Matt Petty
Co-Host of Burnt Hickory | Sermons
Matt Petty has been leading church ministries since 1997 and has seen thousands of students and adults give their lives to Jesus and begin to serve God. Matt joined the Pastoral team of Burnt Hickory in July of 2001 as the Student Pastor.
For 18 years Matt has given leadership to the RADIATE students and staff team that walks with middle school, high school, and college-aged students here at Burnt Hickory. Matt has been a key leader in student ministry here in this community as well as in the state of Georgia and nation. His love of the next generation has been on display consistently within and outside the walls of Burnt Hickory.
Matt is a native of Cobb county, and one of his desires as Senior Pastor is to see all people of his home in West Cobb and Paulding County know Jesus, serve Jesus, and for the church to be a place of love and healing that Burnt Hickory has been since its beginning.
Matt is married to his college love, Melissa, and has two boys Blake and Dalton. If not doing ministry at BHBC, you can usually find the Petty family on a sports field somewhere in Georgia or enjoying all things outdoors. Matt has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of West Georgia in Business Finance, and Masters from Liberty University in Theology.
Matt Petty has hosted 181 Episodes.
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God Speaks, Are We Listening?
Episode | November 28th, 2021 | 43 mins 51 secs
baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon
How does God speak to us? We hear this a lot, but what does it mean to hear from God? How do we know what God’s will is for our lives? Well, for Christians, we hear God through His word and through His spirit. We also can hear God though Godly people, the church, and through our circumstances. We have to be actively involved to hear and is starts with submission to God’s will. During our bible study today, we’re going to explore the different ways we can hear from God, and how to discern His voice from our own opinions. We also learn that our ability to hear from God will never out pace our submission to God.
Have you fully submitted to God? Do you have more questions about how to hear from God? Please reach out, we’d love to hear from you, answer any questions you have, or pray with you – BurntHickory.com/next -
If God is for Us, Who Can Be Against Us?
Episode | November 21st, 2021 | 40 mins 31 secs
baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon
We read in Romans chapter 8 that if God is for us, who can be against us, but what implications does that mean for us as Christians? When we can full grasp that God is actually for us, then our life will look very different because of our confidence in Him. It leads us to worship, lifts us up from discouragement, and emboldens us for the mission that He has set for us. God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him us for us all. His great gift shows His graciousness in giving. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for our sins has paid all our debts, and He is the only one that can condemn us because He is the one who gave us freedom and sustains our freedom. No one or thing can separate us from the love of Jesus. The freedom from condemnation should be the foundation for our joy and thankfulness as Christians.
Do you want freedom from sin and condemnation? Do you have confidence in Jesus as your savior? God loves you, and He wants you to experience peace and an abundant and eternal life. We are not able to bridge the gap between us and God through our good behavior, and luckily God has provided the way through Jesus. If you’ve got questions, please reach out, we’d love to answer any questions and pray with you further – www.burnthickory.com/next -
We Are | To Stand for the Vulnerable
Episode | November 14th, 2021 | 40 mins 18 secs
baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon
When Jesus speaks of faith in the bible, he says that children have an incredible faith, and we would do good to mimic it. We see throughout scripture that children have a special place in God’s heart, especially for those who are vulnerable. As a Christian, we are to seek private purity and public charity. Our acts should not publicly show that we are concerned with ourselves, but with the wellbeing of others. Rescuing hurting children is not just a charity for us to support, it’s a rescue mission for all of the church. And that action of rescue begins with compassion.
Have you considered standing in for the vulnerable and being the voice for the voiceless? Join us by participating in the ONE ministry - https://www.burnthickory.com/one/ and meet one need, encourage one child, and together we can be one family. You can also sponsor a child in Kenya or Guatemala through one of our missions’ partners - https://www.burnthickory.com/missions/sponsorship-guatemala--kenya/. -
We Are | On Mission
Episode | November 7th, 2021 | 39 mins 46 secs
baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon
This week, we get to hear from one of our church plant partners from Wisconsin – Jesse Beernink, as we focus on what it means to be on mission as a church. Everyone needs salvation, and it requires the power of God to happen. We get to participate in sharing the good news of salvation through Jesus and that should overwhelmingly and joyfully overflow from us as Christians. Jesse shows us in Romans chapters 1-3 how to live an overflowing life that will bring joy and purpose as we draw closer to Jesus. The more we draw in, the more our sense of urgency to share the gospel will become and the clearer the answer will be to why we should evangelize. Yes, God asks us to share our faith with strangers, but more importantly, He asks us to share His hope and salvation with friends and family. Even if we don’t travel to another country and preach, we are all called to be missionaries.
