Unity Baptist Church

Peter preaches the first Christian sermon, proclaiming that Jesus is both Christ and Lord, and calling on those in Jerusalem to repent, be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit.

After the Holy Spirit filled the house on the day of Pentecost, Peter preached what may be considered the first Christian sermon. We will look at his sermon from Acts 2 in two parts, beginning this week and finishing up … Continue reading →

Jesus appeared to numerous disciples and believers over 40 times following the resurrection. At the time of his ascension he told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise. Last week we read about a promise made; Acts 2 begins … Continue reading →

We’ve spent the past few weeks looking at the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. This is the last one, from Acts chapter 1. He tells his disciples to remain in Jerusalem, wait for the promise, then when they receive power from … Continue reading →

If you lived on a fishing boat it’s probably not that weird. Jesus continued doing post-resurrection what Jesus always did, providing for people’s physical as well as spiritual needs.

1 Timothy 3:16 is another text that provides a succinct description of who Jesus is. The mystery aspect will be explained at the end. Note: Somewhere in the middle of this sermon I get confused by my own notes. I … Continue reading →

Jochebed was the mother of Moses. He had an older brother and sister but Exodus 2 details the events of his birth and his mother’s love. She loved her son and chose to fear and obey God rather than Pharaoh.

In John 20 Jesus breathes on the disciples and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. If they were not receiving the promise of the Comforter at that time (and they were not, that’s the day of Pentecost after the … Continue reading →

The Bible is about Jesus; according to Jesus.

There were other people, from the Old and New Testaments, that were dead and restored to life. Jesus is the firstborn of the resurrection. Colossians 1 describes the incarnation and how we are redeemed and reconciled to God through the … Continue reading →

Many events during Jesus’ earthly ministry had been recorded prophetically hundreds of years earlier. As Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, let’s connect some of those dots to see the whole picture. Or at least more of it.

The introductory verses of Hebrews says a lot about Jesus in just a few words. Let’s unpack some of that profound understanding contained in just a few short statements.

Up until this point Daniel has been interpreting dreams and visions for the kings of Babylon. Beginning in chapter 7, Daniel describes and gives the interpretation of his own visions of the end times.

Christmas is more than the celebration of a baby’s birth. The Son of God became like us so that we could become the children of God. The long road to the cross at Calvary begins in Bethlehem.

We light the Shepherds candle and celebration joy on the third week of Advent. We light the angels candle on the fourth Sunday in Advent and the theme is peace. “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men” was their proclamation.

When the shepherds received good news of great joy, their immediate response was to share that with others. The shepherds are the pattern for what we need to do.

Bethlehem Faith is today’s sermon as we mark the 2nd Sunday of Advent. Click the play button below or the three dots at right to download the audio file. Two notes: 1) Last week I may have said that Elizabeth … Continue reading →

John the Baptist began his ministry just before Jesus began his earthly ministry. John was called to prepare the people to receive Jesus, like turning the soil before planting. Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the season of preparation … Continue reading →

Our understanding of God progresses as we read through the Bible. He reveals more of his nature and character as the narrative moves forward.

Revelation chapter 1, introduction to the last book in the New Testament. After reading the letters to the seven churches last week, this is the background of John and his vision on the Island of Patmos. Avoid Revelation at all … Continue reading →

Sometimes if you can’t be a good example you’ll just have to be a terrible warning. The letters to the seven churches are recorded for our benefit. Learn what they did right, what they did wrong, then choose wisely.

Solomon was a wise leader that did not always follow his own advice. All of his material possessions and entertainment options failed to bring him happiness. Think about that the next time you see headlines claiming that Christmas is not … Continue reading →

The Apostle Paul uses the language of analogy to encourage Christian believers. The prize is Jesus and he wants you to win!

Context is important. We have to be careful when witnessing – or for that matter with one another – that there are sinners and there are sinners saved by grace.

