Door of Hope Northeast

Colossians 1:15-23 - Colossians 1:15-20 is one of the most Christologically-rich passages in the entire Bible. It’s poetic form and density of theological truth have made it widely recognized as one of the most powerful passages in the New Testament. In it we learn of Jesus as both the divine, transcendent creator of all things AND as the intimate, sacrificial reconciler between God and humanity....

Colossians 1:1-14 - Paul begins his letter to the Colossian church with an expression of thankfulness and a prayer for them. His prayer centers on his desire for them know God's will, to receive all spiritual wisdom and understanding, and then to live as God desires. The rest of the letter will develop these ideas with Christ as the center of it all. A sermon by Ean Cornell. [Part 1 of our series...

Revelation 19-22 - The ending to our series on the Kingdom has to end where the whole biblical story does: with the return of Jesus and the final consummation of heaven, earth, and the Kingdom of God. Amidst all the strange poetry, imagery, and symbolism of Revelation's apocalyptic literature, we discover at least two basic themes about the return of Jesus. First, He will return as judge. Second,...

John 19:12-16 - Political ideologies tend to become all-consuming systems of thought that bend everything to their worldview and assumptions. In their own way, they can become similar to and examples of idolatry, biblically defined. In this passage, we see the power of ideology and idolatry as the religious leaders of Israel, standing before Jesus, vocalize a preference for the Roman Caesar over t...

John 18:33-38 - After His arrest, Jesus was questioned by Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Their conversation--another one to see just what kind of King Jesus was claiming to be--revealed much about the nature of the Kingdom of God. Its power is not of this world, its methods are not by the sword, but it moves through peaceful witness and invitation to come follow King Jesus, who is the Truth. In th...

Psalm 145 is a beautiful poetic reflection on the Kingdom of God from the archetypical human king: David himself. In revisiting the story of David and his relationship to the throne of Israel--the good, the bad, and the ugly--we are primed to ache with him for the coming king who will truly rule in all wisdom, justice, and grace. A sermon by Brette Way. [Part 8 of our series "One King and One King...

Matthew 22:15-22 - Jesus's enemies knew that one way to kill his influence was to make him publicly answer a hot-button "gotcha" question. In their day there were few hotter than the question of whether or not Jews should pay the poll tax to their Roman oppressors. In Jesus's inspired, full-of-divine-wisdom kind of answer, He models how kingdom people should think about package-deal partisan polit...

Acts 2:1-21 - Pentecost was primarily about two things: First, the creation of a trans-national, multi-ethnic kingdom people of God and, second, the creation of a supernaturally-empowered kingdom people of God. In part two of our look at this amazing passage in Acts 2, we consider what it means for us to live in these last days where Jesus has baptized all of His people in His Spirit and empowered...

Acts 2:1-21 - The kingdom embassy we call the church was birthed on the day of Pentecost right after Jesus ascended to His heavenly throne. The day was a dramatic step forward in God’s plan to see His rule extended through people from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, among every tribe, tongue, and nation. Through His cross and His Spirit, Jesus has reversed the curse of Babel and broken the bar...

Matthew 5-7 - The sermon on the mount is the most influential sermon ever preached. It is the longest recorded unbroken teaching we have from Jesus's ministry. But what is it? We argue that it is an exposition of Jesus's basic message: "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." It is a picture of what happens when God's kingdom comes and God's will is done in a human heart. It is a picture of...

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 - Theologians talk about the Kingdom of God as an already/not yet reality. Jesus has inaugurated His Kingdom and reigns among His people today while we still await his second coming when the Kingdom will come in full. But how are we to live in this time between the times? In this passage, Paul gives us a key to understanding our identity as Kingdom people now: ambassadors liv...

Mark 8:27-9:1 - After teaching and ministering among his disciples, Jesus put the question of questions to them: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter gave the right answer (The messiah! The king!) but didn’t understand what it meant for Jesus to receive his crown through the cross. We, too, must wrestle with what it means to follow King Jesus not into capitulation or violence, but into His way of sac...

