New Hope Church: Weekend Messages

Do you believe in miracles? Many of us fall into 1 of 3 categories: Skeptics, Fanatics, or Undecided. This week we kick off a series about the miracles of the Bible and ask the question: Do miracles still happen?

We love our spouses. We love our kids and grandkids. We even love our dogs… but our city?? We have learned to put up with the tourists, contractors, crowded roads and high humidity, but LOVE is a strong word. What would change in our city (and in us) if we began loving our City and our neighbors… even when they are not always very lovable?

Much like the boxes we try to squeeze God into, we also build boxes around our own faith. This week we will learn how to lift the lid on the boxes that stifle our own spiritual growth!

What is the deal with God and my money?! It seems like that is all we talk about in church! Well, you are not wrong. The Bible talks about our money and possessions over 2000 times. That is about 7 times more often than it talks about Love. God doesn’t do this because He is hung up on money, but because we are. This week we dive into this wonderfully awkward conversation about “our” money.

The more we become fully engaged followers of Jesus, the more we realize God’s too big for any box.

Everybody knows that you can’t put God into a box! …but, that doesn’t stop us from trying. Today we look at some of the boxes we try to put God into in our lives.

It’s time to let God out of the box! No, He can’t really be put into a box, but too often we limit what He wants to do in our lives by limiting what we believe about Him. Our challenge in 2023 is to allow God to work in and through us in God-sized ways!

Disappointment. It comes to us all, and sometimes the road between where we are and where we want to be seems long and winding. But what if the very thing you thought was a burden was actually something God intended as a blessing? Join us as we explore the story of two men who met Jesus and how it can change our lives in the new year ahead…

With all of the distractions at Christmas time, it is so easy to miss the real reason for this season. Though many of the people in the original Christmas story missed Jesus, Joseph found Him and it changed his life. Let’s learn from his example!

All Advent long we have been asking the question; “What’s your focus?” What is distracting you from the the True Focus of the Christmas Story? Is it your traditions and comfort like Zechariah? Is it the building and protection of your own kingdom like Herod? Or is it something more mundane like The Daily Grind like our Bible characters for today?

Different places and different families have different Christmas traditions. We get that. What about having a different focus at Christmas? This week we will look at the role King Herod played in the Christmas story. He knew what we know and even believed what we believe, but his focus was VERY different!

This Advent season we are all looking for hope, just like Simeon and Anna from the Christmas narrative in Luke 2. May we not miss a key component of these weeks—that Baby Jesus came as a messiah for the whole world, a world that still needs God’s love. You and I are God’s strategy to accomplish that vision.

The Advent Season is meant to turn our focus to the birth of Jesus Christ. These weeks should be filled with excited anticipation of His birthday. Unfortunately, there are many other attractions plying for our attention this month. What has stolen your heart? What is preventing you from focusing on Jesus on His own birthday?

The long way to the winner’s circle for a Dark Horse is full of stops and starts. Fear, insecurity, deep-rooted traditions all play a role in keeping them in the shadows longer than God intends. This week’s Dark Horse was held back by disobedience. In this story we can all learn a lesson about the destructive power of disobedience!

By now, we all know what a Dark Horse is. They start out in obscurity but wind up in the winner’s circle making an impact for the Kingdom of God. But what about those Dark Horses who remain dark? Those who never get out of the starting gates? How can we be sure that we hear God’s call when He it’s time to come out of the shadows?

We now understand what a Dark Horse is. They come out of nowhere and no one has ever heard of them. When they win the race, it is big news! What about Dark Horses that don’t win the race? In fact, just the opposite. Instead of making a big splash, they make a big mess! Ananias and Sapphira came out of obscurity and ran straight into infamy!

Synopsis: When a Dark Horse wins a race, it’s a really big surprise because nobody saw it coming! The same is true of Dark Horse characters in the Bible. We don’t expect much from those we know nothing about. Those who can’t demonstrate the right “pedigree” to perform at high levels. But God is never surprised. He chooses, grooms and cheers them on to victory.

A Dark Horse in the horse racing world means a horse that is unknown. There is not enough background information on it to be able to create the odds for betting. So when it comes from behind to win the race - no one saw it coming. There are many such characters in the Bible. We didn’t have enough background information to expect much from them, but God saw something in them. We may be surprised by...

We live in an easily offended world. As the pressure of modern life increases, our ability to just let things roll off of our backs decreases. Our patience with each other is wearing thin. Today’s Bible story about a wise woman, an impulsive young man and an old fool help us learn 7n ways to survive in an easily offended world.

We have been studying God’s Word for weeks to prepare for Life in a Hurricane. What about Life After a Hurricane? Huge, life-altering experiences have a way of bringing clarity in our otherwise fast paced and chaotic lives. This week Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount give us direction for this next phase of our lives.

An important part of storm preparation is packing a “Go Bag.” In it is stored what you need to take along if you have to leave your house suddenly in the face of a storm or flooding. It would be easy to carry and only contain the most important documents and valuables… What did you put in your bag? Documents…Valuables… Photos??? If you had to flee from a storm, which treasurers could you not live...

Jesus commands us not to judge others, yet the Bible also says we are to “test everything and hold on to what is good.” So which is it? Join us this week as we dig into what Jesus said about judging others, judging ourselves and using good judgement.

Worry. It sneaks up on us all, but Jesus gives us a way to beat it for good!

Where do hurricanes come from? The easy answer is; “ Off the coast of Africa.” That is true, but some of our hurricanes begin much closer to home! Join us this week as we discover how God’s Word helps us defuse the storms of our own making before the destruction begins.

The key to surviving a hurricane is to have plenty of advanced warning. Before there was Doppler radar and the Weather Channel, ships and coastal towns used large flags to warn of approaching storms. In His mercy and grace, God has provided a system today to warn of impending eternal destruction.  Every believer is to be a living, breathing “Hurricane Flag” warning of the coming storm and poi...