East Cooper Baptist Church - Sermons Podcast

East Cooper Baptist Church
  • 4.8 (26)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

This is the podcast for the Sunday sermons at East Cooper Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Our senior pastor, Conrad 'Buster' Brown is normally teaching but we also have other resident pastors and guest speakers at times.

  1. 4d ago

    The Ploys of the Devil: Resisting the Enemy

    "So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:1-8The opening statement of 1 Peter is written to a group of believers who are going through difficult times, which involves persecution. Peter reminds them that they fight an enemy who incessantly prowls about seeking to eat them up. Therefore, they are to resist him. The first four verses of 1 Peter 5 deal with the leaders/elders of the church. He underscores the reason such weight is given to this group of people is because:Leaders (at all levels) are pacesetters.The avowed desire to honor Christ heightens the fierce rage of the devil.“The devil laughs. He is perfectly content to see you becoming chaste and brave and self-controlled provided, all the time, he is setting up in you the Dictatorship of Pride– just as he would be quite content to see your skin rash cured if he was allowed, in return, to give you cancer. For pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love or contentment or even common sense.” C.S. Lewis, Mere ChristianityHow to Resist the Devil1. Walk in HumilityHeidelberg Catechism, Question 60Q. How are you righteous before God?A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ; that is, although my conscience accuse me, that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them, and am still prone always to all evil; yet God without any merit of mine, of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never committed nor had any sin, and had myself accomplished all the obedience which Christ has fulfilled for me; if only I accept such benefit with a believing heart.Humility comes as the glory and wonder of the cross is continually understood. "But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.” 1 Peter 4:15 Prepare for the promise; the Lord will exalt/lift up His people.2. Cast your anxieties/cares upon the living God."But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful." Mark 4:19 "But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap."  Luke 21:34 "As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."  Matthew 13:22 The mighty, eternal, unchanging God tenderly cares for His people. Anxiety:"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not lif... Speaker: Buster Brown

  2. Jul 22

    The Lord's Prayer: How to Fight the Battle of Faith…"Aslan, you’re bigger"

    "Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'” Matthew 6:9-13“Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.”“That is because you are older, little one,” answered he. “Not because you are?”“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianThe first three petitions of the Lord's Prayer establish the centrality of the living God and his kingdom in our lives. While petitions four through six deal with his provision for our well-being, forgiveness, and relational wholeness, and the supply of strength to fight the daily battle of faith.Heidelberg Catechism, Question 127Q. What does the sixth petition mean?A. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one means: by ourselves we are too weak to hold our own even for a moment. And our sworn enemies—the devil, the world, and our own flesh—never stop attacking us. And so, Lord, uphold us and make us strong with the strength of your Holy Spirit, so that we may not go down to defeat in this spiritual warfare, but may continually and strenuously resist our enemies until we finally win the complete victory.“When a man has no doubt that everything depends on the will of God, then he completely despairs of himself and chooses nothing for himself, but waits for God to work; then he has come close to grace.” Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will1. The greatest enemy of faith: stoic, fierce self-determinism (more detrimental than pornography or racism) 2. Let personal despair humble you in order to see Christ more clearly. “Learn much of your own heart. And when you have learned all you can, remember you have seen but a few yards into the pit that is unfathomable.” Robert Murray McCheyne (d. 1843)Enter into the joyous free fall of self despair by being focused on the glory of Christ. “The index of the soundness of a man's faith in Christ is the genuineness of the self despair from which it springs.” J.I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness, pg. 1703. Know yourself.“For what man in all the world would not gladly remain as he is–what man does not remain as he is–so long as he does not know himself, that is, while content with his own gifts, and either ignorant or unmindful of his own misery? Accordingly, the knowledge of ourselves not only arouses us to seek God, but also, as it were, leads us by the hand to find him." John Calvin, The Institutes of Christian Faith, Section 1, Book 1, Chapter 14. Know your enemy/the battle.“Most of us, if we're honest, live our lives too serious about casual things and too casual about serious things. We fret about clothes and calories. We fuss about diets and home decor. Our whole week can be ruined by a sporting event gone wrong. We are supremely concerned about these relatively unimportant matters. And yet we will start each new day as if we were in no spiritual danger, as if we had no enemy, as if we were not at war with our own flesh. We realize we need daily bread and we realize we need daily forgiveness. But how many times do we go about each day thinking that there is no battle, blissfully ignorant, sometimes willfully ignorant of the danger that we will face.” Kevin DeYoung, The Lord’s Prayer, pg. 94-95In November of 1941, a survey was done among Americans and the question was, “Is war with Japan imminent?” 52% said yes, 27% said no, and 21% were undecided. And yet three weeks later on December the 7th, 1941, there was the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor. “There but for the grace of God go I...” John Bradford (1510-1555)Is se... Speaker: Buster Brown

