Susquehanna Valley Baptist Church

Several times in this book, Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tells us to be looking. Let's learn from 2 Peter what we are to be looking at.

In this episode, we look at God's faithfulness over the first 15 years of Susquehanna Valley Baptist Church. There have been years of abundance and years of need. But through it all, God has sustained the ministry through seasons of doubt, scarcity, and personal sacrifice.

There are numerous things that we should have knowledge of when it comes to our relationship with God. Ignorance of God's Word and Will should never characterize the life of the believer.

The best time to serve the Lord is in your youth. It is in your youthful years that you have the energy and the time to serve God the most and the best. Why are we prioritizing worldly pleasures over service to God?

What in your life do you worry about? What are your cares? There are many reasons to worry, and it all started in the garden of Eden. We have a friend, and His name is Jesus Christ! He wants us to lift up our cares to Him! Ultimately fretting reveals a lack of trust in God.

As Peter speaks of the second coming of the Lord, he seeks to remind the believers of what has already been taught them. It is key to the believer's life to be constantly in the Word and under the preaching of God's Word, that he not forget what God desires of them.

How can we know that a teacher is false? Are there certain characteristics or attributes that reveal their heart and motives? The Bible gives us answers to these questions so that we are not taken astray by those seeking our destruction.

As Peter warns of false teachers, he uses the example of Balaam from Numbers. The way of Balaam is to make a market of spiritual things. He sought to use spiritual things for earthly gain. Peter warns against this type of false teaching.

There are some things that we can not definitively say "This is the will of God." But in the area of raising children in the Word of God, we know that it is the Will of God to teach them the Word of God early, often, and continuously.

Hope and lasting change do not originate from worldly sources like politics or economics, but from a steadfast faith in Christ. Justification by grace through faith, true righteousness comes not from good works or affiliations, but from a personal relationship with Jesus.

We can know false teachers by their walk, their will, their pursuit of wealth, and their women. Rather than walking in the Spirit, they will be walking according to their flesh, and it shows in every area of their life.

If we will overcome sin in our lives, we must cultivate humility in our lives. Pride will never please God.

It is not only God's desire, but it is God's plan for parents to teach their children the ways of God. This training does not just happen at family devotions, but it takes place throughout the day and wherever opportunity is given to bring glory to God.

True righteousness is not earned through human effort or adherence to the law, but rather received as a free gift through faith in Christ, enabling believers to live a life worthy of their calling and reflecting God's grace.

Peter is giving us some examples of false teachers from the Old Testament. Why? So we can learn from them and be diligent in watching for false teachers in our day.

If one is going to overcome sin, he must not be in conflict with God. Those in conflict with God have several characteristics. Chief of these is the characteristic of pride.

One of the most important decisions you will make in life is who you choose to marry. Numerous couples face marriage problems, and much of it could have been avoided if they had followed a Biblical pattern for choosing a Godly spouse.

In the last few months, the United States has been rocked by tragedy. From the assassinations of Melissa Hortman and Charlie Kirk to the Mystic Camp Flood in Texas to the Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis, this nation has been shocked. What is to be the believer's response to these tragedies? The Lord has given us His Word and in it we will find the proper way to respond to the most tragic of circumstances that we encounter in this life.

God has given believers the life of Christ as the example of how they are to live their lives. In His goodness, God is not like our human teachers in that they can only be with us part of the time. Through the Holy Spirit that dwells within every believer, we have God with us at all times.

It is a necessity within our local churches to be vigilant for false teachers. We can recognize false teachers by their worship, their ways, and their words.

To whom is the invitation of the gospel given? Some would say that it is only for a few, but the Scriptures could not be clearer on the subject. The invitation for salvation is for all men; none are excluded. It requires repentance and belief for a person to receive this most wonderful gift.

In Philippians 3, the apostle confronts a dangerous false teaching that threatens the gospel of grace. Drawing from the Old Testament, Paul contrasts the heart's separation to God with mere external observance, affirming that salvation comes not through law-keeping but through faith in Christ, whose work in the believer supersedes all human effort. The passage calls us to a life of continual spiritual renewal where the Lord, not human works, is the author and finisher of faith. Therefore God's child can rejoice in Christ!

The sermon draws from 1 Corinthians 12 to present the local church as a unified body in Christ, emphasizing that believers—regardless of ethnic, social, or economic background—are joined together through the Spirit and united under Christ as the head. Central to this message is the theological truth that every member, no matter how seemingly insignificant or uncomely, is essential to the body's function and purpose. The threefold purpose of the church—glorifying God, edifying believers, and evangelizing the lost—is grounded in the practical realities of assembling together, praying together, ministering together, and striving together in faith.

One of the amazing things about God is that He uses flawed men and women to accomplish his purposes. He doesn't need us, but he uses the little that we have to bring honor and glory to His name. Are we willing to yield to Him and allow Him to use us in His service.

The sermon explores the experience of discouragement through the life of Elijah, highlighting how even mighty figures of faith can be overwhelmed by fear and despair.

The sermon centers around identifying the believer's identity. The believer's identity is not found in external religious rituals or legalistic works, but in a transformative, inward relationship with Christ.

