First Baptist Church St. Paris

Our world desire authenticity & community. Though we have a bunch of YouTube stars, social media influencers generally speaking people are quick to point out hypocrisy and “fakeness”. Suffering is inevitable. I wish it were not so. Some of us suffer greatly and others will get through life with minimal…

Listening is hard work. Listening well provides the foundation for healing and hope. This is I think a foundational principle of Scripture and life. But, I don't believe our world is typically good at truly listening. Listening is hard work! To answer before listening— that is folly and shame. We must…

Life is full of… How would you finish the statement? You don't need to answer it out loud but think about this. There is a lot of pain, stress, trauma and drama. These four things are absolutely true. Many of us will experience trauma and many individuals including our veterans experience PTSD. Drama…

What is your heritage? Sometimes it can be really neat to know where you have come from. Those who have gone before you and how they still influence your life today. The context: Feast of Tabernacles This was a reminder to the nation of Israel where they came from. It was a reminder of their ancestors…

1 out of 5 adults experience “formal” anxiety. These are those who have a formal diagnosis. These are the ones where a PCP, NP, or counselor has given the diagnosis. This is based on research from 2008 roughly. Up to 50% of adults experience anxiety of some sort. This is a preliminary study form 2023.…

We come to this MOther's Day and I hope to share this message in a way which honors the ladies of our life but also challenge us to live out the faith our world desperately needs in a counter-cultural way. In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. Though this is a commentary on…

Hope during dark times. Think of the darkest times of your life and also think about where hope may or may not have been. Peter is writing to people who need reminded of hope. The same is true of us today. Hope because of WHO Jesus is! I know this is review, but on Palm Sunday this is the point, He is…

Hope is essential. Without it we are just existing. Yet hope is hard at times. There are many of us in this world walking around like the walking dead. We have no life in us. Hope must be grounded in reality. If it is not then we just have flimsy optimism which though may do us well will not create life.…

There is a lot of uncertainty in our world. I have my list of things I wish was a little more clear and “decided”. There are the “big” uncertainties dealign with our world, government and such. Then there are the personal uncertainties which rightfully so become our world. It is hard to live when you…

Maundy Thursday is counter-cultural. This day goes against much of what our culture celebrates. Power. Strength. Possessions. Individualism. Personal Freedom. We need Maundy Thursday in the Church. If we are not careful we can easily slip into the pattern of our world. We need it because I believe Maundy…

Our world is fully of bustle and hustle. Many things vie for our attention. Our world is filled with conflict. Personal and within communities. Our world is filled with expectations. Spoken and unspoken. So did the world of Jesus! This is good news. We are not that much different than them. Israel was…

What does discipleship look like? The past four weeks, finishing today, I hope I have been answering this question. But beyond that how would you answer it. What does generosity look like? How have you been on the receiving end of generosity? Relationships are key for discipleship! As our passage reminds…

Life is not always easy. We know this to be true and yet, we strive to making easier for us. I know I am always looking for ways to simplify and make things a little easier. Work smarter not harder, is a phrase we have that encompasses this. Sometimes easy is not always healthy. It is much easier to…

Change is inevitable. It is not a matter of if things will change but when and how quickly. Traditions can help teach & ground our faith. Traditions are useful in many ways. Sometimes, traditions get in the way of faith. The problem CAN, emphasis on CAN, become that tradition stops faith from growing…

Deja vu-feeling like you have already experienced something but haven't. Today may be like that. We have a passage that is very similar to our text from last week. But please, don't check out just yet. Jesus transforms life. The normal way for someone to follow a teacher and rabbi in those days was to…

Personal Ministry Goal: Make disciples who make disciples. Hopefully, unless you are new to our ministry in the past month this phrase is not a new one. This year I want to be intentional, more than usual, at developing disciples in our church. Walking with Jesus is a journey. It is not something that…

