Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
October 2, 2017
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Matthew 4:1-10 Jesus can sympathize with us. He’s been in similar situations that we have, faced similar temptations, and felt similar heaviness of heart. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every […]
September 26, 2017
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 16:1-5, 11-20 Whether we realize it or not, most of us are grumblers. We grumble about work, school, the weather, and sports teams. We grumble about nearly everything. As it turns out, we’re not the only people who are experienced at grumbling […]
September 26, 2017
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Ephesians 6:10-20 No lawyer goes into the courtroom without a good argument. No athlete enters the field at game time without being dressed for the competition. No surgeon enters the operating room without being prepped with the knowledge, cleanliness, and right tools for the procedure. […]
September 18, 2017
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 14:13-28 Sometimes when we obey the Lord, things get worse before they get better. Israel has stepped out in obedient faith, following every one of the Lord’s commands. But after listening to Moses and God about a change of direction (Exodus 14:1-2), […]
September 18, 2017
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: 1 John 4:1-6 Not all discrimination is bad. Sometimes it’s appropriate, even necessary. In general, when speaking of excluding someone based on gender or skin color or ability, then yes, discrimination is not good and doesn’t glorify God, who’s made all people with His image imprinted […]
September 12, 2017
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 12:1-13 Many people are desperate for a new beginning, but not desperate enough. Prolonged suffering tempts some to bury the pain or self-medicate with drugs, alcohol, sex, or whatever has worked in the past. Others are enslaved to habitual sins, despite reading […]
September 12, 2017
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Deuteronomy 18:9-18 It matters which voices we listen to. We are shaped, both in our thinking and in our feeling, in large part by the information we take in through our ears. This is why Jesus said, “Take care what you listen to” (Mark 4:24). […]
September 4, 2017
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 7:1-13 As parents, we tell our kids not to play in the street. There are laws of the road we must follow, such as speed limits and seat belt laws. Construction workers have safety protocol they must heed. Refusing to heed instructions in […]
September 4, 2017
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Mark 9:17-29 Demons believe in God. They are not atheists (who claim there is no God), and they are not agnostics (who claim that we can’t know whether there’s a God). No, demons are monotheists — they know and believe there is one God — and […]
August 28, 2017
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Exodus 3:4-14; 4:13-16 “God will never give you more than you can handle.” These words are often spoken to suffering believers, but they are misguided at best, and at worst, just plain wrong. If we could speak with Moses about the events in […]
August 28, 2017
By Nathan Washburn Pastor, First Baptist Church, Greenbrier Focal Passage: Revelation 12:7-12 Satan is not the little devilish cartoon perched upon our shoulder whispering in our ears to do the “wrong” thing. He is the leader of an all-out assault on God and His kingdom. He sought to be equal with God and was denied. He […]
August 22, 2017
By Ben W. Curtis Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tracy City Focal Passage: Psalm 42:1-11 In II Corinthians 1:4, Paul writes that God “comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort” others. Long before this was written, the psalmist used a painful time of discouragement to instruct us in how […]
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