Chestnut Mountain Church

As adults, we continue to change—our personalities, our characteristics—but the transformation Paul talks about in Colossians 4 is something much deeper. It’s the transformation that happens when we’ve been raised with Christ. Salvation is in Christ alone, through Christ alone, and by Christ alone. Anything added to that is not the gospel at all. False teachers were trying to add to the gospel, sa...

Christ in you is the hope of glory. Because He dwells within us, He is changing us from the inside out—and that change should be visible. We are called to shine, to radiate His glory, to be a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. Every part of our lives—our marriages, families, work, and leadership—is meant to reflect the gospel to the world. Colossians 3 shows us that God has a divine design for...

Colossians 3 is a hinge chapter. After correcting theology, Paul shifts to this question: Now that you’ve been raised with Christ—what does that mean for how you live? Paul gives two clear commands: seek the things above (desire) and set your mind on things above (discipline). Seeking is about what you value. Setting is about the choices you make. This isn’t about resolutions—it’s about reordering...

Throughout Scripture, there is an invitation to walk with God. Paul echoes this in Colossians 2: “As you received Christ, walk in Him.” The invitation to walk with Him is an invitation God extends to us today. Walking with Jesus is simple but powerful; it’s how we grow, fight temptation, and become more like Him—one step at a time. It’s not perfect, but it’s the path to freedom. You can’t skip it....

We live in a world that offers false hope—success, image, money, status. But when the storms of life come, those things collapse. Matthew 7 reminds us that only those who build their lives on Jesus will stand. He is the only foundation that holds. So, ask yourself: What are you standing on? The world—or the Word? The gospel is simple: Acknowledge your way isn’t working. Turn from it. Declare your...

In Psalm 23, David writes from experience, declaring, “The Lord is my shepherd.” He describes a God who provides, protects, and is always present. Fathers, if your children rewrote Psalm 23 based on their experience with you, what would they say? Though we’ll never lead perfectly, walking closely with the Good Shepherd helps us reflect Him more clearly. Every father can ask these three questions e...

Paul is writing the letter to the Colossians from a place of love because he loves the bride of Christ. Paul wants the Colossians to know that he has been praying for them and specifically wants them to know what he’s been praying over them. The pulse of this prayer is all about unity. Paul is praying for this idea of togetherness. He consistently prayed for the church’s protection, the church’s u...

Paul begins to talk about the mindset of “no pain, no gain” and how he has embraced the battle and responsibility of being a disciple of Christ. In Colossians 1:24-29, he shares his testimony to build credibility and inspire the Colossians, teaching that salvation is not the finish line but the starting line for a mission with God. Salvation means we have not only been saved from something, but we...

Paul’s prayer for the Colossians is that they would be controlled by things of the Lord—by the beauty of who Jesus is. False teachings had infiltrated the church, but Paul begins with, “See Jesus.” He dwells on Jesus before addressing the false teaching. So, who is Jesus? Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all. Everything is His. He sees you, He knows you,...

Paul writes to the church of Colossae—a group of new believers who have embraced the gospel, but false teachings have clouded the truth and simplicity of it. Paul reminds them of what they already know: salvation is through Jesus and Jesus alone. He encourages them to be filled with the knowledge of God’s Word, because whatever you’re filled with is the very thing that will control you. If you are...

Mother’s Day is a day we set aside to celebrate some of God’s strongest creation. When we think about moms, we think about comfort, courage, and consistency. But we also know this day comes with a heaviness for many—loss, longing, or weariness. In 1 Kings 17, we meet a widow—gathering sticks, with just enough for one last meal. She felt like she had nothing to offer. But Elijah gave her a word fro...

Are you wrestling with doubts? You’re not alone—and you’re not disqualified. Thomas had seen Jesus’ miracles, eaten at His table, and still doubted. Abraham doubted. Moses doubted. David doubted. Doubt isn’t new—and it doesn’t push God away. The enemy wants to use your doubts to isolate you. But Jesus moves toward you in your doubts, not away from you. He knows your questions, your struggles, your...

