Grace Baptist Church - Wilmington, NC

The sermon, rooted in Jesus' Parable of the Sower from Luke 8, emphasizes that the effectiveness of the Gospel is not determined by the message itself but by the condition of the heart to which it is delivered. It distinguishes between four types of spiritual soil—hardened, shallow, distracted, and receptive—highlighting that true faith is marked not by emotional experiences or superficial commitments, but by enduring fruit produced in an honest and good heart. The preacher calls the church to faithfully proclaim the whole counsel of God without compromise, rejecting cultural trends that dilute truth, while urging individuals to examine their own hearts for areas of hardness, distraction, or unrepentant sin that hinder spiritual growth. Ultimately, the message affirms the security of salvation through Christ's sustaining grace, while challenging believers to cultivate a life of persistent faith, obedience, and fruitfulness in response to God's Word.

Jesus presents a challenging parable in Luke 16 about a dishonest manager whose shrewdness, though morally wrong, highlights a critical spiritual truth: believers must be equally strategic, creative, and intentional in investing their time, talent, and treasure into God's eternal kingdom. The passage confronts the church with the sobering reality that the world often outworks Christians in pursuing temporal goals, not because of greater morality, but due to greater commitment and resourcefulness. Far from endorsing dishonesty, Jesus uses the manager's cunning to contrast the spiritual lethargy of believers with the relentless pursuit of ungodly ends, calling followers to be faithful stewards of all God has entrusted—recognizing that true wealth is measured not by accumulation, but by eternal impact. The sermon emphasizes that stewardship is not about the amount given, but the heart behind it, urging believers to prioritize kingdom advancement with the same diligence the world applies to its own ambitions, ultimately pointing to the Lord's Supper as a sacred reminder of Christ's sacrifice and the believer's eternal responsibility.

When human corroboration is fueled by sinful desires and motives, very dangerous results happen. In this sermon we look at this text in two sections, the unified effort and the problem. This was a prideful pursuit of sinful ambition to define God on their terms.

How are you at working with people? One of the interesting dynamics of our age is the church. It is incredible to see so many people from different backgrounds come together to minister. So what is your role in the ministry of the church? Have you invested personally in the institution that God has chosen to help spread the Gospel?

As Noah steps out of the ark questions about what is out there, what is left, , questions of what's next seem to linger. By God's grace the flood didn't eliminate all the hope from the world. God had a plan and instructions for Noah as he started fresh.

What does it mean to remember? In the Ark account remember means that God is acting on a promise that he had made with man. As we read through this account we learn about God and we learn about ourselves. The Ark account teaches us that God always remembers.

Why is it our culture is so desperate to disprove that there is a God. It is simply that they do not want to obey God and live by God's created order. Join us as Pastor Jay walks us through creation day 6, the day that God created his most personal creation, humanity bearing the His image.

A special Christmas Eve message from Pastor Jay.

If you could only choose one Christmas decoration what would it be? One that stands out in particular is the lights. The lights are not merely not meant to illuminate a tree they are meant to teach us that Jesus is the light of the world.

Why is it our culture is so desperate to disprove that there is a God. It is simply that they do not want to obey God and live by God's created order. Join us as Pastor Jay walks us through creation day 6, the day that God created his most personal creation, humanity bearing the His image.

The account of Christmas is filled with layers of people and each one teaches us something. Even the most mysterious group we find in the account might be the group we call the Magi teaches us something immensely important.

Guest speaker Steve Pettit shares God's word with us.

With the 2024 election just a few days away we pause to remind ourselves of 5 important truths from God's word about how Christians are to respond to the culture around us.

Genealogies are an often overlooked part of the Bible, and yet they still there for a purpose. As we look at the genealogy of Enoch we are invited to pull back the curtain and see how God uses specific people at specific times for his specific purposes.

Is religion really bad for society? Genesis Chapter 4 shows us what a society looks like a part from God.

We are all worshipers, we are created to worship something, so the question is what are we going to worship-- In this sermon Pastor Jay walks us through the familiar account of the first murder. A sin that came as result of wrong worship.

We are all worshipers, we are created to worship something, so the question is what are we going to worship? In this sermon Pastor Jay walks us through the familiar account of the first murder. A sin that came as result of wrong worship.

As we come to Genesis chapter 4 we are get a glimpse of parenthood for the first time. We can picture Adam and Eve holding their child for the first time with no Idea how it worked, the joy and the magnificence of it, but because we know how that first baby turned out we can often over look the importance of this moment in human history.

As we come to Genesis chapter 4 we are get a glimpse of parenthood for the first time. We can picture Adam and Eve holding their child for the first time with no Idea how it worked, the joy and the magnificence of it, but because we know how that first baby turned out we can often over look the importance of this moment in human history.

Because of the sin in the garden our world is left in a state of brokenness. The consequences were both immediate and perpetual. In this sermon Pastor Jay looks at 3 of those perpetual consequences.

Why is it our culture is so desperate to disprove that there is a God. It is simply that they do not want to obey God and live by God's created order. --Join us as Pastor Jay walks us through creation day 6, the day that God created his most personal creation, humanity bearing the His image.