Door of Hope Northeast

Job 1:1-2:10 - The book of Job is an epic lyrical poem sandwiched between two narrative prose sections that add up to one of the great works of world literature (in addition to being the Spirit-inspired word of God). It examines the question of whether or not God is good and just given all the suffering we find in the world. In the opening section of the book it introduces us to the characters and...

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 - The Creed ends the way the Bible ends--with an answer to its first problem: How will sin, evil, sickness, death and separation from God be overcome? The answer comes in the form of the resurrection–first Jesus’s, and then the resurrection of all of His people into a new, glorious, abundant, eternal life. The Bible and the Creed both end with a vision of real life taken up...

Acts 2:37-39 - Jesus left baptism to His church as one of its most important sacraments and practices. It serves as a sign and seal of the incredible blessings He brings to His people when they believe and confess Him as Lord. It becomes a deeply powerful act of public witness to our churches and neighbors as well as an anchor point to look back on in moments of discouragement. In this message we...

Ephesians 2:19-22; 4:4-6 - The Nicene Creed uses some of its valuable real estate to highlight the crucial importance of the church for the Christian faith. In our day of digital and personal substitutes, the Creed seeks to remind us that there is no such thing as a churchless Christianity. Jesus created the church to be His body, His bride, and an embassy of His kingdom. When we confess with the...

2 Peter 1:16-21 - The bishops who formulated the Creed wanted to make sure the authority and trustworthiness of Scripture was acknowledged, and what better way than to highlight Scripture as the vehicle of prophetic words from the Holy Spirit (another way of saying the Bible is the word of God)? And although the prophets, the Apostles, and Jesus Himself had an exceedingly high view of the Bible an...

John 15:26-27 - The brevity, mystery, and church-splitting importance of the phrase "Who proceeds from the Father" make it among the most difficult in the Creed to unpack. Debates over the eternal relations within God--especially the procession of the Spirit from the Father--led in part to the split of the single Christian church into the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches in 1054 AD (th...

Acts 2:1-4 - The third section of the Nicene Creed explores the person and work of the Holy Spirit. In this message we consider Genesis 1-2, John 16, and Acts 2 to see how the Bible reveals the Holy Spirit not as an impersonal force, but as God Himself--the third person of the trinity--who brings His people to new life. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 13 of our series "The Nicene Creed: The Ancie...

Luke 18:28-30 - Jesus and the Apostles had a radical vision for the burgeoning church community: a spiritual family or parents, siblings, and children to one another with Jesus at the head. Reclaiming this vision reminds us that we aren't meant to parent alone, but that it truly takes a village. The implications of truly pursuing this vision of life are powerful for parents, other adults, and chil...

Ephesians 6:1-4 - The biblical perspective on the value of children was a revolution in its ancient context, one we're still struggling to fully live into today. Paul's teaching in Ephesians 6 to parents is what flows out of a view of children as full image-bearers of God--full of dignity and value given by God Himself. In it, we are challenged to take seriously kids' personhood and feelings and t...

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - The Shema in Deuteronomy 6 is one of the most important, load-bearing passages in the entire Bible. Its content and then application in the following verses has deep implications for all of life, especially for Christian parenting. In it we see that whatever we want to communicate to our children about God, we must first find that we know and love Him in our own hearts. Healthy...

Luke 15:11-24 - In this sermon we start a 4-part teaching series on parenting called "Bearing the Image as Fathers & Mothers." We begin with a consideration of the fundamental task of parenting: Spirit-empowered embodiment of the compassionate and gracious heart of our Father God toward our children—children both literal and spiritual. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 1 of our series "Bearing the...

John 5:19-29 - In this message we look at the final section of the 2nd article of the creed, which says Jesus "shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end." The return and final judgment of Jesus are often considered scary or uncomfortable doctrines, but rightly understood, they give us confidence that truth, goodness, beauty, and justice will...

