05
Aug '20
One Sick Prophet
05
Aug '20
Except for Jesus Himself, there are no better examples of commitment despite difficult circumstances that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Their story of faithfulness in a faithless age is told in Daniel one through six. That is where we find those famous passages of the fiery furnace, the writing on the wall, and the lion’s den.
Daniel 7-12 is mostly prophecy, and nearly all of it was future prophecy when Daniel first received his visions. While much of what he saw has been fulfilled, some is still on front of us. God gave Daniel a glimpse of where history is headed. All things are headed to an appointed end, and everything is on schedule. The history that unfolded before Daniel’s eyes while in the spirit, on the banks of the Ulai River in the city of Shushan, made him physically ill. By the end of chapter eight, Daniel is one sick prophet.
That’s because he saw three men, represented by three horns: a large horn, followed by a little horn, and then the last horn. The first two dictators were historical previews of the final false messiah, a man whose evil behavior is greater even than any before him. Now this is a good spot to be reminded that many prophecies in Scripture have dual characteristics to them. That is an immediate and an ultimate fulfillment. That is the case in Daniel eight. While all three of these men were in the future when Daniel received his vision. As far as we are concerned, the first two have come and gone long ago. The last one is yet to be revealed.
One Sick Prophet
Why would God give Daniel a vision so terrible that it made him physically sick? I think there are at least three reasons:
- Prepare them for persecution. Things will get worse before they get better.
- Warning not to panic. Don’t be confused by historical trends. History is happening according to God’s design.
- The Kingdom is coming! The Ancient of Days will deliver the Kingdom to the real Messiah, and all false messiahs will be finally and utterly put down and out forever.
Tonight we finish our study of Daniel 8. There is much to learn from the vision that made Daniel sick. Be tuned in tonight at 7pm on Facebook Live to follow along. Remember, a Facebook account is not required to view a live-streamed video on the church’s Facebook page. Click this link to be directed there.
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10
May '20
One Thing
10
May '20
Happy Mother’s Day!
Motherhood is one of the highest callings in the world, and one of the most challenging! At Bible Baptist Church we are thankful for godly mothers who have and who continue to model Christlikeness to their families and in their communities. How are Christian mothers meant to fulfill their role as they raise children, tackle to-do lists, nurture their marriages, and love the Lord, all within the setting of a culture that is terribly confused about gender, let alone motherhood? One thing is needful. One thing that will point mothers to the God who gives the grace and strength that is necessary.
But it’s not just mothers who are in need of this one thing. We all are. On Sunday morning, May 10 at 11am, our text will be Luke 10:38-42. That passage is a window into the lives of two women. Martha and Mary were sisters. This meant that they shared similar background, upbringing, and even genetics. More importantly, they both loved the Lord. He loved them. John 11 makes this clearly evident. For all they shared in common, our text reveals three significant differences between these two very similar women. Those differences, and what we should learn from them, will be our focus tomorrow. We hope you join us.
Our 11am service on Mother’s Day will be of the drive-in variety. It will also be live-streamed.
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06
May '20
Would You Bow Down?
06
May '20
Everybody lives by faith in something or someone. The difference between a true believe and an unbeliever is not the presence of faith but the object of their faith. Daniel 3 is the text for today’s study and this evening’s sermon. There we find that leaders and influencers from across the great Babylonian Empire were assembled to worship the 90′ high and 9′ wide golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. He wanted to unify his diverse empire by means of religion and fear. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Faith Tried by Fire
Trials are used by God to develop our faith. The same trials are used by the enemy to destroy us. During such times we will either be drawn closer to the Lord or further away from him.
The Babylonian authorities showed up because of the King’s commands. They all stood up for the image’s dedication. When the music played they all bowed down. All except for three. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to break God’s Law. They had already proven a willingness to cooperate with their new pagan leaders, but they would not compromise the clear commands of scripture. Instead, they were willing to pay the price that comes with trusting God.
I wonder if the Apostle Peter had these three men in mind when he wrote 1 Peter 1:7; 4:12:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
Shadrach, Mechach, and Abednego were confident in the Lord’s control of their situation. They stood tall when everyone else bowed low.
Would you bow down?
That is a question to ask and answer as we work through Daniel 3 tonight at 7pm.
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19
Apr '20
Keeping the Faith
19
Apr '20
Daniel is a marvelous book of prophecy. But do not forget that Daniel was a real man. So were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and all the other players mentioned in this book. Daniel experienced real visions from God. The Holy Spirit inspired him to record those visions during real-life situations. As you read through the book, the difficulty of those real-life situations is immediately and consistently apparent. I believe it’s safe to suggest that, much like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, we are living during challenging times, and not just because of COVID-19. Like those four men, we are living in a faithless age. We are to be faithful. Just as they were.
