Emanuel Baptist Church Sunday Sermons

09/07/2026

09/07/2026

🌿 Devotional — “Who Are You Working For?” 🌿

⚔️ Your Labor Is Never Without Purpose
Scripture:
✝️ “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”
Colossians 3:23 (KJV)

✝️ “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)
There is a question every believer should ask:
🌿 Who am I working for?
We can be busy and still be working for the wrong purpose.
We can labor.
We can sacrifice.
We can give our time.
We can use our gifts.
We can speak.
We can serve.
We can build.
We can influence.
But the question is not simply:
“Am I working?”
The deeper question is:
“Who is my labor serving?”
Because our work can either honor God or advance purposes that are contrary to Him.
✝️ Not everything that looks like work for God is actually being done for God.

🌿 The Lord or the Enemy?
There are two opposing kingdoms.
The kingdom of God.
And the kingdom of darkness.

Jesus said:
✝️ “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”
Matthew 12:30 (KJV)
This gives us something serious to consider.
There is no neutral ground when it comes to whom we ultimately serve.
Our choices matter.
Our words matter.
Our actions matter.
Our influence matters.
Our motives matter.
Our labor matters.

🌿 So who are you laboring for?
Are you laboring to glorify God?
Or are you laboring to glorify yourself?
Are you building God's kingdom?
Or are you building your own name?
Are you helping people draw closer to Christ?
Or are your actions pushing them farther away?
Are you serving God's purposes?
Or are you unknowingly cooperating with the purposes of the enemy?

🌿 The Enemy Wants Your Labor Too
Satan does not have to convince everyone to openly reject God.
Sometimes deception works by redirecting our labor.
A person can spend enormous amounts of energy pursuing something that has nothing to do with God's will.
They can become consumed with:
Recognition.
Power.
Money.
Popularity.
Pride.
Competition.
Control.
Revenge.
Self-promotion.
And while they are busy working, they may not realize what their labor is producing.

✝️ Being busy does not automatically mean we are being fruitful for God.
Jesus warned about fruit.

✝️ “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
Matthew 7:20 (KJV)
We should examine what our labor is producing.
Is it producing love?
Is it producing righteousness?
Is it producing peace?
Is it producing truth?
Is it producing compassion?
Is it producing holiness?
Is it drawing people toward Jesus?
Or is it producing division, pride, bitterness, confusion, envy, and destruction?

🌿 Your Gifts Belong to God
God has given every person abilities, opportunities, time, and influence.
The question is:
What are we doing with what He has given us?
A gift can be used for God's glory.
But a gift can also be used for selfish purposes.
Someone may have the gift of speaking.
Someone may have the gift of teaching.
Someone may have the gift of leadership.
Someone may have the gift of encouragement.
Someone may have the gift of creativity.
Someone may have the gift of serving.
Someone may have financial resources.
Someone may have influence.
🌿 The gift is not the issue. The direction of the gift matters.
We must ask:
“Lord, how do You want me to use what You have given me?”

🌿 Do Not Labor for the Applause of People
Jesus warned against doing righteous things simply to be seen.

✝️ “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them.”
Matthew 6:1 (KJV)
It is possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason.
We can serve because we want recognition.
We can preach because we want applause.
We can give because we want praise.
We can help because we want people to remember what we did.
But God sees beyond the action.

✝️ God sees the heart behind the labor.
The Lord is not simply looking at what we do.
He cares about why we do it.

🌿 What Are You Building?
The Bible tells us:
✝️ “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.”
Psalm 127:1 (KJV)

That is a powerful warning.
We can spend years building something that God never instructed us to build.
We can pour our strength into something that will not remain.
We can invest our time into things that have no eternal value.
We can become exhausted trying to maintain something that God never asked us to carry.
🌿 Before you ask God to bless your labor, ask God whether the labor belongs to Him.
Lord, am I building what You want me to build?
Am I going where You want me to go?
Am I serving whom You want me to serve?
Am I saying what You want me to say?
Am I using my gifts according to Your will?

