By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 32:1-6, 11-14 What are you living for? To put it another way: When people are at your funeral, what will they say? I don’t know if they had a funeral or not, but when 3,000 people die on the same day that’s not a happy event. Maybe those still living had a celebration of life for the deceased,
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: I Kings 3:3-14; 4:29-34 We are terrible at seeking two things at once. In fact, we cannot seek two things at once. Only one thing can actually occupy the primary place of prominence in our lives. We will use our energy, time, and resources to seek something or someone first, and anything that pulls us toward something or someone else will
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 25:1-9; 31:1-6 God’s heart is to dwell with His people. The storyline of the Bible starts with God creating man and woman and placing them in a garden. Adam and Eve had perfect fellowship with God and they walked with Him in the cool of the evening. But sin broke that fellowship and they were cast out
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Numbers 13:26-30; 14:6-10, 21-24 Faith is “the assurance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1a). If we’re hoping for something, how can we also be assured of it? Faith. It brings the future reality into the present and lives as if it exists now because it will one day be a present reality. Faith is “the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 20:1-17 After rescuing His people out of slavery in Egypt through great signs and wonders, God brings the nation of Israel to the mountain of the burning bush, which is now completely encompassed by smoke, thunder, and lightning (Exodus 19:16). Moses has warned that anyone who touches this mountain will die and boundaries have been set up
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Matthew 4:1-10 Jesus can sympathize with us. He’s been in similar situations that we have, faced similar temptations, and felt similar heaviness of heart. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect had been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). When we read
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 16:1-5, 11-20 Whether we realize it or not, most of us are grumblers. We grumble about work, school, the weather, and sports teams. We grumble about nearly everything. As it turns out, we’re not the only people who are experienced at grumbling (Exodus 14:11-12; 15:22-24). In Exodus 16, the entire congregation of Israel grumbles against Moses and
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Ephesians 6:10-20 No lawyer goes into the courtroom without a good argument. No athlete enters the field at game time without being dressed for the competition. No surgeon enters the operating room without being prepped with the knowledge, cleanliness, and right tools for the procedure. I guess it’s presumptuous to say no one does any of these things because I’m
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 14:13-28 Sometimes when we obey the Lord, things get worse before they get better. Israel has stepped out in obedient faith, following every one of the Lord’s commands. But after listening to Moses and God about a change of direction (Exodus 14:1-2), they now have the world’s greatest army in front of them and a very large
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: 1 John 4:1-6 Not all discrimination is bad. Sometimes it’s appropriate, even necessary. In general, when speaking of excluding someone based on gender or skin color or ability, then yes, discrimination is not good and doesn’t glorify God, who’s made all people with His image imprinted on them. But when it comes to the words and beliefs put forth by those
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 32:1-6, 11-14 What are you living for? To put it another way: When
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: I Kings 3:3-14; 4:29-34 We are terrible at seeking two things at once. In fact, we
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 25:1-9; 31:1-6 God’s heart is to dwell with His people. The storyline
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Numbers 13:26-30; 14:6-10, 21-24 Faith is “the assurance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1a). If we’re
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 20:1-17 After rescuing His people out of slavery in Egypt through great
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Matthew 4:1-10 Jesus can sympathize with us. He’s been in similar situations that we have,
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 16:1-5, 11-20 Whether we realize it or not, most of us are
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Ephesians 6:10-20 No lawyer goes into the courtroom without a good argument. No athlete enters
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 14:13-28 Sometimes when we obey the Lord, things get worse before they
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: 1 John 4:1-6 Not all discrimination is bad. Sometimes it’s appropriate, even necessary. In general, when
