Fellowship Bible Church Sermons

Grace Appearing – The First Coming, Part 1

July 25, 2021 AM, Titus 2:11-15, Part 1.What we will see in the rest of this section is that God’s grace did not
only appear to bring an initial salvation or rescue from sin. It also
enables and teaches us how to live properly. And this is critical for
the people of Crete and the people of Ann Arbor because there are
many who profess to know God, but in works they deny Him. Both
the saving and sanctifying operations of Christ’s grace are to be
active in the life of a true believer.
Our Scripture reading was found in Ezekiel 2:1-10.

Theology of the Cross, Part 1

July 25, 2021 SS, Various.In this message we are welcomed with a prerecorded missionary update from Mariano Proto. Additionally, Pastor Matt shares his study on the theology of the cross and gospel and how it can be studied and applied in our daily lives as Christians. It specifies how our savior Jesus Christ's sacrifice was sufficient to save sinners from the 2nd death and how His people can have a relationship with Him.

The Captives Who Returned to Jerusalem

July 21, 2021 PM, Ezra 2:1-70.In this message Pastoral intern Jansen Lorch leads our continued study in the second book of Ezra. We study the list of people who were the descendants taken captive by king Nebuchadnezzar and who later returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city. Some of these men would help rebuild the Lord's temple.

Holy Pearls, Dogs and Swine

July 18, 2021 PM, Matthew 7:6.Verses 1-4 teach us to avoid super-critical judgment. But in doing
that, we cannot forget that we must proclaim the truth. We cannot
be “so unjudgmental” that we have zero discernment about
people or situations or that we do not say anything critical. But we
must discern when it is time to move on to greener pastures so
that we do not bring God’s name down into a muddy wrestling
match. That is not suitable for holy things.
Our Scripture reading was found in 1 Chronicles 2:1-55.

Living According to Sound Doctrine, Part 2

July 18, 2021 AM, Titus 2:6-10.The results of the Christian lifestyle in every age and social group are
found in verses 5, 8, and 10:
“That the word of God may not be blasphemed.”
“That one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing
evil to say of you.”
“That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”
We discern two directions in the purpose of Paul’s teaching. The first
is toward God. It is not just the reputation of the church or the
shame of an individual that is at issue: God’s honor and glory are
even more important. If we behave badly, the world easily notices
and this drags God’s word and name into the mud. That ought to
be a deep concern to us. Compare this to Romans 2:23-24. If we
live well, God’s teaching is “dressed up nicely” with our conduct
and it makes God and His doctrine all that much more appealing to
an outsider.
The second direction in which a truly Christian lifestyle makes an
impact is toward people. If we behave well consistently and in a
loving fashion (not a haughty fashion) then we will have an impact
on others around us. They may persist in denying Christ or saying
that they do not believe like we do, but they cannot deny that our
lives are well-lived and there is nothing evil to say. However, when
a church has an incident of abuse or a split or does strange things
in the community, that gives the people an excuse to reject not
only the church, but God as well.
The church family’s ethics must be superb. The church must stand out
in a society that is unethical. But Paul’s concern is not just that the
church be different so it is non-conformist. His instructions are not
an expediency to keep the church alive in the Roman culture. His
concern is the truth of God, the doctrine which is in agreement
with godliness (Titus 1:1). It is applicable in every culture
throughout all time. Truth supersedes culture and whether
following truth means the church is well-thought-of or ill-thoughtof does not matter ultimately. What matters is that God is honored
by faithful obedience to His word.
When you examine your own life in light of the instructions for men
or women and servants, how do you stack up? Is your life honoring
your Savior and Lord, or is it dragging His name down?
Our Scripture reading was found in Ezekiel 1:1-28.

Critical Race Theory, Part 4

July 18, 2021 SS, Various.According to the definition of woke by its advocates—being aware of
racial injustice and actively combating it—our church is not woke.
Christian theology in general is not woke. Church work properly
focuses on the gospel, which is the true and only solution to sin of
all sorts, and that certainly includes the sin of racism.
There is another real sense, however, in which individual Christians
and churches do take a stand against some of injustices of the sort
that woke advocates are concerned about. We believe in just
treatment of all people regardless of color, culture, economic
position, etc. This is because the Bible shows us that God Himself
desires these kinds of things.
There are other so-called injustices that we do not go along with
(gender identity change, for instance, or sexual immorality). Even
in those cases, however, the Bible does not advocate for mean or
unloving treatment. Part of love is encouraging reform of thinking
and behavior.
Exodus 23:6 says, “You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in
his dispute.” In other words, you cannot treat a poor person worse
because he is poor.
But you also cannot treat a poor person better because he is poor.
Leviticus 19:15 says, “You shall do no injustice in judgment. You
shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the
mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.”
You cannot discriminate for or against. You cannot even do that when
you are trying to “undo” past wrongs. Truly focus on undoing those
wrongs by making things right in the present. Do not redo the
wrongs of the past!

End of the Babylonian Captivity

July 14, 2021 PM, Ezra 1:1-11.In tonight's message pastoral intern Jansen Lorch leads our new study in the book of Ezra. We begin studying Israel's departure from Babylonian captivity and return to Jerusalem. King Cyrus' degree allowed the Jews to rebuild the temple (2 Chronicles 36:22-23) where we see the fulfilled prophecy proclaimed from the mouth of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:10). God also stirs up Israel's leaders to rebuild the temple and reinstate the precious articles of gold and silver, in which God preserved from destruction, during Israel's captivity and whereby were used in the house of the Lord.

Specks and Planks

July 11, 2021 PM, Matthew 7:3-5.Spend more time judging yourself than others. Consider your own ways before volunteering yourself to correct another (Gal. 6:1). Remember that your own internal sins are just as visible to God as the external ones you see in others. Your pride, lack of forgiveness, hate, lust, lack of mercy, impatience, self-righteousness, etc. are all on wide-open display toward God. And God hates those things (Prov. 6:16-19).
Our Scripture reading was found in 1 Chronicles 1:1-54.

The Lord’s Compassion

July 11, 2021 AM, Matthew 9:35-38.In this message we are welcomed by missionary speaker Dan Thompson who leads our study, focused on Christ's compassion for the lost. We are reminded of the urgency all believers must have to share His gospel with the world. As Jesus said, "The harvest is truly great, but the laborers are few." We should be moved to compassion through Jesus' example through both prayer and action, to share His good news.
Our Scripture reading was found in Isaiah 66:1-24.

Missionary Report: Uruguay Missions

July 11, 2021 SS, Various.Today we have the joy to welcome Dan, along with his wife Liz and three of their children. Dan and Liz have served with GMSA in Chile, and anticipate future ministry in Uruguay as soon as COVID restrictions ease there.