First Baptist Church of El Dorado - Sermons

We walk through Romans 16 and discover why a list of names reveals the beating heart of the church: a family formed by Jesus, gathered in homes and across classes, where every story and gift matters and shows why showing up still changes lives. We honor Phoebe, Priscilla and Aquila, Andronicus and Junia, Rufus, and many others as living proof that God turns strangers into family and service into joy.

• why gathering matters beyond streaming
• Phoebe’s trusted leadership and teaching role
• Priscilla and Aquila’s costly hospitality and courage
• firstfruits in Asia and the spread of the gospel
• Andronicus and Junia’s witness and suffering
• approved through trials and faithfulness under pressure
• households tied to power alongside slaves and former slaves
• Rufus and the cross-bearer legacy
• every testimony as resurrection, not comparison
• all hands on deck, all worthy of honor, all welcomed as family

If you don’t have a church home this morning and you want to come be a part of this church family, I want you to know you will be welcomed as family
If you don’t know Jesus Christ personally, and this morning you say, I want to know that I know that he died for me, that he forgives my sins, you can come to know Christ even now, and you will be welcomed as family

We trace Luke 17:11–19 from desperate plea to grateful worship, showing how mercy “as you go” turns outsiders into witnesses. We look back in thanks for God’s faithfulness to our church and look forward in faith to the work still ahead.

• Jesus heads toward Jerusalem and the cross
• Ten lepers cry for mercy and obey
• Healing arrives on the road, not on demand
• One returns to thank and worship Jesus
• Faith saves deeper than physical healing
• Our story mirrored in their mercy and obedience
• Gratitude fuels mission and community life
• Looking back in thanks, moving forward in faith

“Would today be the day they come to know you? … If they want to come down and chat with me about that, I'd love nothing more.”

We trace a straight line from Jesus’ Great Commission to the global worship of Revelation 7 and then get practical in Romans 15 about how the church actually moves the gospel from here to there. Paul’s ambition, the church’s support, and the power of prayer form a simple, urgent plan anyone can join.

• starting line of mission in Matthew 28 and Acts 1:8
• finish line vision in Revelation 7 with every nation
• Paul’s call to preach where Christ is not named
• strategy from Jerusalem to Illyricum to Spain
• our shared call at home, work, and school
• support through generous, strategic giving
• global missions offering and partner ministries
• praying for workers and becoming workers
• legacy of Lottie Moon and a sending culture
• invitation to respond, belong, and believe

If you're in our area and you don't have a church home, we would love to see you any Sunday morning at First Baptist El Dorado

This week, we study Romans 14 to discover how a church filled with diverse preferences can remain united. Paul shows us the way: keep essentials central, giving liberty in non-essentials, and practicing charity in all things. We’re called to lay down our preferences, welcome one another, and trust God to be the Judge.

In this message, we explore:

• What it meant to have strong and weak consciences in Rome
• How to welcome without quarreling over opinions
• Disputes about food, special days, and conscience
• Why God alone is Judge—and we are not
• Essentials as the foundation for unity
• Non-essentials as areas of liberty
• Charity as the posture in every disagreement
• Denominational differences as secondary
• Dying to self for the sake of the body
• Unity as a powerful witness in a divided world
• An invitation to join, believe, be baptized, or pray

“Would you join me now in listening to our sermon from this week?”

We read Romans 13:8–10 and make the case that love is the debt Christians never finish paying, and that love fulfills the law by doing no harm and seeking good. We challenge ourselves to practice a clear, countercultural love that points directly to Jesus, not to our virtue.

• the ongoing debt to love our neighbors
• why Christian love fulfills the law
• who counts as a neighbor, including the least likely
• love that is patient, kind, and not self-seeking
• small acts of love as light in darkness
• benevolence with gospel purpose, not just relief
• clarity in witness and motives
• a practical homework challenge to love someone tangibly

If you’re in our area and don’t have a church home, we would love to see you any Sunday morning at First Baptist El Dorado

We focus on Romans 12:13 and how a generous, hospitable church turns resources into real ministry. From the tithe as a baseline to a culture of welcome, we trace how open hands fuel missions, benevolence, and lasting impact across generations.

• giving as a command and a joy
• tithe as baseline not ceiling
• Jesus’ teaching on treasure and idols
• needs of the saints met locally and globally
• cooperative program and missions sending
• benevolence stories and quiet aid
• legacy giving and planting for future generations
• hospitality pursued, not passive
• practical outcomes from small consistent gifts
• invitation to commit, belong and be baptized

We would love to see you any Sunday morning at First Baptist El Dorado

We open Romans 12:3–8 to name pride as the church’s quiet poison and to show how grace shapes sober judgment, unity, and Spirit-given gifts. From prophecy to mercy, we trace practical ways to find your gifts and put them to work for the good of the body.

