This fourth sermon was the follow-up to the last one, delivered the week before. It continued the story of Ahab’s life, and that led into a very difficult topic: God’s sovereignty and our responsibility. This can be especially difficult for Baptists because some of us are Calvinists and other Arminians, and we don’t always know who is who. But this is where the text led, so I tried to do justice. It helped that this was another fascinating story. The audio for this sermon was lost, but you can read the manuscript below. Delivered to First Baptist Church of Mount Pleasant, MI, on 10/19/2014. Prayer Good morning, Father. We lift…

For my third sermon, I began my practice of preaching on what I was studying at the time. Thankfully, this meant a return to narrative, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately, the audio was lost, so you will have to content yourself with a manuscript. Delivered at First Baptist Church, Mount Pleasant, MI. On October 12, 2014. Introduction Our passage this morning is found in the book of 1 Kings, chapter 21, so please turn with me there. For the next two weeks, I want to examine with you the end of the life of King Ahab. He’s one of the most famous kings of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and…

For my second sermon, I decided to tackle a big topic: the Gospel. In retrospect, this was a bad idea. The passion I had to talk about it was reflective of the passion my church family had to talk as well. Such an important topic deserves extra attention, and I remember walking away knowing I made more than a few rookie mistakes. As tempting as it is to serve up only the “greatest hits,” I think it’s better to be real in this line of work. So in that spirit, here is the manuscript for my sermon on 1 Corinthians 15, delivered at First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant, MI,…

My very first invitation to preach was at the church where I grew up, First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Since it was my first, I decided to start with my best sermon from preaching class and polish it up. You can also read the manuscript below: Preface & Prayer Before I begin I just want to thank you all for the privilege of opening God’s Word with you this morning. Jenny and I have been gone for six years now, but I’ve never stopped calling this my home church. I was baptized here, married here, and I learned to serve here. Many of you were my teachers in…