Shows
Daily DevotionalThe Day between Death and LifeRoy contemplates the Saturday between Good Friday and Jesus’ resurrection on Sunday. What is the meaning of this day of waiting and how best can we mark this silent Sabbath?Credits to Gerrit Scott Dawson for his perspective that inspired this devotional.2025-04-1906 min
Articles by Desiring GodAt Last He Breathed His Last: Imagining the First Good FridayGerrit Scott Dawson | John and Mary stayed near the cross until the very end. How might our love for Jesus deepen if we imagine ourselves standing with them?2025-04-1807 min
The E.A.R. PodcastAsking Jesus - Week Six of LentSynopsis: We have approached the last week of Lent. We have approached Good Friday. Let us remember that this Friday is a reminder that our Savior laid down His live so that our life will be saved. As we approach Easter, allow this to be a sober reminder that we are alive in Christ. He is alive. He has risen indeed. We can now go into the presence of the Father and he will hear us. Tune into these short discussions based on a Lent reading guide called “Asking Jesus” by Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson.
Meet the Gues...2022-04-1531 min
The E.A.R. PodcastAsking Jesus - Week Five of LentSynopsis: During week five of Lent, we dive into the story of the daughters of Jerusalem, and we answer the question, who stuck you? For most of this episode, the Gospel of Luke is referenced for the discussions. This week is packed with great readings as we navigate through the Holy Week. Tune into these short discussions based on a Lent reading guide called “Asking Jesus” by Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson.
Meet the Guest: The Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson became the senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in 2004. He is married to Rhonda, and they have four chil...2022-04-0823 min
The E.A.R. PodcastAsking Jesus - Week Four of LentSynopsis: This week we discuss the story of the Good Samaritan. Both Rev. Dr. Gerrit and Brandon, discuss the connection of Jesus being the good Samaritan for us. During their discussion, they connect the dots between the Old Testament and the New Testament with Rahab the harlot, and how the “Good Samaritan” law is almost identical to the Biblical meaning to the parable Jesus taught. Tune into these short discussions based on a Lent reading guide called “Asking Jesus” by Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson.
Meet the Guest: The Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson became the senior pastor of First Pr...2022-04-0125 min
The E.A.R. PodcastAsking Jesus - Week Three of LentSynopsis: For week three of Lent, we move into the story about Zacchaeus and how he climbed a tree to see Jesus. Jesus looked up, saw Zacchaeus, and ate with him. A man was known for taking more than what he needed to as a tax collector. What was Jesus to do with him? We see Zacchaeus looking for hope, or a change in pace if you will. Tune into these short discussions based on a Lent reading guide called “Asking Jesus” by Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson.
Meet the Guest: The Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson became the seni...2022-03-2525 min
The E.A.R. PodcastAsking Jesus - Week Two of LentSynopsis: During week two of Lent, we discuss more of what Lent means and how we can observe this season. Dr. Dawson expounds on his devotional writing for the week. Tune into these short discussions based on a Lent reading guide called “Asking Jesus” by Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson.
Meet the Guest: The Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson became the senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in 2004. He is married to Rhonda, and they have four children. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Dawson was the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Lenoir, North Carolina for 13 years before comi...2022-03-1821 min
The E.A.R. PodcastAsking Jesus - Week One of LentSynopsis: The church sets apart a time of the year called LENT. We observe lent in different ways and we often lose focus on what Lent actually means and the reason it exists. During season nine, I hope to show you the reason we observe Lent and why it is important to the church collectively. Tune into these short discussions based on a Lent reading guide called “Asking Jesus” by Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson.
Meet the Guest: The Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson became the senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in 2004. He is married to Rhonda and they...2022-03-1124 min
Church of the Resurrection, New OrleansRooted in Rivers (Rev. Gerrit Dawson)Psalm 12022-03-0829 min
In All ThingsEpisode 13: ”Raising Adam: Why Jesus Descended into Hell” with Gerrit DawsonDean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Gerrit Dawson, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The two discuss Dawson's books, Raising Adam: Why Jesus Descended into Hell and The Blessing Life: A Journey to Unexpected Joy, as well as devotional resources for Lent provided by FPCBR.
