Beltway Weekend Services (Audio)

John 2:1-11 takes us to a wedding in Cana, where Jesus performs His first recorded miracle, turning water into wine. This miracle reveals not only the miraculous power of Jesus but also speaks to deeper spiritual truths like the goodness of God, the sufficiency of Jesus, and abundant joy. As children of God, our joy is not dependent on our circumstances; rather, it flows from the heart of God. It...

Have you ever worked hard for a long time at something that was good and right, but it just didn’t pan out like you thought it would? You thought things would be better by now, but they’re not. We have this tendency to expect big and fast results, especially when we’re doing the good thing, the God thing. And when we don’t see the expected results, it can cause disappointment and make us question...

There are many times our lives can feel like a sandcastle. We spend time worrying about the wrong wave coming at the wrong time and potentially wiping out our sandcastle. But Jesus tells us if we build our foundation on the Rock, we can wave-proof our life! Jesus further tells us how to build our foundation on the Rock – by hearing the words of Jesus and doing them. A byproduct of truly hearing th...

It is impossible for us to have the life God has for us if we don’t learn to hear Him. Learning to hear the voice of the Lord in the middle of the storm changes everything. The invitation to hear the Lord is for you. Scripture is one of the primary ways that the Lord is speaking to us. However, we don’t read scripture so we can check off a box. We read scripture so we can hear the still small voic...

God calls us to radical faith. Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Faith is taking the step God is calling us to even if it doesn't make logical sense. When we step out in faith, we experience God's power and provision. In Matthew 14:22-33, the disciples are on a boat in the middle of the night on the Sea of Galil...

We all experience storms. A situation or circumstance that just feels like it is overwhelming or all consuming. In Mark 4:35-41 Jesus was with his disciples on a boat in the Sea of Galilee, when a great windstorm arose. The waves were breaking into the boat, the disciples were scared and overwhelmed but Jesus was asleep on a cushion. So they woke Him up asking "Teacher, do you not care that w...

Sermon from June 4, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel:  " Beltway Park Church "

More courage is required. If we truly desire to live in the abundant life of Jesus – if we hunger for that not only for ourselves but our kids, our grandkids, our friends and co-workers – there is a foundational facet of our faith we must actively put-on. The journey of following Jesus is us actively becoming who we already are. In Jesus we’ve been made a new person – born again.  But we must matu...

Kindness is compassion in action (Ephesians 4:32). A key part of putting on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness, is extending kindness to one another. Unfortunately, many wrongly associate being kind with weakness. God demonstrates both kindness and righteousness, both kindness and power (Psalm 23:6; Jeremiah 9:24). He shows that it is possible to hav...

Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). In fact, Jesus boldly proclaims that He is the bread of life (John 6:35), which was a hard teaching for many of His disciples at the time. Jesus makes the promise that those who come to Him hungry and thirsty will be blessed and filled (Matthew 5:6). Jesus even taught His followers to ask their Heavenly Father for their daily bread (Mathew 6:11). T...

Followers of Jesus are called to no longer steal but to work hard for God’s glory (Ephesians 4:28). If we have given our lives to Jesus, we are engaged in a spiritual battle to put off the old self and to put on the new self, to think and act differently from the world around us. Part of putting off the old self means we should no longer steal. We should no longer take things that do not belong to...

God-like purity is seen through the way we use words (Ephesians 4:29). The Bible is clear: God is holy and is like no other. In particular, God is like no other in purity. Putting off the old self and putting on the new self (Ephesians 4:22-24) means becoming like God in purity. Such purity is intimately connected with our words because what we speak reveals what is truly in our hearts (Matthew 12...

We cannot be like God and not be angry (Ephesians 4:26-27). In fact, we are commanded in Ephesians 4:26 to be angry and to not sin. Anger is either a destructive or protective energy released in defense of something we love. Jesus – who was without sin – became angry at religious leaders for keeping people away from God (Mark 3:5). Loving, righteous anger is redemptive and zealously seeks to act o...

