Steve Gaines

Calvinism

Craig Morris — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:30:28 +0000

Calvinism is a sermon from 1 Timothy 2:1-6 preached by Steve Gaines in the morning Worship Service at Bellevue Baptist Church on July 25, 2010.

Brother Steve’s recommended books from his message “Calvinism”, July 25, 2010.

Whosoever Will by David Allen & Steve Lemke
Chosen But Free by Norman Geisler
Arminian Theology by Roger E. Olson

or commentaries:

Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin

Video and Notes

9:30 Service

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11:11 Service

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The Shepherd and His Sheep

Steve Gaines — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:25:45 +0000

If you’re a Christian, you’re one of God’s beloved sheep and He is your Shepherd (Psalm 23:1). He takes care of those who are part of His flock. He provides for them, protects them, and guides them. Jesus referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-14). He knows those who are His own, but He also seeks to add new sheep to His fold. The Bible says that He came to seek and to save the sheep that are lost (Luke 19:10).

Sheep Tend to Stray. First Peter 2:25 says that before we come to Christ, we continually stray like sheep naturally do without a shepherd to guide them. Until God changes us through a relationship with His Son Jesus, we live selfish, sinful lives. We have a natural inclination to go astray spiritually and turn to our own way (Isaiah 53:6a).

Sheep Can Return. According to 1 Peter 2:25, we can return to the Shepherd. When the Lord convicts a person of his sin, he can then repent and return to God in salvation (Acts 3:19). Unless a person repents of sin, he cannot be saved (Luke 13:3,5). We must first repent and then believe in Christ alone to save us (Mark 1:14-15). Repentance precedes regeneration.

The Shepherd Receives Sinners. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, never refuses to receive a repentant sinner into His flock (John 6:37). Regardless of how sinful and rebellious you’ve been, come to Christ and He will forgive you. He wants to be the Shepherd and Guardian of your eternal soul (1 Peter 2:25)!

An old hymn says, “I’ve wandered far away from God; now I’m coming home! The paths of sin too long I’ve trod; Lord, I’m coming home!” Have you strayed from God? Repent and come home. He longs to take you in as one of His precious sheep.

Satan & Demons

Craig Morris — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:13:53 +0000

Satan & Demons is a sermon from Mark 5:1-20 preached by Steve Gaines in the morning Worship Service at Bellevue Baptist Church on July 18, 2010.

Brother Steve's recommended books from his message "Satan and Demons", July 18, 2010.

"How to Break Satan's Strongholds" by Adrian Rogers
"The Bondage Breaker" by Neil T. Anderson
"Who I Am In Christ" by Neil T. Anderson
"Reclaiming Surrendered Ground" by Jim Logan

Video and Notes

9:30 Service

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11:11 Service

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Enthusiastic Worship

Steve Gaines — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:58:12 +0000

Jesus said that we must worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). As long as God’s Spirit and the truth of His Word, the Bible, guide us, God is pleased with our worship. We should worship Him enthusiastically (Greek ev and theos which literally means “in God.)”

That’s the type of worship described in Nehemiah 8:6. Ezra blessed the Lord and all the people answered, “Amen! Amen!” while lifting up their hands. Then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

We should worship God verbally. The people expressed their praise with words. As a Christian, my praise to God should be continually “in my mouth,” according to Psalm 34:1. The redeemed of the Lord should “say so,” according to Psalm 107:2. God desires to hear our worship.

We should worship God physically. While the people worshiped, they lifted up their hands. Afterwards, they bowed low. We, too, can worship the Lord with physical activity. We can “lift up holy hands” (1 Timothy 2:8), clap our hands (Psalm 47:1), and bow and kneel before the Lord our Maker (Psalm 95:6).

We should worship God reverently. The worshipers in Nehemiah 8 were reverent in their demeanor. They respectfully stood when the Scriptures were read, and afterwards they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Enthusiasm in worship does not have to degenerate into fanatical emotionalism.

We should worship God both privately (Matthew 6:6) and publicly (Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 10:24-25). Worshiping the living God through His Son Jesus is the greatest privilege we have on earth. Enter His presence and give praise to God today!

Angels

Craig Morris — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:23:16 +0000

Angels is a sermon from Hebrews 1:14 preached by Steve Gaines in the morning Worship Service at Bellevue Baptist Church on July 11, 2010.

Video and Notes

9:30 Service

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11:11 Service

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Thinking of Others

Steve Gaines — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:51:21 +0000

An international airport is a busy place filled with people in a hurry. Many of them are upset. They may have missed their flight, lost their luggage, or lost their seat on a plane because of overbooking.

One day I arrived at the Atlanta airport coming from Tel Aviv via Zurich. I thought I had plenty of time to make my connecting flight to Dallas. But to my surprise, because of Daylight Savings Time I only had 35 minutes. By the time I went through customs and rechecked my bags, the flight to Dallas had left. No other flight was available. I had been awake for 24 hours.

