Forty-fifth Street Baptist Church Weekly Sermons

10/18/2020

Oct 11, 2020

Notes from

"I'm Not Throwing Away My Shot"...10/11/20

Speaker: Pastor Sparks

Text: Mark 10:46-52

-What have you been doing in this time we’ve been in this pandemic?

-Preparation is necessary so that you can rise to the occasion when the occasion presents itself! Don’t wait until the moment hits, put in the work before the moment so you can meet the moment!

-In this scripture, we meet “Blind Bartimaeus”; in those times, the prefix “bar-” meant “son of”, so Bartimaeus means “son of Timaeus”

So, how do you NOT throw away your shot?

1. Use What You Have Until You Get What You Want

* Bartimaeus couldn’t see, but his other senses were heightened. His sense of smell was sharper, his hearing was clearer, so there were things he could smell & hear that others couldn’t

* Some ppl spend so much time wishing for something they don’t have, that they can’t utilize the things they do have

2. Recognize This May Be Your Only Chance

* Never take an opportunity for granted because you may never get it again!

3. Don’t Let Folks Get In Your Head

* People who haven’t experienced your desperation can’t tell you how to respond in your desperation

* Bartimaeus didn’t let the crowd telling him to “shut up” keep him from getting to Jesus!

4. Swallow Your Pride

* Plain & simple, Bartimaeus wasn’t too proud to beg!

* He was willing to be looked at crazy if it meant he could get closer to Jesus!

5. Let Go of Anything Holding You Back

* Before you can correct folks, you gotta show you care for folks

* Bartimaeus threw his cloak aside, meaning he was willing to let go of anything that stood in between him & Jesus!

* We’ve gotta put our stock in something more secure than stuff that can be here today, gone tomorrow

6. One Day You’ll Understand God’s Purpose for You

* Only what you do for Christ will last

* Until your purpose is revealed to you, keep preparing!

Sermon Notes Courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

10042020

Sept 27, 2020

PRAYER MONTH 2020

Sermon Series:

“Powerful Prayers for People With Problems”

Speaker: Pastor Sparks

Text: Luke 22:31-32

-Intercession: An entreaty in favor of another, especially a prayer or petition to God on behalf of another (in other words, making a plea or putting in a good word for someone else who may or may not not be in a position to do so)

-Jesus is telling Peter, in the midst of Peter requesting a special place in the Kingdom, that Satan has been trying to get at Peter...but Jesus reassured him that he’s taken care of because He’s been praying for Peter.

-We ought to make a habit of praying for others more than we pray for ourselves!

-Do you make listening to other people a priority? Or are you only consumed with what’s happening in your life?

-Satan doesn’t want you to succeed...and you’re not a threat to him if you’re not doing The Lord’s work...

-Satan has no real power (meaning he can’t control anyone or anything), BUT, he’s a master manipulator.

-In this scripture, when Jesus says “you”, it’s interpretation is plural; this means that even though He’s directing the message at Peter, He’s talking to ALL the disciples (and us too)!

-In this scripture, when Jesus says “desires”, the interpretation reads that Satan is begging for the opportunity to attack Peter (and us)

1. Jesus is Our Intercessor

* Because Jesus actively intercedes for us, we’re protected from the enemy’s attacks because our Savior covers us!

2. I’ve Gotta Repent When I Mess Up

* When we mess up, we have to fess up; tell The Lord that we’ve done wrong, repent (leave the behavior we’re guilty of), and go back to Him—and He always welcomes us back!

3. The Believer’s Responsibility is to Help Strengthen Others

* If Christ has restored you, it only makes sense to help others receive restoration as well!

Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

Sept 20, 2020

“Effective Prayer: Lessons From the Prophet Daniel” Part 2

PRAYER MONTH 2020

Sermon Series:

“Powerful Prayers for People With Problems”

Speaker: Pastor Sparks

Text: Daniel, chapters 9:12(b)-20

-When Daniel got put in the lion’s den, he was 80 years old

-The enemy is crafty; he’ll either try to lead you into wrong or pervert the right you’re doing and try to make it wrong

-When the king signed that decree aimed at making Daniel’s prayer time wrong, Daniel went to his house and do what he normally did: Prayed.

