March 31, 2024 • Dr. James Merritt • 1 Corinthians 15:12–20
Today, we are going to deal with the doubt people have about Jesus being raised from the dead. Either like every other person who has lived and died, Jesus is still dead or he is physically still alive. A man named Paul went through unbelievable torture, hardship, and finally a beheading because he preached and believed and would not deny that Jesus Christ was alive. In a letter he wrote to a church in Corinth, he laid out what would be true if Jesus was not alive and if everything he said was either an intentional lie or a bad mistake. If Jesus is not alive it has a tremendous impact on whether you are a believer or not. If Jesus is dead nothing else matters, but if He is alive it is the only thing that matters. Knowing that either He was raised or He wasn’t, I want us to answer two questions in this message. When we are finished, I can assure you that your doubt will be destroyed and your faith will be fortified.
Taking Care of Business
March 24, 2024 • Dr. James Merritt • Ecclesiastes 5:1–7
A man by the name of Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. And in that book, he was saying that all that you do for God and with God is serious business, so you had better be serious about what you choose to do. Then he tells us how to do serious business with God and what that looks like practically as followers of Jesus. In this message, we are going to look at Solomon’s instructions and learn more about how to take care of business with God.
Holy New Year
December 31, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • Psalm 119
It is the start of a new year, and we are all in the same boat. It is called “social jetlag” but I call it a “holiday hangover.” Maybe you’ve slept late, taken time off of work, partied it up, ditched your diet, enjoyed the new gadgets, and swapped your gifts. But now it is time to re-enter the real world of traffic, alarm clocks, school, and making a living. You have neither the will nor the energy to do it, but the new year is coming one way or another. So what kind of year are you going to have in 2024? I hope and pray it’s a holy new year! But how can we make that happen? That’s exactly what we’re going to discuss in this message.
My House, God's House
December 3, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • Joshua 24:14–15
Today’s key passage of Scripture contains a very famous verse. It says, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Can you imagine what could happen in this country if every family made that decision? Do you think the crime rate would go down? Do you think our jails would be emptier? Do you think our marriages might be stronger? Do you think schools would be safer? Joshua shares with his people that he is going to lead his family to do three things with all his might and power. I would encourage every family and every household head to give this same direction, make this same decision, and have this same determination for your family.
Thank You Very Much
November 26, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Being thankful is so important to God that He actually commands us to be thankful. A man in the New Testament by the name of Paul went through a tremendous amount of suffering and heartache that would cause anybody to be bitter and ungrateful and maybe even mad at God. He wrote these words, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:18) You may not feel very thankful right now because of where you are in your life. Even though you may not feel thankful you can be thankful. This great man tells us how to be thankful and why to be thankful.
Who Have You Been With?
November 19, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • Acts 4:1–22
I want to ask you a question. When people are around you, do they know who you have been with? I want people to know that when they are around me there is one person I have been with, that I walk with, that I live with, that I stay with every day and His name is Jesus. That raises the big question, “How can people know that I have been with Jesus? What will be true of me and true of you if we have been with Jesus? What are the marks of a person who has been with Jesus?” You are going to see in this message that what was true of these men in Acts chapter 4 can be, should be, and will be true of us if we have been with Jesus.
Casting A Long Shadow
November 12, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • Galatians 6:14
Today’s key verse amazes me coming from a man who had a lot to brag about. When he was alive, he was the greatest preacher in the world, the greatest missionary in the church, the greatest teacher of the faith, the greatest theologian, and the greatest religious author. He wrote more books than anyone else in the New Testament. He had a lot to brag about. Yet, Paul said, “There is only one thing I’ll brag about. There is only one thing I will ever show pride in. There is only one thing that will make my heart swell, and it is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul is saying that, as believers, our lives should be lived in the shadow of the cross of Jesus Christ. In this message, we’re going to see exactly what it means to live in the shadow of the cross. Let’s dive in together.
As God Sees Fit
November 5, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • Judges 21:25
So often in our society today, the concept of “truth” is up for debate. What is right? What is wrong? What or who determines right from wrong? These are questions that people are constantly trying to answer. But the truth is, if you try to make right and wrong a matter of human choice, human reason, or human decision, you are out on a limb that will break every time. One of two things is true. Either what is right is right in our eyes or what is right is right in God’s eyes. With this in mind, I want to give you three reasons why only with God can you have morality. Only with God can you know what is right and what is wrong, and only with God can you tell the difference.
