NHCC Sermons & Teaching

The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. --John 4:53----------When you pray for things or people, do you remember to follow up and see how things turned out? Did God answer the prayer in the way you wanted or at the time you hoped He would?----------It is amazing that so many times we pray for something and...

This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And his disciples believed in Him. --John 2:11----------The word "miracle" is another one of those words that tends to get overused in our culture. The concept of the miraculous is not simply something amazing that we have never seen before or something that seems impossible by human standards, it is li...

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” --John 11:25-26Eternal life.. that's the big prize, isn't it? Of all the promises of Jesus, that is the one that is the proverbial "cherry on top of the sundae." If you can excuse the pu...

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. --John 15:5----------The concept is not a difficult one. Branches on their own cannot produce fruit. They have to be connected to the main tree or vine. Cut a branch off of a grapevine and it will ceases to produce grapes anymore.----------In John 15, Jesus...

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." --John 6:35Have you ever eaten a big meal--one of those ones where your "eyes were bigger than your stomach"--and then were so full that you thought you would never be hungry again? Of course, no matter how full we were, we eventually get hungry again an...

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. --John 14:6We have been looking at Jesus’s claims in John 14:6. In this simple text Jesus emphatically claims to be The Way (an unmatched access to God), the Truth (unshakeable conviction in God) and, as we will discuss this week, The Life—a call for unconditional surrender to God to gain e...

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. --John 14:6----------In the culture we now live in, right or wrong along with views of what TRUTH is gravitates more and more toward being based strictly upon situational ethics, personal preferences, and behavioral conviction or opinion. In short, we each become our own standard for truth...

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. --John 14:6----------The literal definition of “way” is a path, a road, or even a journey. It is a means of getting from one place to another. It is a progression from something to something else. It is the method we need to travel to get from one point in our lives to another.----------Ove...

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep." --John 10:11----------Biblical images of the shepherd paint a picture of commitment and compassion for the sheep. Whether it is the parable of the Lost Sheep shared by Jesus, or his challenge to the disciples to recognize the need of the people who were like sheep without a shepherd, the clear message highlights th...

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life.” --John 8:12Have you ever been in one of those situations where you found yourself in utter darkness? Darkness that was so complete that if you put your hand in front of your face you couldn't see it or even appreciate any difference than when it wasn...

The memories of Christmas evoke a variety of emotions. Some fondly remember happy family times, others a special gift that was given or received, still others struggle through difficult memories of loss or pain around Christmas time----------But through the birth of Christ, we can have a sense of hope in what will one day be. Christ's brith reminds us that above all else, God is with us and G...

The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God...”There are many different ways in which Jesus Christ is portrayed in the Scriptures. Much like His Father, these depictions give us insight into who He was, His purpose, etc.----------Probably none of these designations carry such a harsh reality as "The Lamb of God." While we can often associate lambs...

The amazing truth of John 1:14 is the level of completeness that is spoken of in the coming of Christ. It isn't just that the Word became flesh--putting on our limitations and accepting the realities of humanity--the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.----------The Message paraphrase says it this way: "The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood." That is a th...

The story of Jesus' birth is a beautiful picture of young parents who have given the great responsibility of bringing the Son of God into the world. The Apostle John doesn't mention the birth per se. He focuses Jesus' entry not as a baby, but as the "Word of God made flesh."----------This focus on Christ's deity directly addresses the truths that John was confirming H...

The Apostle Paul shared an encouragement with the Ephesian Christians. He said, "Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace." Unity was clearly a priority for the church. But that concept didn't start with Paul.----------On the night He was betrayed, Jesus prayed in earnest that His followers would have the same level of unity t...

One of the things we learned growing up in the church was the unique partnership we have with missionaries serving in countries around the world. We learned that our financial support (a.k.a. partnership) allows for the missionary to focus solely on the work of sharing the gospel in the country or culture group in which they were investing themselves.----------While that is a great way to "pa...

As we continue our series of messages on prayers in the Bible, we consider the question: "What does it mean to show boldness as a Christian today?" As we look through the New Testament it is clear that boldness in the face of opposition and even persecution was required for believers. It is a message to consider this week.----------Of course, we know that there are those that face the sa...

As we continue our series of prayers in the Bible, we come to one that has been somewhat misunderstood. There are those that might see his prayer as a call to action for God to provide for our material needs and blessings.----------For a proper interpretation of his prayer, it needs be understood through a spiritually sound focus, not one of materialism. God’s blessings are the real things that pr...

Praying to God can admittedly sometimes leave us feeling frustrated and disheartened. Many of us, at one time or another, have prayed sincere prayers in the hope of receiving that for which we had prayed--a job during a time of unemployment, healing from a health issue, deliverance from a desperate situation, etc.----------It is understandable that in those moments where answers don't readily...

Years ago, boxer Mike Tyson once said regarding his opponents plan to defeat him in a match, "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." In short, unexpected developments often throw off the best laid plans.----------Jesus told us to love our neighbor as ourselves and show concern for our enemies. In truth, that can be our plan... to be compassionate to everyone in our sp...

Who do you call on when you need help? Perhaps as a child you called on your parents. Maybe as you got older you called on trusted friends. Then when you are even older, you call on your kids to help out.--------When it comes to our spiritual lives, the one we call on for help remains the same throughout our lives. When we need mercy and grace, we cry out to God for his help. This week we look at...

What would you ask for if you could have whatever you wanted? Would it take you some time to decide or are you ready should the question ever arise? Would you request be for material blessings? Good fortune? Long life?--------Such was the question posed to Solomon when he became king. We learn a lot about his character and heart in the prayer he offers to God. This Sunday, Frank looks at this text...

One of those simple books of the Bible that can be read in its entirety rather quickly is the book of Jonah. While there are many wonderful lessons that can be found in the book, the story arc of Jonah is pretty straightforward. In fact, the story of Jonah has, for many years, inspired a simple outline of the book. It is, in some form or fashion: Jonah running from God, Jonah running to God, Jonah...

What would true revival look like in the church today? Would it be a week-long event with a guest preacher brought in for a series of messages to motivate us to service and ministry? What about a special weekend with an emphasis on leading others to repentance?----------While those are fond memories many of us may have, it is fairly uncommon to see such "revival" as that these days. To b...

Fear wants to steal your joy, take your courage and leave you cold, naked and trembling. Fear's basic strategy is to manipulate you with the mysterious and taunt you with the unknown--fear of death, fear of failure, fear of defeat, fear of rejection, fear of being alone, fear of God, fear of living. Yes the arsenal is vast, and what is the goal? To create cowardly joyless souls.----------You...