🌿 Let Not Your Labor Be in Vain
Paul encouraged the believers:
✝️ “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord...”
1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)

Notice the words:
“The work of the Lord.”
Not merely our work.
Not merely our plans.
Not merely our ambitions.
Not merely our desires.
The work of the Lord.

And then comes the promise:
✝️ “Forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
There is great encouragement in this.
When we labor for God, our work has eternal significance.
People may not see it.
People may not thank us.
People may not recognize the sacrifice.
People may misunderstand what we are doing.
But God sees.

🌿 Your labor in the Lord is never wasted.
Every prayer matters.
Every act of obedience matters.
Every word of encouragement matters.
Every person you point toward Christ matters.
Every seed of God's Word matters.
Every sacrifice made for His kingdom matters.

🌿 Be Careful What You Give Your Strength To
Our lives contain limited time and energy.
We cannot give ourselves completely to everything.
Therefore, we must ask God for discernment.
What deserves my energy?
What deserves my attention?
What deserves my time?
What is worth building?
What should I walk away from?
The enemy would love for us to exhaust ourselves on things that produce no eternal fruit.
But God calls us to labor wisely.

✝️ Don't spend your entire life building something that God never asked you to build.

🌿 The Enemy Wants to Steal the Fruit of Your Labor
Jesus described the enemy as one who comes to steal.

✝️ “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy...”
John 10:10 (KJV)
The enemy wants to destroy what God is producing.
He wants to discourage the worker.
He wants to distract the believer.
He wants to create division.
He wants to introduce confusion.
He wants people to become weary and quit.
He wants us to believe our obedience does not matter.

But Jesus continued:
✝️ “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10 (KJV)
🌿 Keep laboring for the Lord.
Don't allow opposition to convince you that your obedience is meaningless.
Don't allow rejection to convince you that your service has no value.
Don't allow delay to convince you that God has forgotten your labor.
✝️ God sees what people cannot see.

🌿 Check Your Motives
We should regularly ask God to examine our hearts.
David prayed:
✝️ “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:”
Psalm 139:23 (KJV)
That should become our prayer.
Lord, search me.
Show me why I am doing what I am doing.
Show me where pride has entered.
Show me where selfish ambition has taken over.
Show me where I have become more concerned with people than with You.
Show me where I have become distracted.
Show me where I am laboring outside Your will.

🌿 Lord, purify my motives.

🌿 Whose Approval Are You Seeking?
Sometimes our labor becomes distorted because we are working for the approval of people.
But Scripture says:
✝️ “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men?”
Galatians 1:10 (KJV)
We cannot make pleasing people our highest goal.
People change.
Opinions change.
Applause fades.
Recognition disappears.
But God remains.
✝️ Work for the One whose approval has eternal value.
If God says:
“Well done,”
that is enough.

🌿 You Will Give an Account
The Bible reminds us that our work matters before God.
✝️ “Every man's work shall be made manifest...”
1 Corinthians 3:13 (KJV)
One day what we have done will be revealed.
Not merely what we appeared to do.
Not merely what people thought we did.
But our work before God.
That should cause us to live carefully.
🌿 Don't live merely for what looks successful today.
Live for what will have eternal value.

🌿 Labor While You Have the Opportunity
Jesus said:
✝️ “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day...”
John 9:4 (KJV)
There is urgency in those words.
We have opportunities today that we may not have tomorrow.
Someone needs encouragement today.
Someone needs prayer today.
Someone needs to hear the Gospel today.
Someone needs to see Christ's love today.
Someone needs forgiveness today.
Someone may need someone to remind them that God has not forgotten them.
🌿 Don't waste the opportunity God has placed in your hands.
Use your time.
Use your gifts.
Use your voice.
Use your resources.
Use your influence.
Use them for the Lord.

🌿 Ask Yourself Today
Who am I really working for?
Am I working for God or for recognition?
Am I serving Christ or serving myself?
Am I building God's kingdom or my own kingdom?
Am I helping others come closer to Jesus?
Is my labor producing spiritual fruit?
Are my motives pleasing to God?
If God examined my work today, would He see that I am laboring for Him?
✝️ Don't merely ask, “Am I working?”
Ask, “Who am I working for?”