2022-02-1821 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeHow to Pray a Psalm Seminar Senior Pastor Gerrit Dawson teaches us the basics of how to read a psalm to encounter God. By the end of the hour, you will have heard from the Lord! 2020-08-0951 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeGetting Right with Money! Money is amazing. Money is disappointing.Money is respectable. Money is promiscuous.Money is freedom. Money enslaves.Money is earned. Money is given."Getting Right with Money!"Gerrit Dawson 2020-02-1626 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeHe Called Me His Daughter The child in the manger became the savior on the cross. He has broken down every wall of disconnection. He has reconciled you to God and therefore reconnected you to your whole life! Peace. The end of hostility. The end of restless wandering. The end of running anxiously. The end of working furiously to work out the guilt you don't think you should have but cannot help but feel. The beginning of coming home to God.1 John 3: 1-3Gerrit Dawson 2019-12-2417 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeHe Called Me His Daughter The child in the manger became the savior on the cross. He has broken down every wall of disconnection. He has reconciled you to God and therefore reconnected you to your whole life! Peace. The end of hostility. The end of restless wandering. The end of running anxiously. The end of working furiously to work out the guilt you don't think you should have but cannot help but feel. The beginning of coming home to God.1 John 3: 1-3Gerrit Dawson 2019-12-2417 min
Knowing Faith#60 – What Will Christ Do?Jen Wilkin, JT English, and Kyle Worley continue their discussion of the Apostles’ Creed as they talk about what Christ will do and is doing now. They talk about what it means that He rose from the dead, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and that He will judge the living and the dead.Questions Covered in This Episode:When the creed says “rose again from the dead?” What do we mean? Why is the resurrection of Christ unique?In what way has death been defeated?Why does the gospel fall apart without an asce...2019-11-1441 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeBlessing Hands Above The next phrase in the Apostles' Creed declares, Jesus ascended into heaven. It’s a crucial, but neglected event in Christ’s history.Luke 24: 50-53Gerrit Dawson 2019-10-1323 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeLiving Third Day Lives Christ died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.There is the whole Third Day Christian life put into one sentence. That we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who for our sake died and was raised. There was something that happened in the world. The world of history. The world of place and time. Jesus lived. Jesus died and was buried. Jesus got up. He was raised on the third day. The glorious impossible happened....2019-10-0623 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeCrucified, Dead and Buried God himself rolled up his divine sleeves and said, “All right, I’m on the way. Nobody can fix you but me. And it’s going to take an ingenious fix. An extraordinary rescue. An expensive solution. But I’m coming to do it.” Crucified. Dead. Buried. It’s emphatic. The only Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit underwent a human death. No wonder the earth quaked and the sun went dark. God died. The wonder is that the universe did not go out of existence when the worst impossible happened."Crucified, Dead and Buried"Gerrit Da...2019-09-2223 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeThe Father Almighty For all who call upon the name of the LORD will be saved. Your heavenly Father loves you. He just wants you home. He just wants you to turn to him, for the first time or the millionth time. "The Father Almighty"Gerrit Dawson 2019-08-1827 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeIt All Comes Out in the Wash So we all try to get rid of guilt. Whether we are believers or atheists, whether we are hyper-aware or completely oblivious, every one deploys a strategy for diminishing the power of guilt. It seems there are three attractive but ultimately futile ways we try to deal with such guilt. For fun, we’ll call them the Karma Shift Spin."It All Comes Out in the Wash"Psalm 32Gerrit Dawson 2019-08-0426 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeGetting the Color Right Idols come wrapped in a different story than the story of God’s redeeming work in Scripture. They come with an alternate story about the purpose of human life, its main problems and what to do to overcome the problem and have a good life. They challenge the understanding that we are beloved creations of God, who are also sinful and in need of a savior. We exist to glorify God and enjoy him forever, but cannot get there without humbly asking for the grace of Christ. Let's consider our idols in terms of colors. And that Samuel’s call...2019-06-3030 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeHannah's Song Hannah’s song teaches us that the Triune God of Grace works on a level far above our sight. He is working in our lives beyond every expectation. We can’t get this God to do what we want. But we can learn two important markers. The proud will get taken down. Whenever I think I am self-sufficient, I am heading for a reversal. When I think I don’t need the God who made me