Bethlehem Baptist Church

Introduction: We are quickly approaching the Christmas season and while it is not here yet, the first Christmas commercials have already hit the airways. Some of you have begun your shopping or will begin soon, checking off the names on your Christmas giving list. Some of those names are people that…

Introduction: We have chickens. These chickens are free range chickens. If I go to the chicken coop, I make sure that I have shoes on because I know that if I don't, I will walk out of there with a nice surprise. However, did I say that these chickens are free range chickens? So that means that sometimes,…

Introduction: We've all seen children fighting over the simplest things. They may fight over a toy They want to be the first to push the elevator button on vacation. They want to get to drive the golf cart before the others. They want to be the one to push the buggy in the store. We've also seen adults…

Introduction: Have you ever gotten yourself so dirty that you couldn't stand to be around yourself? Maybe you had been working in the yard or moving things and you sweated off your DO and now you had some rank BO. Do you remember how good it felt to get a shower and get cleaned again? Before you were…

Introduction: A few years ago there was a cooking device that practically changed the face of the home cooking world. Some of you may still be using these devices. It's called a pressure cooker. Now, these devices aren't really new, but they come with a newer safer design. Some of you older folks may…

Introduction: 1 On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, 3…

Introduction: I have recently gotten back into fountain pens. I have used them for a while and they are a niche item that you can get down a lot of rabbit holes with, but these are also the types of pens that have some very expensive models that people buy. I don't buy those! Some of these pens can cost…

Introduction Today seems to be the day of feasts as we have already looked at one this morning with the wedding feast. Tonight we are going to look at what God had to say to the people in the Old Testament about the feasts He offered. Isaiah is often labeled as the 5th gospel because so many of the themes…

Introduction: RSVP What if the even is for a close friend or relative? How do you respond? Some might not send the RSVP back thinking they can get out of having to directly tell the person that they do not wish to attend. This is still a “no.” Some might respond with a “yes” and not show up, perhaps…

Introduction: As I was preparing the message this morning and thinking about how I wanted to begin, I thought about asking the question: “How many of you have ever gone wine tasting?” However, I thought that might not be the best way to start out considering that we are Baptists here. If you were to…

Introduction: Aesop's Fables is a famous book of stories that are designed to teach moral lessons. Parables also seek to use an earthly story with a heavenly meaning to teach spiritual truths. Just like with Aesop, we are looking for the main idea in a parable to teach the lesson, but there are also…

Introduction: I know that in this room I'm talking to more seasoned adults here, which is a nice way of saying that you have some miles on your tires and years under your belt! It also means that some of you may remember a song that came out a few decades ago called “Walk Like an Egyptian” by a group…

Introduction: Story behind the song "Facing a Task Unfinished" is a hymn written by Frank Houghton in the 1930s, inspired by a call for missionaries during a tumultuous period in China's history. Historical Context In March 1929, the China Inland Mission (CIM) issued a call for 200 new missionaries to…

Introduction: We have a bunch of kids! That means that leaving the house to go run an errand requires one of two things. Either we can leave the kids at home under the supervision of another, or we all have to load up in the van and take the whole herd with us. Imagine if every time you needed to go…

Introduction: Jail life in our modern day Jail life in some bad places in the world Jail life in the ancient world 1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with…

Introduction: What is the biggest mess you have ever gotten yourself or others into? David made a big mess of things from time to time. Our passage tonight is no exception. 1 Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”…

Introduction: 23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the…

Introduction: Where is your place that you go to unwind and relax? All of us have our favorite vacation spots and our favorite places to get away by ourselves and recharge. But, how many of us have a place that we get away to so that we can be alone with God. Jesus did tell His Disciples that they should…

Introduction Many of you are familiar with the Battle Hymn of the Republic. If nothing else, during college football season, you hopefully get to hear it often when Georgia scores a touchdown. Battle Hymns are songs that rally the troops and remind us of why we fight. If I were to ask you tonight if…

Introduction: We love heroic tales like those of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. While Arthur is known for pulling his famous sword Excalibur from the stone, it is the knights of the Round Table that get the most fanfare. We read of the exploits of some of these men like Sir Lancelot.…

Introduction: We are now back into the prime of football season and for us football junkies, we have been waiting for what seems like an eternity for this moment. I had the Georgia game on the TV yesterday with my tablet pulled up watching the Alabama game. At one point I was using the grid layout on…

Introduction: Have you ever taken a rock and thrown it into a pond and watched the ripples move from the place where the rock enters the, water outward towards the bank and then move back. When I was a kid, my grandfather had a lake house and we would float in the water in front of his house. We used…

Introduction: Over the last few weeks, we have been looking at Paul's prayer for the Ephesians. We looked at who his prayer was addressed to as we looked at God's riches in glory towards us. We also looked at the content of what his prayers were for the church. Tonight, we are going to look at the results…

