Pleasant Grove Baptist Church

Author: jsan

  • Sermon Notes 9-13-2026

    * * My apologies everyone. I forgot to record the sermon this morning. I did my best to take notes (our normal note taker was away today). –John S.

    2 Thessalonians 3:4–18 (KJV)

    4 And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. 5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

    6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; 8 Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: 9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. 10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. 13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. 14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. 16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

    17 The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

    Don’t stop working while waiting for the LORD.

    1. Take the attacks from Satan seriously and pray to God for help and strength to overcome.
    2. Study your Bible.  You have to know God’s word so you’ll know what to do when Satan is attacking.
    3. Spend time with fellow believers.  Go to church.  Fellowship.
    4. Share the word of God.  Tell others what you learn.  Tell people about Jesus.
    5. Listen to what God tells you.  

    How do you know what’s true?  Read and study your Bible.  Share what you learn.

  • Devotional for Sunday, September 13, 2026

    (John Sanders)

    Speed Boat Record

    I apologize because I’m not sure how much of a devotional this is. It’s pretty quick this morning.  I wanted to share this because, as you might recall, I spoke a couple of weeks ago about those “Wooo!” moments in the Bible.  Well, I was reading in the book of John and I found one of those moments.  It’s not something that someone points out too much in this particular chapter but it made me chuckle when I thought about it.  It also made me remember how awesome our God is.

    The world record speed boat title

    Let me start out by telling you a story of speed… on the water …

    According to Google, on October 8, 1978, Ken Warby in a wooden jet-powered hydroplane, set the fastest speedboat record when he ran that boat at 317.59 mph.  Wow!  Pretty fast.

    Would you believe Jesus ran a boat faster?  Let’s go to the gospel of John chapter 6 starting at verse 15, but first you may recall that Jesus had fed the 5000 in a remote, grassy area near Bethsaida.  Let’s pick up the story at verse 15…

    (CSB)

    15Therefore, when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. 

    16When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 

    17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. Darkness had already set in, but Jesus had not yet come to them. 

    18A high wind arose, and the sea began to churn. 

    19After they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea. He was coming near the boat, and they were afraid. 

    20But he said to them, “It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 

    Let’s pause just a moment and think about this.  After they had rowed three or four miles.  It’s generally thought that the distance from Bethsaida to Capernaum was six ~ish miles, so they were still at least two miles from their destination.

    21Then they were willing to take him on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.

    At once.  Not even the blink of an eye, they travelled at least two miles.  Now, let’s just say it was the blink of an eye.  Science says that the blink of an eye is around twenty five hundreths of a second.  Hmmm… I needed a math person but since Amy is gone on a trip, I had to ask the computer…

    The computer says they traveled 28,800 miles per hour.  Mr. Ken Warby…I’m afraid Jesus wins the speedboat contest.  But really, was there ever a doubt?

  • Sermon Notes 9-6-26

    Scripture reference: John 15:1-11 (KJV) with the main emphasis on verse 11

    [11] These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

    Do you have true joy?

    Many people believe the happiness the world sees is joy, but it’s not. The world is physical but true joy is spiritual, and it only comes from God. The only way the world will realize true joy is for Christians to go out and share it.

    Jesus is speaking about the vine and the branches (John 15:1-8). The vine is the root and is what gives life. The branches are what produce the fruit. When the branches don’t produce fruit, He cuts them off. The Church of Jesus Christ is not producing fruit because if it was, we wouldn’t see all the crazy ideas in the world today. God’s Word tells us what is coming if the branches do not produce fruit.

    Joy is very special and you need to have it. True joy comes from the heart. If you are born again and washed in the blood of the Lamb, that joy comes from the Holy Spirit that dwells within you.

    There are three ways joy helps us:

    The joy of success – This joy is not what the world thinks it is. It is not making a billion dollars, living in a mansion, or having everything the world thinks you should have. The joy of success comes from helping others and seeing successful results in what you are doing. What do we have we can share with someone? For example, our church finances belong to God and He commands us to use them to benefit others. If a church doesn’t do that, the people don’t see joy.

    The joy of salvation – This joy comes from what someone bears for you. What did Jesus bear for you? The Cross at Calvary is what He bore for you. This joy gives you a deep sense of relief and safety. It means knowing your future is secure and your life has the ultimate meaning. Our lives have meaning if we are born again and we have value to Jesus when we share the Gospel of Christ. Too many people depend on the happiness of the world and that makes them miserable and worried. Jesus tells us not to worry because it is a waste of time. If you have the joy of salvation, you need to share it, so your time is not wasted. Joy, strength, and love all come from the Father through Jesus Christ. Share the gifts God blessed you with.

