Hope Church (Dubuque)

What voices are shaping your life? In Psalm 19, David reminds us that God is speaking—and He is speaking clearly. Creation declares His glory, His Word revives the soul, and His Son reveals the fullness of His love and redemption. This message challenges us to slow down, listen, and respond to God’s voice with faith, repentance, surrender, and worship. From the heavens above to the Scriptures befo...

In this final message from Psalm 46, we look at one of the most familiar commands in Scripture: “Be still, and know that I am God.” But Psalm 46:10 is not simply an invitation to slow down or relax—it is a command to let go, surrender control, and look up to the God who is exalted over all the earth.

Psalm 46 invites us to “come and see what the Lord has done.” In this message, Ross continues our Summer in the Psalms series by looking at Psalm 46:8–9 and the mighty invitation to behold God’s works—not with a quick glance, but with a fixed gaze. When the world feels chaotic, God calls His people to remember His faithfulness, see His power, and trust the One who makes wars cease. Ultimately, Psa...

In this sermon, Mark explores Psalm 46 by highlighting three powerful contrasts that reveal the comfort found in God's presence. While nations rage and kingdoms fall, God's people stand secure because the Lord is with them. While earthly cities crumble, the City of God remains unshaken because God dwells within her, giving His children confidence to call Him Father. And while chaotic waters symbol...

The world feels unstable. Circumstances change, fears rise, and the things we trust can disappear in an instant. Yet Psalm 46 reminds us that when everything around us shakes, God remains steadfast. In this message, we begin our Summer in the Psalms series by exploring how God is our refuge and strength—an ever-present help in trouble. Discover how we can face fear with confidence, not because lif...

Many people use the phrase, “God just wants me to be happy,” to justify whatever choices seem best in the moment. While God does delight in our joy and has filled creation with good gifts for us to enjoy, true happiness is never found apart from Him or by making happiness itself our highest pursuit. Instead, happiness is a byproduct of something greater. God calls us into a relationship with Him t...

Caleb reminds us that God’s will is not a hidden blueprint we have to decode, but a faithful path we are invited to walk. When we believe “God has a specific plan for my life” means there is only one perfect choice for every decision, it can lead us into pressure, paralysis, and a distorted view of God’s character. But Scripture shows us that God has already made His will clear: act justly, love m...

Mark reminds us that one of the most misunderstood phrases in culture is, “Christians shouldn’t judge.” Looking at Jesus’ words in Matthew 7, we see that Jesus isn’t forbidding discernment or correction — He is confronting hypocritical, self-righteous condemnation. Because God’s Word is absolute truth, Christians are called to judge appropriately: first examining our own hearts, then lovingly help...

This week, Ross continues our Bumper Sticker Theology series by tackling the phrase, “We’re All God’s Children.” Looking at John 1:9–13, we see the important difference between being created by God and becoming a child of God through faith in Jesus. While every person bears God’s image and has value, Scripture teaches that adoption into God’s family comes through receiving and believing in Christ....

Marty challenges the common phrase “God won’t give you more than you can handle,” showing that Scripture paints a different picture. He explains that suffering, trials, and temptations don’t always come directly from God, but can result from living in a broken world, the choices of others, spiritual opposition, or our own decisions. Rather than promising an easy escape, God invites us to depend on...

Mark challenges the common phrase “everything happens for a reason” by showing that it is an oversimplification that raises difficult questions about suffering and evil, and he grounds the discussion in key truths that God is sovereign, holy, and will be glorified. Using the story of Joseph in Genesis, he explains that events in life come from a mix of causes—God’s sovereign work, human free will,...

Sean challenges the common phrase “Heaven gained an angel,” showing that while it sounds comforting, it’s not what Scripture teaches. Angels and humans are distinct creations with different purposes—angels serve God as messengers and ministers, but humans are uniquely made in God’s image and invited into a relationship and inheritance that angels don’t share. Rather than becoming angels after deat...

Ross kicks off the Bumper Sticker Theology series by challenging the popular phrase “follow your heart,” showing us that while culture treats our hearts like a trustworthy compass, Scripture reveals they are actually bent, broken, and deceptive (Jeremiah 17:9). Instead of leading us to life, our hearts often lead us deeper into confusion and sin, exposing our need for something more than self-help...

