Christian Fellowship Assembly: Baptism: Stephanie Payne and Lula Banks The sermon centers on the transformative power of personal faith and the importance of public confession and baptism as acts of obedience and identification with Christ. Drawing from Acts 8, it highlights the eunuch's journey from seeking truth in Scripture to encountering Philip, who guided him to understand Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy, culminating in his immediate baptism. The message emphasizes that salvation is not earned by works or delayed by tradition, but received through faith in Christ, followed by the outward act of baptism as a testimony of inward transformation. The tone is pastoral and celebratory, affirming the spiritual milestone of two individuals who have confessed their faith and now publicly commit to Christ, while underscoring the role of the Holy Spirit in illumination and the church in nurturing discipleship. The service is enriched by hymns that reflect themes of grace, surrender, and divine joy, reinforcing the unity of worship, testimony, and spiritual renewal.

The sermon centers on Matthew 8:1–4, using the encounter between Jesus and a leper to illustrate the heart of true discipleship rooted in the Sermon on the Mount's Beatitudes. It emphasizes that the leper's posture—humble, repentant, and desperate—mirrors the spiritual condition of a believer who recognizes their sin, mourns their brokenness, and earnestly seeks righteousness through faith in Christ. Jesus' act of touching the unclean leper, despite ritual impurity, demonstrates His divine authority and compassion, affirming that true cleansing comes not from religious ritual alone but from divine grace. The man's subsequent disobedience in spreading the news, though well-intentioned, disrupted Jesus' mission, highlighting the need for spiritual maturity and obedience even in moments of joy. Ultimately, the sermon teaches that believers are restored not merely to the old earthly temple but to a far greater, eternal spiritual reality—God's kingdom—where their identity is secure, their sins forgiven, and their inheritance eternal, regardless of present struggles.

The sermon centers on the profound truth that God alone is inherently good, and all goodness flows from His unchanging nature, as affirmed in Psalm 119:68. It argues that while humans may perform good deeds, no one is truly good by nature due to sin, making God the only source of true goodness, which is essential to His very being. The message emphasizes that God's actions—such as delivering His people from exile and sustaining creation—are consistently good, even in a fallen world, because evil arises not from God's creation but from the privation of good through rebellion. The sermon concludes by highlighting that God's Word is the primary means by which believers are reminded of His goodness, especially when life is confusing or painful, calling the audience to cultivate a life of Bible reading, prayer, and church community to continually be taught and reminded of God's enduring goodness.

The sermon centers on the transformative power of divine affliction, using Psalm 119:67 as a lens to explore how suffering, when rightly understood, draws believers into deeper obedience and intimacy with God's Word. It emphasizes that affliction is not punishment but loving discipline from a Father who shapes His children for holiness, pointing ultimately to Christ's own suffering on the cross as the supreme example of God's redemptive purpose. The preacher argues that every trial, while personal, is part of a larger narrative that culminates in Christ's atonement, where God's justice and mercy converge. Through the life of David and the prophetic witness of Isaiah, the message reveals that true spiritual maturity comes not from avoiding pain but from trusting God's Word amid hardship, knowing that He is working all things for the believer's sanctification and ultimate resurrection hope. The tone is both pastoral and profoundly theological, inviting listeners to see their struggles not as random or meaningless, but as divine appointments that deepen faith and point to the eternal victory of Christ.

The sermon centers on Psalm 119:66, emphasizing the necessity of a teachable, faithful heart rooted in divine revelation. It calls believers to seek God's wisdom not through self-reliance or worldly judgment, but through humble submission to His commandments, illustrated through the metaphor of discipleship and the biblical concept of 'lamad'—to learn or be taught. The passage highlights that true judgment and knowledge are not derived from human experience or emotion, but from a heart transformed by the Spirit and aligned with God's Word, which reveals sin, points to Christ, and produces lasting change. The preacher underscores that genuine desire for spiritual growth must be accompanied by faith in God's promises and a commitment to obedience, distinguishing between mere intellectual assent and a life shaped by divine truth. Ultimately, the message calls the congregation to examine their hearts: Are they teachable, believing, and faithful—willing to be shaped by God's Word rather than merely discussing it?