    The joy in the sovereignty of God the Father – This is the deepest joy. God gives us the choice to spend eternity in Heaven or Hell. God doesn’t send any person to Hell; He gives us the choice. If we have the joy of salvation we will sin less, we will share more, and we will receive that ultimate eternity. It comes from loving that higher power, God. God loves you just for who you are. If you succeed in the world, you are seeking a reward from the world, but a good servant of God is working for the glory of God.

    Do you have the true joy of God, or do you have what the world calls joy? The joy of our salvation begins in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Whosoever means everyone is important to God. Let God have his way in your life and you will have joy.

  • Devotional for Sunday, September 6, 2026  

    (John Vann)

    Take time to smell the roses 

    Our Bible starts out in book of Genesis telling the story of creation.  How the world was an empty form, void of any shape, substance or life.  Then He created the Heavens and the earth. Then He created illumination or light to divide the darkness.  With that He created the sun to rein over the day and the moon to shadow the night.  

    Upon  the earth He created all forms of life.  Flowers and trees, fishes and bees, right down to the smallest the ant, the flea.  Then of course He created man to take care of his creation and woman to be his helpmate.  When God looked upon his creation He said “it is good.”  

    When was the last time you looked upon his creation and said “it is good?”

    We thank God for all sorts of things, for his provisions, for our families, for our health, for our church and our church families.  But when was the last time you went out at the break of dawn and watched the sun rise?  Or went out in the evening and sat to watch the glorious sunset?  And watched the sun go down and the moon come up and remembered how your God made it that way.  He did it for his pleasure and He did it for your pleasure too.  You know it could have just went from light to dark with no sun or moon.  But our God is more creative than that.  Do you ever thank him for that?  The early morning and the dove coos, in the night the owl hoots.  The wind rustles through the leaves on the trees and your senses are awakened to the wonders of nature, the glorious creations that God put here on this earth for us to enjoy.  Do you ever thank God for that?  The shade the trees make, the refreshing rain that He sends to vitalize the parched earth to refresh us and to provide water for all of nature to enjoy.  Oh, the sweet smell of the rain.  Do you ever thank God for that?  Wild flowers grow and fill the air with sweet perfume, the bees buzz from flower to flower along with the butterflies and the hummingbirds.  Oh,the beauty of nature.  Do you ever thank God for that?  

    Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:13 “in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  Our God is an awesome God!  Don’t ever forget it. Take the time today to stop and smell the roses.

  • Sermon Notes 8/30/26

    Scripture reference: Hebrews 10:23-25 (KJV)

    23Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

    What is the purpose of fellowship?

    Fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ is very, very important. Christian fellowship is not some big party, like the world thinks of fellowship, and it’s not just showing up for church services because you feel obligated. Neither is participating in the Lord’s Supper fellowship. The Lord’s Supper is a solemn and special time for us to thank almighty God for what he did for us.

    God calls us to connect with Himself and with others; that is what true Christian fellowship is all about. But many believers have forgotten or never learned how to have genuine Christian fellowship. We need to lift each other up. When we enjoy something, like a song the music minister chooses or a dish at the latest potluck, we need to let those people know. Fellowship is like growing a garden – the better you care for it, the more it grows and produces.

    There are reasons we need to have Christian fellowship:

    · Fellowship helps us to learn. We learn about God and how He helps us through tough times. Each of us has a story that blesses others who hear it. Our stories help others understand how to live a life of faith.

    · Fellowship unites us as one body in the Spirit. It is a time of joy that keeps us together. Isolation leaves us open to temptation and drifting away from God.

    · Fellowship lets us show support and love for one another. It’s a way we can use our time and talents to help others who are in need. Genuine Christian fellowship is the unifying factor in spreading the Word of God. People see that Jesus can, and will, take care of them and their needs, and they in turn give praise where it’s due, to God.

    God gave us the same Spirit He gave Jesus, and He expects us to unite in Christian fellowship showing love the same way Jesus did.

  • Devotional for Sunday, August 30, 2026

    Wooo!  Moments

    (John Sanders)

    Do you remember back in the 1970s or ’80s professional wrestling was all over the TV.

    There was one particular wrestler who had long blonde hair, strutted around a lot, had a whole bunch of robes all glittery and feathery and all kinds of colors, and he would always talk about how pretty he was and how unpretty he was going to make his opponent.  And every once in a while when he would pause, he would let out a big woooo!  Some of you remember that, I can tell by the looks on your face.

    Let me ask you something?  When reading or studying your Bible, do you ever just want to pause and say, Wooo, look at what the LORD did there!

    I’m gonna read now because this is gonna be a quick fire of some of the lessons that we learned from the Bible and some of those wooo! moments.

    The heavens declare His glory, the firmament shows His handiwork. He who is, who was, and who always will be, The first, the last, the alpha and the omega.  He is the I am that I am, the voice of the burning bush.  He is the captain of the Lord’s Host, the conqueror of Jericho.  He is enduringly strong, entirely sincere and eternally steadfast.  

