Enjoying Spiritual Works: A Collection of Sermons for Special Occasions

By Rev. Herbert Tyrone Brown

The book is a testament of how important the Word of God is and that it must be delivered to the world. This book provides a selection of special religious sermons preached by Pastor Brown in various African American churches. Each chapter provides the entire sermon for special events held in African American churches.

The book includes thirteen chapters: chapter 1 is about New Years; chapter 2, Easter; chapter 3, Womens Day; chapter 4, Mothers Day; chapter 5, Fathers Day; chapter 6, pastors anniversary; chapter 7, black history; chapter 8, homecoming; chapter 9, Thanksgiving; chapter 10, Christmas; chapter 11, family day; chapter 12, funerals; and chapter 13, College Day event.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524526801

Rev. Herbert Tyrone Brown

Rev. Herbert Tyrone Brown is the Pastor of Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church and have served as pastor for 29 years. He is a native of Nashville Tennessee. Rev. Brown attended the Nashville Metropolitan Public Schools and graduated from Pearl High School in 1966. In July of 1967, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corp and served in Vietnam. He was honorable discharge in July 1973. He also attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary. Rev. Brown has over 1200 congregants and the church edifice includes a bookstore, library, nursery, fellowship hall, chapel, classrooms for all ages, and meeting rooms to accommodate the different ministries of the Church. Rev. Brown has received many awards from throughout Nashville. Some are the J. A. Consistory #48 Community Service Award (2001), WQQK’s Minister of the Year Award (2003), and the Greater Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Community Leader (2002-2003). Pastor Brown is married to Dr. Shirley Rainey-Brown and together they have five children.

Book preview

Chapter 1

New Year’s Message

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SERMON 1: CELEBRATING A NEW BEGINNING

Pastor, Herbert T. Brown

Introduction:

Praise the Lord! It is a blessing to be here today. It is a New year and we should be thankful to the Lord for allowing us to share in this new beginning. Amen. Many people did not wake up this morning, to see another day. So, we are blessed that Jesus saw fit to wake us up to a bright new morning. How many of you know that it was not our alarm clock? First I would like to thank God for bringing us through this year. For many of us this year, it was quite a challenging one.

Message:

Our message this morning is Celebrating A New Beginning. In the scripture,

2 CORINTIANS 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

As you progress in the Christian life, your practice may increasingly correspond to our position for being a new creature; The things you use to do you don’t do anymore. Any behavior that is contrary to God’s holy qualities should cease in your life. If you do drugs, go to clubs, commit adultery or fornication, a whoremonger, or a liar, these bad habits should no longer be a part of your behavior because you have been changed and become more like Christ.

There were high mountains to climb, deep valleys to go through, raging rivers to cross; but with God’s help, we made it! Now, as we have closed out the old year, God has granted us the privilege to see a new year.

As there were challenges in this year, there will also be some challenges in the new year, but we must remember the God that was with us in this year, will be with us in this new year. In His word, He said in:

HEBREWS 13:5

I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Jesus made us a promise that He will never leave us, His children nor forsake you. You can count on that. It is impossible for God to desert his own. So if you want this protection, you must be a child of God’s.

JOSHUA 1:5

"There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

Let me say it like this, as I was with grandmother and granddaddy, I will be with thee. Whether it’s 2016, 2017, 2018 or whatever the year, I will be with you; I will never forsake thee.

Jesus said in MATTHEW 28:20

"……., lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

We have the assurance from God that he will be there with us. As God has blessed us to set sail into a new year, the first things we should do is to thank God for bringing us through this pass year. Because with all the drama that went on in our lives, we know we would not have made it without God on our side.

What are some of issues we had in our lives? I am glad you asked.

• We had issues on the job

• We had issues at home

• We had issues with friends

• We had issues with family members

And yes, we even have issues at church, Yes Lord, lots of issues at church, the place where we should be able to seek refuge.

So out of all the issues that God brought us through; somebody should tell the Lord ‘thank you’. Not only should we thank God with words, but we should really thank God by the way we live.

MATTHEW 15:8

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips but their heart is far from me.

So at the dawning of another day let us first thank God for yesterday. God has blessed us to walk into a new year.

There’s a new beginning! With every month, every week, and with every day that we are allowed to see, that’s a new beginning. Just because you laid down last night, that’s no guarantee that you will wake up the next morning. Just because you set the alarm clock, and when it goes off, does not mean you will get up. God allows us to see a new day and he gives us another chance for a new beginning. A lot of people say he’s a God of a second chance, but I say he’s a God of more than a second chance, but he’s a God of another chance because I used that second chance up a long time ago.

Because every time I mess up, he gives me another chance. So to me he’s a God of another chance. I don’t know about you, but I thank God every time he gives me another chance.

Throughout the course of a year, we celebrate various occasions -– New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. These are just some of the days we celebrate as a nation. Then there are occasions that we celebrate as a family. The purchase of a house, we celebrate by having a house warming party. The birth of a baby, we celebrate by having a baby shower. At a wedding, we celebrate by having a wedding reception. At the graduation of a love one from high school or college, we celebrate by having a graduation party. All of these occasions are things worth celebrating. When I talk about Celebrating a New Beginning, I am talking about something that has a deeper meaning than celebrate a new house, or a new baby.

What I am talking about is having a relationship with Christ!

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Most of the things we celebrate are for the physical person. While all of these things are worthy of our celebrating, they do nothing for the real person, the person who you really are.The real person does not celebrate these things because they are tangible things. The real person that you are celebrates only the things that are of God. We cannot truly celebrate a new year, a new month, a new week or a new day; or even a new minute without Christ in your life.

For when I talk about Celebrating a New Beginning, I’m talking about a life that takes on a new meaning and a new purpose. Just two days ago, millions of people walked into the New Year. They walked into this New Year the same way they closed out the old year -–- a year that had no meaning and had no purpose.

In order to celebrate a new beginning you must be in Christ. The key to celebrating the new beginning is that you must be in Christ.

• Not in Church

• Not in the Choir

• Not in the Pulpit

• Not on the Deacon board

• Not on the Mother’s board

The problem with most churches, we have a lot of people in Church, but they are not in Christ. The trouble with the pulpit is we have too many Preachers in the pulpit, but not in Christ. So the key to celebrating a new beginning is that you must be in Christ.

Therefore if you are not in in Christ, it is meaningless:

• Without Christ each day is just another day

• Monday is just another Monday

• Tuesday is just another Tuesday

• Wednesday is just another Wednesday

• Thursday is just another Thursday

• Friday is just another Friday

• Saturday is just another Saturday

• Sunday is just another Sunday

But when you are in Christ, each day has meaning and purpose. Each day you have a new day to celebrate. It’s Christ, that makes a new beginning and it’s Christ that makes the day worth celebrating. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.

It is Christ who gives