometimes in difficult relationships, we are are un...

2 Samuel 12 There is a temptation in life to live like we are God- functional atheism.   This is the oldest temptation in all of Scripture (Genesis and satan tempting Jesus) David finds himself in a place he did not mean to go (Bathsheba, murder,  betrayal) After he overcomes this, he is in a more dangerous position. Power drunk and sin blind. Sin does this to all of us.  Is there an area in your...

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 If you heard that there was a man eating lion roaming around South Highlands or Spring Lake or Broadmoor, would you think “well that’s good to know.  If I run into him when I go to get the mail I’m sure I’ll figure something out.  Or would you take some steps...