First Baptist Church of Midway - FBC E-Blast

FBC E-Blast

November 16, 2015

The Nature of Conviction - John 14

For a sermon I gave several years ago, I jotted down a list and titled it "The Evolution of a Passion to Obey God." That passion doesn't just spring up, full-blown at salvation. We do enter our new life in Christ with a desire to please Him, and that does include obeying Him. But an intensely determined pursuit of His will develops more slowly.

In fact, the first stage - fear of the consequences of disobedience - barely qualifies as reverence for God. But as we progress in our faith and form a commitment to obey the Lord, we eventually reach the final stage, which is love and devotion to Christ. Wouldn't you rather follow Him out of love than out of fear?

Getting from the first stage to the last begins with what you might expect - an increasing knowledge of Jesus Christ. As we dig into God's Word to see how He provided for the saints, we develop a desire for His best. Men like Moses, David, and Paul weren't satisfied with what the world had to offer, and we won't be either when we witness His work in the lives of His followers. So we test out obedience and discover that God's promised blessings are real. As we acquire a record of consistent rewards for doing His will, we recognize the wisdom of obedience.

Can you find yourself on the spectrum between fear and devotion? It is my hope that you have committed to obeying God and that you are reading His Word daily to learn how to keep your promise. God wants your best--your passionate pursuit of His will - because He is giving His best to you.

Current Sermon Series
Last year, as well as earlier this year we studied In The Beginning..., how this world began. We covered the topics of God, Creation, the fall of Satan, the fall of mankind, and the promise of redemption. We briefly covered the first 3 chapters of Genesis. Join us as we continue this series, as we cover the next few chapters in Genesis. Lord willing, we will look at Cain and Abel, Generations of Adam, Noah, and other topics.

Last Week:
As we continue our study in Genesis, we come to the flood. It is not a mythical story, but a historic event that has been laid out for us from the creator of this world. Many details are discussed in this message.
Sunday's message is available for streaming or for download on our sermons page, or by visiting us on iTunes.

Next Week:
We will be finishing up our Missions Conference. We hope that you are able to come.

Upcoming Events

November 20-22 - Missions Conference. We will be having the families of the Hopkins to Peru and the Greens to Taiwan.

November 20 - Service at 7 PM
November 21 - International Carry-in Fellowship Dinner at 4:30 PM
Service at 6 PM
November 22 - Services starting at 9:45 AM

November 22 - Operation Christmas Child - Shoeboxes are to be turned in on this day.

November 24 - Thanksgiving Service at 7 PM.

December 5 - Ladies' Ornament Exchange at the church.

December 6 - Cantata Practice at the church at 5 PM

December 24 - Christmas Eve Service at 5 PM. We will be having the Christmas Cantata Hope Has Hands.

210 Front Street
Midway, PA 15060
www.fbcmidway.com
(724) 796-3381

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