Unity Baptist meets for worship on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. We worship through music, prayer, giving, preaching and the response to preaching. You are welcome to join us. See our about page for more, read our history, listen to sermons going back to 2015.
What would you like to do?
Learn About who we are and what we believe.
Read about our church’s History.
Bulletin is now Announcements.
Listen to Sermons.
Get directions to Find Us.
Apologies are in order. We had a lot of visitors, my wife Teresa was home sick and not there to lead music, I pulled double duty and forgot to record the sermon.
The text comes from 1 Timothy 3:14-16. We’ve been looking at post-resurrection appearances of Jesus leading up to the Day of Pentecost. On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit fell and believers went out in the the street of Jerusalem and proclaimed the Gospel. 1 Timothy 3 closes with a short paragraph that summarizes who Jesus is and why we can put our faith in him. Here is the text:
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
Here is the fill-in-the-blank outline that I often refer to:
The church is the dwelling place of God.
God is revealed in the person of Jesus.
Jesus is confirmed by many proofs.
I referenced Philippians 2 about the humility of Christ taking the form of a servant. I cited 2 Corinthians 4:7 which I quoted last week but couldn’t give a book, chapter and verse to. Somewhat out of character I discussed the translation issues and even gave a Strong’s Concordance number, 5319, in the discussion of phaneroó (φανερόω) which is translated manifested in some places but as appeared or revealed in others.
I don’t know if this morning’s sermon can be recreated but look at the text again. Verse 16 says everything that needs to be said. That’s who Jesus is in the New Testament Church. And now we wait for him to return.
I have been sick this past week and spent a couple of days on bed rest. I’m 99% better but had to pace myself in order to get through the service without a coughing fit. The text is great and I did the best I could to bring the sermon.
The last installment in our series on post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. Next week: Pentecost.
This is the image referred to in the bulletin. You may have already seen this around. Thanks to the Robertson family and Unashamed Nation.
You don’t have to choose between honoring mothers on Mother’s Day and sharing the Gospel. Any message can and should begin with scripture and present the Gospel no matter happens in between. Elizabeth and Mary are not just characters in a shory; on this Mother’s Day we look at two of the most important individuals in the history of humanity.
Eating fish at every meal wouldn’t seem strange if you were a fisherman by trade. They also fished all night so our breakfast was more like supper to them.
All the disciples had trouble believing Jesus was alive even after hearing from the women who went to the grave, the two men that met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and remarkably after seeing Jesus himself. It is a shame that we identify one disciple in particular as doubting Thomas.
Second week of post-resurrection appearances. We continue in Luke this week, going to John 20 next week.
Sometimes our faith is tested and we might wish it was easier to always believe. Take heart, even the disciples struggled at times.
Why did Jesus have to die? He saved others, why could he not save himself? Spoiler: that was not God’s plan. His purpose was to save us.
In the early hours of the morning,
after the Sabbath had ended,
a few women walked toward his grave
to finish matters left unattended.
They carried spices for anointing,
to honor custom and tradition.
For he had been quickly laid in the grave
on the day of Preparation.
So early on Sunday morning,
even before it was light,
they approached the tomb of Jesus
to set things back to right.
The stone, however, was rolled away
and no body lay behind it.
Was he taken by believers or hid by guards?
Their concern was how to find him.
They were startled by an angel,
dressed in white, a splendid vision.
“Why seek ye the living among the dead?”
he asked. “He is not here, he is risen.”
Filled with fear and excitement
at what the angel said,
they ran to tell the disciples
that Jesus was not still dead.
The eleven found the women’s story
understandably hard to believe.
But Simon Peter ran to the tomb,
for himself he just had to see.
The stone was moved, as they said,
and the sheet lay in its place.
But the napkin was to the side neatly folded,
that had covered Jesus’ face.
Peter saw the empty tomb,
Jesus’ body was gone for sure.
That didn’t mean he was alive.
Seeing is one thing; faith required more.
Mary Magdalene met Jesus,
and two believers on the road spoke with him.
Finally the eleven were in a closed room,
When Jesus did not enter but appeared to them.
It would take time for them to understand
all that Jesus had taught them.
His most important work was on the cross,
and by his blood he bought them.
The crucifixion, resurrection,
Great commission and ascension;
it seems like an awful lot
for a few lines of poetry to mention.
So here’s a thought, perhaps a challenge,
instead of letting your mind sit idle:
this story of Jesus and many others
are all right there inside your Bible.
Unity Baptist Church 