“You don’t become a follower of God by where you live, or who your parents are, or how religious you think you are. You become a follower of God by accepting and believing the gospel message.”
In Matthew 10:5-25, Jesus gives his disciples tips for their upcoming mission — and tips for the future. We dig into the text to see what Jesus is teaching us about our mission.
Delivered by Pastor Nathaniel at Cedar Rock First Baptist Church on July 17, 2016.
They were unlikely friends.
One man had betrayed his family and culture to work for the corrupt, overbearing government they despised. His old friends now counted him among the thieves and murderers. They even refused to worship with him.
His associate was part of an anti-government movement. This occasionally militant group aspired to wage war against the government and return to the glory days when their culture and religion ruled.
These men had little in common, and they should have been enemies. But they decided to lay aside their past and their politics to work together for the common good.
This story sounds naïve and unrealistic. In today’s divisive world, everything is divided into camps of red and blue, black and white. We can’t even imagine a scenario in which two people this different could find a way to work together.
But this is no made up story. This is the true story of Matthew the tax collector and Simon the zealot, two of Jesus’ twelve disciples. Continue reading
We live in a hopeless world, but we have a gospel that is greater than the hopelessness. In Matthew 9:35-10:4, we see that Jesus’ keys to revival include compassion, prayer, and willingness.
Delivered at Cedar Rock First Baptist Church on July 10, 2016.
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
We all know the golden rule. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It’s practically hard-wired into our brains.
Yet even though we know the golden rule so well, we often have a harder time putting it into practice. Too often, we prefer one of the golden rule’s cheap substitutes, such as… Continue reading
We can choose joy and hope because our Messiah is greater than our problems, as we learn from our study of Matthew 9:14-34.
Delivered at Cedar Rock First Baptist Church on June 26, 2016.
Bad news: You are a sinner.
Good news: Jesus came for sinners.
As we study Matthew 9:1-13, we’ll see that Jesus came to forgive, call and associate with sinners — just like you and me.
Delivered at Cedar Rock First Baptist Church on June 19, 2016.
What does it really look like to follow Jesus in America? In this sermon, we dig into Matthew 8:18-32 to discover that following Jesus requires costly obedience, bold faith, and a willingness to go to hard places.
Delivered at Cedar Rock First Baptist Church on June 12, 2016.
A sermon on Matthew 7:28-8:17 delivered at Cedar Rock First Baptist Church on June 5, 2016.
Peel back the layers of three of Jesus’ healing to discover what they teach us about him — and what they reveal about us.
(Apologies for the poor audio quality.)
I’m accustomed to seeing Donald Trump Twitter tirades. I’m not, however, accustomed to seeing Southern Baptist theologians as the object of those tirades. Yet, yesterday morning, I woke up to this:
.@drmoore Russell Moore is truly a terrible representative of Evangelicals and all of the good they stand for. A nasty guy with no heart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2016
Opinions of Donald Trump aside, when was the last time a Republican Presidential nominee publically went after an influential Evangelical leader? I can’t think of an example. Republicans used to actively court Evangelicals, not crucify them.
And the cordial feelings tended to be mutual. Though the Republican Party has never aligned perfectly with Christian teaching, conservative Evangelicals could generally rely on the party to produce candidates who valued life, character, and religious freedom.
Yet that assumption has been slowly eroding, and Trump’s tweet seems to be the nail in the coffin. The gospel no longer fits neatly into a political party (if it ever did at all). Continue reading
Each year, a different aspect of the Easter story grabs my attention and causes me to reflect. This year, it’s been Pontius Pilate.
Pilates’ sins were many. He ignored his convictions and his wife’s wise counsel. He gave in to the whims of an angry mob. And he condemned Jesus to be crucified — not because he believed Jesus was guilty, but because it was more politically expedient.
And when it was all over, he washed his hands — trying to convince himself and others (unconvincingly) that he was not responsible for the unjust execution that was about to take place.
Pilate exhibited a complete failure in political leadership. Unfortunately, his failures are all-too common. Continue reading
Nathaniel D. Williams 