Burnt Hickory | Sermons

As we continue our sermon series on the transformed life, we study Zacchaeus, and we learn some big lessons from this little character as he came face-to-face with Jesus. As we study scripture, we learn that no one is beyond the goodness of Jesus, and it’s a God-breathed, soul-level curiosity that positions us to actually meet Him. When Jesus looks up at Zacchaeus, he calls out to him in the tree, and gives him a personal invitation. We see that every invitation from Jesus demands a personal response, and this invitation was more than just a visit at his house. Zacchaeus was invited to abide with Jesus, and he accepts. His life is completely changed because of his encounter with Jesus. We need to inspect our own lives for the evidence of the invitation and encounter with Jesus. The good news is that Jesus truly comes to seek and save the lost!

Today, we study scripture and look at feasts in the bible, specifically at the upper room feast, and the impact on the lives of the disciples as they at face-to-face with Jesus. We see that the first feast was not just about eating a meal together, but in picking a team. God provides a way for life, but it requires a sacrifice and an active faith. All of the struggles of this world are temporary because we will be wholly, joyfully, and eternally united with Jesus.

We continue our sermon series called the Transformed Life where we’re looking at the lives of people from scripture and how their lives were changed after coming face-to-face with Jesus. We are studying John chapter four and the woman at the well. We learn that how we perceive Jesus will shape everything about us. Jesus fully sympathized with what this woman was going through, and he fully sympathizes with us too. In fact, Jesus desires to reach into the deepest depths of our souls so that he can heal us from the inside out, and the good news is that he saves people who no one else would normally think are worthy to be saved. Thank God that we have such a merciful and wonderful savior!

We continue our study of people who came face to face with Jesus in scripture with our focus this week on John the Baptist. Even though John knew that Jesus was the awaited Messiah, the one he had proclaimed, he faltered with doubt while in prison. His doubt shows us that serious doubt can creep into true faith and dealing with long term struggles can challenge even the most faithful of believers. We can find hope in our personal testimony of what God’s done and our future blessings. If you’re dealing with doubt, remind yourself that God loves you and His wisdom is far superior that ours, and know that you are not alone in your doubt.

We begin the new year with a new sermon series where we look at the impact Jesus had on the lives of people who came face to face with Him. As we study scripture, we see in John chapter 9 the story of the man born blind. And we learn that God’s eternal purposes in our sufferings are always more important than our understanding of the causes of our sufferings. In other words, Jesus cares deeply for those suffering, and He has compassion, and His purposes are eternal. We may not be able to understand why we are suffering, but we know the one who can make us whole again. We also learn about the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees and religious people and Jesus gives us a stern warning about being spiritually blind to Him. Paul David Tripp puts it this way - “Spiritual blindness isn’t like physical blindness. When you’re physically blind, you know you’re blind, so you compensate for this significant physical deficit. But spiritually blind people are not only blind, but they are also blind to their own blindness. They think they see well, so the spiritually blind person walks around with the delusion that no one has a more accurate view of himself than he does”

We want to show and receive God’s love to those around us, and we live that out practically everyday. We strive to bring hope by meeting physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of everyone we come in contact with. We love fiercely—like a family, because everyone is included and our Father loves us all. We’re building biblical community by seeking God’s Word, believing in His promises, and applying what we learn everyday.

Our hope is that you and your family find a home with us where you can learn, grow, live, and thrive in Christ Jesus. We’re a multi-generational church with something to offer everyone in your family. Join us for an online or on-campus Sunday morning worship service, and take the next step in your journey with us!

Merry Christmas! We celebrate the birth of Jesus through worship and a short message of hope. The real reason for Christmas began some 2000 years ago in a most peculiar and unimportant place, but impacted the entire world. The importance of this day is that Christ came to earth as an infant, to be Emmanuel, God with us.

As we draw the advent season to a close and move into celebrating Christmas Day, we look at Simeon and Anna in our final sermon in the series God With Us. We learn that it’s the Holy Spirit that give us clarity and insight into the things of God, and waiting is a key element of the Christian life. We have to remember that God sees us. He has not forgotten us. Out act of waiting doesn’t mean that we have done something wrong. We also see that God’s answers do not always match our limited expectations and timing.

In our sermon series God With Us, where we are looking at the story of the birth of Jesus and how it changed the lives of the people around him, we look to Mary. We learn that there’s a difference between clarifying questions about God’s plan and doubting God. God is not like man, and he always fulfills his promises, and this was a serious task for Mary to trust God and believe in his plan. We also learn that God’s love knows all of us from the beginning and it extends his mercy to us. The real question is, have you truly seen yourself as a sinner in need of the mercy of God? Is your faith at a point to where nothing else matters more than answering the call of God, even if there are consequences? Learn more about the consequences Mary faced as she placed her faith in God, and how if we have the same approach to listening to God it will change our life.

We reflect on the wise men as they sought and worshiped Jesus this week as we continue our sermon series God With Us. We learn that despite the distance, discomfort, and danger, the wise men worshiped Jesus at his birth. What led them to him was the Holy Spirit, the scriptures, and a star God placed in the heavens. Even today, the wisest thing you can ever do is to drop what you’re doing and seek and worship Jesus. Take time to assess how you are responding to Jesus, and may God fill your heart with overwhelming Joy.