AVBC - Sunday 02/22/26 - Sermon Title: “First Comes the Trial and the Training!” - “The Path to the Empty Tomb” (Part 1 of 7) - Luke 4:1-13, Romans 10:8-13

 Sunday 02/22/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church

Sermon Title: “First Comes the Trial and the Training!” - “The Path to the Empty Tomb” (Part 1 of 7) - Luke 4:1-13, Romans 10:8-13

 

 

(Welcome Picture)

          I have a question for us all to consider this morning. Here is the question, how many of us have ever had to train or prepare for something? I think of the Winter Olympics, as Olympians from all over the world have been training for years to represent their countries, this year, in Italy, and hopefully win a medal. Some of us, when we started a new job, went through training for that job. Some of us might have gone to college, vocational school, or something else in order to train and to be qualified for a job, or something else. In fact, I went through the training to lead our upcoming “Grief Share” class to be better prepared to lead that group. Further, athletes in our schools practice, train, and get ready to compete. After all, who does not love a Spartan victory, right South Jeff. folks! The original Spartan soldiers from centuries ago were some of the fiercest and well-trained soldiers in the known world at the time.

          Training and preparing are natural parts of life. As I talk about this, we can probably think of the various training and preparations that we have had. What were they? What are they? What will they be? If someone wants to become a doctor they go to medical school and then spend at least three years of training as a resident doctor, before they become full medical doctor. For example, I am currently taking a ten-week class to learn even more about the history and the heritage of the Baptist movement. Am I doing this because I have too? No, but I am learning, training, and preparing, as we all are in various ways.

What if I told you all, that in a way Jesus also went through His own training, preparation, and certainly His own trials? I have given this type of sermon before at the beginning of this season of Lent that we now find ourselves in. I will talk a little bit more about what Lent is a little later in this message though.

(Show Basic Training Picture)

One year though I called a sermon similar to this, “Jesus’ Basic Training!” You see, before a soldier is officially in the military as a full enlisted soldier, they must first complete basic training. Which means it is possible to fail basic training and have to then re-take basic training again! This training though, once again, is required, and prepares soldiers to serve in the various branches of the armed forces in which they have enlisted. No doubt this basic training has its challenges and its trials. No doubt you will be pushed, made better and prepared. In a way, Jesus goes through His own training and His own time of preparation.

In our gospel of Luke 4:1-13 reading for this morning, Jesus had just been baptized by His cousin John the Baptist. Yet, before he started his three-year public ministry here on earth, as my sermon title for this morning is called, “First Comes the Trial and the Training!” In fact, in the first part of Luke 3:23 this is what the gospel says:

²³ Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work                         (Lk. 3:23a, NRSV). 

After this, in the rest of the gospel of Luke chapter 3 we read of Jesus ancestors, going back to the very beginning. This no doubt was done to prove Jesus’ lineage, further proving that he was indeed the Messiah, the savior of the world.

          Then right after this, we hear in Luke 4:1-2, subtitled in my bible,                    “The Temptation of Jesus,” once again:

4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished                       (Lk. 4:1-2, NRSV).

We have accounts of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but not John’s gospel. The purpose of this forty-day temptation is to show us that Jesus prepared and trained, in a way, for His three years of preaching, teaching, healing, and loving on this earth. Or as my sermon title for this morning is called, once again, “First Come the Trial and the Training!”

          Some of us so often can think of Jesus and gentle and mild, and He was and is those things. The same Jesus though, is also as tough as nails, as this same Jesus stood toe to toe with the greatest evil that this world has ever seen, and He won! While was Jesus the pinnacle of love, compassion, mercy, and kindness on this earth, he also was and is a spiritual warrior. Dare I say, “Spartan” like. This Jesus never taught or advocated violence or war, but no doubt Jesus had spiritual strength stronger than the mightiest warrior.

As we continue to look in our gospel reading from Luke 4:1-13, we pick back up Luke 4:3, where Jesus had just spent forty-days fasting and being tempted by the devil, This is what is says, once again:

(Show Picture of the Three Temptation of Jesus by the Devil)

³ The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ ⁴ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”’ ⁵ Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ ⁸ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”’ ⁹ Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you”, ¹¹ and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’ ¹² Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ ¹³ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time         (Lk. 4:3-13, NRSV).

          The gospel of Luke 4:1-13 reading for this morning tells us that Jesus fasted and was tempted in the wilderness for forty-days. The Bible says that Noah was on the waters in the ark for forty days. The Bible says that Israelites wandered the wilderness for forty-years. Moses was on the top of Mount Sinai for forty-days communing with God before he brought the ten-commandments down, etc. and etc. In fact,

“In the Bible, the number 40 signifies a period of testing, trial, probation, or preparation, appearing over 150 times to mark significant transitions or judgment” (https://www.google.com/search?q=number+40+meaning+in+the+bible&rlz=).

          This is why, once again, my sermon title for this morning is called, “First Comes the Trial and the Training!” I guess it would also be a very biblical reason to make military basic training 40-days, as well! Jesus could have fasted and been tempted by the devil for 20-days, 60-days, and so on and so forth, but in the Bible

“the number 40 signifies a period of testing, trial, probation, or preparation”.