for himself, that I can solve my life myself, things will unravel. But in humility, in crying out from the brokenness that is inevit...2019-06-2326 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeClub Rules It's impossible to glorify God in isolation from others. He made us for community and calls us to a particular, committed community so that each local congregation can join with the universal church in harmonious praise. As we live out following Jesus together, we are connected to the worldwide church and our worldwide mission. When we love, steadily and determinedly through the years, the world sees the heart of the God of grace."Club Rules"Gerrit DawsonRomans 3: 21-25 2019-05-2627 minKnowing Faith#43 – And Don’t You Forget It: The Ascension of Jesus with Mason KingMason King joins Jen Wilkin, JT English, and Kyle Worley to discuss Christ’s ascension and its significance.Questions Covered in This Episode:Why is the ascension the forgotten act of Christ?What is the ascension? Where is it in scripture?Is this his Coronation ceremony? KingshipDoes the ascension connect with any larger biblical themes or motifs?’Could we be saved apart from the ascension?Why is Jesus seated?Resources Mentioned in This Episode:Acts 1:6-11, 1-2 Samuel, Ephesians 4:8, John 17 “The Cross and the Christian Life” Ligon Duncan Forum“The Trinity and Christian Prayer” Sam Alberry S...2019-05-0931 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeMade for Work God alone can create. But he created us to participate in advancing his creation. God alone can save. But he allows the work that we do to become part of his great purposes in the world. Whatever you do that is wholesome, honest and productive contributes to God’s purposes in the world. Your work for God is not only when you are at church. It’s all the time that you are giving yourself to the higher purpose contained in all good and faithful efforts. Your labor is not in vain! Rejoice in whatever God gives you to do...2019-05-0529 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeBelieving Thomas Inside the faith is the most honorable position for doubters. There is no such thing as standing objectively aloof from all faiths. That in itself is a faith position. It is the position that truth cannot be known, or does not exist. That is a worldview to which one commits; such agnosticism is its own kind of faith, no matter how much it hides under the cloak of “scientific objectivism.” Thomas doubted from the position of having thrown his hat into the ring. He put his heart and soul into Jesus for three years. "Believing Thomas"Gerr...2019-04-2822 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeBelonging Body and Soul It is a matter of trust. By no means easy. For if I release my will to this Jesus, will he turn out to be a tyrant? Or an abuser? A controller? A stifler? Or will he turn out to be the one who died and rose to everlasting life and wants to share that life with me? Am I willing to trust the one who pre-paid his love for me? He already expended himself entirely on my behalf. Can I not now trust that his way is the way to life? If you are on the...2019-04-2127 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeI Live by His Name Welcome to Lent, a season of preparation for the celebration of Easter in six weeks. Our tradition at church has been to focus intently together on the person and work of Jesus Christ. We don’t talk so much about giving up pleasures in Lent as we do about adding practices that cause us to pray more, study more and reflect more on Jesus. This year, we’ll be taking up a different name of Jesus each day over the next 42 days. Our study will be called "Lord Jesus Christ: Living into His Name.""I Live by His...2019-03-1023 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeLove's Triumph Jesus received the woman. He received her extravagant gift. He received her touch. He received her in that immediate moment despite her poor timing, out of control life and shameful behavior. Stopping her would have been declining to be her savior. He could save the appearances but he would lose this soul. Jesus made the choice he would always make no matter the cost. He did in this moment for her just what he would do on the cross for all of us. He took sin and returned forgiveness. Ordinary people would be defiled by a sinner’s touch. Bu...2019-02-2425 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeConfronting the Crowds What do Pharisees and pagans have in common? They both think they are ok in themselves. They have both relied on their own rightness, their own decisions, their own path as being a sufficient way to live. Refusing the purposes of God occurs whenever I will not submit my will to the Father’s will. Whenever I decide that I own my life, not God. Whenever I determine that I know better than God what makes for flourishing. And I stubbornly choose my will and my way. Down that path lies perishing.Beloved, walk in th...2019-02-1726 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeInterrupting the Dead Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” That word arise can mean to wake up from sleep. Or to get up from sitting or lying down. It’s the same word used of Jesus when he came back from the dead. He arose from death. He woke up and he got up. This was a preview of Easter. The dead man sat up at Jesus’ command. He began to speak. And Jesus gave him to his mother. He didn’t tell the man to come follow him. He gave him back to his mother. He restored their life toget...2019-01-2724 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeOnly Say the Word Jesus heard authentic humility in the centurion from Luke 7. “I am not worthy to have you under my roof.” Jesus heard love that dared to ask. “Only you can save my servant.” Jesus heard faith that came right out of the man’s deepest understanding of how his life worked. A man who lived under orders and gave orders recognized in Jesus the ultimate authority to speak a word and have it enacted. The centurion saw the power of the Creator Word of God who spoke and worlds came into being. “Only say the word and my servant will be healed.”