Plymouth Haven Baptist Church

Core Truth: If the church is to ever have the kind of impact intended by its Founder it must of necessity structure its leadership in accordance with the clear teachings of Scripture. Otherwise, it is simply a humanly produced organization that may make a name for itself in terms of religious activities but will never be able to overcome the gates of hell and fulfill its God-intended mission in the world.

Core Truth: A church’s ability to influence its culture for Christ will always be in direct proportion to its understanding and acceptance of the authority and leadership of its Founder and Great Shepherd Who has also vested that leadership in His under-shepherds, variously described as pastors, elders, overseers and bishops. Today and over the next few weeks we will be examining this important Scriptural doctrine more fully.

Core Truth: Being a Christian is not just a title, it’s a position – a position of responsibility through stewardship, and our stewardship is to be directed not by what we prefer, but by the desires of the Owner Whose instructions are clearly spelled out in the Bible.

Jesus taught that we should Treasure Heavenly Treasures. They are indestructible and eternally secure. And, most importantly, He knows the location of our heart and treasure are linked. He longs that our hearts be centered on the place and things of Heaven.

Core Truth: God does not give us a thing called wisdom, a thing called righteousness, or a thing called sanctification. He gives us a PERSON called Jesus, Who is all of these in Himself. Our faith is not in a creed but in Christ. Therefore, anyone who is truly IN Christ actually lacks nothing, whether they have ever come to understand and enter into that reality or not.

Core Truth: God does not give us a thing called wisdom, a thing called righteousness, or a thing called sanctification. He gives us a PERSON called Jesus, Who is all of these in Himself. Our faith is not in a creed but in Christ. Therefore, anyone who is truly IN Christ actually lacks nothing, whether they have ever come to understand and enter into that reality or not.

Core Truth: God does not give us a thing called wisdom, a thing called righteousness, or a thing called sanctification. He gives us a PERSON called Jesus, Who is all of these in Himself. Our faith is not in a creed but in Christ. Therefore, anyone who is truly IN Christ actually lacks nothing, whether they have ever come to understand and enter into that reality or not.

Core Truth: God does not give us a thing called wisdom, a thing called righteousness, or a thing called sanctification. He gives us a PERSON called Jesus, Who is all of these in Himself. Our faith is not in a creed but in Christ. Therefore, anyone who is truly IN Christ actually lacks nothing, whether they have ever come to understand and enter into that reality or not.

Core Truth: Our ability to rest in the refreshing offered us by the Lord will always be in direct proportion to our willingness to trust Him and to obey whatever He commands.

Core Truth: God wants us to know His will – not for His benefit, but for ours, in order that we may maximize the joys and fruitfulness of our lives both here and for all eternity!

Core Truth: While great and often unexpected storms are a part of life even and perhaps especially for Christians, there are certain verities – certain eternal truths – that if we will remember them, can carry us through any storm and see us safely through to the other side.

Core Truth: “For the believer in Jesus, every trial of suffering is an opportunity to grow in the faith, to grow in our relationship with the Lord, and to see Him work in our lives in a uniquely personal way that demonstrates His compassion, His comfort, His tender mercies, His loving kindnesses, His grace, and His endless love. Only God knows what each of us needs to experience and learn in order to be conformed to the image of His son.” (T.A. McMahon)

Core Truth: In a world filled with seemingly endless pain and sorrow, grief and loss, shattered hopes and expectations, whether we come to see life as meaningful and worth living will be determined by the extent to which we understand that God’s plan for us is that our journey here is at best, very brief, and that the trials and afflictions we face are – far from being purposeless and wasted – actually preparing for us eternal joys, satisfactions, and delights beyond our wildest dreams!

Core Truth: Whether it be a church, charitable organization, business, college or university, a nation, or even an individual life, the temptation will always be to give up – to abort the mission as it were. But an even greater hazard may be the deadly danger of “mission drift.”

