New Sermon Series - "Rooted"

This Sunday (February 6, 2011), I began a new sermon series I’ve entitled “Rooted.”

We have been working diligently to get our new webpage up and running and have finally agreed on a design. The page is up, but is basically empty while we create information to fill in the blanks.

One of the pages of the website tells about True Life Church. On that page will be a statement of our beliefs. While I was reviewing that statement, I was moved to prepare a series of sermons on the subject of what we believe.

This is a work in progress, so I am not sure how long it will take us to go through a study like this. During this series, we will review the truths of the Bible on particular subjects such as the nature of God, the person of Christ, the role of the Holy Spirit, as well as such subjects as man, sin, salvation, preservation of the saints, end times, and the judgment.

The goal will be that, by the time we are finished, we have a good general idea of what the Bible teaches about particular doctrines.

This morning we began this study at the most likely place – the beginning. Gen. 1:1 says, In the beginning, God…” So the title of this first series in the study is entitled, “The Pursuit of God,” - our search for truth concerning the person and nature and attributes of God.

There are many concepts and beliefs about God which have crept unawares into our homes and even our churches. We do not have a clear concept of biblical doctrines because we do not have a clear concept of the God who created us.

If we get it wrong about God, then we will get it wrong about everything else. That is why we will begin our “Rooted” study learning what the Bible has to say about God.

We will do this with lots of scriptures and with limited commentary. I encourage you today to begin praying that God will move in our church and even in our community as we endeavor to understand Him and His ways and purposes.



Sermon 06Feb2011       mp3       Word       pdf       PowerPoint     

Learning Guide       Word       pdf

Jesus is the Life, John 14.6

As of this weekend, we are officially "True Life Baptist Church." We have embarked on a great adventure in the Lord and pray that we will always stay within the center of His will. Our worship was really great this Sunday as God saw fit to bring several guests to be with us in worship. We are excited to see what God has in store for us.

This is the final sermon in the series entitled "True Life" dealing with the relationship between our new church name and John 14.6, where Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me." The sermon was different in that it was made up primarily of Scripture, but I believe God really spoke to our congregation through this message.



Sermon 30Jan2011       mp3       Word       pdf

This sermon contained so much scripture, that I used a listening guide instead of depending on just a PowerPoint. If interested, you can download the listening guide by clicking on either of the links below.

Listening Guide Word       Listening Guide pdf 

True Life Church

2011 marks a turning point in the life of our church. Behind us there is conflict and doubts and uncertainty. The way ahead of us I pray will not be one of conflict and doubt, but even in the presence of strong faith there is always uncertainty.

We cannot see what God has in store for us, but we venture forth into this new year with a confidence that God is sovereign and that He will accomplish His mission of seeing the gospel message carried to the ends of the earth so that all people groups will have a chance to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

In effect, 2011 is a year of starting over. It is the first year of a new decade. It is a year of new beginnings, and whatever happens from this point forward will be determined by our faithfulness to God’s call to be obedient to the Great Commission and to remain faithful to the fellowship of our church.

We even have a new name – True Life Baptist Church. (Click the picture for a larger image.)

That new name will not make us successful. It will not make us into anything that we are not and will not free us from the obligation we have to work diligently and in cooperation with one another.

Yet there is much in this new name to inspire us to understanding and to renew our commitment to Christ and to each other.

We are now in the middle of a sermon series that shows how our new name relates to the person of Christ and His testimony in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." 

Below are the first three sermons in this series.

Please pray for us - that we will wisely discern God's will and that we will make an impact on our community and our world for the sake of the Gospel and for the glory of God.

Sermon 09Jan2011: Jesus is the Way Pt. 1, John 14:6

mp3       Word       pdf

Sermon 16Jan2011: Jesus is the Way Pt. 2, John 14:6

mp3       Word       pdf

Sermon 23Jan2011: Jesus is the Truth, John 14:6

mp3       Word       pdf

Radical Experiment

The New Year of 2011 is at the same time a new start for our church. We elected to change our name to True Life Baptist Church (which prompted the new title of my blog) and are in the process of changing logos, signs, etc. It is a bigger task than we at first thought, but we are making the change slowly but surely. More on that in the next entry.

For the first Sunday of the new year, I preached on the Radical Experiment based on David Platt's book, Radical. Click on this link for more on the Radical Experiment.

Most of the adults in our church are participating in the Experiment, meaning that each person has accepted the challenge to...

1. Pray for the entire world
2. Read through the entire word
3. Sacrifice their money for a specific purpose (for us that means Faith Promise)
4. Give their time in another context (participate in a missions activity)
5. Commit their lives to a multiplying community (which means a commitment to True Life Church hopefully)

You can listen to or download the sermon here.



Sermon 02Jan2011     mp3     Word     pdf

Last Sermon for 2010

This is the final sermon of the Christmas 2010 series as well as the last sermon of 2010. It is a simple message about one of the most familiar texts in Scripture: Luke 2:1-20. I told a joke to begin the sermon, but I told it so terribly that I deleted it from the audio version. So... I thought I would print it here. Hope you enjoy it.

After hearing the Christmas Story and singing "Silent Night," a Sunday School class was asked to draw what they thought the Nativity Scene might have looked like. One boy did a good likeness of Joseph, Mary, and the infant, but off to the side was a plump roly-poly figure.

The teacher, afraid that he had somehow worked Santa Claus into the scene, asked him who that was. She wasn't sure whether she was relieved or even more worried when the boy responded, "Oh, that's round John Virgin."



Sermon 26Dec2010     mp3     Word     pdf

The Miracle of Christmas

(The following is excerpted from my sermon for this past Sunday.  There are quotes at the end which are not footnoted, but this is a sermon, not an essay. The full sermon can be downloaded at the end. Enjoy.)

