Bible: Matthew Archives - Baptist & Reflector

JAN. 20: PROTECT AND SERVE

January 14, 2019

By Scott Brown
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Waverly

Focal Passage: Gen 1:27, 9:1-7; Matt.5:21-22

The sanctity of life is a beautiful, biblical belief that informs our convictions every life is precious because every life was wonderfully and fearfully made in the image of God.

It’s simple to bang the pulpit one Sunday in January for the sanctity of life but how does it look in our churches every other day?

Sanctity of life demands that we love people more than our grudges and feuds. [Read more…]

JAN. 6: THE WISE MEN’S WORSHIP

December 31, 2018

By Greg Steele
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Jasper

Focal Passage: Matthew 2:1-11

There are some popular misconceptions about these magi. Most of us get our idea about these individuals from songs, cards and poems rather than from theologians. First, most people assume there were three because of the song, “We Three Kings,” and because they gave three gifts. But we’re never told how many there were.

There could have been two, three, or 23. They were said to be kings, though the text doesn’t say that either. They were said to be representatives of three families of Shem, Ham and Japeth and therefore one of them is pictured as an Ethiopian. Their names are given as Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior. [Read more…]

DEC. 9: JOSEPH’S OBEDIENCE

December 3, 2018

By Greg Steele
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Jasper

Focal Passage: Matthew 1:18-25

In my younger days, I was part of several plays/musicals. It was always the main roles that people desired. It wasn’t too often that you found a small role that had a great impact. However, that is not the case in the story of Joseph.

There is not a lot about Joseph contained in Scripture. He is only mentioned in regard to the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. But what we discover is that Joseph was a man worth imitating. [Read more…]

NOV. 18: A PRAYER OF CONFESSION

November 12, 2018

By Michael Koontz
Pastor, Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Harriman

Focal Passage: Matthew 6:12–13; Psalm 51:1–7; Psalm 51:10–12

This week we focus in on confession and forgiveness. I must constantly admit my sins and ask for forgiveness. The word ‘debts’ (Matthew 6:12) is a New Testament Greek term for sin. We have all fallen short of God’s righteousness.

Our sin is what causes separation between us and God. My sin problem was eternally solved at the age of 13 when I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord.

As a Christian these past 31 years, I have continued to sin and must go back to the Father and ask for forgiveness. I’m forever saved, but if I sin today, that is causing an issue between me and God. [Read more…]

NOV. 11: PRAYING FOR OTHERS

November 5, 2018

By Michael Koontz
Pastor, Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Harriman

Focal Passage: Matthew 6:11; John 17:11–23

Praying for others is one of the greatest privileges we have as a Christian.

Recently we spoke about the spiritual discipline of prayer at our church. At the end of the service we gave out prayer Bible bookmarks that had several spots to list prayer requests. This was done to help us remember how important it is that we pray for others.

Let’s look at why we pray for others and what we can pray about for others. [Read more…]

NOV. 4: PRAYING FOR OURSELVES

October 29, 2018

By Micheal Koontz
Pastor, Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Harriman

Focal Passage: Matthew 6:11b; Isaiah 38:1-6,15-17

One of the most difficult things in ministry, for me, is taking care of myself. One aspect of that is prayer. Praying for myself doesn’t happen as it should. I think that could be said of many of our brothers and sisters in Christ. [Read more…]

OCT. 28: A PRAYER OF SURRENDER

October 22, 2018

By Michael Koontz
Pastor, Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Harriman

Focal Passage: Matthew 6:10–11;
James 4:6–10; 4:13–17

In the model prayer that our Lord gave to us, it shows us that our will is not key, but our Father’s will (Matthew 6:10). Look at James 4:6-10 and we see this passage begins and ends with a word that we must embrace as we pray for the Father’s will — humble.

Move forward to James 4:15 and again we see the same concept of the Lord’s will. Our prayer life is about submitting to the will of the Father “your kingdom, your will.” [Read more…]

OCT. 21: A PRAYER OF PRAISE

October 15, 2018

By Michael Koontz
Pastor, Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Harriman

Focal Passage: Matthew 6:9b; Psalm 96:1-9

As we start in Matthew 6:9b today, our text brings us to a subject that we once again do not put much thought into. [Read more…]

OCT. 14: THE OBJECT OF OUR PRAYER

October 9, 2018

By Michael Koontz
Pastor, Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Harriman

Focal Passage: Matthew 6:9a; Psalm 103:1-5,11-13,19-22

Learning the truth that God is our Heavenly Father brings a wonderful understanding that He cares for us. Ancient (false) Greek gods were seen as a group who had to be appeased at all times and didn’t have the best interest of the human race in mind.

The One True God, our Father, has our best interest in mind. That God the Son would instruct us to pray in this way, using the term ‘Father’, teaches us truths that will help our relationship grow with our Heavenly Father. The term Father speaks, among other things, of the parent/child relationship and unselfishness. [Read more…]

OCT. 8: BATTLE PLAN

October 2, 2017

By Nathan Washburn
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier

Focal Passage: Matthew 4:1-10

Jesus can sympathize with us. He’s been in similar situations that we have, faced similar temptations, and felt similar heaviness of heart. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect had been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). When we read the account of His temptation in Matthew 4, we see some rich truths.

We failed in the garden and Jesus succeeded in the wilderness. The contexts couldn’t be more different. The temptation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 was in the midst of a garden where they had everything they could ever need, including food, freedom with one another, and perfect fellowship with God. [Read more…]

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