...2019-01-2026 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeGet Out! The temple court can be so clogged with the day to day trading that there is no room for prayer and worship. The marketplace is so loud we don’t hear the cries of the little ones. Get these things outta here! The new temple has been established. The body of Jesus is the temple. We are joined to him, we become living stones in his temple, growing and fitted together in love."Get Out!"John 2: 13-25Gerrit Dawson 2019-01-1323 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeThe Best Is Yet To Come At the beginning of the New Year, we still believe the best is yet to come. 2019 may bring suffering or triumph, prosperity or struggle in our daily lives. But we know that Jesus will return to set all things right. We know that as we partake of him in faith, he makes us part of his mission to the world. Our little lives get taken up into the significance of his mighty work on behalf of all people. We become part of Christ’s massive blessing project on this earth. Whatever we do, we now do for his sake, in...2019-01-0627 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeIn the Shadow of the Sphinx Jesus is the weakness of humanity and the strength of God in one. He is fully who we are while never ceasing to be all that he is as the eternal Son. Son of Man and Son of God. This is the key to a successful, growthful life in Christ. "In the Shadow of the Sphinx"December 30, 2018Gerrit Dawson 2018-12-3021 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeThis Is Somewhere What you seek is not out there. It’s right here. You’ve got to make home be something you carry inside you. But we can’t do that on our own. We can only do that when we carry in us the God who made earth his home. We can only make home at ourselves when we receive the God who makes his home in our hearts. Life isn’t somewhere else. "This Is Somewhere"December 24, 2018Gerrit Dawson 2018-12-241h 06First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeThe Journey of the Magi The journey of the magi belongs to all of us. It is a journey that costs not less than everything. And returns exceeding great joy. We give up being settled with life the way everyone else lives for themselves, just trying to cope and get through until it’s over. We die to a life of isolation and enter a life of communion. We give up autonomy we never had anyway. Instead we worship. We fall on our faces. We offer ourselves in service. We adore the God who came to us as Jesus. And we feel his hand of...2018-12-2326 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeQuiet Strength Again and again, Joseph had to cling to the angel words, “Joseph, do not be afraid. Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For this child is of God.” Again and again, Joseph had to recall the stories of his namesake in the Scriptures. God lets suffering come to us. But he has a greater plan. If we persist in faith and faithfulness, we can say with both Josephs: You did not send me here. God did.God sent me ahead of you to save life."Quiet Strength"Gerrit DawsonMatthew 1: 18-252018-12-091h 06First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeA Trip to the Rag and Bone Shop How do we understand the filthy straw of the manger wherein the Savior of the human race laid his sweet head? Advent is a time of remembering the past in order that it becomes a part of the one expectation and hope. Matthew takes us through the "rag and bone shop" of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. There's a Savior coming. He even stops at the foul rag and bone shop of our hearts. The eternal Son of God has stepped into the outrage of our descent.Gerrit DawsonMatthew 1: 1-11Gerrit Dawson 2018-12-0225 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeHouse Rules Here’s the secret. We submit, respect, love, cherish, obey, rule, manage, and workalways and ever for the Lord Jesus Christ. You may not want to listen to yourspouse and be supportive and admiring on any particular day. But you can askyourself, “If this were Jesus telling me about his day, would I be interested? If thiswere Jesus asking me to do this task, would I be happy to do it?” Well, the truth is,it is Jesus. Every duty is unto him. When we get this, then we have an int...2018-11-1127 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeFulfill Your Ministry See to it that you fulfill the ministry which you have received from the Lord. That's a mission statement for life. It's the reason we love our church. Fulfill your ministry. In your homes, in your work and in your church. What a deal that we get to have a part in what Christ is doing!"Fulfill Your Ministry"Colossians 4: 17Gerrit Dawson 2018-11-0423 