What is progress? Greatness? As i finished prepping this morning I read a quote by C.S. Lewis What age is someone “old”? Now be careful if you answer out loud, which I do not recommend. :) “Now I care far more how humanity lives than how long.” C.S. Lewis Genesis 4 & 5 -the blessing is seen. We see mankind…

God is… Fill that blank in to some extent. What are the “key” traits you would highlight? The way we view God will determine how we live and share Christ. It is important we understand this. When, as we will, emphasize one trait over another there are behavioral consequences to those belief. Choices…

Expectations are… How would you finish the sentence. Where do you come from? Once again another tricky question. My answer will give insight into what I thought you were asking. The Biblical world is different than 2025. I know some may want to say “Thank you Captain Obvious” but we must always remember…

Life is a journey! I know this sounds cliche', and it is, but we must remember this. Developing disciples in 2025 As I stated a couple weeks ago this is a major theme I have this year. It is nothing flashy no edgy and trendy. Yet, it is rooted in the words of Jesus. Then Jesus came to them and said,…

What does a balanced diet look like? This is the time of year we think about diet and exercise. In fact, I believe what is known as quitters' days as already happened, the 2nd Friday or Saturday in January. We need a healthy diet of Scripture. As we start the year this is my point this morning. But what…

What is your goal for 2025? I am not talking necessarily about new year resolutions, though it can be that, but instead what do you hope to achieve or develop this year. 2025: Developing Disciples As I have done some thinking this past couple weeks about what I am going to try and use as a measuring…

Mary & Joseph-Young, unexpected, confused, tired yet courageous. Mary had not a clue what was going to happen that first night. Shepherds-probably outcasts, nothing special, just doing “their job”. It was supposed to be a normal night. Simeon & Anna-Old and just waiting for prayers to be answered. Faithful…

Becoming a GOAT We all want greatness and our world can pressure us to be a GOAT, or Greatest Of All Time. This desire is not necessarily bad but can be confusing. Who defines greatness? If we want to be great, and I am not opposed to it, then we must ask who gets to define greatness. Christmas gives…

Simple does not equate with easy. We need to be reminded of this truth. Just because a concept is simple does not mean it is easy. Just because someone may “get it” easier does not mean only a few can understand and live it out. We are familiar with cynicism, criticalness and bitterness. These are the…

Many people need help. The needs of our community and the people in our lives is great. This can be overwhelming, trust me I know. The prophets job: comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. This is a line I read from John Goldingay in his Jeremiah for Everyone commentary. Think about this statement…

What “P” words can you think of this morning? Patience, perseverance, pitching, problems, etc. How are we to live in this world? This is a primary question I ask each week as I study the Scripture and our text for hours in order to try and answer. If we do not live out the Word of God it matters little…

How would you describe life right now? What words come to mind when you think of life? We need a word from the Lord. As we enter this week I hope this message will help you hear the Lord. I will try even more than usual to be brief and straight forward. Israel's world was being turned upside down. The…

God still speaks today. This is, I believe, a fundamental truth we must learn. God still uses the words of old to help us live in 2024. Jeremiah gives us a “parable in action”. The phrase most likely comes form the NIV Application Commentary but when we have this framework it helps to understand the…

Who, and what, is man? I use the term “man” in a very generic sense here; one devoid of gender. Jeremiah in our passage, and those before, is trying to get the nation to see how God answers this question. We too must answer the question. Follow your heart our world says. This is a popular phrase in our…

What is Biblical prayer? Have you ever thought long and hard about this question? Most of us, and for many years I have been similar, the answer is probably not. We know some of the great “prayers” of the Bible but it is the unknown prayers we may want to consider. Having faith when God is silent. It…

Life is unfair! This is a hard truth everyone one of us faces, sometimes weekly and sometimes not as often. Right does not always win. The better team sometimes loses. Why do evil people succeed? Ever wonder this? I struggle to use the word “evil” because it is so easy to see others as being awful, incompetent,…

