Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church » Podcast

The 4th of the 10 commandments was quite different than the others. Instead of a “do this” or “don’t do that” directive, it instructed the people to remember something. In this message, I look at the meaning of the sabbath, and how it was to be remembered. 07.06.25.Remember.the.Sabbath.Tim.McCool

Imagine standing before God and he asks us on what merit are we worthy to enter into Heaven. What would we say? Would we plead our case by telling of our good works or nationality? Would we tell him of our belief or repentance? In this message Brother Luke looks at things that are commonly …

The Lord views His church in very unique and specific ways – like a body, like a family, as a bride. In this message, I look at the family aspect of God’s view of His church. Is it even possible to interact as the church of God if we are not embracing the family dynamic? …

The Bible tells us to let our moderation be known unto all men. What exactly does that mean? In a time of excessive appetites for activities like youth sports, careers, or hobbies, it is vitally important we understand what moderation is. In the same way the tires on a car need to be balanced to …

When the frontier was settled in the 1800s, it was common for the wagon trains to “circle the wagons” when under attack and at night for protection, safety and interaction. In this message, I look at how we should follow that example when we are attacked by Satan and faced with trials and tragedies. 06.22.25.Circle.the.Wagons.Tim.McCool

The Bible gives multiple accounts of the dead being raised back to life in this world, but that is not the only type of resurrection we find in the scriptures. We read about our spiritual man being resurrected back to life with the new birth and about the resurrection of our bodies eternally at the end …

It is easy to lose heart in the face of evil. Sometimes the evil that affects us can be distant – like being frustrated with politics. But sometimes it touches us directly. When it touches us directly, we need to prepare our minds to know how the Lord views and deals with such evil, as …

In this message, I look at the prayer of true pastors – that the people he preaches to will stand in the truths they are taught. 06.01.25.A.Pastors.Prayer.Tim.McCool.mp3

Everyone is looking for happiness. Being happy is a wonderful way to feel. But the reality of life is that happiness can be difficult to achieve and more difficult to hang onto. In this message, I look at how to find happiness in the context of Peter’s clear teaching on discipleship. 05.28.25.How.to.Find.Happiness.Tim.McCool

Jesus tells us that in order for a man to find his life he must first lose it. That might seem like an unusual statement if we only look at it from a superficial perspective. In this sermon, Brother Luke looks at the life of Paul to get a better understanding of what it means …

In the series from I Thessalonians, I look at a statement made by the Apostle Paul. He says that the church at Thessalonica was appointed to afflictions. When we are in the fire of afflictions, the heat shows what is in our heart. In this message, I look at how we face affliction and how …

Everyone agrees that the plant you grow will always be the same as the seed you plant. Corn seeds don’t yield apple trees. The Bible is clear that we will reap what we sow. If we sow to the flesh we will reap destruction. Our problem as children of God is not a lack of understanding this, but it comes …

Most of the rhetoric today uses the second coming of Christ to strike fear in our minds. If a preacher says, “Are you ready for His coming?”, it usually refers to making sure you are eternally saved, so when He shows, you will be ready in that way. But the Bible teaches eternal salvation is …

King David desired to bring the ark of the covenant home to his new house in Jerusalem. This was a good thing. But the way David went about it, displeased the Lord. How many times do we have issues we deal with, and we go about it the wrong way? In this message, I look …

Have we been affected by worldwide deceptions like global warming or evolution? Or have we been affected by lying? Or what about slander or gossip? Have we experienced personal attacks during opportunities to minister? Have we ever dealt with betrayal? Have we refused to forgive others? Has our family been attacked in some way? Has …

In the final message of the May meeting, Elder Graham Sims speaks about the ways in which the Lord restores vision. Sometimes it can be in a physical way like Jesus did with the blind, but sometimes it can be spiritual vision. 05.04.25.Restoring.Vision.Graham.Sims

In the first message of our recent annual meeting, Elder Tim Lawrence of Bethel PBC near Nashville, preaches about sticking to the script, or scriptures. The Lord has preserved for us in His Word everything we need to know about Him and about how to navigate the pitfalls of this fallen world. 05.03.25.Sticking.to.the.Script.Tim.Lawrence

From the days of Isaac, when he asked his father Abraham, where was the Lamb, up until this very hour, the Lord will providentially make sure we are taken care of. This does not mean we should expect an easy life. But it does mean that the Lord is the Provider of all that we …

In the final message on Saturday, Elder Tim Lawrence, member of Bethel Primitive Baptist Church of Nashville, TN, preaches about the miraculous ways that the Lord manifests Himself even now. 05.03.25.He.Will.Manifest.Himself.Tim.Lawrence

In the Saturday afternoon service, Brother Graham looks at Psalms 46 and observes how the Lord is our refuge. 05.03.25.God.is.Our.Refuge.Graham.Sims

In the Saturday morning message of our recent May meeting, Elder Graham Sims, pastor of Wilson Creek PBC near Franklin, TN, preaches from the first chapter of Ephesians. As a prison epistle, Paul wrote this to the troubled church at Ephesus, who apparently was beginning to forget their first love. Paul’s first few lines seek …

Romans 4:25 tells us that Jesus was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. Do we recognize that we have sin? Or do we justify ourselves when it comes to our sin. I would rather acknowledge that I do have sin, and trust in the Lord Jesus for my justification in spite …

What is something that could happen to you today that would make you happy? A new car, becoming debt free, running into an old friend, or maybe finding out you are the heir to a fortune? It is an endless list of things we may say. How many of us would say that being corrected …

How do we assess our value? Is it through the number of likes we have online? Or is it through the amount of property and money we amass? In this message, Elder John Morgan Owens, of Zion PBC, preaches about the way we should find our value, our true worth. 04.23.25.Where.Do.You.Find.Your.Value.John.Morgan.Owens

In the final days of the Judges of Israel, the times were very dark. The ministry of that time was cruel. Worship was corrupt. The people were complacent, and families were dysfunctional. This led to there being no open vision from God. Although this sounds like a page out of the present culture, it was …

In a previous message from I Thessalonians, I looked at what a church should expect out of their preacher. Paul first described his manner as being like a gentle mother. In this message, I continue to look at Paul’s description of himself – as a loving father. These are important characteristics the people of God …

When was the last time you saw a modern-day prodigal son return? Chances are you haven’t. Why? They say that behind every good dish is a good recipe. Sometimes the recipes are passed down, and if we are not diligent in keeping up with a recipe, we forget the ingredients needed to make a good …

Contentment and jealousy do not coexist very well. When one thrives the other does not. Being content with what we have is a wonderful feeling. Our contentment is disrupted when we begin looking at what others have. Jealousy creeps in and puts a stranglehold on our contentment. Instead of a peaceful sense of having enough, …

What should a congregation expect out of their preacher? How should he treat them? In the series on I Thessalonians, I move into chapter 2 and observe the way the Apostle Paul described himself. He writes to the church and recalls his manner among them. One way he described the way he handled them was …

It is interesting how light affects our perception. Experiments have proven without any exposure to the sun we lose our sense of time, and our sleep cycles become altered, both of which are kept in check by exposure to sunlight. In the same way, when we remove ourselves from the Light of Christ our perception …

Last week I began a series in I Thessalonians. We started with an important subject – the meaning of life for the child of God? I consider this next subject just as important. If we do not permit the unmasking of our personal idols through the preached word, then we will never truly be able …

What is the meaning of life? Can this question possibly be answered in a mere 30-minute sermon? It is a question pondered for ages and there are many opinions about it. But for the child of God, it has a simple answer. Paul addresses the true meaning of life for a born-again child of God …

In this sermon Brother Luke looks at the progression of how a man healed of blindness viewed Jesus. The healed man initially calls Jesus just a man. Then as his understanding grows, he calls him a prophet, then a being from God, and ultimately, he recognizes and worships Jesus as a king. As we learn …

Being afraid can have a dramatic impact on our behavior. In this sermon Brother Luke looks at how the fear of death is a bondage that can cause us to compromise. The scripture tells us the fear of death is something the Lord came to deliver us from, and when we embrace His truth, we …

The book of Ecclesiastes is dark and brooding, clearly from the mind of a depressed and jaded person. In this message, I look at the context of this book, when it was written, and by whom. When compared with the other writings of King Solomon, it presents an interesting and sad picture of the old, …

Getting a report card at school was always scary. The report card summarized my performance at school. I especially feared the “conduct” part! Hebrews 11 speaks of a report card of faith. What kind of grade would we achieve in the school of faith? This is not a report card that we report on each …

The Bible says that a brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city. Oftentimes when someone offends us, we build walls, and it can be very difficult to repair a relationship. A mistake we as Christians make is to assume God deals with us in the way we deal with each other. …

We don’t really experience real physical famines today, but we can experience drought, or dry and difficult times, in our marriages, our friendships, our churches. How do we handle that? We are conditioned to cut loose and run. But leaving in times of famine is not always the right course of action. Plus, we will …

Regardless of denomination, faith is one of the most common words heard among religious circles. However, you will find significant differences in an understanding of it. Some say it is a prerequisite to being born again while others say it is generated when one hears the gospel. When we look at the scripture, we see …

Isaiah 53 has often been referred to as the “gospel of Isaiah.” In this message, I look at one of the themes of this incredible and tragic description of our Savior on the cross. As tragic as it is, we rejoice that his suffering was not pointless, but Jesus was interceding for us. 02.23.25.Intercession.Tim.McCool

In the concluding message of the framework series, I look at the 4th activity the early church engaged in – prayer. Acts 2:42 says they continued in doctrine (teaching), fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers. As a church and as individuals, we should follow the framework of the first church, and continue in these simple …

On the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He took Peter, James and John with Him. Before he goes off to pray, he instructs them to watch. Three times he returns to find them sleeping. In this sermon Brother Luke looks at the definition of the word watch, …

Have you ever wondered what the early church did for activities? It was very simple. They engaged one another in 4 basic activities. Acts 2:42 says they continued in doctrine (teaching), fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers. In the 3rd message of the Framework series, I look at how the church engaged in the activity …

The activities described in the NT church are simple. In our present culture, we have complicated the church experience. From pre-K to the elderly, the idea of segregated activity for age-specific groups has taken over. But early church members of all ages and backgrounds, engaged in 4 basic activities. Acts 2:42 says they continued in …

We all deal with bondage to some extent, whether it is the bondage of fear, depression, disease, grief or countless other ways. Thankfully God specializes in rescuing us from bondage. Sometimes he does it in miraculous ways as he did with Peter, Paul, and Silas. But for most of us, it may not be a …

The Lord set up a simple framework for the church experience in the NT church. Worship has become complicated in our modern culture to the extent that it is often difficult to figure out where to fit in. But the early church engaged in 4 simple activities. Around this simple framework our worship life can …

Living in the modern church culture, we often lose sight of a Biblical understanding of what a pastor is. In this message, Brother Luke preaches about the characteristics of a good pastor. 01.26.25.A.Good.Pastor.Luke.Hagler

In the final justification sermon, Brother Luke looks at the most compelling type of justification. To be justified by works is when others declare us righteous, and justification by faith is when we experience it within based on our faith in Jesus’ work, it is only through grace that the Lord God Almighty declares us …

When it comes to the daily grind of life, we all need a reset button. To go back to the basic, back to the foundation, to reset ourselves back on the right path. That is exactly what the father of faith – Abraham – had to do. And it works for us as well. In …

In a follow up message to ‘Justification by Works’, Brother Luke examines what it means to be justified by faith. Justification by works has to do with the opinions of those who see our works and, based on what they see, declare us righteous. But to be justified by faith means that we see ourselves …

Living in the blessings of a free society, with very little threat of persecution for serving the Lord, we are often shocked by suffering. But the true experience of God’s children down through the years has involved much suffering. In this message, I look at how we should not be shocked when we suffer. 01.12.25.Shocked.by.Suffering.Tim.McCool