  3. Jul 19

    The Lord's Prayer: Forgiveness (Part Two)

    "Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'”  Matthew 6:9-13Forgiveness is desiring the welfare/good, not the ruin of the one who wronged you. It is the refusal to allow bitterness or hate to strangle our life in Christ as we trust that Abba Father is just in all his ways (Romans 12:19-21).One of the purposes of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is to push us to despairing of self-help righteousness and cause us to look to the mercy of Christ alone. We are to be forgiving and kind even to our enemies “so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:44). We are to be forgiving because forgiveness is a mark of a disciple of Christ."For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15Regarding Forgiveness1. This is a daily commitment because sin clings to us and will seek to have the upper hand until the day we die."If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:8-9“'Okay, may I kill it,' said the angel to the man tormented by lust (represented by a lizard attached to his shoulder). To which the man responded, "Honestly, I don't think there is the slightest necessity for that. I'm sure I shall be able to keep it in order now. I think the gradual process would be far better than killing it." 'The gradual process is of no use at all,' replied the angel." C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce, pg. 106 2. In order to change, we must continue to behold the glory and goodness of Christ. The life of faith is the fight to see continually the wonder and mercy of Christ."But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed." 2 Corinthians 3:14-163. In the fight of faith, the struggle to forgive is not disqualifying. But, when unforgiveness, bitterness, and anger rule as the operative emotion in our life, it is not only defeating; it takes away our joy and robs us of the assurance of salvation and calls into serious question the reality of our salvation. Unforgiving people are not in a saving relationship with Christ.  "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." Isaiah 26:3-4"For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin." Psalm 32:3-54. In the fight of faith, why does the Lord allow these struggles? "The most wise, righteous, and gracious God often leaves his own children for a season to various temptations and the corruption of their own heartsto chastise them for their former sins, or to show to them the hidden strength of the corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, so that they may be humbled,to raise them to a more close and constant depend... Speaker: Buster Brown

  4. Jul 12

    What Wondrous Love Is This: What Wondrous Love Is This

    "The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments." Psalm 103:6-18Great Love for Great Sinners (6-14)"God is merciful in the most tender and affectionate manner; he has bowels of mercy…his mercy is free, without any motive or merit in men to engage it; he delights in showing it; he constantly bestows it; it is the source of all good things; it is communicated through Christ." John Gill, Commentary on Psalm 103Forever Love for the Fleeting (15-18)"Time, you left me standing thereLike a tree growing all aloneThe wind just stripped me bareStripped me bare" Hootie & the BlowfishSo Bless the Lord for His love and more! (1-5, 19-22)“Bless”: to remember, relish, and respond to all of God’s goodness to you in Christ(1-5) Bless the Lord for a mountain of benefits (19-22) Bless the Lord with all of creationDiscussion Questions:What blessings and benefits of being a Christian do you tend to be most forgetful of? What are some ways you need to learn to be a beloved sinner in your life with the Lord?How are we all “cut flowers”? How does the Bible direct us to respond to the fleeting nature of life? What are some ways you can cultivate remembering, relishing, and responding to God’s goodness to you in Christ? Speaker: Leland Brown

