Zion Baptist Church

Zion Baptist Church Promoting worship -
Preparing for service -
Passionate to share

06/01/2026

Yesterday's scripted version of the sermon is posted below. The text is Galatians 6:6-10

Last week we learned some of the things, some very practical things, that those who are living by the Spirit, they have the fruit of the Spirit, should be doing for others that have the Spirit. They should restore the one who has been overtaken by sin. They should bear the burden of the one that is overwhelmed physically or emotionally. They should do this without becoming spiritually arrogant, realizing that it is God that is doing the work. The ones that are living by the Spirit should take care to do the work that God has called him to do and boast in the Lord that the ability to do that work and the outcome of the work are all because of God.
Today we are going to look at another practical thing the churches should be doing as a church for those who are doing the work in the church. And that is to take care of those people.
It is not easy to preach on a passage that is about you paying me. If you are a trustee you know how many times I’ve demanded a pay raise. If you are not a trustee, you can ask one of them. Anyway, as an exegetical expository preacher I do not get to pick what I’m going to preach on. If we are working our way through the book of Galatians, and we are, and the text is there, I am accountable to God to preach it, so here it goes. “Let the one who is taught the word share all his good things with the teacher.” The concept here is pretty simple. It seems that even in the early church there were those that spent their time teaching God’s word to the church. The men who were doing this work were to have their needs met by people within the church. 1Timothy 5:17 “The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching 18 For the Scripture says: Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain, and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.”” The word “honor” has to do with wages, that is why verse 18. Hebrews 13:7, “Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.” And, since we are here, not because it has anything to do with the topic, look at verse 17, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” We will let that verse speak for itself. The people within the church were to share all their good things. What might those good things be? I believe that the good things included money, it included food, such as things from the garden or cinnamon rolls. If someone owned a business they could help out with some of the items that they sold. It looks as though there was no contract between church and teacher. Individual church members met the needs of the teaching elder as they were able.
Don’t be deceived, God is not mocked. God knows what you have and how you are using it. It does not depend on what comes out of your mouth that defines your character, it is your conduct that defines your character. It means nothing if you say you love Jesus, it means everything if your walk supports your talk. That is proof to those who know you, God does not need proof, He sees your heart.
What a person sows, they will reap.
If a man sows to his own flesh, from the flesh he will reap corruption. Here we go again. There are two ways to live, you either live for yourself or you live for God. If you are living for self how you use your finances, possessions, or position will be to benefit yourself. If that is how you want to live it will lead to destruction, perhaps in this life and most certainly in the next. The other way to live is for God. Even a person that is living for God can error and be motivated by selfish reasons. God knows why you do what you do and if it is for the flesh, there will be destruction, perhaps in the form of discipline to get you out of the ditch and back on the narrow road but certainly at the time of judgment that work will be burned like wood, hay, or stubble. The one that does his work for God demonstrates his faith in God and his reliance on the Spirit and will reap eternal life.
You might have noticed, there were suggestions in the previous comments that the reaping may be in this life or certainly in the next. We are not to get tired in doing good. We will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Do good and don’t give up. The command of our Lord Jesus was to love one another as He has loved us, don’t give up. The great commission was to go and make disciples, don’t give up, attached to that was to teach everything the Lord commanded, don’t give up. Paul tells us that we are to live worthy of the calling of which we were called, don’t give up. Peter writes that we are always to be ready with an answer of the hope that is in us, don’t give up. Jude encourages us to build ourselves up in our most holy faith, to pray in the Spirit, to keep ourselves in the love of God, to wait expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do all of that and don’t give up!
Look at verse 10. Therefore, why is the therefore there for? Well, we are to work for the good of all. We are to restore those caught by sin, we are to carry the burden of the one bowed down by it, we are to do the work that God has called us to, we are to support those who are in the ministry, therefore, whenever we have an opportunity to do those things, to do good, let’s do it. Let us do what is right, Godly, and help those who need it, especially our brothers and sisters of the household of faith.

