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Becoming A Church of Power

Matthew 16:18

May 2, 2021 • Dr. Delman Coates

I firmly believe that the church should not be viewed as some out- of-date, religious congregation that is out of touch with reality. No, we should be viewed as a powerful Church, full of God’s faithful followers, willing to do whatever it takes to point others to Him and give people hope through the message of Jesus Christ. Do you see the difference? As we read look at Matthew chapter 16 in this message, I hope you’ll be reminded, just like I was, that the church is still relevant, it’s still powerful, and it’s still the tool God wants to use to bring change to this dark and sin-filled world. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three characteristics of a powerful church.

I Know What I Heard

March 24, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • Luke 2:25–35

Simeon was a man who received a promise from God that he would not see death without seeing the birth of the Lord’s Messiah. And it was that promise that moved him to get his life in order. That promise led him to get in the right position, to get to a place of peace, and to develop and maintain the right spiritual and moral posture to see Jesus. Take note of those three things I just mentioned: He had a promise, he gets in position, and he maintains the right posture. He hears God’s voice, he puts himself in an environment where there is peace and not confusion, and he is active in developing himself spiritually and in being a man of integrity. And by getting his life aligned with God, he’s able to see what God wants him to see. The same can happen for you too. If you open your heart and mind to hear God’s voice, if you position yourself in places and with people that produce peace, and if you order your steps to get in line with what God says, then you can see what God wants you to see, go where God wants you to go, be what God wants you to be, and do what God wants you to do. 

Oh I Want To See Him

March 17, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • Luke 2:25–28

I am fully confident that God wants each of us to experience the joy that comes from having our hopes realized. God wants us to experience the fulfillment that comes from having our dreams actualized. God wants us to experience the satisfaction of having our ambitions fulfilled and our aspirations achieved, and to express that joy by breaking out in spontaneous praise to God for all He has done. Simeon has that exact experience in today’s key text because his soul’s desire was to see Israel’s Messiah for himself, and it finally happened. He did not know when the Messiah was coming. He did not know how He would appear, and quite frankly he didn’t know exactly where, but his heart’s desire was to see the Messiah for himself. Every step he takes in this text epitomizes what he did and what we all should do if we want to have our dreams fulfilled and our hopes come to pass. 

Wrongly Dividing The Word Of Truth

March 10, 2024 • Dr. Delman Coates • Matthew 24:36–44

As followers of Christ, we have a very important responsibility to uphold the Word of God. Unfortunately, many people fall short in doing this all the time. It is absolutely possible to wrongly divide the word of truth. In today’s message, we’re going to look at the reasons why this happens so that we can be aware of how to avoid this danger ourselves.