First Baptist Church of El Dorado - Sermons

Tucked between the assurance of Romans 8 and the practical guidance of Romans 12-16 lies what Pastor Taylor calls "the monster in the middle" – the challenging theological territory of Romans 9-11. But far from something to fear, these chapters contain profound truths about God's mercy and our mission.

The sermon begins with a powerful contrast: how can Paul transition from the triumphant declarations of Rom...

Standing at the summit of biblical assurance, Romans 8:31-39 offers breathtaking views of God's unbreakable love. Just as Churchill inspired courage in Britain when they had "nothing but the back end of broken bottles" to fight Hitler's regime, Paul's words carry infinitely greater authority—backed by the risen Christ himself.

This powerful sermon unpacks three life-changing realities: your past is...

God's purpose for your life is not a possibility but a certainty – He will fulfill His good purpose for you regardless of circumstances, trials, or even your own failures.

• All things work together for good – both positive experiences and painful trials
• God's definition of "good" is conforming us to Christ's image, not necessarily immediate resolution
• Even the deepest suffering is not ...

We explore Romans 8:18-27 and discover what it means to live in the "in-betweenness of time" - after Christ's victory on the cross but before His return to make all things new.

• Like decisive battles that determine wars before they officially end, Christ has already won the victory over sin and death
• Creation itself groans and waits eagerly for Christ's return and restoration
• When sin enter...

Romans 8 stands as the Mount Everest of Scripture, offering powerful assurance of salvation through direct evidence that cannot be explained away by the accuser.

• Christ's salvation declares "no condemnation" for those in Christ
• God didn't lower His standards but sent His Son to fulfill them perfectly
• Justification is a completed past event, not something we're gradually earning
• ...

Jonah's anger over God showing mercy to Nineveh reveals a profound disconnect between his theological knowledge and his heart's response to God's character.

• Jonah becomes furious when God spares Nineveh after their repentance
• Despite correctly understanding God's character as merciful and gracious, Jonah refuses to embrace God's compassion for others
• Head knowledge without heart trans...

Jonah chapter 3 reveals the perfect picture of what repentance looks like as we witness the people of Nineveh respond to God's prophetic warning through Jonah. This sermon unpacks four essential characteristics of genuine repentance demonstrated in this remarkable biblical account.

• Repentance looks like belief in the truth of God's word - the Ninevites heard and believed Jonah's five-word warning
• Rep...

God's gracious activity often arrives in unexpected ways, and the story of Jonah demonstrates how divine rescue can come through the most unlikely means. The fish that swallowed Jonah wasn't just punishment—it was God's sovereign provision of salvation when Jonah deserved death.

• God's sovereign rule extends beyond cosmic forces to even the digestive system of a fish
• The most unexpected aspect of...

God's purpose cannot be thwarted even by our deliberate disobedience, as we see in Jonah's desperate attempt to escape his divine calling to Nineveh.

• The word of God exists to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable"
• Jonah's story shows a consistent downward trajectory when running from God
• God uses a storm as a wake-up call to Jonah's disobedience and complacency
...

Pastor Taylor Guerin examines the first three verses of Jonah, revealing how a previously faithful prophet fled in the opposite direction when called to preach to Israel's enemies. The story challenges us to confront our tendency to desire grace for ourselves while withholding it from those we deem unworthy.

• Introduces Christopher, a man who found Christ while serving five life sentences, raising questions about who...

Jesus demonstrates the true meaning of ministry by welcoming children when His disciples tried to turn them away, revealing that life's interruptions are often God's divine appointments for meaningful connection and service.

• "Let the little children come to me" challenges our tendency to prioritize tasks over people
• Jesus is never in a hurry despite having the most important mission in history

The only path to true freedom is finding the right authority to serve. We examine the stark reality that we will all be servants of something—either sin leading to death or righteousness leading to life. 

• Paul confronts the misconception that grace gives us license to sin
• Christians have both a positional righteousness and a progressive righteousness
• True freedom isn't found in having no master but in ha...

"The grace of God is not a license to sin, but a license to live." These powerful words from Pastor Taylor Guerin frame a transformative exploration of Romans 6, where we confront one of Christianity's most challenging paradoxes: If God's grace always rises above our sin, shouldn't more sin simply produce more grace?

Drawing from Paul's emphatic response, Pastor Taylor guides us through the ra...

Pastor Taylor Guerin explores Romans 5 to illustrate how Christ's redemptive work overcomes the curse of Adam's fall, offering hope and transformation to all who believe.

• The life of John Newton demonstrates how Jesus transforms even the "chief of sinners"
• Through Adam, sin and death entered the world and spread to all humanity
• We are not just sinners because we sin; we are born into a sin...

Paul's letter to Timothy from prison reveals the beautiful patterns of discipleship that create a legacy of faith across generations.

• Paul's letter to Timothy shows his investment in the next generation despite being imprisoned
• Timothy's faith foundation came through his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice
• Four generations of discipleship appear in 2 Timothy 2:2 showing how faith passes through ...

We explore the profound benefits of justification by faith through Christ as outlined in Romans 5:1-5. Pastor Taylor Guerin unpacks how our position in Christ provides us with peace, access, and hope that transform our daily lives.

• For believers, justification is not a process but a point in time when we are counted righteous because of Christ's finished work
• Before Christ, we were weak, sinners, enemies of Go...

Grace operates not through our works or understanding, but through faith in Christ who justifies the ungodly and transforms us into spiritual children of Abraham.

• Abraham's justification came through faith, not works—setting a pattern for all believers
• If salvation could be earned through work, it would be wages owed, not grace freely given
• God's methods often defy human logic, creating circumstance...

The resurrection of Jesus Christ represents a pivotal moment that transformed both history and our personal relationship with God. When Jesus calls us by name, our sorrows are silenced, our standing secure, and our stories forever shaped by His triumph over the grave.

• Some days change the world – Gutenberg's printing press (1440), American Independence (1776), Pearl Harbor (1941), 9/11 (2001)
• Other days change...

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus demonstrates his divine authority by identifying himself as "I AM" to the soldiers who came to arrest him, causing them to fall to the ground with just his words. Though possessing all power, Jesus chooses to surrender himself willingly, requesting his disciples be allowed to go free and fulfilling his mission to bear our sins.

• Contrast between Adam hiding in Eden versus Jesus...