05/24/2026

please find posted the scripted version of the message today from Galatians 6:1-5

This letter was written to the churches in Galatia. It was written to all who would sit under the reading of this letter in the various churches, both men and women. The translations of the Bible that hold to a more strict word for word translation, called formal equivalence, will start the chapter with, “Brothers.” When the original writers wrote, they wrote that it would be understood that they were writing to the whole congregation, the sense being, “mankind” all who are related to the writer through the Spirit. Newer translations, many of them translating the text phrase by phrase, called dynamic equivalence, start the chapter with “Brothers and sisters,” because that is what is meant. The translation that I use attempts to use formal equivalence but will use dynamic if the best way to understand the text is that mode of translation. The translators of the Christian Standard Bible refer to it as, “optimal equivalence.” It is probably true that if you are reading from a formal equivalence translation, you will hear brothers and sisters when I am reading from my Bible, because in the translator's opinion, that is what was meant. All of that to say, the first three words of chapter 6 are written to all so that all will take it to heart and all will do all that it says.
What does it say?
If someone, anyone, is overtaken in a transgression, you who are spiritual restore such a person with a gentle spirit. Remember, this is written to believers. So, if any of the believers are overtaken in a sin, then the spiritual person needs to intervene. It would not do any good to try to intervene in a non-believers life. A non-believer is living for self and as long as they are happy they will not listen to you. How does a believer intervene in a non-believers life? They share the gospel. But a believer who has been caught up in a sin is making their own life miserable by not pleasing the God that loves them and they love. To be enjoying the abundant life that God promises, we need to be in His will. A believer should appreciate someone stepping in and pointing out sin in their life. So, if you are a believer and you see another believer who is caught up in sin, go and help that person. Before you go, there are some conditions for helpers. One, a person needs to be spiritual. If you are going to intervene for Christ in another believer's life, you need to be a person that is filled with the spirit as demonstrated by the fruit of the Spirit. Think about it. Are you going to help this person so that God is glorified or so that you can make a name for yourself. Does the person you are going to see going to be receptive because they know your close walk with the Lord and humble spirit, or will they think you to be a person that gets involved with everything for an ego boost. Will they see you as someone to confront them or to help them? We need to be living according to the Spirit so that we might help others who desire to live according to the Spirit.
Another condition of being a helper to a believer that has been caught by a sin is that you are gentle, you have a gentle spirit. You are there to help, not to antagonize. A soft answer turns away wrath. Giving some thought to this, how would you come alongside someone to restore them in their walk with the Lord? I thought of 4 things that a person might do to help someone who has been caught by sin. One, you would want the person to express a desire to please the Lord. If there is no desire to please the Lord, give them the gospel. Two, get an agreement that the activity the person is involved in is outside the Lord’s will. Three, pray. It would be good for the person to confess and repent of their sin. Four, offer yourself or someone that you and the person agree to as a counselor or accountability partner.
The third condition is that you need to be alert. You certainly need to be aware of the fact that anyone is capable of falling into sin and you are there to help your brother or sister become aware of what they have been caught up in and confess and repent of it. You are not there to find their sin attractive and join with them in disobedience to God.
What else does the text say? Those who are living for God, by the Spirit are to bear one another’s burdens. The Greek word for burdens here is, “baros.” The word has the meaning of, “going down.” The burden that you carry is too heavy for you, your knees are buckling, your back is bending, and you are on your way down to the ground. As a believer in Christ that is living by the Spirit you are to carry, you are to join with a person that has that kind of burden and help them. Other believers can be oppressed by circumstances or people. You can come alongside and bear that burden with them. Why would you do that? Because you are fulfilling the law of Christ. And what is the law of Christ? It is the new commandment that He gave us, that we are to love one another. Just as He has loved us, we are to love one another.
So, two things that we can spend our time on as believers in Jesus Christ are restoring people that have been caught in a sin and coming alongside someone who is being weighed down by a burden.
The next part of our text informs us of the attitude that we are to have when doing the things we should be doing as a Christian. As those who are exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit, living by the Spirit, we do not celebrate our great counseling technique. We don’t recount all the Bible we quoted to point a person in the right direction. We don’t hint at what a godly person we are to be able to love that kind of individual. We do not become spiritually arrogant. There is nothing that we can do for the kingdom of God if it were not for the Spirit of God living in us. We do not have any of the answers unless He gives us all the answers we need in any situation. I believe that we need to be prepared so that the Spirit can do the work. We deceive ourselves when we congratulate ourselves for doing a great work for God when God did all the work.
Then a believer needs to examine or test his own work, the work that God has called him to do and given him the ability to do. Since the believer sees that it is God that successfully allowed him to do the ministry he is allowed to boast in what God has done. The word that is translated pride in your translation is the word for boast. The verse that come to mind is the one in 1 Corinthians 1, let the one that boasts, boast in the Lord. You will find it exciting to be able to tell others what God has done through you. Listen, God has given you a ministry, a work to do that is different from someone else’s work. God uses you to accomplish His ministry, just as He uses someone else to accomplish another ministry. There is no reason to compare your job is to carry your own load, your own work.
So, my Christian life is lived to restore other believers who got caught up in sin to the life that God has called them to. It is to help those who are bent down under a burden that they cannot carry on their own. I do this willingly, without spiritual arrogance because I can only do this by the Spirit that God has given. When I examine what has been accomplished I can boast that God has used me to do this work and I willingly continue to do the work God has called me to do.