Ross walks us through Mark 16:1–8 and centers on the moment that changes everything—the resurrection of Jesus. He challenges us to see that Easter isn’t just a meaningful ending, but the defining event that gives power to our faith. Because Jesus is risen, it reshapes what we believe about Him—not just a teacher, but Lord—and what we believe about ourselves as people in need of grace. And it trans...

As we come to the final moments of Jesus’ life, we look at familiar figures—Peter, Judas, and a devoted woman—and discover that their stories reflect our own. This message challenges us to stop using Scripture to evaluate others and instead let it reveal what’s in us. We see how devotion can take different forms: passionate but incomplete, self-serving, or rooted in pride. And ultimately, we are i...

Jesus is asked what matters most, and instead of simplifying things, He raises the bar—calling us to love God with everything we are and to love others just as deeply. In this passage, we see that faith isn’t about checking boxes or doing just enough to feel okay with God; it’s about a transformed heart that overflows in love. The tension is clear: we can understand the truth, agree with it, and s...

In Mark 13, Jesus responds to the disciples’ questions about the temple and the end of the age by calling his followers to readiness rather than giving a timeline. He warns us not to be deceived, alarmed, surprised by opposition, or spiritually asleep as history moves toward his return. Instead, we are called to remain faithful, alert, and anchored in the truth, hope, and mission of Jesus as we aw...

As Easter approaches, we begin slowing down to look closely at the most important week in human history—Holy Week. In Mark 11, Jesus enters Jerusalem to crowds shouting “Hosanna,” appearing to receive the authority people wanted to give Him. Yet instead of claiming power the way they expected, He rides in humbly on a colt and heads to the temple, where He boldly confronts corruption and restores i...

Mark places two moments side by side to show us the clear mission of Jesus. As He predicts His death again, we see that He is unwavering—He came to deal with sin once and for all. Meanwhile, the disciples miss it, arguing about greatness and position. So Jesus refocuses them—and us—on what His kingdom truly looks like: welcoming the overlooked and serving others as a way of life. The Son of Man ca...

In Mark 8:27–9:13, Ross walks us through a turning point in the Gospel of Gospel of Mark as Jesus asks the question that reframes everything: “Who do you say I am?” We see Peter’s bold confession that Jesus is the Messiah, followed by a sharp correction as Jesus reveals He must suffer, die, and rise again. Then comes the call—to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him—and finally the con...

In Mark 6:30–56, we see Jesus reveal Himself as our Shepherd — One who cares for us in our exhaustion and hunger and who leads us even into storms. He has compassion on the crowds, teaching them and miraculously providing bread in the wilderness, showing that He is more than enough for both our spiritual and physical needs. Then, after sending the disciples into rough waters, He walks toward them...

Marty walks us through four tightly woven stories in Mark 4–5 to show how Mark uses storytelling to reveal one powerful truth about Jesus. As we move from a raging storm, to a demon-possessed man, to a dying child, to a suffering woman, we see a shared human experience of helplessness that leads people to respond with humility, faith, and reverent fear. Each encounter answers the same question—Who...

Jesus draws massive crowds who come expecting a powerful Messiah and an obvious Kingdom, but instead of clear explanations, He teaches in parables—stories that both reveal and conceal. In Mark 4, these “Kingdom parables” show us that God’s Kingdom doesn’t work the way we expect: fruit matters more than appearances, nothing stays hidden in the light, faithfulness matters more than effectiveness, an...

In Mark 3:7–35, Jesus confronts our assumptions about what it means to belong. Crowds surround Him, religious leaders analyze Him, and even His own family misunderstands Him—but Jesus makes it clear that proximity, knowledge, or family ties aren’t enough. Belonging begins with Jesus’ call, not our effort, and it shows itself in a life shaped by obedience and trust. This passage challenges us to mo...

In “All Systems… Disrupted,” from Mark 2:1–3:6, we see Jesus step directly into the religious systems of His day—not to preserve them, but to upend them for the sake of grace, healing, and restored relationship. As Jesus forgives sins, heals on the Sabbath, and calls people like Levi the tax collector, He exposes how easily faith becomes about rules, performance, and control rather than mercy and...