-God appreciates relationship! While He hears the most random, out-of-the-blue prayer, how much better is it to be someone God hears from regularly?!

-Daniel tried to keep his LIVING right, so it wouldn’t affect God’s LISTENING to Him

-When your internal person is on point, it typically results in positive external relationships

Prayer Pointers to Consider

1. Blaming God Isn’t Really Prayer

* God doesn’t cause disaster, He allows it

* The same God you choose to call on afterward is the same God you can call on beforehand; so don’t blame God for trouble

2. Review God’s Record in General—and in Your Life

* God is the God that not only gets you outta trouble, but keeps you outta trouble!

* Look back at all He’s done for you and others! He hasn’t changed and He won’t change!

* Ain’t no such thing as God “going out of business”

3. Pray for His Sake

* When you pray for His sake, you’re telling Him it’s for His glory; you’re asking Him to do something in accordance with His character

* If we wanna bring glory to God, let’s talk to Him more!

4. Remember, If It Wasn’t For His Grace...

* We don’t deserve any good thing God gives us!

5. God’s Response to Our Prayers is Immediate

* God doesn’t have to “think about” anything

* You may pray for something today that takes 5 years to come; God said “yes” the second you prayed, but you won’t be ready for it until 5 years from now!

* God responds IMMEDIATELY—there is no delay to His response! You may have to grow into the “yes” or He may say “no” because He has something better prepared for you

6. When You Pray, Help Is On the Way

7. Angels Are Watching Over Us

* You have no clue how many situations you’ve been saved from—that you had no idea were even situations—bc angels were watching over you!

Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

9/13/2020

“Effective Prayer: Lessons From the Prophet Daniel”

PRAYER MONTH 2020

Sermon Series:

“Powerful Prayers for People With Problems”

Speaker: Pastor Sparks

Text: Daniel, chapters 9-11

-Daniel is considered one of the most righteous men in history

-Daniel served at the top of a pagan (godless) government for over 50 years...and still kept his faithfulness to God! This is significant because the higher you get elevated, the more shots people try to take at you

-There is nothing like being able to talk to God for yourself! There is nothing that prevents you from coming to God WHENEVER you want or need to...

-Daniel carried himself in such a way that even his captors respected and acknowledged his dietary choices

Lessons to Learn from Daniel

1. Start Your Prayer By Studying Scripture (Daniel 9:1-2)

* The Word will never lead you wrong; and when you pray knowing the character of God, you get better results because you ask things according to His will & His purpose

* To get stronger as a prayer, study the Word more

2. Let Scripture Lead You to Your Prayer Subject (Daniel 9:3)

* If prayer is the train, then scripture ought to be the rails it rides on

3. Humility Gets Heaven’s Attention (Daniel 9:3; 11-12)

* Arrogant prayer is an oxymoron

* We’re not even worthy to approach God, yet He allows us to; so, while we should always approach Him as a “loving”, we also need to remember He’s our “Father”

* Pride has zero place in our prayers, so never forget your place and who you’re talking to

* Stop going to The Lord as if He owes you something!

4. Prepare to Talk to The King (Daniel 9:4)

* The King deserves praise! Before you ask for anything, praise Him!

5. Clear the Pathway of Your Heart (Daniel 9:5-6)

* Don’t try to “spin” your sin. Wrong is wrong, and if you’ve done wrong, be real with God & acknowledge it

Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

"The Mystery of Prayer"...9/6/20

PRAYER MONTH 2020

Sermon Series:

“Powerful Prayers for People With Problems”

Speaker: Pastor Sparks

Text: Matthew 18:18-20

-Do you pray when you don’t have a problem? Or are you only an emergency prayer?

-Prayer has changed things AND people!

-Prayer has kept a child from doing something dangerous; prayer has saved marriages; prayer has made a supervisor change her mind from firing you to giving you another chance; prayer has saved folks from the brink of death

-Prayer is a mystery; how does God navigate conflicting prayer requests??? If one is praying for “sun” and another is praying for “rain”, whose request does God honor?

-What does “binding & loosing” mean? Jesus is saying ordinary people can exercise extraordinary power based on our relationship w/ God.

-We believe, erroneously, that earth is “down here” & heaven is “up there”

-God only does what fits His purposes; so binding & loosing is not some overwhelming power we have to declare something and it is so, but rather our ability to tap into His power when we ask according to His will!

