Faith Baptist Church, Byron, GA

It's Saturday, but tomorrow is Easter Sunday! Celebrate the Lord's Resurrection with us at the 11:00 Service.

Thank you to all who attended our Good Friday Service tonight!

SUNDAY SCHOOL SENIOR MOMENTUM: UNITESSENTIALS OF CHRISTIANITY 4. The Death of Jesus (John 19:8-30) The Via Dolorosa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ7xR_Pr...7QE The Point: Forgiveness is possible because Jesus died for our sins. Why was Jesus’ death necessary? I’m David Sumrall and this is Sunday School Senior Momentum. The gospel of John was written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31). The climax of his gospel is the death and resurrection of Jesus. Both his death and his resurrection validated what he said about himself and were necessary for our forgiveness and salvation from sin and judgment. John 19:8-11 Who has authority? Judas betrayed Jesus, and the Jewish authorities arrested Jesus and had him flogged. They asked for Jesus to be crucified because they did not have authority to crucify him themselves. So they brought him to Pilate, the Roman governor over Judea, accusing Jesus of calling himself the Son of God. The scene looks like Pilate is trying Jesus, but in fact, it is Pilate that is undergoing a trial. Pilate is afraid as he begins the questioning. Jesus refuses to give Pilate an answer to his question of where he was from. Pilate asks Jesus if he knew that he had authority to release him or to crucify him. Jesus answered that the only authority Pilate had was what was given to him from above. The one who handed Jesus over to Pilate was guilty of a greater sin, but Pilate was also under the authority of God himself. All was going according to God’s plan. John 19:16b-18 Golgotha Jesus was led away to Golgotha (Calvariae in Latin), the Place of the Skull, outside the walls of Jerusalem. He was crucified between two criminals. The soldiers nailed him to a cross, and then raised the cross and put it upright. Crucifixion was a brutal way to die. The victim would suffer severe inflammation, swelling, torn tendons, throbbing headaches, burning thirst, inability to breathe, and excruciating pain from being in a strained position. Death occurred usually from hunger, thirst, or asphyxiation. Additionally, Old Testament law stated that a curse was on anyone executed on a tree (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Jesus experienced physical, emotional, and spiritual pain during his crucifixion. John 19:28-30 Thirst and Death Have you ever been really thirsty? I mean so thirsty that you were about to pass out? I served overseas in the desert, where we could easily get dehydrated. Jesus’ thirst reveals his humanity. He was a human being who experienced thirst, hunger, and pain. Jesus voluntarily experienced thirst for us. After all, this thirsty man was the same person who changed water into wine. He is the same person who told the woman at the well, Whoever drinks the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14). He also said to the crowd at the Feast of Tabernacles, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him (John 7:37b-38). I have to believe the one who used a hyssop branch to elevate a drink of wine vinegar for Jesus was truly blessed. Jesus promised, If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward (Matthew 10:42). He also said, Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink (Matthew 25:34-35). The use of hyssop was significant for on the first Passover in Egypt, Moses instructed the Jews, Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter the house and strike you down (Exodus 12:22-23). Now Jesus was providing the Passover sacrifice to save believers from sin and judgment. He had finished the mission God sent him to earth to do. His life was not taken, but he gave it up willingly in obedience to the Father and for our salvation. Are we willing to suffer for our faith? Are we willing to give a drink to the physically or spiritually thirsty? We should give thanks to God for our forgiveness and salvation. Then we should forgive others and share the good news with others. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for the forgiveness we have received through the death of Jesus on the cross. Forgive us for when we have not been forgiving or loving. Help us to share the good news of the gospel with others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Click on the link to hear Sandi Patty sing The Via Dolorosa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ7xR_Pr7QE. See more

