Tag Archives: sermons

by | January 17, 2021 · 4:36 pm

I Will Speak Out While I Can

The Cancel Culture

I am sure you’ve seen it, everywhere you turn there is someone else getting blackballed. If it’s not a Republican for supporting Trump, a celebrity caught by a hot mic saying something supposedly bigoted, or whole media platforms that offer too much freedom of speech, it’s lowly folk like you and me who somehow gain the attention of the all-seeing eye of Big Tech.

No one is safe from being blocked from Facebook, Twitter, or Amazon. No one is safe from being de-humanized. For that’s really the point, isn’t it? To deny a person with whom the uppity-ups disagree the right to exist and prosper in the public square, even though they’ve done nothing illegal? And the “wrong” they’ve done, well, it’s all subjective, correct? It has to be, for objective good and evil is in itself a taboo subject.

Therefore, while I still have a platform, I am going to share what I believe regardless what others may think or whether or not they approve.

Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. – Proverbs 31:8-9 KJV

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday

Today is a somber and serious day to celebrate. Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, a day that started with the proclamation first made by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 on the 11th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Today is also a somber day to remember because it was the first year that Donald Trump did not make a proclamation for this day. Bill Clinton refused for 8 years. Obama refused for 8 years, also. Now I can only assume there will never be another presidential proclamation celebrating the sanctity of human life, for Biden will surely promote the funding of the current national holocaust begun in 1973 with the repeal of the Hyde Amendment and renewed federal funding of Planned Parenthood.

Today was also a day when I used the pulpit I’ve been given to stand of the Truth of God’s Word and hold nothing back in my denunciation of abortion. As I requested, God gave me boldness and courage to say what needed to be said, no punches pulled. If it gets me banned from social media, then so be it. It’s in God’s hands.

I was just the messenger.

“Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. – Jeremiah 48:10 ESV

7 Points of Needed Agreement

In this morning’s sermon (which, incidentally, did not last longer than normal) I shared a record 17 points! Actually, the first 10 were not my own, but 10 ways Christians could celebrate Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.

But the last 7 points were mine, and I want to share them with you, today. Unfortunately, I am 100% positive not all of you will be in agreement. However, we should be.

Things we should agree on and/or support if we believe Human Life is Precious and we are made in the image of God.

  1. Life is a right; abortion is a decision.
  2. Human life is more valuable than any other form life.
  3. Human life at any age, young, old, or preborn, his intrinsic value and purpose.
  4. Adoption should be encouraged and prayerfully considered.
  5. The Death Penalty is not immoral; God demanded it.  Genesis 9:6
  6. To memorialize a life is to acknowledge the value of life.
  7. Saving a life has eternal ramifications.

Now, I could expound on each one of those points, and maybe I should, but I would encourage you to look up my sermon on our church’s Facebook page. If you have specific questions about any of these points, leave your question in the comment section.

But I do want to leave you with one other thing.

If Not Sanctity, then WHAT?

The word “sanctity” is very appropriate when talking about the value of human life in the context of abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, etc. Consider the various definitions I collected from the web…

  • The quality of being very important and deserving respect; the state or quality of being holy, sacred, or saintly.
  • the quality or state of being holy or sacred : INVIOLABILITY

Consider the synonyms listed:

holiness · godliness · sacredness · blessedness · saintliness · sanctitude · spirituality · piety · piousness · devoutness · devotion · righteousness · goodness · virtue · virtuousness · purity

Yet, when our government leaders, our media, our entertainment, and half our electorate mock, bemoan, belittle, and censure those who believe in the sanctity of human life, specifically the innocent life within a mother’s womb, then what?

What is the antonym of sanctity? . . . “wickedness.”

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” – 2 Timothy 2:19 NIV

Image may contain: 1 person, text that says '" We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life- the unborn -without diminishing the value of all human life. President Ronald Reagan national RIGHT TO LIFE'

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by | December 9, 2020 · 2:46 pm

Preach What YOU Need to Hear

To begin, let me first apologize for the horribly weak audio of me speaking. The video I’m attaching was recorded, as usual, on my iPhone, but for some reason the corded external microphone attached to the pulpit didn’t work!

Ironically, you can hear everyone else clearly.

But beyond the audio issue, I’m attaching this video from Sunday night in order to encourage you. You see, even preachers need preaching to.

Did you know God loves you? He does.

If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear them. Either comment below or email me at pastoracbaker@yahoo.com.

Blessings!

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Filed under baptist, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Bible Study, Christianity, Depression, Love of God, Preaching

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by | November 9, 2020 · 10:01 am

“In Such a Time as This…”

Let’s Begin With a Comment

A reader named Stephen decided to throw in his two cents in response to a recent post called “He Will Be My President.” Before we go any further, I’d like to share it with you.

Talk is cheap and you got a website dedicated to it.
I get the feeling it won’t take long for the hypocrite in you to come out, but you’ll justify yourself in your hypocrisy. It’s what religious people do.
Reeds in the wind, flailing about trying hard to show the world just how saved you are.
Keep working at it, your salvation is near.

If you would like to read my follow-up to Mr. Stephen’s comment, you can go to the comment section of that post. For now, I want to direct you to the video below.

A 3-Pointer

It’s not that often I preach a classic three-point sermon, but this is one I would ask you watch. The subject of the sermon this past Sunday morning was how to move forward in “such a time as this.”

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, even if they are like the one above.

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Filed under America, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Christian Living, Christian Unity, Christianity, current events, voting

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by | November 1, 2020 · 10:30 pm

Are You a Christian Citizen? This Sermon Is for YOU!

