Oak Grove Baptist Church

Oak Grove

Oak Grove Baptist is a growing church in one of the fastest growing communities in the Waco area. We are a community of believers who endeavor to love God and express God's love to others. Our desire is to make a positive impact for Christ on the China Spring community. Visit www.ogbcs.com for more information.

  1. 6d ago

    10_11 - The Gospel of Leviticus: When God Visits - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor

    In Leviticus 9, God prepares to dwell among His people as the priests begin their ministry in the Tabernacle. Through sacrifices, atonement, and obedience to God's commands, Israel is prepared to experience His presence. This moment reminds us that the goal of worship is not simply religious activity but encountering the living God. However, we cannot approach a holy God on our own terms. Just as Israel needed a faithful priest and an acceptable sacrifice, we need a mediator who can reconcile us to God. Jesus Christ is our perfect High Priest and ultimate sacrifice, accomplishing what the Old Testament sacrificial system could never fully achieve. Through His death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven, our relationship with God is restored, and we are invited to enjoy His presence both now and for eternity. When God's glory appeared to Israel and fire consumed the offering, the people responded with shouts of joy and fell on their faces in worship. Unlike their fearful encounter with God at Mount Sinai, they could now rejoice because God had provided a way for them to draw near. This same joy and confidence are available to us through Jesus Christ. Yet experiencing intimacy with God requires a response of faith, repentance, humility, and obedience. We cannot expect to enjoy the closeness of God's presence while intentionally walking in sin and pursuing our own desires. God has already made a way for us to know Him, and He calls us to draw near through Christ. Ultimately, the question we must answer is this: When we stand before God, will we respond with terror because we are unprepared, or with joy because we have trusted in Jesus Christ, our perfect Mediator and Savior?

    10_11 - The Gospel of Leviticus: When God Visits - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor
  2. Oct 4

    10_04 - The Gospel of Leviticus: God of Forgiveness - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor

    Leviticus 4 reveals God as a God of forgiveness by showing how sin disrupts fellowship with Him and how atonement restores that relationship. Israel had already seen God’s holiness, power, and judgment, but now God provided a way for guilty people to be forgiven. Sin—whether committed unintentionally or in moments of weakness—still misses God’s standard and requires a substitute. The priest would lay his hands on the sacrificial animal, identifying with it as his substitute, and its blood would be applied throughout the Tabernacle. This demonstrated both the seriousness of sin and the grace of God: sin separates us from God, affects our worship and prayers, and cannot simply be ignored, but God Himself provides the means for forgiveness and restored fellowship. Pasted markdown Pasted markdown Ultimately, the sin offering in Leviticus points forward to Jesus, who perfectly fulfills what these sacrifices could only picture. Unlike the Old Testament sacrifices that covered sin, Christ’s sacrifice removes our guilt, satisfies God’s wrath, and gives us His righteousness. Jesus became our sin offering, His body broken and His blood poured out so that anyone who repents and believes can be forgiven and confidently draw near to God. Because of Christ, we no longer need another sacrifice; instead, we confess our sin, turn from it, and trust fully in what Jesus has already accomplished. The Lord’s Supper then becomes a powerful reminder of that grace, calling believers to examine their hearts and remember the body and blood of Christ given for their forgiveness.

    10_04 - The Gospel of Leviticus: God of Forgiveness - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor
  3. Sep 28

    09_27 - The Gospel of Leviticus: He Called - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor

    Leviticus 1: 1-9 Leviticus begins where Exodus leaves off: God has come to dwell among His people in the Tabernacle, but because He is holy and humanity is sinful, the people cannot simply enter His presence. The book of Leviticus reveals God graciously making a way for His people to draw near to Him. Even its Hebrew name, Vayikra, meaning “He called,” points to a God who desires relationship with His people. Yet that relationship must be on God’s terms, not ours. The sacrifices, rituals, and laws of Leviticus were not meaningless religious practices but shadows pointing forward to Jesus, showing both the seriousness of sin and the incredible grace of God in providing a way for sinful people to come into His presence. The burnt offering in Leviticus 1 demonstrates that drawing near to God required atonement and a costly, unblemished sacrifice. The worshiper placed his hand on the animal, identifying with the sacrifice that would die in his place, providing a picture of what Jesus would ultimately accomplish for us. Christ became the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice whose blood truly cleanses from sin and gives eternal redemption. Because of His finished work, believers can now draw near to God with confidence, but God still calls for wholehearted worship and surrender. Rather than bringing an animal sacrifice, Christians are called to present their entire lives as living sacrifices, giving God nothing less than all of themselves as they live in relationship and communion with Him.

