First Baptist Arlington Sermons

Katy Reed-Hodges
FBC Arlington 
July 23, 2023 

2023 - Why Does It Matter? 
SUMMER 2023 
Eternity: Why Does It Matter? 
June 1 – August 5, 2023 

The Eternal Love of God

Romans 8:31-39 NIV
John 3:16 NIV 

“…when these trials are faced, and this God is known in the midst of them to be reliable, powerful and above all, loving – this is when one may expect to hear the shout of genuine Christian joy.” – NT Wright 

When we are justified, three things happen: 

1. New Status:  we are right with God and forgiven 
2. New Family:  we are now included in God’s people 
3. New Future:  we have a transformed hope 

Romans 5:1-2 

“Learning to look at the cross and to see there the strong evidence of how much one is loved is among the most basic and vital Christian disciplines, matched by opening one’s heart and life to the tidal wave of that love, displacing all rivals.  The mind is to learn, and the heart is to know in experience, “the love of Christ which passes knowledge.” – NT Wright 

Connor Torrealba
July 16th 2023 
Eternity: Why Does It Matter?

Living hope 

1 Peter 1:3-9 

Big Idea: Our living hope anchors in and activates us for eternity 

1 Peter 1:3-9 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”  

We worship in light of our savior and not our circumstances

Google – “A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen” 

Chat-GPT – “Hope is a powerful and positive emotion that involves a belief or desire for a favorable outcome or the anticipation of something better in the future.” 

A vague hope says, “Maybe…” 

A living hope says, “Certainly.” 

Living Hope: Trust in a living savior that leads us to eternal life now and forever 

1 Peter 1:13-16 

Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; or it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.”  

Dr. Gary Stidham
July 9, 2023

Eternal Life: Discover It! Declare It! 

John 4:1-42 NIV 

 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” - Luke 19:10 

"The explosive growth in the was in reality accomplished by means of informal missionaries. That is, Christian laypeople, not trained preachers and evangelists. They shared within their circle of influence and turned the world upside down.” - Michael Green, Evangelism & the Early Church 

John 4:1-42 NIV 

EIGHT HABITS THAT FUEL EVANGELISTIC EFFECTIVENESS 

1.           REMEMBER THAT EVANGELISM IS A PRIVILEGE. 

2.           WALK WITH JESUS.   

3.           FEEL THE URGENCY. 

4.           PRAY EVERY DAY FOR “B.O.B.” 

•  Burden for the Lost 

•  Opportunity to Witness 

•  Boldness to Proclaim Christ 

5.           JUST BE OPEN ABOUT YOUR FAITH. 

6.           ASK QUESTIONS. 

7.           SHARE THE GOSPEL. 

8.           JUST DO IT. 

Curt Grice
July 2, 2023

Summer Series… “Eternity: Why Does It Matter?” 

Jesus’ teaching is all based on the assumption of eternity. 

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” Matthew 4:17 

Heaven has come to earth in the person and work of Jesus the Messiah. Jesus is our way to God and God’s way to us. We are followers of The Jesus Way.  

What are you afraid of? 

2021 American Fear Index 

#5. Terrorism 

#4. Not having enough money for retirement 

#3. Mass shootings 

#2. Loved ones becoming seriously ill 

#1. Loved ones dying 

There’s a difference between fear and phobia.  

What are some words you’ve heard “phobic” attached to.  

Does that “phobia” reflect: 

• irrational fear? 
• healthy concern or caution? 
• deep moral conviction? 

There are lots of fears and phobias in the world. Unfortunately, there is not enough Holy Fear of Almighty God! 

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10 

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’ 

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to thoseom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. 

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’”  

1 Corinthians 1:18 

“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those of us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” 

John 3:16… www.fbca.org/john316   

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son (JESUS!), that whosoever believes in him, should not perish (SHOULD NOT PERISH!), but have eternal life (BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE !).”  

Psalm 1 

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” 

Holy Fear of Almighty God is captivating, astounding, and magnetic. It draws us in. It challenges our assumptions. It informs our perspective. It reveals truth.  

“The church faces her biggest challenge not when new errors start to win but when old truths no longer wow. J.R.R. Tolkien once said that the most regrettable feature of human nature is how quickly we become unsatisfied with the good. We receive good gifts from God and then grow bored with blessings. Spiritual dullness. Blurry vision. Hardness of heart. This is the challenge for the church.”   

Trevin Wax, The Thrill of Orthodoxy  

The greatest enemy of Christianity may be people who say they believe in Jesus but who are no longer astonished and amazed by him. I don’t see much terror today among followers of Christ. In fact, when I say that, people look at me as if I’m crazy. Well, I want to know what happened to the bone-chilling, earth-shattering, gut-wrenching, knee-knocking, heart-stopping, life-altering fear that leaves us speechless, paralyzed, helpless, and glad. The terror I am speaking of is a mix of wonder, awe, fear, and worship, all happening at the same time.”  