This means that even the number of the days that Jesus fasted and was tempted in the wilderness, in and of themselves, was significant. It also means that Jesus was and is the Christ. He was the only person that ever crossed the horizon of this world and overcame all evil and sin. He therefore is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise.

          For us though, how would we do in the wilderness for forty-days being tempted by the devil? Would we make it through forty days of fasting and the temptations? Most people would die without food after a month. Further, if we were starved and that hungry, would we take the devil’s offer to turn stones into bread? In that weakened and emaciated state would we accept the offer to bow to the devil and pledge our loyalty to him in exchange for wealth, power, and more? If so, what would our price be? Would it be $50,000 dollars, one million dollars, or something else? Lastly, if the devil took us to the top of a building much taller than this church, and told us to throw ourselves off because angels would save us, would we do it? Even more, why does the devil get so mad when we do some much good? We live in a world that has both good and evil in it, and we must prayerfully, individually, and as a church resist evil and anything opposite of the love of Christ. So, if we were in the place of Jesus, how long would we make it in the wilderness? Jesus is strong, and is Lord of all, because He passed every test, stayed true, and died our spiritual death for us on the cross.

          I also remember years ago when It was teaching a social studies lesson, when I was a social studies teacher. I was teaching my students about the cause and effect we as people and as countries have on each other. I was also talking about greed, war, and power. I asked my students as part of this lesson, this question:

“If one-hundred people in a third world country that you have probably never heard of, and will never visit, had to die for you to be given ten-million dollars, would you do it?”

          To my shock as a young high school teacher at the time, about 10-15% of my students raised their hands, and unbelievably they had assorted reasons why they would be ok with this. Of course, one or two of the students raised their hands just to be funny, but some would actually be ok with one hundred people they met dying for them to get ten million dollars. I remembered that story, because when the devil took Jesus to the cliff’s edge after his forty-days of fasting and temptation, he offered Jesus the entire world if He would just worship him. The big question then is what is your price? What is my price? I hope all of us will say that our integrity, that our souls, and that our humanity is not or will even be for sale.

          The second scripture that I read this morning was Romans 10:8-13, once again. In this scripture, it says this, once again:

⁸ But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart’

(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹ because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. ¹¹ The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. ¹³ For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’ (Rom. 10:8-13, NRSV).

          Anyone who believes in Jesus, has an eternal future, and has an eternal hope. We are called to live and love like Jesus, but sometimes it seems like that things in this world might try to tare us down. This morning, Jesus resisted and fasted for forty-days, and then He bested the devil and everyone else that sought to destroy Him. For these reasons and many more, my allegiance to Jesus is absolute, because He has never failed us, and He never will. This same Jesus taught us a radical new way of living and loving. In this, wait for it, in this forty-day season of Lent, we are called to be more and more like Jesus. For the more we live and love like Him the better Adams is, the better we are, and the better the world will be.

          With this said, this past Wednesday on February 18^th this year, we started the season of Lent. This season goes through Maundy Thursday or as it is called in some traditions Holy Thursday, ending on Good Friday. The way we get away with the forty-days, is Sundays are “freebie days” that do not count as part of a Lenten observance. So then, “What is Lent?”

(Show the “What is Lent” picture)

Here is a good definition of what the season of Lent is:

Lent is a 40-day (excluding Sundays) Christian liturgical season of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, starting on Ash Wednesday and ending before Easter. It signifies a period of repentance, spiritual renewal, and preparation for Easter, mimicking the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness (https://www.google.com/search?q=What+is+lent&rlz).

          Is Lent or Advent in the Bible? The answer is no. However, there are many number forties in the Bible, and as we know this is a period of “testing, trial, probation, or preparation.” Studying for a Regents exam is a period of “testing, trial, probation, or preparation.”

          Over the first centuries of the early worshipping Christian Church, early Christians began developing Christian seasons of the year. The season Advent that leads up to Christmas, and the season of Lent that leads up to Good Friday, and then Easter, we created and developed. Why? As opportunities to prepares ours hearts, our souls, our minds, our hands and our feet for the birth and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. In this season of Lent, and always we are called to grow closer to Christ and move deeper into the love of Christ. Hopefully, our Lenten devotions we have at the back of the church sanctuary can help with this. We can also give up, give away, serve, sacrifice, and abstain, but not to hurt and or punish ourselves. Instead, we are invited to this during Lent to grow closer to Christ, grow deeper in the love of Christ, and in deeper in our love and service to others. Some Christian traditions begin the season of Lent on what is called “Ash Wednesday,” and on this day people get ashes on there foreheads that look like a cross. These ashes are from the palms that were waved on Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem. They are burned into ashes and are used in churches that celebrate “Ash Wednesday.” So, the triumph turns into a tragedy, if you will.

          All this to say, this season that we find ourselves, this season of Lent is an opportunity, but not a requirement. I am observing this season, as I want to grow closer to Christ, and be better equipped to serve Him and others even better. So, as result, and this will be hard for me. I am giving up Pizza for Lent. No pizza until Easter for me. This mean next month when we have pizza with the pastor, you have a pastor and a pizza, but no pastor eating that pizza. I hope this draws me closer to Christ and does not just depress me!