    09_27 - The Gospel of Leviticus: He Called - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor
  4. Sep 14

    09_14 - Life Together: 1st Timothy - How to be a Man of God - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor

    In 1 Timothy 6:11–16, Paul gives Timothy a clear picture of what it means to be a man or woman of God. These are not merely suggestions but commands: flee from sin, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness, and fight the good fight of faith. The Christian life requires active obedience. We cannot flirt with sin and expect to remain unaffected by it; instead, we must run from anything that pulls us away from Christ while actively pursuing the character of Christ. This pursuit is seen in righteous living, devotion to God, confident faith, forgiving love, endurance through trials, and strength expressed through gentleness. Paul then commands believers to take hold of eternal life and cling tightly to the confession of Jesus Christ. Christianity must never be reduced to morality, rules, politics, or social causes; at its center is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the promise of new life. Like Jesus faithfully confessed the truth before Pilate, believers are called to remain faithful until Christ returns, living with eternity in view rather than choosing temporary comfort over obedience to God. Jesus is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and because He alone is worthy, our entire lives should become an act of worship—fleeing sin, pursuing Him, fighting for the faith, and holding firmly to the gospel until the end.

    09_14 - Life Together: 1st Timothy - How to be a Man of God - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor
  5. Sep 8

    09_06- Life Together: 1st Timothy - The Gain of Godliness - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor

    In 1 Timothy 6:3–10, Paul warns the church about false teachers whose teaching does not agree with the words of Jesus or produce godliness. The sermon emphasizes that false teaching can often be recognized by both its message and its fruit. False teachers twist Scripture, redefine what God has called good or evil, and often appeal to culture, emotion, or personal experience rather than submitting to the authority of God’s Word. Their lives are also marked by pride, controversy, envy, dissension, slander, suspicion, constant friction, and greed. Because false teaching can sound convincing and even spiritual, believers must carefully test everything they hear—whether from a preacher, podcast, social media clip, or other source—against the whole counsel of Scripture. Paul then contrasts the empty promises of pride and greed with the true gain found in “godliness with contentment.” The good life is not found in accumulating wealth, status, or possessions, but in trusting God and being satisfied in Him regardless of circumstances. Money itself is not condemned, but loving it and pursuing it above God can lead people away from faith and into self-inflicted pain. Biblical contentment means loving God more than His gifts and trusting His goodness in both seasons of blessing and hardship. Ultimately, Christians can be content because God has already given them the greatest treasure possible in Jesus Christ—salvation, forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, and the promise of eternal life.

    09_06- Life Together: 1st Timothy - The Gain of Godliness - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor
  6. Aug 24

    08_23 - Life Together: 1st Timothy - Honoring God by Honoring Others - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor

    In 1 Timothy 6:1–2, Paul teaches believers that the way they serve those in authority over them is part of their witness for Christ. Although the passage directly addresses Christian slaves and their masters in the Roman world, the principle applies to how Christians serve employers, teachers, coaches, customers, and others today. Paul is not endorsing slavery but speaking into the realities of a fallen culture and showing believers how to glorify God within difficult circumstances. Christians were to honor even unbelieving masters so that “the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.” In the same way, our attitude, work ethic, speech, and response to authority can either point people toward Jesus or give them a reason to reject the faith we claim. We cannot separate Sunday worship from Monday through Saturday living; how we work and live throughout the week reveals what we truly believe. Paul also tells believers serving Christian masters not to become disrespectful simply because they are brothers in Christ, but instead to serve them even better out of love. This reminds us that both serving and leading are acts of worship to God. Whether we are employees, employers, students, business owners, or simply serving others, our everyday lives are part of God’s mission. Christians should not wait for “the church” to reach their workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, and communities because we are the church, and God has already sent us there. Like a rescue boat sent to people in danger, believers are called to live in such a way that their actions support the message they proclaim. The question is not merely whether we do our jobs well, but whether the way we serve shows the people around us that Jesus is worthy of following.

    08_23 - Life Together: 1st Timothy - Honoring God by Honoring Others - Kody Alvarez - Lead Pastor

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About

Oak Grove Baptist is a growing church in one of the fastest growing communities in the Waco area. We are a community of believers who endeavor to love God and express God's love to others. Our desire is to make a positive impact for Christ on the China Spring community. Visit www.ogbcs.com for more information.