Bethel Baptist Church St. Charles

Illustration by Maya Dzik

Pastor Jay shares, today's sermon is on Genesis 5:3-32 - Three Men Who Walked With God
Most people skip through genealogies, but this one has much to teach us. There is a deliberate and distinctive feature of this set of names that is not found in any other genealogy in the Bible; it is the phrase "and he died". It is intentionally repeated to make the same point that the apostle Paul stated about four thousand years later: "in Adam all die". Adam's sin introduced death into the world, and the pattern has been repeated throughout history. In contrast, the good news of the gospel is that "in Christ all will be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22).

The record of the earliest human ancestors of the Lord Jesus Christ also includes three men who walked with God: Adam, who walked with God in the garden of Eden, Enoch, who walked with God right out of the world, and Noah, who walked with God and obeyed Him by faith. What about us? We also are called to walk with God by faith. The New Testament contains at least 18 different descriptions of how we are to walk, including in truth, in love, in newness of life, and in a manner worthy of the Lord. In the darkness of our current world, we must walk in the light, and we may be the generation that does not die - just like Enoch - and are suddenly taken up by our Savior, who will receive us to Himself.

https://youtube.com/live/W7l8xxk2PiI

Sunday, June 16, 2024 - Genesis 5:3-32 - Three Men Who Walked With God Most people skip through genealogies, but this one has much to teach us. There is a deliberate and distinctive feature of this set of names that is not foun...

Pastor Jay shares, Tomorrow's sermon is on Genesis 5:1-2 - The Goodness of God's Creation as Male and Female
In Genesis chapter 5 verses 1 and 2, Moses, through the Holy Spirit, repeats two essential truths about God's creation of humans: first, that He created us in His image, and second, that He distinctively created us male and female. The truths are so familiar that we could easily breeze by them unless we slow down to contemplate their magnificence. He made us in His image! It was immediate - on the very day that we were created - not over millions of years of gradual change. His creation of humans as male and female was a deliberate and gracious choice to give us different roles in our shared assignment to glorify Him through obedience to His command to multiply and fill the earth, taking dominion over it.

Every one of those truths has been challenged by those still in rebellion against their Creator, including the goodness of God's providential choice in making us male and female. In response to the lies of the transgender movement, we must tell the truth about God's sovereign work in creation, the truth about being made male and female, and the truth about the gospel hope offered to everyone.

https://youtube.com/live/tl8w02uwuik

Sunday, June 9, 2024 - Genesis 5:1-2 - The Goodness of God's Creation as Male and Female In Genesis chapter 5 verses 1 and 2, Moses, through the Holy Spirit, repeats two essential truths about God's creation of humans: first, that He created us i...

Illustration By Maya Dzik The illustration displays someone who is struggling with their identity. They have reached their breaking point, and their “pride” has broken. Their sickly heart is also displayed, and their sin still grips them, as shown by the serpent, who also forms a question mark. But God still offers this person, by His grace, eternal life if they choose to come to Him and believe. They will find their identity in Him and Christ, not by worship of themselves. The circle under the serpent represents the gender symbol, but without the end part of it, reinforcing their lost sense of identity. Violets and green carnations were also used in history as a symbol of homosexuality, which is why they are melting in the illustration.

This Sunday, June 2nd 2024, Bethel Baptist Church with Valley View Baptist Church and the HELPS ministry will join together for the second annual Hope for the Valley church service in the park. We will meet at the Riverbend Community Park just a few blocks from Bethel Baptist Church. Here is a page with a photo and a map: River Bend Community Park | St. Charles Park District (stcparks.org)
Outdoor church service in the park will begin at 11:00 am. Let us join together to hear Gods word, prayer and sing songs of praise to our savior Jesus Christ. Lunch will be provided at 12:00 noon. We hope to see you here!!

https://youtube.com/live/g2RY4hOrITs

Sunday, May 26, 2024 - 1 John 3:21-24 - Abiding and Answered Prayer In 1 John 3:21-24, John builds upon the assurance that he gave earlier in verses 19 and 20 to believers who see love for fellow believers manifested in thems...

Pastor Jay shares, today's sermon is on 1 John 3:21-24 - Abiding and Answered Prayer
In 1 John 3:21-24, John builds upon the assurance that he gave earlier in verses 19 and 20 to believers who see love for fellow believers manifested in themselves by the Holy Spirit. John adds another layer, saying that if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence to pray and ask for Him to act on our behalf in accomplishing His will. Our confidence is rooted in our Holy Spirit-inspired obedience to Christ's commandments, which are not burdensome (Matthew 11:30; 1 John 5:3).

There is a divine upward spiral:
The Holy Spirit writes God's ways on our hearts and minds as promised in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10)
We desire to obey and can see ourselves conforming to His will
Our conscience is clear
We have confidence to ask for what we need because our desire is to do His will
God expands our desire and capacity to do His will.. and the cycle repeats.

Our gracious God has indeed provided everything pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3)!

Pastor Jay shares today's sermon is on 1 John 3:16-20 - Love in Action
In this section of his letter, John points out that we recognize genuine love because of what Christ has done for us - He laid down His life for us, and we are called to do the same. John highlights the sacrificial nature of genuine love. It is one thing to say that we love other believers, but it is more significant - and more difficult - to show it in practical help and generosity. When we love by giving ourselves to one another - as our Lord Jesus did - we know that our love flows from genuine faith, and even if we have doubts about our standing before God, the love that He has given us for one another reassures us that He is at work in our hearts, and He will complete the work that He has begun.

https://youtube.com/live/wF40WuXQ2P0

Sunday, May 19, 2024 - 1 John 3:16-20 - Love in Action In this section of his letter, John points out that we recognize genuine love because of what Christ has done for us - He laid down His life for us, and we a...

Pastor Jay shares, today's sermon is on 1 John 3:11-15 - Why Can't We Be Popular?
In 1 John 3:11-15, John returns to the theme of brotherly love within the body of Christ that he introduced in 1 John 2:9-11, and he reminds us that our love for one another should be a comfort and assurance that our faith is genuine. He contrasts the love we must have with Cain, who murdered his brother. John says that we must not be surprised that the world hates us. He wrote it that way because our tendency as believers is to assume that we will be appreciated by the world, but the truth is that we will be hated if we are faithful, just as Abel was hated by Cain because the righteous deeds of Abel were an irritation to Cain, to the point of slaughtering his brother. Another implication of John's statement is that we must not try to be admired by the world. There is, sadly, a tendency in many ministries to try to win the approval of our contemporary culture, to be "popular". While avoiding that, we should never try to be offensive, making sure that the only thing offensive about us is the gospel itself.

https://youtube.com/live/xDdqfO5tVos

Sunday, May 12, 2024 - 1 John 3:11-15 - Why Can't We Be Popular? In 1 John 3:11-15, John returns to the theme of brotherly love within the body of Christ that he introduced in 1 John 2:9-11, and he reminds us that our love...