New Eden Sermons

Luke 14:23b "Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled."

2 Sam. 9:10 - "Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table."

This past Sunday, we heard a letter read from Joel, our Pastor for Preaching & Oversight, as he begins a 3-month sabbatical (November - January).

"As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent. See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."

"Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens: I know your works."

Sardis carried a name and reputation of vibrant life in the eyes of the world, but before the only One who really matters they were dead. Jesus calls His church to wake up, remember the message of good news, and trade our death and shame for true life and honor in Him.

Jesus, the Son of God who sees clearly and judges rightly, celebrates Thyatira’s growing love, faith, service, and endurance. He invites His church away from deception and back to Himself - offering real repentance, steady hope, and the promise of shared victory. Hold fast to Jesus, and receive the Morning Star - Jesus Himself.

The enemy had been unsuccessful in getting the Pergamene church to recant their faith in Christ, even when facing the threat of death. Another tactic is used instead - infiltration from the inside out. Because Jesus loves His bride, the call to the Church is clear. Repent of looking for fulfillment in anything but Christ alone.

The Smyrnaean Church is encouraged to continue in faithfulness through suffering and affliction, even to the point of death. This exhortation includes with it a promise of eternal victory and life, accomplished by the work of Christ who is the true and faithful One.

Jesus commends the church at Ephesus for standing strong in the face of false teachers and unsound doctrine. However, they are critiqued for abandoning their first love. But because Jesus has never abandoned His love for His church, there is good news and hope of repentance.

John writes to the church, and as an empathetic brother in the faith who has experience in suffering, he is an apt messenger of encouragement. But even greater than John is the One seen in John's vision - the living Word made flesh who holds the keys of Death and Hades and is alive forevermore. Because Jesus has partnered in our affliction, we can have eternal hope.

Every 5th Sunday, our gathering is a time of reflection, sharing, and Scripture reading. In this time, Joel McCarty recounts God's faithfulness about the history of New Eden and shares about his upcoming sabbatical. The time of sharing also includes thoughts from other elders and members, including our hope to send out one of our members to plant a church. We closed our time of reflection by r...

Into a church that was deeply acquainted with suffering and persecution, John speaks the best news he could give - the King is returning. The triune God will see to it that this promise is kept.

The book of Revelation resounds the message loud and clear: JESUS WINS. And He wants the whole world to know about it.

To wrap up our series on the meta-narrative of Scripture, we look at the bride of Christ - the Church. As is the pattern of history, God chooses to partner with this called-out group of humans to expand and establish His Kingdom, on earth as it is in heaven. Because of His great love, this Bride will be presented pure and holy to her groom, and this is where the eternal story actually begins.

As we continue looking at the meta-narrative of Scripture, we cover the gospels and how they reveal Jesus as the world's long-awaited King and Messiah. Jesus is King, and He is calling for Himself a people from every nation, tribe, and tongue.

In this 3-part series, we're covering the meta-narrative of the Scriptures. In this first sermon, we follow the story arc of God's old covenant people - the nation of Israel. From their exodus to exile, we are reminded to look for the true suffering servant who has promised to redeem to himself a people from every nation, tribe, and tongue.

Through God's patient work, we can be brought to a place where we are at rest, like a child in the arms of a trusted mother. This peace and quiet comes not from the circumstances of life, but simply because we are held in God's arms.

We are encouraged to shout triumphantly before the Lord and sing to Him with great joy and gladness. We must understand that this response of singing and joy is not rooted in our worthiness, but instead in the eternal, unchanging character of the one who's worthy of worship.

In Psalm 127, we are reminded that it is God who ensures our safety and flourishing. In Christ, we belong to a beautiful family that is eternally secure. And this is good news for anxious hearts.

God is worthy of our blessing and worship. Psalm 103 reminds us of the benefits for God's people, mainly that in Christ, are sins are forgiven and removed as far as the east is from the west.

Have you ever been angry at wrong or injustice? Psalms 37 explores the honest questions that exist when it seems that the evil abound and the faithful remain in despair.

The Psalms call for full honesty from God's people - even in the moments where our hearts are not believing the truth about who God has revealed Himself to be. Through this honest confession and surrender, our hearts and minds are transformed and sanctified by the work of God's spirit alone.

The God we worship is not just a distant deity described in ancient poetry, but the living Jesus who stepped into our pain, conquered our enemies, and still draws near to the weak and weary today. Psalm 147 points us toward praise, but Jesus gives us the full reason to sing.

In part two of our series on deacons in the church, we explore what the Scriptures have to say about where deacons serve, who should be considered for the diaconate, and how they are established in the life of a local church.