Tag: Val Watkins

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2013-10-06: The Great Adventure – Sound The Battle Cry

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:03 — )

Sermon: The Great Adventure – Sound The Battle Cry
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Joshua 1:1-17
Duration: 23:03
Size: 10.5 MB

The Great Adventure
Sound The Battle Cry
Joshua 1:1-17

Joshua just sort of pops onto the scene suddenly in Exodus 17 with little introduction, almost as if he’s been there all along.

But that would be Joshua’s calling, that would be his great adventure!

Joshua 1:1-11

Notice how, over and over there, God tells Joshua, “Be Strong and Courageous, do not be afraid!” followed by the constant reassurance “I will be with you.”

So, what God was calling Joshua to was much more than simply leading a nation or serving as some kind of figurehead.

Joshua 5:13-15
Joshua 6:1-5

This wasn’t just a dispute over land, this was God’s Army, these were God’s People, and this was God’s Purpose! And so, Joshua was going to fight it God’s Way!

Joshua 6:20-21,24

Joshua serves to remind us (even today) that there is a time when God calls his people to battle; to “Sound the Battle Cry!”, that there is a time for war!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Ephesians 6:10-18

Christians, we are called to war; not with the people of the world, but with the spiritual forces of evil which seek to control our world, led by the devil himself!

I want to make sure that before we leave here today that you’re in the Lord’s Army! God is calling on you to suit up!

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2013-09-29: The Great Adventure – Step Up To The Plate

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:57 — )

Sermon: The Great Adventure – Step Up To The Plate
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Exodus 3:1-4:20
Duration: 29:57
Size: 13.7 MB

The Great Adventure
Step Up To The Plate
Exodus 3:1-4:20

Think about all that Moses could’ve accomplished with what he had been given?

He probably expected to live out the rest of his days out in the desert…watching sheep…a far cry from where his life could’ve taken him.

Exodus 3:1-10

He may have thought he was done, but God was just getting started… he had big things for Moses to do!

Despite all that God had done to prepare Moses, when it came down to it…Moses didn’t want to go.

Exodus 3:11-15
Exodus 4:1-16

Have you ever not wanted to do what you knew God wanted you to do?

Exodus 4:19-20

Discovering who you are and what God has given you to do in the Kingdom is the fun and exciting thing about being a Christian!

Do you need to step up and be the child of God that He calls you to be?

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2013-09-22: The Great Adventure – Stand Against The Tide

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:10 — )

Sermon: The Great Adventure – Stand Against The Tide
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Genesis 6:5-9
Duration: 26:10
Size: 11.9 MB

The Great Adventure
Stand Against The Tide
Genesis 6:5-9

Ever felt pressure to go along with the crowd…to give in to the tide?

Noah was different! We see in verse 8 that Noah finds favor with God, precisely because he is different!

Think about what this means…Noah did just what God told him to…even when it went against conventional wisdom…it went against the norm…went against what everybody else was doing!

When the whole world was full of evil…Noah stood against the tide and was God’s man!

But, like Noah, God still calls his people to stand against the tide! And that’s not always an easy thing to do…

There can be tremendous pressure to conform…to “fit in”…to be just like everybody else.

It takes a lot to stand against the tide…especially when the forces of that tide can be so strong.

1. He “walked with God.” (6:9)

In order to have a relationship with God…we’ve got to put in the time to make that relationship strong and that means more than just church on Sundays!

2. Noah trusted God’s Word (6:22)

We’ve got God’s Word on it…its just a matter of us choosing who we’re going to listen to…the wise, scholars, philosophers of this age? Or God?

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2013-09-15: The Great Adventure – Saddle Up Your Horses

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Sermon: The Great Adventure – Saddle Up Your Horses
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Hebrews 11:8-12
Duration: 24:12
Size: 11.0 MB

The Great Adventure
Saddle Up Your Horses
Hebrews 11:8-12

There is a disturbing trend that many church observers are noticing and beginning to talk about.

This morning for us…I want us to see that if church is boring…it isn’t God’s fault! It isn’t Jesus’ fault!

The call to follow Christ is an invitation to a radically new life full of challenge, excitement, surprise and opportunity!

Hebrews 11:8-10

I know some folks who are…and change is not something that usually comes very easily at that age. For some folks…at any age!

When you answer God’s call…no telling where you might end up!

How many times have you completely put yourself in God’s hands and said, “God, I’m really committed to this and I know there’s no going back!”

Hebrews 11:11-12

Doesn’t he still call his people to adventure?

That is because “we are here to be Jesus to those out there!” That starts in our own communities…neighborhoods & households…and what an adventure!

Is it time you asked him what adventure he’s got in store for you?

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2013-07-07: Passing The Baton

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:11 — )

Sermon Audio: Passing The Baton
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Texts: Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Duration: 26:11
Size: 11.9 MB

Passing The Baton
Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Track coaches will tell you that the race is either won or lost during the exchange of the baton.

As incredible as it may seem, research shows that “accepting Christ” and making a profession of faith today makes little to no difference in a young person’s attitude and behavior.

The vast majority of our young people have distorted beliefs about Christ and Christianity.

Oh, there are going to be hindrances; the distractions of the world will be enticing, this track of life will be rough and hard, but we must pass the baton.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Every area of our lives must reveal how much we really love God!

