By Greg Steele
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Jasper

Focal Passage: Luke 2:25-35

No one likes to wait. But we wait in traffic, in car lines, in grocery stores, in drive-thru’s, for the doctor, for a spouse, for a baby, for retirement, for sermons to get over and for Jesus to return.

To set the story, Jesus has been sent from heaven and entered human history.  The Promised Messiah is now here. Our text takes us to Jerusalem for an event that occurred 40 days after the very first Christmas. [Read more…]

By Greg Steele
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Jasper

Focal Passage: Luke 2:1-14

Most people in America are familiar with this passage because every December we watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and hear Linus tell us about the true meaning of Christmas.

Let’s set the scene. An angel rocks the routine of some guys who are just out doing their job, Luke 2:8. In the early pages of the Bible, shepherding was considered a noble profession but in the first century shepherding had gone to the sheep. Shepherds made up the lowest class of people, coming in just ahead of the lepers. Living out in the fields away from society made them outcasts. [Read more…]

By Greg Steele
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Jasper

Focal Passage: Luke 1:26-38

When most people think about Mary, the mother of Jesus, they think of a peaceful, serene and virtuous woman. Now all of those are probably true characteristics, but I think she also was a very real person. 

In our passage, Luke paints a portrait of Mary with real doubt, questions and faith. Where I think we see this the best is in v. 38, “I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.  [Read more…]

By Michael Koontz
Pastor, Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Harriman

Focal Passage: Luke 10:25-37

Loving God requires us to be intentional. Joel 2:12 tells us to turn to our Lord and to give Him our hearts. What decision will we make? Turning to Him must start with salvation. After salvation we must continue to be intentional in loving Him.  [Read more…]

By Michael Koontz
Pastor, Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Harriman

Focal Passage: Luke 10:25-37

Loving God requires us to be intentional. Joel 2:12 tells us to turn to our Lord and to give Him our hearts. What decision will we make? Turning to Him must start with salvation. After salvation we must continue to be intentional in loving Him. [Read more…]

By Kevin Ivy
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tullahoma

Focal Passage: Luke 1:68-79

The only hope for the world is that Jesus Christ has been born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, atoned for our sin, resurrected from the grave, ascended into heaven, and has promised to return.  As believers, we are often guilty of not giving this good news much thought.  It is good to consider why Jesus came. First, Jesus came to redeem His people from their enemies (vv. 68-71).  Zechariah blesses the God of Israel for visiting them. For the Jews of Zechariah’s day, this was the news of the century. God had not spoken since the days of the prophet Malachi. Now, God had visited His people after roughly 400 years of silence. This was big news! Not only did God visit His people, but He announced that He had provided the redemption for them that they had been waiting on since Genesis 3. Many Jews were hoping for a military political figure who would redeem them physically from their earthly enemies. Jesus however, came to save from a much greater enemy; a spiritual one. [Read more…]

By Rick Elsey
Pastor, West End Baptist Church, Columbia

Focal Passage: Luke 24:1-12

How many times have you been let down in your life? Someone made a promise or a commitment, and they did not follow through. How did that make you feel? Did it leave you angry, hurt or even disillusioned? You wonder if you can trust people to be faithful to their word. That is never an issue with the Lord. He is always faithful!  Scripture is filled with evidence of this truth. The empty tomb remains one of the most vivid examples of God’s faithfulness.

Faithful despite our expectations, Luke 24:1-3. Everyone has experienced grief and sorrow over the loss of a loved one. I can only imagine what the followers of Jesus were experiencing as they watched the Messiah die a horrible death on the cross. They had such great expectations for the future and for God’s kingdom. How could a great celebration the previous Sunday go so wrong so fast? Now what would they do?

For several of the women who followed Jesus, the only thing left to do was honor Him by preparing the body with spices. As they went out that morning, they expected to find a tomb along with his body. They found the tomb but no body. At that point resurrection was not on their mind. They were emotionally overwhelmed by their circumstances and could not see beyond their grief. We rejoice in the fact that God’s faithfulness is not dependent upon our expectations. The tomb was empty because of God’s promise to us. He always keeps His promises.

Faithful despite our confusion, vv. 24:4-8. The Scriptures describe the women as perplexed in regard to the empty tomb. Perplexed conveys the idea of being at a loss, not knowing what to do or how to respond to a situation. In the midst of their confusion, they are confronted by two angels. The announcements of the angels are twofold: first they announce the great news that Christ has risen. The women would not find Him among the dead. Secondly, they reminded the women that Jesus had told them He would suffer, die and rise again on the third day. At the words of the angels the light bulb went off, and they remembered the words of Jesus.

Have you ever been accused of selective hearing? It is that disease of either not listening or only hearing what you want to hear. I believe many of Jesus’ followers suffered with this condition. Peter is a perfect example. When Jesus spoke of His coming death, Peter did not want to hear about Jesus dying. That was not a part of Peter’s plan. The death of Jesus left many confused, but the resurrection proves a valuable point. God always does what He says He will do despite our response or understanding.

Faithful despite our doubt vv. 9-12. After their encounter with the angels, the women went straight to the apostles to share with them all they had experienced at the tomb. The response of the apostles was less than overwhelming. They not only doubted the women’s words but dismissed them as nonsense. How could the closest followers of Jesus respond with so much doubt? Peter, however, rushed to the tomb and found it empty just as they had told him. He returned home, amazed yet unsure of what had taken place.

To this day, many doubt in the resurrection. The empty tomb reminds us that God is not bound by the unbelief of others. Jesus died, was buried and rose again. Salvation comes when doubt turns to faith in the one who is faithful. He is Risen! B&R — Elsey is pastor of West End Baptist Church, Columbia.

By Joshua Franks
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Bruceton

Focal Passage: Luke 2:4-20

As a pastor, whenever I hear the word “tradition” it immediately makes me cringe a little bit. I hear voices in my head loudly proclaiming “We’ve never done it that way before!” Tradition can be the corpse of wisdom.  [Read more…]