🌿 Key Truth
There is a difference between being busy and being fruitful.
There is a difference between working and serving.
There is a difference between building and building according to God's will.
There is a difference between seeking success and seeking God's approval.
✝️ Your labor matters.
✝️ Your motives matter.
✝️ Your influence matters.
✝️ Your obedience matters.
Therefore:
Labor for the Lord.
Serve with a pure heart.
Use your gifts for His glory.
Do not seek the applause of people.
Do not become distracted by the enemy.
Do not become weary in doing what God has called you to do.
🌿 Let your labor be found in the Lord.
🌿 Let your work bring Him glory.
🌿 Let your life point people toward Jesus.
And remember:
✝️ “Your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)

🕊️ Prayer “Lord, Let My Labor Be for You”
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for giving us life, purpose, gifts, opportunities, and the ability to serve You.
Lord, search our hearts and reveal the true motives behind our labor.
Forgive us for the times we have worked for recognition instead of Your glory.
Forgive us for the times we have sought the approval of people more than Your approval.
Forgive us for building things You never instructed us to build.

🌿 Lord, redirect our labor.
Teach us to recognize the difference between our desires and Your will.
Give us discernment to recognize the schemes of the enemy.
Keep us from becoming instruments of division, confusion, pride, bitterness, or destruction.
Instead, make us instruments of righteousness.

✝️ Let everything we do bring glory to You.
Help us use our gifts wisely.
Help us use our time faithfully.
Help us serve with humility.
Help us speak with love.
Help us stand for truth.
Help us encourage those who are discouraged.
Help us reach those who are lost.
Help us point people toward Jesus.
When we become tired, strengthen us.
When we become discouraged, encourage us.
When we are rejected, remind us that You see us.
When people do not recognize our labor, remind us that You do.

When the enemy tries to convince us that our work is meaningless, remind us of Your Word:
✝️ “Your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
Lord, do not allow us to spend our lives laboring for things that have no eternal value.
Let our work matter for Your kingdom.
Let our words matter.
Let our service matter.
Let our prayers matter.
Let our lives matter.
🌿 Lord, I don't want to labor for Satan.
🌿 I don't want my gifts, time, influence, or strength to advance darkness.
🌿 I want my life to serve You.
Take everything that You have placed within me and use it for Your glory.
May my hands serve You.
May my mouth speak for You.
May my heart belong to You.
May my feet walk where You lead.
May my labor honor You.

✝️ Lord, let me work for You until my work on earth is finished.
And when my earthly labor is complete, may I hear:
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
Matthew 25:21 (KJV)
In Jesus' name,
Amen. 🕊️

🌿 Declaration of Faith
I belong to the Lord.
My life belongs to Him.
My gifts belong to Him.
My time belongs to Him.
My strength belongs to Him.
My influence belongs to Him.
I will not knowingly labor for the purposes of darkness.
I will not allow pride to control my work.
I will not live for the applause of people.
I will seek God's approval above man's approval.
I will ask God to direct my labor.
I will use what God has given me for His glory.
I will remain steadfast.
I will remain faithful.
I will not quit because of opposition.
I will not allow discouragement to make me abandon God's work.
I will labor for the Lord.
✝️ My labor will not be in vain in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)
🌿 Lord, everything I have belongs to You. Use my life for Your glory. 🕊️

09/05/2026

🌿 GOD’S APPOINTED TIMES — THE BIBLICAL ORDER 🌿

God works according to His appointed times and purposes.
When we look at the biblical holy days—the appointed times of the LORD—we see a remarkable pattern in Scripture.
These were not simply Jewish traditions. God Himself established these appointed times for Israel in Leviticus 23. As we follow them in order, we can see how major events in God’s redemptive plan correspond with these appointed times.

✝️ 1. PASSOVER — DELIVERANCE

Israel was delivered from Egypt.
God commanded Israel to keep the Passover, and the blood of the lamb marked the beginning of their deliverance from bo***ge.

