By Eric Taylor Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill Focal Passage: 1 Corinthians 12:12-24 Many years ago, there was a mass-marketing push to get people to drink more milk. Part of the push contained an ad campaign with the catchy phrase, “Milk, it does a body good.” The obvious connotation was that drinking milk is good for the health of one’s body. Of course, a popular metaphor in the

By Eric Taylor Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill Focal Passage: Daniel 9:1-7; 17-19  By the time one arrives at Daniel 9, the prophet is most likely in his mid-eighties. He is studying the words of Jeremiah, and is moved to prayer for the people of God. And what follows is one of the greatest prayers in the Bible, as Daniel enters a period of “prayer and supplications” which

By Eric Taylor Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill Focal Passage: John 17:1-5, 21-26 There is no denying that Jesus is our ultimate example of what intimate praying to God the Father looks like. Jesus’ prayer life is the prayer life we should all aspire to. And while Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6 and Luke 11 are often called, “The Lord’s Prayer,” this high priestly prayer of Jesus here

By Eric Taylor Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill Focal Passage: Psalm 119:17-24 In May of 2010, the Kimyal people of West Papua, Indonesia received the first ever copies of the New Testament in their own language. If you have never watched the actual video of the people receiving the Word of God, it is worth your time. I was convicted at how the people were genuinely overcome with

By Eric Taylor Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill Focal Passage: 1 Timothy 4:1-10 While our text for this week contains Paul’s pastoral admonitions and instructions for young pastor Timothy, they should not be viewed as irrelevant to those of us not in vocational, gospel ministry. The Apostle Paul delivers some sound spiritual advice for all who are living in the “latter times” (1 Timothy 4:1). And while we

By Eric Taylor Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill Focal Passage: Jeremiah 1:4-10  Our text for this week is often used in the context of making a case for the importance of every single human life, because if God “formed,” Jeremiah in his mother’s “womb,” then certainly, all lives are created and formed by God. In addition, every life formed in the womb is known by God. So, while

By Eric Taylor Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill Focal Passage: Psalm 31:1-8 While most scholars attribute this Psalm to David during his trials with Saul, or the treason of Absalom, there are other scholars who do not agree on its authorship. Yet, it seems that there is strong evidence for the authorship of David. We can affirm the importance of this Psalm because it was quoted by Jonah,

By Eric Taylor Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill Focal Passage: Psalm 23:1-6  The 23rd Psalm is probably the most well-known passage in the Bible. Psalm 23 is the “Amazing Grace” of the Word of God. Charles Spurgeon called it, “The pearl of the psalms.” Alexander Maclaren said that this Psalm, “Has dried many tears and supplied the mold into which many hearts have poured their peaceful faith.” James

By Eric Taylor Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill Focal Passage: Psalm 35:1-3, 13-18 There is no denying we live in a day and age filled with anger. You might even say some people are filled with rage. Which is even more reason for God’s people to resist the temptation toward anger, malice, rage, and wrath. In our lesson, we see that while David was facing the wrath and

By Eric Taylor Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill Focal Passage: Psalm 95:1-3; Luke 2:4-14  As we excitedly look forward to celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus, our lesson for this week begins with an invitation to thanksgiving, worship, and praise of our “great God, a great King above all gods” (Psalm 95:3). And in the verses in Psalm 95 and Luke 2 we have at least three