    Wooo!

    He is immortally graceful, imperially powerful, impartially merciful.  In him dwells the fullness of the Godhead…He is God.  He is our city of refuge, He is our high priest, our personal prophet, our reigning King.

    You and I are beneficiaries of a love letter that was written in blood on a wooden cross erected in Judea 2,000 years ago.  He was crucified on a cross of wood, yet he made the hill on which it stood, and he made the tree that became the cross. By him all things made that were made, without him was not anything made that was made, and by him are all things held together.

    Wooo!

    What held Jesus Christ to that cross? It wasn’t the nails. It was his love for you and me.  Jesus was born of a woman, so you and I could be born of God. He humbled himself so that we could be lifted up. He became a servant so that we could be made joint heirs with him.  He suffered rejection so that we could become His friends. He denied himself so that we could freely receive all things. He gave himself so that he could bless us in every way.

    Wooo!

    The bible is filled with those Wooo! moments.  You only need to read and study it to find them and everytime you feel like saying Wooo! take a moment to thank GOD for not just those moments, but that we are able to read and study His word.

    Consider for a moment what might happen if you weren’t allowed to have a bible?  We know that in some countries, even owning a bible will get you jail time or worse.  Is it inconceivable that our country could some day ban the bible?  It wasn’t long ago that I would have dismissed that idea, but now, I really don’t know.   If we don’t have scripture committed to memory, how can we help those who seek?  Will we say “The Bible says something like …”?  No, we need to be able to quote important scripture to those who are seeking.  It’s important that we study our Bible and commit to memory the things that will help lead people to Christ such as the Roman Road:

    Romans 3:23  “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of GOD”

    Romans 6:23  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of GOD is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our LORD”

    Romans 5:8  “But GOD commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”

    Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”

    There are other verses also, but the Roman Road is an example to help us carry out the great commission.  I’m working hard to memorize the Roman Road, the John Road and the Jesus Way and some other scriptures.  I hope you will to.  It’s not just the Boy Scouts who should be prepared.

  • Sermon Notes 8/23/26

    Scripture reference: Luke 3:10-14 (KJV)

    10And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 12Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

    Are you letting the world lead you?

    At the time of John the Baptist, there had been no prophets in Israel for 400 years. The people had been relying on the religious leaders to show them the way to salvation, but the leaders had been giving them false information. The leaders were corrupt and told the people all that was needed was to be a descendant of Abraham. Sadly we see the same pattern of behavior today. Many people believe if they are members of a particular religious denomination, or there is a certain name on their church door, they have an automatic ticket to Heaven. Not so! We must believe Jesus is The Way to salvation, confess we are sinners, and ask Him into our hearts. That’s our ticket to Heaven!

    John the Baptist was born full of the Holy Spirit and was a forerunner of Jesus Christ. Many people came to hear John speak because he was filled with the Holy Spirit and told them what God wanted them to do. John taught a message of treating others with kindness and being satisfied with what we have. When we share what we have with others, God will provide for all our needs.

    In verses 10 and 11, the people ask John what they should do; he answered share what you have. When we see a need in our community, we need to meet it.

    Verses 12 and 13 show the “publicans” (tax collectors) asking John what they needed to do. John answered don’t cheat the people by charging more than what they owe. Publicans were hated by the people because they were notorious for making themselves wealthy by overcharging the people on their taxes.

    Even the “soldiers” (the Temple guards) got in on the conversation by asking in verse 14 what they should do. John answered, don’t be violent, don’t falsely accuse anyone, and be content with your pay.

    How selfish are we? When we receive a blessing from God, do we keep it all to ourselves or do we share it with others? What does our selfishness cost? Look closely and you will see hungry and homeless children all around you. God commands us to share when we see a need.

