Plymouth Haven Baptist Church

Core Truth: Because as God’s “Scattered Elect” we have been providentially sown into the cultural soil of an alien and hostile world, it is an absolute certainty that we will be “temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations.” In light of that we are called to do certain things which will help to make us strong in our faith, conform us more fully to the likeness of Christ, and prepare us to stand unashamed before the Lord whenever He may choose to call us home.

Core Truth: Over the course of biblical history, God has often used “scattering” as His method of choice for kingdom growth, and what may seem like a setback (going to Egypt, being exiled, persecution, or even a pandemic!) may be His catalysts for paradigm shifts and future kingdom growth that will have a lasting impact on the Church’s effectiveness, as well as the individual believer’s personal growth and ultimate triumph.

Core Truths:
1. Christ's call to discipleship is a call to leave the world behind and follow Him and Him alone. And though it will manifest itself in different ways, it will cut across the grain of everything in our lives so as the rich young ruler, we too are called to forsake all to follow Him, for it is then and only then will we be able to realize the freedom, power, and fruitfulness of a fully surrendered life.
2. Every person who would ever decide to fully follow Christ must at some point determine whether he or she is really ready to surrender that “one thing” which has the ultimate hold on their will and their willingness to surrender all to Him.

Core Truth: The certainty of Christ’s resurrection from the dead is THE pivotal point in human history and implication of its not occurring are profound beyond all we can imagine.

Three reasons why this “darkest day in human history” deserves to be called Good Friday.

Core Truth: While as the apostle Paul declared, by one man’s actions sin and all its destructive consequences were released into what had been a perfect world, God the Father chose to offer a way of escape and complete restoration of all who will believe in and receive His perfect Gift, the Perfect Christ.

Jesus is the Son of God, fully God and fully man. He was born and lived a sinless life. He died, was buried, and He rose again from the dead. He will come again, in glory, one day to judge the living and the dead. Who do you say that Jesus is?

Core Truth: There are at least 114 times (depending on the Bible translation being used) when the well-known phrase or idiom “in that day” is used in Scripture to mark or pinpoint major changes in the forward flow of human history, some of which will be profoundly cataclysmic and destructive, and some of which will be glorious beyond believing. The danger is not only that the unbelieving world will opt to treat such information as a joke and live their lives accordingly, but that careless believers will be caught in the same trap.

Core Truth: Prayer is the primary means by which we communicate with God, and it is not meant to simply be a way of getting what we may want or need. Rather, the reality is that God wants to be our friend and wants us to get to know Him better. And as we do this through effective prayer – prayer that actually works – we will get to know Him better, and every need will be met and every prayer will be answered, but in the way that glorifies Him and brings about our ultimate good.

Core Truth: It’s been said that a person with a theory is always at the mercy of a person with an experience, and it is fair to say that there are some things in life that we as Christians should know what we’re talking about! It is the Christian who can answer such important questions as: “Why are we here? Where are we going when we die? And, is there really any hope or meaning in this present world?” It is the Christian who can “speak what we do know;” all else is mere theory and conjecture.

Core Truth: Throughout the ages God’s people have often had to live out their faith in times of great adversity and affliction. However, their examples of doing so with such amazing peace and tranquility remains a challenge to anyone today who would also live for Christ the way they did.

Core Truth: The troubles and adversities we may experience in this life – regardless of their source or nature – are always intended by a wise and loving God to not only be beneficial to us in this present life, but also profoundly consequential in the life to come – making them in the end – far more to be treasured than the greatest of earthly pleasures.

Core Truth: Our Lord said “I came so that they may have life and have it to the fullest, until it overflows.” If we really understood how much God wants us to be truly happy – both in this life and in the life to come – everything could be different, including the ways in which we experience and process some of the difficult and painful things that may happen in our lives.

Core Truth: “Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.” Max Lucado

Why Shepherds? Because of their lowly status, their strategic place in the redemptive story, and their instant obedience and sheer delight in being privileged like this.

Core Truth: No celebration of Christmas would be complete without at least some reference to the Magi, usually as the “three kings.” However, there is no scriptural evidence that they were kings nor that there was just three of them. The larger question is – why they were included in Matthew’s account of Christ’s birth to begin with, and does their being part of the Christmas story have any significance for us today?

