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Salvation is a free gift, but service is what we do with it. In this midweek message, guest speaker Dr. Yankee Arnold at Quentin Road Baptist Church explains the clear difference between getting to heaven and the rewards God promises His children when they get there. Why does it matter how we live after we are saved? Dr. Arnold walks through the judgment seat of Christ, the crowns Scripture describes, and the promise that faithful service for the Lord is never in vain. Rewards are not earned salvation, they are God's recognition of faithfulness, and once earned they cannot be lost. Scripture referenced: 1 Peter 1:3-7 2 Corinthians 4:17 1 Corinthians 15:58 2 Corinthians 5:10 Philippians 3 2 Timothy 4:7-8 James 1:12 1 Peter 5:2-4 Matthew 6:19-20 Matthew 10:41-42

America is in its 250th year, and we have more freedom than almost any nation on earth. But is political freedom the only kind we need? Roosevelt named four freedoms in 1941. Jesus pointed to one more that no government can give. In this message from the series Celebration Sunday, Pastor Jim Scudder at Quentin Road Baptist Church looks at the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, and why they are worth protecting with our votes, our prayers, and our thanks to those who paid for them. Then he turns to John 8, where Jesus tells people who had never been enslaved, as they saw it, that sin was their real master. Pastor Jim shows what Christ offers every believer: freedom from the consequences of sin, freedom from the guilt of sin, and freedom to live the way God designed us to live. He closes with the simple gospel invitation, that salvation is a gift received by faith and not earned by works. Scripture referenced: John 8:32-36; John 10:10; Romans 6:23; Galatians 5:1; Romans 8:1; John 14:6; Titus 2:11; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16

There is a word in the Bible so big that the King James translators needed eight different English words just to carry its meaning. Mercy. Kindness. Goodness. Favour. Which one captures what God feels toward you? In this message, Dr. Phil Stringer at Quentin Road Baptist Church opens Jeremiah 31 and unpacks the Hebrew word chesed, God's loving kindness. It is not a random word. It speaks of mercy inside a covenant relationship, a love that is not earned, not limited, and never ending. He shows how God poured out that love on Israel even while they were being judged in the wilderness, and how the same love reaches every believer today. Because God's love rests on His eternal nature and not on our character, it never runs out. Dr. Stringer closes with a call to love one another as we have been loved, and to glory in this above all: that we know the Lord who exercises loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness. Scripture referenced: Jeremiah 31:1-3; Psalm 136; 1 John 4:7-11; 1 John 4:16-20; Psalm 100:5; Jeremiah 9:23-24

If someone looked at your life the way a crowd looks at a football jersey, what would they conclude about you? A Bears jersey says one thing, a Packers jersey says another, and everyone in the room knows it before a word is spoken. In this message from Thrive @ 5, Pastor CJ Armstrong at Quentin Road Baptist Church uses an illustrated Bible challenge, two carpenters, and a stage full of jerseys to show why good works can never earn heaven, and yet still matter. God looks on the heart and sees our faith, but people can only see the outside. Our testimony is the jersey we wear in front of a watching world, and when what we say matches how we live, people have a reason to believe, and God is glorified. So what's on your jersey? Does your life point people to the Lord, or distract from what He is doing? Scripture referenced: John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Samuel 16:7; James 2:18; Matthew 5:16

Seven times in the Gospel of John, Jesus said, "I am." Each one is a clear declaration of His deity, and each one points to a different way He gives us life. What if the abundant life He promised isn't found in what we get, but in Who we follow? In this message from the series First Fruits, Pastor Jim Scudder at Quentin Road Baptist Church continues from John 10:10, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly," and walks through seven ways to seek Christ: for nourishment, guidance, protection, provision, life, direction, and fruitfulness. Along the way he shows how every "I am" statement leads back to the heart of the gospel, salvation by faith in Jesus alone, and how that salvation opens the door to a life of real satisfaction here and now. The message is dedicated to the memory of a church member who lived the abundant life and finished well. Whether you have never trusted Christ or have walked with Him for decades, this message will encourage you to stay close to the vine. Scripture referenced: John 10:10; John 6:35; John 8:12; John 10:9; John 10:11; John 11:25; Psalms 16:10-11; John 14:6; John 15:1-5