SENIOR MOMENTUM"Something to Talk About Luke 9:30-31 I’ve Just Seen Jesus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yLgtd_kkxw. How important is communication? I’m D...avid Sumrall and today’s Senior Momentum is from Luke 9:30-31. Then two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with him. They appeared in glorious splendor and spoke about his departure that he was about to carry out at Jerusalem. The occasion for these verses was Jesus’ transfiguration on a mountain during a time of prayer accompanied by Peter, James, and John. Eight days earlier, Jesus had told his disciples that He would suffer many things, be rejected and killed, and then be raised on the third day. He had commanded his disciples to take up their cross daily and follow Him. He would soon head down the mountain and then pass through Samaria on his way to Jerusalem and his crucifixion and resurrection. Before that journey began, the Heavenly Father sent Moses and Elijah in a brilliant light to discuss with Jesus his departure from this life. There was Moses representing the Law to discuss with him how God had led him from the Wilderness to Egypt and then back through the Wilderness to overlook the Promised Land before He died with no grave found to mark his burial (Deuteronomy 34:1-6). Elijah, representing the Prophets, was also there to discuss with Jesus how he crossed over the Jordan River with the Prophet Elisha, and was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot and windstorm (2 Kings 2:11). Now these two men were discussing how Jesus would go through his time of trial but be raised from the dead, ascending to heaven with no grave left behind to mark his body. Then God himself said to the disciples, This is my Son, my Chosen One, listen to Him! Then Here’s the most exciting partwhat Jesus and Moses and Elijah were discussing as future we can celebrate as historical fact and a life-changing reality. We have even more to talk about on this side of the Resurrection. We have a relationship with a living Lord who experienced death itself to save us from our sin. We can listen to Him knowing that he knows the suffering of rejection and death but also the victory that comes from being faithful unto death. Going into Holy Week next week, we really do have something to talk about! Let us pray. Loving Heavenly Father, thank you for the grace and forgiveness we have through our faith in Jesus. Forgive us when we have not celebrated and lived out our faith. Help us to share your good news with others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Click on the link to hear the inspiring song, I’ve Just Seen Jesus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yLgtd_kkxw. See more

Welcome to Faith Baptist Church, Byron, Georgia. We are a small, friendly congregation of people who love to worship by singing hymns and hearing the KJV Bible read and preached. On Sundays, we have Bible Study at 10:00 a.m. and worship at 11:00 a.m. Dr. David Sumrall is our interim pastor and can be contacted through messaging on this page. We pre support three missionaries/evangelists. Due to COVID-19, we are presently not holding additional services, but plan to when safe again to do so.

See you Sunday!

Looking forward to being back with you next Sunday!

SENIOR MOMENTUM"Good Habits Luke 4:16 The Old Country Church, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOjQEgFCpZE What are your good habits? I’m David Sumrall and t...oday’s Senior Momentum is from Luke 4:16. Now Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. Dostevsky said, It seems, in fact, as though the second half of a man’s life is made up of but the habits he has accumulated during the first half. The beginning of Jesus’ ministry was not the beginning of his walk with God the Father. When he was a child, his parents ensured that they followed the laws of God, such as keeping the appointed feasts in Jerusalem, and observing the Sabbath, and they taught Jesus to do the same. When he became an adult, he continued in the practice of going on the Sabbath to the place where God’s people were gathered to worship and listen to the word of God. So early in his public ministry, he returned to his hometown synagogue, as was his habit. Jesus had continued this good custom or habit from childhood. He did not have to decide what he would do on the Sabbath. He made the decision long before. When Paul began his missionary journeys, he also established a custom of going to the synagogue to meet with God’s people. Pascal said, The strength of a man’s virtue should not be measured by his special exertions, but by his habitual acts. I found out a long time ago that if I had to decide when I woke up on Sunday morning whether or not I was going to church, I was more likely than not to find an excuse not to go. However, my decision is already made. My habit is to go to bed Saturday preparing to get up on Sunday and go to church. It is unusual for me not to attend church. Many people who have not been going to church because of the pandemic or for other reasons will want to reestablish the same custom Jesus had of going to the place of worship and preaching of the word of God each week on the Lord’s day. Make it your custom, and God will bless your life for it. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus into our world to set the example for us in how to live for you. Thank you for opportunities to worship, learn and serve with God’s people. Forgive us for the times we have not taken advantage of opportunities to gather with God’s people. Help us to be faithful to attend Your church each week we are able to do so. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. How can you make church attendance a habit? Click the link to hear The Oak Ridge Boys sing about, The Old Country Church, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOjQEgFCpZE See more