The sermon centers on the transformative power of Jesus' authority as revealed in the Sermon on the Mount, emphasizing that true discipleship begins with a humble recognition of spiritual poverty and a heart broken over sin. The crowd's astonishment at Jesus' teaching—marked by a profound inner disturbance, not mere admiration—reveals the difference between superficial religious tradition and the life-changing weight of divine truth. Unlike the scribes who taught by human tradition and self-justification, Jesus spoke with divine authority, revealing the heart of God's law and exposing the hypocrisy of outward religiosity without inward transformation. The response to this message is not passive; it demands a radical reorientation of the heart, only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit, and warns against the danger of nominal faith—those who claim belief without the inward renewal that marks genuine discipleship. Ultimately, the sermon calls listeners to examine their own hearts, repent of self-righteousness, and respond in obedient faith to the one who speaks with final, divine authority.

Title: The Lord is Good to Us Speaker: Creston Thomas Series: Psalm 119 Date: March 22, 2026 Bible: Psalm 119:65 The sermon centers on the profound goodness of God as revealed in Psalm 119:65, emphasizing that God's faithfulness and kindness are not contingent on human merit but are rooted in His unchanging character and revealed through Scripture. It explores the identity of the Lord's servant—historically possibly David or other biblical figures, but ultimately pointing to all believers as God's servants—highlighting how God's goodness is most fully displayed in the cross, where He sacrificed His Son not because He needed humanity, but to reveal His love and redeem His people. The sermon argues that while God's goodness is evident in creation and daily blessings, the ultimate and definitive source of that goodness is the Bible, which not only reveals God's character but also calls believers to remember, cherish, and meditate on His faithfulness. Through a call to spiritual reflection and biblical remembrance, the message urges listeners to shift their focus from complaint to gratitude, recognizing that God's goodness is eternal, transformative, and most powerfully seen in the promise of a new creation where suffering and sin are no more.

The sermon concludes the Sermon on the Mount by emphasizing that true discipleship is defined not by outward religious activity, but by heartfelt hearing and obedient living in response to Jesus' teachings. Drawing from the parable of the wise and foolish builders, it contrasts those who hear Jesus' words and act on them—building their lives on the unshakable foundation of His truth—with those who hear but do not obey, whose lives rest on the unstable ground of self-reliance and hypocrisy. The message warns that religious zeal, even accompanied by miracles and moral performance, cannot substitute for genuine faith rooted in the Holy Spirit, which enables true understanding and transformation. Ultimately, the sermon calls believers to recognize that salvation and spiritual stability come not from personal effort, but from abiding in Christ, whose obedience is imputed to them, and whose word alone provides enduring security amid life's storms.

The sermon centers on Psalm 119:64, highlighting God's steadfast love—Hebrew *chesed*—as both revealed in creation and fully embodied in Scripture. It emphasizes that the earth's beauty and order testify to God's faithful, unchanging love, which surpasses human relationships and worldly sources of comfort. The preacher contrasts general revelation in nature with special revelation in the Bible, arguing that while creation points to God's glory, Scripture uniquely reveals His redemptive, sacrificial love—most profoundly in Christ's death for sinners. The call to action is clear: respond to God's steadfast love by immersing oneself in His Word, contemplating creation, and worshiping the faithful Creator, who remains constant even when humanity fails.

The sermon centers on the urgent call to genuine discipleship, warning against superficial faith that mimics true Christianity without transformation. Drawing from the Sermon on the Mount, it emphasizes that true discipleship begins with a new heart marked by humility, repentance, and recognition of one's sinfulness—rooted in the Beatitudes and the reality of divine judgment. It exposes the danger of false believers who claim Christ but live in lawlessness, performing religious acts without the Spirit's presence, and highlights that true identity is not based on profession but on being known by Jesus, who alone can declare, 'I never knew you.' The message calls for authentic faith marked by obedience, dependence on the Holy Spirit, accountability within a genuine community, and daily engagement with Scripture, urging listeners to examine their hearts and embrace a life of surrender, not performance.