The stone in front of Jesus’ tomb wasn’t just to keep Him in—it was meant to keep people out. It shut out the light, blocked the disciples, and stamped a seal on what looked like the end. But what if that stone could talk? It would tell the story of a battle between good and evil, life and death, darkness and light. It would tell you about the moment Jesus gasped for air and woke up—and how nothin...

Have you ever thought about how Jesus chose to enter the most important week of His life? What kind of king rides in on a donkey? What kind of Savior weeps over a city? In Luke 19, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem sets the stage not with fanfare and dominance, but with gentleness, tears, and truth. In this Palm Sunday message, we see four powerful traits in Jesus—His pursuit, gentleness,...

Have you ever wondered how God really feels about you? Do you feel like God loves you, accepts you, is angry with you, is disappointed with you, ashamed of you, etc? In Zephaniah 3, Zephaniah tells the remnant, the ones who have turned back to God, how God really feels about them. Focusing on Zephaniah 3:17, we see five implications of how God feels about us. Through Zephaniah’s words of deliverin...

Waiting is never easy. It tests our patience, challenges our faith, and often leaves us wondering if God is even listening. In the book of Zephaniah, the prophet delivers powerful warnings to the people of God and the nations surrounding them. He pleads with them to turn from idolatry, to repent, and to return to the Lord before it’s too late. And yet, after the warnings and discipline, God calls...

You’re either being influenced, or you are being the influencer. For Judah, their position was in the center of nations and kingdoms that were fully worshiping false gods. While Judah was in a position to influence the people surrounding them, they were allowing themselves to be influenced by idolatry. Zephaniah gathers the people together to warn them and tell them to return back to God. You may...

Zephaniah calls the Israelites together not to celebrate them but to give them a harsh label. He warns them of the consequences are coming if they do not turn back to God. As they have been claiming to worship God while worshiping idols, Zephaniah tells them to stop living this way and turn back to God. Zephaniah says not only to stop and turn away but to seek and turn towards the one who loves yo...

Do you have things in your life that are irreplaceable? Do you have things in your life that you can’t imagine life without? In the time of Zephaniah, the Israelites would carve out idols to worship as false gods. They said they worshiped God and yet they still made these false gods above God. While you may not carve out actual idols to worship, you carve out other things such as wealth, success,...

The book of Zephaniah is a small book in the Old Testament that we often might overlook. While this was a prophecy given to the children of Israel at the time and a warning given to them by the prophet Zephaniah, this message is still applicable to us today. Zephaniah was bold to call out the Israelites for their idol worship. If they don’t return to God, Zephaniah lets them know the consequences...

God will lead us to do things that seem impossible. When we step out in obedience, in that obedience, we will always face opposition because the enemy wants to keep us from walking in obedience. In this, we will feel unequipped or qualified and like we don’t have the ability to do what God has called us to do. Through the story of Jake and Diane Spengler, we see God’s unconditional love and how He...

Rollercoasters are full of inconsistencies; similarly, life is full of ups and downs. We long for consistency and stability in life. While the circumstances of life are always changing, the thing that never changes is the goodness of God. Through the story of Doug and Karen Banks, we see how the goodness of God shows up through the Word of God, the people of God, and the supernatural peace of His...

As we continue our Beauty for Ashes series, we hear the story of Kylen. Throughout facing multiple physical and mental health struggles for most of her life, Kylen shares how God placed Coach Thomas, her high school basketball coach, and Kelsi, her school’s FCA missionary to walk with her in her journey. Seeing how Coach Thomas and Kelsi were living out their faith, Kylen wanted to know more of ho...

During our Beauty for Ashes series, you’re going to be introduced to four different families from our church that have extended an invitation for you to step into their lives and for you to be a part of the things they have walked through. Today, we hear the story of Brandon, Lauren, and Brooklyn Bridgefarmer. You’ll see in this story how Brandon and Lauren found hope, strength, and peace, not nec...

We can often think of prayer as being intimidating because we don’t think we know how to pray. However, prayer is simply a conversation with God and us being close to Him. The one thing that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them was how to pray. To His disciples and those listening to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches not only how not to pray but also how to pray. Through the Lord’s Prayer,...