Burnt Hickory | Sermons

Making Our Own God Never Goes Well

Episode  |  June 23rd, 2024  |  42 mins 40 secs

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This week, we delve into the pitfalls of idolatry. Drawing from the rich narratives in Exodus, we will examine how the Israelites' creation of the golden calf serves as a stark warning about the dangers of shaping God into our own image instead of worshipping Him as He truly is. We will reflect on how we, too, can fall into the trap of creating our own "gods" in times of uncertainty and stress, rebelling against the one true source of satisfaction for our souls.

This sermon will challenge us to trust in God’s revelation, even when circumstances are unclear, and to expose and surrender our idols to Christ. We will learn the importance of recognizing and fleeing from sin, understanding its inevitable consequences, and grounding our trust in the God revealed in Scripture, rather than in cultural or personal distortions.

We invite you to reflect on these vital questions: Are there idols you’ve created in your life? Are you truly trusting in God's revealed character through Scripture? As always, we’d love to take the time to answer any questions you have and to pray with you – so reach out. Discover the next step in your faith journey by visiting burnthickory.com/next or visiting our website at www.burnthickory.com.

Parent Fails To Avoid | Father’s Day 2024

Episode  |  June 16th, 2024  |  44 mins 50 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

Today, on Father’s Day, we explore the scripture and examine what it means to be a Godly parent. In 2 Samuel 13, we see the story of Amnon, David’s son, and the tragedy of sin in his life. Our goal in this is to take away examples of parenting failures we need to avoid as we raise our kids, and also what we can do to overcome failure as a parent. We should never set an example we don’t want our kids to follow, live angrily without providing wisdom and discipline, give them everything except our presence, or simply do nothing. We need to be more concerned with pointing our children to an eternally joyful relationship with Jesus instead of concentrating on how much they like us.
Are you setting an example you want your children to follow? Is your anger simply selfish venting? Do you need some encouragement or to explore the next steps in helping you become a Godlier parent? Do you have questions about Jesus? We would love to connect with you, take the time to answer any questions, and point you toward additional resources and classes to grow your faith and parenting, so reach out today. You can always take the next step by visiting burnthickory.com/next.

The Calling To Worship

Episode  |  June 9th, 2024  |  51 mins 19 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

Today, we celebrate our students' return from an amazing mission trip to Kenya. Pastor Carey leads us through scripture as we explore our calling to worship as Christ's followers. God commands our worship, and He is the only one worthy of it. We are to declare His glory among the nations and His marvelous works among the peoples! We are made to worship Him, and it is for our good because it brings our focus back to God’s presence and reminds us of our purpose. As we read in Romans, For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Remember to look back and see where he has been unfailingly faithful and look ahead and know he is able.
If you have questions, we’d love to connect with you, answer them, and pray with you—so reach out today! You can always take the next step in your faith journey by visiting burnthickory.com/next.

Fishers Of Men

Episode  |  June 2nd, 2024  |  51 mins 5 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

We welcome a special guest speaker, Sterling Brown, to teach us about our calling as Christ Followers. We explore the passages in Matthew Chapter 4, where Jesus calls Peter and his brother Andrew to drop their nets and become fishers of men. We have redemption and a new commander because we are rescued from darkness and brought into the Kingdom of God. His command for us is our new cause: to become fishers of men. Because of this, we are to spur one another toward love and good deeds through our community as believers.
Are you fulfilling your calling? Are you a new creation, brought out of darkness into light? Do you have questions about Jesus? As always, we’d love to connect with you, answer any questions you’ve got, and pray with you, so reach out today! You can take the next step in your faith journey by visiting burnthickory.com/next.

Blessed Assurance | Over-Comer Assurance

Episode  |  May 26th, 2024  |  40 mins 1 sec

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

How can we have assurance of our faith? We seek to answer this question as we continue our sermon series called Blessed Assurance through the book of 1 John. We study the characteristics of an overcomer in scripture today. We see that those who overcome are born again; they love God and keep His commands, and they walk in victory. True faith is not simply believing what God says is true; it’s acting on what God says is true. This shows that we do really trust Him. As true believers, we are not called to live defeated lives. We have been saved, raised up, and made into sons and daughters of the King in order to live in Christ and victory.
Do you have the assurance that you are an overcomer? What’s holding you back from truly trusting in God today? Are you living in victory? Do you need to accept Christ as your savior today? As always, we’d love to take the time to answer any questions you have and to pray with you, so reach out. You can also discover the next step in your faith journey by visiting burnthickory.com/next.

