A Note From Pastor Steven
Hello.
It is my privilege to be the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church. We are a group of people who have come together because of our mutual faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.He is our Hope, and we invite you to discover Jesus as your Hope as well.
Also, thank you for visiting our website.I pray that it will help you to stay connected with the Lord as well as this particular body of believers.Please be sure to check out our website often, as we will continue to make many exciting changes, updates, and enhancements in the future.
We invite you to come join us in worship, fellowship, prayer, and the preaching of God’s Word each Sunday and Wednesday.
Blessings,
Pastor Steven
09
Sep '19
Daniel Extras 6
09
Sep '19
Currently, our Sunday evening sermon series is on the book of Daniel. Below are some extra resources related to the sermon entitled “Prophecies of the Nations” which was on Daniel 11:1-35. In this sermon, we looked at the prophecies that we can look at today and see their historical fulfillment.
- Who’s Who in Daniel 11?
Great article that provides a detailed summary of “Who’s Who” in Daniel 11. https://israelmyglory.org/article/whos-who-in-daniel-11/
- A great article dealing with many details related to Daniel 11.
https://walvoord.com/article/252
- Daniel Commentary that I referenced that provides an excellent chart on Daniel 11.
Daniel 11 provides enormous evidence for the accuracy of God’s Word.
Blessings,
Pastor Steven
21
Aug '19
The Promise Keeper
21
Aug '19
The meaning of the word promise often varies among people. This is largely due to the fact that promises are not kept as well as they were in previous generations. Decades ago, a person could promise you something by simply giving you their word. Unfortunately today we are probably more familiar with “broken promises” than promises kept. The need to be careful with vows we make (i.e. promises) is perhaps best summoned up in Ecclesiastes 5:5 “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.”
While we all fail or break our promises to others sometimes, there is One who never does. The Bible tells us that one thing we can always trust in is that the LORD will always keep His promises. Prior to Joshua’s death, he stated,“and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.”
The fact that the LORD is a promise keeper should encourage us each day. We know that despite all that goes on in life that the LORD will always keep His promises. The Bible is filled with His promises, so God’s people must know them so they can rest in them. Why not spend some time each day reading and thanking the LORD for them?
Blessings,
Pastor Steven
13
Aug '19
Jude Extra
13
Aug '19
Over the past few Sunday evenings, we have been studying the short letter of Jude. One aspect of the letter that we have looked at is the comparisons between 2 Peter and Jude. This past Sunday I displayed a chart to use for comparing the two. Several people have asked for it so I am including it below.
| Jude | 2 Peter |
| 4 | 2:1 |
| 6 | 2:4 |
| 7 | 2:6 |
| 8 | 2:10 |
| 9 | 2:11 |
| 10 | 2:12 |
| 11 | 2:15 |
| 12 | 2:17 |
| 13 | 2:17 |
| 16 | 2:18 |
| 17 | 2 Peter 3:2 |
| 18 | 2 Peter 3:3 |
“Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” (Jude 21)
Blessings,
Pastor Steven
Pleasing Him
“Pleasing Him – John 8:29”
All too often we do things that please ourselves. We might even be tempted to please other people to gain their favor. Much of this line of thinking comes from our sin natures as well as worldly influence. However, followers of Jesus Christ are supposed to be different. In fact, we are to model our lives after the very One who redeemed our lives.
In the gospels, we quickly and repeatedly see Jesus’ desire to please the Father alone. For example, in John 8:29 Jesus states that “I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” Jesus was completely consumed with a desire to please God and to fulfill His will. This is miraculous for several reasons, but especially since one of the Father’s desires was for him to provide salvation through his sacrificial death (John 8:28).
Part of doing what pleases God is spending time with Him each day. When we do this we better understand what He has for us to do in this life. In our society today, we have many things that distract and pull us away from time alone with the LORD.
Why not pray to Him today asking that your heart’s desire be to know Him and to do what pleases Him? Then, stay focused on His will which will always please Him.
Blessings,
Pastor Steven
Moving Too Slowly
Today, we live in a culture that has grown accustomed to quick sound bites, short videos, and one-minute solutions. With the advancement in technology, we do not have to wait on many things that used to require us to. This has led to what we often hear called the “culture of instant gratification”, etc. The Bible teaches and encourages us, however, that there is also a need to be patient and wait on the Lord (Psalm 27:14). Waiting on the Lord is something we all encounter at different points in life. There are times while waiting on the Lord that it appears He is moving slowly. However, we know that God works in His own time and way, all for His purposes and glory.
Waiting on the Lord requires that we trust Him and not rush ahead. Two key words with regards to waiting on the Lord are “trust” and “patience.” The Bible is filled with examples of people that missed out on the Lord’s best by rushing ahead of God (ex. Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 16).
If you are waiting on the Lord today, or any time in the future, read and pray through the following verses. Then, rest in knowing that it only appears God is moving too slowly. In reality, He is moving everything exactly in accordance with His perfect timing.