Introduction: What does the life of a professional athlete look like? A lot of times we think about the fame and glory of these people. We see them perform well in their sport and give it up to natural talent. These athletes certainly have talent or they would never make it to the professional level.…

Introduction: Do you remember your first job? Maybe it was for your parents and you earned an allowance. Maybe you were working for someone else and they just told you to come help out and you would get paid? You may have labored and worked hard, and all the while you worked, you wondered how much you…

Introduction: Have you ever felt compelled to pray, but when you finally got alone with God and sat down, you closed your eyes, bowed your head, and in 3 seconds you ran out of things to say? For some reason, churches generally don't teach new believers how to pray and study the Bible. We hear people…

Introduction: Ray Comfort Evangelistic method Expose with the Law then give grace 16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life,…

Introduction: Lots of religious sects teach that we are to pray. They also teach us to whom we are to pray. In Islam, people are to pray to Allah through Muhammed or one of their dead prophets called Imams In Roman Catholicism, believers are encouraged to pray to the saints. There are different saints…

Introduction: Kids fighting and the words get more and more heated Eventually they start to posture and then fists are thrown Then the crowd jumps in and everyone is fighting before you know it This happens because our hearts are prone to sin. 41 Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to…

Introduction: My wife and I recently took the whole Herd to Macon to get Andrew's glasses fixed and as we were leaving Len's Crafters and walking down the sidewalk to join up with the rest of the crew, we had to pass a woman carrying a baby. She had this cute little lump on her shoulder with its chubby…

Introduction: What is the most valuable possession that you have? I know that some of you will say, your family, your spouses, etc. I'm not talking about people, but things that you own. For some of you it may be some piece of memorabilia that you have on display. It's valuable, but it is also a point…

Introduction: Is there someone in your life that you are having a hard time forgiving? Maybe there is a friend or a family member that used to be close to you, but now you hardly ever speak. Homecoming is a time for people to come together and celebrate the birthday of a particular church, but it's also…

Introduction 1 Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third under the command…

Introduction: Imagine a battleship that is functioning correctly. Everyone has a job and all of the jobs work together to accomplish the unified mission of the ship. It is a beautiful sight to behold and each member of the crew functions like a well oiled machine. The only thing is that machines have…

Introduction: I want you to imagine for a moment what it would be like to have to sit out in the parking lot for worship while everyone else you knew got to come inside. You would probably be offended that you were not allowed in. You might wonder what was going on that was so special that you didn't…

Introduction: Crossing the Delaware (from copilot) On a frigid Christmas night in 1776, with morale low and enlistments about to expire, George Washington made a bold gamble that would become one of the most iconic moments of the American Revolution. Washington and about 2,400 Continental Army troops…

Introduction Kenny Roger's song “I Am the Greatest” 1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never…

Introduction: Homeowners covenant and “Karens” that try to nit pick The need for a covenant The abuse of a covenant The Bible presents the covenants as well, yet in a different way. You see what we need is not the law of the covenant to keep up appearances, but we need the Savior the covenant points…

Introduction: Blank slate We aren't a blank slate. We start out inheriting the sin nature that comes from Adam. We at enmity with God and we do not seek God. 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power…

Introduction: Have you ever been working with someone on a project and as they first begin to explain to you the project, you are a little unsure of what the vision is? As you work on it, the plan begins to unfold and you see what was tucked away in their minds begin to unfold before you? Last summer…

Introduction: There are some prayers that are as close to Scripture as you can get without being Scripture. One book of prayers that I have come to love that is a compilation of many puritan prayers that is so saturated with Scripture that it models for us the practice of praying back the Scriptures…

Introduction: I hope you at some point in the last couple of weeks have had the opportunity to walk down the mine shaft leading into the fellowship hall. If you did, you might have noticed a stick or two of dynamite laying on the ground in there. We've had a wonderful week of Vacation Bible School with…

Introduction: Well, most school graduations have taken place by this point and school is finally over. Maybe some of you have been waiting for months, since the first bought of warmer weather came for school to be over. You may have been counting down the days. Maybe you have summer plans that you want…

Introduction: Do any of you remember Scrooge McDuck? You remember that he was a wise financier and was a wealthy stinking animal! He used to have piles of gold coins that his nephews would dive onto and play in. You might wish you could be a little like Scrooge McDuck and have some piles of riches of…

Introduction: I'm sure that many of you at some point in your life have watched the transformation of a caterpillar, which is just another name for a glorified worm, into a butterfly. Maybe you have seen the caterpillar and put it into a jar with some leaves from the plant it was munching on and poked…

Introduction: We live in a distracting world. Things that grab at our attention. Some good some obviously bad. Focus mode. The Bible warns us to redeem the time for the days are evil. Anything that takes our focus off the mission God has sent us to accomplish is from the evil one. In the Christian life…

Introduction: Mom's are important in shaping the life of their children. What people believe about God is often transmitted by parents to their children. The children who grow up to be faithful followers of Christ do not do so because Christ is occaisionally mentioned in the home. They do so because…