Fellowship Bible Church Sermons

Closing Praise and Greetings

May 22, 2022 AM, Philippians 4:20-23.In this message Pastor Matt leads our study, focused on the interactions that Paul had with the church. Paul praises God, greets his fellow believers with greetings, and praises the Lord for His grace on those to proclaim Christ as Lord. These may have been his last words to them. But they were meaningful words.
Our Scripture reading was found in Ezekiel 37:1-28.

Tests of Genuine Salvation

May 22, 2022 SS, 1 John 1:5-2:2.In this message Pastor Matt leads our study on the topic of what signs children should be showing that they are genuinely saved. We cover nine critical characteristics that show their walk with Christ is genuine. This message was designed as a help to Christian parents, both to examine and to work on cultivating in their children the characteristics of genuine salvation. The reality is that these characteristics apply to all believers, so these are good tests for all of us.

Wisdom for Today from Ecclesiastes

May 18, 2022 PM, Various.Some of the content of Ecclesiastes is a bit depressing as Solomon explores the so-called vanities of life. But from this exploration, Solomon drew some very good conclusions. His goal was to “see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives” (2:3). Without elevating the importance of one part of Scripture over another, we study some of those conclusions, including the “judicious enjoyment of life” motif that is common throughout the book.

Giving and Receiving, or Thanksgiving and Contentment

May 15, 2022 PM, Philippians 4:10-19.In the beginning of the letter, Paul wrote that he thanked God for the
Philippian Christians, and particularly for their “fellowship in the
gospel from the first day until now.” We remarked that this had to
do with not only their common sharing of life in Christ with the
apostle Paul, but with the fact that they shared material things to
assist Paul in his spiritual ministry. In this way, the epistle to the
Philippians is something of a thank you note from Paul to the
church for their faithfulness in supporting his work.
In this section of chapter 4, Paul comes around to that thanksgiving
theme again. There is a lot to chew on here: the example of the Philippian church in supporting missionary ministry; Paul’s way of looking at the gift
both from his side as recipient but also from the donor’s side; and
the confidence that God will supply our needs in Christ, with a view
toward those good works.
Our Scripture reading was found in Ezekiel 36:1-38.

Israel Obeyed Him, His Temple Rebuilt, Part 6

May 15, 2022 PM, Haggai 1-2.The Lord allowed the nation of Israel to be carried into captivity by the Babylonians. However, God did not abandon His people. He provided instructions on how to live during their captivity: commanded His people to bear fruit and multiply, and be peaceable among the Babylonians. In fact, God tells His people they will remain in captivity for seventy years, until that day when He brings them back to their homeland, Jeremiah 29:11-14. When His people return to Jerusalem, God instructs His people to rebuild His temple, so that He can be glorified and that His people can worship Him in His house. His people would obey and rebuild the Lord's temple. However, God sees that nation of Israel had set there priorities before His. God corrects His people's priorities.

Offenses and Woes

May 11, 2022 PM, Matthew 18:6-11.A key factor in our future judgment is how we treat other Christians and how we handle sin in our own lives, including: 1) Offenses Toward Christ’s Believers 2) Offenses Toward Yourself and 3) Despising Christians.

True Greatness

May 8, 2022 PM, Matthew 18:1-5.In order to be considered the greatest in the kingdom of God, we must focus on serving others. The desciples asked Christ who would be the greatest, His answer: Be as little children, in humility, serving and loving one another, and humbling ourselves to God's instruction by learning and applying His word in our lives.
Our Scripture reading was found in 2 Chronicles 9:1-31.

No Godly Living? No Peace

May 8, 2022 AM, Philippians 4:8-9.Remember what we learned last week? We were thinking about how
to experience peace in our inner person despite whatever
circumstances may befall us. It is not easy. But we said that the whole package of verses 4-9 is critical. We
cannot simply use the one weapon of prayer and expect have our
anxieties melt away while we ignore other Biblical instruction
about sanctification, our conduct toward others, and our thought
life. We must rejoice in the Lord, be gracious people, stop being
anxious, pray, give thanks, think on good and godly things, and
conduct ourselves in a way that agrees with what the Bible has
presented to us. Our prayer will be effective under such conditions.
This is the way that the peace of God will guard us, and the God of
peace will be with us. Peace comes not through a mystical means that happens apart from holiness. “There is no peace for the wicked” (Isaiah 48:22). False prophets “seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace” (Ezek. 13:10). Read Psalm 27:1-3 and Psalm 91:1-16. Because we make God our refuge, our delight, our life, we can walk confidently in Him.
Our Scripture reading was found in Ezekiel 35:1-15.

Israel Obeyed Him, His Temple Rebuilt, Part 5

May 8, 2022 SS, Haggai 1-2.The Lord allowed the nation of Israel to be carried into captivity by the Babylonians. However, God did not abandon His people. He provided instructions on how to live during their captivity: commanded His people to bear fruit and multiply, and be peaceable among the Babylonians. In fact, God tells His people they will remain in captivity for seventy years, until that day when He brings them back to their homeland, Jeremiah 29:11-14. When His people return to Jerusalem, God instructs His people to rebuild His temple, so that He can be glorified and that His people can worship Him in His house. His people would obey and rebuild the Lord's temple. However, God sees that nation of Israel had set there priorities before His. God corrects His people's priorities.

Another Gloomy Prediction, and Taxes

May 4, 2022 PM, Matthew 17:22-27.Death and taxes. The Lord’s death was inevitable because it was planned before the foundation of the world. And we do pay our
taxes, so as to not cause trouble—and we are directed by God to do so anyway. Yes, even though we are sons of the Most High (Luke 6:35).