Michael Yaconelli, Dangerous Wonder 
 

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” 

Greek: sophia kai phronesis (wisdom and understanding)  

• transcendent wisdom 
• practical wisdom 

As followers of Jesus, we realize that our righteousness and salvation are from God. 

But do we realize that our wisdom and understanding are also from God? 

To put it another way… apart from God, there is no true righteous or wisdom!  

Be thoughtful and careful about what you take pride in.  

1 Corinthians 1:31  

“Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”  

Jerimiah 9:24 

“but let him who speaks with pride speak about this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who shows loving-kindness and does what is fair and right and good on earth. For I find joy in these things,” says the LORD.” 

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14… 

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.” 

From a human perspective, the Gospel has always been scandalous and moronic. In every age, the things of God have been ignored and mocked. There’s nothing clever, cool, or trendy about it. It’s not designed to titillate, distract, or entertain. The Gospel is the opposite of proud self-promotion. It’s humble self-denial.  

“Jesus said, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it b...

Dennis R Wiles

FBC Arlington

June 25, 2023

2023 - Why Does It Matter?

SUMMER 2023

Eternity: Why Does It Matter?

June 1 – August 5, 2023

For . . . So . . . Loved . . . Whoever . . . Eternal Life!

John 3:16

www.fbca.org/john316

Tell Me More Podcast

John 3:16

For God loved the Kosmos in such a way that he gave his only Son so everyone trusting in him may not be destroyed bout have Era Life.

-Scot McKnight, The Second Testament

John 3:16

For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.

-Amplified Bible

The profound love of God!

The universal invitation!

The particular affirmation!

The eternal ramification!

Dennis R Wiles 

FBC Arlington 

June 18, 2023 

Father’s Day 

2023 - Why Does It Matter? 

SUMMER 2023 

Eternity: Why Does It Matter? 

June 1 – August 5, 2023 

A New Heaven and A New Earth 

Revelation 21:1-8 

www.fbca.org/john316 

Tell Me More Podcast 

Miss Watson . . . She went on and told me all about the good place. She said all a body would have to do there was go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever. So I didn’t think much of it . . . I asked her if she reckoned Tom Sawyer would go there, and she said, not by a considerable sight. I was glad about that, because I wanted him and me to be together. 

-Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 

THE REALITY OF HEAVEN 

-Paradise (Bosom of Abraham) (Present Heaven) 

-Heaven 

RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD 

-1 Corinthians 15:35-58 

RE-CREATION OF HEAVEN AND EARTH 

-Isaiah 65:17-25 

-Romans 8:18-25 

-Revelation 21-22 

REWARDS IN HEAVEN 

-Matthew 5:12 

-2 Corinthians 5:10 

RELATIONSHIPS IN HEAVEN 

-We will be conscious of our own identity, and we will know each other! 

REAL LIFE IN HEAVEN 

REIGN OF GOD

Dennis R Wiles 
FBC Arlington 
June 11, 2023 

2023 - Why Does It Matter? 
SUMMER 2023 
Eternity: Why Does It Matter? 
June 1 – August 5, 2023 

The Righteousness of Judgment 
Revelation 20:11-15 

www.fbca.org/john316 

Tell Me More Podcast 

There is one very serious defect to my mind in Christ's moral character, and that is that He believed in hell. I do not myself feel that any person who is really profoundly humane can believe in everlasting punishment . . . I cannot myself feel that either in matter of wisdom or in matter of virtue Christ stands quite as high as some other people known to history. I think I should put Buddha and Socrates above Him in those respects. 
-Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not a Christian 

Of all the doctrines of Christianity, hell is the most difficult to defend, the most burdensome to bear, and the first to be abandoned. 
-Peter Kreeft, Boston College 

MATTERS TO CONSIDER 

Is Hell a real place? 
Is Hell an eternal reality? 
Is Hell a place of torment and suffering? 
How could a loving God cast people into Hell? 

What about people who have never heard about Jesus? 

Barely mentioned in the Old Testament, Hell is mentioned, addressed, and acknowledged by Jesus in all four Gospels—and, by Paul, Peter, James, Jude, and John in their writings in the New Testament. 

VOCABULARY 

SHEOL – Old Testament word for the “abode of the dead.” 

HADES – New Testament word for the intermediate dwelling place of the wicked. 

TARTARUS – Used one time in the NT to refer to Hell (2 Peter 2:4). 

GEHENNA – Most common word for Hell in NT. Derived from the Valley of Hinnom outside of Jerusalem. 

AUTHORITY: Reason or Revelation? 

The Bible is the only religious text that portrays God as both a loving and just God. 

The Bible affirms there will be a Day of Judgment for all humans to render an account of how we have lived in response to His assignment for us to bear His image and reflect His glory in His world.  
-Acts 17:29-31 
-Romans 2:12-16 
-Revelation 20:7-15 

On Judgment Day, the righteous (saved) will receive their eternal reward and the wicked (unsaved) will be cast out into eternal torment. 
-Matthew 13:40-43 
-Matthew 25:31-46 
-Mark 9:42-48
-Revelation 20:7-15 
-Revelation 21:8 

Hell is an eternal reality where suffering and torment will exist forever. It is reserved for Satan, demons, and those who have rejected God’s offer of salvation. 

