How to Feel Clean Again!
Drawing from David’s cry to God in the 51st Psalm, Bill Self said, “being renewed is the issue in all of our lives. . . We all need to feel clean again. We need to feel focused again. We need the touch of God’s Spirit again.”
God's Providential Protection
In this Father’s Day sermon, Bill Self continues a study of the 23rd Psalm. “The Psalmist is saying, ‘You are God’s special person. I not only give food and shelter and take care of you, but I give you the gift of being special.’ That is powerful. Many people go through life and they never feel special.” And as he did for more than 40 years, Bill concludes with the retelling of a portion of Harper Lee’s book, “To Kill A Mockingbird.”
“Sex" Is Not A Four-Letter Word
In this Valentine's Day sermon from 2010, Bill Self reminds us that “sex was God’s idea.” But Bill also said there are conditions — it is to be used only by God’s standards — which are completely contrary to today’s culture. “Never tear down a fence before you know why it was put there in the first place,” he said. “We have pulled the fences down and wreaked havoc upon our culture.”
Before I Thee Wed ...
Bill said there are four areas that determine the health and quality of a marriage. But foremost is the understanding of marriage itself. "Marriage is a religious experience. If you see marriage as just a secular accommodation, you don’t understand it. It’s a matter of faith ... When two people come to be married, they are not two half-people coming to make one whole person. They are two whole people growing together. And together the two are stronger than the sum total of the two."
How Do You Believe the Bible?
Do we believe the Bible as God's Word to be studied, revered and honored, or do we see it as an instruction manual on how to live? Bill Self asked, "Do you believe the Bible with your heart? Do you believe the Bible with your head? Or do you believe the Bible with your hands and feet? Do you believe the Bible enough to do something about it? Do you believe it enough to give a cold cup of water in Jesus' name? Do you believe it enough to get involved in a short-term mission enterprise? Do you believe it enough to make sure your family is at the place where they can learn about it? Do you believe it enough to stop being a religious consumer and start becoming someone who shares their faith?"
The Power of God's Vision for Your Life
Bill Self said Jesus modeled how to live each day from the perspective of gratitude to God. And the results were miraculous. We are to do the same. “When you live with gratitude problems become a challenge. Difficulties bring hidden resources. And a crisis becomes a moment for you to begin living ... Give thanks unto the Lord. His mercy endures forever.”
The Power of Faith in Your Life
Bill Self explores the meaning and implications of faith in this sermon and how it impacts the lives of Christians and the church. “Faith is a courageous adventure. You can talk about faith all day long, but unless you do something with it, unless you risk your life upon it, unless you’re able to step out on the faith that you’re talking about, it’s not worth anything”
You Can't Have It All
Our culture tells us we can have it all with no limits, but Bill Self says the Bible tells a different story. "Life is full of choices. God put us in this world and He set boundaries. And He said if you choose to live within these boundaries life is going to be good. If you live in the boundaries God blesses your life. You have to make choices. The tragedies I see are the people who try to live outside the boundaries. If you ignore the boundaries, your life is out of control."
The Habits of Highly Effective Christians
In a post-Christian culture, Bill Self said there are several essential things necessary for revitalized faith -- both for churches and individuals. “If you want a revitalized spiritual life, you need a radical hospitality, a passionate worship, an intentional faith development, risk-taking mission concerns, and an extravagant generosity. It doesn’t come without them.”
Why Should I Make a Profession of Faith, Join the Church and be Baptized?
Bill Self explains the significance of baptism from a Baptist perspective and its importance, both to the church and to the individual. “Baptism is a sacred and beautiful thing ... it is not something we just tack on to a church. But it’s in the heart of what we do. Baptism is the entrance into the family of God, it’s more than initiation, it’s deeper than that, it’s a mysterious thing...”
What Christians Believe and Why: Part 2
Bill Self explains what the Bible says about God’s purpose for the church and what Baptists believe, in particular. “Secular forces would tell us that we’re a service club or that we’re a drama troop or that we’re a community fellowship group. And the church has been damaged by these people who have imported ideas and we’ve picked them up. These ideas are not bad they’re just not in the heart of who we are.”
Life Is What You Make It
Living in a fallen world is not easy, but Bill Self said when life gets hard, we need to remember how much God loves us. “When God made you, He said, ‘you’re good.’ God loves you enough that He sent Hia Son to die for you, to cleanse you, to make you clean ... What right have we to denigrate any human being? What right have we to denigrate our neighbor? What right have we to denigrate ourselves? If we’re the ones that God created and died for, if we’re the ones that God did all of that for, why in the world do we spend time taking away from God’s creation?”
A Good Word for Fathers
In this Father’s Day sermon, Bill Self notes that culture works against families, but he cites Psalm 1 and said that godly fathers will be able to withstand the storms of life. He concludes the sermon with his annual retelling of a portion of Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird.”
Do You Have A Life Or A Lifestyle?
When Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly,” Bill Self said, “He didn’t mean, ‘I have come that you may have a lifestyle and have it more abundantly.’ He’s talking about the fact that, in the midst of the messiness of life, when life’s not working out like it should ... He’s talking about the fact that in the midst of all of that, He’s in the midst of it with you.”
Journey Through The Valley
Drawing from the comforting words of the 23rd Psalm, Bill Self said, “I trust that you know Jesus Christ, who will lead you through that journey through the valley. I want you to know that your chaotic life will be given confidence and order because Jesus Christ is leading you. There is no other name under heaven whereby men must be saved.”
Heaven Touched Us
Bill Self said God gives us as much power as we will accept from Him. “You can be more than you are, you can have more of God than you have. Your life does not have to limp along, it can have power that you have never imagined. But it begins first of all, with you and not God, because God gives you as much of Himself as you want. And if there’s no power there, it’s because you have said, ‘I’ve got all I want. I don’t want any more.’”
We're Not In Kansas Anymore, Toto
In this Mother’s Day sermon, Bill Self talks about the dramatic cultural shifts that have greatly impacted the family -- and even the definition of “family” and “marriage” is controversial. And drawing from the classic movie, “The Wizard of Oz,” he quotes Dorothy who said, “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.” Drawing from Ephesians 3, Bill offers some help in how to raise a Christian family in a pagan culture, underscoring the importance and necessity of being grounded in the local Church.
If I Were 18 Again
In this sermon aimed at graduating high school seniors, Bill Self asks, “When do you quit listening? Everybody has a point where we quit listening to things we don’t want to hear.” But when they get to college, he urges the students not to quit listening to new ideas, but “seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you.”
Journey to the Center of the Faith
Bill Self said God gives us as much power as we will accept from Him. “You can be more than you are, you can have more of God than you have. Your life does not have to limp along, it can have power that you have never imagined. But it begins first of all, with you and not God, because God gives you as much of Himself as you want. And if there’s no power there, it’s because you have said, ‘I’ve got all I want. I don’t want any more.’”
Living on the Good Side of Easter
Bill Self urged the Christian community to move to the Good side of Easter. “Move your address ... For on this side of Easter we find some wonderful things. On this side we have the evidence and the promise of God that death has died ... God has the last word. The last word is not with the forces of evil that permeate our culture. Death is dead. God is in control. And we shall meet one another by and by.”