Blessed Assurance | Complete Love

Episode  |  May 19th, 2024  |  42 mins 14 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

Love is the proof that God’s presence is truly in you and that you are a part of God's family. Scripture teaches that God is love, and love cannot be separated from God. In our sermon today, we explore the idea that true love always results in action. We see this through Jesus’ love for us. We, as true believers, live lives that show the love of Jesus to others. As we continue this bible study through 1 John and explore blessed assurance, we learn that fully embracing the perfect love of God will drive away all our past, present, and future fears.
Is your life reflecting the true love of God towards others? Have you fully embraced the perfect love of God? Do you need to encounter and know God today? If you’ve got questions, we are here to offer support, ready to answer them and pray with you. As always, you can take the next step in your faith journey by visiting burnthickory/next.

Blessed Assurance | Last Day Assurance

Episode  |  May 12th, 2024  |  35 mins 27 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

We continue our sermon series through 1 John, Blessed Assurance, with a message today on instructions for last-day living. From the moment of Jesus's post-resurrection ascension into glory, it has been the last days. We know, as Christ's followers, that there is a real enemy that wants to rule, and we have to wholly lean into our anointing of the Holy Spirit to withstand the enemy. We must remain in the truth, through the word of God, in His Spirit, and with assurance in Jesus.
Do you have assurance in these last days? How do you need to stand in the truth? Do you need to meet Jesus today to have blessed assurance of salvation? As always, we’d love to connect with you, take time to answer any questions, and pray with you – reach out today. You can take the next step in your faith journey and celebrate with us by visiting – burnthickory.com/next.

Chasing Your Assignment | Presence Over Purpose

Episode  |  May 5th, 2024  |  39 mins 11 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

Today, we celebrate senior Sunday with our Radite Students and hear Chip Paul, our Student Pastor, deliver a powerful sermon about chasing God’s presence over our purpose. What does it truly mean to experience God's presence? Through the story of Moses leading the people of Israel, we learn the difference between presence and purpose. In the stillness of His presence, we can find clarity and direction for our purpose. It’s His presence that sets us apart from the rest of the world.
Are you experiencing the presence of God? Are you finding your purpose inside His presence? As always, we’d love to take the time to answer any questions you have about Jesus, so reach out today. Take the next step in your faith journey by visiting burnthickory.com/next.

Blessed Assurance | Worldly Love

Episode  |  April 28th, 2024  |  40 mins 20 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

We continue our sermon series Blessed Assurance, where we explore the idea of finding assurance of our salvation through scripture. Today, we look at 1 John 2, where John instructs us not to love the world. The three categories of worldly lusts are the flesh, the eyes, and the pride of life. These are our appetites, affections, and accomplishments—the lusts that operate in open rebellion against God’s love and His commands. True salvation is when God’s glory takes on the ultimate weight of your heart, and you quit putting the weight on the lusts of the flesh, eyes, and the pride of life. The way we lessen these is to embrace the love of God fully.
What worldly love do you need to stop pursuing? What’s holding you back from embracing God's love today? As always, we’d love to connect with you, take the time to answer any questions you have, and pray with you. Take the next step in your faith journey by visiting burnthickory.com/next.

Blessed Assurance | Saving Faith Warnings

Episode  |  April 21st, 2024  |  45 mins 15 secs

baptist, bible, church, preaching, scripture, sermon

Today, in our sermon series about having assurance in your faith, we explore the warning signs that your faith may not be genuine. A warning sign for someone might be continually and habitually sinning or if they try to believe but not repent. Another sign is that someone remains casual or openly embraces sin. One way that you can be assured that you know God is to live in an attitude of surrendering all to Him. Closeness to God does not make you feel more holy; it makes you feel dirtier, and you can be assured you know God if you have a deep awareness of your sin and allow Jesus to cover it.
Do you deny, rationalize, or hide sin? What’s keeping you from confessing your sin and repenting from it? Do you believe and understand the gospel? Do you have eternal confidence in resting in Jesus's finished work? Take time today to reach out. We’d love to answer any questions you’ve got and pray with you. You can have blessed assurance of faith in Jesus by taking the next step – visit burnthickory.com/next.