05/19/2026

Here is last Sunday's scripted version of the sermon from Galatians 5:22-26, the Fruit of the Spirit. Little late being posted, sorry, the mind is not what it used to be. You might have been looking for something to read indoors rather than being outdoors and getting blown away.

There are two ways to live this life, you either live for self or you live for God. If you live for self you demonstrate the works of the flesh. You live to fulfill your perceived needs, not real needs, through improper sexuality, immoral practices, or the loss of self-control through drugs or alcohol. To demonstrate the works of the flesh you make your own God, one that agrees with you and allows you to do anything your mind has deemed ok. To demonstrate the works of the flesh you deal with others so that your name is lifted up, it is your opinion that matters, only your philosophy is worthy. Pity the person that gets in your way.
The other way to live is to live for God. To live for God you demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit. Everyone of you that has accepted the salvation that is offered you by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ has been given the Spirit, baptized in the Spirit so therefore is identified with the Spirit, with Christ and with God. Having the Spirit, you are totally capable of demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit which is listed in our text this morning.
There it is again, one of my favorite words in scripture, the word, “but.” Just when you think there is no hope, but. Just when you think you are lost in despair, but. Just when you think evil is going to win, but. Just when you are convinced you don’t want to be a person known for following their own selfish ideals, but. “But the fruit of the Spirit is …”
Let’s look at this fruit. The first one is love, that makes sense. For God so loved the world, we love Him because he first loved us, as he loved us, so should we love one another, the law is fulfilled in one statement, Love your neighbor as yourself. Some of you might be saying that we have not met our neighbor. That’s the point, because you have the Spirit of God you are able to love your neighbor. The word for love here is, “agape.” Agape is the word that is used for God’s love for you. It is the word for a husband’s love for his wife. It is the strongest term for love. I often say that agape love is love by choice. God chose to love you before the world began. He certainly did not wait till you got here and earned His love, we all would have never made it. A husband has to realize that his wife is the woman that he chose to love for the rest of his life. The reason that he tells her he loves her so often is because he has to remind himself of that fact. I think that true love is always giving. It is giving for the best of the one loved, to the point of forsaking self. It is difficult for me to believe that a person can love someone in the very best way without the Spirit.
The next part of the fruit is joy, cheerfulness. A Christian is to be a happy person. Smile, people will wonder what you are up to. What are better reasons to be happy than knowing that your future is secure, your sins are forgiven, and you have help and direction in this life.
Peace is the absence of conflict. There is peace with God, you are no longer in conflict with God when you are in the Son. There is the peace of God. Knowing God, you have His peace in this world. What do I need to do to be saved? You can be at peace about that. Am I good enough to get into heaven? No, but you can have peace because Jesus gave you his goodness. What did the angel mean when it said, “peace on earth?” There would be peace if the earth would trust in Jesus.
