First Baptist Family of Asheboro, NC

There are moments when we are aware of our need for God.  We cry out to God and have pressing needs on our hearts.  We know what this feels like and we ask God.  Sometimes we're at a vending machine. We put our money in and nothing falls down.  We pray, "Please God!  Let it fall!"  Other times we desperately want to see God in our lives.  In Luke 5 someone is seeking a miracle and we see something unique about Jesus.  Looking at the person of Jesus we encounter a need a person has.  The needs of the people in Luke 5 are different than the needs of us today but we certainly know what it feels like to have needs.   A man has leprosy.  Leprosy could be a minor skin irritation or it could end in death.  The challenge was there was no known cure, no way to distinguish between a minor skin problem and leprosy so the solution was isolation and quarantine.  Disease and isolation, separation from society could strike anyo...

  How we do our job matters, especially when we are sharing the Gospel, it matters.   Paul is writing to believers in Colossae.   He’s answering the question, “What’s it mean to do life?”   This passage is part of the household codes that we visited last week.   How does this affect our job?   The troubling part for us is that the household codes apply to slaves.   S ome people in that congregation were probably slave owners and some were slaves.   Slavery still exists today and we do not condone it.   We have fellow believers around the world that are slaves. What do we do when our circumstances aren’t ideal?   Sometimes this happens in our workplaces or in our homes.   We pray for God to change things but sometimes nothing changes.   Some things persist even if they’re against God.   Sometimes we don’t like our job or our boss.   We excuse and reduce our attitudes and behaviors as a result.   This really affect...

                                            Hand of God - Save Me by Younsung Kim This is a rescue story, Jesus coming to us, the story of the prophets.   This is what they were waiting for:   Jesus to come to the rescue.   I have this old brown replica of a church building.   The steps and steeple are broken off.   It’s banged up and in bad shape.   Why would I keep something like that?   I’ll tell you why a little bit later.   We are kind of like this damaged building.   Jesus came for each of us, even in our broken state. In Galatians 4 Paul is writing to the church at Galatia who is under attack.   They’re being told they’re not real believers.   People are saying things like, “God didn’t really come for you.”   Paul writes them this letter to tell them yes, Jesus came for ...

  As Christmas approaches we picture a nativity.   Baby Jesus is in the center and the others are standing around him.   Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and if you’re historically incorrect, the wise men are there too.   There’s a cow, a donkey and even sometimes a chicken.   The center of the nativity is the person of Jesus.   The question that’s asked is, Who is this child?   What’s he come to do?   We have the answer in Luke 2. The angels tell us.   He is the Christ of Christmas.   Jesus is Lord.   We are a contrarian people.   We don’t like anyone lording it over us.   We are independent but we still need a King over our heart.   How many times have you said to yourself, “I cannot believe I just said that!”?   We are aware of the weaknesses in our hearts.   In Jesus we have the One who comes for our soul; Jesus is a gift for us.   Jesus is the One we can entrust our hearts to.   Jesus is our g...

Jesus is about to pay for our sins and restore us to the Father. In the next several weeks there’s a turn towards the cross.   Matthew 26 is days before the cross.   The setting is Bethany.   Jesus and His disciples spent time in Bethany.   Several times per year Jerusalem would swell with people because of festivals and events.   For example, at Jesus’ birth Jerusalem was full.   This is the scene.   Jerusalem is packed.   Jesus had friends in Bethany, outside of Jerusalem.   The home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus was located there.   They are in a different house close by for the final preparation for the cross.   Luke tells us this is the primary purpose of Jesus’ coming to this world. In Matthew 26 the opening verses are a powerful demonstration of what it means to value Jesus.   How do we value Jesus? How do you know what something is worth?   We can search online to get a feel for what something is worth. ...