Acts 1:6-11 - The ascension of Jesus is an often-neglected event, but it helps us answer the question, "Where is Jesus right now and what is He doing?" In this sermon we consider the implications of the Nicene Creed's statement that Jesus "ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father" in fulfillment of Daneil's incredible prophecy about one like a "Son of Man" given a "dominion,...

Luke 24:1-32 - The Nicene Creed reminds us that the resurrection of the Son of God is the centerpoint of both the Biblical story and God's plan for salvation. The whole Old Testament looks forward to it in anticipation. The whole New Testament looks back on it with exposition. In Luke 24 we are reminded of the challenge of the empty tomb, the surprising evidence from ancient doubts, and what ultim...

Luke 23:1-56 - We continue unpacking the creed's statement about the humanity of Jesus, this week turning to His passion (or suffering). The creed explains that Jesus "was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried," scaffolding our belief in the legal subjugation, multifaceted suffering, and genuine death that Jesus experienced "for us human beings and for our salvati...

Luke 12:35-48 - Here Jesus tells two short parables about what faithfulness looks like for those who wait on Him. We don't know when He will return, but we know we are called to be ready and faithful in the meantime. All disciples are called to ready, watchful waiting, and leaders have a special burden to serve at Jesus’s pleasure, under Jesus’s vision, by Jesus’s methods, with Jesus’s tone, for J...

Luke 18:9-14 - Jesus told a simple parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector "to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt." The parable is about how righteousness and justification work in God's Kingdom and the surprising centrality of humility, mercy, and grace. The parable puts this question to its hearers: will we choose the way of the legalis...

Luke 15:11-32 - This parable of Jesus's is often known as "the parable of the prodigal son," but it could just as easily be thought of as "the parable of the gracious father" or even as "the parable of the religious older brother." Each of these three main characters unlocks a world of meaning within this parable. In this sermon, we focus especially closely on the older brother and what Jesus has...

Matthew 13:31-33 - As the disciples would have likely begun to feel fear, insecurity, and doubt about Jesus's message and methods, Jesus told these two short, simple parables to help set their expectations. No, the kingdom of God would not advance according to the world's expectations and standards. But yes, the kingdom would advance--slowly, but surely--and become a place of belonging, safety, no...

Luke 10:25-37 - Jesus's parable of the good Samaritan is one of his most iconic stories, but our overfamiliarity can make its shocking points harder to see. When asked by an expert in Israel's law, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus tells a story that turns the concept of neighbor from object to subject, challenging us all with what it truly looks like to love others as ourselves. A sermon by Cameron Heg...

Matthew 13:44-46 - This week we consider two short related parables from Jesus: the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price. Both deal with questions around the cost and value of the kingdom. Just what is the Kingdom of God worth? A sermon by Tsion Reid. [Part 2 of our series "Imagining the Kingdom: Jesus's stories about the already and not yet reign of God"] Que...

Matthew 13:1-23 - Jesus was a deeply creative teacher and a cornerstone of his teaching ministry was imaginative stories called parables. His parables were both short and complex, invitational and alienating. In them, Jesus announced the Kingdom He was bringing and sought to paint a picture of and develop an appetite for His Kingdom. In this teaching, we consider His first parable and the one that...

Acts 17:22-31 - We conclude our series with an exploration of what it might look like to treat art appreciation as a spiritual discipline, or, to practice art appreciation in the name of the Lord. We look to Paul’s example at the Areopagus (or Mars Hill) and his engagement with Greek poetry for a few basic principles related to receiving art, wisely discerning art, and encountering God through art...

Colossians 3:15-17 - Paul writes, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus." The totality of Paul's statement tells us that there is a way to do art, making, and creativity in the character of and through the eyes of the Lord. In this sermon we consider 5 principles that help us apply all that we've been learning about art and faith as artists. A sermon by...

Matthew 6:24; Jeremiah 6:13-14; Matthew 5:27-30 - Money, sex, and power, while not inherently evil, have long been understood as uniquely destructive potential idols. It turns out that they not only pose great dangers to our discipleship in general, but also to the arts. Love of money can degrade art into commercialism. Distorted sexuality can degrade art into pornography. Mis-pursued power can de...