          So how does this forty-day trial and temptation of Jesus, the season of Lent, and our lives connect to all of this. Or to put it another way: how does this message of “First Comes the Trial and the Training!” - “The Path to the Empty Tomb” Series (Part 1 of 7), matter to us today. Here is summary and application points from this morning’s message:

In Luke 4:1-13, Jesus fasts for 40 days in the wilderness, filled with the Holy Spirit and tempted by the devil to abuse his power, seek worldly glory, and test God. Jesus overcomes these temptations by quoting Scripture, demonstrating faithful reliance on God. This passage frames the season of Lent as a 40-day, spirit-led journey of fasting, prayer, and spiritual warfare.

 

Summary of Luke 4:1-13: The Temptation in the Wilderness

 

·       The Setting: Immediately after his baptism, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the desert for 40 days, symbolizing a period of preparation and testing.

 

·       The Three Temptations:

1.    Physical Need (Stones to Bread): Satan tempts a hungry Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus replies, "One does not live by bread alone" (Deut. 8:3).

 

2.    Power and Authority: Satan offers all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship. Jesus responds, "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only" (Deut. 6:13).

 

3.    Testing God (Temple Jump): Satan urges Jesus to throw himself from the temple to prove God's protection. Jesus replies, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test" (Deut. 6:16).

 

·       The Outcome: Having failed, the devil leaves until a more opportune time, and Jesus begins his ministry strengthened.  

 

Connection to the Season of Lent

 

·       40-Day Parallel: Lent mirrors the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness, serving as a time for Christians to retreat, reflect, and prepare themselves spiritually.

 

·       Preparation for Ministry: Just as Jesus prepared for his mission, Lent is a time for Christians to renew their baptismal identity and focus on their calling.

 

·       Overcoming Temptation: The season calls for confronting personal temptations—pride, greed, and selfishness—through prayer, fasting, and Scripture, just as Jesus did.

 

·       Focus on God: It is a time to move away from worldly desires (the "desert" experience) and rely solely on God's word (https://www.google.com/search?q=how+is+Luke+4%3A1-3+and+lent+connected&rlz).

As we move forward in this season of Lent on “The Path to the Empty Tomb” of Easter, may we train, equip, and become more and more like Jesus. Happy Lent! Amen. 

AVBC - Sunday 02/15/26 - Sermon Title: “Why Baptism Matters!” – Matthew 3:13-17, Matthew 28:19

 Sunday 02/15/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church

Sermon Title: “Why Baptism Matters!” –

                                Matthew 3:13-17, Matthew 28:19                                                  

 

          I have a question for us all to consider this morning. The question is this, how many of us have been baptized? Further, how many of us have been baptized as an infant or a child? Even further, how many of us were baptized when we were old enough to understand and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior for ourselves? Even further still, how many of us were baptized as a baby or a child, and then baptized again by immersion, or going under the water, again later in life? Or to say another way, who here has been baptized twice?

          I ask all of these questions, because dear brothers and sisters, in the Christian faith, Baptism matters! Baptism historically is the mark of a Christian, and the entry point into the church here on earth. The way that a Jewish baby boy would historically be circumcised on his eighth day of life, as a sign that he was a Jew, baptism in the mark or the sign of a Christian. It is the “new circumcision” if you will.

In this church we practice what we often call “Believer’s Baptism.” By this I mean that we wait until someone is old enough to understand faith in Christ, to the extent that they can come to Christ as Lord and Savior. In response to repenting, coming to Christ, and being filled with the Holy Spirit, we baptized this person who has professed their faith in Christ. This profession is before us all here, and then in response, we baptize the person by immersion in our baptistry. We baptize by immersion because Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River in the same fashion.

          While many traditions of Christianity baptize infants and children, we believe that a person should have the choice to not only believe in Jesus Christ but should also have the choice to be baptized. If someone has faith in Christ, they have been forgiven, and they receive salvation and eternity. The next step is then getting baptized as a sign, or a symbol that we are new creation in our Lord Jesus Christ. In serving as a pastor in another tradition for a number of years I have baptized babies, children, and adults. While I respect traditions that practice baptism differently, I believe in “Believer’s Baptism” because it gives the person the choice to be or not be baptized. Since Jesus was baptized by immersion or going under the water and coming back up, I believe this is the way that we should baptize. There can be exceptions if someone is gravely ill or paralyzed for example. In fact, our church constitution says of baptism that the person has the choice of “immersion or sprinkling.” In being baptized we spiritually die with Christ, we go under the water, similar to Christ going into the tomb, and then we comb out the water to new spiritual life. This symbolizes Jesus rising from the dead.

          You might have noticed that I lifted my hand at the beginning of this sermon as being baptized as an infant, but not by immersion. I was baptized at month old in 1981 by mother’s childhood Roman Catholic Priest. This priest was a veteran of World War II, was captured by the Japanese Imperial Army, and was part of the famed “Bataan Death March” in the Philippines, where soldiers marched from April 9–17, 1942. Many American soldiers died during this march to the POW camp. This changed this person that became my mother’s Childhood priest, and he was a man of great love and compassion, even though I do not remember him at all.