The New Testament connects this directly to Christ:
“For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”
1 Corinthians 5:7 KJV

Jesus was crucified during the Passover period.
Passover points us to DELIVERANCE through Christ.

🌿 2. UNLEAVENED BREAD — COMING OUT

After Passover, Israel departed from Egypt and began their journey away from bo***ge.
Unleavened bread became a picture of leaving the old life behind.
Paul writes:
“Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven… but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

1 Corinthians 5:8 KJV
Jesus was buried during the Passover/Unleavened Bread period.
Unleavened Bread points us toward SEPARATION from the old life and walking in sincerity and truth.

🌾 3. FIRSTFRUITS — RESURRECTION
The offering of the firstfruits was part of the appointed time following Passover.
Then Christ rose from the dead.
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”
1 Corinthians 15:20 KJV

Christ's resurrection gives meaning to the firstfruits picture.
Firstfruits points us to RESURRECTION and the victory of Christ over death.

🔥 4. PENTECOST — THE HOLY SPIRIT

This connection is especially clear in Scripture.
Pentecost was not originally a Christian holiday. It was a biblical appointed feast—the Feast of Weeks.

And notice exactly what Scripture says:
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”
Acts 2:1 KJV

When the holy day of Pentecost had fully come, the Holy Spirit was poured out.

The disciples were gathered together, the Holy Ghost came upon them, and they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Peter then preached Christ, and about three thousand souls were added.

🔥 THE EVENT HAPPENED ON THE APPOINTED DAY.

This is important because it demonstrates that God's timing was not accidental.
The Feast of Pentecost had already been established by God, and Acts 2 records the coming of the Holy Spirit when that appointed day had fully come.

Pentecost points us to the HOLY SPIRIT, EMPOWERMENT, and the proclamation of the Gospel.

📯 5. FEAST OF TRUMPETS — AWAKENING & GATHERING

The Feast of Trumpets included the blowing of trumpets and was a holy convocation.

“In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.”
Leviticus 23:24 KJV

The New Testament also uses trumpet imagery when speaking about the resurrection and gathering of God's people.

“For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
1 Corinthians 15:52 KJV

There is a powerful prophetic connection here, but we should be careful.
Scripture does not explicitly state that Jesus must return on the Feast of Trumpets.
We should watch, pray, and remain ready—but we should not set dates.

Jesus said:
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man.”Matthew 24:36 KJV

Trumpets points us toward AWAKENING, GATHERING, and WATCHFUL EXPECTATION.

🕊️ 6. DAY OF ATONEMENT — RECONCILIATION

The Day of Atonement was a solemn appointed day centered on atonement for sin.
The Old Testament priest entered the holy place on behalf of the people.
But Christ accomplished something greater.

“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”Hebrews 9:12 KJV

Christ is our greater High Priest.
The Day of Atonement points us toward ATONEMENT, RECONCILIATION, and the perfect work of Christ.

🏕️ 7. FEAST OF TABERNACLES — GOD DWELLING WITH HIS PEOPLE

The Feast of Tabernacles celebrated God's provision and His dwelling with Israel.

Then we see this beautiful statement concerning Jesus:
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.”
John 1:14 KJV

And Revelation gives us the ultimate picture:
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them.”Revelation 21:3 KJV

The story moves toward the ultimate fulfillment of God's desire to dwell with His people.
Tabernacles points us toward GOD DWELLING WITH HIS PEOPLE.

🌿 LOOK AT THE ORDER
PASSOVER → Deliverance
UNLEAVENED BREAD → Coming out / Separation
FIRSTFRUITS → Resurrection
PENTECOST → Holy Spirit
TRUMPETS → Awakening / Gathering
ATONEMENT → Reconciliation
TABERNACLES → God dwelling with His people
There is a progression:
DELIVERANCE → SEPARATION → RESURRECTION → HOLY SPIRIT → GATHERING → ATONEMENT → DWELLING

🔥 God is a God of order.
The appointed times reveal a pattern in which God was teaching His people about His redemptive plan.
And Pentecost gives us one of the clearest examples:

The Feast of Pentecost had fully come—and on that appointed day, the Holy Spirit came.
This should cause us to pay attention to God's Word and His appointed purposes.

