Advancing Word Podcast

At some point in our spiritual journey, we are all destined to face what the ancient mystics and seers referred to as “the dark night of the soul.” This profound period of spiritual eclipse and desolation disrupts and distorts the divine light of the SON (as distinct from the “sun”) in our lives, casting shadows over our hearts and obscuring our spiritual vision.  In the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 21, the Edomites found themselves plunged into such a dark night.  The prophet Isaiah, with his words both timely and timeless, offered them, and us, a beacon of hope and clear guidance on navigating through these shadowy times.  His message is a reminder that even in the deepest darkness, there is a path forward illuminated by faith and perseverance.

In Joshua, Chapter 17, verses 14-18, the descendants of Joseph, namely the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, approached Joshua with a grievance regarding the distribution of land in Canaan.  This meeting transformed into a profound lesson, as they gleaned invaluable insights on the blessings of faith through the wise and considerate guidance of Joshua, their leader and kinsman.  The timeless principles Joshua imparted in this passage remain relevant today, offering us enduring wisdom.  This enlightening sermon delves into three key aspects of this text, centered around "the blessing in believing."

Despite having different last names—Tyus, Middleton, Reed, Simmons, Jarrett, Turner, Vasquez, Foster, Holloway, Stewart, they are one family.  They live in towns and cities across our country.  Since October 2012, this remarkable group has connected every Saturday for a prayer teleconference.  Truly, they are a family that prays together!  For the past eleven years, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield has inspired them with a powerful January message, setting the tone for the year ahead.  This year is no exception.  Be uplifted by Pastor Stubblefield’s Year 2025 challenge to this family.

As a bonus feature, experience Pastor Stubblefield who retired as the first Pastor Emeritus in the storied history of the First Baptist Church of Chesterfield, Missouri—leading the church in singing one of his beloved hymns, “Have Thine Own Way.” Let the timeless words of this cherished song stir your heart as you reflect on the power of prayer and faith.

Faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the foundation of the believer’s sense of well-being.  This message based on Chapter 7, verse twenty-five of the Book of Hebrews, offers four assurances that encourages anyone who is facing a crisis of faith.

In this New Year, because of God’s perfect plan for our lives, we each are “pregnant with potential.”  If you are truly a child of God, you are wearing spiritual maternity clothes because God has placed inside the womb of your very being something that the world didn’t give to you and the world can’t take away.  This sermon reminds us of “promises to remember” in the New Year!  

Do you feel like your life is moving in the wrong direction or things aren’t quiet working out as you imagined they would?  The holidays have only exacerbated your disappointment.  What can you do?  You can do like Ruth did in the first chapter of the book of the Bible that bears her name.  You can “face north when life is going south”.  This sermon tells you how.  

Biblical scholars agree that an innumerable multitude of angels; indeed, an angelic army were singing in The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2 verses 13 – 14 on the night Jesus was born.  Their singing and majestic, moving and melodious music announced, affirmed and acclaimed the birth of the Savior.  But their compelling cosmic concert raises a question as well.  What is the message in the music?  If you would like to know, listen to the insightful sermon Dr. T. D. Stubblefield preached before Christmas this year at the historic First Baptist Church, Wright City, Missouri.    

In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, verses eight through twenty, shepherds watching their flocks in the field at night were summoned by the angel of the Lord to be witnesses of the birth of Jesus.  Viewed as common laborers by some and ostracized by others, they still teach us by their example how to observe Christmas.  

The Gospel writer Matthew uses the story of the wise men in Chapter 2 and the Great Commission in Chapter 28 like conceptual bookends to sound a universal note in his Gospel.  The birth of Jesus was not just a Jewish affair.  Even as a child, Jesus faced hostility at home but received homage from afar.  Wise men came from afar to seek the Savior that was born as an infant child in Bethlehem.  Whether kings, philosophers, astrologers or scientists, these men are timeless examples of what should be our primary preoccupation during the Christmas season.  This sermon reveals four things we can learn from them.  

The first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke narrates the events surrounding the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There we meet Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus. She is a model of grace. Mary is special! This sermon reveals four reasons why.