          When I pastored two churches at the same time in the Finger Lakes region of New York, one of my piano players, and a dear friend, was and is part of the Salvation Army. In the Salvation Army, he taught me that there is no water Baptism. In Matthew 3:11 it says this:

¹¹ ‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt. 3:11, NRSV).

          In my friend’s tradition, there is no water baptism of any kind, yet they believe in having a powerful experience with the Holy Spirit as baptism. My mother Susan tends to lean more in this direction, and after some strong conversations, we have decided to agree to disagree. Once again in the scripture that I read this morning from Matthew 28:19, Jesus gives us what many call “The Great Commission.” Once again Matthew 28:19 says:

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Mt. 28:19, NRSV).

          The vast majority of Christians for nearly two-thousands because of scriptures like Matthew 28:19 and others, have believed in some sort of water baptism. Further, the vast majority of Christians for nearly two-thousand years, have believed upon Jesus’ command or “Great Commission” to His disciples and to us to baptize in the name “of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The variations of water baptism, in which the vast majority of Christian traditions practice are based upon tradition, interpretation of scripture, and theological reasons.

          Our reading for this morning from Matthew 3:13-17 says for this morning, once again:

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ ¹⁵ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. ¹⁶ And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ (Matt. 3:13-17, NRSV).

          Jesus is baptized by his cousin John the Baptist by immersion. Some might say “came up from the water” might mean that Jesus was walking up the banks of the Jordan River after he was baptized by the sprinkling water, but the vast majority of people think that Jesus was immersed in the Jordan River by His cousin John the Baptist. In this baptism scene of Jesus, we have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all present, as we baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

          The practice of waiting to baptize someone until they are of the age to be able to understand and believe in Jesus, and to chose to be baptized, or “Believer Baptism,” is only about 400-500 years old, depending on where in Europe someone lived at the time. These Christians were reading the scripture intensely, as they wanted to get the Christian faith right. In their minds, Jesus was baptized by immersion in the Jordan River, and the people that John the Baptist baptized in the Jordan river before he baptized Jesus’s willingly chose to repent and to be baptized. It is true that in the New Testament there are some scriptures where entire households got baptized from the oldest to youngest, implying infant baptism, but immersion baptism is about our free choice. We get to choose Christ, and then we get to chose to be baptized. Further, since many want to “get it right” we get baptized the same way that Jesus was baptized. In fact, every baptism that I have even done as a pastor, and there have been many, I always put some water from the Jordan River in the baptismal waters, as Jesus was baptized in the Jordan.

(Water from the Jordan River)

Since the goal of our faith and our life is to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior, and to be like Jesus, we chose faith in Him, and we chose baptism, whereby we get baptized the exact same way He did.

          Since I have been preaching and pastoring in this tradition for about four months now, I realize that I myself was never baptized by immersion. My older sister Gail was, as she was also baptized as an infant. In talking with Pastor Bud and Pastor Cathy, I was told that I do not have to be baptized by immersion, but in general this is our understanding of baptism. As I am working to get my ordination recognized in this tradition, I can or cannot be baptized by immersion. Pastor Cathy and Pastor Bud would be more than happy to help me with this, and in fact, Pastor Cathy is willing to hold me under the water for at least five minutes, just in case!

          The point of all of this, is this is “Why Baptism Matters!” Different traditions do baptism differently, and as I learned thirteen years ago, some do not even use water. Our understanding of baptism in our tradition is biblical, is the way that Jesus was baptized, and it allows the person by themselves and through their own conscience and faith to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. They then get baptized by immersion as a sign or a symbol of there life in Christ, and them being a brother or sister in Christ.

          Just to show the variety of baptism that I have been talking about, I found short video, about 30-seconds long of an Eastern Orthodox Christian Church infant baptism. I think this is the Russian Orthodox Church. In this video, the baby is dipped in the baptismal waters three times. One for the Father, one for the Son, and one for the Holy Spirit. Why? Well because Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 or what is commonly called “The Great Commission,” once again:

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Mt. 28:19, NRSV).

 

(Video of Eastern Orthodox Infant Baptism)

 

This is why the vast majority of Christian traditions that practice water baptism and baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Further, I will only perform the ordinance of baptism by saying “I baptized you (Name) in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as this is what Jesus told us to do.

          So, if you have never been baptized, or if you have never been baptized by immersion or going under the water, pray about that. If you have never prayed about becoming a member of this church, which we call “The Right Hand of Fellowship” pray about that, as well. As I said, I myself am praying about getting my own immersion baptism in that baptistry, or as some of my friends still jokingly call it, “the dunk tank.”

          How then can we take everything that we have heard, learned, and are prayerfully mulling this morning out into the world with us? Here are some sermon application points on “Why Baptism Matters”:

Baptism is considered highly important in Christianity as a symbolic act of dying to an old life and rising to new life in Christ, union with Christ's death and resurrection, and entry into the Christian community. It's often seen as a commandment from Jesus, an outward testimony to an inward faith, and a public declaration of one's commitment to Christ and the Church.

Key Meanings and Importance:

·       Union with Christ: 

Symbolizes being buried with Christ (water immersion) and rising to new life (coming out of water), reflecting His death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4). 

 

·       New Life & Transformation: 

Marks a spiritual rebirth, a transition from a sinful life to one dedicated to God. 

