PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD

Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 29; Isaiah 40:1-5; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:1-6

Sermon Focus: John’s cry in the wilderness invites us to prepare the way of the Lord in our own hearts. It means getting our house in order and doing whatever is necessary to align ourselves with God’s will. Advent begins in longing and repentance—a clearing of the carnal clutter that hinders God’s arrival. Advent is not for passive waiting; it’s for active preparation. In the first message of our series, Pastor David invites us to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord as we journey through Advent to Christmas.

WORSHIP RESOURCES

A People Prepared for the Lord - Sermon Slides (1 of 5)Small Group Discussion Questions (11-30-25)Bulletin (11-30-25)

Thanksgiving Service

Sermon Focus: Today we are celebrating God's faithfulness over this past year and expressing our gratitude for the good things he has done.

WORSHIP RESOURCES

Baptism and Membership (11-23-25)Bulletin (11-23-25)

An Invitation: The Peculiar Call to the Mission of God

Scripture Reading: Genesis 18:18-19; 1 Peter 2:9-12; John 20:21; Revelation 7:9

Sermon Focus: The call of God for His people is a call to become like foreigners. We are citizens of a new kingdom, and we will increasingly be peculiar people in the eyes of the world as we follow Christ. In this message, BIC U.S. Missions Director, Jonathan Lloyd, shares about the Mission of God for his people, updates from the global church, and exciting opportunities for our Grantham congregation.

WORSHIP RESOURCES

An Invitation: The Peculiar Call to the Mission of God - Sermon SlidesSmall Group Discussion Questions (11-16-25)Bulletin (11-16-25)

The Sermon on the Mount, Part 1

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:1-4; 1 Corinthians 13:3; 2 Corinthians 9:7

Sermon Focus: In Matthew 6:1-18, Jesus wants us to consider what it looks like to live out a greater righteousness through three religious practices: giving, prayer, and fasting. And he begins by saying, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” In the final message of our series—The Sermon on the Mount, Part 1—Pastor David invites us into a “holy unawareness” and to be generous in the way of Jesus.

WORSHIP RESOURCES

Generosity and the True Reward - Sermon Slides (10 of 10)Small Group Discussion Questions (11-09-25)Bulletin (11-09-25)

The Sermon on the Mount, Part 1

Scripture Reading: Exodus 21:23-25; Leviticus 19:18; Deut. 7:1-4; Matthew 5:38-48

Sermon Focus: In Matthew 5:38-48, Jesus reveals his deeper wisdom from the Torah as
it relates to retaliation, justice, and nonviolent resistance to injustice. Jesus gives us
several examples of what this looks like and then tells us that the true children of God
are those who love their enemies and pray for those who oppress and persecute them.
In the ninth message of our series, Pastor David helps us understand what Jesus means
and then he invites us to accept the call to creative non-violence and enemy love.

WORSHIP RESOURCES

Non-Retaliation and Enemy Love - Sermon Slides (9 of 10)Small Group Discussion Questions (11-02-25)Bulletin (11-02-25)

The Sermon on the Mount, Part 1

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:33-37

Sermon Focus: We live in a culture of manipulation, spinning the truth, and keeping our options open. But Jesus calls out our tendency to deceive and hold back and invites us into a life of integrity and honesty. In the eighth message of our series, Pastor Melissa guides us through Jesus’ teaching on oaths and encourages us to be a community who follows through with our commitments.

WORSHIP RESOURCES

Straightforward Speech - Sermon Slides (8 of 10)Small Group Discussion Questions (10-26-25)Bulletin (10-26-25)

The Sermon on the Mount, Part 1

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:31-32; 19:1-12; 1 Corinthians 7:6-11

Sermon Focus: As modern readers, we often miss what Jesus means when he addresses divorce and remarriage because we’ve not taken into consideration the longstanding first century debate of Deut. 24:1-4, which Jesus is responding to in his sermon. In the seventh message of our series, Pastor David shares about the story surrounding divorce in ancient Israel, the Bible’s ideal of covenant loyalty, and then invites us to receive God’s grace and wisdom to navigate divorce in our culture today.

WORSHIP RESOURCES

Divorce, Remarriage, and God’s Grace - Sermon Slides (7 of 10)Small Group Discussion Questions (10-19-25)Bulletin (10-19-25)

The Sermon on the Mount, Part 1

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:27-30; Colossians 3:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

Sermon Focus: As the definitive interpreter of Scripture, Jesus shows us how he interprets the Law with six case studies in Matthew 5:21-48. As we saw last week, he begins with the commandment, “Do not murder” (Ex. 20:13). In the sixth message of our series, we’re going to hear how Jesus points us beyond the commandment “Do not commit adultery” (Ex. 20:14), to confront lust in the human heart. Listen as Pastor David invites us to accept God’s wisdom for beauty, marriage, and sexual desire.

WORSHIP RESOURCES

Beauty, Marriage, and Sexual Desire - Sermon Slides (6 of 10)Small Group Discussion Questions (10-12-25)Bulletin (10-12-25)

The Sermon on the Mount, Part 1

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:21-26; Ephesians 4:26-32; James 1:19-20; 3:5-10

Sermon Focus: In calling upon his disciples to pursue righteousness, Jesus challenges us to follow God’s will in both our actions and our attitudes. He warns that harmful words can be just as sinful as violent deeds, for they endanger not only others but also our own souls. Indeed, Jesus claims, we cannot properly love and worship God if we mistreat our brothers and sisters. In the fifth message of our series, Brantley Gasaway helps us to analyze Jesus’s ethical expectations regarding rage and our responsibilities for reconciliation with other people.

WORSHIP RESOURCES

Righteousness, Rage, and Reconciliation - Sermon Slides (5 of 10)Small Group Discussion Questions (10-5-25)Bulletin (10-5-25)

The Sermon on the Mount, Part 1

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:17-20; 7:12; 22:36-40

Sermon Focus: Jesus teaches about a greater righteousness that fulfills the Torah (Law) and Prophets. He believed that the Hebrew Scriptures revealed how we are to live in right relationship with God, our neighbors, and our enemies. But Jesus also claimed that he was uniquely moving the story forward to its divinely intended goal and purpose. In the fourth message of our series, Pastor David shares how Jesus fulfills the Scriptures and then calls us to be righteous like Christ and live by God’s wisdom.

WORSHIP RESOURCES

A Greater Righteousness - Sermon Slides (4 of 10)Small Group Discussion Questions (9-28-25)Bulletin (9-28-25)