The College Church

The most common type of Psalm is the lament (or complaint) psalm. In this sermon, Pastor Bill unpacks the significance of this fact, and the positive role that lament can play in the lives of God's People.

Christians often turn to the Psalms for an emotional pick me up. In this first sermon in the series "Enlarging Your Soul" Pastor Bill introduces us to the Book of Psalms and shows how the Psalms were written and arranged to teach us how to pray and to form us into God's People.   

There are many misconceptions about the Christian understanding and practice of forgiveness. In this sermon on Jesus' teaching from Luke 17, Jasmine shows us that forgiveness is in God's nature, and that God desires to transform our hearts and equip us to forgive others as we have been forgiven.

We have a tendency to romanticize the Christmas Story — but those who were the first to feel the impact of the incarnation experienced perplexity, depression and fear. However, those initial emotions eventually gave way to joy, as the reality of who Jesus is and what He came to do began to sink in. Those who truly understand Christmas can't help but have their joy renewed, and their lives made...

Throughout the Bible, God identifies Himself as a shepherd who gathers and cares for His flock.  When the prophet Jeremiah does an autopsy of Israel's collapse into exile, he discovers its cause to be a failure of leadership.  This sermon explores how God holds leaders accountable and shepherds His people, creating new possibilities for them to flourish.

Revelation helps us to see our present circumstances against the backdrop of the unseen future  and  and the unseen present! In this conclusion to our series on Revelation, Pastor Bill explores how the message of Revelation can transform how we live by renewing our hope and casting out our fear.

Vi Tran preached on Revelation 21 and encouraged us to not give up and to not quit. John writes Revelation because he wants to nurture our hope and build our resilience to stand firm in the Lord, to rejoice in God's true promises, to press on towards the goal, and to win the prize for which God has called heavenward in Christ Jesus.

John compares salvation to a wedding and a war. Both metaphors reveal something crucial about Jesus and how we are to live as His followers while we wait for His return.

Revelation is worship. It was birthed out of worship. It calls us to worship. And it is suffuse with worship. In this sermon, Pastor Bill argues that worship is what forms us into dissident disciples who can resist Babylon and remain faithful to the Lamb (Jesus).

The Beasts in Revelation 13 are not singular persons in history, but timeless tropes. The Apostle John wants to equip the churches to discern and resist human authorities and institutions who assume a god-like status and demand our allegiance and devotion, and to see through the delusions and deceptions that prop them up. 

Revelation 11 is the most difficult to interpret, but perhaps the most central to John's message for the church. In this sermon, Pastor Bill helps us to "follow the hyperlinks" back to the Old Testament so that we can understand John's message and apply it to our lives.

In Revelation 6, God's judgment against evil begins.  Consequently, this is typically where people stop reading, and where preachers stop preaching.  But God's judgment is good news, and this section of the book (Revelation 6-19) is actually filled with encouragement and guidance for God's People.  In this sermon, Pastor Bill talks about how we should approach these chapters, and unpac...

In Revelation 2-3, we see Jesus pastoring a variety of churches with tenderness and compassion.  Pastor Bill reflects on the ways College Church has experienced Jesus' tenderness and compassion and calls us to extend the same tenderness and compassion to other neighboring churches. 

Babylon penetrates and colonizes in the church.  Jesus stands among the churches speaking affirmation, correction and motivation so that each church can resist Babylon and remain faithful to Him.

Pierre Willems speaks on Revelation 1:9-20 where God asks us to trust that Jesus is the one true king. While this can be difficult because of the evil still in the world, we are asked to see the world through God's eyes and develop a vision of Jesus that reflects this reality. 

One day, the Kingdoms of this world will pass away, and God's Kingdom will remain.  What Kingdom are you building toward?  What will it take to resist the Kingdoms of the earth?  What habits and relationships do we need in our lives to resist our modern "Babylons" so we can remain faithful to Jesus

In Revelation 17 we meet the Great Prostitute--Pastor John's symbol for Rome. This symbol is designed to call and equip Jesus' followers to discern and resist the dominant culture that wants to shape our imaginations and determine both who and how we worship. 

The Book of Revelation can feel like a wilderness.  As we begin our journey through this strange and wonderful book, we begin by getting our bearings: who are the main characters?  What is the plot?  And why does any of this matter to people today?

The Book of Revelation can feel like a wilderness.  As we begin our journey through this strange and wonderful book, we begin by getting our bearings: what kind of literature in Revelation?  Why does that matter?  Who wrote it?  What occasioned it?  What does God want to do in His People, through this book?

Unlike many other New Testament letters, James keeps his preacher foot on the gas right to the very end of his letter--calling his readers to radical integrity, a life of radical prayer, and a community of radical love.

Many of James' hearers were poor and oppressed.  James instructs them to be patient, to avoid grumbling and to persevere.  This offends our modern, western sensibilities.  What is James after in this passage?  And might he have a powerful message for us today?

James "elegant punch to the face" continues as he shows us some of the ways that pride rears its ugly head in our everyday lives.  Again, James calls us to a life marked by humility, and a willingness to disadvantage ourselves in order to advantage others.

Our world is filled with conflict and violence, and often these things rear their ugly head within the church.  James puts his finger on what's underneath them, and more importantly, how to bring healing and peace to fractured relationships.

According to James,  there are two kinds of wisdom, two ways of living and navigating relationships.  In this sermon, Pastor Bill explores how we can become the kind of people who sow peace in divided times.

James warns us that the tongue is powerful, corruptible and inconsistent.  But underneath these sobering warnings are truths that can transform us into the kinds of people who use our tongues to build up and bless.