Lake Wildwood Baptist Church

Have you ever bought a watermellon that looked perfect on the outside—but when you bit into it, it was dry, tasteless, and disappointing? It had form without flavor, promise without produce. Jesus encountered the same thing—not in a grocery aisle, but in a fig tree and a temple. He saw leaves with no fruit, worship with no heart, and religion with no relationship. And He didn't stay silent.

This week Rev. Phillip Johnson brings a solid teaching on Love.  Not sloppy agape but obedience that has evidence to back it up.  Say Amen or Ouch.

Have you ever been completely blindsided by reality? You thought it was going to be one way—but when the moment came, it turned out to be something entirely different? The triumphal entry was one of those moments. The crowd expected a warrior king, but they got a Servant Savior. They wanted a revolution, but Jesus came to bring redemption. They were ready to crown Him with glory, but He was riding straight toward a crown of thorns & the shame of the cross.

Ask yourself honestly: Have I withheld honor from someone God told me to esteem? Have I honored my parents with my lips but withheld my heart? Don't let this command become just another line on a tablet of stone. Let it be etched in your heart by the Spirit of God.

Malachi 4 is the final chapter of the Old Testament—the last dot in the storyline before the Savior arrives. God doesn't end with casual conversation. He ends with a charge, a promise, and a warning. It's His “Remember this before I go” moment. It's as if God is connecting the dots from the Old Testament to the New

Today, this lake is not just a lake. It's a grave for the old life—and a stage for the new one. Baptism shouts a message to every person here, and to every power in heaven and hell: "I'm not who I used to be. I have died with Christ. I have been buried with Christ. And I have been raised with Christ!"

We began in the Garden—a place of perfect presence where sin slammed the door shut.
 We saw the Curtain—Woven with Warrior Angels who reminded us that because of God's holiness & our unholiness: “You can't come in.”
But at the Cross, Jesus' atoning death tore the curtain from top to bottom. What was lost in Eden… was reclaimed at Calvary.
What sin locked… the Savior unlocked.

God's people had stopped fearing the Lord. And in that exact moment—into a weary, rebellious, doubting people—God speaks. And here's the word He gives in Malachi chapter 4: “The day is coming…” This is not a vague maybe.  Not a soft warning.  This is a divine certainty.  A day of fire and finality.  A day of joy and healing for the righteous, and a day of total reckoning for the arrogant and wicked.

In this passage, God doesn't just overhear their complaints—He records them. He listens to both the grumblers and the faithful. And He draws a clear line between those who merely use His name and those who truly fear it. Today, we're going to step right into that same conversation.

This is the only section of Malachi that we ever hear preached and that is usually out of context.  As one attender said of this sermon, "That's the first time I ever heard any Pastor preach that text accurately". Take a listen and see for yourself.

You may have spent your life demanding justice for others while pleading for mercy for yourself. But today, God is calling you out of the judge's seat and into the defendant's chair. Malachi's audience wanted justice—until they realized they were the ones on trial. And so are we.

God's desire for marriages is not only about the relationship between the husband and wife, but it also directly impacts the next generation.  When we honor God in our marriages, it builds a strong foundation for our children to grow and thrive.

Listen as Rev. Phillip Blinson paints a stark picture of the Foster Care need in our neighborhoods.  He also uncovers scripture that help us to live out a love for our nearest neighbors.  Keep an eye on our Facebook page and Website for a more in depth Q&A session coming soon. click here for all the slides in this presentation

Listen as Rev. Eric Freel, no stranger to the Lake Wildwood pulpit, unpacks what "Christian Metamorphosis" looks like based on 2 Corinthians 3:18

God's plan for marriage is simple yet profound: it's meant to be a lifelong partnership, built on love, companionship, and faithfulness.  Marriage is not just about sharing life together, but about reflecting God's love and commitment to us.

As we reflect on God's covenant and the call to holiness in our marriages, let us remember that we are called to protect our identity as the people of God.  Marriage is not just a personal decision but a sacred covenant that impacts our relationship with God and the future of our children.

"Is God's glory really my gain?" We might affirm this with our words, but the question is, do our lives reflect this truth? God's glory is not just a theological statement; it's a lived reality. When we align our lives with His commands, when we live in reverence and awe, we experience the fullness of life He promises—a life of peace, purpose, and joy.

Giving God our best in worship is not just about offering rituals or sacrifices—it's about a heart posture that reflects our deep reverence, sacrifice, and commitment to Him.  The Priests allowed the People to devolve into worthless worship and God was letting them know the consequences.

From the pew to the pulpit, we often offer worship that is displeasing to God and therefore rejected and at times even disciplined.  Therefore, in this study of Malachi 1:6-14, we'll consider principles about offering God acceptable worship—worship that is pleasing to him—both corporately at church and personally through our acts of devotion. 

We may know intellectually that God loves us, but sometimes it feels hard to truly experience that love, doesn't it?  Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament, addresses this very skepticism—this disconnect between what God says and how we feel.

We're kicking off the new year with a timely new sermon series through the book of Malachi, called Last Things First. As the final book of the Old Testament, Malachi addresses powerful themes that are just as relevant today, especially in the year 2025. This Sunday, join us for a special "Getting to Know You" introduction and overview of the series. We'll explore how Malachi's message speaks to our world and sets the stage for the new year ahead.

Today's sermon is a powerful reminder of the profound way God communicates with us—not just through words, but through stories, symbols, and even genealogies!  God invites us INTO this great HIStory via the cross work of Christ Jesus.

My guess is that we think we know all we need to know about the wise men of the Christmas story, but is that really true? Good question. You see, most of what we know about the wise men actually does not arise from the Bible but rather arises from tradition and legend. 