Patience, why does that have to be a part of the fruit of the Spirit? Probably because God knew that there are people that we are going to have to put up with. Maybe it has more to do with situations that we are going to have to wait on God’s timing, which drives us to trust Him more. This is God’s world, He knows what is happening, I can’t do anything about it except be patient and wait for God to finish His work, His way.
Kindness is a word that can mean usefulness, or moral excellence. Usefulness came up first, and I liked thinking of it in this way. If a tree branch broke during a storm and fell in front of a person’s front steps, and you were able to be useful by cleaning it up, clearing it out, and then go feed some goats with the leaves, that is being kind.
If you are able to be a benefit to others, showing mercy to those who are in need, that is goodness.
Faith is a belief that is so strong that it governs our actions. Having that faith you will be faithful. It too is a part of the fruit of the Spirit. Without the Spirit you would not believe, but you have the Spirit because you do believe and the Spirit works in you to grow that belief.
Gentleness and humility are often thought of together.
Finally, my favorite and yours, self - control. Only one cinnamon roll a day, unless they are small, then maybe two, but then there is an odd number in the pan and we can’t have that because Alice and I won’t be able to share equally what is left. Seriously, I believe that because of the Spirit in my life I can yield my members to righteousness rather than to unrighteousness. I can do what is right instead of doing what is wrong. As long as I’m doing what is right, I’m not wrong. I think we get into more trouble when we are being lazy, and not doing anything, and the things that come to mind to fill our time are not positive. I think that patience and self-control have to do with trusting the Lord and doing the right thing.
Let’s talk about the end of the chapter. The very next phrase is, “The law is not against such things.” There is no law against love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, not in our country, not yet. You know the feeling you get when you’re in a hurry, going down the highway, and the patrolman is hidden on the other side of the hill and you don’t see him fast enough? There is no nervous reaction if you are obeying the speed limit, if you are doing what is right. Live for God, live by the Spirit of God, be anxious for nothing, no law against that.
Paul agrees, in verse 25 he writes that if we live by the Spirit we need to keep in step with the Spirit. I am not a dancer, but I don’t mind watching ballroom dancing, it’s almost athletic. Two partners dancing the same dance that they have choreographed steps to and everything is so fluid and together. What would happen if one partner danced a quick step and the other a waltz. What would result would be a train wreck. It is important, that because you belong to Christ, and have crucified the flesh with its passion and desires that you keep in step with the Spirit, follow His lead, don’t go on your own and become a wreck.

Starting the week at the remote office. So windy got rocked to sleep. But the view is so much better here than the other...
05/18/2026

Starting the week at the remote office. So windy got rocked to sleep. But the view is so much better here than the other office