Matthew 27:27-31 - This sermon was not technically part of the "One King and One Kingdom" series as it was given on Good Friday 2024, but it is exploring the same themes and is a kind of counterpart to the sermon preached on 4/21. In this message, we consider how Jesus models the way greatness and power works in the Kingdom of God. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 2 of our series "One King and One...

Matthew 4:23-25 - An election year is a great time to reconsider Jesus’s teaching about the kingdom of God and the radical call to bend the knee to Him as king. We begin with a look at Jesus’s gospel message: the gospel of the kingdom. It is not only good news about the forgiveness of sins, but also about the victory and reign over Jesus over all competitors. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 1 of...

Romans 8:31-39 - We conclude our time in Romans chapter 8 with Paul's incredible exclamation point on the beautiful gospel truths he has been unpacking throughout. We couldn't say it better than Paul himself: "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to...

Romans 8:26-30 - Through this passage we will focus on our relationship with the Holy Spirit during the process of sanctification. Paul helps us remember how our shortcomings, baggage, and trauma from the shrapnel of the fallen world impact our relationship with God. We will unpack the impact of the Holy Spirit on us in our fallen state. A sermon by John C Hughes. [Part 5 of our series "The Cross,...

Romans 8:18-25 - In a world where suffering abounds, we desperately need a hope that can both dignify our pain and overcome it. In this way the gospel of Jesus supplies what nothing else can, both for humanity and the rest of creation. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 4 of our series “The Cross, The Spirit & The End of Death”] Questions for discussion: 1) Do ever struggle with pessimism, cynicism,...

Romans 8:12-17 - In this passage we learn about the glorious truth of God adopting believers into his family. The cross of Jesus enables us to become intimate daughters and sons of the God of the universe with all of its benefits. The Holy Spirit communicates that reality to the deepest parts of ourselves. And we can now call out to Him not just as God (which we should), not just as Lord (which we...

Romans 8:5-11 - The second part of Romans 8 explores what it means to walk by the Spirit rather than by the flesh. This side of the cross, we have access to a life lived in step with the Spirit's influence, which first influences how we exist and who we are before it influences what we do. Through yielding to His work in our lives, we can behold another way, learn to be ruled by a new king, and be...

Romans 8:1-4 - This week we continue through Lent into Resurrection Sunday with a consideration of Romans chapter 8, which is widely considered one of the most gospel-rich, beautiful, and hopeful chapters in the entire Bible. The first four verses highlight the end of all condemnation for those who are in Christ. But what is condemnation? And is it really necessary? And how does the end of it real...

Romans 12:1-2 - We conclude our series considering a remaining major theme relating to worship across the Bible: the theme of sacrifice. As Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the temple sacrificial system Himself, he did so as an act of love, mercy, and grace. As one theologian put it, "In the New Testament religion is grace, and ethics is gratitude." In view of God's mercy and grace, we are now...

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 - Every church (and every person) lives with certain habits, traditions, and rituals—also know as liturgies. These play a role in both expressing and shaping our loves and desires. Properly understood and practiced, they too become important avenues of worship. In this sermon we consider the Apostle Paul’s words about The Lord’s Supper and their implications for all of our s...

As surprising as it sounds to many, our relationship to food is an important potential avenue for worship. For most, fasting and participating in the Lord’s Supper come to mind—but an often-neglected theme across the pages of scripture is feasting. God’s people have always been a feasting people and their feasting, at its best, has always been a joyful, celebratory, worshipful response to God’s ch...

Ephesians 5:18-19 - After considering the big picture perspective on worship in the Bible, we now turn our attention to worship through singing, in particular. God’s people have always been a singing people, but why? Why does God command and inspire us to sing? How does it engage our bodies in the postures of our hearts? And why is it important to sing in the presence of our brothers and sisters i...

John 4:19-26 - Jesus brought with Him a new understanding of worship that really was a step back toward the way of worship "in the beginning." Answering a question about where one must go to worship, Jesus answered that genuine worship could now take place anywhere as long as it was done "in spirit and truth." Understanding Jesus's words is the key to understanding both the nature of worship and t...