Sermons
Sermons from Bay Vista Baptist ChurchBack to Basics
This morning, using the text from 2 Chronicles 30, verses 1 through 9, Brother Danny calls the church to go back to basics. In this text, we find three truths that the church needs to take hold of. First, we need to return to what has been neglected. For the people of Judah, that was the observance of the Passover. For the church of today, we need to return to the spiritual disciplines that we once had a passion for. Second, we must pay attention to God’s call to return. God always calls his people to return to him before he brings punishment in their lives. We must be willing to listen. Finally, we need to follow through with our commitments to return. God is calling the church to return to him, we must decide if we will heed the call.
A Disturbing Cycle
As we begin a new series this morning, Brother Danny shares with us from the Book of Judges, chapter 2, verses 10-19. In these verses we see the pattern of the book, and the life of Israel immediately following the conquest of Canaan. Brother Danny encourges us to consider the cause of stumbling, as it is shown in Judges. When we fail to acknowledge God, we will suffer calamity. Rather we must constantly be renewed in our relationship with God. We must also consider the effect of stumbling. The human condition says that we WILL serve something. Only a vital connection with God will fill our lives with meaning. Finally, there is a solution to the stumbling that our sin will cause. We will embrace that solution when we take a serious turn toward following God’s mercy.
Victory in Jesus
This Resurrection Sunday, Brother Danny shares three truths from 1 John Chapter 5 that should cause the Christian to rejoice. First, Our risen Lord keeps us safe. Jesus will not allow his followers to be overrun by temptation, He always provides a way of escape. Second, our risen Lord delivers us from Satan’s control. We cannot be controlled by Satan, and we need not live in fear of the enemy. Finally, it is only by our Risen Lord that we can have relationship with the Father. The false gods of this world have nothihng to offer us, we can remain true to the One who is truth.
The Promise of Answered Prayer
This morning, Brother Danny shares the promise of answered prayer. John tells his readers very clearly, that we can be confident that God hears our prayers as we pray in His will. That connection of the believer to the will of God is the essential key to effective prayer. God answers the prayers that he hears. As we submit to His will, He responds favorably to our prayers. Finally, we can be confident that God hears and answers our prayers of intercession. As we stand in the gap for brothers and sisters, God will honor those prayers.
Confident of Eternal Life
This morning, Brother Danny takes us through 1 John 5:11-13. In this short passage, he reiterates the point of John’s letter to the church, and that is so that they may know that they have eternal life. John wanted his readers to know that they could have assurance of their salvation, and the eternal life that comes with that. We can share in that assurance, knowing that A) Eternal life is a gift from God that does not depend upon us, B) Eternal life is found only in the Son of God and no other, and C) Eternal life can only be a reality through faith in the Son.
The Awesome Incarnation
This morning, Brother Danny shares with us the evidences that John lists in his letter. These evidences convict and convince the believer of the truth of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. In these five verses, John tells us that we have the testimony of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the child of God and helps us to understand the truths of the Gospel of Jesus. We have the testimony of the Father, who, throughout the Gospel accounts, repeatedly proclaims Jesus as his son, and the one in whom he is well pleased. Finally, we have the internal testimony of our own conversion. This conviction from within is more than “warm emotions” about Jesus. By these witnesses, we can know that our inheritance is secure…
We Shall Overcome
Today, brother Danny shares with us three elements that lead us to victory from 1 John 5. The first of those elements is our commitment to Christ. Without faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, there is no victory to be had. The second element that leads to victory is true love. This is love for our God and love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Without love, we have to question if we have faith. The final element that leads us to victory is a lifestyle of obedience. We don’t work ourselves to salvation, but our salvation works its way out in our lives. If we have that faith, love, and obedience, we shall overcome!
God's Requirement of Love
This morning, Brother Danny shares with us God’s requirement of love. As His children we are required to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, the way Jesus loved us. John tells us that by this, we will show the world what God is like. Additionally, our witness is effective when our love for others looks like the love that God has for his children. On the other hand, when we are always contentious and quarrelsome, the world begins to doubt that our God has anything to offer them.
God Is Love
This morning, Brother Danny shared with us one of the most basic aspects of God’s nature; God is love. Everything that he does is motivated by and filled with the Love that he has for his people. That love is 100% at God’s initiative, and not due to any lovliness on our part. More than that, God’s love came at a heavy price, in that it cost the life of His son, Jesus.
How to Not Be Gullible
This morning, Brother Danny shares with us how to keep from being gullible. To make sure we are following only those teachings that agree with the teachings of Jesus, we need to pay close attention to the words of those teachers. If they contradict God’s Word in regard to who Jesus is, If their worldview matches the world more than the Word, and if their teaching does not align with God’s word, they do not deserve the attention of God’s children.