New City Church | Teachings

Most of us are exhausted from trying. Trying to be better, do more, measure up. There's always another benchmark, another version of ourselves we haven't quite reached yet. In this message, we look at one of Jesus' most familiar stories — and a surprising idea buried inside it. That the pressure to be enough was never supposed to be yours to carry. There's a better story available.

Most of us have someone we haven't forgiven. Maybe it happened recently. Maybe it was decades ago. Either way, you know it's still there. In this message, we look at what Jesus says about forgiveness — and why the person most trapped by unforgiveness isn't who you think it is. The door might already be unlocked.

Most of us have felt it at some point, a need in the world that we just can't seem to look away from. Something that gets under our skin in a way that other things don't. In this message, we look at one of the most famous stories Jesus ever told and the question underneath it that most people never think to ask. Your purpose might be closer than you think.

We all have something we depend on. A plan, a reputation, an achievement, a habit. Something we reach for when life feels uncertain. Something that quietly defines us. In this message, we look at a woman who walked into a room she had no business being in and did something that shocked everyone there. And what she gave up to do it. You probably already know what your flask is.

Most of us assume there are two kinds of people. The ones who have it together and the ones who don't. The good and the bad. The ones who belong and the ones who don't. Jesus tells a story that blows that up completely. Turns out there's more than one way to end up outside the party. This one might surprise you.

What if prayer wasn't just talking, but listening? This week we slowed down. Instead of a traditional sermon, our church practiced listening prayer together — sitting quietly with Scripture long enough to actually hear something. We worked through John 15, where Jesus calls himself the vine and his followers the branches, and asked the Holy Spirit to speak into what that means for us right now. Wh...

Most of us have felt it at some point, this nagging sense that life should be more than it is. That something is missing, even when things are going fine. In this message, we look at one of the most personal claims Jesus ever made, that he is the way, the truth, and the life. And what it means for everyone who's been searching for a way out of the feeling that something isn't right. He knows the w...

Most of us have had a moment where life didn't go the way we hoped. Where we waited for things to get better — and they didn't. Where we started to wonder if anyone was really there. In this message, we look at two sisters who loved Jesus and still found themselves standing at a grave, asking hard questions. And what Jesus did next. He specializes in making dead things new.

Everyone has been let down by someone they were counting on. A parent. A friend. A leader. Someone who was supposed to be there — and wasn't. In this message, we look at what Jesus meant when he called himself the Good Shepherd. And what sets him apart from every other person or thing we've ever put our trust in. He's the one who doesn't run.

Most people expect religion to take things away. Rules, restrictions, limitations. But the first miracle Jesus ever performed was extending a party and he saved the best wine for last. In this message, we look at what Jesus meant when he said "I am the door" and what kind of life he's actually inviting you into. Turns out, it's better than you thought.

What are you actually hungry for? Not physically — but the deeper kind of hunger that food, success, and distraction never quite seem to fill. In John 6, Jesus makes a strange and provocative claim: I am the bread of life. It's a statement that confused and offended people in his own day. But underneath the strange imagery is a simple and profound idea — that Jesus offers something that actually l...

Easter evening reveals disciples wrestling with extraordinary claims about Jesus rising from the dead. The space between belief and doubt is often filled with pain, yet even in our struggles, we cannot escape the sense that life should have meaning. When Jesus appeared to his fearful disciples, he spoke peace three times - not just a greeting, but a declaration that everything broken will be made...

Peter's journey from bold faith to cowardly denial to restored mission mirrors our own spiritual struggles. His story reveals that real faith is grittier than we think - it requires restraint rather than force, and understanding Jesus' true mission rather than our own expectations. We deny Jesus in three ways: avoiding public association with him, rejecting his clear teachings, and misunderstandin...

Week 5 | Everything Sad Untrue When soldiers came to arrest Jesus, He didn't run or fight — He simply said "I am," and they fell to the ground. Jesus isn't the safe, manageable figure we've imagined. He's the holy God, and He came to do something far bigger than make your life a little better. In John 18, Jesus faces betrayal and a rigged trial — and walks straight into all of it. Not with a sword...

The meaning of life is found in knowing God, glorifying Him, and living from a loving relationship with Him rather than trying to create your own sense of worth. Jesus accomplished the work of reconciliation through the cross, giving you an unshakable identity rooted in His love, not your performance or failures. From that secure foundation, you are sent into the world to live with truth, love, an...

Following Jesus does not mean life will be easy, but it does mean we are never alone in the struggle. Jesus tells His followers to expect trouble, yet promises the help of the Holy Spirit, who convicts, guides, and points us back to the truth of Christ. Even in a world marked by sin, sorrow, and spiritual opposition, believers can take heart because Jesus has already overcome the world. The victor...

Week 2 “Everything Sad Untrue” is a series about why life feels broken and how Jesus is putting it back together. Each week looks at moments from John’s Gospel where Jesus faces evil, suffering, and death head‑on, shows a different way to live—humble, honest, and surrendered—and offers real help through the Holy Spirit so that, slowly but surely, the sad things in our lives don’t get the final wor...

Week 1 “Everything Sad Untrue” is a series about why life feels broken and how Jesus is putting it back together. Each week looks at moments from John’s Gospel where Jesus faces evil, suffering, and death head‑on, shows a different way to live—humble, honest, and surrendered—and offers real help through the Holy Spirit so that, slowly but surely, the sad things in our lives don’t get the final wor...

For the Love | Week 3 For the Love is a three-week journey through three “one-page” New Testament books—2 John, Philemon, and Jude—exploring how God’s truth and love shape our lives, relationships, and witness in the world.

For the Love | Week 2 For the Love is a three-week journey through three “one-page” New Testament books—2 John, Philemon, and Jude—exploring how God’s truth and love shape our lives, relationships, and witness in the world.

For the Love | Week 1 For the Love is a three-week journey through three “one-page” New Testament books—2 John, Philemon, and Jude—exploring how God’s truth and love shape our lives, relationships, and witness in the world.

24/7 Prayer | Week 4 24/7 Prayer is a call to live in constant conversation with God—not just on Sundays or in crisis, but in every ordinary moment of every day. This sermon series is an invitation to discover prayer as a way of life that sustains faith, reshapes habits, and opens our eyes to God’s presence at work around us.

24/7 Prayer | Week 3 24/7 Prayer is a call to live in constant conversation with God—not just on Sundays or in crisis, but in every ordinary moment of every day. This sermon series is an invitation to discover prayer as a way of life that sustains faith, reshapes habits, and opens our eyes to God’s presence at work around us.

24/7 Prayer | Week 2 24/7 Prayer is a call to live in constant conversation with God—not just on Sundays or in crisis, but in every ordinary moment of every day. This sermon series is an invitation to discover prayer as a way of life that sustains faith, reshapes habits, and opens our eyes to God’s presence at work around us.

24/7 Prayer | Week 1 24/7 Prayer is a call to live in constant conversation with God—not just on Sundays or in crisis, but in every ordinary moment of every day. This sermon series is an invitation to discover prayer as a way of life that sustains faith, reshapes habits, and opens our eyes to God’s presence at work around us.