Category: 2016 Sermons

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2016-05-08: How To Praise A Woman

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:32 — 1.0MB)

Sermon Audio: How To Praise A Woman
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Proverbs 31:10-31
Duration: 25:32
Size: 11.6 MB

How To Praise A Woman
Mother’s Day 2016
Proverbs 31:10-31

  1. Verse 11: “The heart of her husband trusts in her.”
    TRUSTWORTHY
  2. Verse 12: “She does him good…all the days of her life.
    COMPANIONSHIP
  3. Verse 13: “She works with her hands.”
    Verse 27a: “She does not eat the bread of idleness.”
    HARD WORKING
  4. Verse 15: “She rises also while it is still night.”
    Verse 27b: “She looks well to the ways of her household.”
    CARING
  5. Verse 16: “She considers a field and buys it.”
    Verse 26 even says, “She opens her mouth in wisdom.”
    WISDOM
  6. Verse 20: “She extends her hand to the poor, and she stretches out her hands to the needy.”
    COMPASSIONATE
  7. Verse 21: “She is not afraid of the snow for her household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet.”
    PREPARED
  8. Verse 22: “She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.”
    ATTRACTIVE
  9. Verse 23: “Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.”
    REPUTATION
  10. Verse 25: “she smiles at the future.”
    OPTIMISTIC
  11.  Verse 26: “the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”
    PLEASANT WORDS
  12. Verse 30: “a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”
    DEDICATION
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2016-05-01: Luke-The Investigative Gospel – Learning To Be Thankful

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Sermon Audio: Learning To Be Thankful
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 17:11-19
Duration: 19:03
Size: 8.72 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Learning To Be Thankful
Luke 17:11-19

From these ten lepers we can learn some valuable lessons about being thankful.

1. We learn to be thankful when…we think about the fact of how desperate our situation is before we met Jesus.

They were thought to be unclean, and incapable of having a right relationship with God.

2. We learn to be thankful when…we think about the fact of what we have gained.

By obediently making their way to the priest, the lepers were demonstrating that they had faith in the words of Jesus.

3. We learn to be thankful when…we think about the fact that what was done for us could not have been done by us.

This one leper was different than the others. He did three things; he turned back, he began praising God and he fell on his face at the feet of Jesus thanking him.

The more you train yourself to be one who praises, the less mistakes you’re going to make and the less regrets you’re going to have.

4. We Learn To Be Thankful When…We Think About How Much Our Ingratitude Grieves The Heart Of God

There should not be any doubt that when we are not thankful, it grieves the Lord.

While all ten lepers had received physical healing, only this Samaritan had the faith for spiritual healing as well.

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2016-04-10: Luke-The Investigative Gospel – What Does God Owe Me

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Sermon Audio: What Does God Owe Me
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 17:7-10
Duration: 24:26
Size: 11.1 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
What Does God Owe Me
Luke 17:7-10

In America, we have gotten our work ethic a little twisted we don’t just work to make a living; we work for perks.

Even worse, this attitude begins to affect how we look at God; He is just not blessing us like we deserve.

Jesus explodes such thinking with a mini-parable The Parable of the Unworthy Servant in verses 7 through 10.

1. We are Called to Faithfulness in Ordinary Tasks.

We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there.

2. Our Service is Only the Humble Fulfillment of Our Lord’s Legitimate Expectation.

The slave received and deserved no special treatment or thanks for doing his assigned task; they were his duties.

3. We Must Never Have The Attitude That God Owes Us Or Be Upset That God Did Not Do Something We Asked.

God owns us through the right of creation and through the price he paid to redeem us from sin, he thus owns us twice.

Jesus is telling us that we have nothing to get puffed up about, when we actually do as He has asked, this is the way we are supposed to live.

4. God Rewards Faithfulness Not Because He Has To But Because He Wants Too.

It was almost as though I could hear the voice, he leaned down and said, “But you’re not home yet.”

