First Baptist Church, Milton, LA

When They Finally Ask - 1 Peter 3:13-16

Today's sermon, "When The Finally Ask," is from 1 Peter 3:13-16. From 1 Peter 2:11-12 to this point, Peter has been giving us instruction on how to live amongst unbelievers in such a way that they see our good deeds and glorify God. In 1 Peter 3:13-16, Peter tells us to be prepared to give a defense for the hope that we have in Christ - to be prepared for when they finally ask us about our faith. We must be prepared and ready to tell them about Jesus. These verses teach us how we prepare our hearts and our words for a powerful Gospel witness.  

God’s People and the Good Life - 1 Peter 3:8-12

In 1 Peter 3:8-12, Peter's turns his attention back to the church as a whole and teaches us how we can respond to unjust suffering in a God-glorifying, gospel-testifying way. In verse 8, we see the characteristics of a church whose members can respond to unjust suffering the way Peter teaches us to in verse 9, which is the way Jesus taught him to, and which is the example of both David and Paul - without returning evil for evil or insult for insult. In this sermon, we'll see how we can keep this counter-intuitive command for the glory of Christ. 

Submission and Suffering for Christ’s Sake - 1 Peter 2:18-25

In this sermon, Pastor Matt walks us through 1 Peter 2:18-25, particularly Peter's command for servants to submit to their masters. The issue of slavery and the Bible is addressed towards the beginning of the message. Then, Pastor Matt shows how this command applies to us today, particularly in the workplace. This applies even to those enduring unjust suffering in the workplace and in the public square. Finally, we see that we endure unjust suffering because that is what Christ did for us, leaving us example to follow.  

God’s People and the Government - 1 Peter 2:13-17

In 1 Peter 2:13-17, Peter shows us how believers follow the command to "live honorably among the Gentiles" (1 Peter 2:12) in their relationship towards the government. This passages focuses on the believer's submission to the government, given that God has instituted government for the good of the people. And yet, there are times for civil disobedience. As we see in the end, the goal of both our obedience and disobedience is the glory of God. Listen in as we seek to understand this complex relationship of "sojourners and exiles" to human government. 

Living Among Not God’s People - 1 Peter 2:11-12

1 Peter 2:11 begins a new section in 1 Peter. In the first two verses of this section, Peter is setting up the general principle for how to live a God-glorifying, Christ-exalting, Gospel-light shining life as we live among those who are not God’s people. The specifics will come in the following verses when we see how to relate to the government, and our employers, and our spouses, and how we’re to respond to suffering on account of our faith. We’ll get to all that. But first, there is this general principle that should govern our conduct among unbelievers, which is simply this: the testimony of your life better match the testimony of your mouth.

Prayer in the Hand and Plan of God - Acts 4:23-31

This week, our sermon was brought to us by Greg Thomas. Greg preached from Acts 4:23-31 and showed us how God's sovereignty gives us confidence in our prayer. We hope you'll listen and be encouraged in your own prayer life as we come into 2023. 

God With Us - Christmas Sunday 2022

In Matthew 1:23, Matthew writes that the events of the birth of Christ happened the way they did to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would be born of a virgin and would be called Immanuel, which means "God with us." In this sermon, Pastor Matt shows us how all of the longing of the Old Testament for the Messiah were fulfilled in the Christmas manger. He also shows us how God's presence with us is both a right now and a future reality, as Christ sends His Spirit to indwell us now and how Christ will one day return in person to fully and finally restore God's Garden presence with us. 

The Birth of A King - Luke 2:1-20

In this sermon, we walk through Luke's narrative of the birth of Christ. Much of what I say today will be familiar to you. Some may be new to you, but much won’t. And that’s alright. Sometimes we just need to hear the old story. Sometimes we need to be reminded to believe in the incarnation of the Son. God became man. And that is huge. The King is born, but He’s born in the most unexpected way. 

The New People of God - 1 Peter 2:7-10

Today's passage, 1 Peter 2:7-10, brings to a close the first major section of 1 Peter.  In this opening section, Peter has been seeking to ground these elect exiles’ identity in who they are in Christ and what he’s done for them, and then show them their responsibilities towards God and towards each other as God’s people, especially in the face of oppression and suffering on account of their faith.  
In these last verses of this first section, Peter again reminds us of our identity - our corporate identity - and he does so by setting up, in verses 7-8, the fact there are two kinds of people in the world. Our world loves to divide in a myriad of ways. And yet God’s Word tells us that people are ultimately divided in only two ways -  those who stand on the Word and those who stumble over it. 

Chosen and Precious - 1 Peter 2:4-8

In our text for today, 1 Peter 2:4-8, we see that the New Testament church is the glorious fulfillment of the Old Covenant temple. Christ is the chosen and precious cornerstone of the Church and we are the living stones which make up the Church. Further, each believer is called to priestly duties within that temple-church. In carrying out these duties and purposes, the Church radiates the light of the glory of Christ into the world.