Father Figure
June 18, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • Ephesians 6:4
I love what President Franklin Roosevelt said: “We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future.” In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul gives fathers the best advice and wisdom on how to be the father your children need you to be. In a simple but sublime sentence, Paul shares with us four things we need to give our children to be the parents we ought to be.
It's Not About Me
June 11, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • 1 Corinthians 10:23–31, 1 Corinthians 11:1
An unknown person once said, “There are two great moments in a person’s life. The first is when you were born; the second is when you discover why you were born.” That leads me to make one of the most arrogant statements any pastor could ever make to anybody. If there is a God and if that God has revealed himself in the Bible, and if the Bible is God’s word and true, then I can confidently, though it may sound arrogantly say, “I know the purpose for which every person was born.” Now we may not carry that purpose out the same way throughout our lives, but nevertheless we were all born for the same purpose. Paul in one simple sentence gives us the one purpose for which we were created. It is the purpose of the church. In fact, in the grand scheme of things it is the purpose of everything. The reason we exist individually, why do we exist as a church, why did God create anything or anyone? Here is the purpose, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) Now here is the kicker. We will never understand our purpose, or accept our purpose, or practice our purpose unless we understand one thing about our lives – it is not about me.
Model Moms
May 14, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • 1 Samuel 1
So far in this series, we have talked to husbands, wives, and fathers. Today, we are going to talk to and about mothers. I know from both having one and being married to one that the dad may be the head of the home, but the mother is the heart of the home. I read one time where someone said, “A mother is she who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take.” That being said, it’s a tough task to be a mom, but thankfully Scripture gives us a great picture of what it looks like to be a model mom. In this message, we’re going to look at this example and learn from this model mom how to navigate through the tough times of life in such a way that the peace of God will comfort you, the joy of God will bless you, and the power of God will strengthen you.
Grave Significance
April 9, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • Acts 17:16–34
Today, we are going to look at the seventeenth chapter of the book of Acts. In our key passage, the Apostle Paul is in one of the greatest cities of the world at that time, Athens, and while he was there, he had the same challenge of sharing the truth of the resurrection that we have today. He wanted to bring the sunshine of Easter into the darkness of a lost city that is so much like the lost one we live in today. As we study his words, are going to learn why that empty tomb has such grave significance and how we can most effectively present the gospel to the world.
One Job
February 26, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • Matthew 28:18–20
When we get to heaven and we stand before the Lord, I am convinced that one question he is going to ask us individually and as a church is this one simple question, “You only had one job. Did you do it?” We don’t have to wonder what that one job is because Jesus clearly spelled it out. What he is about to say is not just to pastors, preachers, professors, priests or professionals. He is talking to people of all stripes, all colors, all ethnicities, men, women, rich and poor. We all have the same job. As a follower of Jesus, you are going to understand why we only have one job and why we should always be doing it.
Fasting
January 22, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • Matthew 6:6–18
Fasting is something we honestly know very little about and we don’t practice it very much. We know a lot about feasting, but we don’t know a lot about fasting, which, in a way, I get. On any given day, I would choose a feast over a fast anytime. Yet, if we want to be on the right side of history, we need to learn about fasting and we need to understand why it is a discipline we should experience. Fasting is just as much a part of the Christian life as other spiritual disciplines like praying and giving. So in this message, I am going to tell you two things we should do with fasting and one thing we shouldn’t.
Get Off the Guilt Trip
January 15, 2023 • Dr. James Merritt • Zechariah 3:1–7
In today’s key passage of Scripture, we see a picture of a defendant in God’s courtroom. This courtroom has everything you would imagine. There is a judge. There is a defendant (that’s you). There is a prosecuting attorney. And as the defendant, you’re facing the question: will the verdict be “guilty” or “not guilty?” The answer to this question all depends on who you are and where you stand with the judge (God) before you enter that courtroom. Standing before the judge, we learn who our prosecuting attorney is going to be (Satan) and who our defense attorney will be (Jesus). So as we dive into this message and study this passage of Scripture, we are going to see how you can make sure when you stand before the supreme judge, you will hear the words, “Not guilty! Case dismissed.” Specifically, three things must happen for that to be the case.