Psalm 37:34; Proverbs 20:22; Isaiah 25:9; Lamentations 3:25-26; Hebrews 6:15.
Blessings,
Pastor Steven
Daniel Extras – Part 5
Currently, our Sunday evening sermon series is on the book of Daniel. Below are some extra resources related to the next two messages on the Seventy Weeks of Daniel.
- What is meant by the Seventy Weeks of Daniel?
- A great article dealing with options to calculate the 70 Weeks?
- This is helpful in looking at ten key things related to the 70 weeks.
- Brief summary videos.
Blessings,
Pastor Steven
Passover and the Lord’s Supper
This past Sunday we had the great privilege of observing the Lord’s Supper. Our scripture was from 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 where Paul speaks of Christ Jesus as our Passover. We looked at a few parallels between Passover and the Lord’s Supper during the message. Several people have asked for the chart that we used, so I am providing it below.
| Exodus 12 – Passover | Jesus |
| 12:1-2 – Feast marked a new year and beginning for the people | 2 Cor. 5:17 – Believer is a New Creation. Old life replaced with a new life in Christ. |
| 12:5 – A spotless male lamb was sacrificed. | 1 Peter 1:19 – Jesus was with Lamb slain without blemish. |
| 12:7,12, 22 – The blood from the sacrificed lamb was placed on the door post. The blood covering spared them from God’s judgment. |
John 1:29; Rom. 3:25 – Jesus blood covers (justifies) us and removes sin.
*Hebrews 10:1-18 – Jesus was the final sacrifice.
|
| 12:14 – Passover was kept to remember what God had done for the people. | Luke 22:19 – Lord’s Supper done to remember what the Lord had done for them. |
Finally, you might find these two articles helpful as well.
Blessings,
Pastor Steven
Every Thought
“Every Thought” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
What we think about throughout each day is important. In time, these thoughts will come out in both our words and actions. When our minds begin to become saturated with carnal and worldly thinking, it will come out in what we do and say. This idea is similar to what Jesus stated in Matthew 12:34. There, he states that what comes out of the mouth flows from our hearts.
In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul transitions from writing in a warm and loving way to defending himself and his ministry against opponents (see also 2 Corinthians 11:13, too). Rather than resorting to human forms of warfare, Paul states that Christians should choose to use spiritual weapons (Ephesians 6:10-18). These weapons are primarily the Word of God and prayer.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, one specific area that Paul mentions that we choose to have control over is our thinking. We must not allow carnal or worldly thinking such as lust, greed, anger, revenge, etc. to take over. Instead, we must choose to stop thinking these types of thoughts and submit all of our thoughts over to Christ’s total control.
When a wrong type of thinking comes to your mind, prayer and bringing to mind scripture will help you overcome the wrong thinking. We do not have enough strength in ourselves to overcome sinful thoughts. See Psalm 139:23, Proverbs 4:23, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:22-32, and Philippians 4:8 the next time you need to bring a thought under Christ’s control.
Blessings,
Pastor Steven
20
May '19
1 Thessalonians – A Few Resources
20
May '19
1 Thessalonians – A Few Resources
Recently, we began a new sermon series on Sunday morning entitled “Living in the Light of the Lord’s return.” The series is based on Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. Below is a list of several resources that you might find helpful during our series.
- Introduction from Blue Letter Bible = https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/eo/1Th/1Th000.cfm
- The Bible Project video = https://thebibleproject.com/explore/1-thessalonians/
- Today in the Word, 1 & 2 Thessalonians Devotional = https://www.todayintheword.org/siteassets/website_assets/pdf/today-in-the-word-07-2015.pdf
“For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, NASB)
Blessings,
Pastor Steven
29
Apr '19
“Abundance of Things – Luke 12:15”
29
Apr '19
Jesus was often asked to intervene to help solve problems. Such was the case in Luke 12:13-15 prior to telling a parable about a rich man. A man from among the crowd asked Jesus to solve a family problem related to inheritance. Instead of answering the question, Jesus deals with the real issue which was a person’s heart in regards to greed, money, and possessions. Essentially, Jesus asked him what is more important in life. Were money, possessions, and the things of this world most important? The problem Jesus points out is that no amount of money or possessions can truly satisfy the soul of a person. So no matter how much inheritance they received, it would never satisfy them. One reason is that man is often covetous which reflects a heart of discontentment. Being covetousness simply means we want for things we do not have.
To explain this point better, Jesus tells a short parable in Luke 12:16-21. The parable shows that a man can have many things in this world, but be poor to God. Are you laying up treasures on Earth while remaining poor of heavenly riches (Matthew 6:19-21)? Are you content with what the Lord has already given you (Hebrews 13:5)? Why not take time to thank the Lord for what He has already provided for you.
Blessings, Pastor Steven