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeGetting Dressed We get dressed in the awareness that all we do is as a representative of Christ. We enter the world and enter our day as Christ’s ambassadors. We dress to reflect well on our master. So we dress in compassion, forgiveness, love, peace, gratitude and joyful worship. We also go forth in the power of Christ’s name. We’re not making this stuff up. He has given us his life. His story is the one that matters. His name is the power that charms our fears and transforms lives. We get dressed in the power of his life...2018-10-2827 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeNailed to the Cross Your sins have been nailed to the cross. This grace is free. You can’t earn it, buy it or manipulate it. But it ain’t cheap. Colossians 2: 13-15Gerrit Dawson"Nailed to the Cross" 2018-09-3025 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeWalking in Christ Your faith has propelled you in a journey into Christ. Along the way, watch out for deceit. Deceit wants to steal your joy. It wants to raid your assurance. It wants to capture your freedom and throw you off course.Colossians 2: 5-12Gerrit Dawson"Walking in Christ" 2018-09-2325 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeLiving KBS "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 1: 13). From this one verse, we learn that we are those who have been transferred from one spiritual address to another. We no longer live in the DD, the Domain of Darkness, but now reside KBS, in the Kingdom of the Beloved Son."Living KBS" Colossians 1: 13-14Gerrit Dawson 2018-08-2625 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeWalking Worthy The Apostle Paul tells us there are four ways we can walk worthy of the Lord:1. Bearing fruit in every good work2. Increasing in the knowledge of God3. Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might4. Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified youPaul prays for a life of growthful joy for his beloved church. He knows there will be trials to endure and enemies to face, resistance to overcome and a long journey to undergo. But none of those obstacles can prevent growthful joy, daily strengthening and...2018-08-1925 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeReason for Hope We cannot escape the defeats that will come our way. BUT we can make choices. We can try to live in denial. Or anger. Or live drugged. Or just fake our way through. OR we can sail straight into the truth. And behold the God who suffered the Great Defeat in order to secure final victory. Jesus Christ declared, “I am the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore” (Rev. 1: 18). The one who calls on that Lord shall be saved. Saved from despair at life’s defeats. Saved from sin that undoes us. Saved from final death...2018-08-1226 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeWe Are His! The LORD, he is God. It is he that made us, and not we ourselves. It is he that made us, and we are his. It’s quite a blow to learn that I actually cannot become anything I want to be. It’s shocking to come face to face with the truth that I do not create my own life. It can even be infuriating at first to learn the truth that I am not my own. I do not exist just for me. But I am something much more. I am a beloved child created by the LORD...2018-08-0524 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeThe Door No One Can Shut Jesus opens doors. He also declares that he himself is the door. He’s the way into relationship with his Father. He’s the passage that takes us out of ourselves and into God’s life. As we pass through Christ, he scrubs us clean of our sins. As we give our lives over to him, he pours his everlasting life into us and through us. So Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture . . . I have come that they might have life and have...2018-05-2024 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeRunning Hot Christ wants us to open the doors of our hearts and lives not just to let him in, but to let him out! To let him go forth from us to care for his little ones. To bring the gospel to the lost ones. To bring healing love to the broken ones. This door opens both ways and Jesus wants not only to come in, but then to lead us back out into the dawn of his kingdom as it rises across the globe."Running HotRevelation 3: 14-22Gerrit Dawson 2018-05-1325 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeKeeping Faith The clamoring to exalt the self as center is all around us. The evil one himself seduces us to believe we need no savior and we need no Lord. He tells us to say I am glorious in myself. I deserve it all. This is me. But our tender Lord and Savior Jesus tells us a better story. Find your glory when you are taken into my story. I am the glorious one and unlike the Accuser, I share my glory with those who are mine. "Keeping Faith"Gerrit Dawson 2018-05-0626 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeRemember Your First Love “You’re a great church,” said Jesus to the Ephesians, “But. I have this against you. You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember. Remember from where you have fallen. Repent. And do the works you did at first. For I have so much more for you: I want to take you all the way back to the original purpose of mankind. To be in the garden of paradise with me and one another. To eat of the tree of life. To be filled with everlasting life and to be together into