Line Upon Line

Pastor Miles concludes a series on meaning and purpose by examining John 10:10, showing that Christ's evangelistic purpose—to give abundant life by destroying the work of the destroyer—becomes the framework for a meaningful human life. He argues that we find life more abundantly by adopting Christ's own purpose, even though that path invites opposition.

Through the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19, Pastor Miles teaches that grasping Jesus's purpose—to seek and save the lost—reframes our own purpose, giving meaningful direction to every place God has placed us. We are called to be lights in dark places, bearing witness to the truth wherever we live, work, and play.

Using the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19, Pastor Miles argues that grasping the purpose of Jesus—who came to seek and save the lost—reframes our own sense of purpose, showing that God has placed each believer where they are to be a light in dark places. This is the second message in a short series on purpose.

Opening a new series on purpose, Pastor Miles examines Mark 10:35-45, where Jesus corrects James and John's pursuit of greatness and declares His own purpose: "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." This sacrificial-service purpose stands contrary to humanity's natural will to power and gives believers a deeper, more meaningful purpose than...

This Advent message teaches that our deepest spiritual needs—grace, peace, and hope—all flow from the love of God, which is grounded in God's very nature and demonstrated in the gift of Christ on the cross. Drawing chiefly from Romans 5, Pastor Miles argues that because we have received God's love, we are compelled to love God and to love others with the patient, kind, sincere love described in 1...

Drawing from Romans 5, Pastor Miles concludes a Christmas series on the spiritual needs every person has, arguing that the abundant life is impossible without God's love, grace, peace, and hope—which together produce a joy that is not circumstantial but increasing and enduring. This joy, announced by angels as "good tidings of great joy for all people," is available to everyone but found only in C...

Through the burial of Jesus by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, this teaching shows how experiencing the love of Christ at the cross transforms secret followers into public, fully invested disciples. What was the worst day in history for the disciples became the best day for these two men, because Jesus' death moved them to act.

Using the account of the ten lepers in Luke 17, this Thanksgiving teaching shows how faith in Jesus produces both obedience and praise, and how only the one grateful Samaritan returned to receive a fuller blessing of wholeness. It challenges believers to be marked by gratitude and to proclaim the praises of Christ.

Opening a Christmas series called "All I Want for Christmas," this teaching from John 1:14-17 argues that beneath all our material wants lies a deep spiritual need for grace, which is found only in Jesus Christ. Drawing on Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Augustine, Pastor Miles shows that Christ's incarnation brings the fullness of grace freely to all who trust in Him.

This Advent teaching explores Shalom—the biblical peace that means universal flourishing and "life as it ought to be"—and shows how grace from God produces peace with God through the cross of Christ, which then allows believers to experience the peace of God by reorienting their focus to Him through prayer and meditation.

A Christmas-season study of Romans 5:1-11 showing that grace from God brings peace with God, which gives us hope in God—a hope defined not as optimism or wishful thinking but as the absolute certainty of future good grounded in God's promise and oath. Pastor Miles argues that humanity cannot truly live without this hope, which is found only in Christ and results in our sanctification and evangelis...

Drawing on Paul's three pictures in 2 Timothy 2—the good soldier, the competent athlete, and the faithful farmer—Pastor Miles teaches that though God graciously gives believers gifts and strength for the mission, they must still choose to use them through endurance, discipline, and patience, following the example of Christ who endured the cross for the sake of those who need the gospel.

Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Augustine's confession of a restless heart, Pastor Miles argues that human beings have a deep spiritual need beyond material satisfaction—a need met only by the grace of God revealed in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Drawing from John 1:14-17, he shows that Christ's Advent is the arrival of the grace we deeply need and ultimately desire, given freely and abu...

Teaching from Matthew 5:21, this message shows how Jesus moves the law from mere actions (don't murder) to the attitudes of the heart (anger, insults, contempt), calling believers to own their own reactions, refuse to assume others' motives, and seek reconciliation with those they have wronged before drawing near to God.

Drawing from 2 Timothy 2:1, Pastor Miles teaches that God calls every believer to make His greatness known—a calling we feel inadequate to fulfill—and that this very inadequacy drives us to rely on God's grace, which strengthens us to obey. He weaves together God's sovereignty and man's responsibility, urging fearful believers, like Timothy, to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

From 2 Timothy 2:1-2, Pastor Miles teaches that the Christian faith and the church are never more than one generation away from extinction, so the gospel must be intentionally passed down. God calls, gifts, empowers, and places every believer in the church to become a witness who entrusts the message to faithful others who can teach still others.

Drawing on Philippians 4:2-9, Pastor Garrett teaches that division is inevitable wherever people gather, yet God calls His people to unity, gentleness, and prayer rather than the world's nastiness. He shows that God alone provides lasting peace and joy, replacing anxiety with His peace that surpasses understanding when we pray, give thanks, and set our minds on what is good.

Drawing from 2 Timothy 1:13-18, Pastor Miles examines how believers can prepare to endure the inevitable storms of life. Against the cultural emphasis on grit and determination, he offers five biblical "hold fasts": the sound words of Scripture, faith in Christ, love in Christ, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the fellowship of the body of Christ.

Opening a new series in 2 Timothy—Paul's last words to Timothy and the church—Pastor Miles sets the historical scene of Paul's imprisonment in Rome and examines the first verse to show how Paul could face martyrdom with joy and without fear. The teaching draws three points from 2 Timothy 1:1: meeting Jesus changes you forever, sometimes we suffer while doing God's will, and we can face any trouble...

Writing his final letter from a Roman prison while awaiting execution, Paul commissions Timothy to guard, transfer, and preach the gospel, yet displays remarkable grace, mercy, peace, and joy. Miles shows that the promise of life in Christ — given by grace and mercy alone — enables believers to face any trouble with the peace of God, the joy of a pure conscience, and the strength of genuine faith...

Drawing from 2 Timothy 1:6-12, this teaching examines how followers of Christ can move forward faithfully without being ashamed of the gospel, even amid fear of persecution. Paul exhorts the anxious Timothy to stir up his God-given gift, reminding him that God gives a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind rather than fear.

Opening his study of 2 Timothy, Paul's final letter, Pastor Miles sets the historical scene of Paul suffering in chains in Rome and shows how Paul passes the torch to the timid Timothy, commissioning him to guard, transfer, and preach the gospel. The teaching centers on how the promise of life in Christ—available only by grace and mercy—produces peace, joy, and a genuine faith that must be passed...

Guest teacher David walks through Titus 2:11 and James 1:22 to show that while we are saved by faith alone, we are created for good works—and a living, active, truthful, loving faith is how we honor Christ's sacrifice and reach a lost world.

Through the example of Nehemiah confronting economic injustice among the returning exiles in Nehemiah 5, Pastor Miles draws out five marks of a righteous leader, climaxing in integrity rooted in the fear of God. He challenges believers to embody these values and to hold both themselves and their leaders to God's standard.

Working through John 7–8 and the "I am" statements, Pastor Miles shows that Jesus repeatedly and provocatively identified Himself as God, climaxing in "before Abraham was, I am." Because Jesus said these things, He cannot be merely a good moral teacher; every person is confronted with a decision—reject Him or fall at His feet as Lord.