ESBC Elder Josh Wines will be sharing with us from Job 3. This passage will challenge us to consider how we should respond to God when we don't understand what He is doing in our lives.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself, "How do I respond to God when I don't understand what He is doing in my life?"

Where is God when we are sick? That's the question we are going to consider from Job 2. In seasons of sickness, we should not despair, but trust in God's comforting presence through Jesus Christ.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself,"How should I respond to sickness?"

"Do I despair or do I turn to God?"

We will begin a new series going through the Old Testament book of Job. We'll start in Chapter 1 this week and ponder what we should do when God feels distant and things go wrong in our lives. Will we still trust in God's sovereign goodness and loving-kindness?

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself, "When things go wrong in my life, what is my first response?"

"What should be my response?"

Stephen Howard will be teaching us about faith from the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel 3:13-18 will encourage us to have faith that trusts God not only in His power to deliver, but in His sovereign will -- no matter the outcome.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself, "Do I trust God's sovereign will, no matter the outcome?"

"What would it take for me to have that kind of trust?"

April 20, 2025 was Easter -- Resurrection Day! 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 shows us why the resurrection is important and how it can give us hope.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself, "Why is the resurrection important?"

"How should the truth of the resurrection give me hope?"

In this sermon we talk about greeting/welcoming others to church. With Easter next week (and higher church attendance), we want to be prepared to welcome believers and unbelievers who join us that day...even those who maybe different from us. Beyond Easter, we should think about what our church will look like in the future. How can we serve others and not just do what makes us most comfortable? Passages like Romans 15:1-7 and James 2:1-9 will help us.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself, "What can I do to help others feel welcome at our church?"

In this sermon, Pastor John talks about God's Good Gift of Growth. God expects us to grow spiritually and His Holy Spirit produces that growth in our lives. But it is not automatic; growth happens when we specifically apply God's Word to our lives.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself, "Is growing spiritually important to me?" "How do I specifically apply God's Word to my life?"

In this sermon we will talk about what the Bible says about gender. God created gender, specifically two genders. Both men and women have equal value, but God has given them different roles. So, we will celebrate gender and discuss how both men and women are needed in the church today. As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself "Do I consider my male-ness or female-ness to be a gift of God?" "How does my gender enable me to uniquely serve the Lord?"

In this sermon we will be starting a new sermon series about the good gifts that God gives us and the way we should use them to honor Him. We'll look at how God entrusts us to be good stewards of the resources that He gives us. With the rapid rise of online gambling, we need to commit to use what God has given to us in a way that glorifies Him. As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself, "What resources has God given to me?" "How do I make decisions about how to use those resources?"

Sunday, March 16 is 3/16.

In light of that, Elder Tom Toone will encourage us with a message based on one of the most famous verses of the Bible: John 3:16. He will speak on what this verse teaches us about God's love.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself,

"When was the first time I heard John 3:16?"

"Why is God's love important to me?"

Paul will tell Titus to remind believers to respect other people in Titus 3:1-7. We are to respect those in authority and show courtesy to all people. We do this, because we were once slaves of hatred and sin, but we have now been reborn and saved by Jesus Christ.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself,

"Am I intentional in treating all other people with respect?"

"Why should I treat others with respect?"

Elder Dan Long shares with us from God's Word.

Paul will tell Titus to remind believers to respect other people in Titus 3:1-7. We are to respect those in authority and show courtesy to all people. We do this, because we were once slaves of hatred and sin, but we have now been reborn and saved by Jesus Christ.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself,

"Am I intentional in treating all other people with respect?"

"Why should I treat others with respect?"

In this sermon we will talk about the life-changing power of the gospel of Jesus Christ from Titus 2:11-15. The gospel is from God's grace and brings salvation that makes a difference in our lives. It gives us hope, redeems us, and brings us into God's family. Our mission as a church is to share that message.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself,

"What is my favorite part of the gospel?"

"How do I share the gospel message?"

In this sermon we will talk about representing our faith in Christ in a God-honoring way from Titus 2:7-10. This is especially important when we interact with people who do not know the Lord at the places where we work. Our attitude and actions should point others toward the Lord.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself,

"How do I represent Christ?"

"When people look at my life, what do they learn about Jesus?"

Titus 2:1-6 will talk about the important role each of us has in the church to teach one another the truths of God's Word and model how to live those truths out. Whether we call it discipleship, teaching, or mentoring, we are called to help each other grow in our relationship with the Lord.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself, "Who taught me how to be a Christian?"

"How do I teach other believers to live for the Lord?"

In this sermon we will continue our study of the mission of the church in Titus 1:10-16. In this passage, Paul challenges us to confront dangerous errors that often try to worm their way into the church. We must fight for the truth that our salvation is based on faith alone and there is nothing we can (or need to) add to it. At the same time, God holds us accountable to live out that truth by living for Him.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself,

"Why is it important to fight/stand up for the truth of salvation?" "What difference does that truth make in your life?"

The Apostle Paul challenges our church to raise up godly leaders in Titus 1:5-9. Elders are one example of those kinds of leaders, but every believer should aspire to grow in spiritual maturity.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself,

"Am I growing in my love for the Lord?"

"Do I lead/inspire others to know/worship Him?"

"Does my character reflect my relationship with Jesus?"

We start a new sermon series through the book of Titus. Our focus will be on what God says our mission/goal as a church should be. In Titus 1:1-4, we'll talk about our responsibility to know the truth, live it out, and trust in the hope of eternal life.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself, "How did I come to know God's truth?" "How does knowing that truth make a difference in my life?"

To kick off 2025, Stan Smith (a former church pastor, Executive Director at the Baptist Resource Network, and faithful member of our church) will preach from Colossians 3:12-17. He will challenge us to think about what we should do for the Lord and how we should grow in this new year.

As you prepare for the message, please read the passage and ask yourself, "How does the Lord want me to grow in 2025?"