Hell will be agonizingly dull, small, and insignificant without company, purpose, or accomplishment. It will not have its own stories; it will merely be a footnote in history, a crack in the pavement. As the new universe moves gloriously onward, Hell and its occupants will exist in utter inactivity and insignificance, an eternal non-life of regret and—perhaps—diminishing personhood. 
-Randy Alcorn, Heaven 
 
 In short, hell is simply one’s freely chosen identity apart from God on a trajectory into infinity. We see this process “writ small” in addictions to drugs, alcohol, gambling, and pornography. First, there is disintegration, because as time goes on you need more and more of the addictive substance to get an equal kick, which leads to less and less satisfaction. Second, there is the isolation, as increasingly you blame others and circumstances in order to justify your behavior. “No one understands! Everyone is against me!” is muttered in greater and greater self-pity and self-absorption. When we build our lives on anything but God, that thing—though a good thing—becomes an enslaving addiction, something we have to have to be happy. Personal disintegration happens on a broader scale. In eternity, this disintegration goes on forever. There is increasing isolation, denial, delusion, and self-absorption. When you lose all humility you are out of touch with reality. No one ever asks to leave hell. The very idea of heaven seems to them a sham. 
-Timothy Keller, The Reason for God 

Hell’s existence is an affirmation of the significance of humanity. 

Hell’s existence is an affirmation of God’s perfect justice. 

Hell’s existence is an affirmation of God’s perfect love. 

There are only two kinds of people—those who say “Thy will be done” to God or those to whom God in the end says, “Thy will be done.” All that are in hell choose it. Without that self-choice it wouldn’t be Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. 
-C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, The Great Divorce

Dennis R Wiles 

FBC Arlington 

June 4, 2023 

2023 - Why Does It Matter? 

SUMMER 2023 

Eternity: Why Does It Matter? 

June 1 – August 5, 2023 

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 

Theme for 2023: Why Does It Matter? 

SUMMER 2023: Eternity: Why Does It Matter 

John 3:16 Signs 

www.fbca.org/john316 

DUMBPHONE – a cell phone that does not include advanced software features (such as email or an internet browser) typically found on smartphones. 

ADORKABLE - socially awkward or quirky in a way that is endearing. 

TRUTHINESS – a seemingly truthful quality not supported by facts or evidence. 

PHONESIA – The act of dialing a phone number and forgetting who you were calling just as the person answers. 

CAKEISM - the false belief that one can enjoy the benefits of two choices that are in fact mutually exclusive -- or have it both ways.  

ETERNITY: Why Does It Matter? 

IMMANENT FRAME/TRANSCENDENCE: Charles Taylor uses the term immanent frame to refer to how in the current cultural context people view everything in terms of a natural rather than a supernatural order. The modern social imagination, which is deeply imbedded in much of our culture, works from the assumption that while people can find significance or meaning in life (immanence), there is no higher, divinely given purpose that has been assigned to them (transcendence). 

-Joshua D. Chatraw and Mark D. Allen, Apologetics at the Cross 

THE SECULAR AGE: Secularity is not simply an absence of belief. Christians often accept this claim and respond by getting their proofs and other rational bona fides. Not so fast . . . Secularism is its own web of beliefs that should be open to examination. 

Tim Keller, Preaching 

LATE MODERNISM: The “self” is still at the center of our cultural reality. The autonomy of the individual and personal freedom both are core values of our culture. There is a distrust in traditional authority and a belief that expression of personal desires is the right of everyone. Skepticism concerning absolute truths and a sense of hopelessness pervade our culture. 

How are Christians supposed to view time? What time is it? 

HISTORY – as Christians, we have a providential view of history. 

PRESENT – we live in the reality of both measured time and meaningful time. 

FUTURE – we embrace the view that time is in God’s hands. 

ETERNITY – we accept the truth that God is eternal, and He has designed us for eternity and His eternal purposes are at work today.

Dennis R Wiles

FBC Arlington

May 28, 2023

Mission Commissioning

2023 - Why Does It Matter?

SPRING 2023

Family: Why Does It Matter?

April 16 – May 31, 2023

The Family Will Survive!

Genesis 1:26-38

DESIGN: The family is in God’s original design for humanity.

DEPENDENCE: We need the family!

DEDICATION: Accept your responsibility to strengthen the family!

Dennis R Wiles

FBC Arlington

May 21, 2023

High School Grad Recognition

2023 - Why Does It Matter?

SPRING 2023

Family: Why Does It Matter?

April 16 – May 31, 2023

Friends and Framilies!

John 1:12-13

The church is a spiritual family.

Christian community develops around our common commitments.

Deep friendships can evolve into relationships that are familial --- thus, framilies!