-The same way you believe you can go to a light switch, flip it, and a room gets filled with light, is the same way we SHOULD believe in the presence, power, & ability of our God!

-If we bind sickness on this side, and God’s will is for healing to take place on this side, then heaven hears us and binds that sickness

-Intercessory Prayer is helping another person by praying for them.

-Prayer is multiplied exponentially by unity! Coming together with other believers in prayer results in a unique harmony that blesses heaven!

-The real power of prayer is the presence of Jesus praying with you; heaven doesn’t hear my prayer bc I’m so dynamic or so spiritual, but because Jesus is in the midst of my prayer!

-Our prayers ARE because Jesus IS!

-Prayer is: God the Son praying to God the Father in the power of God the Spirit, in the prayer room of your heart!

Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

"Anchored in The Lord"...8/30/20

Speaker: Pastor Sparks

Text: Romans 5:1-11

-One of the reasons we don’t grow in Christ is bc we won’t read His Word

-As long as we’ve got Jesus, we’ll ALWAYS be taken care of!

In this scripture, we’re able to...

1. Realize Our Present Position

* We are accepted by God & have complete peace with Him!

* If you haven’t accepted Christ, you’re constantly at war with God; but if you’ve accepted Christ, you’re fully at peace with God!

* After our acceptance of Christ, we are JUSTIFIED, meaning it’s just as if we had not sinned. Wow.

* I am in a constant state of grace! I’ve got access to God & I’ve been accepted by God

2. Recognize God’s Purposes

* Everything God has blessed me with is for Kingdom-building purposes!

* You gotta apply your anchor to a solid foundation, so when heavy winds blow, buckets of rain splash, & the waves crash, you are unmoved because your anchor is connected to a Source stronger than all of that!

3. Recall God’s Amazing Love

* Christ died for us when we didn’t hardly deserve it; Christ died for us even as we killed Him; Christ accepted us simply because we turned to Him—no hoops to jump through, no crazy ritual, just asking Him to be the Lord of our lives

4. Rejoice in the Presence of God

* Regardless of what life throws at us, we can have an unstoppable joy because our anchor is the greatest Source imaginable!

* WE. ARE. FOREVER. SAFE!

-To accept Christ as your Lord & Savior, simply ask Him!

Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

Aug 16, 2020

"What God Has Joined Together" 8/16/20

Speaker: Pastor Sparks

Text: Various (Genesis 1:18-28; Colossians 3:23; Lamentations 3:22-23)

-Why did you get married?

-Did you even think about The Lord when you got married or only “oh Lord!”

-Before you can fully understand what marriage is, you gotta know what it ISN’T. Marriage is NOT...

1. A strategy to make you whole

* Degree, good job, car, house, marriage is not the order for marriage. Marriage happens when it happens, but to force it as the “next step” on your journey is to devalue the significance of it

* Marriage acts as a highlighter over your problems. Marriage doesn’t solve your issues, it simply highlights them

2. The cure for being lonely

* Lonely people become lonely married people!

* Trying to have someone serve as your constant, ever present emotional partner is draining

3. Your escape from being bored

* Boredom doesn’t come primarily from a lack of EXTERNAL stimulus, but instead from a lack of INTERNAL stimulus

-To fully understand and enjoy marriage, we have to seek God first; our marriage has a purpose as laid out in Genesis 1:18-28. When we seek God first...

1. It gives my marriage purpose

* You won’t fulfill your purpose in God until you & that spouse are on the same page moving in the same direction!

* In the (b) part of verse 28, God gave Adam & Eve a unified purpose. God has given you your spouse a reason for existing together!

* Building a home is a purpose; raising children is a purpose; building a Godly business, etc. is a purpose

* Marriage is not marriage if all you do is focus on your stuff and handling your own individual needs

* CHALLENGE: Over the next 7 days, pray WITH & FOR your spouse

2. Gives my marriage maturity

* A mature marriage has a head; not a boss, but a head

* There’s absolutely equality in marriage, but

3. Gives my marriage grace

* There’s no successful marriage without a measure of grace, without understanding that people are flawed & need the same grace Christ gives us!

Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks