Hope Church Sermons

1) Human Condition 2) God You Are Holy 3) My Answer "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us..." - A.W. Tozer (The Knowledge of the Holy)

Honest Relationship with God

Martin Luther once said that our thoughts about God are all too human. They're too small. This is where Psalms like Psalm 8 are such a help to us. Join us as we soak in 9 verses that give us a bigger vision of God that leads to deeper praise in our lives!

What do you do when you feel stressed out, anxious, and overwhelmed? While our tendency is often to run from reality and check out, Psalm 55 shows us that true life is found as we run to God with our hard emotions.

When James and John’s request for power and influence alienates their friends, Jesus takes this moment to teach His disciples about the nature of true greatness. True greatness is found, not in selfishness, but in service. And because He is truly great, Jesus serves His people in a way that frees them to become others-focused servants. Are you selfish or a servant?

Mere Weins, EFCA Associate International Leader (Africa), visited us and delivered a special message as part of our Pentecost Weekend celebration.

In order to enter the Kingdom of God you must receive it like a little child. What keeps us from this? Our own attempts to be good enough or find other sources of goodness to do for us what only Jesus can do for us. In this story, Jesus loves a rich man enough to press him on his idolatry and reveals why He is worth giving up every other source of salvation for.

The Pharisees try to trap Jesus by getting Him to talk about a controversial subject. In Jesus’ response, we learn about God’s heart for marriage and the new power we receive through Jesus to live into this beautiful design.

Jesus' willingness to go to the cross baffles his disciples (again). After catching his disciples arguing about who among them is the greatest, Jesus takes the opportunity to teach them more about the character of his kingdom.

What does faith look like when the pain of life in a broken world causes you to doubt? In this beloved story, Jesus meets a desperate dad with healing and grace, not because he overcomes all his doubt, but because he asks for help in the midst of it all. This is the essence of faith. Who or what are you depending on to help you?

Six days after calling His disciples to die to themselves, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain to reassure them that this counterintuitive path leads to the glory they long for. As Jesus’ glory is revealed on the mountain, the disciples are transformed. We too are transformed as we behold the glory of Jesus. What glory are you beholding?

Jesus says some shocking things to His disciples, but perhaps none more than the prediction that He would suffer and die and rise again. In Peter’s response, we see our need to die to ourselves in order to experience true life with Jesus. Where is Jesus calling you to die to your way of doing things, that He might lead you into true life?

Jesus is alive! On Easter, we gather to celebrate this incredible truth - that our crucified savior has defeated satan, sin, and death and walked out of the tomb victorious. The question is: What difference does the resurrection of Jesus make in your life today? Are you living in light of the hope of Jesus’ resurrection?

After 8 chapters, the disciples finally realize who Jesus is. But before they get there, Jesus has to open their eyes. We too need Jesus to open our eyes, and like the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida, this is a progressive process. Jesus increasingly opens our eyes so we can increasingly enjoy his salvation.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day believed brokenness to be a problem outside of themselves, to be addressed with tweaks to external performance. Jesus cuts to the heart of the issue and shows that the real problem is actually on the inside; unless our hearts are changed we will never experience the true and lasting change we all long for.

While on His way to a spiritual retreat, Jesus gets interrupted by a crowd of thousands of needy people. Filled with compassion, He puts His plans on hold and begins to teach the crowd. Then Jesus preforms two incredible miracles, showing that He is the kind of caring leader who always provides for His people’s needs. Will you run to Jesus like the Gennesarets or forget to trust Him like the disci...

After five chapters of preparation, Jesus sends His disciples out to spread the good news of the gospel. Today, Jesus continues to call people into relationship with Himself and sends them out into everyday life to tell the world of His life-changing grace. Have you experienced Jesus’ grace? Where has He sent you on mission?