Speaking truth is foundational to being like God (Ephesians 4:21-25). While we instinctively long for honesty and integrity within ourselves, our children, and our leaders, we each have a propensity to lie. As we embrace Jesus and say yes to Him, we begin a lifelong journey of becoming like Him. When we grow in our likeness to God, that propensity to lie, as part of the old self, is put off like a...

Jesus defeated death that we might live in increasing peace now (John 20:19-21). But often our idea of peace is wrong. In an anxious, uncertain, chaotic, depressed, and angry world, we tend to think that peace is that rare moment when things are circumstantially perfect without any conflict (which means we never have peace). But what if peace is not the absence of something but the presence of som...

We cannot truly live until we are ready to die (Matthew 27:52-53). This certainty is highlighted by one of the Easter eggs – a small detail – in the account of Jesus’ crucifixion. As Jesus yielded up His spirit on Good Friday, an earthquake takes place that opens the tombs of many dead. And after the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, the bodies of many saints who had died were raised. They c...

Jesus died that we might live in joy (Hebrews 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:16). This truth shouts to us in some of the unusual, lesser-known details – the Easter eggs – of Jesus’ crucifixion. One such Easter egg is that God chose to make the world completely dark the last three hours that Jesus was on the cross (Matthew 27:45). In His last moments, Jesus identifies with the darkness we all feel. As He...

We are better when we grow together (Ephesians 4:13-16). We miss out on true growth – on the abundant life God has for us – when we attempt to navigate our faith journey alone. Maturing as a follower of Jesus is intricately tied to unity in our relationships with other followers of Jesus, to walking in healthy partnership with other believers. Just as Adam needed a helper in the garden of Eden, Je...

Living for Jesus means living in unity (Ephesians 4:1-6). Unity is not based on who we are or what we do, nor is it based on a code, cause, political platform, or preference. Unity is based on the salvation we have received through Jesus, that we bear His name and are a part of His family. And because of this reality, unity is not something we create. It is something we maintain and guard so that...

We are called to practice gratitude in every situation (Colossians 3:17; Ephesians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). Gratitude has a distinct, positive impact on our relationships, as well as our physical and mental health. It enhances empathy, reduces aggression, improves self-esteem, and leads to better sleep. But gratitude does not happen naturally. It must be purposed and practiced. That is why Psa...

While politics are important, they are not of first importance (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:20). When we become followers of Jesus, we give our primary allegiance to the kingdom of God and become ambassadors of that kingdom. Our first concern must be people meeting Jesus and experiencing a transformation of heart through Him. Unfortunately, politics and laws cannot resolve the issue of s...

Flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:9-20). God created sex to bond the body, soul, and spirit of a man and woman together within a marriage relationship. Sex is a tool designed to help two become one (Ephesians 5:31). Anything outside of this design and purpose is sexual immorality and causes tremendous harm and damage on countless levels. Though not an exhaustive list, throupling, homosexuali...

God created sex within marriage to be amazing and enjoyable (Genesis 2:20-25). He is pro-sex , having established that a man and woman, in marriage, are to leave their parents and become one flesh with each other. Beyond just procreation, God desires that sex be life-giving and fully satisfying (Song of Solomon 4:12-16, 7:7-8), that we should be intoxicated with love for one another (Proverbs 5:16...

Jesus accepted people without affirming the sins in their lives (Luke 19:5-8). He led with grace without compromising truth (John 1:14), especially when approaching difficult topics like gender identity. Engaging this issue requires us to understand that every individual is born with a sinful nature which manifests itself differently in every person. And it is important to note that an inclination...

We contend for all life. When it comes to difficult and weighty issues of our day, like abortion, we must look to Jesus as our example. He was full of grace and truth, accepting people without affirming the sins in their lives (John 1:14; 8:5-11). He showed people their worth and value while also offering them opportunity to change. This is a model for how the church should respond to those who ha...