Forty-fifth Street Baptist Church Weekly Sermons

Sept 27, 2020 PRAYER MONTH 2020 Sermon Series: “Powerful Prayers for People With Problems” Speaker: Pastor Sparks Text: Luke 22:31-32 -Intercession: An entreaty in favor of another, especially a prayer or petition to God on behalf of another (in other words, making a plea or putting in a good word for someone else who may or may not not be in a position to do so) -Jesus is telling Peter, in the midst of Peter requesting a special place in the Kingdom, that Satan has been trying to get at Peter...but Jesus reassured him that he’s taken care of because He’s been praying for Peter. -We ought to make a habit of praying for others more than we pray for ourselves! -Do you make listening to other people a priority? Or are you only consumed with what’s happening in your life? -Satan doesn’t want you to succeed...and you’re not a threat to him if you’re not doing The Lord’s work... -Satan has no real power (meaning he can’t control anyone or anything), BUT, he’s a master manipulator. -In this scripture, when Jesus says “you”, it’s interpretation is plural; this means that even though He’s directing the message at Peter, He’s talking to ALL the disciples (and us too)! -In this scripture, when Jesus says “desires”, the interpretation reads that Satan is begging for the opportunity to attack Peter (and us) 1. Jesus is Our Intercessor * Because Jesus actively intercedes for us, we’re protected from the enemy’s attacks because our Savior covers us! 2. I’ve Gotta Repent When I Mess Up * When we mess up, we have to fess up; tell The Lord that we’ve done wrong, repent (leave the behavior we’re guilty of), and go back to Him—and He always welcomes us back! 3. The Believer’s Responsibility is to Help Strengthen Others * If Christ has restored you, it only makes sense to help others receive restoration as well! Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

Sept 20, 2020 “Effective Prayer: Lessons From the Prophet Daniel” Part 2 PRAYER MONTH 2020 Sermon Series: “Powerful Prayers for People With Problems” Speaker: Pastor Sparks Text: Daniel, chapters 9:12(b)-20 -When Daniel got put in the lion’s den, he was 80 years old -The enemy is crafty; he’ll either try to lead you into wrong or pervert the right you’re doing and try to make it wrong -When the king signed that decree aimed at making Daniel’s prayer time wrong, Daniel went to his house and do what he normally did: Prayed. -God appreciates relationship! While He hears the most random, out-of-the-blue prayer, how much better is it to be someone God hears from regularly?! -Daniel tried to keep his LIVING right, so it wouldn’t affect God’s LISTENING to Him -When your internal person is on point, it typically results in positive external relationships Prayer Pointers to Consider 1. Blaming God Isn’t Really Prayer * God doesn’t cause disaster, He allows it * The same God you choose to call on afterward is the same God you can call on beforehand; so don’t blame God for trouble 2. Review God’s Record in General—and in Your Life * God is the God that not only gets you outta trouble, but keeps you outta trouble! * Look back at all He’s done for you and others! He hasn’t changed and He won’t change! * Ain’t no such thing as God “going out of business” 3. Pray for His Sake * When you pray for His sake, you’re telling Him it’s for His glory; you’re asking Him to do something in accordance with His character * If we wanna bring glory to God, let’s talk to Him more! 4. Remember, If It Wasn’t For His Grace... * We don’t deserve any good thing God gives us! 5. God’s Response to Our Prayers is Immediate * God doesn’t have to “think about” anything * You may pray for something today that takes 5 years to come; God said “yes” the second you prayed, but you won’t be ready for it until 5 years from now! * God responds IMMEDIATELY—there is no delay to His response! You may have to grow into the “yes” or He may say “no” because He has something better prepared for you 6. When You Pray, Help Is On the Way 7. Angels Are Watching Over Us * You have no clue how many situations you’ve been saved from—that you had no idea were even situations—bc angels were watching over you! Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