Here is where the crux of this message takes place…there is a two-fold responsibility for spiritual nurturing.

Aspect 1 – We must teach and live out our Christian life at home with our families (doorposts).

Aspect 2 – We must teach and live out our Christian life at church with our kids (gates).

Matthew 18:2-6
Mark 10:14-16

We must look at the children not just as the future, but they are a vital part of what we are and what we will become in the future!!!

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2013-02-24: True Hope for Your Future

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:49 — )

Sermon Audio: True Hope for Your Future
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Habakkuk 3:16-19
Duration: 25:49
Size: 11.8 MB

True Hope for Your Future
Habakkuk 3:16-19

I want you to see that the key to Habakkuk’s experience of joy in the face of adversity was his faith!

I. True Faith Often Includes an Element of Fear (3:16a)

But even so, he was still very afraid about the Babylonian invasion that God had told him was coming.

God’s greatest men and women of faith have often been those who at their most intense times of testing found themselves racked with fear.

Shouldn’t our faith become easier, not harder, as we grow up into greater spiritual maturity?

The primary message of Habakkuk, is that you are to live by faith in this life.

II. True Faith Knows How to Rejoice in God in Spite of Difficult Circumstances (3:16b-19)

No matter what he may face, he was confident that he would remain standing because he trusted in the Sovereign Lord as his strength!

Habakkuk learned that history is not an end itself but a transition time, a parenthesis between Eden and heaven.

Whatever heaven is, it will banish all of the discomfort of this life and usher in new, unimaginable pleasures.

In one sense there is no ultimate solution to the problem of pain until Jesus returns.

Conclusion

Whatever your circumstances, whatever calamity or adversity comes your way, the prophet Habakkuk calls you to rejoice and to live by faith in a mighty and sovereign God.

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2013-02-10: Sharpening the Focus of Your Faith

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:36 — 12.6MB)

Sermon Audio: Sharpening the Focus of Your Faith
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Habakkuk 3:1-15
Duration: 27:36
Size: 12.6 MB

Sharpening the Focus of Your Faith
Habakkuk 3:1-15

Although instant everything might be at our fingertips when it comes to our food, it’s not usually like that when it comes to our spiritual growth.

The question we are forced to ask is this: “Since Habakkuk’s circumstances have not changed, why the dramatic change in his heart-from complaining to singing?”

I. Shift Your Focus from Your Fears to the Faithfulness of God (3:2a,3-15)

In order to overcome his fears of the coming invasion, Habakkuk purposefully reminded himself of what he knew.

The thing that sustained Habakkuk in the midst of the fear and perplexity that gripped him was the shifting of his focus away from his fears to the proven faithfulness of God.

Today I want you to realize that no matter what you may be facing and no matter how many people may have failed you in the past-God will never fail you.

Take your eyes off all your future fears and look back and reflect upon the faithfulness of God to you in the past.

II. Shift Your Focus from Your Purposes to the Purposes of God (3:2b)

What he wanted now, more than anything else, was for God’s plan to succeed.

There is a lot of confusion today about the purpose of the Christian life.

God’s purposes are to build internal character into your life, to give you a deep peace, to provide you with things money just cannot buy.

Shift your focus from your fears to the faithfulness of God.

And shift your focus from your purposes to the purposes of God.

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2013-02-03: Living in a Fallen World

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:07 — )

Sermon Audio: Living in a Fallen World
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Habakkuk 2:4-20
Duration: 26:07
Size: 11.9 MB

Living in a Fallen World
Habakkuk 2:4-20

How does your view of God line up with such real life evil? How do you make theological sense out of the attack on America or even the attacks within America?

When faced with the fact that God was about to raise up the evil Babylonian nation to bring judgment against the people of God, it was more than he could take.

Three truths that God gives us in his Word regarding how we are to live in this fallen, sinful and often terrifying world.

I. God Calls Us to Live By Faith (2:4b)

There are two paths before us. One is the way of faith. The other is the way of “un-faith” or unbelief.

We are living in a culture that says that Christianity is one of many equally valid ways to God.

There is only one way. It is the way of faith. It is the way of faith in the true and living God-Jehovah.

II. God Will Punish the Wicked (2:6-13,15-19)

God told Habakkuk that although he was going to use this wicked nation of Babylon to accomplish his sovereign purposes with his people, he was also going to inflict punishment on the Babylonians for all their wickedness.

In the meanwhile, how are we to respond to the actions of the wicked?

But even as we support our civil and military leaders in their God-given duties, we are called by God to walk a different path as individuals.

On a personal level, we must return love for evil.

III. God Will Glorify Himself (2:14)

Tucked neatly between the dark gloom of the third and fourth woe is a striking ray of light recorded for us in verse 14.

God is in absolute control of today’s news.

This means that when you read your newspaper and watch the evening news-you should be doing so with kingdom glasses on.

Conclusion

In the death of Jesus we see how evil, in the hands of a sovereign God, can be a vital and necessary part of the perfect plan of God.

And in our moments of deepest pain and sorrow remember these truths from Habakkuk about how to live in a fallen world:

  1. God calls us to live by faith,
  2. God will punish the wicked, and
  3. God will glorify himself.