First Baptist Church of Wisconsin Rapids

Christians gather together to worship God every Sunday. But what really is worship, what should it look like, and how do we know if our worship is acceptable to God?

How does a church get the gospel out to the community? Pastor Josh pushes for an evangelistic culture in the church, for prayer for the lost, for boldness, and a willingness to be rejected.

A church without the gospel is no church at all. But what is the gospel? It is an elementary teaching in the Christian faith, and yet layman and pastors alike oftentimes lose clarity in understanding what the gospel is and what it isn't. Pastor Josh tries to clear away the weeds in this sermon. The gospel is nothing we have done or can do, but only what Christ has done for us.

Is there a place called hell? What is it like? And who goes there? Does anyone? Would a loving God send sinners to eternal torment, "where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched"? Pastor Josh adds up the Scriptural evidence, addresses false teaching about hell, and applies the teaching to the Christian life.

It's not the brightest time in the history of the world and many people right now are wondering where to find hope. While "heavenly tourism" has grown popular in recent years, with bestselling books and movies like Heaven is for Real, we should look to Scripture for answers about the age to come. Pastor Josh preached a sermon building on the Biblical details of the hope of heaven and...

Final sermon in this series on First Baptist's founding documents. Church membership is important, and the way church members live is important. The blessings of church membership do not come without the duties of church membership.

The church is not just another social club. It is a miracle of God's grace, and Christ would have every Christian become a member of a local church. A membership covenant represents each member's pledge to serve the church body faithfully, and to serve Christ faithfully. It is a Christian's reasonable service.

As Christians, we must recognize that we are only human and frail, physically and spiritually. We have the treasure of the gospel in jars of clay, that God might show the surpassing greatness of His power at work in us. No one will enter eternal life by their own good works, because even our best works are tainted with sin. Christ alone is our hope in life and death.

Pastor continues preaching through the Preamble of First Baptist's Constitution. The mission of the church, to make disciples of Jesus Christ. The heritage of Baptist missions, and our part to play in it today.

As a Baptist church, we are not ashamed to say we believe Baptists are right about their beliefs. That doesn't mean we believe those who believe otherwise are not Christians. All those who truly believe in Jesus are justified and partakers of that universal body of Christ that spans all times and places, whoever calls on the name of the Lord. On the other hand, the problem with false Christian...

Christians do not believe that their own works earn them a right to eternal life. Christ finished the work of justification in the cross and in His resurrection. But that does not mean there is no work for the Christian to do. Our work as Christians is not the work of earning salvation but the work of proclaiming Christ's salvation, and if we will be effective witnesses, we must live holy live...

Pastor Josh continues working through relevant portions of First Baptist's founding documents from 1903. How do members of this church pledge to live in response to the great salvation Christ has worked for them? The necessity of fellowship for the Christian life, and how we might grow in it. How much must we attend church, study, and give? Is that the right question to ask? The story of the p...

An effective soldier must not only have his marching orders but understand them and know how to carry them out. First Baptist's mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. But what is a disciple, and how do we make them? Man's total depravity and helplessness to come to God apart from the power of the Holy Spirit.

Missional drift can be deadly to any venture. Columbus had to keep his crew on mission to reach the New World, and Lewis and Clark had to do the same to reach the Pacific Ocean. But what is the mission of the church?

Jesus teaches about the cost of discipleship. If anyone wants to be His disciple, He must deny Himself, take up His cross, and follow Him. Whoever wants to save His life will lose it, but whoever loses His life for Christ's sake will save it. What would it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your own soul? The cost of following Christ today.

Pastor Josh argues from the Scriptures that all believers are bound by command of Christ to join themselves to a particular local church. He talks about what a church really is, commands that do not make sense if the Christian life does not involve participation in Christian community, and instructions that we cannot obey apart from membership in a local church and submission to its leaders.

The Lord asks Israel if it is time for them to dwell in their paneled houses while His house lies in ruins. Haggai exhorts the exiles to be strong, do not fear, and rebuild the temple despite opposition, for God is with them. How the cares and concerns of this world may choke out the word of God and fruit we might bear to Him for eternal life. How people have become so busy with their own concerns...

How does the anger and wrath of God in Zephaniah relate to His love? How Satan is behind evil in this world, and how Christ came to kill that ancient serpent called the Devil and Satan, and in so doing rescue His bride. The similarities between the pseudo-Christian word of faith movement, the occult, and "manifesting." How the Lord rejoices over His bride, the church, as a groom on his w...

We oftentimes look around at the world and things don't seem right. Sometimes it seems the wicked prosper at the expense of those more righteous than them. There is much injustice. Habakkuk assures us that God will make all things right in the end, He will save those who are His, and the just shall indeed live by faith.

It is plain today that there is something very wrong with the world. With all of the negatives before our eyes every day in the news, it is natural to want to hear a different message that is positive and encouraging. But the Christian faith is more than simply being positive and encouraging and hoping for the best. According to Paul, unless Christ is actually raised bodily from the dead, the Chri...

Historical details on the death of Christ from Mark 15:16-32. Why Christ came, who He was, why He died, how He died, and what it means for mankind.

Nahum prophesies destruction for Nineveh, the same city God had mercy on in the book of Jonah. The Lord shows Himself wrathful and vengeful to pay Nineveh back for her sin and oppression of Israel. He will not at all acquit the wicked. How Nahum relates to Palm Sunday and Jesus's triumphal entry, humble and riding a donkey, coming in peace. How we have all partaken of sin like Nineveh, and des...

Micah prophesies that the Lord is coming out of His place to tread on the high places of the earth. The mountains will melt beneath Him, and Zion will be plowed like a field. Yet there will be a glorious future in Mount Zion, and the nations will stream to it. God will cast all of His peoples' sins into the depths of the sea. Application: parallels between Micah's evil day and ours, includ...

Obadiah prophesies judgment for Edom for all of his grievous sins against Israel. Edom will be humbled and brought low, his familiar friends will betray him, he will be cut off by slaughter. He has gloated when the nations cast lots over Jerusalem when they were judged, and as he has done it will be done to him. The day of the LORD is coming on all nations, and they shall drink and be as though th...

The image of Jesus as a meek and mild lamb sacrificed for sinners is well-known and cherished in the church today. But how often have you heard of the lion of the tribe of Judah? God must be both lion and lamb in order to be our savior. God the lion will devastate Israel for their sin, but He will not utterly destroy them, and He will ensure a glorious future for a remnant from Israel and the nati...