Crossway Baptist Church

#stewards - Week 7, G.I.F.T.E.D. (Stewards of Finances - Principles In Giving)

In this, our 7th message through the series "#stewards," Dr. Buffy Cook finishes his teaching on how to be faithful stewards of our Finances by becoming "Grace Givers."  Ever heard "Like father, like son"?!  What's true physically should be true spiritually.  2 Pt. 1:4 says that as spiritual sons & daughters those in Christ have "become partakers of the Divine nature."  In other words, like Father, like son/daughter.  Our God is a GIVING God - redeemed us, justified us, adopted us - all by & because of grace!  Yet if they were to step into the "Photo Booth of Giving," many Christians would bear little to no resemblance to the Father!  Based on what God has given us how is it that we need encouragement to give & thus resemble our heavenly Father?!  Yet, the Corinthians did, we do!  Paul sets out to motivate them then & us today to become Grace Givers, who simply reflect their Father.  He does so not through high-pressure "sales pitches," spiritual armbars or theological beat downs but by way of encouragement!  Grab your Bible, a pen & a notebook as we examine 6 Encouragements to become Grace Givers from 2 Cor. 9, thus reflecting our heavenly Father who though we were strangers, yea enemies of Him, took us in and adopted us as sons & daughters of the Most High God!!!

Hard Sayings of Jesus - If You're Eye Causes You To Sin, Tear It Out

In this, our last message in our Summer Series, "The Hard Sayings of Jesus," Dr. Buffy Cook examines Matthew 5:27-30 in which Jesus tells us "If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out."  While Jesus is obviously not being literal, He at the same time is not simply having a bad metaphor day!  Jesus' BIG POINT is that Sin is SERIOUS!  As followers of Christ, we must deal decisively & radically with it!  In this message, we examine 3 things that Jesus commands us with regards to sin - Face Up To It, Don't Underestimate It, Deal Radically With It!

#stewards - Week 6 - G.I.F.T.E.D. (Stewards of Finances - Pattern of Giving)

In this, our 6th message through the series "#stewards," Dr. Buffy Cook continues to teach us how to become "Grace Givers."  Last week, in the first of 3 messages on being Stewards of Finances, we looked at the "Prelude to Giving" (2 Cor. 8:1-9); here we look at the "Pattern of Giving" (1 Cor. 16:1-4).  Ever notice the running joke, most folks' perception, that $$ is all the church cares about?! Money is a major part of this life & managing it as good stewards is a major theme of the Bible - 17/40 of the Parables (43%), 1 in 10 vv. of the Gospels address the subject of $$! Jesus dealt with $$ matters because $$ matters! The problem isn't so much the subject as it is US! God has given us 3 ways to invest in eternity (3 T's): Time, Talent, Treasure. The preacher who fails to address the first 2 is derelict in his duties but somehow meddling when he addresses the last! In light of Mt. 6:19-21 we MUST address giving! As we continue to seek to become "Grace Givers," we will examine what is to be the Pattern of Our Giving by answering 3 questions: To Tithe or Not To Tithe, What's the NT say about what to give, how & why to give it, Where does my primary responsibility lie to give - local church or other?  Grab your Bible, a pen & a notebook & listen in as we hear what the Spirit says to the churches about being good Stewards of Finances.

Hard Sayings of Jesus - Don't Be Angry

Do you have buried anger?  Are you angry with someone and it's caused a strained or severed relationship?  Is someone angry with you?  Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:21-26 that there are many causes and consequences to this type of sinful anger.  It can actually lead to murder and can lead to hell.  Don't let anger go unchecked in your life.  Grab your bible, your notebook and a pen as Pastor Jimmy Hicks takes us through this text in the latest message in our series "The Hard Sayings of Jesus."  Jimmy discusses the rise, results and reconciliation of sinful anger.  This is a message for everybody.

#stewards - Week 5, G.I.F.T.E.D. (Stewards of Finances - Prelude to Giving)

In this, our 5th message through the series "#stewards," Dr. Buffy Cook continues to work through our acrostic G.I.F.T.E.D.  Having examined the G (Gospel) and I (tIme) we now will spend 3 weeks on the F (Finances).  In this the first of 3 messages on being Stewards of Finances we look at the "Prelude to Giving" (2 Cor. 8:1-9).  Is it just me or does it seem that by & large the Church's teaching on this subject is ALL JACKED UP?! Pastors often resort to spiritual extortion; People often give just to get!  What should we believe, teach, live out?! The largest block of teaching on this subject in the NT is found in 2 Cor. 8-9.  There Paul appeals to the highest spiritual level possible - giving is an act of grace from beginning to end.  NT model = bountiful giving as a mark of true grace rooted in the sublime expression of the greatest act of grace ever known - the gift too wonderful for words, that of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 8:9, Phil. 2:5-11).  As we begin this 3 week journey to becoming "Grace Givers," grab your Bible, notebook & pen and turn to 2 Cor. 8.

