First Baptist Church Gulf Breeze

Jesus is King! Not the message you typically hear at Christmas. This time of year, it’s about a baby. It’s about Mary and Joseph, Shepherds, and Wisemen. But, this little baby is King. He is the King of all Kings!

God has come. That is the message of Christmas. He became a man, but not just any man. He was the fulfillment of God’s plan. This week we started a three week series focusing on three particular roles Jesus fulfilled. Jesus was a prophet. A prophet is one that stand between God and man. The prophet speaks for God. The prophet is the voice of God to us. The Bible is full of prophets that spoke on behalf of God. But, in Jesus, we have the fulfillment of the prophets. Jesus came. He came as the voice of God and lived among us.

We concluded our “Kindness” series this week with guest speaker Bob Greene. Bob shared his story with us and what God has taught him on kindness.

There are two systems. The system of man, and the system of God. We are naturally inclined to the ways of man, but Jesus offers a new and better way. We are a new creation in Christ. We are not only “saved”, but we are changed. Our whole system is reoriented to God.

The tongue. It’s such a small part of us, but yet it can be so destructive. Words can tear down a person. The Bible has a great deal to say about gossip and slander. It’s not just a “little sin”, it’s a big deal!

The God of the Old Testament and the God in the New Testament are the same. That’s the truth, but for many this has been a hard concept to accept. In the Old Testament there is a great deal of judgement from God, while in the New Testament we see kindness, forgiveness and mercy. On the surface this may seem to be the case. However, there is way more mercy in the Old Testament, and quite a bit of judgement in the New Testament than the first glance may reveal. God is indeed the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He holds the great plan that has been in place for all time.

How are we supposed to see God? Throughout God’s Word there are multiple attributes and names given for God. It’s easy in a cruel world to view God as a cruel God. But, He is a good God. He is kind! God desires relationship with His people. He is gracious and extends His grace, mercy, and kindness to us.

God has an assignment for us. We are called to be salt and light in the world. We are to carry the message of forgiveness, grace, and mercy to others. This is completely up to us right? Well, no. It is our responsibility, but it’s not all on us. God is the one that empowers us. He provides the opportunities and situations. The key for us is to be in sync with Him. Pray, Pray, Pray. Constant interaction keeps His agenda and purpose in line with ours.

There is a big secret that we often forget as Christians. Actually, we forget this secret. The big secret: God is the one that draws people to Himself. Yes, he uses us, but He is the one that does the work. Our job is to cooperate with the workings of God. Allow Him to lead us and use us how He sees best. He is the one at work!

There are three types of fishermen. Those that talk about fishing, but never do it. Those that fish, but never catch. And finally those that actually catch fish. The Bible has called us to be “fishers of men”. We’ve been called, we’ve been equipped, and now it’s time to catch!

Two words. Two very simple words. Two words changed everything. Join us today as Pastor Jeff Spooneybarger of First Baptist Church Gulf Breeze talks to us about these two words from Jesus.

How do we live out holiness in our personal lives? It is a gift to us, but also a responsibility we are given. Holiness is our as followers of Christ, but it is also a choice we make. We are holy, and we also live holy. This week we concluded the series “Wholly Holy”. Holiness is the most important pursuit a Christian can make.

Jesus Christ is the same today as He has ever been. God never changes. The call to holiness is still the same. The great news is that God equips us to live this holy life. His promise to us is that He will “never leave us or forsake us”. He is with us and He loves us.

There are two different paths to holiness presented in the Bible. One is impossible, the other is guaranteed. The first path is a precursor and set up for the second path. We can choose to “earn and deserve” God’s favor, or “believe and receive” God’s favor. The choice is ours.

Holiness. God is always at work on us. He is holy, and His desire is for us to be holy. Without holiness we will not see God. We are to be holy. God is doing His part, but are we doing our part? It’s a two-way street.

Discipline. The word immediately conjures up a negative connotation. Even the Bible states, “no discipline is pleasant at the time”. But, the Bible is also clear, “God disciplines those He loves”. God is in the discipline business. This can be punishment, but not always. Discipline is much broader than punishment. It goes further. It’s refinement. It’s purification. It’s sanctifying. God’s discipline is a lifelong process of making us more like Him.

God is Holy. This is without question. We are called to live out a Holy life. This is undebatable. But now, how? Walking this out, is a little more difficult. How much of Holy living is up to us? How much is up to God?

We are commanded to live holy lives. But how? How do we practically live out holiness in a culture that is everything but holy? Spiritual maturity is at the core of holiness. Holiness is a lifelong pursuit. We grow in our desire for Jesus. We grow in our relationship with Him. We grow in our battles agains flesh. It’s a process, but a process that is necessary.

The “sacred” and the “secular”. This distinction has been made for years. We divide our lives into these two categories. But, is this Biblical? The whole earth revolves around the holiness of God. Could it be that even the things we view as “secular” should be seen as another aspect of God’s holiness? A better division might be “sin” and “holy”.

Everything in our lives revolve around the issue of holiness. Holiness is the foundation of everything. Our thoughts, our words, our actions, our finances. No matter what it is, our view of holiness is at the core. There is not separation of sacred and secular. It is all related to holiness.