  5. Jul 5

    Christ Honoring Citizenship: Christ Honoring Citizenship: Salt and Light

    “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16After giving a composite picture of what it means to be a disciple of Christ (Matthew 5:3-12), the Lord makes application regarding living out this reality as salt (preservative) and light (illumination and guidance) in the world at large. In 2016, the Oxford Capital Dictionary's Word of the Year was “Post-Truth,” which is defined “as relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief” (personal autonomy is valued more than objective statements).“The understanding of life which emerges with the Romantic expressivism of the late 18th century, that each of us has his/her own way of realizing our humanity, and that it is important to find and live out one's own, as against surrendering to conformity with the model imposed on us from outside, by society, or by previous generation, or religious or political authority.” Charles Taylor, quoted by Carl Trueman in The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, pg. 46To live as people of biblical truth in our culture, we must read the Bible, in prayerful dependence upon the leadership of the Holy Spirit and in the context of community which embraces the present and past.Salt and Light:Salt preserves and gives flavor, and yet, if the salt is mixed with other elements it loses its effectiveness (Matthew 5:13).Light gives guidance and shines brightly, but it can be placed under a basket.How do we preserve and illuminate? 1. We live as citizens of heaven in the midst of a b_______, o__________-l________ country. All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth. The Baptist Faith and Message, Article 15: The Christian and the Social Order“W_______ and all.” Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658)While we rejoice in the opportunities afforded us to live in the land of freedom, we also acknowledge the reality of sin.3. We embrace the present day calling of God on our lives as we cry out “give us this day our daily bread."“I wish it did not have happened in my time,” said Frodo (re the power of Sahron the Great, the Dark Lord). Gandalf replied, “So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But this is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do ... Speaker: Buster Brown

  6. Jun 28

    The Lord's Prayer: Forgiven and Forgiving

    "Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'" Matthew 6:9-13“Forgiveness is the key ingredient, not only in marriage, but in any relationship involving sinners. If your friends are going to stick around, if you’re going to see your relatives more than once a year, if you plan to work in the same place with the same people for any length of time, if you want to be happy in the church (or simply not give up on the church), you need to learn forgiveness. You need to grant it and you need to receive it.” Kevin DeYoung, The Lord’s Prayer, pg. 711. Why do we continue to confess our sins if we have been fully forgiven of our sins by the work of Jesus on the cross? (In part, the confession of sin and fleeing from sin removes the roadblocks to the enjoyment, glorification, and honoring of the living God by the believer).“Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses…” Colossians 2:12-13“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God...Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:3, 5Heidelberg Catechism Question 126Q. What is the fifth petition?A. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.That is: For the sake of Christ’s blood, do not impute to us, wretched sinners, any of our transgressions, NOR THE EVIL WHICH STILL CLINGS TO US, as we also find this evidence of your grace in us that we are fully determined wholeheartedly to forgive our neighbour.“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-92. As we confess our sins, it reminds us of the glory and wonder of the grace of the gospel personally received. "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:1-2 “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”Matthew 18:353. It leads to the joy/assurance in our walk with the Lord. We are saved by faith alone, but there are traits (fruits) which the Holy Spirit produces in the life of the child of God. One of those traits is a forgiving spirit.“Christ’s way of unpacking forgiveness is not three easy steps. It is a way of life, following Jesus, learning from him, being involved in his church, hearing his Word preached. Apart from consistent involvement in these disciplines, you are trying to paddle with a stick. And that just won’t work.” Chris Brauns, Unpacking Forgiveness, pg. 32Forgiveness is desiring the welfare/good, not the ruin, of the one who wronged you. It is the refusal to allow bitterness or hate to strangle our life in Christ as we trust that Abba Father is just in all His ways (Romans 12:19-21).“When God forgives, he frees the sinner from everlasting punishment, and blesses him with his favor, which is the fountain of life and of all happiness. But when we ... Speaker: Buster Brown

