Lexington Baptist Temple

The Christmas Story is very endearing to us. We immortalize it with nativity scenes and mangers and stables and plays, but in reality it was very chaotic and unsuspecting at the same time. Bethlehem is a place that no one would have chosen, but God did. In this message, Pastor Derek Holmes looks at how When Jesus is among the lowly, He lifts us up to Him.

From Luke 2:21-40. As kids, we get impatient waiting for Christmas. It seems like the longest night of the year is Christmas Eve, waiting for all the fun and presents the following morning. In Luke 2, we are introduced to two people -- Simeon and Anna -- who were both waiting for Christmas, but for very significant reasons. They teach us that all of us have the same spiritual longing. We are all Waiting for Christmas.

"God With Us." These three words sum up the miracle and glory of Christmas. The fact that God became a man and stepped down into our brokenness is the greatest gift the world will ever know. In the first message of the Christmas at Graceway Series, Pastor Derek Holmes looks at how the Incarnation of Christ makes the Christmas story personal to all of us.

In the closing verses of the opening act of the book of Romans, we shift from seeing why the Gospel is necessary, to see what makes the Gospel available to the world -- the unconditional, unreasonable, undeniable, unstoppable love of God.

We use the word "Blessing" quite often in church. WE almost use it so much, we lose the significance. Some blessings are good, while others may not feel so pleasant. Some come to teach us or refine us. And, other blessings come to us just because we know Christ. In Romans 5, Paul notes 5 vital blessings for knowing Christ for which we can be eternally grateful

Part 2 of a 2-part message from Romans 4. Looking at how the righteous can live by faith.

The entire book of Romans rests on the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Chapter 4, Paul uses the example of two Old Testament Heroes to show us that salvation has always hinged on faith alone in the grace and mercy alone through Christ alone. While the saints of the Old Testament looked ahead to Jesus, we look back to Jesus and place the same saving faith in Him. But, what does it mean to "live by faith"? In this episode, Derek Holmes looks at two of the four ways Paul presents in chapter 4.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This sparked the Protestant Reformation. The reformation was built on "5 Solas" of the faith... Salvation by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone as found in Scripture alone. The text that launched reformation in Luther's own heart was Romans 3:21-26, the passage that Pastor Derek Holmes looks at on today's episode.

Romans 3:1-21. Pastor Derek Holmes continues to walk through the book of Romans by looking at how the only true way to salvation is to admit we are sinners in need of a Savior.

What happens when we turn our back on God? Nothing good, that's for sure. What happens when God turns His back on us? We'll never know, because He never has and never will. In Romans, Paul talks about the judgment that falls on all who disregard God. We see a tragic statement three times, "God gave them over." In other words, we tell God to leave us alone, and He respects us enough to do just that. But, thankfully, God loves us too much to let us go. He is always there, working to redeem us even from ourselves. This message looks at how rejecting the Creator results in chaos and all forms of pain.

After Paul's introduction to the Romans, he gets right down to business. He begins to lay out an argument for why the Gospel is so important and so necessary. He also lays a compelling argument for why the Gospel is such good news. It is good news because of the horrible reality it addresses. That reality is that we are all guilty of our sin before a Holy God. In this message Pastor Derek Holmes looks at how the evidence for God is all around us and it rests upon us to acknowledge God for grace.

You have probably heard the phrase, "All Roads Lead To Rome." This was a mantra of many in the ancient world all the way into Medieval literature to note the fact that the Romans had developed a vast infrastructure and system of highways and roads to stretch to all points of their empire. It was a source of pride for all Romans, but a source of intimidation to all under their control. Paul wanted to travel those roads to get to the believers in Rome. Those roads have long since deteriorated, along with the power of Rome, but the Gospel still stands today as the road that leads us to God.

Do you read the introduction of books? In this message, Pastor Derek Holmes finishes the opening message of a series walking through the book of Romans. The introduction of the book can be read in the first seven verses of chapter 1 where, Paul, the writer identifies the main theme, the hero and the message and mission of the book.

Do you read the introduction of books? In this message, Pastor Derek Holmes begins a series walking through the book of Romans looking at the first seven verses. These verses are the introduction to Paul's greatest work on grace and faith. In this message, we look at how the Gospel transformed Saul the Pharisee into Paul the Apostle Missionary.

"Caveat Emptor"! This is a Latin term that economists and business experts are familiar with. It means, "Let the buyer beware." If you have ever been suckered into a bad deal or made a bad purchase, you don't need to go to business school... you already understand this principle very well. In Matthew 16, Jesus has a very serious and genuine discussion with His disciples on what it means to be a disciple. It is almost carries a "Buyer Beware" tone to it. To follow Jesus is to share in His sufferings and to share in self-denial, sacrifice and cross-bearing. To follow Jesus is to live in the constant tension of colliding worlds. In this message, Pastor Derek Holmes looks at how, even though the Christ-life offers great promise, it also bears great difficulty. But, there is still no life greater than the disciple life.

In advertising, illusion is king. Whether it's selling hamburgers or lifestyle influencers, every image is doctored, filtered, airbrushed or manipulated for the greatest effect, all for the sake of projecting the "Good Life". In Matthew 16, Jesus has a completely opposite conversation with His disciples as he pitches what it will look like to continue following Him. The life of following Christ is not easy, beautiful or sugar-coated. But, it is the greatest life you can imagine.

We are bombarded with questions every single day. In many cases we don't even notice how many questions we face. Some are no big deal and don't have a whole lot of lasting effect, but there are some life-altering questions we must answer... "Do you take this person to be your lawfully wedded spouse?" Now that is a heavy question that can alter your life! In Matthew, Jesus asks His disciples a question we all must answer. He asks, "Who do you say that I am?" In this message, Pastor Derek Holmes looks at why this question is the most important question ever asked that we must answer.

When Jesus gets involved, things change. Jesus healed and performed many miracles through the Gospel accounts. In this account, we see Jesus heal a paralyzed man who had no hope to walk. We see some life-changing truths from this account which we must apply to all our lives to help us see that spiritually, we are all lame and paralyzed with no hope apart from Jesus.

Continuing the message from the previous week, Pastor Derek Holmes looks at the last three ways we are to serve others with the freedom we've been given in Christ.

Galatians 6 is a call to be others centered. In this message, Pastor Derek Holmes looks at what it looks like to serve others.