By Ben W. Curtis
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City

Focal Passage: Psalm 95:1-11

Psalm 95 is a call for believers to joyfully and reverently worship God in a world characterized by unbelief. Psalm 95:1-7 contains a three-fold invitation for us to “come” to him (vv. 1, 2, 6). It’s not primarily a call to individual believers, but to the collective assembly (note the use of “us,” “our,” and “we”). Today and every Sunday, there is a call to the church throughout the world to come and sing joyful songs of praise, giving thanks in His presence. We’re to come into God’s presence with loud joy and loud thanksgiving (v. 1b, 2b). As part of the congregation of the redeemed, do you sing loudly and joyfully when you worship on Sunday? I once told our congregation that I would call individuals out if I witnessed them not singing during our worship gatherings. For the next few weeks, I purposefully moved around, sitting in a different pew each service. I’m happy to report that they’ve been singing loudly ever since.  [Read more…]

By Ben W. Curtis
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City

Focal Passage: Psalm 84:1-12

At the center of your being, what do you long for? Once you have seen the dwelling place of the Lord of Hosts, you have no desire to be any place else (Psalm 84:1-2). As the Sons of Korah strolled through the temple courtyard and reflected on the glory of the Lord, something caught their attention: birds’ nests (v. 3). If the Lord welcomes sparrows to nest in His presence, how much more will He welcome you to the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:18-24). The Sons of Korah could rejoice in the special role God had assigned them: “Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! (Psalm 84:4).” [Read more…]

By Ben W. Curtis
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City

Focal Passage: Psalm 138:1-8

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me” (Psalm 138:8). I believe this truth now more than ever, because I have a history with God. When our son was 2 years old, he was misdiagnosed with a virus. After several days of a persistently high fever, and many tests and consultations, he was diagnosed with a very serious auto-immune disease which attacks the lining of the heart. To make matters worse, the accumulated pressures of ministry, seminary, and medical bills caused me to begin having panic attacks. It felt like we were going through the valley of the shadow of death. Today, I can say with thanksgiving that God not only brought our family through this trial, but has delivered us through many more.   [Read more…]

By Ben W. Curtis
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City

Focal Passage: Psalm 23:1-6

Psalm 23 is undoubtedly the most beloved psalm, and maybe even the most well-known chapter in the entire Bible. Even irreligious people are familiar with these words and drawn to them in times of crisis: “The LORD is my shepherd.” There are many names for God in the Bible, but Yahweh is the most sacred. Often translated as “LORD” (in small, upper case letters), it’s used to show the personal nature of God and how He relates to human beings. In Psalm 23:1-3, David describes this eternal, unchangeable, covenant-making God as a “shepherd!” Shepherding was the job of lower classes or the youngest in the household (1 Samuel 16:11). Why would the king of the universe bother himself to find “green pastures” for me? Why would He lead me to a place of “still waters?” After all, He is the LORD! But He’s also “my shepherd!”  [Read more…]

By Ben W. Curtis
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City

Focal Passage: Psalm 78:5-8, 32-39

Recently, I watched a video in which people were asked important questions about American history. These videos have likely been edited (we hope) to include only the most outrageous answers. When asked about World War II, one individual suggested it was fought in 1970! The warning is clear: When a people forget their history, they are in danger of losing their unique identity. To put it another way: We are what we remember. [Read more…]

By Ben W. Curtis
Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City

Focal Passage: Psalm 1:1-6

Almost a year ago, a group from our church trained for a 5K. Due to some miscommunication among the volunteers, most of us took a path that extended our run by six-tenths of a mile. As three miles came and went and the realization set in that we were still a great distance from the finish line, panic ensued. When all was said and done, the mistake was inconsequential; we had a good laugh and a good story to tell our friends. But when it comes to the weightier issues of life and eternity, who you listen to matters!  [Read more…]

By Charles D. Earl
Former Director of Missions, Holston Valley Baptist Assoc., Rogersville

Focal Passage: Matthew 28:16-20

We have arrived at our final session of this quarter from the gospel of Matthew having to do with the life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of God’s only begotten Son, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our lesson for today is taken from Matthew 28:16-20, and is, of course, what we call The Great Commission, and titled “What Do We Do Now.”   [Read more…]

By Charles D. Earl
Former Director of Missions, Holston Valley Baptist Assoc., Rogersville

Focal Passage:  Matthew 27:41-52

We come today to the 12th of 13 lessons that Matthew gives us in the life of our Lord. We have tried to look at many experiences in the life of Jesus, and we come now to that central prophetic event for which He came and toward which He has been marching since the day He was born in Bethlehem. It is that signal act when and where and how He would do for us what we could not do for ourselves. I speak, of course, of that event in His life that began when He and His apostles observed the Passover. He then went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, followed by the betrayal by Judas, the arrest, and the cruel ordeal of the trial at the house of Caiaphas, the high priest. Jesus then endured the Roman scourging and the mockery of a trial in the courtroom of Pontius Pilate. Then we watched as our Lord made that long, lonely, laborious trek from Pilate’s courtroom to Golgotha. [Read more…]

By Charles D. Earl
Former Director of Missions, Holston Valley Baptist Assoc., Rogersville

Focal Passage: Matthew 26:63-75

I fear loyalty is a characteristic we find in short supply as we look across the mainstream of Christianity today. The question stares each of us in the face: Just how loyal am I? We should ask that question of ourselves often.  Well, let us give an answer. Really now, just how loyal are we?

In our text Jesus has already gone with His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Since Judas has already departed from the 12, Jesus has taken the 11 with Him to the Garden. At some point in the garden He leaves the eight and takes Peter, James, and John to go a “little farther” to pray. [Read more…]

By Charles D. Earl
Former Director of Missions, Holston Valley Baptist Assoc., Rogersville

Focal Passage: Matthew 26:36-46

Lesson 10 of this quarter has to do with the last hours Jesus spends with His disciples before His crucifixion. The place is known as the Garden of Gethsemane, a place that seemed to be a very, very special place for Jesus’ prayertime. But this short text, covering only 11 verses, has a number of great lessons for us! The other 11 disciples, with Judas being conspicuously absent, have made their way with Jesus to the garden. [Read more…]