The prophetic teaching of Daniel begins in earnest with chapter 7. From there through chapter 12 we learn of God’s sovereign power and rule over future events. The evidence of God’s sovereign power and rule over past and current events is what gives weight to those future claims. God’s ruling and over-ruling past and current events is what we find in Daniel 1-6. In those first six chapters we are reminded in dramatic fashion how God intervenes on behalf of His people for His glory, which is always for their good. We also see that His intervention takes shape both in the form of discipline and blessing.
This morning our text will be Daniel 1. We will be encouraged by examples of men from the past who kept their faith in the same God we serve during their own difficult days. May we do likewise. The livestream will begin at 11am.
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15
Apr '20
Now is the Time
15
Apr '20
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. Ecclesiastes 1:1-5
Not an encouraging outlook on life, but one that does echo in many hearts. Ecclesiastes is a textbook on the true philosophy of existence. The Preacher speaks like a philosopher. He uses the observable facts of this life “under the sun” to reveal the truth that lasting happiness and genuine satisfaction cannot be found in what this world has to offer alone. Pursue happiness and satisfaction under the sun only and you will find what Mick Jagger discovered. “I can’t get no satisfaction.”
The Preacher had tried. He thoroughly explored three different avenues of life. He tried the streets of…
Intellectualism
He sought to expand his mind and learn all that was humanly possible. He succeeded. There has not been one wiser than Solomon, but he learned that information alone cannot fill the needs of the heart or satisfy the soul. Our minds matter, but our own intellect and scientific rationalism cannot provide the ultimate answers to life. Education is a good thing but turn it into your god and it will leave you in despair.
Hedonism
Since knowledge and information were unable to satisfy the soul, the Preacher indulged himself in every pleasure. He didn’t hold back. No one drank more, had more sex, enjoyed more art, or laughed at more comedians than the Preacher, but all of that just proved to be another dead-end street. Pleasure is a good thing, but because of the Fall, it is not a trustworthy life guide. Turned into a god, pleasure becomes slavery.
Workaholism
The Preacher was a master builder. His projects were magnificent and to be envied. While hard work is a virtue, workaholism is as ultimately satisfying as plowing water. Industriousness is a great characteristic, but a miserable god.
The Preacher explored all these avenues of living and found each of them to unhappy dead-end streets. He ultimately discovered that all his intelligence, indulgences, and industriousness were meaningless under the sun.
That’s the first eleven chapters, and in chapter twelve, the last of the book, he brings his talk to a conclusion by driving home four foundational truths. That will be out focus tonight for the livestream. Here are your viewing options:
- Follow this link to view the livestream directly from our Vimeo page. If you search for our feed on Vimeo use “bbc church.”
- Click the “Watch Video” button on the church’s Facebook page.
- Watch us on Facebook Live
- Watch us on YouTube If you search for us on YouTube use “Bible Baptist Church, Mt. Vernon.”
All of these options are available because we want to make it easy for you to follow along. Please set aside the time to tune in at 7 pm. Have your Bibles open.
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01
Apr '20
Making the Most of It
01
Apr '20
Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
Let’s play a word association game. Finish this sentence: “It’s about time for _____________.”
I’m thinking it’s about time for COVID-19 to go away. That cannot happen fast enough. In the meantime, this is another opportunity to learn patience and to trust God no matter what. I need to make the most of this time. How about you?
Life is all about time. Do you waste time? Do you manage time or does time manage you? We can be careless with the time we have. We can also be slaves to the clock, thinking that our time is more important than the people around us or God above us.
Time is Precious
Time is precious. Back in 1971 Jim Croce wrote a song that would top the charts. Time in a Bottle was written about and for his firstborn son.
“If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I’d like to do, is to save every day till eternity passes away, just to spend them with you. If I could make days last forever, if words could make wishes come true. I’d save every day like a treasure and then again, I would spend them with you.”
Those are beautiful words, and understandable coming from a 28 year old singer/songwriter who just learned he was going to be a dad for the first time. But there is another line from that song we need to consider: “But there never seems to be enough time to do the things that you want to do.”
Many of us would agree with that. Croce knew that time was a fleeting commodity, but he didn’t know how fleeting. On the last day of September in 1973 Jim Croce died in a plane crash. He was 30 years old. His son had just turned two.
We all know that time is short, but it’s shorter than we know. None of us have time to waste.
