In this episode, pastor Ben Smith explains the biblical meaning of thanksgiving through Psalm 106. Unlike secular gratitude, which often focuses on personal blessings or accomplishments, true thanksgiving is a worshipful response to God’s character, mercy, and faithfulness.

The sermon unfolds in three parts:

A thankful heart is focused on who God is – God’s goodness, His inexhaustible praise, and faithful provision.

A thankful heart confesses the reality of sin – examining Israel’s unfaithfulness and the importance of personal confession.

A thankful heart rejoices in God’s faithfulness – celebrating His undeserved mercy and steadfast covenant love.

Listeners are encouraged to consider how a God-centered heart transforms gratitude into authentic, enduring worship.

Key Scripture: Psalm 106

Speaker: Pastor Ben Smith
Series: Thanksgiving
Format: Expository Sermon\

Find Out More:

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org.

You can find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.

This sermon was originally preached on 11/23/2025.

In this episode, Pastor Ben Smith explores the story of Cain’s descendants and reveals how it’s possible to achieve success, build a legacy, and experience prosperity—yet remain entirely outside the presence and blessing of God. Genesis 4:17–24 presents a striking contrast between remarkable human advancement and deep spiritual emptiness, showing how worldly accomplishments can distract us from what truly matters.

Pastor Ben highlights two major warnings from the passage:
• The Busyness of Building for Nothing — how investing in things that cannot last leaves us empty.
• Foolish Confidence — how prosperity without God leads to pride, moral compromise, and a false sense of security.

This message challenges listeners to consider where their confidence, priorities, and pursuits truly lie. Are we chasing achievements that won’t endure, or seeking the lasting joy found only in a right relationship with God? Through the example of Cain’s line and the transformation of Zacchaeus, this episode reminds us that authentic purpose comes not from what we build, but from whom we belong to.

Listen and be encouraged to pursue what endures—and to guard your heart from the distractions of purposeless prosperity.

Key Scripture: Genesis 4:17-24

Speaker: Pastor Ben Smith
Series: Genesis
Format: Expository Sermon

Find Out More:

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org.

You can find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.

This sermon was originally preached on 11/16/2025.

In this week’s sermon podcast, “Sin’s Ruinous Rule” (Genesis 4:8–16), Pastor Ben Smith examines the tragic story of Cain and Abel to reveal the devastating consequences of unrepentant sin. Through careful exposition, he highlights three warning signs of sin’s growing destruction:

1. The Mastery of Sin – Without repentance, sin gains control over the heart, leading to escalating rebellion.

2. Spiritual Blindness – Sin blinds individuals to danger, causing them to focus on temporary comfort while ignoring eternal consequences.

3. Living Under God’s Judgment – Being unconcerned about God’s judgment is a warning sign of sin’s ruinous rule.

Pastor Smith challenges listeners to recognize sin in their own lives, respond to God’s conviction, and embrace the hope and freedom found in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Key Scripture: Genesis 4:8–16
Main Theme: The Ruinous Rule of Sin
Speaker: Pastor Ben Smith
Series: Genesis
Format: Expository Sermon

Find Out More:

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org.

You can find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.

This sermon was originally preached on 11/9/2025.

Episode Title: The Story of Elijah: Faith and Obedience (1 Kings 17:1–16)

Episode Description:
In this episode, Pastor Ben Smith dives into the story of Elijah, exploring faith and obedience in the face of hardship. From confronting King Ahab’s sin to experiencing God’s miraculous provision through nature and the unlikely generosity of a widow, this sermon reveals how God works through faithful obedience.

Listeners will discover three key truths:

1. God provides for obedience – He meets the needs of those who follow Him, often in unexpected ways.

2. Suffering is part of life in a fallen world – Trials do not indicate God’s absence, but create opportunities for His glory to shine.

3. Faith is proven through obedience – True belief is demonstrated through action, even when it is difficult or costly.

Through Elijah’s story and a personal testimony from Pastor Ben’s life, this episode encourages believers to trust God fully, obey His commands, and witness His power in the midst of life’s challenges.

Scripture Reference: 1 Kings 17:1–16

Keywords: Elijah, Faith, Obedience, God’s Provision, Trials, Trust in God, Christian Living, Sermon
Speaker: Pastor Ben Smith
Series: Heroes of the Faith: The Story of Elijah
Format: Expository Sermon

Find Out More:

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org.

You can find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.

This sermon was originally preached on January 26, 2020.

What makes a person right with God?
In this sermon, Pastor Ben Smith preaches from Genesis 4:1–7, exploring the testimony of Cain and Abel to reveal what true acceptance before God requires. Through this powerful passage, we learn that being right with God depends not on human desire or opinion but on obedience, faith, and submission to His will.

Pastor Smith addresses the modern idol of self—the belief that personal autonomy and preference define truth—and shows how this false worship has deeply influenced our culture, from the breakdown of marriage and family to the devaluation of life itself. Yet this message goes beyond cultural critique; it calls the church and every believer to repentance, faith, and wholehearted submission to God’s Word.

Through the example of Cain’s rejected offering and Abel’s accepted one, listeners will discover three essential truths about what it means to be right with God:

1. You must give a worthy offering.
Worship that pleases God is not based on what we think is beautiful or impressive, but on obedience and atonement for sin.

2. Your heart’s desire must be to please God.
Cain’s anger reveals a self-centered heart, while Abel’s faith displays true joy in honoring the Lord.