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2016-04-03: Luke-The Investigative Gospel – Don’t Be A Stumbling Block

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Sermon Audio: Don’t Be A Stumbling Block
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 17:1-6
Duration: 26:38
Size: 12.1 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
Don’t Be A Stumbling Block
Luke 17:1-6

What I choose to do is my business!

First, be careful that you’re not a negative spiritual influence.

Our first responsibility is to make sure that we do not negatively influence other Christians in their walk with God.

Every one of us will influence other Christians so as Jesus said in verse 3, “So watch yourselves…”

Second, be willing to forgive those who have hurt you but have repented.

Closely linked to the responsibility of not causing others to stumble into sin is the responsibility to help them when they do fall.

By being willing to lovingly confront the person who sinned against you.

Jesus is clearly talking about personal hurts done to you by another Christian as the phrase; “sins against you” makes clear.

By extending forgiveness immediately to the person who hurt you, if they repent.

We need to recognize that forgiveness is as much for our benefit as it is for the offender,

By being ready to forgive repeated failures.

So regardless of the personal nature of the offense or even in the event of the repetition of the offense, if the other person repents, you are to forgive them.

The problem was not the size of their faith but their willingness to forgive.

By Recognizing that forgiveness is not a matter of ability but of willingness.

The disciples are right in understanding that the kind of forgiveness that Jesus is calling for cannot happen apart from a work of the Holy Spirit, but they are wrong in their understanding of the nature of faith.

  1. Be careful that you’re not a negative spiritual influence.
  2. Be forgiving of those who have hurt you but have repented.
  • By Being willing to lovingly confront the person who sinned against you.
  • By Extending forgiveness to those who have hurt you but have repented.
  • By Being ready to forgive repeated failures.
  • By Recognizing that forgiveness is not a matter of ability but of willingness.
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2016-03-20: We Would Like To See Jesus

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Sermon Audio: We Would Like To See Jesus
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: John 12:12-21
Duration: 21:14
Size: 9.72 MB

We Would Like To See Jesus
Palm Sunday 2016
John 12:12-21

There was a great crowd there that day that had come to celebrate the Feast of the Passover.

As the crowd begins to honor Jesus, I’m sure it gets the attention of the Roman soldiers.

Yes, I bet some of these soldiers probably laughed at the antics of the Jerusalem crowd that day, and at the sight of this so-called King.

And then there was probably another group of people there that day. If we go back to some earlier verses in John 12:9, we see those people.

The crowd came to see the spectacular, that is, to see Lazarus, the man rumored to have been raised from the dead.

How many come to church just because it is the thing to do, the place to be, the place where everyone else is?

And then there was another group of people there that day. The religious leaders were there.

These preachers and teachers, these church leaders, were only interested in themselves.

Yes, there were some of these bad shepherds in the crowd that day. And they even went so far as to plot to do away with Jesus.

Oh yes. I almost forgot one. You see, there was one more group there that day.

When we really seek Jesus, that’s when the name of God is glorified. That’s when real worship occurs.

“We would like to see Jesus.”

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2016-03-13: Luke-The Investigative Gospel – What If Hell Is Real

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Sermon Audio: What If Hell Is Real
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 16:19-31
Duration: 23:19
Size: 10.6 MB

Luke-The Investigative Gospel
What If Hell Is Real
Luke 16:19-31

Your not believing in Hell don’t lower the temperature there one degree.

I. THE COMPARISON BEFORE DEATH

The rich man could have easily assisted Lazarus, but he ignored him and went on enjoying his recognition and his riches.

II. THE COMPARISON AFTER DEATH

The revelation of where each man ended up after death would have astonished Jesus’ original audience and shattered their long held assumptions about wealth being a sign of Gods’ favor and blessings.

III. THE CORRECTION OF MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HELL

Misconception #1

Hell is nothingness we will just sees to exist, hearing, seeing and feeling nothing.

Misconception #2

Not realizing that the choices we make in this life fix our destiny in the next.

Misconception #3

After I spend some time in Hell I will be able to get out.

Misconception #4

Hell won’t be so bad, I’ll be there with my buddies.

Once we have that matter established in our own lives then we must think of others.