eternity. Remember your first love.”"Re...2018-04-2925 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeThree Questions Underneath Questions that lie underneath what John wrote in Revelation. Questions asked of both believers and unbelievers.1) Is this the way it’s always going to be?2) What if I got it wrong about Jesus?3) How is this all going to end?Revelation 1: 4-10Gerrit Dawson 2018-04-2227 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeSignificantly Sent We are called to be a part of God's masterful restoration work. To be the Repairer of the Breach and the Restorer of Streets to live in.Isaiah 58: 6-12Gerrit Dawson 2018-04-0829 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeThen, Always and Now Let us make the leap of faith, from despair to hope. Jesus is risen. This changes everything. Then, now and always."Then, Always and Now"Gerrit DawsonLuke 24: 36-49 2018-04-0122 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeUtterly Redeemed Jesus fully entered our human condition. He suffered, labored and was even tempted as we are, though he did not sin. Yet, he took the full consequences of human sin as if he himself had sinned! He identified with our lost and forsaken condition to the point of making our sin fully his own, as if he himself had become sin and been condemned. "Utterly Redeemed"2 Corinthians 5: 17-20Gerrit Dawson 2018-03-1122 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeHopelessly Fallen and Mortally Wounded The truth is that, at the very same time, you are more sinful than you will ever know. And more loved than you can ever imagine.Psalm 51: 1-7"Hopelessly Fallen and Mortally Wounded"Gerrit Dawson 2018-03-0422 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeCreated, Called and Claimed God made me. Such a simple statement. Yet so profound. I am not self-generated. I am not an accident. I am not a product. I am a creation. Designed. Intended. Given. Brought into being by Another.This very foundational Biblical identity marker points me away from myself in order to understand who I am. God made me. He created me out of the overflow of love that he has in his very being as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is love. It is in the nature of love to bring forth more life. "...2018-02-2525 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeStopping Along the Way Who IS your neighbor? Let your compassion guide you.Which wounds break your heart? Go there.Which beaten souls tug at your soul? Go there.You can't go everywhere. But if we started with tending the wounds which pierce us with compassion, what a difference it would make.We continue our sermon series on the parables focusing on the Good Samaritan."Stopping Along the Way"Luke 10: 25-37Gerrit Dawson 2018-01-2828 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeWhen Being Good Isn't Enough Your Father wants you to stretch forth your hands and speak to him. He does not play hard to get. Speak to him. See him smiling. Urging you into the party. Try on these incredible declarations. Walk through the days thinking and acting as if it were so: You are always with me. All that is mine is yours.”When Being Good Isn't EnoughLuke 15: 25-32Gerrit Dawson 2018-01-2121 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeThe Lost Son The father strained his eyes down the foreign road for any sign of his son. If we were to step into this story that Jesus told and began to consider that the Father was waiting for us now, would that be enough to get us to our feet? We may be able to slop the pigs in a foreign land for a long time if we do not believe there is any other choice, if shame prevents thoughts of home. But what yearning homeward is awakened when we discover that God our Father waits for us?God...2018-01-0725 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeLeveling the Field They left their flocks, their usual life, and made haste to Bethlehem. Because they repented. They changed their minds about the comfort of a settled life and went to kneel before the unlikely infant King. And then they told everyone. So it goes around the world and through the centuries. One to one, heart to heart. The glory of God has been revealed in a helpless child lying in a manger. Repent, turn from yourself, and you will be enabled to see that this child is the King, the fulfillment of all our hopes. The joy of all our...2017-12-1724 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeLife from a Stump The baby in Mary’s womb was the new David. He was the heir to the everlasting promise. Through Jesus, after all these centuries, the eternal kingdom would be ushered in. No accident then when Jesus claimed his roots in David the Shepherd King as he declared, “I am the Good Shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10). This is the one for whom they had been waiting a thousand years. He would be the King of Peace. "Life from a Stump"Isaiah 11: 1-9Gerrit Dawson 2017-12-1027 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeWeapons of Our War The gospel takes down our walls of self-reliance. It exposes our folly and our need. But then, almost at the same time, the gospel gives us the assurance that God loves us and is with us and will see us through. Weapons of Our War2 Corinthians 10: 1-6Gerrit Dawson 2017-11-0525 min
The Kuyperian Commentary PodcastEpisode 18: The Blessing LifeIn this episode of the Kuyperian Commentary Podcast, Pastor Uri Brito interviews Dr. Gerrit Dawson.