  7. Jun 21

    Christians (and Especially Fathers) Living in the Strong Reality of the Days of Elijah: Christians (and Especially Fathers) Living in the Strong Reality of the Days of Elijah

    "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”  Malachi 4:1-6When life is difficult, we are quick to doubt God's character and neglect our responsibilities to Him and our fellow human beings. This is what has happened to the returning exiles from the Babylonian captivity, as Malachi, the last writing prophet of the Old Testament, directly addresses perennial challenges to the people of God.Their worship had become routine (v. 10). The destruction of the family was widespread and accepted (v.15), and social obligations were neglected and mocked (v. 3-5). Apathy needed to be replaced by renewal and hunger for the things of the Lord. Their hope was a powerful visitation from the Lord on high that would be ushered in by one who had come in the power of the prophet Elijah."...And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”  Luke 1:17Because of the coming of our Messiah and King, His resurrection, ascension, and present session in heaven, we live in the “already, but not yet”.THE DAYS OF ELIJAH, AND THE AFTERMATH WILL INCLUDE:1. Foundational reality: those who revere my name (Malachi 4:2). "And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it."  Jeremiah 33:9“But the fear of God which is the basis of godliness, and in which godliness may be said to consist, is much more inclusive and determinative than the fear of God’s judgement. And we must remember that the dread of judgment will never itself generate within us the love of God or hatred of the sin…Punishment has itself no regenerating or converting power. The fear of God in which godliness consists is the fear which constrains/promotes adoration and love.”  John Murray, Principles of Conduct, p. 236“Right fear of God is not a minor key, gloomy, flip side to proper joy in God. There is no tension between this fear and joy. Rather, this trembling ‘fear of God’ is a way of speaking about the sheer intensity of the saints' happiness in God. In other words, the biblical theme of the fear of God helps us to see the sort of joy that is most fitting for believers. Our desire for God and delight in him are not intended to be lukewarm.”  Michael Reeves, Rejoice and Tremble, p.312. ...Healing/restoration, renewal in the reality of Christ."And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us[a] from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”  Luke 1:76-... Speaker: Buster Brown

  8. Jun 14

    Groaning, God's Greater Grace, and Our Glorified Good: Groaning, God's Greater Grace, and Our Glorified Good

    Text: Romans 8:26-32"...These are precious and magnificent ________________."  II Peter 1:4These promises don’t matter (or matter much less) if we don’t __________ (v. 22, 23, & 26).• Good groaning vs. bad groaning…• “I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.”  C.S. Lewis, Mere ChristianityFOUR PRECIOUS PROMISES:1. The Spirit ________ for us when we don’t know how (v. 26-27).2. God works _____ _______ together for our good (v. 28).• Our best?• "God does not slack his promises because of our sins, or hasten them because of our righteousness and merits. He pays no attention to either."  Martin Luther• What is our good, really?4. God will ___________ us to the image of his Son (v. 29).• Bonus Promise: We are already _____________ (v. 30).“The Christian up to his eyes in trouble can take comfort from the knowledge that in God’s kindly plan it all has a positive purpose, to further his sanctification… The clue to understanding all his dealings with them is to remember that throughout their lives he is training them for what awaits them, and chiseling them into the image of Christ… Only the person who has grasped this can make sense of Romans 8:28, ‘All things work together for good to them that love God’ (KJV); equally, only he can maintain his assurance of sonship against satanic assault as things go wrong.”  J.I. Packer, Knowing God4. God will give you all things with ____ _____ (v. 32).APPLICATION QUESTIONS:1. For what are you groaning?2. Are you praying primarily for conformity to Christ’s image?3. When you are tempted to question God’s goodness, where do you look for confirmation?Key: promises, groan, prays, all things, conform, glorified, His Son Speaker: Matt Reagan

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This is the podcast for the Sunday sermons at East Cooper Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Our senior pastor, Conrad 'Buster' Brown is normally teaching but we also have other resident pastors and guest speakers at times.

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