#stewards - Week 4, G.I.F.T.E.D. (Stewards of Time)

In this our fourth message in the series "#stewards," Dr. Buffy Cook examines the stewardship of time as we continue to work through our G.I.F.T.E.D acrostic. Last week, Pastor Jimmy Hicks explored the G (Gospel); in this message, we explored the I (tIme). Perhaps no other word in our language & culture is the subject of so many idioms as time - time is MONEY, time CRAWLS, time FLIES, time STOPS, time STANDS STILL. It's been well said that "The bad news is time flies, the good news is that you're the pilot!" And so, if we are to be good stewards of our time, to effectively pilot it, to redeem it as Ephesians 5:15-16 admonishes us, it will take some work! In fact, it will require some HOMEwork, HARDwork, & HEARTwork!  Listen in as we learn how to and we commit to be better stewards of our time!!

#stewards - Week 3, G.I.F.T.E.D. (Stewards of the Gospel)

In this message Pastor Jimmy Hicks moves us into week 3 in our series #stewards.. . Through this series we are going to explore how we have been G.I.F.T.E.D as believers, and because we have been gifted, we are to be faithful with the gifts we've received. This week Jimmy taught us what it means to be a steward of the Gospel. What does that look like? From the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9, "We have a stewardship of the Gospel," and from those words Jimmy shares how 1. We have received the gospel, 2. To have the gospel means that we owe the Gospel, and 3. We are to pay our debts. If you're a Child of God, you have received the gospel. Because you have received the gospel, the Bible says you have a debt, you now owe the gospel to others.. When is the last time you and I have made a payment on that debt?

Hard Sayings of Jesus - Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted

In this message, Pastor Jimmy Hicks continues our Sunday PM series examining the "Hard Sayings of Jesus." In Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus began the "Sermon on the Mount" with the Beatitudes. The very last of these found in Matt 5:10-12 Jesus teaches the disciples that persecution, insults and slander thrown toward them would be blessings to them. He  told them when people threw evil their way to "Rejoice and Be Glad"  Now, if that's a sales pitch, it wasn't a very good one. Thankfully, it's not a sales pitch, but rather words of comfort from our Savior, who knew as followers we would hit times of rejection.  Through this message we take a look "who should rejoice over rejection," "when we should rejoice over rejection," and "why we should rejoice over rejection."

#stewards - Week 2, Overview Part 2 (The Good, The Bad, The Ugly)

Disconnect can be defined as "a disparity." For many Christians, there is a massive disconnect between knowing what the Bible says about stewardship & actually doing it! James 1:22 says that if we are simply hearers of the Word and not doers we delude ourselves. In other words, we make a serious spiritual miscalculation! As we seek not only to understand what stewardship is, aka Hearer, but also LIVE IT OUT, aka Doer, in this message we look at several Biblical examples of stewards from Genesis 24, Luke 12 & Luke 16. Some are good, some are not so good, some are down right hideous - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. Most significantly we will seek to individually answer two questions - 1) When it comes to YOUR stewardship, how's YOUR obedience?! 2) WWJS - What Would Jesus Say?!

#stewards - Week 1, Overview Part 1 (The Picture, The Premises, The Principles)

This is the first message in our new series entitled "‪#‎stewards‬." It is a 12 week topical study on the subject of stewardship. When the vast majority of Christians hear the word stewardship, they think immediately & solely of $$$!! Yet stewardship, and thus this series, is about something FAR more profound than just $$$!! It is about the fact that we have been G.I.F.T.E.D by God; It is about being able to answer the great question Jesus asked in Luke 18:8 - "When the Son of Man comes, WILL He find faith on earth?" When Christ returns, will He find you, me, us faithful stewards of ALL God has given into our hands?! Our goal through this series is that we would live out 1 Cor. 4:2 (it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy) and thus fulfill 1 John 2:28 (when He appears we would be ready to receive Him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses). Listen in as we get an Overview of stewardship by looking at The Picture, The Premises, The Principles!