Core Truth: No person or nation can ever be truly free apart from the freedom, which was secured by the sufferings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago – all other freedoms ultimately flow from that divine fountainhead. And it can further be argued that apart from that freedom, no other freedoms can exist nor long endure.

Core Truth: “Praise is the rehearsal of our eternal song. By grace we learn to sing, and in glory we continue to sing. What will some of you do when you get to heaven, if you go on grumbling all the way? Do not hope to get to heaven in that style. But now begin to bless the name of the Lord.” (Spurgeon)

Core Truth: While it is true that a father’s words can either heal or hurt, encourage or discourage, it is the daily life he lives before ever-watching eyes and ever-listening ears that is the most potent force of all.

Core Truth: We find ourselves living in an increasingly disturbing and unpredictable world. As a result, these are times to remind ourselves of some verities that are “sure and certain” – some things that will never ever change and by which, therefore, we can live our lives with true faith, great hope, and genuine love – and do it before a watching world.

Core Truth: Christ set the example for all who would follow Him. It was an example of resolute obedience to the Father’s will, and a refusal to compromise or seek an easier way out, no matter what that cup contained.

1. God infuses His sojourners with a living hope. 1 Peter 1:3-5 2. God infuses His sojourners with a preserving faith. 1 Peter 1:6-9 3. God reveals the Author of our hope and faith. 1 Peter 1:10-12

Core Truth: “Not all of us are called to die a martyr’s death, but all of us are called to have the same spirit of self-sacrifice and love to the very end as these martyrs had.” (Richard Wurmbrand - The Midnight Bride)

remember that those who know and serve the Lord are being cared for moment by moment by an “immutable” God – a God who does not change!

Core Truth: The mother of our Lord is rightly honored as perhaps the consummate example of what it means to be a good and godly mother as even now, over 2000 years later, we celebrate her life and example as a model for all those whom God has called to serve in one of life’s most holy endeavors.

Core Truth: “As we noted in last Sunday’s message, Christ’s call to discipleship is an all-consuming call, leaving absolutely no relationship in our lives unchallenged by Him. However, His call is also a call to learn from Him personally how to live a life of peace, rest, and tranquility, even in the midst of an increasingly troubled world.” (Eugene H. Peterson)

Core Truth: “Christian discipleship is a decision to walk in His ways, steadily and firmly, and then finding that the way integrates all our interests, passions, and gifts, our human needs and eternal aspirations. It is the way of life we were created for.” (Eugene H. Peterson)

Core Truth: “The Bible is God’s chart for you to steer by, to keep you from the bottom of the sea, and to show you where the harbor is, and how to reach it without running on rocks or bars…sink the Bible to the bottom of the ocean, and still man’s obligations to God would be unchanged. He would have the same path to tread, only his lamp and guide would be gone; the same voyage to make, but his chart and compass would be overboard!” (Henry Ward Beecher)

Core Truth: The resurrection of Jesus Christ has profound implications here and now, also for the eternity that lies ahead – a future perhaps much nearer than we can imagine. Therefore, as true followers of Christ we are called to live our lives accordingly.

Core Truth: Though the witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. But if she could have looked a little further back… she would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward. (C.S. Lewis – The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe)

Core Truth: While from a human perspective the world is rapidly becoming a much darker place, the reality is that the long night of darkness is about to end and give way to the blinding radiance of our Lord’s return in power and great glory! Therefore, we as Christians are wise to remember that everything we think, do, and say will be tested against that ultimate and soon-coming reality!

Core Truth: While from a human perspective the world is rapidly becoming a much darker place, the reality is that the long night of darkness is about to end and give way to the blinding radiance of our Lord’s return in power and great glory! Therefore, we as Christians are wise to remember that everything we think, do, and say will tested against that ultimate and soon-coming reality!