⚠️ BUT LET US REMAIN BIBLICALLY BALANCED

We should not force every future prophetic event onto a particular feast day when Scripture does not explicitly say so.

We can recognize the patterns Scripture gives us without turning those patterns into dates or predictions.
Jesus told us to watch.
He told us to be ready.
He told us that no one knows the day or hour.

So our responsibility is not to predict God's calendar.
Our responsibility is to know His Word, recognize His work, remain faithful, and be ready when He calls.

🌿 GOD'S TIMING IS NEVER RANDOM.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV

✝️ The question is not whether God has an appointed time.
The question is: Will we be spiritually ready when His appointed time comes?
Lord, help us understand Your Word, recognize Your appointed purposes, and remain faithful in every season. Keep us watchful, obedient, and ready for whatever You have ordained. In Jesus' name, Amen.

09/04/2026

🌿 Prayer Lord, Set Us Apart for Your Purpose” 🌿
Heavenly Father,
We thank You for Your Word and for the lessons found in Exodus 29. You instructed Aaron and his sons to be consecrated, prepared, and set apart for service before You.
Lord, set our hearts apart for You.
Help us understand that serving You is not simply about what we do, but who we are becoming in Your presence.

Your Word says:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice.”�Romans 12:1 (KJV)

Father, we offer ourselves to You.
Take our minds and give us wisdom.�Take our hearts and make them pure.�Take our hands and use them to serve.
�Take our mouths and let our words bring life.�Take our feet and guide them in Your ways.
Lord, Exodus 29 reminds us that the priests were washed and consecrated before entering their service.
Cleanse us from everything that does not honor You.

Your Word says:
“But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus.”�1 Corinthians 6:11 (KJV)

Thank You for the cleansing we receive through Jesus Christ.
Father, help us never treat Your holiness casually. Give us reverence for Your presence and a sincere desire to live according to Your Word.

Your Word tells us:
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.”�1 Peter 1:15 (KJV)

Lord, make holiness part of our everyday lives.
In our homes.�In our relationships.�In our work.�In our churches.�In our private thoughts.�In the choices nobody else sees.

Father, Exodus 29 also points us toward sacrifice and atonement. We thank You that Jesus Christ became the perfect and final sacrifice for our

“But by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”�Hebrews 9:12 (KJV)

Thank You, Jesus, for giving Yourself for us.
Thank You for forgiveness.
Thank You for redemption.
Thank You for reconciliation with the Father.

Thank You that we do not have to depend upon our own righteousness.
Lord, You told Israel that the priests would minister before You, and You promised to dwell among Your people.
Today, we thank You for the greater promise fulfilled through Christ.

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
1 Corinthians 3:16 (KJV)

Holy Spirit, help us honor Your presence within us.
Teach us to guard our hearts.
Give us discernment.
Give us self-control.
Give us courage to reject what dishonors God.
Father, make us faithful servants.
Do not let us seek positions without seeking Your character.
Do not let us desire recognition more than obedience.
Do not let us serve for applause.
Teach us to serve because we love You.

Jesus said:
“If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be.”�John 12:26 (KJV)

Lord, help us follow Jesus before we try to lead others.
Let our service flow from our relationship with You.

When You give us responsibility, give us humility.
When You give us influence, give us wisdom.
When You give us opportunities, give us courage.
When You correct us, give us a teachable spirit.
When You call us, give us faith to answer.

Father, remind us that You desire to dwell among Your people.
May our lives become places where Your presence is honored.
May our homes reflect Your peace.
May our churches reflect Your holiness.

May our service reflect Your love.
May our witness point people to Jesus.

Set us apart, Lord.�Cleanse us.�Consecrate us.�Teach us.�Use us.�Keep us faithful.
Let everything we do bring glory to Your name.

In the precious and mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior,
Amen. 🌿

09/04/2026

https://youtu.be/DI6JGIrP6Mk?is=eauyJ6Wjz8FHYiqn

The book of Exodus is the story of God rescuing the children of Isr...