Matt Petty

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

Ignite | A Direction to Walk

Episode  |  August 29th, 2021  |  44 mins 24 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

As we continue our sermon series called Ignite, where we look at instances of fire in scripture, we look into Exodus Chapter 13, where we see the Israelites being led through the desert by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. What we can take away from this bible study is that God is the sole maker of our way, and the holder of our salvation. Even when we don’t see the end in sight, even when we cannot understand our circumstances, even when we feel we’ve been left stranded, God is always faithful, and His promises always come to be. He is faithful to lead us where He wants us to go because we are His. God’s way is eternally better than ours, and He puts us in the right place, the right way, and at the right time.
Do you feel stranded and left in the dark? Are you dealing with understanding God’s timing in life? Then take a minute to reach out to us through burnthickory.com/next

Ignite | A Distaste For Sin

Episode  |  August 22nd, 2021  |  42 mins 25 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

We often try to shape God into our image of what we think He should be instead of understanding that we are created in His image. This gives us a distorted comprehension of how sin effects our lives every day, and we rebel against the only thing that can truly satisfy our soul – God Himself. This week during our Ignite Sermon Series, Pastor Matt brings us to Exodus chapter 32, where we see the Israelites who have been brought out of Egypt, start to grow restless and start to look for things to worship other than God because they didn’t feel satisfied. We do this in modern times, we build idols that take the place of God – when we place importance of things, people, and circumstances above God in importance. A lot of times, our idols are revealed to us when we are stressed and in turmoil, but we have to remember that God is the only thing that will satisfy.
What we see in scripture today is that we should never treat sin as if it will not have consequences, and we need to be running away from sin rather than drifting towards it. Are you creeping towards sin? Have you built idols that are trying to satisfy the need of worship in your life? Would you like someone to talk with or pray with you today? Then reach out to us – burnthickory.com/next, we’d love to answer any questions and pray with you.

Ignite | A Deepened Holiness

Episode  |  August 15th, 2021  |  40 mins 11 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

Today we explore Isaiah Chapter 6 as we continue to look for examples of fire throughout the bible and we study the passage where Isaiah is brought before the Lord, and his lips are cleansed by a hot coal. We see that God’s holiness affects us in that we are to be separated and set apart as a reflection of Him. We also learn that holiness magnifies our corruption and mandates our purification. When we boast about our accomplishments of faith, we lose sight of God’s holiness. What is it that you see as a strength that God needs control of in your life?

In the bible, later on in Isaiah, we see that it’s the voice of God that calls us out - to be set apart and no longer be unclean. In this sermon, pastor Matt preaches about what it means to have faith and be purified from sin, because God is holy, and we need to know that we are to be holy too.

Are you standing before a holy God with unclean lips? Do you need to be saved? Has God’s holiness motivated your commission in life? If you’ve got questions, please reach out, we’d love to pray with you - BurntHickory.com/next

Ignite | A Dependent Faith

Episode  |  August 8th, 2021  |  44 mins 5 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

As we explore places in scripture that contain fire, we come across the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were thrown into the fiery furnace. God never asks us to put faith in our ability, and it’s not focused on our desires or outcome when dealing with difficulties in life. He reminds us in Philippians and James that our faith is placed in His ability and His promises. We too often try to treat God like a genie, who’ll grant our wishes, and we see in this bible study that God works according to His will. Conversely our trust in Him is not dependent on God granting every request we make, but it’s founded in His eternal steadfastness and truth. Let’s face it, when life is tough, God will not always prevent us from being in the fire, but He will preserve and grow us through the fire.
Are you going through a fire right now in your life? Does it seem that you are stranded and alone? Then reach out, we’d love to pray with you and help you see that God is with you in the midst. BurntHickory.com/next