Core Truth: Living in an increasingly disturbed world naturally mitigates against having any real peace of mind and heart as we are actually witnessing our Lord’s own prediction that in the last days people’s hearts will actually fail them for fear of the things that are happening on the earth as the very powers of the heavens themselves will be shaken and “caused to totter.” (Luke 2136) But it is in just such a time that we as God’s people are called to live our lives with great courage and confidence, as with Abraham of old, we continue to “look for a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:10)

The fear of the Lord delivers us from extremism (Ecclesiastes 7:15-18). The wisdom of God strengthens us to face our sinfulness (Ecclesiastes 7:19-22). The faith which God supplies, provides insight about our self, others, and God (Ecclesiastes 7:23-29). Look to Jesus Christ who enables us to trust God and benefits us when we do (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Jesus’ cure for our troubled hearts is faith in his promises. 1. You have an eternal home with me. John 14:1-4 2. You come to, know, and see the Father through me. John 14:5-11 3. You have great works to do through me. John 14:12 4. You have confidence I will answer your prayers. John 14:13-15 5. You have the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with you. John 14:16-26 6. You have My peace. John 14:27

Core Truth: In its truest sense, Biblical faith – the quality of faith that pleases God and brings His power to bear upon all matters in our lives – is the absolute assurance that what He has spoken to us from His Word, quickened and made alive by the Holy Spirit, will indeed come to pass, even if not exactly when or in the way we would prefer.

Core Truth: Since it is quite true that as the Apostle Paul once wrote (Rom. 10:12) that “the same Lord over all is rich unto all who call upon Him,” it also means that it is we who set the limits of how much or how little of Him we really want involved in our lives, and that each ultimately chooses for one’s self how we will finally slake our thirsts.

Core Truth: One of the most difficult things even the most devout Christian often faces is what to do when, no matter how hard we pray and try to have faith, God seems either unconcerned, disinterested, or deafeningly silent about what we are going through that is, perplexing us, weighing us down, and greatly testing our faith.

Core Truth: Because God has so much more planned for us than we could ever imagine, He wants to protect us from the danger of becoming too comfortable with the things of this present life and thereby losing sight of the glorious future which He already has prepared for us, and that requires that we “prepare our minds for action and to set our hope fully” on Christ’s return.

Core Truth: Against the backdrop of impending divine judgment for its persistent sins and arrogant rebellion against its Maker, the promise to Judah and Jerusalem of its restoration, healing and exaltation above all the nations of the world is a divine word that was intended not only to give ultimate hope to the righteous ones of Isaiah’s day, but also to all of God’s people who even now are called to live righteously for Him in this present evil world.

Core Truth: “And this is the condemnation (judgment), that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But anybody who is living by the truth will come to the Light to make it plain that all he has done has been done through God.” (John 3:18-20)

Core Truth: As we live in an increasingly unsettled world, we do well to remember that our heavenly Father never intended for us to be comfortable here. Rather, He desires that we hold the things of this life loosely, while preparing our hearts to receive “a kingdom that cannot be shaken.” (Heb.12:28)

Core Truth: There is a quality of newness coming that is literally out of this world, and because Christ came to suffer, die and be resurrected from the dead on our behalf, it is already underway here and now! As Dr. John Piper has said, “The invincible purpose of God for creation and for his people will not be complete until all things are made new and the glory of the Lord fills them all.”

Core Truth:The greatest gift we could give to ourselves, families and our world is to seek to know and do the will of God with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength and thus fulfill His purposes for us "for such a time as this."

Core Truth:Throughout history it seems that whenever our God is going to do a great thing, He has a delightful penchant for starting small! It is a principle He seems to love to follow - whether among the nations of the earth, in the growth of His church, or in the affairs of our own individual lives!