Have you shared the good news of salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection lately? Is the sense of urgency burning in your heart for all the lost people who don’t know the love and hope of God? Then join us as we make sharing our faith a priority in our lives to reach those who are lost with the saving knowledge of Jesus. As always, we’d love to answer any questions or help you take the next step in your faith journey – burnthickory.com/next -
We Are | Disciple Making Disciples
Episode | October 31st, 2021 | 38 mins 1 sec
baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon
As we continue our sermon series called We Are, we look at Matthew 28 to see what God’s expectations are for us as the church. We are to be disciples, and disciples hear and obey the Word of God as well as worship Him with our lives and priorities. This is to say that we are to read the bible and obey what God’s will is through the scripture. We show our love and devotion by how we prioritize our life and what fruit is coming from our obedience. Jesus tells us that we will be known by our love. We read in scripture as we study that we are to submit to the absolute authority of Jesus and that we are to make disciples in return. Our great commission from Jesus is to take the hope of the good news the gospel to every place near and far. When we trust that God is always with us, we can take comfort that we are being the church, not just attending church.
What is your life showing through your priorities? Are you being obedient to His word? Take time this week and pray that God will show you what areas of your life that you are not worshiping Him. Do you have questions about who Jesus is or why being a part of a church is important? Then reach out, we’d love to talk with you, answer any questions, and even pray for you – burnthickory.com/next -
We Are | Dedicated to Marriage | The Power of Words
Episode | October 24th, 2021 | 45 mins 1 sec
baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon
As we continue our sermon series called, We Are, we look at why we are dedicated to marriages here at Burnt Hickory. Our guest speaker, Ted Lowe, leads us through an informative lesson, as we explore the power of our words not just in marriage, but in all our relationships. Our words can be used to elevate or tear down, and careless words can stab like a sword, but wise words can heal over time. Healing those around us with words will take time, but it’s God’s plan for how we build and maintain our marriage relationship. Also, not speaking and using words can be just as detrimental as using words unwisely. If we take time to apply these ideas, it can lead to healing the hurt with our spouse and it’s the beginning of the success to a happy marriage, a successful marriage. We’ve all had a situation where we allowed our circumstances to affect our words, and we regret what we’ve said. And the wonderful news is that we can bring healing over time with wise words by slowing down and putting others ahead of us.
Are there words you’ve used in haste with someone that you now regret? Take time today to begin to make amends with them through statements like, I was wrong, I’m sorry, and I’m proud of you. These simple statements can be the beginning of the healing power of God working in someone’s life who you have stabbed with careless words. There is wisdom in motivational words that are intentionally said to support and build up the person you’re communicating with and there’s a lot of power in those words. As always, you can reach out with any questions about this bible study specifically or what it means to be a Christ follower – www.burnthickory.com/next -
The Called-Out Church
Episode | October 17th, 2021 | 40 mins 23 secs
baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon
Why is it important to be a member of a local church? Well, its biblical and beneficial. God’s heart is not for us to just attend church, but to belong and be the church. As we study the bible today in Matthew chapter 16, we see that Jesus calls out His followers, and begins the church. The English word for church is derived from the Greek Ekklesia which means the called-out body. Further on in scripture, we see that there is no such thing in the New Testament as a believer that exists independently as one who is not fully active in a local church. Our connection with a faith family is what sets Christianity apart from religion. Pastor Matt teaches us in this sermon, that God speaks to the church, God speaks through the church, and as the church, we are the hope of the world.
Church is not just a place to attend, it’s a place to participate and belong, and it holds the power to impact the world and generations to come. Maybe it’s time for you to be planted in a local church and begin the active process of belonging and participating in the work God has planned and show the world hope and share His grace. Psalms 92:12-13 says that “the righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” -
We Are | Heirs in Christ | My Identity is important
Episode | October 10th, 2021 | 43 mins 52 secs
baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon
We begin a new sermon series called We Are, where we are going to look at our personal and corporate role as the church. We begin by looking at what our identity is, and why it’s a constant fight happening for it. To have a proper view, we must define our identity based on How Christ sees us. We are fully accepted, eternally valuable, totally forgiven, and fully capable. As the church, people should see us as distinct because we are the royal priesthood, set apart, and we are God’s special possession.