9/13/2020 “Effective Prayer: Lessons From the Prophet Daniel” PRAYER MONTH 2020 Sermon Series: “Powerful Prayers for People With Problems” Speaker: Pastor Sparks Text: Daniel, chapters 9-11 -Daniel is considered one of the most righteous men in history -Daniel served at the top of a pagan (godless) government for over 50 years...and still kept his faithfulness to God! This is significant because the higher you get elevated, the more shots people try to take at you -There is nothing like being able to talk to God for yourself! There is nothing that prevents you from coming to God WHENEVER you want or need to... -Daniel carried himself in such a way that even his captors respected and acknowledged his dietary choices Lessons to Learn from Daniel 1. Start Your Prayer By Studying Scripture (Daniel 9:1-2) * The Word will never lead you wrong; and when you pray knowing the character of God, you get better results because you ask things according to His will & His purpose * To get stronger as a prayer, study the Word more 2. Let Scripture Lead You to Your Prayer Subject (Daniel 9:3) * If prayer is the train, then scripture ought to be the rails it rides on 3. Humility Gets Heaven’s Attention (Daniel 9:3; 11-12) * Arrogant prayer is an oxymoron * We’re not even worthy to approach God, yet He allows us to; so, while we should always approach Him as a “loving”, we also need to remember He’s our “Father” * Pride has zero place in our prayers, so never forget your place and who you’re talking to * Stop going to The Lord as if He owes you something! 4. Prepare to Talk to The King (Daniel 9:4) * The King deserves praise! Before you ask for anything, praise Him! 5. Clear the Pathway of Your Heart (Daniel 9:5-6) * Don’t try to “spin” your sin. Wrong is wrong, and if you’ve done wrong, be real with God & acknowledge it Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

"The Mystery of Prayer"...9/6/20 PRAYER MONTH 2020 Sermon Series: “Powerful Prayers for People With Problems” Speaker: Pastor Sparks Text: Matthew 18:18-20 -Do you pray when you don’t have a problem? Or are you only an emergency prayer? -Prayer has changed things AND people! -Prayer has kept a child from doing something dangerous; prayer has saved marriages; prayer has made a supervisor change her mind from firing you to giving you another chance; prayer has saved folks from the brink of death -Prayer is a mystery; how does God navigate conflicting prayer requests??? If one is praying for “sun” and another is praying for “rain”, whose request does God honor? -What does “binding & loosing” mean? Jesus is saying ordinary people can exercise extraordinary power based on our relationship w/ God. -We believe, erroneously, that earth is “down here” & heaven is “up there” -God only does what fits His purposes; so binding & loosing is not some overwhelming power we have to declare something and it is so, but rather our ability to tap into His power when we ask according to His will! -The same way you believe you can go to a light switch, flip it, and a room gets filled with light, is the same way we SHOULD believe in the presence, power, & ability of our God! -If we bind sickness on this side, and God’s will is for healing to take place on this side, then heaven hears us and binds that sickness -Intercessory Prayer is helping another person by praying for them. -Prayer is multiplied exponentially by unity! Coming together with other believers in prayer results in a unique harmony that blesses heaven! -The real power of prayer is the presence of Jesus praying with you; heaven doesn’t hear my prayer bc I’m so dynamic or so spiritual, but because Jesus is in the midst of my prayer! -Our prayers ARE because Jesus IS! -Prayer is: God the Son praying to God the Father in the power of God the Spirit, in the prayer room of your heart! Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

"Anchored in The Lord"...8/30/20 Speaker: Pastor Sparks Text: Romans 5:1-11 -One of the reasons we don’t grow in Christ is bc we won’t read His Word -As long as we’ve got Jesus, we’ll ALWAYS be taken care of! In this scripture, we’re able to... 1. Realize Our Present Position * We are accepted by God & have complete peace with Him! * If you haven’t accepted Christ, you’re constantly at war with God; but if you’ve accepted Christ, you’re fully at peace with God! * After our acceptance of Christ, we are JUSTIFIED, meaning it’s just as if we had not sinned. Wow. * I am in a constant state of grace! I’ve got access to God & I’ve been accepted by God 2. Recognize God’s Purposes * Everything God has blessed me with is for Kingdom-building purposes! * You gotta apply your anchor to a solid foundation, so when heavy winds blow, buckets of rain splash, & the waves crash, you are unmoved because your anchor is connected to a Source stronger than all of that! 3. Recall God’s Amazing Love * Christ died for us when we didn’t hardly deserve it; Christ died for us even as we killed Him; Christ accepted us simply because we turned to Him—no hoops to jump through, no crazy ritual, just asking Him to be the Lord of our lives 4. Rejoice in the Presence of God * Regardless of what life throws at us, we can have an unstoppable joy because our anchor is the greatest Source imaginable! * WE. ARE. FOREVER. SAFE! -To accept Christ as your Lord & Savior, simply ask Him! Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

Aug 16, 2020 "What God Has Joined Together" 8/16/20 Speaker: Pastor Sparks Text: Various (Genesis 1:18-28; Colossians 3:23; Lamentations 3:22-23) -Why did you get married? -Did you even think about The Lord when you got married or only “oh Lord!” -Before you can fully understand what marriage is, you gotta know what it ISN’T. Marriage is NOT... 1. A strategy to make you whole * Degree, good job, car, house, marriage is not the order for marriage. Marriage happens when it happens, but to force it as the “next step” on your journey is to devalue the significance of it * Marriage acts as a highlighter over your problems. Marriage doesn’t solve your issues, it simply highlights them 2. The cure for being lonely * Lonely people become lonely married people! * Trying to have someone serve as your constant, ever present emotional partner is draining 3. Your escape from being bored * Boredom doesn’t come primarily from a lack of EXTERNAL stimulus, but instead from a lack of INTERNAL stimulus -To fully understand and enjoy marriage, we have to seek God first; our marriage has a purpose as laid out in Genesis 1:18-28. When we seek God first... 1. It gives my marriage purpose * You won’t fulfill your purpose in God until you & that spouse are on the same page moving in the same direction! * In the (b) part of verse 28, God gave Adam & Eve a unified purpose. God has given you your spouse a reason for existing together! * Building a home is a purpose; raising children is a purpose; building a Godly business, etc. is a purpose * Marriage is not marriage if all you do is focus on your stuff and handling your own individual needs * CHALLENGE: Over the next 7 days, pray WITH & FOR your spouse 2. Gives my marriage maturity * A mature marriage has a head; not a boss, but a head * There’s absolutely equality in marriage, but 3. Gives my marriage grace * There’s no successful marriage without a measure of grace, without understanding that people are flawed & need the same grace Christ gives us! Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

"Secrets & Lies Ruin Lives" 8/9/20 Sermon Series: “REAL LOVE” A Relationship Rehab Series Speaker: Pastor Sparks Text: Joshua 7:24-26 -Withholding information is just another form of lying (a half-truth is a whole lie) -Intimacy means to be “fully-known” & it is a by-product of truth-telling Waterlines in our lives: * Image waterline is what we want the public to see & it’s what we work hard to make impressive * Spouse waterline is a step beyond the image waterline because our spouse knows a deeper level than the public; while the public sees the nice outfit, our spouse knows we got holes in our socks! * “Hiddenness” waterline is the line that holds the stuff we don’t want/allow anyone else to really see or know Learn to tell the truth to three people: 1. Yourself - It’s foolish to try to deceive ourselves! 1 John 1:8 says that if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth isn’t in us. When I believe the lies I tell myself, I’m in a dangerous place 2. Your Spouse (Friends) - You need someone to keep you accountable! 3. God - He already knows, so why not have a conversation with someone who knows you FULLY...yet loves you DEEPLY?! 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful & will forgive us and cleanse us! We gotta go thru a heart change to get better: 1. Value truth-telling more than image-building (it’s ok to not have it all together!) 2. Value transparency more than accountability (there can’t be true accountability without transparency first) 3. Value intimacy more than the absence of conflict ” Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