I decided to rent a car and drive to Birmingham, but due to the Masters Golf Tournament, no cars were available. Now I was upset. I prayed, “Lord, I’m out of options. Show me what to do.”

I looked up and noticed an angry lady who had lost her luggage. She was scheduled to make an important presentation the next day, and she had no clothes for the meeting. I introduced myself and found out that her name was Angela. I told her I was a Baptist preacher and asked if I could pray for her. She said, “Please.” When I said, “Amen,” she was smiling through her tears. She thanked me, and I thanked the Lord for reminding me that I was not the only one with problems.

Philippians 2:3-4 encourages us to regard other people as more important than ourselves. It says, “Do not look out merely for your own personal interests, but also for the interests for others.”

Guess what else happened? I went back to the counter and was able to rent a car! I drove home and spent the night in my own bed. The next morning I caught a plane to Dallas and made my meeting. Everything turned out fine when I stopped thinking about my problems and started thinking of others.

How many “Angelas” out there could use your support today? Look around. Someone is hurting more than you. Will you help them?

When God Sends Revival

Craig Morris — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:00:16 +0000

When God Sends Revival is a sermon from Ezekiel 37:1-14 preached by Steve Gaines in the morning Worship Service at Bellevue Baptist Church on July 4, 2010.

Video and Notes

9:30 Service

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A Prayer for America

Steve Gaines — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:23:49 +0000

Our Father, we thank You for the United States of America. You have had Your hand upon this country from its inception. We thank You for Puritans who braved the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean, seeking not for gold, but for God. We thank You for their first few months in the Massachusetts area as they established that first colony in the early 1600s. They worshiped You and gave thanks, even though many of their comrades had perished.

Lord, You tell us in Your Word not to despise the day of small beginnings. The beginning of our nation was small, but today America has become a mighty nation because You’ve blessed it. Over these last 234 years we have not always been what we should have been nor have we done what we should have done, but we thank You that by Your grace and mercy, You have corrected us and brought us back to Yourself.
Our country has tremendous enemies, not only from without, but from within. People are challenging our Christian heritage and trying to corrupt the moral fiber of this nation. Sometimes we don’t know what to do, but we’re like Jehoshaphat of old. He prayed to You and said, “Lord, we don’t know what to do against these invading armies, but our eyes are on You. Today, we, too, confess that our eyes are on You.

Lord, we pray that our leaders will walk in righteousness and be led by Your Spirit. Help them to make wise decisions. Thank You for our brothers and sisters in the military. As they defend our freedoms, we ask You to put a hedge of protection around them and their families from whom they are separated.

Lord, bless Your Church in the United States of America. I pray that we who are Your people and who are called by Your name will humble ourselves, pray, and seek Your face. I pray that we will turn from our wicked ways and that You will hear from heaven and heal our land. How we need a fresh revival among Your people! Bring us back to You, Lord, that we might be one nation under God.

The Treasure in Trials

Steve Gaines — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:20:15 +0000

Maybe you’re going through a difficult time, and you’re wondering why God has allowed these things to happen to you. Some people have a theology that says, “If you just love God enough, you’ll never be sick. You’ll never have a need. You’ll never go through any problems in life.” When problems do come, their faith seems to be dashed because their theology was not based on the Word of God.

Trials are part of God’s plan for our lives. James 1:1-4 says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect (or maturing) result, so that you may be perfect (or mature) and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Trials give us the opportunity to display joy. Trials are opportunities to display the fruit of the Spirit, which includes joy. Do you know Jesus? Is the joy of the Lord your strength? Do you have the joy of His salvation in your life? Christians can rejoice in the midst of trials. We don’t fear anything in life, and we don’t fear anything in death!

Trials give us the opportunity to develop endurance. The great Italian “theologian” Rocky Balboa once said, “It’s not how hard you can hit that makes you a winner, but how hard you can get hit, get up, and keep on going.” Aren’t you grateful that when the devil and sin gave Jesus their best blow, He came out of that grave? He took their best shot, and He kept on going!

Trials give us the opportunity to display maturity. Our flesh doesn’t like to struggle, but if we never go through struggles, we will never grow to be what God wants us to be. We would rather be comfortable, but God didn’t put us on this earth just to have an easy life. Maturing comes through trials.

Whether as an individual, a family, or a church, when believers go through trials together, they come out stronger. You can be sure that God will use the most difficult times in your life to make you a better Christian and to bring glory to His name. That’s the blessing, and that’s the treasure in trials.

Is There a Man in the House?

Craig Morris — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:53:46 +0000

Is There a Man in the House? is a sermon from Ephesians 5:22-33 preached by Steve Gaines in the morning Worship Service at Bellevue Baptist Church on June 20, 2010.

Video and Notes

9:30 Service

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11:11 Service

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