The miracle of Christmas is so much more than just the miracle of the virgin birth and the coming of the Christ-child.

The miracle is that God would care enough for this fallen and corrupt creation not to abandon it, but to preserve a line of inheritance throughout the ages of man so that in the fullness of time – when the time was just right according to His perfect plan – He could give the very best that Heaven had to offer on behalf of all mankind.

So who is this Child whose birthday we celebrate every Christmas?

• To the Jews He was just another noted rabbi who was confused about the workings of God.
• To Islam, He is only a messenger, born of a virgin, but whose importance was transcended by Muhammad.
• To the Mormons, He is referred to as Savior, but they believe that, instead of being eternal God, that Jesus was born to the god of this world who was at one time a man himself and is only one among an infinite number of gods.
• To the Jehovah Witnesses, He is a kind of god. He was created by God and is neither the eternal Son of God nor part of the Trinity.
• To Scientology, He is only a good man and a good teacher who Himself was a product of reincarnation and offers no hope of salvation.
• To the world, He is the baby in the manger that completes the Christmas scene – lost amidst the halos of Mary, the songs of hovering angels, the sounds of a stable, and the glitter of tinsel and the decorations of the season.

But for those who know Him as Savior, He is…

• Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9.6)
• Author and Perfecter of our Faith (Heb. 12:2)
• Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End (Rev. 1:8; 22:13)
• Bread of Life (John 6:35)
• Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)
• Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22)
• Hope of Glory (Col. 1:27)
• Lamb of God (John 1:29)
• Lord of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8)
• Our Redemption (1 Cor. 1:30)
• Son of the Most High God (Lk. 1:32)
• The way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)
• Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42)
• King of the Ages (Rev. 15:3)

Ray Pritchard said…

If he is not God, we are fools to worship Him.

If he is, we would be fools not to.

Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most well-known names in history. He was one of the greatest military commanders of all time and was, at one time, the Emperor of the French. He controlled an empire that spanned all of Europe.

What did Napoleon say about Jesus?

I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison.

Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of people would die for Him.

Everything in Christ astonishes me. His spirit overawes me, and His will confounds me ... I search in vain in history to find anyone similar to Jesus Christ, or anything that can approach the gospel.

Dr. Philip Schaff, the famed historian, said…

Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mahomet, and Napoleon. (and someone else added… or Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, and Mao Tse Tung!)

C. S. Lewis said there are only three possible reactions to Christ:

•  You can shut Him up for a fool,
• You can spit at Him and kill him as a demon, or
• You can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. 

But you cannot write Him off as simply a good teacher or a good man, and you certainly cannot ignore Him.


Sermon 19Dec2010     mp3     Word     pdf

Last week's sermon did not record, but I think you will find the subject matter interesting. Another title for the sermon might be "Christmas and the Gospels" since the message deals with how each of the gospel writers viewed the story of origins or the birth of Christ.

Sermon 12Dec2010    Word    PDF

Another Poem

A few weeks ago, I posted a poem I wrote about 35-40 years ago in honor of Veteran's Day. Someone asked if I had written any other poems. The answer is no, not many, unless you count the few efforts I have made for my wife in an effort to be romantic. I was looking through some old files, though, and found this one. I do not have any idea how long ago I wrote it. It is just a simple testimony of what the Gospels mean to me. Enjoy.

On the Gospels

Moving between the words of  these chronicles

There is a Living Essence reaching out from Eternity

To grasp the very cords of man’s heart  to create

A harmony which only the Eternal could compose

And which only the redeemed can experience

In all of its magnificence and grandeur.

There is within these records more than the story

Of a man rejected by the nation which gave Him birth

And reviled by those for whom He died

Of a Man denied by His followers

And denuded by His foes

For the words have power within themselves,

There is even more so a pulse of Life

Like the essence of cut flowers which fills the room

With fragrance and stifles the repulsive

That quickens the soul from corruptible to incorruptible

From mortal to immortal

From sadness to irrepressible joy.

                              Pastor Dan

Sermon - Emulation, Acts 11.22-30

I have heard many teachers and preachers explain how and why believers were first called Christians at Antioch. In this article, based on my sermon from this past Sunday, I would like to give my own opinion about this subject. This is not doctrine – just me expressing my thoughts in print.

If you are interested in reading about how others think the name Christian came to be applied to the believers, you can click here to read a very interesting though technical article on the subject.

The Bible says in Acts 11:25-26 that Barnabas and Saul fulfilled the Great Commission in Antioch – they lived among the people for one year teaching a great many people the truth of Christ.

On an earlier occasion, Jesus said to His disciples, “… everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6.40)

The disciple who is true to his lessons and models himself after his teacher will soon begin to think and to believe and to act as his teacher.

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “You should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” (1 Cor. 11.1, NLT) 

Barnabas and Saul were disciples of Christ. They taught and modeled the life of Christ among these new believers in Antioch until the believers themselves began to think and to believe and to act just as they did – just like Christ.

In fact, Barnabas and Saul were so successful in disciple making – in teaching believers to follow Christ – that the city soon began to refer to the believers as “Christians” because their actions were so much like those of the Christ they professed.

The implication from this lesson is that believers were not called Christians until they had grown to look and to live like Christ among their community. They were not called Christians because they believed in Christ, but because they behaved like Christ. They were “little Christs” to those who observed them.

Wouldn’t it be grand if today people called us Christians, not because of our culture or our religious affiliation or even because of what we professed, but because we allowed Christ to live His life in us to the extent that those around us would see Christ in our everyday lives.

Sermon 05Dec2010  mp3  Word  PDF