You prayed for the breakthrough. So why does the answer feel so hard? Pastor Ryan Haifley says the very thing we begged God for can become the thing we complain about. In this message, Pastor Ryan Haifley, head of school at Maranatha Christian Academy in Mattoon, Illinois, speaks at Quentin Road Baptist Church on being blinded by the process. Starting from Philippians 1:6, he follows Israel from the groaning in Egypt to the doorstep of Canaan and shows four blind spots that kept them from seeing what God was doing: they were frustrated with their freedom, forgetful of God's faithfulness, fatigued in their faith, and fearful of the fight ahead. Along the way he shares what God has taught him through five years of leading a Christian school, and he points us back to the God who will finish the good work He began in us. Don't let the wilderness blind you to the promise. Scripture referenced: Philippians 1:6; Exodus 2:23-25; Exodus 14:10-12; Exodus 16:1-3; Exodus 17:1-3; Matthew 6:25-26; Exodus 32:1-6; Isaiah 40:31; Hebrews 11:1; Numbers 14:2-4

What if the abundant life Jesus promised has less to do with what you can get and more to do with what you plant? Every fall, Quentin Road Baptist Church begins a two-part First Fruits series about trusting God with the first and the best of what He gives us, and it starts with the story of a man who believed in a seed. In this message from the series First Fruits, Pastor Jim Scudder at Quentin Road Baptist Church opens with Johnny Appleseed, then walks through Paul's thank-you to the church at Philippi. Step by step in Philippians 4:10-19, he shows how mindfulness brings opportunity, opportunity brings flourishment, flourishment brings strength, strength brings action, and action brings sweetness and satisfaction, all the way to the promise that "my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." This is not the prosperity gospel. It is a call to see God at work in a real way and to learn, at any age, to live by faith with open hands. Scripture referenced: Philippians 4:10; Matthew 10:8; John 15:8; Philippians 4:11-12; Philippians 4:13; Amos 9:13; Philippians 4:14-16; Psalms 1:3; Philippians 4:17-18; Song of Songs 2:3; Philippians 4:19; Psalms 126:5-6; 2 Corinthians 9:6; Romans 5:15

On October 7, 2023, 1,200 people were killed, 251 were taken hostage, and within a day a multi-billion-dollar worldwide propaganda campaign was already accusing the victims of genocide. Where does that kind of hatred come from? Dr. Phil Stringer says it is more than human. In this message on the third anniversary of October 7th, Dr. Stringer at Quentin Road Baptist Church traces the hatred of the Jewish people back to its source. He starts in Genesis, with the rebel Lucifer who hates mankind because man bears the image of the Creator, and shows why Satan especially hates Israel, the nation designed to remind the world of the true God and His laws. From there he walks through the Bible and history: Pharaoh, Haman, the sobering words of Martin Luther, and Hitler's "Final Solution," each an attempt to make Israel a vanishing kingdom. But every one of them failed, and the Bible tells us why. God keeps His promises, and the Messiah came through the Jews to bring salvation to all who believe. Scripture referenced: Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 3:1-5; Exodus 1:8-11; Esther 3:8-11; Luke 1:54-55; John 4:22; Romans 1:16

What will heaven actually be like? Is it a faraway place floating somewhere in the clouds, or is there more to the story? Pastor Jim Scudder opens a new mini-series on heaven by answering the questions people really ask, and answering them from Scripture rather than guesswork. In this message from the series Heaven and Hell, Pastor Scudder at Quentin Road Baptist Church begins with where heaven is, then walks through John's glimpse of the throne room in Revelation 4: the rainbow circle, the twenty-four elders, the lightning and thunder. He then turns to the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven in Revelation 21 and 22, with its twelve gates, twelve foundations, and a river of life. Along the way he asks whether we will miss our old lives and what we will actually do in eternity. It is a taste of heaven for anyone who is hurting, missing someone who knew Jesus, or needs hope for the road ahead. And it ends with the question that matters most: how do you get there? Scripture referenced: Isaiah 57:15; Revelation 4:2-6; Revelation 21:1-3, 10-23; Revelation 22:1-4a; 1 Corinthians 2:9; John 4:34; John 5:17; Revelation 5:10; 2 Timothy 2:12a; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3; Matthew 25:21; Psalm 16:11; 2 Corinthians 5:8

Midnight in Egypt. A cry no one had ever heard before, and none like it would be heard again. The tenth plague was the worst of them all, and yet in the middle of the judgment, God wrote out a way of escape that anyone could take: a spotless lamb, a doorway, and blood. In this message from the series Is The Old Testament Obsolete?, Pastor Jim Scudder opens Exodus 11 and 12 at Quentin Road Baptist Church on the Feast of Tabernacles weekend and walks through the night of the first Passover. He shows why the lamb lived in the house for four days before it was killed, why no bone could be broken, and how the hyssop, the roasting, and the unleavened bread all point forward to Jesus. Along the way he traces the seven festivals of Israel from Passover to Tabernacles, and explains the Passover Seder traditions of the three matzahs, the four cups, and the empty seat for Elijah. He also takes up a sharp question: if every firstborn died, why didn't Pharaoh? Pastor Scudder lays out the biblical dating of the Exodus and the Pharaoh who fits the evidence. Then he brings it home. Jesus was examined for four days in Jerusalem and no fault was found in Him, and He died at sunset as the Passover lambs were being killed. When the blood is applied by faith, the second death passes over you. Scripture referenced: Isaiah 40:8; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Exodus 11:4-6; Exodus 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 15:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Isaiah 12:3; John 7:37-38; Exodus 12:3; Exodus 12:5-15; Exodus 12:21-23; Exodus 12:46; Exodus 6:6-7; Mark 14:24-25; John 1:29

The book of Acts ends with no farewell, no trial verdict, and no dramatic last scene. Just two verses covering two years, and then it stops. Why would the Holy Spirit close the greatest church history ever written like that? After 1,337 days, Pastor Jim Scudder crosses the finish line of the series on the book of Acts at Quentin Road Baptist Church. He starts with Acts 28:30-31, then does a little detective work across the prison epistles to piece together what happened in those hidden years: the Praetorian Guard hearing the gospel one chained soldier at a time, the saints in Caesar's own household, rivals who preached out of envy, and friends who stood beside him, including a young man named John Mark who had once walked out on Paul and was now useful to him. It's never too late. Along the way, Pastor Scudder traces the likely path from house arrest to Spain to a second, harsher imprisonment, to a crown of righteousness. He closes with seven lessons from Acts and the reason the book may end the way it does. The story isn't over. Will you finish strong? Scripture referenced: 2 Timothy 4:6-7; Acts 28:30-31; Ephesians 6:20; Philippians 1:12-14; Philippians 4:22; Philippians 1:15-17; Philippians 4:4; Colossians 4:10-14; Romans 15:28; 2 Timothy 1:16-18; 2 Timothy 4:7-8; Acts 1:8

Frogs in the bedroom, frogs in the ovens, frogs in the kneading bowls. Lice that no magician could copy. Swarms of biting flies, dying cattle, boils, hail with fire inside, locusts, and three days of darkness. It all sounds random, until you learn that every one of these plagues was aimed at a different god of Egypt. In this message from the series Is The Old Testament Obsolete?, Pastor Jim Scudder opens Exodus 8 through 10 at Quentin Road Baptist Church and walks through plagues two through nine, showing how each one took on an idol Egypt trusted, from the frog-headed god of fertility to the sun god himself. He explains why only God can make life from dust, why Pharaoh kept saying I have sinned and kept going right back to it, and why being sorry about the consequences is not repentance. Pride destroys. Humility blesses. Pharaoh would not bow, but Pastor Scudder warns that the human heart is a perpetual idol factory, and that if you will not humble yourself, God will do it for you. The shepherd king defeats the serpent king, and the same Lord who brought darkness on Egypt rose on the third day as the Light of the world. Scripture referenced: Psalm 119:89; Acts 7:36; Exodus 8:1-3; Exodus 8:13-15; Exodus 8:17-19; Exodus 8:24; Psalm 78:45; Exodus 8:31-32; Exodus 9:3-4; Exodus 9:10-12; Matthew 23:12; Exodus 9:18; Exodus 9:23-24; Exodus 9:27; Exodus 10:3-5; Exodus 10:22-23; Exodus 10:27-29

Waist-deep snow, shorts, two granola bars, and a wife on his back. Jace Herriman freely admits his sixth sense was broken the day he and his wife kept climbing a mountain trail long after every sign said turn around. But he is not the only one who has trusted his senses and gotten it badly wrong. In this Wednesday night message at Quentin Road Baptist Church, Jace opens Genesis 27 and follows old, blind Isaac as he tries to work out which of his sons is standing in front of him. He sees, he touches, he hears, he tastes, he smells, and all along something in his gut says this does not add up. Isaac uses every sense he has and still gets it wrong. Why? And what should you do when the news is full of spin, people have an angle, and the truth is hard to find? There is a seventh sense that Isaac never once used, and it is available to every believer tonight. It costs nothing, and God promises to give it liberally. Come hear what it is, and why it could save you from your next bad call. Scripture referenced: Genesis 27:1-5; Genesis 27:8-35; James 1:5

After a shipwreck, a snakebite, and more than a hundred miles on foot, Paul finally reaches the capital of the world in chains. And the very first thing he does is call together the leaders of the Jews in Rome and tell them why he is wearing that chain: for the hope of Israel. What, or who, is the hope of Israel? In this Wednesday night message from the series on the book of Acts, Pastor Jim Scudder opens Acts 28 at Quentin Road Baptist Church and traces the final leg of Paul's journey from Malta to Sicily, from Puteoli to the Appian Way. Brethren walk miles to meet him on the road, a Roman centurion lets him live under house arrest with a single soldier, and Paul turns every hardship into a pulpit. Pastor Scudder shows why whatever God sends your way can be used for his glory, and why the church owes the Jewish people its love and its gospel. Then comes the day-long meeting in Paul's lodging, from the law of Moses and the prophets from morning till evening. Some believed and some did not, and Paul closes with Isaiah's warning about hardened hearts. How far will you walk to bring the hope of Israel to the world? Scripture referenced: Acts 28:11; Acts 28:12-14; Acts 28:15; Acts 28:16; Acts 23:11; Acts 28:17-29

Every parent has heard the words, Watch this! And every parent knows how that usually ends. But when Moses and Aaron walked into Pharaoh's palace and Aaron threw down his rod, it was the one time in history that Watch this was exactly the right thing to say. The serpent king was about to meet the shepherd king. In this message from the series Is the Old Testament Obsolete?, Pastor Jim Scudder opens Exodus 6 and 7 at Quentin Road Baptist Church. The Israelites have been beaten down, Moses has lost his nerve, and Pharaoh has refused to listen. Yet God answers with a string of I wills. Pastor Scudder explains the divine names Elohim, El Shaddai, and Yahweh, why the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob rests on a promise rather than the law, and why he believes that promise still stands. Then the contest begins. Why Aaron's rod swallowing the magicians' rods was no parlor trick, why the Nile was sacred to Egypt, and what really happens when a hard heart is left alone like Play-Doh in the sun. And when death itself was swallowed up at the cross, what looked like weakness was the strongest moment in history. It was not the nails that held Jesus there. It was his love for you. Scripture referenced: Luke 21:33; John 1:17; Exodus 6:1-8; Galatians 3:17-18; Exodus 6:9-13; Exodus 6:28-30; Romans 3:10-13; Exodus 7:1; Exodus 7:10-12; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 1 Corinthians 15:54; Exodus 7:20-25