Core Truth: While current events can tempt the righteous to despair of ever seeing an end to the terrible injustice, corruption and evil being perpetrated against the innocent and helpless, today’s scripture is God’s own assurance that the time will come – perhaps very soon – when “...the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea, and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever!” (Hab.2:14; Rev.11:15)

Core Truth: C.S. Lewis rightly said that “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” However, our Lord made it clear we don’t have to wait until we get there to enjoy it; we can have it even in life's darkest hour. “I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing.” (John 15:11)

Core Truth: As with Israel of old, which was being punished for its continual rejection of Jehovah and its pursuit of other gods, so our modern world and especially our own nation are experiencing God’s hand of judgment with perhaps even worse days to come. However, such judgment is always intended to be remedial rather than punitive, and especially at the coming of another Advent Season God reminds us that hope will ultimately conquer despair and that Great Light is about to come to “those who live in a land of deep darkness!

Be on your guard; stand firm, be men and women of good courage, be strong. Do everything in love.

Core Truth:How often must our Lord still be surprised and saddened by the ingratitude of those for whom He has done so much, while those who understand how desperate their need was and how graciously He has met that need can never thank Him enough.

Core Truth: When life’s challenges come to us - as they do at some point to every Christian - the tendency is to view our circumstances through the prism of our own desires, expectations, or preconceptions – all of which can tempt us to, as C.S. Lewis once wrote, “put God in the dock” - causing even the most devout believer to question God’s fairness, His faithfulness and yes - even His love.

Core Truth: Life has a way of presenting us with situations which greatly challenge our faith and tempt us to resort to remedies of our own making, which seldom work.  Such was the case in the life of David. But through it all he became a much wiser man and went on to become Israel’s greatest king, while giving the world a rich storehouse of truths in the Scriptures that feed and nourish our souls even in these difficult days.

Core Truth: God has put a desire for success and significance in the heart of every person. However, because sin has entered the world, we – much like the disciples of old - are driven by pride to achieve it and fail to understand that the only way to attain the glory He would bestow upon us is to drink of His cup.

Core Truth: It is possible that the future that is about to unfold before us may turn out to be one of the most exhilarating but also costly times we have yet experienced as followers of Christ. However, if that be true, it is also true that the Gospel’s power to change lives, reshape cultures and even alter the course of nations will be, as it always has been, in direct proportion to willingness of God’s people to actually begin to obey Christ’s radical demands.

Core Truth: The late Dietrick Bonhoeffer once wrote that when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die; but much like the disciples of old, our naivety and pre-occupation with the things of this life often cause us to misunderstand and miss completly what it really means to answer that call.

Core Truth: While the world seeks to find someone to “fix our problems” once and for all and may soon be will willing to accept anyone who promises to do that, Christ, the Living Stone will appear a second time, not to deal again with sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting for Him and to establish His kingdom forever.

Core Truth: Human history is moving along a timeline that is irreversible in its direction, terrifyingly awesome in its elements, and glorious beyond imagining in its final outcome. In light of those realities, the truly wise will seek to maximize their effectiveness while here on earth so as to receive Christ's strongest possible "well done" and most abundant rewards when He returns.

Core Truth: In the swirling confusion of events occurring in the world right now, people’s daily lives have been greatly disturbed and many are experiencing whole new levels of uncertainty, fear and confusion. However, we as God’s people have been given “sure words of such unsure times” so that none of these things need to move us away from our faith in God nor from the tasks to which He has called us for such a time as this.

Core Truth: It can be reasonably argued that the Church suffers from a seriously inadequate, even impoverished understanding of itself and its divine purposes, and that the Adversary is relentlessly at work to keep it that way, lest it arise into the power and glory intended by its Head, the Lord Christ!

Core Truth – The kind of hope the Bible speaks about is never mere wishful thinking, pleasant aspirations, or aching longings. Rather, it is the unwavering realization that whatever God has promised He is able to perform and that such hope will never disappoint or delude or shame us, because of God’s love which has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

Core Truth: Contrary to all rational thinking, it is possible to pass through some of life’s most frightening storms but still experience genuine and lasting peace. The keys are the right Source, a Fixed Mind, and a Believing Heart.