 

·       Obedience & Discipleship: 

A direct command from Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20), showing a believer's willingness to follow Him. 

 

·       Identification: 

An outward sign of an inward faith, identifying with Christ and His body, the Church. 

 

·       Entry into the Church: Traditionally, baptism brings a person into the visible family of God (Acts 2:41).

 

With all of this said, and in part because we do not have a church choir this morning, I have a special music video that I want to show you this morning called “Living Water” by Anne Wilson. This song was taken from the movie that we watched at our church movie night last month “Jesus Revolution.” It is not only about “Believer Baptism,” or baptism by full immersion, but it also shows why in our tradition we practice “Believer Baptism.” Once again, this is “Why Baptism Matters!” Let us watch this video together:                                                                                                                 (Show - Special Music: Anne Wilson - “Living Water” (Official Music Video)

Brothers and sisters, this is “Why Baptism Matters!” Amen. 

AVBC - Sunday 02/08/26 - Sermon Title: “Valentine’s Day for Everyone!” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 1 John 4:19-20

 Sunday 02/08/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church

Sermon Title: “Valentine’s Day for Everyone!” –

1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 1 John 4:19-20      

 

          This Saturday, February 14^th, is the holiday of Valentine’s Day. How many of us here love and look forward to Valentine’s Day every year? How many of once loved Valentine’s Day, but no longer love Valentine’s Day? How many of us have never liked of loved Valentine’s Day at all? How many of us think that Valentine’s Day has become over commercialized and just too much?

          For those that read my February pastor’s newsletter article, I cited the many things that this month of February is, such as, American Heart Month, Black History Month, National Bird Feeding Month, along with Groundhog Day, World Cancer Day, President’s Day, and others. Yet for me, I think that often Valentine’s Day steals the show of this month. Unless I am wrong, I have never seen a display at a department store for President’s Day cards, or President’s Day gifts. Maybe they exist, but do not think that they do. I have never gotten a call from someone saying, “Pastor Paul, I can’t believe you forgot President’s Day again and didn’t send me a President’s Day card this year!”

          As I am getting older though, I am becoming more and more painfully aware of how the various holidays, times of the year, and special days affect us all differently. We might have different views of Thanksgiving, for example, whether good or bad. We might love the Christmas season, or it might be a sad time for some of us. For some of us, we might love the holiday coming up this Saturday, Valentine’s Day, and some of us might not. This is generally seen as the holiday where you get the person that you love romantically gifts and show them that great love that you have for them.

          In fact, as I wrote in my monthly pastor’s newsletter article, let me give you a little history of Valentine’s Day. Here is how “Valentine’s Day” developed over the years:

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day).

 

In fact, here is a little more history of “Valentine’s Day”:

 

The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries, when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the "lovebirds" of early spring. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion for couples to express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. In the 19th century, handmade cards gave way to mass-produced greetings (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day).

 

          While Valentine’s Day, does have Christian roots, and while it is a day in some Christian Churches that they remember an actual Christian martyr named “Valentine,” we made up most of the rest.

          From what I have read and studied there where actually two men named Valentine that were martyred in the 200’s for their Christian faith. One of these men named “Valentine” apparently wrote a letter signed “your valentine” to his jailor’s daughter before execution. Or maybe that is just made up, we are not sure. Either way, how did we get from a Christian Martyr named “Valentine” to this?

(Show Cupid Picture)

Yes, “Cupid” a mythological Greek god of love. So, this got added to Valentine’s Day too. Cupid’s arrows make someone fall in love. So, what is my point, brothers, and sisters? How ever you feel about Valentine’s Day, outside of the Christian roots of the two Christian martyrs named “Valentine,” this holiday is mostly something that we created and developed over the centuries.

          What if though, that person that you love romantically is no longer with us. What if what was once the exciting holiday of Valentine’s Day, is now a holiday that you dread, care little about, or do not like at all? Since Valentine’s Day is all about “love,” I want to talk about “Valentine’s Day for Everyone!” I am challenging us all this morning to rethink the holiday of Valentine’s Day to be a holiday that is “Valentine’s Day for Everyone!” Why because, this holiday of “Valentine’s Day” coming up this Saturday February 14^th, is hard for people that have do not have a “special someone”.

          In looking at our first scripture for this morning from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, it says once again this:

⁴ Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸ Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end (1 Cor. 13:4-8, NRSV).

 

          This is a beautiful scripture, that I have heard read aloud at many weddings, and many other occasions. I have sometimes then had to jokingly remind the husband or wife that this was in fact a scripture that they agreed to when they got married. For example, I might have someone come to me and say, “Pastor Paul, do you know what my wife did!” “Pastor Paul, do you know what my husband did!” I have then jokingly wanted to say, “remember how you both wanted me to read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 at your wedding?” I have never actually said this aloud before, of course, but I have thought it!

In truth, Jesus calls us to love everyone. We do not have to agree with everyone, but we are called to love everyone. Amen. Valentine’s Day is a holiday all about love, so why can’t we use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to love anyone? I would not show extensions of romantic love to everyone, obviously, but for those that are single or widowed, what is Valentine’s Day coming up on this Saturday February 14^th supposed to mean for them?