Christ gave His life as a ransom to save us from the justice due us because of sin, and He is much better that we deserve because He made us acceptable to God. Our life and identity should reflect Him and since we are His chosen people, we are to live for Him. Being a Christian should be an action, not a description of how we live.
You might ask, why do people go to church, and we would answer that it is our purpose in life. Its who we are, our identity, not a building. As we study the bible in this series, we are going to define our identity, explain how to live for Jesus, and what our mission to reach the lost is. Stay tuned for next week when we’ll dive deeper into our role as the church.
If you want to take the next step and become a part of the church officially, we would love to talk to you about what membership looks like and how to make a commitment. BurntHickory.com/next -
Little Letters, Big Truths | Jude
Episode | September 26th, 2021 | 46 mins 59 secs
baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon
We explore the small letter of Jude from the bible today, and we discover big truths in how to live as Christ wants us to. Pastor Matt shares timeless challenges in walking out our faith in Jesus. We are to fight for the faith, to understand that God loves us, but also judges us, and we are to constantly evaluate where we are in faith. Through this bible study, we also are to be knowledgeable of the words of God, watchful of our surroundings, careful of the traps of sin, and we are to be courageous in faith. In our self-evaluation, we should look at our words, actions, and lifestyle and ask if they match our direction of faith. Are we walking with Jesus in our beliefs?
Maybe this has inspired you to evaluate your faith, and you’ve got questions. Have you stopped walking with Jesus because you’ve stopped being watchful and courageous? Does your lifestyle indicate a growing faith? If you need someone to talk and pray with you, then reach out – burnthickory.com/next – we’d love to answer any questions and encourage you to fight for your faith. -
Little Letters, Big Truths | 3 John
Episode | September 19th, 2021 | 42 mins 36 secs
baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon
Even though 3 John is a very small book of the bible, we can extract some applicable truth on how we should live. We see a tale of two men’s hearts, and it gives us a chance to ponder on how we affect those around us. We are to be gracious, strong in spirit and show the truth through our life just like Gaius. We are to refuse to be like Diotrephes and be unhospitable and unwelcoming. As a believer, Christianity shouldn’t just be a label, it changes who we are and how we live. As Spurgeon wrote – “The goal of any believer’s life is for there to be an exact correspondence between his creed and his conduct.” In other words, our life should match our faith, the love that Jesus has shown us should be the love we show to others.
What things in your life don’t match up with your beliefs? Is there a something that you need to ask God to help you with so that your actions can match what you believe? Take some time and examine your life and pray over these areas. God grants wisdom as we seek Him, so spend time seeking His will for your life and He will empower you to live exactly what you believe. If you need help with prayer or want to take the next step in your faith journey, then reach out, we’d love to pray with you or answer any questions – burnthickory.com/next -
Little Letters, Big Truths | 2 John
Episode | September 12th, 2021 | 44 mins 5 secs
baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon
This week, we turn our attention to 2 John as we continue to look at small books of the bible that contain big truths for our lives. We see in scripture some foundational truths such as the bible is the authority and word of God, and that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the resurrection is enough. We must truly repent and invite Jesus into our life to be saved, and we are to live out the great commission that Jesus gives u sin Matthew 28. There’s a lot of big truths that really mold how we are to live as Christians found in this bible study today.
Have you made a decision to follow Jesus, but have not repented? Do you want to know how to live out the great commission? We’d love to answer any questions and pray with you. Reach out to us – burnthickory.com/next -
Little Letters, Big Truths | Philemon
Episode | September 5th, 2021 | 41 mins 4 secs
baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon
We begin a new sermon series where we explore tiny books in the bible that carry big truths. Take Philemon, where seemingly the bible is condoning slavery, and it may seem like a weird book to include in the New Testament. Well, the term bondservant in this instance of the Bible is not what we in America things of as a slave. Rather than proclaiming a seemingly powerless political mandate, Jesus ultimately shows it is only the power of the gospel that could conquer evil systems such as slavery, and we see that God’s desire is for all of Philemons’ to become radically generous in their participation in the mission of God.
What are some specific things you could change in the area of your giving and serving? What kind of generosity is your faith demanding? If you’ve got questions or want to know more about Jesus, then connect with us – burnthickory.com/next