Just as the Ten Commandments serve as the foundation of God's Law, some Biblical principles regarding finance should serve as the bedrock of sound finances.

We must recognize the importance of standing firm in biblical truth amidst spiritual compromise and theological apostasy. This is done by standing firm on the Word of God. Ultimately, believers need to grow in their knowledge of Christ in order to guard against false teachings.

It is in times of suffering that believers have the greatest opportunity to be like Jesus Christ. After all, it was Christ who suffered the worst so that we might have eternal life with Him.

Continuing despite difficulty is a hallmark trait of men and women of God throughout the scriptures. Far too often difficulty handicaps the believer when God's desire is that would do even in difficulty.

Failing to make and keep Godly friends can cause serious problems in our lives. As God brings righteous individuals into our lives, we must aim to nurture and sustain these relationships while striving to maintain God's standards of friendship.

Every believer likes the thought of victory over sin in their lives, but few are willing to do what it takes to have complete victory. What does it take? It takes a continual yielding of oneself to the Holy Spirit for one to have total victory in their lives.

A great majority of youth in our churches lack wisdom simply because it isn't a priority to them. Wisdom is not on their bucket list to gain. But it is shown in the Word of God and in the life of Jesus Christ, that any youth who has a relationship with God can be wise. Wisdom should be the pursuit of every believer, but especially of the youth.

For those who desire to go above and beyond to seek Christ, it is important to count the cost. In the world's eyes, the believer who gives up his worldly ambitions and achievements is throwing his talents and future away. They are wrong. For truly the future of such a believer is brighter than it ever was before.

Humanity knows they have need of a Savior, and they seek a variety of ways to gain this salvation. Some seek salvation in politics, healthcare, or moral discipline. Yet, it is only the gospel of Christ that brings salvation from sin and eternal life with Christ.

Today, there is a critical need for consistent remembrance of truth amidst spiritual compromise and theological apostasy. Drawing from Ezekiel's call to "make up the hedge," and Peter's exhortations in 2 Peter 1, the message underscores the human tendency toward forgetfulness and blindness, urging listeners to actively stir up their memories and endure with steadfast faith. Through scriptural examples, we see the importance of continual reminders to maintain an established and enduring connection to God's truth, resisting the allure of fleeting experiences and false doctrines.

The Word of God is so much more than a book. It is the basis for all that we do, and it contains the promises of God that lead us along.

The sermon centers on the Christian life as a disciplined, ongoing race toward spiritual maturity, anchored in Philippians 3:10–14, where Paul emphasizes pressing forward toward the 'mark' of Christ's likeness, not for perfection but for the transformative work God has initiated in every believer. It highlights the necessity of a 'racing mind'—a mindset of relentless pursuit.

The message calls believers to guard their hearts and minds through Christ, and to deliberately meditate on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely. This biblical order—thinking biblically, acting accordingly, and then experiencing the presence of the God of peace—stands in contrast to the world's pattern of feeling first, then acting, which leads to regret.

It is in our youth that we must remember the Providence of Almighty God. We must not let anxiety, doubt, and fear disconnect us from God's plan for this life. Rather, we must submit our thoughts and actions unto God.

Why does a believer struggle to overcome sin in a decisive fashion? There are several factors, but they all come down to having a different pursuit than God.

Religion can have positive attributes, but no religion has the ability to save a soul. There are good people that have a religion but are not on their way to heaven. Only through Jesus Christ can we have eternal life.

Every believer has the need to lay aside weights and sin, looking to Jesus as the author and finisher of faith, and diligently working to share the Gospel. We must beware of spiritual blindness, short-sightedness, and forgetfulness. Rather, we must remain steadfast in our faith and actively participate in the work of spreading the Gospel, thereby fulfilling their calling and standing firm until Christ's return.

The central purpose of the Local New Testament Church must be the glorification of God. This is the church's first responsibility, and it must also be its primary pursuit. When the glory of God is first in the church, all other duties of the church will be done according to God's way.

Paul could honestly say to the Romans that he was not ashamed of the Gospel because he made the Gospel his top priority. Believers can say they are not ashamed of the Gospel, but does their life show it?

The sermon emphasizes the importance of dynamic maturity in the Christian life, urging believers to actively cultivate virtues, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity to foster a flourishing faith. Drawing from 2 Peter 1, true growth stems from diligent engagement with Scripture and a commitment to enduring trials which ultimately leading to a life that reflects God's character and bears fruit.

Some may choose the NIV for its ease of reading or other reasons. But what are you missing? The NIV has manipulated an already faulty text in order to be politically correct. We use the KJV because it is the closest English version we have to the original manuscripts.

This message highlights the real-life conflict between two faithful women. The passage unfolds a practical theology of reconciliation: as they are urged to be of the same mind in the Lord, not by human effort, but by yielding to Christ's humility, servanthood, and obedience.

Through Christ, the believer can have decisive victories requires having the same interest as God and having the same process as God.

Ministry must begin with service. It is natural for us to exalt ourselves over Christ and His will. Hence, the necessity to have spiritual maturity before service. Otherwise, we are seeking to serve God in our own sinful flesh.