          I mean if we just celebrate Valentine’s Day as we know it, but then many people get left out and left behind. I do not really like that, do you? In the gospels, Jesus went to all manner of people, of every walk of life, and this shows us that Jesus did not want to leave anyone behind.

          Again, we should distinguish this from a “special someone” if we have a “special someone,” but Valentine’s Day can be a day that we show a friend, a relative, a neighbor, etc. that they are loved by you and by Jesus. At the end of the day, we all want to feel loved, and because of this, I think Valentine’s day can be for everyone! Amen.

          In fact, looking at our 1 John 4:19-20 reading for this morning, once again, it says: 

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen                                           (1 Jn. 4:19-20, NRSV).

          Valentine’s Day then is about expressing love. In fact, in the original “Koine” Greek that the New Testament of our Bible was largely written in, there were four different words for love. What are these words, you might ask? Here they are:

·       Agape (Noun: ἀγάπη, Verb: ἀγαπάω - agapao): This is the most common, referring to unconditional, sacrificial love, such as God's love for humanity or the love Christians are commanded to have for others. It is characterized by willful, intentional, and action-oriented love (e.g., 1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

·       Philia (Noun: φιλία, Verb: φιλέω - phileo): This term refers to affectionate love, friendship, and camaraderie, often described as "brotherly love" or affection between friends. It appears when describing close companionship, such as in John 21:15–17

·       Storge (Noun: στοργή): This refers to natural, familiar love or affection, such as between parents and children. While the noun does not appear in the New Testament, the negative form (astorgos—"without natural affection") is used in Romans 1:31 and 2 Timothy 3:3.

·       Eros (Noun: ἔρως): This refers to romantic or passionate love (https://www.google.com/search?q=greek+words+for+love+in+the+new+testament&rlz).

So “Agape” love is the love Christ calls us to share with everyone. “Philia” is friendship type of love, as Philadelphia is often called the city of “Brotherly Love.” There is “Storge” love that we have for family member and children. Then there is “Eros” love with is romantic or passionate love, which the vast majority of people associate Valentine’s Day with. With all this said, once again, I think that Valentine’s Day can be a day where we express any of these types of love. Let us make this Saturday February 14, 2026, “Valentine’s Day for Everyone!”

          Here is a good summary of the Christian view of Valentine’s Day, which brings this whole message home this morning:

From a Christian perspective, Valentine's Day honors St. Valentine, a martyr who exemplified sacrificial love (agape) for God and others, linking the day to divine love, marriage, and selfless giving, rather than just romantic Eros, allowing Christians to celebrate God's love and relationships within faith, even while acknowledging the holiday's commercialized forms. It's seen as an opportunity to reflect on biblical love (patience, kindness, forgiveness) and express affection, with some viewing it as a secular celebration to be adapted, and others emphasizing the saint's martyrdom over modern romance (https://www.google.com/search?q=christian+view+of+valentine%27s+day&rlz=).

          So, brothers and sisters, I am not asking us to get rid of Valentine’s Day, but I am saying that we need “Valentine’s Day of Everyone!”

          Just to have a little fun, one of my favorite Christian skit duos is named the “Skit Guys.” They do hilarious skits that bring the love and hope of Christ alive, and they add humor along the way. This is one of their skits, reminding all of us to remember Valentine’s Day. Let us watch this together:

(Show “Skit Guys” – Remember Valentine’s Day Video)

          I also wanted to show you this picture quickly:

(VALETINE – Picture)

Explain this picture.

          So once again brothers and sisters, this Saturday may we have a “Valentine’s Day of Everyone!” Amen!

AVBC - Sunday 02/01/26 - Sermon Title: “How do we Receive Salvation?” John 14:6-7, Romans 10:9

 Sunday 02/01/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church

Sermon Title: “How do we Receive Salvation?”

John 14:6-7, Romans 10:9                          

 

As I asked the kids during our Children’s Corner this morning, I will now ask all of us: What is a Christian? For many, the answer can vary. About ten years ago, I asked a man if he was a Christian. He responded, “I go to church on Sunday, Pastor Paul.” I then politely asked again, “Are you a Christian?” He said, “Well, I give to the church, if that’s what you mean?” I asked a third time, “Are you a Christian?” He replied, “Well, I help out at church dinners and events.”

          The man was not mad at me, and I was not mad at the man. It did seem though that the man did not have a solid definition of what a Christian is. The word Christian is actually an ancient word that goes back to about 43-44 AD. This title was given to the followers of Jesus Christ in the city of Antioch. Here is a little history of the word Christian. The word Christian started:

“as a label for followers of Jesus, as recorded in Acts 11:26. Initially used by outsiders, possibly as a descriptor or taunt, it became a, formal title for believers by the 2nd century. It appeared as a personal name in Europe by the 12th century” (https://www.google.com/search?q=When+did+Christian+be+a+name).

In fact, the first Christians, who were all Jews, until the Apostle Paul spread the gospel to non-Jews, or “gentiles,” were called “The Way.” While these Jewish converts turned to Christ, they were seen as a sort of branch of Judaism that followed Jesus or “Yashua” in the Hebrew. All this is to say that the name “Christian” started as an insult, and that name stuck. We are followers of Jesus or “Yashua.” We followers of Christ, or “Christians.” The Book of Acts 11:26 says:

²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they associated with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’ (Acts 11:26, NRSV).

