Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact [email protected].
Johnny Spray: Living with No Regret (1 Kings 2:1-3)
Johnny Spray, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Giddings, wants his congregation “to live a life with as little regret as possible”—as hard as that is to do. He acknowledged the word “regret” itself brings regrets to mind. He also acknowledged one of his deepest regrets.
“To live life to its fullest means you’ve got to leave some things behind,” Spray said. “You cannot flourish by living in regret,” he continued. He wanted his hearers to be honest with themselves and the Lord, so they could live life to the fullest.
David’s deathbed counsel to Solomon serves as an example of Spray’s desire for his church. David wanted Solomon to “continue getting stronger,” to risk demonstrating he’s a man of God and to follow God obediently.
Solomon didn’t listen and reached the end of his life with regrets. Spray exhorted his hearers not to make Solomon’s mistake, but to do four things, starting with giving their lives to Jesus.
Spray delivered this sermon May 7, 2023, for the morning worship service of First Baptist Church of Giddings. It is the last sermon in a series titled “The Life of David.”
A sermon outline is available here.
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