I wasn’t able to save and edit the sermon separately. If you don’t want to watch the first part of the worship service, then just fast-forward. It’s up to you; it’s still a free country 😉

However, if you want to see what it’s like to attend a smaller Southern Baptist church in middle-Georgia, one doing its best to recover from the craziness of lockdowns and virtual-only services, watch the whole thing.

Regardless, I want to share a link to this Sunday morning’s sermon which was streamed live on Facebook. God put a sermon on my heart that needs to be heard by every Christian in America, and beyond.

Years ago, the legendary Dr. Adrian Rogers preached a sermon on the responsibilities of a Christian citizen. The four points of his sermon outline made up the skeleton for mine. I’m no Adrian Rogers, but the Truth is the truth.

Whether a citizen of the United States of America or some other place, we have been left with certain responsibilities that transcend culture and national lines. But now that we are right on the edge of an election that has the potential to either ignite incredible violence and destruction or initiate the end of the Republic as we know it, the subject of this sermon is that much more important for Americans to hear.

I’d love to hear your feedback. Watch and listen to the message God gave me, then leave a comment below.

And pray for America.

Click on the picture to watch the video. Thanks!

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by | September 1, 2020 · 8:31 am

Act Like Heavenites, Not Like the World

For some reason, although I have my suspicions, the audio from Sunday morning’s sermon never reached the online viewers. Therefore, last night I went back to the church and re-preached what I preached Sunday morning . . . sorta.

I will share the link with you.

(btw, that’s a vintage ’70s Lucerne Jump Date on my wrist 😉 )

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by | August 24, 2020 · 11:12 am

Pulpit Time: August 23, 2020

Tonight is the first night of the Republican convention. I’m sure it will be far less depressing than the DNC’s version not long ago. I mean, will anybody sing a song about how Nancy Pelosi is destroying their life?

Anyway, you can sit in front of a television (or computer) and watch political pulpiteering, or you can check out some more eternally-important pulpiteering I did yesterday.

By the way, I like my new glasses!

God bless!
Anthony Baker (The Recovering Legalist)

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by | August 15, 2020 · 1:04 pm

Does Jesus Care?

Watch the sermon from last Sunday and find out 🙂

But here’s a hint…. YES!

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by | August 8, 2020 · 8:38 pm

7 Questions I Feel Impressed to Ask You – Because We’re Not Promised Tomorrow

shutterstock_12937579 - Curata Blog

While getting ready for tomorrow’s sermon…

(which has nothing to do with what I’m about to ask)…

I came across a list of questions I had written a while back.

I think I had compiled them as an introduction to a sermon on James chapter 4.

But as I glanced over them tonight, a heaviness came over me, along with a feeling that I should share these questions on my blog.

Like now. 

So, here they are:

1. What could you do today that you’re putting off till tomorrow?

2. What are you planning for in the future that is robbing from today?

3. What good do you feel led by God to do?

4. How many years have come and gone? How many resolutions have you made and not kept?

5. How many years do you have left?

6. Are you filtering your plans through God’s will?

7. What is His will for “now”? (Oh that we could have more of a “now” faith!)

Some people are so busy planting seeds for the flowers in the future that they forget to smell the flowers that are already in bloom.

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by | May 20, 2020 · 1:49 pm

Preaching With Art (paintings, not the guy)

Art . . .

As many of you already know, I’ve really gotten into the whole painting thing. Well, watercolor, not oil paint or anything.

And since I’ve taken up the hobby of watercolor painting, I’ve learned a few lessons that can be applied to the Christian walk. Is it any shock, then, that I preached a sermon on the subject?

But now that I look back, it wasn’t just art that I preached about, the preaching and the video presentation used to share the message were also forms of art. Each one a gift or ability that improves the more you do it, especially with instruction.

The Finished Product

So, below is the video. It is an artistic presentation of art and the art of preaching within the context of a pandemic. If the video won’t play, try going to Bethlehem’s Facebook page @Bethlehembaptistwarthen.

BTW, the singers were thrilled to be able to get together after being away from church so long. And, if you live in our area, we sure could use some more musicians and singers. Just let me know 🙂

And for those of you who can’t seem to watch the Facebook version, here it is uploaded to YouTube.

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by | April 19, 2020 · 8:24 pm

Four Simple Tips for Watching Church Online

Hey everybody! Unless you attend drive-in church services, the only alternative is attending worship online. And if that’s what you do, here are four (4) quick tips for making the experience a better one.

1) Let your presence be known! Say hello, or something. If you like something said, do a “like” or “love” thing. Emoji’s are the new “amen!”

2) Try to act like you are actually in church. In other words, try to take this time seriously, because it is. But don’t get me wrong, you can still wear your pajamas and chomp on your Fruit Loops, but don’t get too distracted or else you might miss a word from the Lord for you.

3) Participate as if you’re really there. Worship in such a way that gives God the honor He is due. Don’t worship less at home than you would in front of other people in a fancy building.

4) Pray for those ministering; it’s not easy singing and preaching to a lifeless camera.

And since we’re talking about online church, below are links to the Facebook Live videos I made today.

The first video is from this Sunday morning. It starts off with my mother and me playing some music. Afterwards, my wife and mother and me sing a praise song. Then, as I explain in the video, my mother does something very rare – she sings the melody of a song (I then sing the chorus). . . . And by the way, considering my mother has pancreatic cancer, this was a special moment for me.

Oh, and the white board was a last-minute idea that could have been done better. It’s a learning process.

The second video was from tonight in my office. I start off planning to talk about Stephen’s sermon in Acts chapter 7, yet the Holy Spirit quickly led me in a very different direction. It’s worth watching (and it’s short!).

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