Matt Petty

Ignite | A Desire to Follow

Episode  |  August 1st, 2021  |  42 mins 16 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

We begin our new sermon series called Ignite by exploring places where we see fire in scripture. Fire can represent many things, and this week, we are looking in Exodus 3 where Moses encountered the burning bush, a tree literally engulfed in flames, but not ever burning up. Just as God physically spoke to Moses through that burning bush, we can learn that while God's presence is personal, His holiness deserves our undivided worship. We are also reminded in that fire that God’s timing is not our timing, and as we hone our patience, we should not grow weary waiting on God because our desire to follow Him should be what’s ignited in us as we grow as Christians.
The question for you is, are you positioned in your everyday rhythms of life to experience God? He is patient with us, not wanting us to perish, but to come to repentance. Take time to pray this week that God will ignite in you a desire to follow Him. Do you have questions about who Jesus is, or why salvation from sin is so important? Then feel free to reach out, we’d love to answer any questions and pray with you – burnthickory.com/next

The Sermon on the Mount | Final Wise Choices

Episode  |  July 25th, 2021  |  39 mins 29 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

This week as we conclude the sermon on the mount, we reflect on Jesus’ closing to his sermon delivered in Matthew 7:13-29. We see that we have an ultimate decision to acknowledge Jesus as Lord of our life, or to reject him. Either the path that is straight and narrow, or the wide one that leads to destruction and to a very real eternity in hell. As we look that the fork in the road, we see in scripture that we need to choose wisely our influences and set our foundation on Jesus. You see, we can know Jesus, but until He knows us, we are lost. We can look past this harsh reality in scripture and see it as a wonderful offering of salvation, all we have to do is believe.
Are there influences in your life that are not pointing you to Christ? Are you comparing the things you are being taught against biblical truth? Do you know, profess, and believe in Jesus being the Lord of your life? Reach out to us today with any questions, we’d love to talk to you about accepting Jesus as your savior – burnthickory.com/next.

The Sermon on the Mount | Golden Vision

Episode  |  July 18th, 2021  |  35 mins 19 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

The golden rule might seem like a great command to follow, but its not actually in the bible. As we study further in the sermon on the mount in Matthew, we see that Jesus does give us reminders, challenges, and encouragements to follow that will help us actually live according to Him. Jesus encourages us to pray persistently, and to knock, and the door will be open. Pastor Matt shows us that our prayer life is just that, a life, not a one and done activity.
As we study the bible, we see also that not every prayer request is always answered, because only God knows how to give far better that we know how to ask. Take heart, God cares, has unlimited resources, and delights in blessing us as His children when we ask, seek, and knock. What things are you struggling with in prayer, and what things should you be more persistent in? We would love the chance to pray with you, so feel free to call our prayer hotline at 770-590-0372.

The Sermon on the Mount | Planks, Pigs, & Pearls: The Art of Judging

Episode  |  July 11th, 2021  |  45 mins 22 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

Judge not, lest you be judged. Maybe you’ve seen this passage in Matthew 7, but do you really understand what Jesus is telling us here in the sermon on the mount? We as Christians are called to judge rightly, but there are some clear reminders in scripture that there is order and reasoning behind why. A majority of non-Christians see us as “judgmental” because we have not focused on restoration, we’ve just focused on being right. By no means is the bible directing believers not to call sin for what it is, sin, but it is also directing us to do it with the right attitude and motive.
Pastor Matt digs further into the sermon on the mount this week as we look at Jesus’ teachings regarding dealing with our own sin before we are to help others deal with theirs. If we are in the mindset of being judgmental, then we are not fulfilling God’s will for us, and we should stop and think about how we are interacting with people, especially those who don’t have faith. Do you have questions about who Jesus is and why the bible says you can be saved if you believe in Him? Then great, take a minute to connect with us, we’d love to answer your questions and help you take the next step in your faith journey – burnthickory.com/next

The Sermon on the Mount | Kingdom Choices

Episode  |  June 20th, 2021  |  33 mins 14 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus instructs us not to store up treasures on earth, but to store them in heaven, where they can’t be destroyed or stolen. What does this passage mean, and how do we store treasures in heaven? Pastor Matt takes us further in the sermon on the mount, where we explore Jesus’ words about what we value and our foundational choices as we live kingdom lives. The things that we adore in our hearts are what we treasure, and its an indication of what we value above our relationship with God.