Life is Brief. God is Eternal
The first four words of the Bible are, “In the beginning God…” At the start He was already there. He began the beginning. Psalm 90:2 says, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Humanity, in comparison, is described in verse 10, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”
Life is brief. God is eternal. We need His wisdom to number our days, because while this life is short, we will all live somewhere forever, and we can’t save time in a bottle. We each have 86,400 seconds a day deposited into our “time accounts.” We cannot carry over the balance, and we cannot be overdrawn. Whatever is not wisely used is lost forever.
Redeem the Time
Making the most of our time is the focus for tonight’s livestream. Psalm 90:2 and Ephesians 5:15-17 will guide our study. You have viewing options:
- Follow this link to view the livestream directly from our Vimeo page.
- Click the “Watch Video” button on the church’s Facebook page.
- Watch us on Facebook Live (Lord willing 🙂
- Watch us on YouTube (again, Lord willing)
If you search for our feed on Vimeo use “bbc church.” If you search for us on YouTube use “Bible Baptist Church, Mt. Vernon.”
All of these options are available because we want to make it easy for you to follow along. Please set aside the time to tune in at 7 pm. Have your Bibles open.
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25
Mar '20
God Is Faithful
25
Mar '20
Lamentations 3:22-24, “It is of the Lord‘s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”
This is a blessed and TIMELESS TRUTH. God is faithful. Faithfulness describes His character. Paul stated at the beginning of 1 Corinthians, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. “Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it” is how Paul ended 1 Thessalonians. Man is regularly faithless. God is utterly faithful. God never changes with the circumstances or the times. Man does. God never wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. Man does. God is always reliable all of the time. Man isn’t. Have faith in God, not man.
Live-streaming at 7pm tonight
The faithfulness of God will be the focus of our Bible study this evening at 7pm. The continuing restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic means this study will be live-streamed only. Click here to view the live-stream. This evening’s text will be Lamentations 3:22-24, a familiar, well-loved passage, and for good reason. One of the greatest hymns of all time – Great Is Thy Faithfulness – is based on this text. God’s faithfulness is one of the most treasured of His TIMELESS TRUTHS.
Until then…
At 7pm tonight, have your Bible open to Lamentations 3, and be logged on to the live-stream. Until then, think on this. God’s faithfulness is… (click link to open a page with all the scriptures listed below)
- Incomparable – Psalm 89:8
- Impeccable – 2 Timothy 2:13; Psalm 89:33
- Infinite – Psalm 36:5
- Indestructible – Psalm 119:89-90
- Unbreakable – Deuteronomy 7:9
- Available – 1 John 1:9
- Durable – 1 Corinthians 10:13
- Dependable – 1 Peter 4:19
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21
Mar '20
The Lord’s Day
21
Mar '20
Gathering to worship and serve is fundamental to any church’s life. Buildings, pews, resources, sound systems, and the like make church services comfortable, but none of them are necessary. Gathering together is necessary. After all, the Greek word translated “church” in scripture means assembly. This means that when a church meets it is not a simple social gathering, but is an assembly of biblically baptized believers who have covenanted together for the glory of God and the purpose of the gospel. We assemble together to worship the God of the Word according to His Word.
Tomorrow is the Lord’s Day. We will not be able to meet. Suspending our services was a difficult decision to make. Our desire is to be full of faith, confident that faith and common sense walk hand in hand. We love one another and our community. Therefore, we desire to avoid being infected or infecting others. Our prayers are for wisdom and health.
Live-Stream at 11am
Since we will not be meeting tomorrow, we will livestream a couple of specials from two church members, and I will preach. Please do not confuse the live-stream event with a church service. We can no more “go to church” online than we can eat a meal online. Instead of meeting together, we are live-streaming, due to the unique situation of the novel coronavirus. Avoiding the church gathering to “watch church online” is never a good idea under normal conditions. If you are sick, laid up, shut in, or if a novel coronavirus pandemic breaks out, then live-streaming a couple of songs and a sermon is a good idea.
To view the live feed follow the link marked “CLICK HERE FOR SERVICE” on the homepage of biblebaptist.org. You may also visit the church’s Facebook page and click the “Watch Video” button. You do not need a Facebook account to visit the church’s Facebook page. The livestream events will begin at 11am on Sunday and 7pm on Wednesday through the rest of March.
God is good all the time!
I like nothing about this situation, but God is in control. My desire is for us to use this unique opportunity to shine the brilliant light of God’s grace in a dark and depressed world. While we are practicing our social distancing, let’s be sure to stay connected. That’s easier to do now that at any other period of human history. Stay connected and stay focused on the God who is faithful and true.
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