Love, not a sloppy agape, has come in the person of Jesus.  Listen as we are reminded of the reality of God's substance as love, the connection between love & wrath, & the demand to give away what you've been given by God.

Find out how to get some handles on Joy and to allow God to keep your joy tank full!

Peace is not a WHAT but a WHO.  Join us as we get handles on Peace and learn to walk in it.

Rev. Eric Freel is no stranger to the LWBC pulpit.  He kicks off our Advent Celebration by unpacking Titus 1:1-3.  There is hope and then there is HOPE.  

It is good & necessary to Review, Retell, & Remember our History as a nation. Today we go on a pilgrim journey & trace the finger of God in the founding of our nation.  Listen, Learn & Love our Faithful God!

Come and Catch the rest of the walk through Psalm 20 - King David's Primer on Praying for your Leader.  He reminds us of the danger of misplaced trust, pride, & man's wisdom.  Use this Royal Psalm as a road map to pray for all of our leaders

We all are in a post election hangover.  How to move forward away from the partisan in the power of the Holy Spirit?  David gives us a blueprint in Psalm 20 on how to pray for your leaders.

Voting is an acknowledgement of God's sovereign wisdom in placing us in a nation where we can have a direct effect on the direction of our national conscience.  We can either download heaven or upload hell based on who God's people elect to lead our nation.  

David's day was not terribly unlike our own.  The media/counselors of his day, like ours, was adept at assessing the problem.  Their advice however left out one vital element - the Sovereign Reign of Almighty God.

There's been a shift over that past century to a nearly complete emphasis on grace & an open aversion to obedience.  If you were on a desserted Island with no faith context & a Bible, you would never come to that conclusion.  Jesus has a very different view as we will see today.

What gets you up every day?  What propels you forward toward purpose?  Paul tells us what it should be in 2 Corinthians 5:14.  Then he goes on in typical Pauline fashion to peel off the layers & reveal the core of the Gospel in vs 21.

This week we welcome our friend and brother, Pastor Jay Lauritsen, back to the Lake Wildwood Pulpit.  Listen as he takes the mask off of Satan's lies devilishly designed to deceive God's creation.

These laws seem harsh but there is a Holy God behind them.  Listen & see the kindness of God and the Shadow of the Savior in some OT rules for living in the Wilderness.

“Our sin debt has been paid in full with a currency we do not and never will possess.” — Clark Whitten Sin is a Debt, an act of War, & a Crime against the Creator.  God has roles at Creditor, Offended Party & Judge.  Thankfully we have Jesus.  Listen & rejoice

Did you know that the vast majority of the time that "Salvation or Saved" is used in scripture that it doesn't refer to our standing with God?  Have you ever considered WHAT we are saved or rescued from?  Listen & find out.

In this Psalm, David gives us a window into how he battled Anxiety as a King.  The interesting fact is that this method works for people like us.   

Have you ever given your children back to God?  (Some of you are thinking, “I'd like to give them back—but I didn't think God would take them back.  I thought He had a ‘no return' policy on kids!  Besides, I lost the receipt!”). In this sermon, we look at Abraham's faith in giving his son Isaac back to God.

Many a soldier has gone into battle with a copy of this Psalm in hidden in his uniform if not his heart.  It is a cogent reminder of God's care for those who know His name and as such love Him.  Listen and be exhorted & encouraged.

We need to stop & look up...long enough to realize how small we are, how big God is and how privileged we are to be called into the Creator's mangement team.  

Four Kings, Three Prophets & The Sacrifice of infants to Molech.  Is there something more nefarious behind the culture of death that we live in?  Does the church realize what is at stake?  Listen to Brother Logan Flynn of Operation Gospel unpack Isaiah 1 with precision & passion

Psalm 2 is really a continuation of the back half of Psalm 1.  A polemic on the end of the wicked verses the wise.  It has a message for us today that must be heard & obeyed.

Two People, Two Paths, Two Pay-Offs.  Today we move from  the climactic contrast of this multiplied blessed man, stable & nourished like a mighy oak transplanted to a place of water, sun & soil.  The picture of thriving & success, only to hear a double "Not so" as the wicked man is brought into focus.  The obvious question left purposely by the writer is, "Which man am I?"  To ask is to answer.  

There is admitidettly a real tension between the control of God and the responsibility of man to his revealed truth about Himself.  In this sermon, the friend of Lake Wildwood Baptist, Pastor Jay Lauritsen, gives a clear, cogent & compelling word to explain this delicate topic.

We're all chasing it.  The best life we could possibly be living in the NOW.  In the introduction to a musical prayer book of exiled Israel, we are introduced to a fictitious guy who's living his best life now.  The YBH of his path...now that's something worth checking out.

It was the last miracle that Jesus performed before his own Resurrection.  This was the only miracle that the person healed was actually named.  How is it that a blind man had more vision than Jesus' own guys?  Listen & find out.

Jesus is on the move...to his execution.  The disciples are bewildered & the crowd is afraid.  For the final time, Jesus plainly lays out what is going to happen to him and even who is going to do it.  Right on the heels of this detailed description of his passion, James & John jump in with a self seeking request.  Jesus once again must give them a lesson on leadership in his upside down kingdom.

"We've got enough of the World to make us miserable with Jesus and enough of Jesus to make us miserable with the world.  Choose."  Jesus lays some hard truth on a sincere self righteous young man...because he loved him.

God's commands are intended to be blessings not burdens.  Today, we look at the 5th with an eye to practical application.  Join us on this Mother's Day 2024 as we explore the wisdom & grace of God via the 5th Commandment