05/10/2026

Sorry if you were not in church today. Here is the scripted form of the message from Galatians 5:16-21
Good morning! We ended last week with the quotation that we are to love our neighbor as yourself. Your question is then, “Who is my neighbor?” You remember the story of the good Samaritan. Jesus taught that our neighbor is the one that we come across who has a need. We are to love them. Most often the need that is expressed to us is a financial one. We meet the needs of our neighbors through the Okeene Ministerial Alliance, we do it ourselves, or we meet those needs by helping others to help themselves so that they do not become dependent on us to pay their bills. So, our neighbor is the one that we come across that has a need. We are to love them.
I did not cover verse 15 last week, it reads, “If you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.” If you are going to fight, then contend for the faith, but with others, love them. In the text that is before us the next two weeks Paul tells the Galatians how that is to be done. Paul compares what it means to carry out the deeds of the flesh, to live for self, to what it means to live led by the Spirit, to live for God. We are going to handle the first part this week, the second part next week.
So, what is the lifestyle of the person that is living for self. You have the list from verses 19-21. In verse 19 it says that these works of the flesh are obvious. It is easily recognized what they are because they are far away from being Godly. You can divide that list into four sections. The first section includes the first three works of the flesh and they all have to do with sexuality. The last section has to do with two words that deal with the loss of self-control to alcohol. In between there are 2 words that deal with a relationship with God and the rest have to do with an attitude towards others. The first word on the list is porneia, it is where we get our word po*******hy. In the Bible the word is used for fornication, adultery, or in**st. Fornication is the word that is used for having a sexual relationship outside of marriage. Adultery is the word for a sexual relationship while married with someone other than your spouse. In**st is the word for a sexual relationship with a family member. If you want the list of those that I would include as counting as an in**stual relationship, read Leviticus 18.
The second word is akatharsia which has to do with any physical or moral impurity. So dwelling on something that would not be morally right, or telling an off-color joke, or gossiping about someone else’s improprieties, or participating in activities that lead to immorality, all these things fall in this category.
The third word is aselgeia, it is translated promiscuity in my bible, maybe sensuality or debauchery in yours. Here is the picture. Selgeia is word that has the meaning of continent, the “a” that begins the word negates the word, therefore, incontinent. The word would describe activities that remind us of the inside of a baby's diaper. The word is used of the shameless, brazen display of the other two words, filthy material.
The next two words in our list have to do with offenses towards God. They are eidololatriah and pharmokeia. The first word has to do with image worship. There are no historically accurate sketches of the Lord Jesus Christ. Any art work is only an artist’s representation of what He might have looked like and is certainly not to be worshipped. The second word has to do with magic or witchcraft. Much of the worship of evil was accompanied by drugs to produce trances or visions. The last time I was on drugs I saw a gargoyle in my hospital room, I was sure that is what it was, it was always the same, until I was able to put in my contacts and saw that it was a paper towel dispenser.
People today are trying to make their gods after their own image and that way their god will not hold them responsible for their evil behavior.
The next eight items have to do with how we treat one another, societal evils. Echthrai or hatreds begins the list. There are some people who have a hatred of almost everything. Or once you hate one person or one way of thinking it is so much easier to hate others. Must be why the word is plural. Then comes eris, translated strife. If there is hatred, it seems natural that an argument, a heated debate would follow. The word “zelos” is translated as jealousy. The English words “zeal or zealous” come from this word. That Jesus was zealous for his Father’s house is a good thing. However, you can be extremely passionate about wrong thinking as well.
Thumos is the next word translated in your bible outbursts of anger or fits of anger. If you are living in the flesh and you are very passionate about something, when someone disagrees with you then you might become very angry. After all, how could anyone disagree with your opinion, so your voice becomes louder and more punctuated and your fists clinch. Selfish ambition translates erithiah. The word has to do with intrigue, by implication has to do with creating factions or contentions. Perhaps talking behind others backs. Dichostasia or dissension, has to do with creating disunity. Hairesis, factions, sounds like our word for heresy. Spreading some of that around will cause problems in the church. The last word in this group is envy, the Greek word is phthonos, try to pronounce that one! It is to have or promote ill will. To be spiteful.
The final two words in the list have to do with wrongs committed against yourself. They would be methe or drunkenness, and which has to do with “letting loose” or in today’s vernacular, partying, partying hard. Again, the first tends to lead to the second. “Do not be controlled by wine, which is excess, but be controlled by the Spirit.” Anytime we lose control of our behavior we do things that we will be sorry for and often have rather severe consequences. It is not good to lose control of what you are doing because of physical things like alcohol or drugs, or because of societal things such as peer pressure, or emotional thing, your feelings of the moment. The cost could be steep. Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