The Sermon on the Mount | The Model Prayer

Episode  |  June 13th, 2021  |  50 mins 5 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

In the sermon on the mount in Matthew 6, Jesus gives his disciples a model prayer to follow because they asked him. Jesus shares that we aren’t to pray like hypocrites as others see or hear, but that it’s a personal time between us and God the Father. What we learn through this passage is that prayer is not a way for us to use God to get what we want, or a way to impress God through our faith and actions, but a way for us to be transformed instead. If we follow Jesus’ example of prayer, we are promised that God will hear us.

The Sermon on the Mount | Blessed Kingdom Followers

Episode  |  May 23rd, 2021  |  46 mins 3 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon, sermon on the mount

What does it mean to be blessed, meek, merciful, or righteous? How are we supposed to be happy in life? We study in scripture as Jesus taught next to the Sea of Galilee, He laid out a set of a challenges that each come with a promise. These are known as the beatitudes. Happiness begins when we see our emptiness and receive God’s fullness.

To be broken hearted and meek may seem like a disadvantage, but as we mourn, we are promised comfort and we’ll see the kingdom of God. These beatitudes are also a way to measure how we are reflecting God’s glory, as well as a flashlight to bring vision to our lives. We are excited to be digging into the sermon on the mount beyond just the beatitudes, so make sure you tune in next Sunday.
What does it mean to be blessed, meek, merciful, or righteous? How are we supposed to be happy in life? We study in scripture as Jesus taught next to the Sea of Galilee, He laid out a set of a challenges that each come with a promise. These are known as the beatitudes. Happiness begins when we see our emptiness and receive God’s fullness.

To be broken hearted and meek may seem like a disadvantage, but as we mourn, we are promised comfort and we’ll see the kingdom of God. These beatitudes are also a way to measure how we are reflecting God’s glory, as well as a flashlight to bring vision to our lives. We are excited to be digging into the sermon on the mount beyond just the beatitudes, so make sure you tune in next Sunday.
What does it mean to be blessed, meek, merciful, or righteous? How are we supposed to be happy in life? We study in scripture as Jesus taught next to the Sea of Galilee, He laid out a set of a challenges that each come with a promise. These are known as the beatitudes. Happiness begins when we see our emptiness and receive God’s fullness.

To be broken hearted and meek may seem like a disadvantage, but as we mourn, we are promised comfort and we’ll see the kingdom of God. These beatitudes are also a way to measure how we are reflecting God’s glory, as well as a flashlight to bring vision to our lives. We are excited to be digging into the sermon on the mount beyond just the beatitudes, so make sure you tune in next Sunday.
What does it mean to be blessed, meek, merciful, or righteous? How are we supposed to be happy in life? We study in scripture as Jesus taught next to the Sea of Galilee, He laid out a set of a challenges that each come with a promise. These are known as the beatitudes. Happiness begins when we see our emptiness and receive God’s fullness.

To be broken hearted and meek may seem like a disadvantage, but as we mourn, we are promised comfort and we’ll see the kingdom of God. These beatitudes are also a way to measure how we are reflecting God’s glory, as well as a flashlight to bring vision to our lives. We are excited to be digging into the sermon on the mount beyond just the beatitudes, so make sure you tune in next Sunday.
What does it mean to be blessed, meek, merciful, or righteous? How are we supposed to be happy in life? We study in scripture as Jesus taught next to the Sea of Galilee, He laid out a set of a challenges that each come with a promise. These are known as the beatitudes. Happiness begins when we see our emptiness and receive God’s fullness.

To be broken hearted and meek may seem like a disadvantage, but as we mourn, we are promised comfort and we’ll see the kingdom of God. These beatitudes are also a way to measure how we are reflecting God’s glory, as well as a flashlight to bring vision to our lives. We are excited to be digging into the sermon on the mount beyond just the beatitudes, so make sure you tune in next Sunday.
What does it mean to be blessed, meek, merciful, or righteous? How are we supposed to be happy in life? We study in scripture as Jesus taught next to the Sea of Galilee, He laid out a set of a challenges that each come with a promise. These are known as the beatitudes. Happiness begins when we see our emptiness and receive God’s fullness.