Aug 2, 2020

"These Three Words"...7/26/20 PART 3 PART 2 - https://youtu.be/KfIhHZ-ggoM "These Three Words"...7/26/20 Sermon Series: “REAL LOVE” A Relationship Rehab Series Speaker: Pastor Sparks Text: 1 Samuel 25 -There are times in relationships where we simply just don’t get it right -Sometimes it’s not the act, but the discussion after the act that hurts the most. We gotta know HOW to talk to each other! -While the words “I love you” are uber important, “I am sorry” are just as important -There’s no way you can join two lives together without stepping on each other’s toes at times -In this scripture, Nabal—and a ton of people—were spared because Nabal’s wife, Abigail, stepped in and apologized to David on Nabal’s behalf, thus saving the lives of her entire household -Do you know how to apologize? WHY APOLOGIZE? * Because it’s a way of recognizing & acknowledging our wrongs, and by doing so we clear the air with others to help restore relationship -Understand though, that apologies don’t automatically equate to forgiveness. Do your part and let the other person come around when they’re ready ELEMENTS OF A HEALTHY APOLOGY * Address everyone involved * This includes the innocent bystanders that heard/saw/experienced the junk you did * Avoid “if”, “but”, & “maybe” * When we use these terms, we lessen what we’ve done and put the responsibility on the other person * Admit specifically what you’ve done * Acknowledge the hurt * Empathy goes a long way; it’s hard to acknowledge hurting someone when you don’t put yourself in their shoes * Accept the consequences * The person may not forgive you...but that’s their right. Do your part and give them space to process it as they see fit * Alter your behavior * If your apology isn’t combined with changed behavior, it’s a hollow, ineffective, insincere apology * Ask for forgiveness & allow time * “I’m sorry” acknowledges behavior; “will you forgive me?” requests righting the relationship. * Time is a healer 3x5 Apology Rules * Express regret * Accept Responsibility * Make restitution * Genuine repentance * Request forgiveness Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks

July 19, 2020

7/12/2020 Part One of the "I Only Have Eyes For You Relationship/Refresh Series"

7/5/2020

June 28, 2020

- June 14, 2020 This is Week 2 of The Shades of Fatherhood Series To give to the ministry - https://app.easytithe.com/App/Giving/fort7600279 Follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/45baptistchurch/ Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/45thstreetbc/

June 7, 2020 Sermon Series: “Shades of a Father“ Speaker: Pastor Sparks Text: Matthew 3:16-17 1. A Father ANNOUNCES His Son • Good fathers are never ashamed of their children! • Regardless of how a child is brought here, once he/she is here, don’t ever let them know a time that you aren’t thankful to have them in your life! • A Father ADORES His Son • Children can live without a lot of things, but love isn’t one of them • Next to giving your child the knowledge of having a relationship w/ The Lord, the best thing a father can give his child unconditional love o Unconditional means that if no one else affirms, likes, appreciates them, daddy will o Unconditional means you love them thru their mistakes o Unconditional means we love them like God loves us! • You can love your child unconditionally without approving of the junk they sometimes do • Don’t starve your children of your love and affection! We are physical beings created for physical interaction; how you nurture your children plays a significant role in how they respond to the world around them • Make telling your children “I love you” a regular occurrence • A Father ACCEPTS His Son • God said “I’m well pleased”, which signified God’s approval of His Son; when’s the last time you told your child “I’m proud of you”? • A child’s responsibility is to be what God has created them to be, not be what parents think they should be • Don’t hold your children hostage with your expectations • Don’t hold the mistakes of your children over their head • A Father APPRENTICES His Son • A good father gives his son some work to do • If you want your children to have a meaningful life, teach them how to do some work • Your children may not want to follow in your footsteps, but they should pick SOMETHING up from you that makes them better! • Do your children want to follow Jesus based on your relationship with Jesus? -- -Deacon Anthony D. Sparks

May 24, 2020

5/17/2020

5/10/2020

5/3/2020

April 26, 2020

3/29/2020

3/22/2020

3/8/2020

2/23/2020

2/16/2020

2/2/2020

1/26/2020

1/19/2020

Jan 12, 2020

January 5, 2020

12/29/2019

Dec 22, 2019

12/15/2019

12/01/2019

11/24/2019

11/17/2019

11/20/2019

11/3/2019

10/27/2019

10/20/2019

10/13/2019

10062019

9/29/2019

9/22/2019

9/15/2019