SENIOR MOMENTUM"Expectations Luke 3:15-16 I Stand Amazed in the Presence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpot-ZDYHAQ What do you look forward to? I’m David ...Sumrall and today’s Senior Momentum is from Luke 3:15-16. Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered saying to all, ‘I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.’ Someone has said that the secret to happiness is low expectations. If you don’t expect something to happen, you won’t be disappointed when it doesn’t. However, a biblical view would be to have realistic expectations based on the word of God. The crowd that gathered to hear John the Baptist preach expected something unusual to happen. After 400 years of silence since the Old Testament prophets, they were hearing from this wilderness preacher a fresh word from God. They even wondered if John was the promised Messiah who would deliver them from their enemies. John did preach to them a word from God, but he refuted their expectations that he was the Messiah. But he did have some good news for themthe Messiah was coming. John was committed to his calling as a forerunner. He did not feel worthy to untie Christ’s sandals. His greatest joy would be to introduce them to Jesus. John could baptize with water, but they could expect Jesus to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, a prophecy fulfilled in Acts 2 at Pentecost. When we encounter Jesus, we can expect to see something happen. We can expect ultimate victory. Successful athletes expect to win. Gerald Austin, Former Assistant Basketball Coach at Gulfport High School in Mississippi said one time in an interview, Teams come into B. Frank Brown Gym expecting to lose. Of course, by implication, his home team expected to win. We can also expect a coming judgment. In Vienna, Austria, is the church where the Hapsburgs, the former ruling family, are buried. When royal funerals arrived at the church for burial rites, the mourners leading the procession would knock on the door. A priest would ask through a locked door, Who is it that desires admission here? The guard would call out, His apostolic majesty, the emperor. The priest would answer, I don’t know him. A second knock would follow with a similar question. This time the funeral guard would announce the deceased as, The highest emperor. Again, the priest would answer, I don’t know him. Finally, a third knock would be heard and the question would be asked again, Who is it? The final answer would be A poor sinner, your brother. Then the door is opened and the royal burial completed (James Cox, The Minister’s Manual). John the Baptist knew he was not worthy to be a servant of Christ. Neither is any earthly leader. Only by God’s grace can we serve and have the privilege of introducing people to Jesus. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for calling us to be your servants and your messengers. We confess our unworthiness, but proclaim your righteousness, grace, and forgiveness. Help us to introduce others to you and prepare for the coming judgment. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. How will you prepare the way for Jesus? Click the link for the inspiring hymn I Stand Amazed in the Presence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpot-ZDYHAQ. See more

SUNDAY SCHOOL SENIOR MOMENTUM: UNITSPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES: BECOMING MORE LIKE JESUS 2. Knowing God (Psalm 119:17-24) Thy Word, https://www.youtube.com/watch?...v=a6LC8cu03Ig The Point: Our hearts are satisfied as we encounter God through His Word. Why do some of us hate to ask directions? I’m David Sumrall and this is Sunday School Senior Momentum. I have a confession to make. Sometimes, I don’t want to ask directions. Maybe it’s just a man thing. Maybe its because I have been given bad or unclear directions or directions hard to remember or follow. I would rather try to find my way myself, even if sometimes I go the wrong way. It is said that the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years because they were led by the man Moses, and he would not ask directions. Anyway, I am so thankful for GPS. When Joyce and I travelled early in our marriage, I drove and she navigated. She didn’t like it and had trouble with the maps, so driving in a new area could be tense. Then we got GPS, and I could set the destination and have the GPS tell me when to turn and where to go. What a marriage-saver! Well, God has given us directions for our life, and we find them in his word. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible with each eight-verse stanza begun with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Every stanza amplifies the importance of the Word of God. Psalm 119:17-18 Bless me, Lord Have you ever asked God to bless you? What was your motivation? The Psalmist asked God for His favor so that he might live as His servant. He didn’t ask for God’s blessing for selfish reasons, but so that he could continue to keep God’s word. He asked God to open his eyes to consider the wonder of God’s instruction. If your reading of the Bible is uninteresting to you, try following the Psalmist’s example, and ask God to show you the wonders in His Word. Remember also to commit yourself to living out what He tells you to do. Psalm 119:19-24 Help me, Lord The Psalmist acknowledges that he is just passing through this world. The earth is not his home. Because he is an alien in a strange land, he prays that the Lord will not hide his direction from him. He longs for God’s judgments. He knows that God rebukes the arrogant who wander away from his commands. Because he was keeping God’s decrees, he asked for protection from the insult and contempt of others. Even if the leaders in his land were speaking against him, he would continue to meditate on God’s Word. He would find his joy and his counsel in God’s decrees, not the princely proclamations. The psalmist’s journey in this life is over and our journey will end all too soon, so we too must realize we need God’s help to navigate life in this strange world in which we live. Augustine of Hippo said, The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home. Our real home is with our Father in heaven. Do we have a longing and passion for reading his letter to us? Are we willing to endure the insults and contempt of others as we seek to live by God’s Word and rely on God’s deliverance? If the most powerful leaders in our land contradict the Word of God, are we willing to faithfully follow the Bible? Are we willing to listen to God’s instruction rather than human counselors? Will we find joy in meditating and studying God’s Word? How do get to know God. We can read the Bible daily. We can study the Bible with others. We can meditate on the scriptures. Our hearts will be satisfied as we encounter God through His Word. Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us your word. Forgive us for the times we have ignored your directions and listened to the words of others. Help us to know you better through reading and studying and meditating on Scripture. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Click on the link to hear Amy Grant’s song, Thy Word, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6LC8cu03Ig.