Sermons by Pastor Delman Coates
It's Paid In Full
April 21, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • Luke 7:36–50
Every child of God needs to know and needs to hear that they are forgiven, for when you come into fellowship and communion with Jesus, and begin cultivating and nurturing your relationship with Him, the Lord’s forgiveness means that no matter what you have done, no matter how horrible your past, and regardless of your moral transcript and profile, the good news today is that “you are forgiven.” You are officially pardoned from your past, and the devil and no one else can hold you hostage to what you’ve done. From today’s text, we’re going to see Mary Magdalene show us what it looks like to walk in that assurance.
Shine Bright Like A Diamond
April 14, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • Matthew 5:14–16
Light is the first entity that God created. This suggests that the darkness we are in should not cause us to feel resigned to futility; it should not cause us to throw up our hands in surrender. For when things are at their darkest, God is just starting to move. When things are at their worst, God is just beginning to turn things around. We can trust that there is something on the other side of darkness, and what’s on the other side is going to be better, brighter, and bigger than what existed before.
I'm Salty
April 7, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • Matthew 5:13
When Jesus called His followers “salt,” He actually bestowed upon us a badge of honor. He was giving them then and us now a sense of our identity, purpose, and function in the Kingdom. He was saying that when people ask who you are as a believer, you should be able to tell them, “I’m salty.” Being salty is not something bad, it’s something good. When we’re salty, we’re living the way Jesus commanded us to in His Word. But how do you know if you’re living a salty life? Well, that’s what we’re going to look at in this message.
The Greatest Comeback Of All Time
March 31, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • John 20:1–10
Jesus Christ orchestrated the greatest comeback in the history of the world. And there is no event in history more memorable and none more life-changing. And as we read the story of His comeback, we can learn so much about what it will take for Him to help us with the comeback we’ve been waiting for in our own lives. So in light of that, we are going to look at three things that need to happen if we want to experience a God-sized comeback.
I Know What I Heard
March 24, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • Luke 2:25–35
Simeon was a man who received a promise from God that he would not see death without seeing the birth of the Lord’s Messiah. And it was that promise that moved him to get his life in order. That promise led him to get in the right position, to get to a place of peace, and to develop and maintain the right spiritual and moral posture to see Jesus. Take note of those three things I just mentioned: He had a promise, he gets in position, and he maintains the right posture. He hears God’s voice, he puts himself in an environment where there is peace and not confusion, and he is active in developing himself spiritually and in being a man of integrity. And by getting his life aligned with God, he’s able to see what God wants him to see. The same can happen for you too. If you open your heart and mind to hear God’s voice, if you position yourself in places and with people that produce peace, and if you order your steps to get in line with what God says, then you can see what God wants you to see, go where God wants you to go, be what God wants you to be, and do what God wants you to do.
Oh I Want To See Him
March 17, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • Luke 2:25–28
I am fully confident that God wants each of us to experience the joy that comes from having our hopes realized. God wants us to experience the fulfillment that comes from having our dreams actualized. God wants us to experience the satisfaction of having our ambitions fulfilled and our aspirations achieved, and to express that joy by breaking out in spontaneous praise to God for all He has done. Simeon has that exact experience in today’s key text because his soul’s desire was to see Israel’s Messiah for himself, and it finally happened. He did not know when the Messiah was coming. He did not know how He would appear, and quite frankly he didn’t know exactly where, but his heart’s desire was to see the Messiah for himself. Every step he takes in this text epitomizes what he did and what we all should do if we want to have our dreams fulfilled and our hopes come to pass.
Wrongly Dividing The Word Of Truth
March 10, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • Matthew 24:36–44
As followers of Christ, we have a very important responsibility to uphold the Word of God. Unfortunately, many people fall short in doing this all the time. It is absolutely possible to wrongly divide the word of truth. In today’s message, we’re going to look at the reasons why this happens so that we can be aware of how to avoid this danger ourselves.
How To Handle Toxic People
March 3, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • 1 Samuel 25:1–42
Have you ever found yourself dealing with a toxic person? They are abusive, they bring you down, they stress you out, cause you harm, bring you distress, and sometimes they downright get on your nerves. If so, the question becomes what should we do about the presence of a toxic person or toxic people in our lives? In 1 Samuel 25, there’s a story about a woman named Abigail who was married to a toxic man, and she models for us how to handle the toxic person in our lives, whether it’s a spouse, a family member, friend, co-worker, or church member, Abigail teaches us how to handle toxic people, and we’re going to learn a lot from her in today’s message.
