Sunday, September 22 was the 40th anniversary of Faith Baptist Church. We had a big day with about 320 in church and a bunch more people who came for the dinner and afternoon festivities. We also had several who made professions of faith in Jesus Christ. Overall, it was a great day with a lot of people who did a lot of work to get it all done. Thanks to all the members and regular attenders of Faith Baptist Church who worked, prayed, invited, and served to make it such a success.
Since we had a New Destiny Quartet concert during the morning service, my message was brief but very pointed. You will find below my sermon from Psalm 40 (to commemorate our 40th anniversary) including a few comments I wasn’t able to include.
Looking Backward, Looking Forward
(This sermon is taken from Psalm 40. You can read this HERE.)
Psalm 40 was written by David about his needs and how the Lord met them. David learned some valuable lessons and gave us three important instructions to follow.
Past – Praise God for all He has done (v. 1-5)
No matter what our trouble or trial, it’s always good to look back and recall the goodness of the Lord. David remembered how long he waited before the Lord delivered him from his enemies and from Saul. But God did. David learned that ultimate success depends on faith in God and patience in His work. God helped David because he trusted in the Lord. This is Romans 8:28 in David’s life.
In 1996, the Faith Baptist Church building burned to the ground. No lives were lost, but the entire physical ministry was gone. In less than 9 months a brand new facility was fully furnished. To God be the glory! If God can rebuild a building, He can restore a soul.
For many, God’s great rescue was when He saved your soul. Take a few moments right now to thank God and praise Him for what He has done for you.
Present – Give God all that He asks (v. 6-11)
What will David do in appreciation for what God did for him? He could bring sacrifices to the altar, but that wasn’t God’s first desire. Gifts aren’t wrong, but God wanted their hearts 
first of all. God does not accept our gifts and sacrifices unless we give Him our sincere devotion, dedication and obedience.
Most people of the world have never given God want He wants most…. themselves. Have you surrendered your life to God? Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord & Savior. It’s not about church. It’s about having a relationship with God. Take a few minutes right now and surrender your life to God. Give Him what He wants most.
Future – Trust God for all that is ahead (v. 11-17)
David realized that when His worship of God was over, he had to return to his royal duties. He had battles to fight and problems to solve. So he turned to the Lord for help and trusted God for all that was in his future. Worship is not an escape from life’s issues, but an opportunity to honor God and be equipped to face life and live for God. David had personal problems (v. 11-13) and enemies to deal with (v. 14-15). David couldn’t see what lay ahead (v. 12), but God knew the future and had everything under control. David trusted His God.
So what is the future of Faith Baptist? No one but God knows, but I have some goals. In the near future we will have a new sound & video system. We are spending $20,000 to make our worship experience even better. Our deacons & staff are planning on a capital campaign in 2014 to expand & renovate our current facility. Without giving it away, we are looking at increasing our educational space, kitchen area, parking lot, printing & youth ministry, and a few other improvements that will make our facility better adapted to more ministry. In addition, I’m working on a 2 year goal for our entire church ministry called Double Discipleship. I can envision our church attendance to double and our disciplemaking endeavors to double.
It’s good to have a godly goal. Do you have any goals? One of my heroes at our church at Faith Baptist is Warren Nicely. About a year ago he trusted Christ as Savior & was baptized at the age of 89. About a month later he told me had had a life goal he wanted to accomplish before he died. He had visited 6 continents during his life and wanted to visit the 7th before he died. Well, last year he went on a 3 week trip to Antarctic and came within a few hundred miles of the South Pole. He had a dream and went for it.
What if a dream or goal doesn’t come true? Well, I’d rather fail in a noble attempt than do nothing. My goal for our 40th anniversary was 400. That sounded good. But we had 320. Was it a failure? No, because several trusted Christ as Savior. We also had dozens of first time visitors. It was only a failure if we didn’t attempt something big for God. Dream big dreams for God.
What would you do for God if you knew you couldn’t fail?