Core Truth: In the course of human history there have been numerous times when God has in effect said – "It is enough!” and the irreversible die of His divine judgment has been cast. Current events would seem to suggest that we are on the very threshold of the most important such event of all.

Core Truth: God’s eternal and inexorable plan has ever been that all things (everything and everyone!) shall be brought under the Lordship of His Son; the only question that remains is whether it will be achieved willingly or by the might of His authority and power.

Core Truth: As with an earthly large house, so in God’s Great House, there are vessels of honor that are set apart for God’s own special purpose and there are vessels of dishonor that are of little use to Him. The difference lies in the choices made by the vessel itself.

Core Truth: As we live our lives in an imperfect and troubled world, God’s eternal call to His people – His chosen ones – is to put our trust and confidence in Him and Him alone – the God Who does all things well!

Core Truth: Where we choose to live our lives will determine the level of peace, tranquility, and effectiveness for Christ as we adjust to the ever-changing world that is sure to come.

Core Truth: Whether we realize it or not, our reason for being here as Christians at this moment in history is most important to God and highly relevant to His purposes on the earth. Therefore, He expects us to live our lives accordingly.

Core Truth: Life has a way of constantly reminding us that none of us is able to control the situations or events that come our way; however, Scripture is quite insistent that we “leave it to the Eternal” and that we learn to rest in His unfailing faithfulness!

Core Truth: The Hebrew word baca is related to bakah, which means “to weep.” Sooner or later every Christian will find himself passing through this valley, filling it with his tears. But for those who “make it a place of springs,” the end result will be well worth the pain, as he learns to “go from strength to strength” until he “appears before God in Zion.

Core Truth: Regardless of mankind’s claims otherwise, only those who have been set free by the Lord Jesus Christ actually know what it means to be free.

Core Truth: As with Esther of old, God has providentially placed us as His people at this precise moment in history so that we may be part of the solution to the problems facing our world at this time.

Core Truth: Throughout history, God has intended fathers to be His primary means of shaping their families and cultures, and history is filled with examples of those who have done it well and some who haven’t. At some point every father must decide whether, like Joshua, he will also make the irrevocable decision that he and his house will also serve the Lord, regardless of the counter-culture in which he and those he loves have been called to live.

Core Truth: God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil. (E.M. Bounds)

Core Truth: Throughout history, God has put Himself on record that whenever His people take Him seriously enough to humble themselves, turn away from their sins, and seek His face, He will always hear their prayers and respond with great and gracious blessings.

Core Truth: As Christ’s literal body on the earth, the church is called to be His living presence here and now, doing and saying the things He did, while ever remembering that its ultimate purposes – far beyond this present life - are both incredibly glorious and eternal.

Core Truth: God’s position over all things gives him clear perspective about all things and He wants to share His position and perspective with us, so that we too can learn to see things as they really are and live our lives accordingly.

Core Truth: God never promised to keep His children from trouble; However, He did promise to be with them in the midst of it and to bring them safely through to the other side, while actually using their adversities to grow their faith and show them His loving kindnesses in new and unexpected ways.

Core Truth: Only God Himself fully appreciates the influence of a Christian mother in the molding of the character of her children.(Billy Graham)

Core Truth: Of all the questions being asked about the current COVID-19 pandemic, the most rational question to be asked is: where is God in all of this and what is God saying in this current situation?

Core Truth – The same gift of faith that enabled me to first place my trust in Christ for my eternal salvation is also the faith that will carry me through life to that very goal – which leads to the question – if I can trust Him for my soul’s eternal destiny, can I not trust Him also for the demands and challenges of daily life?

Core Truth: The same gift of faith that enabled me in the first place to put my trust in Christ for my eternal salvation, is also the faith that will carry me through life to that very goal.

Core Truth: Until Christ personally opens our eyes and touches our hearts with the burning coals of His resurrection power, we really have no idea what happened that first Easter morning!