How To Heal Toxic Emotions
February 25, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • 2 Corinthians 7:1
Christians dealing with toxic emotions and exhibiting toxic behaviors wasn’t just a problem in the first century. It’s still a problem now. Whether it’s road rage on the highway, angry parents at a child’s game, or people fighting in church, at work, or in the home, people dealing with toxic emotions is a serious problem. And Paul says we need to stop it. Stop letting bitterness, rage, and slander dominate your spirit. Stop getting so heated that you can’t control yourself any longer. And so, the question becomes how do we heal these toxic emotions? That’s exactly what we’re going to discuss in today’s message.
How To Keep Looking Up When You're Feeling Down
February 18, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • 2 Samuel 12:15–23
In our text today, we are delivered to the scene in the life of King David during a time when he had much to look down about. David learns for the first time of the passing of his child. He must have felt down, mortified, and broken. There’s no doubt he was suffering under immense pain, but we get a glimpse at what he does to rebound when he must have been feeling down. He has a family to provide for, he has a nation to protect and lead, and he has enemies to fight and defeat. And in the midst of it all, he models for us how to handle grief and loss, not if it happens, but when. Grief and loss are universal and inevitable. So how does David make it? How does David keep looking up when he’s been feeling down? That’s what we’re going to dive into in this message.
How To Heal A Wounded Heart
February 11, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • Genesis 29:16–35
While having your heart broken may not be preventable, it is conquerable. You can make it after disappointment, and today’s key Scripture passage shows us what makes it possible to move through, rise above, and thrive after disappointment. It’s like what Paulo Coelho once said, “Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.” What determines whether you move on or whether you shut down after heartbreak depends upon how you assess the situation. If you view the event positively, seeing it as an opportunity for growth, versus viewing it negatively and seeing it as a moral judgment, then you are more inclined to grow through what you go through.
I'm Changing My Mind
February 4, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • 2 Corinthians 7:1
Each one of us sees life through our own unique lens, a set of assumptions and expectations that govern how we see ourselves, our lives, and the situations around us. It’s that mindset, according to research, that plays a significant role in determining life’s outcomes. With this in mind, I want to suggest that an unhealthy, ungodly, unholy, and unproductive mindset can adversely affect our lives. The solution according to today’s key text is to rid ourselves of any thought, any belief, any perspective, or any philosophy that does not line up with God’s will for our lives. But how do we do that? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to discuss in today’s message.
I Ain't Going Out Like That
January 28, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • Matthew 20:30
If you’re looking for healing, you have two options. You can either give up hope, or you can pursue healing by seeking out your Heavenly Father. In today’s message, we’re going to look at the story of two blind men who needed healing and reached out to Jesus for help. They were healed by their faith and their persistence, and you can experience healing too if you follow their example. Let’s look at what it looks like to live out that example.
Don't Take It Too Far
January 21, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • 2 Corinthians 7:1
As you read today’s key verse, you’ll see that Paul’s counsel to the church then, and us now is “to cleanse ourselves of anything that might damage, distort or defile the flesh or the body.” One of the things I find as a pastor is that many people’s journey with God has been damaged by distorted perspectives, twisted views, and false theories about the body. Throughout the history of the Church, many well-intentioned Christians have endeavored to live their lives for Christ in a religious culture that has placed an unbiblical and unrealistic moral hedge around the body in hopes that it would prevent people from falling or being susceptive to its urges, its drives, and its proclivities. So many people are struggling in their walk with God because we have not given them a healthy, helpful, and holy way to treat and view the body that God gave us. So in today’s message, we’re going to look at some helpful tips in hopes that we can have a better outlook and perspective on our God-given bodies so that we can live healthier lives all around.
Your Body Is Keeping The Score
January 14, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • 2 Corinthians 7:1
The idea that throughout our lives our bodies have been storing the moments and the memories of trauma and past pain came up for me when I read today’s key text. In this verse, Paul admonishes the church at Corinth to cleanse themselves of every defilement of the body and spirit, for in doing so, they would find freedom and empowerment by becoming more like God. The same is true for you and me. When we experience cleansing and healing by the power of the Holy Spirit, we become more like Christ. So in order to begin that journey of healing, we need to ask ourselves a few questions.