Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series

Jeremy Smith, Broadway Church of Christ's executive minister, unpacks the church's mission to "make God's restoring love visible" by grounding it in a Biblical theology of new creation. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 15 and Acts 2, he argues that God is not discarding the world but restoring it through Jesus Christ, and that the church is called to participate in that restoration. Because of this, unl...

In this sermon, Karl Ihfe unpacks what it truly means to "build community" as part of Broadway's mission to pursue God, build community, unleash compassion, and share Jesus. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 12, Karl reminds the church that every person is an indispensable part of the body of Christ — placed there intentionally by God — and that real community goes far deeper than friendly conversation o...

In this sermon, Karl Ihfe opens a four-week series on Broadway Church's identity and mission, grounding everything in the conviction that God is restoring the world through Jesus Christ and has invited ordinary people to participate. Drawing from John 15, Karl emphasizes that pursuing God isn't about doing more for Him, but about remaining connected to Him — like a branch staying attached to the v...

Karl Ihfe draws on the largely forgotten apostles — James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Thaddeus — to remind us that recognition and significance are not the same thing. Like Clarence B. Jones, who helped write Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech while standing 50 feet in the background, these three disciples followed Jesus faithfully, left everything, and helped carry the gospel into the...

In this sermon, Carter Shuman uses the calling of Philip and Nathanael from John 1 to challenge us to lay down our snap judgments and our mental calculations, and simply follow Jesus. Like Nathanael, who doubted anything good could come from Nazareth, and Philip, who tried to do the math on what God could do, we often let our assumptions and limitations define what we believe God is capable of. Th...

In this sermon, Karl Ihfe draws on the life of James, son of Zebedee, to show that Jesus is not surprised by our immaturity — He is committed to our maturity. Through James' journey from wanting to call down fire on enemies and seeking seats of honor, to ultimately drinking the cup of martyrdom with faithfulness, Karl reminds us that transformation happens in the ordinary, everyday moments of foll...

In this co-preached sermon, Tim Talley and his daughter Elizabeth Harrison explore John chapter 4 — the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman — uncovering three defining characteristics of Jesus: intentionality, humility, and radical inclusivity. Together, they challenge the congregation to move beyond surface-level boundary-crossing and allow those boundaries to fully dissolve, just as Jesus mod...

In this sermon, Jeremy Smith uses Jesus' parable of the great banquet in Luke 14 to challenge the congregation to recapture the heart of evangelism. Friends Day isn't about filling seats or boosting numbers — it's about recovering the conviction that inviting others into the life of the church is an essential part of faithful discipleship. Just as someone once cared enough to introduce each of us...

Thomas, often unfairly labeled "Doubting Thomas," was actually a man of remarkable courage who asked the honest questions others were too afraid to voice — and in doing so, drew out some of the most profound truths Jesus ever spoke. Far from rebuking Thomas, Jesus met him with grace, giving him exactly what he needed to move from doubt to worship. Thomas's story reminds us that faith is not about...

In this sermon, Karl Ihfe uses the calling of Matthew the tax collector to challenge the idea that following Jesus is the easy road. Drawing on the truth that every meaningful "yes" requires a "no," Karl reminds us that life isn't a choice between hard and easy — it's a choice between different kinds of hard. The real question isn't whether life will be difficult, but whether the hard we choose le...

In this sermon, Karl Ihfe explores the life of Andrew, one of Jesus' lesser-known disciples, who is most often remembered simply as "Simon Peter's brother." Karl highlights how Andrew's quiet faithfulness — seen in three key moments in the Gospel of John — was defined by one simple, powerful act: bringing people to Jesus. The challenge left with the congregation is this: just as someone was your A...

Karl Ihfe explores the remarkable transformation of the apostle John — from a brash, ambitious, hot-tempered "son of thunder" to the beloved apostle of love. Through his relationship with Jesus, John's fiery personality wasn't erased but redirected, surrendered, and refined for the kingdom. Karl challenges us to ask not what our personality is like, but what part of ourselves still needs to be sur...

In this sermon, Karl Ihfe walks through the life of the apostle Peter, showing how Jesus saw in Simon something Simon couldn't yet see in himself — a rock. Through Peter's failures, restorations, and ultimate transformation, Karl reminds us that Jesus doesn't call us because we're already who we should be, but because he intends to make us who he created us to be. It's all grace — only grace, ever...