          This scripture is talking about the Apostle Paul and Barnabus, as they spent an entire year together with the Christian Church in Antioch and taught many people the gospel of Jesus Christ, and about Jesus Christ. This scripture once again, tells us that the name “Christian” was first used at this point, which again, was about 43-44 AD. Antioch was a city in what is now the country of Turkey in the Middle East, and today is called Antakya.

          If someone were to ask you today though, “What is a Christian?” How would you respond to that? It is possible that some might have never really though very deeply about it, but I think that knowing who we are as Christians is very important for us. This is very important for our family and friends, and for the world. Why? As Christians we are representing Jesus, and this is very important.

          With all of this said, my sermon title for this morning is “How do we receive salvation?” Someone might say, “But I thought you wanted to know what a Christian is, and what does that have to do with salvation?” Well, the word salvation means:

1.    preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss.

2.    deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ. (https://www.google.com/search?q=salvation+definition)

In the city of Antioch, which once again in the modern-day country of Turkey, the term “Christian” was a title or a description. If we say that we are “Christians,” is that just a title?

          I believe that who are as “Christians” needs to be much more than just a title. Who we are as “Christians,” I believe, is the very core of who we are. To be a “Christian,” means that we repent of our sin, our shame, our brokenness, and we turn to Jesus Christ. We put all that we have done wrong on the cross of Jesus Christ, we make the Him the Lord and the Savior of our lives, and we will be forgiven. When we pray silently to God before Communion or the Lord’s Supper after this sermon this morning, if we humbly ask God for forgiveness for whatever we may have said or done, we will have it.

When we meet Christ, and when he dwells in our hearts, then we can feel the power of the Holy Spirit of God move in us, and we know we are forgiven. We are spiritually free, Jesus is our Lord, and we will be with Him one day in glory forever. Imagine the feeling the first time someone feels that kind of freedom. To truly know that through God our past is gone, and our future is with Jesus. To be a “Christian,” is to have freedom through Jesus Christ.

Further, every day that we are on this earth after we meet Jesus, we are called to live and love like Jesus. Coming to Jesus is something that is supposed to change us. It is not just buying a new shirt or a pair of shoes, it is something that is supposed to transform us from the inside out. Every morning, I surrender my life to Christ and ask God to help me pick up my cross and follow Jesus. I ask God to use me to love and serve others, so that Adams, and the world may be better. The very center of my life and my hope is Jesus Christ. To me, this is what a “Christian” is.

          Interestingly enough, I have talked with some people that I knew years ago, and when I ran into some of them, they were very different than I remember being years earlier. One person specifically, told me that he met Jesus Christ and made Him the Lord and Savior of his life, and that the Holy Spirit has and continues to change him. This person seemed like a person that was the exact opposite of what I remembered them as. They were “a new creation” as we often use the term in the Christian faith. Being a Christian then, is not just a title, it is the surrender of our lives to Christ. We put a new spiritual self and daily die to ourselves, put on Christ, and live and love like Jesus. To me, this is what a Christian is.

          The joke that I have had in the past, is that some people, so it would seem, because a Christian, because they worried about what will happen to them eternally if they do not become a Christian. The joke that we had about this when I was in seminary school was “buying Fire Insurance.”

(Fire Insurance Picture)

The reason this was a joke for me and some of my classmates in seminary was because it was the idea that someone wanted to go to heaven and not go to hell. As a result, they would become a Christian for the “Fire Insurance.” I mean they were told by their pastor or another Christian that to get to heaven, to eternity with Jesus that they had to be a Christian. So, they signed up, but it was only for the “Fire Insurance.”

          What I have always wondered though is this, how can person encounter the risen Christ, our savior, and not be changed? How do you come to Jesus and leave the exact same person as when you came? Do we believe in Jesus just to “hedge our bets?” Someone might say, “Well Pastor Paul, how can prove there is a God or a heaven and a hell? Or what if I just say I believe in Jesus, just in case?” I would argue that following, living for Jesus and living like Jesus, is so much more than “Fire Insurance.” Brothers and sisters, I am free of guilt, of shame, of anything in my life because the Lord Jesus Christ has forgiven me. Amen. We can walk in freedom, knowing that Jesus is the king of our hearts, and the king of everything. We now spiritually related to the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. Due to this, when we come to Christ we become royalty, as we all become princes and princesses. For our we are sons and daughter of the king, of Jesus Christ.

Even so, I have had friends of mine that are atheists or agnostics say to me, “Pastor Paul what happens if when you die, none of it was true?” I then respond to them and say, “I am one hundred percent convinced it is true, but to entertain you question I have a response. The response is this, I will have lived a life of victory in Jesus, I will have served Him, I will have loved like Him, and He will have used me to make a massive difference in this world.” I have said this before, because being a Christian is not just “Fire Insurance,” it is living a life of victory in the hear and the now, knowing that we can follow, love, and be like Jesus, until we go to be with Him, or He returns to us. So, for me, to answer the question that is my sermon title of, “How do we receive salvation?” The answer is surrender to Christ, make Him the Lord of your lives, and be transformed in Him. I have been asked before, “Pastor Paul when did you come to Christ?” My answer is this, “When I was thirteen-years old, and thousands of times since.” Our faith is lived and pursued daily.

