Tuesday, December 25, 2012

ADVENT Series


DATESERMON TITLESCRIPTURESERIES
11/27/2011The Drama of Christmas: O Little TownLuke 2:1-7Advent 2011
12/4/2011The Drama of Christmas: While Shepherds Kept Their WatchingLuke 2:8-20Advent 2011
12/11/2011An Audience with a KingMatthew 2:1-12Advent 2011
12/24/2011An Inconvenient ChildMatthew 2Advent 2011
12/25/2011Angels We Have Heard on HighLuke 2Advent 2011
12/2/2012The Christmas MessageLuke 1:46-56Advent 2012
12/9/2012Zechariah's SongLuke 1:67-79Advent 2012
12/23/2012Simeon's SongLuke 2:21-41Advent 2012

Sunday, November 25, 2012

FOUNDATION Sermon Series

The FOUNDATION sermon series took an in depth look at Romans and used it as a means of deepening our knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ.  2012 was a year of great transition for FPC as we moved from one denomination to another.  As we made this transition we thought it important to make sure that we were committed to what we believe and why we believed it.  The Foundation Series took an in depth look at many Reformed Theological issues such as Election, Predestination, Sin, Salvation, the Atonement and others as well.  Through studying the book of Romans we were challenged to go deeper than the faith we have always presumed and enter into a faith where we boldly profess the name of Christ and are able to articulate that faith as well.


DATESERMON TITLESCRIPTURE
8/28/2011FOUNDATIONS: Intro to RomansRomans 1:1-7
9/4/2011I Am Not AshamedRomans 1:8-17
9/11/2011First: The Bad NewsRomans 1:18-23
9/18/2011The Abandoning of GodRomans 1:24-32
9/25/2011No EscapeRomans 2:1-16
10/2/2011The Dangers of ReligionRomans 2:17-19
11/6/2011Why Bother?Romans 3:1-8
11/13/2011All Together NowRomans 3:9-20
11/20/2011Righteousness Revealed!Romans 3:21-31
1/8/2012Justified by FaithRomans 4:1-12
1/15/2012The Picture of FaithRomans 4:13-25
1/22/2012Why We Can RejoiceRomans 5:1-5
1/29/2012The Final Proof of LoveRomans 5:6-11
2/12/2012Alive in ChristRomans 6:1-14
4/15/2012DeliveredRomans 7:1-6
4/22/2012The War WithinRomans 7:7-25
5/27/2012The Spiritual LifeRomans 8:1-11
6/3/2012A New FamilyRomans 8:12-17
6/10/2012Hope and GloryRomans 8:18-27
6/17/2012It's All GoodRomans 8:28
6/24/2012God's Great ChoiceRomans 8:29-30
7/1/2012Nothing Can Separate UsRomans 8:29-39
8/26/2012God's Plan for Salvation Part 1Romans 9
9/2/2012God's Plan for Salvation Part 2Romans 9:6-18
9/9/2012God's Plan for Salvation Part 3Romans 9:19-29
9/16/2012Why Bother?Romans 10:1-18
9/23/2012The Problem with the JewsRomans 11
9/30/2012Building BridgesRomans 12:1-8
10/14/2012Being Distinctly Christian, Part 1Romans 12:9-16
10/21/2012Being Distinctly Christian, Part 2Romans 12:13-21
10/28/2012Caught Between Two WorldsRomans 13:1-8
11/11/2012Legalism vs. LibertyRomans 14:1-13
11/18/2012The 7 Habits of Highly Effective ChurchesRomans 15:1-13
11/25/2012Paul… the PastorRomans 15:4-33

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Mother's Day: Being Beautiful

Rev. Matt Mitchell's sermon on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13, 2012, focused on the story of Leah in Genesis 29:16-32.

To listen to this message, click the link below:

Genesis 29:16-32

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah had weak[a] eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”
19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her. 
22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her. 24 And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter as her maidservant.
25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me? 
26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work. 
28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 Laban gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. 30 Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

Jacob’s Children

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,[b]for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”
Footnotes:
  1. Genesis 29:17 Or delicate
  2. Genesis 29:32 Reuben sounds like the Hebrew for he has seen my misery; the name means see, a son.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY: Yesterday, Today and Forever

Sunday, April 29, 2012 was an historic day in the life of First Presbyterian Church, Pascagoula, Mississippi. We celebrated our 122nd anniversary with two incredibly moving worship services, held an all-day prayer vigil, and came together for a potluck dinner at 5 p.m.


Following dinner, the congregation moved to the sanctuary for a Congregational Meeting to be conducted by the Committee on Consultation of the Presbytery of Mississippi.  At this meeting, the congregation voted 188 - 16 (12 no votes and 4 abstentions) to approve the Session's Recommendation to the Congregation of First Presbyterian Church (USA), Pascagoula, Mississippi to dissolve its relationship with the Presbyterian Church (USA) to join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). 


FPC's request for dismissal from the Presbytery of Mississippi will be received at Presbytery's next regular meeting on May 17, 2012, to be held at First Presbyterian Church in Ocean Springs.


The Rev. Matt Mitchell's sermon on this remarkable Sunday reflected on the sovereign influence of God in the life of our congregation throughout its history, and into the future. The scripture lesson for the day was Hebrews 13:1-8.


To listen to this sermon, click on the following link:
Yesterday, Today and Forever



Hebrews 13

Concluding Exhortations
 1 Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
 4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
   “Never will I leave you;
   never will I forsake you.”[a]
 6 So we say with confidence,
   “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
   What can man do to me?”[b]
 7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Footnotes:
  1. Hebrews 13:5 Deut. 31:6
  2. Hebrews 13:6 Psalm 118:6,7

Sunday, April 8, 2012

EASTER Sunday:He is Risen!

On Easter Sunday, April 8, Rev. Matt Mitchell celebrated the conclusion of the Lenten Series, "The Last Seven Days of Christ" with a message entitled "He is Risen!" The scripture basis for this message was Matthew 28:1-10.

To listen to this message, click the following link:
He is Risen!

Matthew 28

The Resurrection
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Sunday, April 1, 2012

LENT Season 2012


DATESERMON TITLESCRIPTURE
2/26/2012The Tale of Two ParadesMark 11:1-11
3/4/2012Turning the TablesMark 11:15-18
3/11/2012Crisis & ConflictMark 11-13
3/18/2012Extravagant LoveMark 14:1-11
3/25/2012The Hour of BetrayalMark 14:43-52
4/1/2012The Irony of it AllMark 15:1-15

Sunday, February 5, 2012

UNITY: In Light of Our Current Congregational Concerns

From Rev. Matt Mitchell regarding the message on February 5, 2012: "This sermon came about as a result of our Session’s recommendation that our church leave the PC(USA) and seek to affiliate with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. I have been preaching through the book of Romans and was planning on finishing Chapter 5, but felt led to talk about what true Unity in the church could and should look like. This sermon is focused on our specific church and our situation, but I believe it also holds truths for the church universal as it seeks to come to grips with a growing secularization and a desire for unity at the cost of truth."

To listen to this important message, click on the following link:
UNITY: In Light of Our Current Congregational Concerns

John 17:20-26
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”


Jesus' Final Days - Lenten Series 2020

Lent is a time when the church seeks to pause and reflect upon Jesus’ journey to the Cross. Startin g Sunday, March 1 st , FPC will tak...