South Run Baptist Church episodes:

• April 06, 2020We Will Rise Again

  Resurrection is a common thing to talk about this time of year. Spring has

  begun and the world is waking from its winter slumber. We are in the middle

  of Lent, preparing for the power of the resurrection on Easter morning. But

  this year is different. As I’ve seen stated in one meme going around the

  internet: “I didn’t expect to give up so much for Lent!” We’ve given up

  closeness and touch; many have given up going too far from home; some have,

  unwillingly, given up jobs and the security of a regular income. Ezekiel 37

  speaks of a promised return from exile, something we might better

  appreciate in the middle of this virus. Or as Jesus says about Lazarus, in

  John 11, we “will rise again." But the exile of Israel and the death of

  Lazarus have important lessons to teach us, and we must learn them while we

  still can. The questions we need to be asking are: What will we rise to

  when all is said and done? Who will we be on the other side of all of this?

  And what lessons must be learned from this time of exile?

  ...more

  

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• April 06, 2020Psalm 23

  Psalm 23 is a passage that has made its way out of Christian and Jewish

  circles and into the popular culture at large. Its beauty and simplicity

  speak to the heart in metaphor and symbol. It is a poem, of course, and in

  an age that has little time for poetry, it is much needed. It speaks of

  shepherds and sheep, waters and paths, tables and cups. It is not despite

  the ordinary nature of the images but because they are ordinary that this

  poem speaks to the depths of souls. But in these troubled times, it is the

  line about the “valley of the shadow of death” that stands out most. David

  speaks not as one pontificating about the valley, but as one who writes the

  poem while walking through the valley. As we read God’s word this morning,

  may we find the green pastures and the still waters that the Lord desires

  to lead us toward.

  ...more

  

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• March 16, 2020Hope

  Pastor Eric’s Sermon from Sunday, March 15th.

  ...more

  

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• March 09, 2020Obedience

  I’ve heard more than a few people at this church say, “Obedience is God’s

  love language.” I like this! God desires our obedience. And, as we all

  know, sometimes obedience is hard. It requires doing things we don’t want

  to do or not doing things we want to do. And this is not easy stuff, as

  Paul tells us very clearly in Romans 7:19. However, believe it or not, this

  kind of obedience is not the ideal. What we are really striving for is a

  complete change of nature so that obedience to God doesn’t require muscle

  and strength of will but a simple, “Yes, Lord.” This kind of obedience,

  where one’s heart is turned toward God completely, is where our spiritual

  journeys should be heading. It’s that place where our desires and God’s

  desires sing in unison.

  ...more

  

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• March 02, 2020Temptation

  To be human is to be tempted. Temptation is as old as the tree of the

  knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden and is as recent as the

  frustration that you did (or didn’t) resist on your morning commute to

  church. It is a regular part of life and it’s not going away any time soon.

  So what do we do? How do we cope with the temptations that plague us, and

  where do we turn when it gets the best of us? That is what we need to talk

  about this morning.

  ...more

  

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• February 24, 2020Metamorphosis

  Most of us are familiar with Palm Sunday. We’re all familiar with Easter

  Sunday. Today, however, is a day you might be less familiar with:

  Transfiguration Sunday. What’s that you say? You’ve never heard of

  Transfiguration Sunday? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Transfiguration

  Sunday is traditionally celebrated the Sunday before the season of Lent

  which kicks off this week with Ash Wednesday. The Transfiguration of Jesus

  on one end of Lent creates a bookend to the other end: the Easter

  resurrection! When understood this way, the Transfiguration serves as a

  foretaste of the glory of resurrection, and both the transfiguration and

  the resurrection remind us of the glory and transformation of our own souls

  that are in process and yet to be realized.

  ...more

  

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• February 18, 2020Merely Human

  In today’s passage, Paul accuses the Corinthian church of acting “merely

  human,” which is to say that they are acting as if the Spirit of God does

  not dwell in them. This is no small accusation. Our faith invites us into a

  new way of being human. Not that we are no longer human, but that our

  humanity is met with the power of the Holy Spirit empowering us to be more

  like Christ. If Paul were a guest preacher this morning, would he speak to

  you as he spoke to the Corinthians? Or is the Spirit transforming you

  day-by-day?

  ...more

  

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• February 10, 2020The Heart of Integrity

  Proverbs 4:23 says “Guard your heart above all else,

  for it determines the course of your life.”

  Bryan Jones gave us a very clear picture on what it looks like to be an

  honest person. A person who has a wholeness of heart towards God and has a

  complete, uncompromising adherence to morals.

  Take a listen!

  ...more

  

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• January 21, 2020The Search

  In today’s reading, Jesus asks one of life’s great questions: What are you

  seeking? The answer, both in the gospel and in life, can be hard to pin

  down. But the question needs to be asked because you’re only going to find

  something if you’re seeking it out. The disciples teach us that they are

  seeking the presence of Jesus; staying or abiding with him. They name him

  Rabbi or teacher, and through his presence and teaching they come to

  understand he is the messiah. What are you seeking?

  ...more

  

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• January 13, 2020Who Are You?

  The Bible is filled with good questions. It’s one of my favorite things

  about the Bible. It asks questions that penetrate the everydayness of life

  and force us to take a closer look at our lives. Today’s text asks one of

  those good questions. John the Baptist is at the Jordan River baptizing

  many when the priests and Levites go out to find out what is so special

  about this man. They ask him: “Who are you?” John’s response is telling,

  and it’s what we need to talk about today, but ultimately it’s not John’s

  answer you should be concerned with, it’s your own. Who are you? You,

  sitting in the pew reading these words. Who are you? How would you answer

  this question?

  ...more

  

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