The future is… How would you finish the statement/sentence? We want certainty and security. Nothing wrong with this and I believe it is one of the primary needs we have as humans. This is why the future can be so scary and we want to look backwards, for the past we already know. This is what the Lord…

We all want independence. This is a basic need but I am starting to wonder we have taken this too far in our present culture. This was not the view of the ancient world We can easily become isolated. This was part of what Jeremiah was telling the nation, look around and learn. Yet in true independence…

We live in a throw away world. As soon as something doesn't work for us we are sometimes quick to throw it away or put in a pile for “some day”. We want a quick fix. Similar to this is the “silver bullet” mindset. May I call this is the “Amazon mindset”—meaning we want what we want and we want it now!…

Change happens! In fact, I could argue the pace of change has only accelerated in the past 15-20 years. We grasp at anything that will give us security. Some of the things we go towards are not bad, others very much so. We need a voice of truth AND hope! Not just one or the other but both. I am becoming…

We are people of the future. We talked briefly, and will go in much further details on Wednesday morning, about the future and our hope. We cannot forget where we are going! We need to be people with good memories. We are not people of the past per se. We don't just need to remember. We need to remember…

We all want clarity. In a world where there is chaos, confusion and more of the such we seek clarity. What is the best way to…? This is where in previous sermons I have talked about praying for wisdom. Without wisdom we will never see things clearly. In Jesus' day there were 613 commands from the OT.…

Who are humans? A foundational question of life. The answer we give will reveal much about how we treat others, ourselves, and the purpose of humanity. Who/What has authority? Tied to our first question but yet distinctly different is the one of authority. Mark asks, “Who is Jesus?” This is one of the…

Over 43 million people are physically blind in our world. A quick search gives us this number from 2020. Some research says close to 33 million of the cases of blindness could be preventable. The world is difficult for those who aren't “normal”. Physical disabilities, mental disabilities are health issues,…

Why so much evil in our world? We like to ask this question, and sometimes we must. Even this day we have at least two full scale wars going on, a potential for at least a 3rd, and may other calamities. We have children suffering the effects of not having food and many more homeless in many ways. Why…

Our world is confusing. We live in a very confusing time. We need wisdom to live in our world. This should be one of our most prayed prayers. If we pray for wisdom I guarantee God will answer it. Then we must live wisdom out. We need the Holy Spirit! Jesus says in John 14 about the role of the Holy Spirit…

What does greatness look like? This is not a bad desire nor wrong in many ways. By greatness I may also mean we want someone to notice us and what we do. Is greatness a stat like in baseball? Who is the greatest baseball player? This can lead us to comparison. Once again this is not necessarily a bad…

Life is full of ups and downs. I think we all can agree on this point. Who does not love this. In fact, take a quick moment to recall one of your recent mountaintop experiences. Also, if you would like take a moment to remember a valley moment in life. Following Jesus does not take away the ups and downs.…

Fear is constant in our world. Fear is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be very beneficial. However, I am observing that fear is becoming greater and greater in our world to the point that others are trying to use it for their own gain. Our fears can reveal our needs. Fear can be a tool that is used…

How we think, what we believe, shapes our world. Our thoughts and beliefs are very powerful. Our world shapes what we think and believe. Yet, the world we live in also shapes our beliefs and thoughts about things. The location is important. Jesus is in Caesarea Philippi the capitol of pagan worship,…

Bridges are important. As you drive around this week notice how many bridges, of many kinds, you go over. My guess is we will all be surprised by the number. Our text this morning serves as a bridge. As you look at our world what do you see? I think it is important for us to answer this question often.…

We want to be right. No one likes to lose or to be wrong. Failure seems like the worst experience. This goes along with the first point. We do not want to fail and we have started to experience that failure means we are “worthless”. Our culture has become so toxic in this way we have given rise to anxiety…

Who/What gets the last/final word? When determining matters of faith, life, and relationships what gets final say? How do we determine what is right and wrong? How do we determine what is best from good? Everyone has traditions. All of the world has a tradition. Every culture has their own. Every religion.…