Core Truth – Everything that was done our Lord on that darkest of all days was done in our place and on our behalf – all the injustice, betrayal, scourging, mocking and death on the cross belonged to us but He lovingly took it all because of His and the Father's great love! “For He made Him to be sin for us Who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor.5:21)

Core Truth – The Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote: “It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God’s Word and sacrament. Not all Christians receive this blessing. “ Perhaps nothing is more keenly missed than those things to which we have become so accustomed that we scarcely give them thought until for some reason they are taken away.

Core Truth – Walking in obedience to the will of God does not guarantee a storm-free life, but what it does guarantee is that He will always be in the storm with us and will finally bring us safely through.

Core Truth: Trouble is part of everyone’s life and it comes in all shapes and sizes. And though we cannot prevent its arrival, we can have a strategy in place that will help maximize its divine purpose and usefulness when it does.

Core Truth: Everyone likes a good book, but there are some books whose power to shape lives and determine destinies is so significant that only a fool would disregard them.

Core Truth: Trusting God is not a magical panacea that excuses believers from all of life’s dangers. However, it does guarantee that nothing shall be allowed to happen that has not first been carefully evaluated by the One Who holds each one of us in the palm of His hand. Isaiah 41:10, 49:16

Core Truth: Just as there are sad and destructive consequences for refusing to obey God’s Word, so also there are incredible rewards for those who choose to obey it.

Core Truth: Throughout the Bible, God's promise to us is that our obedience to Him will always bring his loving-kindness and great rewards but that refusing to do so will always result in many sorrows and difficulties. As someone has said, “If you want to increase God's favor in your life, start obeying Him in every area of your life.”

Core Truth: From creation’s dawn God has taken the initiative in trying to have a conversation with mankind, but through the ages very few have actually chosen to listen and obey. However, for all who do, the rewards and benefits are extravagant been words – both now and in the life to come!

Core Truth: As important as it is to us that our God is a God who keeps His word, it is infinitely more important to Him, for as Scripture says “I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your Name. (Psalms 138:2)

Core Truth: While God has promised us His absolute sovereignty, His sure and certain guidance, His unfailing strength, His ever-present help, His all-sustaining presence and protection, and His abiding peace, at the end of it all He has also promised that He will be glorified in all that concerns us as His children, both now and in the ages to come!

Core Truth: In a world increasingly marked by trouble and chaos, the child of God can choose to live in the peace that Christ has given and trust that God really is causing all things to work together for our good and for His glory.

Core Truth: The presence and the peace of God always go hand in hand and to the extent that we can learn to abide in His presence, to that extent we will also experience His abiding peace.

Core truth: Weariness is a part of life - weariness of body, mind, soul and spirit - and it happens to even the strongest among us. However, God promises that He will be our strength and that he will never leave or forsake us, no matter what challenges life may bring our way.

Core Truth: As we venture into another year in a world filled with great apprehensions and uncertainties, it is wise to remember some promises that God has spoken to us and to His people throughout the ages, realizing that to this very moment there has not failed one word of His good promise which He promised unto Israel. (Joshua 21:43)

God came to us!

Core Truth: God has always delighted in confounding the wisdom of men and acting in ways that challenge human logic and disarming even the wisest so that “no flesh can glory in His presence.”

Core Truth: Names are supposed to mean something and nowhere is this truer than in the names given to our Lord!

Core Truth: While each year at this time we rightly celebrate the wonderful things that happened that first Christmas, the greatest things were not angels singing, nor shepherds worshiping, nor stars appearing, nor wise men traveling from afar. Rather, it is what God the Father did in sending His Son to earth that changed man’s hopes and aspirations forever.

Core Truth: A thankful heart must be cultivated; it is not something most people come by naturally. Our natural tendency is to ignore or completely miss the good things God has given us, while focusing on the things we don’t have but think we should.