Dr. Dawson is the Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge, LA and the author of The Blessing Life: A Journey into Unexpected Joy, IVP Press. In this interview, KC host, Uri Brito, engages Dr. Dawson on the biblical definition of blessing rescuing it from its misuse in evangelical discourse.2017-10-2617 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeGo with the Flow For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor. So that by his poverty, you might become rich.Once again, Paul has put the whole gospel into one sentence. Think of what he’s saying. You know what grace is. Grace is the story of Jesus. He is the eternal Son of God who lived in the riches of eternity. But because we were lost in sin and death, he came to find us. He stripped himself of glory and became poor. He was born in...2017-10-1523 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeOne For All The Christian hope is astounding. Paradoxical. Glorious. God became man. The eternal Son of God took up our humanity. He entered time. He entered the world as one of us. Paul writes elsewhere that in Jesus, God was “taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2: 7-8). God wanted to do something about the plight of the creatures he had made. But he didn’t just want to issue commands from on hig...2017-10-0825 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougePutting Some Color in Death's Cheeks The Christian vision of the life to come is unique and thrilling. No other religion or philosophy approaches our hope. We profess, “I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” What do we mean by that?"Putting Some Color in Death's Cheeks!"2 Corinthians 5: 1-7October 1, 2017Gerrit Dawson 2017-10-0124 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeJars of Clay If you had a beam of light from God’s eternal glory, why would you put it in a brittle ceramic jar? That’s exactly what God does. There is a treasure given to human beings: the ability to see who Jesus is and to love him for it. That knowledge lights up our souls into eternity. But we who have such knowledge live in these aging, decaying, limited, frail mortal bodies. “We have this treasure in jars of clay” says Paul.2 Corinthians 4: 7-15Gerrit Dawson 2017-09-2425 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeThe Shining Face of God If you know Christ, rejoice. A marvelous act of second creation has occurred. The God who said ‘Let light shine out of the darkness’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ. If you don’t know Christ, ask yourself in this moment, “Is he creating faith in me right now? Is he shining his light and opening my eyes? Will I cooperate with this work?” And if you know this, pray. Pray that others would have their eyes opened. And be available to share t...2017-09-1727 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeWhen One Turns to the Lord Most of us have played checkers in our lives. Well, the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 3 makes several daring checker-like leaps landing on the best play of all: When we look away from ourselves toward Jesus, the veil covering our hearts is lifted and we enter the presence of God. And everything changes. "When One Turns to the Lord"Gerrit Dawson2 Corinthians 3: 12-18 2017-09-1021 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeSay Amen Somebody Yes and Amen!Affirmation and Acceptance.In Christ is God’s Yes.Through Christ is our Amen.In Christ, God's Promises are made Yes toward us.Through Christ, our Amen is made toward God.All God's promises flow through Christ.All our offering of ourselves flows through Christ."Say Amen Somebody!"2 Corinthians 1: 18-22Gerrit S. Dawson 2017-08-1321 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeComforted to Comfort “Because as the sufferings of Christ overflow into us, so also through Christ overflows our comfort (NASB).” The life of Christ flows through his body in the world. That includes the affliction he experienced. And it includes the supernatural comfort of his Spirit. "Comforted to Comfort"2 Corinthians 1: 1-11Gerrit Dawson 2017-08-0629 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeFinding Out What You Really Want Are you all in? Will you yield your heart? Stop hedging your bets? Trust that Jesus is the joy of man’s desiring? He is the pearl. He is the heart of what we are seeking inside every other desire. And he is worth everything. "Finding What You Really Want"Matthew 13: 44-46Gerrit Dawson 2017-07-3025 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeWorking in the Vineyard The joy of working in the master’s vineyard is so much deeper than standing around wasting your life on yourself."Working the Vineyard"Matthew 20: 1-16Gerrit Dawson 2017-07-1622 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeCounting On God's Character God has made our salvation, not our punishment, to be his glory. He lets us run up charges on his grace, and he does not make us pay it back. He bears the loss himself so that we might go free. When the accounts of our lives are looked at, they are found wanting. Even among the best of us, all our good works amount only to a total wasting of the Father’s gifts to us. We have no personal credits to leverage when he summons us to bring the books. We are due debtors’ prison. "Coun...2017-06-2521 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeEternity In Our Hearts Eternity is in our heart. We know we are meant for more. But we don’t know how to get there. By ourselves, we can’t figure out who God is or what he is doing.Gerrit Dawson"Eternity in Our Hearts"Ecclesiastes 3: 1-15 2017-06-1819 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeChasing After the Wind Solomon asks the question, “Is there a thing of which it is said, “See this is new?” (Ec. 1: 10). He means it as a rhetorical question. He doesn’t expect a reply. For there is nothing new under the sun. The world grinds on same as it ever was. It is what it is. And he was weary of the game. BUT several hundred years later, the LORD would answer with a tantalizing hope through the prophet Isaiah:Behold, I am doing a new thing;Now it springs forth.Do you perceive it?I will make a w...2017-06-1119 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeThey Turned His Head Just like Solomon, our hearts have appetites for some awful things. We are prone to seek life in "dead" things. We are deceived into thinking that lesser things can deliver what only God can give. We need to guard our hearts.Gerrit Dawson"They Turned His Head"I Kings 9: 1-9, 11: 1-8 2017-06-0426 minFirst Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeWise Rulings Solomon did not demonize nor did he minimize. He believed that a mother’s heart for her child is a fierce love shared by women across every descriptive category. He also knew there are some bad mothers, people who give in to jealousy, panic, rage and envy. People who would rather see you fail with them than let you succeed. Solomon knew that human beings are sinful. He knew that human beings are capable of great love. He just needed to cut beneath the rhetoric so the hearts could be revealed. He needed a deeper comprehension than simplistic answers fr...2017-05-0720 min
First Presbyterian Church of Baton RougeDeliver Us from Evil "Deliver Us From Evil"Living from the Lord's Prayer, Part 6Gerrit DawsonEphesians 6: 10-13 It’s the biggest story ever. The most important story. The truest story. That’s why we tell it every year. So we can feel it again and believe in Jesus more and more. 2017-04-0914 min
UP: The Union PodcastUP0052 The Ascension Of Jesus (Gerrit Scott Dawson)Dan Hames chats with Gerrit Scott Dawson about the ascension – what it is, why it matters, and how it changes everything about your life today.2016-05-0317 min
Theology on the GoThe Ascension of ChristThis week on Theology on the Go, Dr. Jonathan Master is joined by Dr. Gerrit Dawson, who serves as Senior Minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dr. Dawson has written several books, including Jesus Ascended: The Meaning of Christ's Continuing Incarnation. On this installment of Theology on the Go, Dr. Dawson talks with Jonathan about the importance of an often neglected segment of the History of Salvation, the ascension of Jesus Christ. Just for listening, the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals would like to give you a free resource. An MP3 of Dr. James M. Boice's sermon e...2015-10-1213 min
Authors on the LineWhy the Ascension of Jesus Matters: An Interview with Gerrit Scott Dawson and Jonny WoodrowListen Now2013-05-0826 min
Resurrection Metropolitan Community ChurchMaking SENSE Of Christmas: See And Touch It! / Rev. Dwayne JohnsonChristmas Eve - God chose to enter a world that hides behind "DO NOT TOUCH" or "YOU BREAK IT YOU BUY IT" signs. As children we were told to "look, but don't touch." Jesus says, "See And Touch."
Scripture: John 1:14. An adapted reading from Gerrit Scott Dawson, "Small Talk" Weavings XIX, Number 1, p20 & 22, and a reading from Dr. Stephen Estep.2006-12-2600 min