• pride as the root that weakens believers and churches
• sober judgment versus self-deprecation
• one body many members under Christ
• what spiritual gifts are and are not
• the Venn of affinity ability affirmation
• examples of prophecy service teaching exhortation generosity leadership mercy
• why every gift matters equally in mission
• simple next steps to discover and deploy gifts

Come by after service to pick up the paper spiritual gifts survey. Email your top three gifts to Taylor at [email protected] so we can place gifts where they fit best

We explore Romans 12:1–2 and how God’s mercy fuels a life of reasonable worship, surrender, and nonconformity. We move from grace to practice, urging each other to lay a “blank check” before God, renew our minds, and become a church marked by prayerful presence.

• grace before command and why mercy fuels obedience
• living sacrifice as a pre-signed yes to God
• fears about surrender and the risk of wasted days
• worship as a whole-life response, not only singing
• daring distinction from the world’s patterns and values
• renewal of the mind through Scripture and prayer
• eliminating the bad by inserting the good
• discerning God’s will with growing spiritual instincts
• a crossroads for our church between programs and presence
• call to become a praying people who seek God’s face

If you’re in our area and you don’t have a church home, we would love to see you any Sunday morning at First Baptist El Doredo

Have you ever wondered how to make sense of God's promises when they seem unfulfilled? Romans 11 takes us on a remarkable journey from confusion to worship as we explore God's sovereign plan of salvation.

Paul begins with a burning question: Has God rejected His people? If salvation comes through faith in Christ alone, what about the many Jewish people who haven't embraced Jesus? The apostle's answer is a resounding "By no means!" He offers himself as living proof—a Jewish believer from the tribe of Benjamin who found salvation in Christ. Throughout Israel's history, God has always maintained a faithful remnant according to His gracious election, just as He preserved 7,000 followers during Elijah's time who hadn't bowed to Baal.

Through the powerful metaphor of an olive tree, we discover how natural branches (unbelieving Jews) are broken off while wild olive shoots (Gentiles) are grafted in through faith. This illustration reveals a profound truth: salvation comes only by grace for everyone. For Gentile believers, this requires humility. If God can graft wild branches into His cultivated tree, how much more can He restore natural branches that return through faith?

The most hopeful revelation comes when Paul unveils God's ultimate plan—a future large-scale revival among Jewish people who will recognize Jesus as their Messiah. While the timing remains mysterious, the promise stands firm. God's redemptive story includes both widespread Gentile salvation and a remarkable restoration of many Jewish people through faith in Christ.

What's most striking is how Paul concludes this complex theological discussion. After wrestling with difficult questions about God's sovereignty and redemptive plan, he doesn't offer neat explanations. Instead, he erupts in worship: "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" When we reach the limits of understanding God's sovereign ways, worship becomes our most authentic response.

Where do you stand in this story? Are you already grafted into God's family tree through faith in Christ? Or perhaps today is your opportunity to become part of His family. The invitation remains open to everyone who trusts in Jesus.

Tucked between the assurance of Romans 8 and the practical guidance of Romans 12-16 lies what Pastor Taylor calls "the monster in the middle" – the challenging theological territory of Romans 9-11. But far from something to fear, these chapters contain profound truths about God's mercy and our mission.

The sermon begins with a powerful contrast: how can Paul transition from the triumphant declarations of Romans 8 to expressing "great sorrow and unceasing anguish" in Romans 9? The answer reveals the heart of true salvation – when we genuinely experience God's grace, we become burdened for those who haven't.

Through a recent baptism story, Pastor Taylor illustrates the difference between inherited religion and personal faith. Skip didn't receive salvation merely by being born into a Christian family; he reached a point where faith became truly his own. This perfectly parallels Paul's message that being physically descended from Abraham isn't enough – one must be spiritually connected through faith.

The most compelling moment comes through a thought-provoking analogy: Imagine having a coupon that could instantly pay off someone's mortgage but being too afraid to share it because you might explain it poorly, face difficult questions, or offend them. How absurd! Yet we often withhold the infinitely more valuable gospel for these very reasons.

"I love the gospel articulated poorly more than anything else articulated well," Pastor Taylor declares, challenging us to overcome our hesitation in sharing Christ. The sermon concludes with a practical challenge: identify one specific person in your life who needs Jesus, pray for an opportunity to share, and when that opportunity comes, set aside your fears and trust the Holy Spirit.

Changed lives desire to see changed lives. Changed lives understand that only God's mercy changes lives. And changed lives boldly proclaim the truth that changes lives. Who is that person God has positioned you to reach?