  • Devotional for Sunday, August 23, 2026

    Fill my cup Lord

    (John Vann)
    Like the woman at the well, I was seeking, For things that could not satisfy. And then I heard my savior speaking, draw from my well that never shall run dry.
    This is of course, the start of a wonderful hymn called fill my cup. The words to this song, put us in the place of the woman at the well. Her response was that she immediately went and told everyone about Jesus. We don’t know if this was exactly a life-changing experience for her but, we can assume it was.
    Jesus would quite often choose unlikely people to follow him but, she did bring people to Jesus,and people did believe in him because of her witness.
    Sometimes when Jesus healed someone Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone as he did with a leper in Luke 5:12-14.Sometimes Jesus perform miracles in front of others as in Luke 11:14 where he cast out a demon from a mute man in front of a large crowd.
    there was a time in Luke 8:29- 35 where Jesus drove a Legion of demons from a man who lived in the cemetery and sent the demons into a herd of swine,which ran into the sea and drowned themselves.
    The man whom now was no longer possessed by demons wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus sent him back to his home.In Verse 39 it tells that the whole city heard about what Jesus had done for him.
    Whether they were death, mute, sick, demon possessed, lepers or even someone that Jesus had raised from the dead,there were many who were witnesses for Jesus.
    There were many people who saw these miracles,who were witnesses for Jesus. And as a result, they told others and many others also came to know Jesus as their Savior.
    But the story about the woman at the well was unique, in the fact that this was the first time that Jesus ever told someone that he was the Messiah. Peter knew who Jesus was but, Jesus did not tell him. The Holy Spirit told Peter who Jesus was.
    There were many times when Jesus wanted to keep his identity secret.In Luke 4:34-35 Jesus wouldn’t let the demon say who he was. Jesus sometimes healed people and he would tell them not to tell anyone what he had done for them.He even sometimes instructed his disciples to keep it a secret .
    The reason that he wanted to keep his identity secret was perhaps to keep large crowds of people from following him because it would make it hard for him to preach with a large crowd of people there only wanting to be healed. Or maybe Jesus didn’t want people to think that he was putting on a show. As for not wanting the demons to say anything well,demons are not very reputable. Why would anybody believe them. So,anyone that heard a demon say who Jesus was might automatically think that the demon was lying and that could have just the opposite effect.Jesus didn’t need or want a demon to be a witness for him.
    But,one of the main reasons that Jesus didn’t want the news about him to spread too quickly is,that things are done in God’s timing. News about who Jesus was could’ve gotten the attention of high ranking people, and that would have got him arrested or killed, and it wasn’t time for that yet
    But today meeting Jesus is a life-changing event. He wants us to tell everyone. In fact, he commands us to tell everyone..
    If people don’t hear about Jesus, then how will they know about Jesus? How will they ever gain salvation? How can they someday be a witness for Jesus also?
    Without Christians spreading the good news about Christ, God‘s kingdom does not advance and souls are lost forever.
    Let’s not let that happen. Go and tell everyone your story and be a witness for your Lord and Savior,so that others can come to know Jesus Christ as their savior too.

  • Devotion for August 16, 2016

    Life is a Highway

    (John Vann)

    Life seems like you’re headed down a dead-end road? You’re going full throttle with no regards for what lies ahead. You see all the warning signs. What’s it going to take to make you realize that you’re heading toward a terrible disaster? What’s it going to take to get you to put the brakes on and turn around?

    Maybe your steering is out of alignment and you keep wandering off course. If this is you, then you need to get your life back in alignment. If you’re headed down that dead-end road, then you need to turn around because you’re going the wrong way.

    Maybe you’ve come to a crossroads in your life and you don’t know which way you should go. One direction seems smooth and easy, the road is wide, and there’s many people going that way. The other way is narrow and rough. It doesn’t appear that it has been traveled as much. But that’s the way your GPS tells you to go. GPS stands for God’s Protective Spirit. The narrow road leads you to eternal joy.

    Both roads are one-way roads, but they travel beside each other. This is so that if you see someone on the wide road that has broke down and they need your help, you can stop and help that person to find safety.

    So which way are you going to go? You can’t just stay where you’re at and keep looking back. Because if that’s where you are at, if you’re sitting at the crossroads, looking back, then one day someone is going to choose your direction for you.

    Let me try to explain it to you this way. If you are sitting on the fence and on one side is being a Christian and on the other side is being of this world, but you think that you can sit on the fence and not have to choose a side. Then one day you’ll die and the devil will come out and he will tell you that he owns the fence.

    I pray that you’ve chosen the narrow way. Steering neither to the left nor the right, nor spend all your time looking back behind you. If you grow weary, then let Jesus take the wheel. It will not always be easy traveling, and you may find detours along the way. But your insurance is that you are in good hands with Jesus. On the narrow road, even with the detours, all roads lead Home.

  • Sermon Notes 8/16/26

    Scripture reference: Isaiah 24:3-6 (KJV)

    3The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. 4The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. 5The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

    The flock has gone astray.

    Jesus is the Good Shepherd and led his flock in righteousness, but now many false preachers are leading the flock astray. When Jesus returned to Heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father, He left earthly shepherds to lead His flock. Many of these shepherds are leading in a worldly way and the flock is turning its back on God. Too many shepherds let the world’s influence make them greedy and selfish, and that harms the flock.

    God put man in charge of His creation and man is supposed to take care of it. Who is polluting the water, land, and air? It’s not God! God designed Earth to sustain life, but greed and selfishness have caused man to harm God’s creation. If we are smart enough to design technology, we should be smart enough to build it without destroying the land. What are we leaving to our children and grandchildren?

    We see tornados and earthquakes where they never occurred before. We suffer drought and intense heatwaves. Earth is suffering due to human sin and our rebellion against God. The flock needs to repent and turn back to God.