          You see this transformation in Christ continues after we meet Christ and receive salvation in Him. This is because, for the rest of our lives we go through a process of what is called “Sanctification.” By “Sanctification,” I mean continuing daily to become more and more like Jesus Christ. After we meet Christ, we are then called to become more and more like Him, every day. This is why I have come to Christ thousands of times.

          The two scriptures that I picked for this morning, among many others, like John 3:16 and etc., to support the case for salvation in Christ that I making this morning are: John 14:6-7, Romans 10:9. While I read these a few minutes ago, let us look at these again, and talk about them a little.

          In the gospel of John 14:6-7, it says this:

⁶ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him’ (Jn. 14:6-7, NRSV).

These words of Jesus Christ Himself, are Him telling us that the way to be spiritually and in everything is in Him. Remember the first Jewish converts to Christianity were called “The Way.” Jesus tells us that through Him, we will know hope, truth, and new life. Through Him we will have transformation now, continued transformation, and eternal life in Him. To me this what makes the Christian faith have its power. This is what drives us through the Holy Spirit to do missions, and service others.

          In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, or the Book or Romans we read in Romans 10:9 this:

⁹ because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved                                           (Rom. 10:9, NRSV).

The Apostle Paul is telling us that if you are a follower of Christ, or a “Christian,” then we must confess with our lips that Jesus is Lord. Further, we must believe in in Jesus in our hearts, that Jesus truly rose from the dead on that first Easter, and that is alive in us, and alive in glory. With Jesus we have eternity, we have hope, and we have newness of life.

          So, what is the bad part about all of this? The bad part is that even though Jesus has changed us, and even though the Holy Spirti is continuing to change us, often times it seems like the world around us has not changed at all. Some days it might even seem like the world has gotten worse, or better, depending on the day. Our faith in Christ, our spiritual transformations, and our continued spiritual transformation exist in a fallen and a broken world. Individually and as a church family we live out our faith in Christ. Sometimes we are burning bright in our faith, and sometimes our lives might be filled with pain. Jesus is always with us, and we have each other, our church family. The hope of Jesus is real, the transformation in Jesus is real, but the world is often as it has always been.

          One of the shows that Melissa and I have really like watching is called “The Crown” on Netflix. In this show it portrays the now late Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, who died in 2022. It is a show that tries to show what life was like for the British royal family from Queen Elizabeth's perspective. Interestingly enough, Queen Elizabeth had a good friendship with Rev. Billy Graham. Billy Graham was arguably the most effect and impactful Christian evangelist in the pastor one-hundred years. God has used Billy Graham to literally bring millions and millions of people to faith in Christ. In the Netflix show “The Crown” queen Elizabeth meets with Billy Graham throughout both of there lives. There were times when Queen Elizabeth needed prayer and or spiritual council, and if Billy Graham was England for one his famous Crusades for Christ, or some other reason, she sometimes called on Rev. Billy Graham.

          In this same show on Netflix, an actor portraying a young Billy Graham reenacted a sermon that Billy Graham literally preached to Queen Elizabeth and some of her family. The scripture that Billy Graham actually used in this actual sermon, not this video recreation, was from Colossians 1:27. In this video clip, the great Rev. Billy Graham tells the Queen of England and others what “Christian” is. Billy Graham also explains how to receive salvation in Christ, as well. These are the questions I had us thinking about at the beginning of this sermon. What is a Christian? “How do we receive salvation in Christ”?

Here is the clip that I want to you from “The Crown” on Netflix:

(Show Billy Graham “The Crown” Clip)

Did this message change Queen Elizabeth? Well, she called on Billy Graham other times after that, so you tell me. If we remember nothing else about this morning’s message then, remember answering these two questions, “What is a Christian,” and, “How do we receive salvation” in the Lord Jesus Christ?

          So that this sermon sticks in our brains, and walks out of the doors of this church with us this morning, here are some application points for us to consider:

A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ, believing He is the Son of God who offers salvation from sin through His death and resurrection, forming the largest religious community globally, with diverse denominations united by faith in Jesus as savior, Lord, and teacher, striving to live according to His teachings. 

Core Beliefs:

• Jesus Christ: 

Central to Christianity, Christians believe Jesus is God incarnate, who lived, taught, died for humanity's sins, and rose again.

• Salvation: 

Through faith in Jesus, believers receive forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and eternal life, a gift from God, not earned by works.

• The Bible: 

Seen as God's authoritative word, guiding faith and life.

• Trinity: 

Belief in one God existing as three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.

• New Life: 

A transformed inner life, empowered by the Holy Spirit to follow Christ's example.

What it Means to Be a Christian:

• Faith & Confession: Believing in Jesus's divinity and confessing Him as Lord.

• Following Jesus: Modeling one's life after Christ's example, characterized by love, service, and obedience to God's will.

• Relationship with God: Cultivating a personal relationship through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship.

• Transformation: A commitment to change direction, turning from sin toward God.

So once again my friends, my brothers and sister, “What is a Christian?” “How do we receive salvation” in Christ. Amen.