In this opening sermon of the "Behind the Ministry" series, Karl Ihfe examines the life of Judas Iscariot as a sobering warning that it's possible to be physically close to Jesus — attending church, knowing Scripture, even serving in ministry — while remaining spiritually unchanged. Judas walked with Jesus for three years, yet never truly surrendered his heart, ultimately letting greed and disillu...

In this sermon, Jordan Tatum reflects on how pride — what C.S. Lewis called a "spiritual cancer" — can quietly pull us away from God, convincing us we're good enough on our own. Drawing from Romans 5:8, Jordan unpacks three humbling truths: we have sinned against God, we can't fix what we've broken, and it takes an act of God to overcome sin. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus, the Lamb of...

In a culture obsessed with attention, recognition, and being "lions," Dr. Jordan Tatum calls Broadway Church to embrace a radically different way — the way of the Lamb. Drawing from Psalm 23, Proverbs, and Philippians 2, he diagnoses pride as the great spiritual cancer of our age and points to the humility of Jesus Christ as the model for God's people. We are not called to personal glory, but to f...

After 16 months of prayerful listening, Broadway Church's Vision Team — represented by Jennifer Smith, Jeff Johnston, and Karl Ihfe — unveiled a vision rooted in a simple but powerful truth: people experienced the love of God before they ever knew God. Drawing from congregational stories, community conversations, and discernment of Broadway's unique gifts, the team discovered — not invented — a vi...

In this sermon from 1 Thessalonians 5, Karl Ihfe challenges believers to stop drifting through their faith and start living with intentional purpose. Drawing on Paul's closing commands to the Thessalonian church, Karl unpacks what purposeful faith looks like in everyday life — investing in people, staying connected to God, and making room for the Holy Spirit. Just as no one stumbles into a great m...

In this sermon from 1 Thessalonians 4, Karl Ihfe walks through Paul's pastoral words to a grieving church, reminding believers that Christian hope doesn't ask us to deny grief — it anchors our grief in the resurrection of Jesus. The difference between Christian grief and hopeless despair isn't the absence of tears, but the presence of hope. Because Jesus rose, death is not the end of the story, an...

In this sermon from the series  Faith in Real Life , Karl Ihfe draws from 1 Thessalonians 2 to show that real faith isn't just something we believe — it's something we live out in genuine, personal relationship with others. Just as Paul didn't simply preach to the Thessalonians but shared his very life with them, Karl challenges the congregation to move beyond surface-level connection and intentio...

In this sermon, Karl Ihfe opens a four-week series called  Faith in Real Life by examining 1 Thessalonians 1, where Paul celebrates the young church at Thessalonica for developing a faith worth imitating. Karl challenges the congregation to move beyond merely knowing the gospel to being transformed by it — turning away from the idols competing for their hearts and toward the living God. A faith wo...

Drawing from Deuteronomy 6, Karl Ihfe reminds us that every family passes something down — the question is  what . Real, lasting faith is built not through perfect plans or polished religion, but through genuine love for God, everyday moments, intentional habits, and a shared community of believers. As Karl puts it, it takes more than a village — it takes a church — to pass down a faith worth inhe...

In this sermon on John 11, Karl Ihfe explores the story of Lazarus to remind us that God's timing, though often confusing, never fails us. Through Martha's honest cry — "Lord, if you had been here" — and Jesus' deliberate delay, Karl shows us that delays are not signs of God's disinterest, but invitations to deeper trust. What feels like a setback may actually be the stage God is setting for his g...

On Senior Sunday at Broadway Church of Christ, Bryan Brunson addresses graduating seniors Spencer and Evelyn through the lens of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. Drawing parallels between Jesus' graduation into public ministry and the students' transition to adulthood, Brunson explores three key temptations that both Jesus and modern graduates face. The first temptation involves taking shortcu...

In this sermon from 1 Kings 19, Karl uses the analogy of airplane turbulence to explore Elijah's emotional and spiritual crisis following his great victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Despite witnessing God's incredible power, Elijah finds himself running from Jezebel's threats, exhausted and praying to die under a broom bush. Karl emphasizes that Elijah wasn't faithless but simply...