GENESIS: Genesis 30

Sin always has consequences. While David has been forgiven and his sins put away, the effects will continue to be felt for generations, starting with his eldest son, Amnon. Few stories in the Old Testament demonstrate more fully the depravity of man and the deceitfulness of our hearts. I pray you will read 2 Samuel 13 in preparation for this weekend’s message. NOTE TO PARENTS: I would also like to issue a word of warning to parents. The text addresses content that you might not be ready to address with your children. Please know that I always do my best to be aware that children are in the audience and make the message appropriate for all audiences. However, because of the nature of this text, I wanted to give you a heads up. With this in mind, I pray that you would make every effort to join us this weekend at one of our campuses as we see again how God, even in the midst of sinful circumstances, points us forward to our perfect Savior, King Jesus. — Pastor Chad

The nation of Israel had never been so spiritually alive. God kept every promise to David, and the nation flourished. The nation was politically stable, unbelievably wealthy and militarily powerful, and at the peak of this unprecedented prosperity, David was on the precipice of spiritual disaster. How could this be? How could he have resisted so many temptations in dangerous, difficult days, and then yield at the height of success? The greatest enemy of our souls is the selfish pride at the core of our fallen natures. If we look deep enough, this is what we will find feeding the strong sinful cravings of our appetites, and this is why prosperity can be so spiritually dangerous. Adversity keeps us humbly desperate for God, but seasons of success can be our most perilous because we are so easily deceived into thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. I pray this weekend you would join us as we learn to walk in humble desperation for God so that we might glorify Him in every season. — Pastor Chad

There are many ways to effectively #liveoutward, but sometimes we miss seeing some of the most obvious opportunities that are so close we could reach out and touch them. In Acts 28, Paul was dealing with more distractions than are even imaginable. He survived a shipwreck, survived his captors, survived a deadly snake bite. Paul somehow kept his focus on the opportunities around him, and God opened the door for him to minister and share with the people of Malta. This week we will look at a very unique and important opportunity to #liveoutward and learn some basic skills of our LBC Cares Ministry.

When Jesus gives us instructions regarding making disciples, he intentionally gives baptism a place of primary importance. Beyond this, Jesus, Himself, was baptized. At the birth of the Church in Acts, 3,000 people repented of their sins and were baptized. One cannot read the New Testament without being impressed by the significance of baptism to Christ and the Church. Even with such a high priority, however, there is often so much confusion regarding baptism. When should baptism occur? What does it mean? Who should be baptized? This weekend we will look together at God’s Word to see what He has to say about baptism, and, as always, we will evaluate our lives based on the plumb-line of His Word. I pray that you will not miss this weekend. I am praying and trusting that we will see God move in a very powerful way. I encourage you to pray with me. We are trusting God for big things because we serve a big God!

In 1982 God led Brother Andrew, the founder of an organization called “Open Doors,” to launch a seven-year campaign for the opening of the Communist Bloc. Seven years later in 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. A door was opened for religious liberty and the spread of the gospel into Eastern Europe and even the Soviet Union. In Revelation 3:7-8, Jesus says to the church at Philadelphia, “I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” God is able to open doors that no one can shut and close doors that no one can open. What doors of ministry are you praying that the Lord would open for you? Please plan to join us this weekend as we study God’s Word, learn more about open doors for ministry, and seek to #liveoutward for the glory of Christ!

The teaching and discipleship ministry is to the church what an engine is to a car. You can have a beautiful car with a perfect paint job, immaculate interior, and the best technology, but without a working engine, the car is useless. It is nothing more than a showpiece. When a church fails in the area of discipleship, we are nothing more than a showpiece. This is so critical to the success of our church and to our individual walk with Christ. I pray you will join us this weekend as we look at the essentials of discipleship. You will be encouraged and challenged. I also encourage you to invite someone to join you. We may focus on discipleship, but we can’t focus on discipleship without also focusing on the greatness of the gospel. Don’t forget we also have a Saturday night service at 5 pm in the main sanctuary. You can also watch on online or join us at Reach Paola, Reach Raytown, and Reach De Soto! — Pastor Chad

Why has God left us here? Why didn’t He just take us home at the moment of salvation? Why not just hold a person under the water and send them to glory at the moment of baptism? The answer is simple. It is found throughout the pages of God’s Word. It is the conclusion to every gospel written, and for good measure, it was added at the front end of the book of Acts. We call it the Great Commission. This is the one area in which God has called us both individually and corporately to succeed. As C.S. Lewis once said, “If you are not involved in the Great Commission, then you and God are eternally out of step.” It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned saint, a new believer, or just an interested outsider, this weekend’s passage is for you. Please make plans to be in church this weekend as we gather around the truth of God’s Word. — Pastor Chad

Over the past few weeks, we have considered the Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. The Old Testament law and prophets create a door frame through which only one man can enter. He is the anticipation of Adam and Eve after the fall. He is the hope of David. He is the focus of Isaiah. Then…He comes. In a world held in darkness and sin, the Savior arrives. The event is supernatural. He is virgin-born. The explanation is just as important. Why did God become a man? Why must Jesus be the virgin-born Son of God? This is the greatest question of Christianity. We can’t afford to miss in this area of life because the consequences are eternal. I hope and pray that each of you will join us for one of our Christmas Eve services this weekend. Remember, our schedule this year is a bit different from previous years. We will have two “Eve Eve” services on Saturday: 5 pm & 7 pm. Then on Sunday morning, Christmas Eve, we will have services in the K-Hall and the Worship Center at both 9:30 am and 11 am. All services will be candlelight and communion Christmas Eve services. Plan to worship with us. If you are not able to join us for one of these times, an edited version of the service will be available on all our platforms on Sunday afternoon. I hope to see you this weekend and pray that each of you have a Merry Christmas! — Pastor Chad

We live in a day that might rightly be described as dark. Culturally, morally and politically we see an ever-encroaching darkness. The prophet Isaiah lived in a similar day. Not only was it a time of economic, moral, and political darkness, but the people themselves had become darkened by sin and idolatry. In the midst of this darkness, Isaiah writes to offer hope: not the hope of the world, but a biblical hope and a confident expectation that God would fulfill all His promises. It’s not an immediate and earthly hope, but an ultimate and eternal hope in God’s salvation, that amid their darkness, LIGHT was coming. Hope was on the horizon. This hope would not come in the form of a revived economy, a strengthened military, or a new political system, but in the form of a Jewish Son who would be born to them. This is the hope of the world. This is the reason we celebrate Christmas. I pray you will join us this weekend as we continue our Prophecy Fulfilled series and look to the hope of the world and what many have described as the Hallelujah Chorus of God’s Word. — Pastor Chad

As you come to the end of each of the gospel accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you find the world coming together against Christ. Jews, Gentiles, Pharisees, Herodians, the religious and even criminals gathered in rejection of Christ. The diversity of the world united in one thought: they didn’t want Christ as their King. They rejected Him and killed Him, and it begs a question. This question is one that they had to ask themselves, and at some point, each of us must ask ourselves: who is Jesus? This week as we continue our series “Prophecy Fulfilled,” we will turn our attention to Psalm 2. This psalm is a coronation psalm for a king, and according to all the New Testament writers, it finds its fulfillment in one person. I pray you will join us this weekend as we look to the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ!