MARCH 23, 2025 IN-PERSON SERMON

Dr. Ronny Raines, Senior Pastor

Lessons from the Psalms: I Lift Up My Eyes
Psalm 121:1-8

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

I. The Lord Provides My Needs (Psalm 121:1-2) 
1. Humility
2. Worship
3. Assurance 

II. The Lord Preserves My Life (Psalm 121:3-4)
1. Evaluation
2. Revelation
3. Inspiration

III. The Lord Protects My Future (Psalm 121:5-8)
1. Power
2. Behavior
3. Awareness

MARCH 23, 2025 Study Guide

Lessons from the Psalms: I Lift Up My Eyes
Psalm 121:1-8

How much time do you spend looking down at electronic devices? How much time do you invest looking up to the Lord? 

Psalm 121 calls God's people to lift up their eyes to the Lord. No matter how strong and independent you are in life, at some point, you'll need help. The Psalmist wants you to find your help from the Lord. Share a time recently when you lifted up your eyes to the Lord and found help in Him.    

If your life is falling apart, if your marriage is unstable, or if your relationships are toxic, help is available. The Lord wants to help you. Instead of looking to the world for fixes, look to the Lord for help. 

What insights do you find from Psalm 121? 

1. The Lord Provides My Needs. David asked and answered his question. He needed help, and he knew that his help came from the Lord. "I need help" are hard words for many people to say. Do you need help? Are you asking the Lord to help you? As you reflect on your life and the Lord's help, worship the Lord for His presence, promise, and power. The Lord is your helper! 

2. The Lord Preserves My Life. David acknowledged the Lord's steadfastness in preserving the lives of His people. The Lord doesn't slumber or sleep. He is always available. As you evaluate your relationship with the Lord, discuss and answer these questions. How's your walk with the Lord? Are you rejoicing in the Lord's continual presence? Are you relying on the Lord to overcome your fears? 

3. The Lord Protects My Future. David testified how the Lord protects His people. Are you aware that God is always watching over you? As a husband or father, one of the greatest gifts you can give your wife or family is to pray a protective prayer over your marriage or family. In your study group, take the necessary time to ask the Lord to protect your life, marriage, family, and church.

As you fellowship with your study group, take time to discuss and answer the final three questions:

1. In what specific areas of your life have you found it most challenging to admit your need for help, and how has your understanding of God's provision changed when you finally turned to Him? Share a personal experience when you felt the Lord's presence, promise, and power as your helper.   

2. Considering that God doesn't slumber or sleep, how does the knowledge of God's unwavering attention impact your daily life and your ability to overcome fears? Share a time when you felt particularly aware of God's preservation, and how it affected your walk with the Lord.     

3. Beyond personal awareness, how do you actively participate in seeking God's protection for your family, marriage, or church? Share a specific way you've prayed for protection, and discuss the importance of collective prayer for these needs within your study group. 

Do you need to lift up your eyes to the Lord at this moment? 

We're praying for you as we worship the Lord on Sunday. Please let us know how we can pray for you, and we'd love to hear how the Lord is changing your life.

Grace and Peace!   

View all of the "Lessons from the Psalms" Sermon Series Study Guides at fbct.org/psalms. 

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE

Join us for our Good Friday Service on Friday, April 18 at noon in the Grace Worship Center

CELEBRATE EASTER AT FIRST BAPTIST

Celebrate Easter with us at First Baptist as we invite you to join us for Worship at 7:30am or 10:30am on Sunday, April 20! Childcare is available at both services. We also invite you to join us for Connect Groups for ALL ages at 9:00am!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT GROWTH GROUPS

Check out our Midweek Growth Groups on Wednesdays from 6:00-7:15pm. Don’t miss this opportunity to grow in Christ together!

week of prayer and fasting

March 24-26 | Grace Worship Center

Week of Prayer and Fasting begins Monday, March 24, 2025 at 6:00pm. Pastor John Burkart from the East Rogersville Baptist will be our guest speaker to share about his experience in revival for four week. Also Knox Chambers will have some of the students from Montgomery Central Middle School to share their testimonies.

For more information and to reserve childcare, please visit fbct.org/prayerandfasting.

MARRIAGE MATTERS MARRIAGE CONFERENCE

Sunday, March 30 | 4-6 pm | Laida Fellowship Hall

Join us on Sunday evening, March 30, from 4-6 pm in the Laida Fellowship Hall for our “Marriage Matters” Marriage Conference, where we will welcome our Guest Speaker, Bob Russell.

SCHEDULE:
3:00 - 4:00 pm: Session 1
4:00 - 4:15 pm: Cookie and Coffee Break
4:15 - 5:00 pm: Session 2

LOCATION: Fellowship Hall

CHILDCARE: Provided upon reservation. Childcare registration closes on March 26, 2025.