05/03/2026

If you missed church today, the bulletin has been sent to your email and here is the scripted version of today's message from Galatians 5:1-15
Galatians 5:1-15

Let’s start this morning by looking at three different places in our text. The first is at the beginning, a very good place to start. The second is in verse 6, “what matters is faith working through love.” The third place in our text this morning that is important is at the end, verse 13, which reads, “For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
If I were going to summarize this morning's message it would be, Christ has set us free, use your freedom wisely.
In the text we read that, “For freedom, Christ has set us free.” The first question is, “Free from what?” If you indeed asked that question, then you have not been paying attention for the last several weeks. The church in Galatia has been besieged by judaizers that wanted to add works of the law to the acceptance of Christ as the means of salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection set all men free from following any prescribed set of regulations to have a relationship with God. If you have been paying attention the last several weeks you have heard me state that there are those that would have you believe there is some religious ritual, or steps that you have to take to be saved. I think the theological term I used for that is hogwash. There is one way to have a relationship with God and that is to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead.
What Jesus did set you free from anything that man can come up with. Therefore, stand firm. Do not submit to any form of slavery. Paul uses the term, “yoke.” If you are in the yoke you are going to have to go along with your partner. Don’t get yoked up with a false statement, a false ideology, a false theology.
Take note! Paul uses himself as the authority here, and he says that if the Galatians get themselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit them at all in verse 2 and in the next 2 verses if they are trying to be justified by the law they have fallen from grace. Paul uses circumcision here because that is what the judaizers were pushing. I will probably just refer to it as the law, to follow the dictates of the law. Remember what I said at the end of the message last week, law and grace cannot co-exist. As soon as you add something to grace, then you are no longer saved by grace, you are hoping to be saved by your own concoction.
What do we do? We do not work, we wait. Verse 5 states that we eagerly wait through the Spirit, by faith, the hope of righteousness. Wait for what? I thought that I was already righteous. I am in Christ and have his righteousness imputed to me. What do I need to wait for? We are waiting for the consummation of our salvation. There is a coming day that we will close our eyes on this earth for the last time or we will hear the trumpet sound in the skies and we will be caught up in the air and our salvation will be made complete. While now in this day we are positionally righteous because by position we are in Christ, then we will be practically righteous, totally righteous because we will be with Him before the face of God. that is what we are eagerly waiting for. In Christ, the religious things you do do not mean a thing, the only thing that matters is faith working through love. The one who has faith is motivated by the love of God and their love for God to love others. This reminded me of one of my favorite chapters, 2 Corinthians 5. Here is how verses 14 and 15 read, “2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died. 15 And He died for all, so that they who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”
We have reached our second point, did you notice? We have been set free to have our faith demonstrated by the love that we have for others. That is what matters.
Paul returns to the issue of the law. He tells them they were doing so well, why did they let someone get in the way and steer them away from the truth? If one person is persuaded to look into something false, they can lead others to look the same direction. A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough. Be careful what you listen to. We need to know the truth so that we can recognize error. Have a Bible handy and don’t be afraid to use it. Anything that takes away from the cross is error. Do not follow a person who adds to the cross by saying you must believe in the cross work of Christ but you must also follow the dictates of this denomination. Do not follow a person who subtracts from the cross by saying it was not sufficient to cover the sins of the world. Those people will bear their own penalty.
We must proceed to the third point. You were called to be free, don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. You are free, but that freedom does not give a person freedom to sin. The people that Paul was writing to, they were free from the law, but that did not give them permission to steal, lie, murder, or covet. Your faith dictates how you speak or act. Do you truly believe that Jesus suffered and died for you. If that is so, we are motivated, we are controlled, to live for Him and not for ourselves. We will serve others through love, we will, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

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