3. You must submit to the will of God.
True freedom is not found in doing things “your way,” but in surrendering to the authority of God and being ruled by His righteousness.

Drawing from Scripture and practical examples, Pastor Smith reminds us that righteousness before God cannot be achieved through human effort. It is received only through Jesus Christ, the one perfect, acceptable sacrifice who makes sinners right with a holy God.

Key Scripture: Genesis 4:1–7
Main Theme: True acceptance with God comes through obedience, faith, and submission—not self-will or personal autonomy.
Speaker: Pastor Ben Smith
Series: Genesis
Format: Expository Sermon

Find Out More:

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org.

You can find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.

This sermon was originally preached on 10/26/2025.

Pastor Ben Smith shares a sermon from the archives titled “It Is Good to Be Near God” from Psalm 73. This message explores what the “good life” truly is—not in wealth, comfort, or success, but in the nearness of God. Through the psalmist’s honest struggle and renewed faith, we’re reminded that real peace, hope, and refuge are found only in His presence.

Find Out More:

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org.

You can find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.

This sermon was originally preached on August 4, 2019, at Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Episode Title: Death for Life (Genesis 3:20–24)
Speaker: Ben Smith, Sr.

Episode Notes:
In this sermon, Pastor Ben Smith, Sr. examines the first act of redemption in Genesis 3:20–24. When Adam named his wife Eve and God clothed them with garments of sacrifice, He revealed that true redemption comes not by ignoring sin, but through the death of a righteous substitute.

This message explores the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement and teaches three principles of redemption:

Redemption requires faith.

Redemption requires a righteous sacrifice.

Redemption is a gift of grace.

Listeners will gain insight into God’s grace, justice, and redemptive plan from Eden to the cross, and learn how the death of Christ brings new life for all who believe.

Scripture: Genesis 3:20–24

“Redemption and new life in Christ do not come through ignoring or excusing sin, but through death and the substitutionary atonement of a righteous sacrifice.”

Find Out More:

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org.

You can find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.

This sermon was originally preached on 10/12/2025.

Episode Title: “Created Male and Female: A Biblical View of Gender from Genesis
Scripture: Genesis 1:27–31; 2:18–25

Episode Notes:
In this message, Pastor Ben Smith explores what it means to see gender through a biblical lens—rooted not in culture or emotion, but in the timeless truth of God’s Word.

From the very first chapters of Genesis, God reveals that humanity was created male and female—by His design, for His glory, and for our good. Yet in today’s world, that truth is often rejected or redefined. This sermon offers clarity and compassion for a confused culture, reminding believers that God’s design is perfect and His Word is unchanging.

Key Themes:

·       Gender is by divine design—God made us male and female on purpose.

·       Gender is God declared—your identity is not self-chosen but Creator-given.

·       You are called to celebrate the goodness of God’s creation rather than redefine it.

Pastor Ben challenges listeners to hold fast to God’s truth, speak with grace, and live as testimonies of His perfect design. Even in a culture that celebrates confusion, Christians are called to reflect the light of creation’s goodness and declare, “What God has made is very good.”

Listen and be encouraged to see God’s wisdom, goodness, and sovereignty in the way He created you.

Find Out More:

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org.

You can find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.

This sermon was originally preached on October 4, 2015, at Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

In this sermon, Pastor Ben Smith preaches from Genesis 3:8-19 on “The Curse of Sin.” He explains how Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden shattered God’s good creation and brought devastating consequences. Sin, at its core, is rebellion against God’s will, and it disrupts every part of life.

The sermon highlights three main truths:

Sin breaks fellowship — separating people from God, straining relationships with others, and even causing inner conflict within ourselves.

Sin breaks cooperation — creation itself became hostile, relationships were disordered, and work and family life became filled with pain and conflict.

Sin breaks purpose — humanity’s God-given calling is now marked by hardship, and the ultimate curse of sin is death.

Yet even in the midst of judgment, God offers hope. In Genesis 3:15, He promises that one day the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head — a prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The sermon closes with the assurance that through Christ’s death and resurrection, believers have victory over sin, Satan, and death.

Find Out More:

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org.

You can find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.

This sermon was originally preached on 9/28/2025.

The Fall of Man (Genesis 2:25–3:7)

Genesis 3 is a pivotal moment in Scripture when Adam and Eve chose to believe the lies of Satan rather than trust the will of God. Satan's work has always been to draw us away from God—through doubt, half-truths, and deception. Adam and Eve's choice in the garden was not just their story; it's ours too. As Romans 3:23 reminds us, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

To understand our own sin, we must first understand the first sin. What does their rebellion teach us about the danger of Satan's lies? At the heart of every temptation is an invitation to reject God and trust the deceiver instead of the Creator. This text teaches three vital lessons: the need to trust God's wisdom, trust His word, and trust His design.

This sermon explains from Genesis 2:25–3:7, the pivotal scripture detailing the Fall of Man and the origin of sin. It explores the theological foundations of this passage, how Satan's lies led Adam and Eve to rebellion, and the profound consequences that changed the human condition forever. Understanding this first sin is crucial for understanding one's own sin and God's work of redemption.

Sermon Outline: Three Ways We Must Trust God

I. Trust God's Wisdom (Genesis 3:1-3)

II. Trust God's Word (Genesis 3:4-5)

III. Trust God's Design (Genesis 3:6-7)

Find Out More:

Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.

Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben's sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at http://bensmithsr.org.

You can find information about Central Baptist Church at cbcwaycross.org.

This sermon was originally preached on 9/21/2025.