This is Sunday morning’s sermon. I was getting sick and didn’t know if I would make it through this. I crashed afterwords; Monday was the worst. So I finally listened to this sermon today and it turned out better than … Continue reading →

Sometimes God is accused of being unfair or unjust. Some might even imagine they will reprimand God or reason with him on the day of judgement. God’s preference is that people listen to his warnings and turn to righteousness rather … Continue reading →

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is probably well known. Like other titles we tend to give biblical narratives, that was added later and may work against our understanding. Hear this parable again with a mission emphasis as we wrap … Continue reading →

Much like “You only live once” that should be a warning to make good choices and not an excuse to disregard all caution. This is #3 of 4 in a mission’s focused series. We will wrap up next week.

Week 2 of Mission Georgia focus. When God’s people worked together, with one heart and one soul in a community of believers, they will have an impact on the world around them.

Mission Georgia sermon from James chapter 1. For prayer guides, videos and other further information click this link to the Mission Georgia website.

After three days in the belly of the great fish, Jonah is willing to do things differently than what we saw in chapter 1. One might even say things were looking up.

As we begin a series on the Book of Jonah, we see him running away from God when called. There are some details you may remember but that doesn’t mean there is nothing new here to learn.

Romans 8:28 is like making biscuits. A lot of things that are no good on their own come together and a miracle happens.

Circumcision, the bronze serpent, the Jerusalem temple were all things given by God that the Israelites turned into idols. If we aren’t careful, baptism, the church building, crosses and even the Bible can be idolized by Christians. Things mean to … Continue reading →

After re-visiting the Parable of the Forgiving Father last week on Father’s Day, we will back up to the other “lost and found” parables in Luke 15.

There are two sons in what we often call The Parable of the Prodigal Son and neither of them is the focus of what Jesus was teaching.

God prepared signs and wonders to prove himself and brought the Hebrews out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The first sign, and the first two plagues, the Pharaoh’s magicians were able to do as well; but they soon recognized … Continue reading →

There are many images and symbols in the Old Testament that picture things to come. Christ types are figures that illustrate something about the person or ministry of Jesus. Moses is perhaps the most significant individual in Judaism and the … Continue reading →

Jesus took a religious ritual that disciples understood well and gave it new meaning. Actually, he interpreted for them what it really meant all along. We have Memorial Day because some things are important and need to be remembered.

This sermon starts in Acts 2 and ends in the Psalms. I may have bitten off more than we could chew in a single sermon. The beauty of listening online is that you can pause, look up scriptures, Google things, … Continue reading →

After spending several weeks in Matthew’s Gospel let’s spend some time in the Old Testament. That may not be as different as one might imagine.

We recognized and tried to honor our mothers on Mother’s Day but I did not bring a Mother’s Day message this year. We have spent a number of weeks on Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount and this is the final … Continue reading →

Broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many that go in. Enter the narrow gate. It’s not as easy, but definitely worth it.

“Ask and it shall be given…” Would you be surprised if I told we need to consider that verse in context?

Jesus’ statement to “judge not lest ye be judged” is one of the most quoted and also misused verses of scripture. People pull it out like a trump card without considering the whole counsel of God. Let’s consider this statement … Continue reading →

We continue today in the Sermon on the Mount and finish Matthew 6. Think of not worrying as practicing a spiritual discipline. It’s something we have to be consciously aware of and perhaps work hard at. It worry is a … Continue reading →

The resurrection is recorded in all four Gospel accounts, we will read today from Luke 24. Here is a link to He Is Risen, an Easter Poem.

Part 5 in the Sermon on the Mount series. We need to understand the command to lay up treasures in heaven in the context of what has just come before in Jesus’ sermon. The first half of chapter 6 has … Continue reading →

Part 4 in the Sermon on the Mount Series. The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 is part of a larger discourse on not doing things the way others do them which includes giving, praying and fasting. Click here to read … Continue reading →

There are several passages in Matthew 5 that begin with Jesus saying “You have heard… but I say to you…” Jesus is not compelling his audience to do a better job keeping the commandments. He has an entirely different motivation … Continue reading →

Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Then we move into a long list of commandments with a twist.