Sermons
Sermons from Bay Vista Baptist ChurchThin Line Between Love and Hate
This week, Brother Danny reminds us that there is no room for hatred in the life of the Christian. Hatred is a mark of evil, and it is not an acceptable reaction for a child of God. When hatred raises its head, we must turn from it. Love, on the other hand, is at the heart of the Gospel message. Loving God’s family, loving other people, is one way that we can have assurance of our own eternal life. Let us eagerly embrace the call to love one another.
A Life of Righteousness
In our message, Brother Danny shares with us what it means to live a life of righteousness. Living in righteousness requires us to understand the very serious nature of sin. If we treat sin in a casual manner, we will never react to it as seriously as we should. That reaction should be a rejection of sin’s hold on our lives. Though the Christian had eternal security, that cannot cause us to become comfortable with sin. Finally, the only way we can live a righteous life, is to fully surrender to God’s power in our lives. No amount of willpower will be suficient to bring us where we need to be. Only God can deliver us into that life of righteousness.
Eager Expectation
In this morning’s sermon, Brother Danny helps us to consider how critical it is to our Christian walk to remember who we are, in Christ. We also need to keep in mind that we should be in the process of growing in Christlikeness. While those things should be everpresent in the mind of the child of God, it is often very easy to get discouraged. And so, we need to keep in mind that our metamorphasis into the new creation is only possible by God’s grace, and not through our own work. Ultimately, this is a message of great hope.
Rejoice in God's Discipline
In today’s message, we look at Hebrews chapter 12, and how God’s discipline should be a source of security and joy in the life of a Christian. While it is hard to feel joyful while we are in the midst of a period of discipline, once we come through on the other side, it is easy to see how God has used it to correct and reprove his children, and to bring us into line with His desire for our lives.
Christ Is Born
We have celebrated the first coming of our Savior this week, but our preparation and celebration for the second coming of Christ continues. This morning, Brother Danny reminds us that the phrase “Praise the Lord” in scripture is a plural imperative phrase. In other words it is a command to all creation to praise God. As we look at Psalm 148, remember to Praise the Lord!
Love
As we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent, Brother Danny reminds us of God’s steadfast love towards his children. This love is what brings us hope as we await the return of our Savior. This love is what gives us the peace that surpasses all understanding. Thils love brings us joy in the darkest of times. And this love is made manifest in Jesus Christ alone!
Joy
As we celebrate this third week of Advent, we focus on the theme of Joy. Our joy comes from God’s act of renewal, not from our circumstance. His renewal brings our delight, it makes our testimony joyful, and it b rings a feeling of relief and refreshment to our hearts. As we prepare to celebrate the first coming of Christ, and we prepare our hearts for His second coming, let us show the world the Joy that comes from knowing our Saviour.
Peace
This secon d Sunday of Advent, Brother Danny reminds us of the Peace of God which surpasses all understanting. Along with the Psalmist, we can remember the testimony of God’s dealings with His people. Through the Psalms, we can hear the God’s promise of peace for His people. Because of that we can rest in the assurance of God’s character in dealing with his people. And because of His character, we can embrace the truth of God’s blessing upon His people.
Hope
On this first Sunday of Advent, Brother Danny explains the hope that we have as God’s children. We have hope that God hears us when we cry out for help. We have hope that God’s anger does not last forever. And most importantly, we have hope that God has provided a means by which we can be renewed – a promised deliverer, Jesus the Son of Man.
Faith Not Fear
As we look at the first 8 verses of Hebrews this morning, the author reminds us that, in order to live out the life that God has planned for each one of His children, we need to put off the weights of fear, anxiety, and hesitation, and we need to shed the sins that tie themselves around our feet. Then we need to prepare to have endurance while we run, so we should look at the life of Jesus, who gave all he had for the joy of doing the will of the Father.