To be broken hearted and meek may seem like a disadvantage, but as we mourn, we are promised comfort and we’ll see the kingdom of God. These beatitudes are also a way to measure how we are reflecting God’s glory, as well as a flashlight to bring vision to our lives. We are excited to be digging into the sermon on the mount beyond just the beatitudes, so make sure you tune in next Sunday.
What does it mean to be blessed, meek, merciful, or righteous? How are we supposed to be happy in life? We study in scripture as Jesus taught next to the Sea of Galilee, He laid out a set of a challenges that each come with a promise. These are known as the beatitudes. Happiness begins when we see our emptiness and receive God’s fullness.

To be broken hearted and meek may seem like a disadvantage, but as we mourn, we are promised comfort and we’ll see the kingdom of God. These beatitudes are also a way to measure how we are reflecting God’s glory, as well as a flashlight to bring vision to our lives. We are excited to be digging into the sermon on the mount beyond just the beatitudes, so make sure you tune in next Sunday.

The Heart of Compassion | Making an Impact in Kibera Kenya

Episode  |  May 16th, 2021  |  43 mins 32 secs

africa, baptist, bible, church, compassion, compassion for kids, evangelism, feeding the hungry, feelings of compassion, good news, gospel, heart of compassion, kenya, kenya ministry center, kenya news, kibera kenya, kibera kenya slums, making an impact, ministry, mission trip, mission trip to africa, missions, preaching, saving the lost, scripture, sermon, swahiba

It’s a special Sunday at Burnt Hickory where we get to celebrate our relationship with Peter, our mission partner from Kenya, as well as surprise him with a financial gift that will establish our footprint for generations in Kibera. Burnt Hickory has been generously giving towards the Kenya Ministry Center, and God has blessed that gift in the form of being able to purchase the land, build the center, and even furnish this church plant and missions headquarters in Kenya.

The model of momma Hannah’s faith

Episode  |  May 9th, 2021  |  44 mins 3 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

As we celebrate our mothers and mother figures this Sunday, pastor Matt takes a few minutes to discuss the wonder and wisdom of motherhood with a few godly women of Burnt Hickory. We also can learn about faith practically lived out by studying Hannah in 1 Samuel 10. We see that our children are not our own, but they are God’s, and our job as parents is to unfold what He has made.

One True God

Episode  |  April 25th, 2021  |  40 mins 14 secs

baptist, bible, church, elijah, god’s power, god’s presence, idols, prayer, preaching, repentance, scripture, sermon, true god, true worship, worship

We are always worshiping something; you can’t turn it off. The real question to consider is “what” are you worshiping? As we dig into 1 Kings, we see that people where worshiping false gods and idols, and Pastor Matt shows us that in reality, we aren’t that different. Our idols look different than in the days of Elijah, but we are still trying to replace God’s rightful place in our hearts with objects, ideas, and people.

The Power of One Act of Obedience

Episode  |  April 18th, 2021  |  43 mins 57 secs

baptist, believe, bible, bible study, church, eternity, faith, follow jesus, hear from god, hear god’s voice, obedience, preaching, scripture, sermon

You may never know how one small obedient act will impact eternity. The widow in 1 Kings is a perfect example of God’s plan in action as a part of a larger narrative. We learn today, that when we trust God and give Him our all, we grow personally, and it paves the way for others to come to faith also.

Why Baptism?

Episode  |  April 11th, 2021  |  40 mins 24 secs

baptism, baptist, baptize, be forgiven, believe in jesus, bible, church, faith, follow jesus, forgiveness, preaching, salvation, scripture, sermon, what is baptism

Baptism is the public symbol that you are believing in Jesus, receiving His saving work as your own, and publicly declaring to others that you are His follower. As we look at scripture today, Pastor Matt shows us a few misconceptions about baptism, and why it’s a crucial part of faith in Jesus.