Forward Church Kitchener Sermons

Jesus will not let us limit the word neighbour. He does not answer who qualifies for our love instead he calls us to go and be a neighbour to all. Snapshot: A lawyer wants to justify himself, so he tries to draw a line. Who is my neighbour? He’s asking Jesus to mark the edge of his obligation. Jesus tells a story that erases the line completely. A man is beaten and left in a ditch. A priest sees h...

The only way to the Father is through the son. The childlike receive this truth, and the self-sufficient walk right past it. Snapshot: Now Jesus himself rejoices. Luke tells us he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and he thanks the Father for hiding these things from the wise and revealing them to little children. Then comes verse 22, one of the highest things Jesus ever says about himself. No one know...

Fix Your Joy (Kirk Giles) | Set Your Sights

Jesus lifts our eyes to a field that’s ready and sends ordinary followers into it as his representatives. Snapshot: Jesus lifts the disciples’ eyes and points them at a field. The harvest is plentiful, he says, but the workers are few, so beg the Lord of the harvest to send out workers. Then he makes them the answer to their own prayer. He sends out seventy two of his follower, two by two, ahead o...

In this passage we encounter three would-be followers of Jesus, and every one of them wants a detour before he follows. One word keeps surfacing. First. Let me first bury my father. Let me first say farewell. Each request sounds reasonable, but each is a detour. Jesus refuses the detour every single time. Here’s the thing though, all of us get detoured sometimes. Jesus alone is the only person who...

When you seek first the Kingdom, God takes care of the rest. In week 4 we circle back to where we started and preach the half of the verse we left unpreached in week one. Week 1 was seek first the kingdom. Week 4 is and all these things will be added to you. This answers the question that three weeks of pushing outward will have quietly raised in every honest heart. If I really put the kingdom fir...

When the church prays, God makes ordinary people brave. Kingdom prayer does not stay indoors. In Acts 4 the church has just been threatened and ordered to stop speaking about Jesus. Notice what they do not pray for. They do not ask for safety or relief. They ask for boldness. And God shakes the room, fills them with the Spirit, and sends them back out speaking the word. This is the outward turn of...

We do not build the kingdom. We pray it down. Once our seeking has been reordered around the kingdom, Jesus teaches us how to ask for it. The Lord’s Prayer is the pattern, and the petition at its center is the one that carries this week. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. This reframes prayer for people who think of it as getting God to bless their own agenda. Kingd...

Create in Me a Clean Heart (Steve Hicks) | Summer In The Psalms

When the World is Falling Apart (Derik Fuller) | Summer In The Psalms

Let Everything Praise (Steve Hicks) | Summer In The Psalms

Faith That Argues (Kirk Giles) | Summer In The Psalms

Grateful Worship (Andrew Nunn) | Summer In The Psalms

Where Are You God? (Steve Hicks) | Summer in the Psalms

In Revelation 4–5, John is given a glimpse into the throne room of heaven where all creation gathers around the throne in endless worship of God and the Lamb. These chapters pull back the curtain on ultimate reality and remind us that worship is not fundamentally about us, our preferences, or our emotions. Worship begins with seeing God rightly. In this section of scripture we are given three reas...

John tells Jesus that the disciples attempted to stop someone from casting out demons because he was not part of their group. Jesus corrects their narrow thinking, reminding them that the Kingdom of God extends beyond their immediate community. Rather than guarding their position or protecting their influence, the disciples are called to recognize and celebrate the work of God wherever it appears....

As the disciples argue about which of them is the greatest, Jesus responds by placing a child beside Him. In the ancient world, children possessed little social status or influence. By pointing to a child, Jesus overturns the disciples’ assumptions about leadership and importance. In the Kingdom of God, greatness is measured not by power or recognition but by humility and service. Jesus shapes His...

While the crowds marvel at His power, Jesus once again predicts His coming suffering and death. The disciples hear the words but fail to grasp their meaning. The idea of a suffering Messiah clashes with everything they expect about God’s plan. Yet this difficult truth lies at the center of Jesus’ mission. Sometimes the truths that shape us most deeply are the ones we initially resist or misunderst...

Descending from the mountain, Jesus encounters a desperate father whose son is tormented by a powerful demon. The disciples had attempted to cast it out but were unable. Jesus rebukes both the spirit and the unbelief surrounding Him before restoring the boy. The scene reveals both the authority of Christ and the limitations of His followers. Jesus often shapes His disciples not through their succe...

On a mountain, Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John. His appearance changes as His divine glory is revealed, and Moses and Elijah appear alongside Him speaking about His coming departure in Jerusalem. The voice of the Father declares Jesus to be His chosen Son and commands the disciples to listen to Him. This extraordinary moment reveals that Jesus stands at the center of God’s rede...

Immediately after Peter’s confession, Jesus reveals a startling truth: the Messiah must suffer, be rejected, and be killed before being raised again. This revelation overturns the disciples’ expectations of a triumphant political deliverer. Jesus then extends the challenge to all who would follow Him, calling them to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him. In doing so, Jesus be...

In a moment of quiet reflection, Jesus asks His disciples what people are saying about Him. After recounting the various opinions circulating among the crowds, Jesus presses them further: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ marks a pivotal moment in Luke’s Gospel. The disciples are beginning to understand Jesus’ identity, yet they still have much to learn ab...

When thousands gather to hear Jesus, the disciples quickly recognize the impossibility of feeding such a large crowd. Their instinct is to send the people away. Instead, Jesus invites them to bring Him the small amount of food they possess. Through the miracle that follows, Jesus multiplies what they offer and feeds the crowd abundantly. The disciples learn that the Kingdom of God does not depend...

As news of Jesus spreads, people attempt to explain who He might be. Some say John the Baptist returned from the dead, others Elijah, and still others a prophet from long ago. Herod himself is perplexed and curious. Luke shows us a world full of speculation about Jesus but lacking clarity. This passage reminds us that curiosity and conversation about Jesus are not the same as genuine faith. Every...

Jesus gives the twelve disciples authority over demons and diseases and sends them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God. For the first time, the disciples step into the ministry they have been watching Jesus perform. Yet Jesus intentionally sends them out with minimal provisions, forcing them to depend on God rather than their own resources. In doing so, He begins shaping them into people who trust...