COST: Free (reservation for event not required)

FIRST STEPS CLASS

UPCOMING CLASS: April 6, 2025, 12-2 pm

LOCATION: hope BUILDING, original fellowship hall

Our First Steps class is designed for new members and guests. We invite you to join our Senior Pastor, Dr. Ronny Raines, and our ministry team for our next membership class. We'll treat you to a delicious lunch and then help you discover how God wants to use you at First Baptist Church. As you attend the class, we'll cover the following subjects:

• A personal relationship with Jesus Christ

• Meaning of church membership

• Biblical baptism

• The Lord's Supper

• The church's beliefs and vision

• Opportunities to give

• Ways to serve in the church

• Ministries at First Baptist Church 

• Meet our ministry team

• Time for Q&A

• Tour our church facilities

We hope you'll join us for our next First Steps class. You can register by filling out the online form HERE or contacting Dana in the pastor's office at 931.245.0000 or dana.abee@fbct.org.

SERVE CLARKSVILLE

Saturday, APRIL 12

On Saturday morning, April 12, our church plans to serve our community in many different ways. Registration to serve on that day begins on Sunday, March 2. Stop by to register at Missions Landing, one of the tables in our Grace Concourse, or online at fbct.org/serveclarksville.

April 12 schedule and ministry projects for you to consider are listed below.

Schedule:

8:00am: Breakfast and Worship

9:00am: Depart to Mission Sites

Serve Clarksville Projects:

• Good Samaritan Ministry – Cleaning building, pack dental bags, painting outdoors  

• Manna Café – build food boxes; place can goods and food in boxes 

• Young Life – repair holes in wall - TEAM FULL

• Clarksville National Baseball League – run concession stand 

• Rossview Elementary School – Cleaning  

• Baptist Collegiate Ministry – TEAM FULL

• Blue Sky Estates Mobile Park – English as a Second Language promotion / hotdogs & popcorn - TEAM FULL

• Cards / Cookies / Treats – Hospital workers / fire fighters / police stations 

• Gospel Convo & Prayer Team (door to door) – location to be determined

• Free Car Wash on FBCT campus - STUDENTS  

• Trinity Baptist Church – mulch, landscape work, pressure washing; inside painting 

• Cumberland Baptist Association Building – installing rail for steps; changing blinds; trim shrubs

• South Central Village – facilitate games / Scripture devotion

• Fuel Program – organize and pack food bags for Norman Smith Elementary School

• Hope Pregnancy – painting inside and out; cleaning and sorting clothes

• Loaves and Fishes – help with preparing meals, serving meals, and clean up

• Clarksville Street Department – clean up on Britain Springs road and Eva drive area 

• First Baptist Clarksville – various cleaning projects 

• Liberty Park – Water bottles & Easter invites

• Weekley Park – Water bottles & Easter invites

• Judy’s Hope – landscaping

• Arcadia Assisted Living – cleaning residents wheelchairs, walkers, and possible craft / activity

• Veterans Home in Clarksville – games, music, gifts  

• Salvation Army  - Restocking food pantry; build food boxes; rake flower bed; plant flowers; sort items in thrift store

* All teams will prayer walk in their areas of service or another specific area assigned.

* Teams might participate in outside trash pick-up at a local school once finished with their project. 

Learn more and sign up at fbct.org/serveclarksville.

FIRST BAPTIST MUSIC

Check out all of the First Baptist Worship Team videos from our online worship services at fbct.org/music.

THE VOICE - MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Stay up to date with all that is going with our monthly newsletter, the Voice! Visit fbct.org/voice!

MEMBERSHIP AND GIVING TOOLS

Fellowship, Worship and Discipleship are fundamental to an obedient life in Christ. First Baptist Church maintains several tools to help us stay connected, share and offer the sacrifice of praise, and grow together. Scroll to the bottom of the home page at fbct.org and click on "app" to see options for adding these tools to your phone or other device. You can use these tools to stay connected to your discipleship group, contact the church, watch past worship services and sermons, as well as support the FBC financially as the Lord directs for you and your family. There are even instructions for how to access these tools using your web browser.

Using these apps, updating your profile information to share with the church is easy. When changes occur in your family life such as a move to a new home, change in email address, etc. you can update your information to be sure that our communication with you is efficient. You can even add a picture to make it easier for your church family to put a name with a face!

Information about any groups that might be of interest to you, such as Connect Groups, teams, committees, etc will be available as well.  Group Leaders can use the tools to take attendance online and access other features.  You can contact the church through the app, read messages from group members/leaders and browse the church directory.

Check out fbct.org/app  for instructions on how to get the app and reach the membership and giving website.

LOVE the time of worship through song today? You can follow us on Spotify and listen to our playlist each week! Follow us on Spotify “First Clarksville” and sing along!