Core Truth: The life and ministry of John the Baptist is nothing short of a watershed moment in human history and speaks at once of the faithfulness of God as well as of His absolute sovereignty in all matters pertaining to mankind in general and to God’s people in particular.

Core Truth: Trusting God and continuing to serve Him patiently in the face of prolonged delays is certainly a virtue to be desired all its own. However, continuing that same level of faith and obedience when all the evidence says that all hope is now gone is an even greater measure of our trust in the One who “does all things well” and whose “ways are always perfect.” (Mark 7:37; Psalm 18:30)

God has made Himself known to us, as Trinity, and that has been done in the person of Christ, and none can take that away from us!

Core Truth: “Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic. This is a most searching and true diagnosis. Gratitude can be a vaccine that can prevent the invasion of a disgruntled attitude. As antitoxins prevent the disastrous effects of certain poisons and diseases, thanksgiving destroys the poison of faultfinding and grumbling. When trouble has smitten us, a spirit of thanksgiving is a soothing antiseptic.” (John Henry Jowett; Clinton C. Cox. The Upper Room Pulpit)

Core Truth: A life well-lived is a life being lived in harmony with the will of God, which means waiting when He says “wait” and moving when He say “move.” A Spirit-led Christian and a Spirit-led church know the difference and act accordingly.

Ways to live as leaders who stand with the persecuted: 1. Pray 2. Be informed 3. Advocate for Myanmar Today 4. Give and Partner

Core Truth: Worship is our response to God, both personal and corporate, for Who He is, whereas praise and thanksgiving are expressions of gratitude for what He has done – all coming from hearts filled with genuine love, childlike submission, and unquestioning obedience to His will.

Core Truth: The wisest man in the world, once said “There is a time to keep silent and a time to speak.” (Ecc. 3:7b). It is a much-needed lesson our beloved Peter had to learn and one that we do well to learn as well.

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: 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: 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)

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: 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: 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.”

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

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 – 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: 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!

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: In the end, there is only one thing that matters – our willingness to do whatever it takes to gain what matters most and thus secure true success in this life and in the life to come!

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Even winds and seas obey Him.

Core Truth: Christ’s purpose was not primarily to end suffering here on earth through miraculous cures but rather to preach the Good News that would lead us to Salvation in Heaven where every wound will be healed when we are united unto God’s love. In the meantime, we are to remember those in prison as if we were found with them, and those who are mistreated as if we were suffering with them.

Core Truth: True Christian stewardship is far more inclusive than just our money and our checkbook; our Lord’s example makes it clear that everything – even the very breath we breathe – is His gracious gift to us and is to be used for His purposes while we are here on earth.

Core Truth: We say we believe in Christ’s return – but too many Christians seem to live as though it’s probably not going to happen anytime soon and, truth be told, would prefer that it not!

Core Truth: As life-altering as Christ’s first coming was, the impact of His second coming will stagger mankind’s imagination and change life upon the earth forever! However, a loving God has told His children ahead of time what to expect, how to prepare for it, and what we are to be doing in the meantime.

Core Truth: It is impossible to measure the benefits of committing oneself totally to the will of God in Christ; it is equally impossible to measure the profound loss of failing to do so.

Core Truth: To truly surrender to God is to put oneself completely at His disposal and be willing to live only for that which pleases Him and advances His kingdom in the world.

Core Truth: It is far too easy for us to miss the real secret of our Lord’s life and ministry here on earth. His power over demons, diseases, discouragements, and difficulties was not due to His divine nature, but rather to His total surrender to the Father’s will.

Core Truth: Because of who we are, where we are headed, and what is waiting for us when we get there, there are some things Christ is calling us to do here and now which will make our journey far more enjoyable and our effectiveness for Him here and now far greater, while preparing for us eternal rewards beyond our dreams in the life to come.

Core Truth:It is only the life that is built upon the solid rock of God’s eternal Word that can ever hope to survive life’s storms. Jesus said “…everyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them, will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock, and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

Core Truth: It is only the life that is built upon the solid rock of God’s eternal Word that can ever hope to survive life’s storms. Jesus said “… everyone who hears these words of Mine and obeys them, will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock, and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”