Sermon Podcast

Another throw-back Thursday! Pastor Brent explains the doctrine of the resurrection, focusing on one of the central passages about our future hope for a resurrection body. What is the significance of the resurrection in the message of the gospel? Why is this such a foundational truth? Enjoy this message from September 15, 2019.

(November 5, 2023) Associate Pastor Steve Douglas opens up John 15 to walk through Jesus’ 7th and final “I Am” statement: I am the True Vine. This passage reveals our deepest need to abide in Christ as our source of life and our security day-by-day. As the Father prunes and as we draw our life from Christ, we will bring glory to the Father through a fruitful life centered in the gospel.

Pastor Brent shares a message from the end of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer in John 17. Here Jesus ends his prayer by praying for the coming generations of believers who will hear the message of the gospel. Jesus prays for unity that is founded on the substance of the gospel, flowing from the oneness of Father and Son, with the purpose of proclaiming the message of Christ to the world.

Throwback Thursday! We are starting something new. We will be posting sermons from previous series on Thursdays for fun! If you’re new at New Life, or if you’d like to be reminded of our past sermons, take time to listen to the ways the Lord has taught us throughout the years. Our first series: “Heaven is Coming” from fall 2019. This series introduces a biblical vision of heaven and dispels some m...

We continue in Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer as Jesus prays for his disciples who will be sent into the world to be witnesses of the gospel. He prays that the Father would protect them and sanctify them as they embark on this mission, rather than remove them from the difficulties to come. This is a source of joy!

It is the first Sunday of Advent and we will be focusing on Jesus' High Priestly Prayer from John 17 leading up to Christmas. Pastor Brent unfolds the opening of this prayer, helping us see the splendor of God displayed in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

Pastor Brent walks through Jesus’ final words to his disciples before he goes to the cross. He says that they will have troubles in this world, but that he has overcome. This passage develops a series of contrasts that illuminate the tension we can feel when we encounter struggles and yet trust in Jesus Christ, the Overcomer.

Pastor Brent dives into a passage that focuses on the work of the Holy Spirit. The disciples are confused and worried as Jesus tells them that he is going to be with the Father after the cross and resurrection. In this passage we learn a critical truth about the Christian life: We are not alone because we have the personal presence of God indwelling in us: The Holy Spirit. He will testify about Je...

Pastor Brent continues our series through the Gospel of John. This Sunday we explore this question: What are your expectations as a Christian? Jesus challenges his disciples’ expectations about what life will be like as one of his followers. On the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus encourages his disciples about what it will be like to encounter persecution.

Pastor Brent wraps up our vision series by diving into Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Jesus is describing our witness in the world using powerful metaphors that communicate our role as ambassadors of the gospel. We need to live by the values of the Kingdom of God as a prophetic contrast to this decaying and dark world.

Who are we living for? Whose kingdom are we trying to build? Pastor Brent looks at the parable of the talents to show how God has entrusted us with all kinds of skills, relationships, time, money, and ultimately the message of the gospel!. While we wait for his return, he has sovereignly commissioned us for such a time as this to boldly bear witness to the good news of his cross and resurrection i...

Pastor Brent opens a short sermon series on our church’s core values: Welcoming, Transforming, Sending. These three markers of our church are truly centered on the gospel. We begin this week by examining the biblical foundation for why we are a welcoming church where there is a distinct sense of family and commitment to each other. This stems from the gospel: We are sinners saved by grace, we have...

Pastor Brent circles back to John 14 in order to explain the beautiful truth of the Trinity from this text. John 14 reveals to us the distinct trinitarian shape of the gospel, it unfolds the truth that God is three-in-one, and it invites us to find our hope and joy in the Triune God. In other words, the Trinity is good news!

Pastor Brent opens up the rest of John 14 to help us see our desperate need for the personal presence of God through the Holy Spirit. Jesus promises to send the Spirit of Truth, the Advocate, who will help us and dwell in us so that we can walk in joyful obedience to Christ. We are called to costly love and full devotion to the Lord, and we need the Holy Spirit to empower us and come to our defens...

Pastor Brent discusses the exclusive truth claims of Christianity centered on the words of Jesus that he is the only way to God. Our culture asserts relative truth and promotes tolerance of everyone’s personal version of what is right and good. Yet because of the uniqueness of who Jesus is, he must be the exclusive way to God. He is the way and the truth and the life. Every single person must be c...

Associate Pastor Steve Douglas continues in the account of the Last Supper in John 13. Here we see Jesus’ authority and power as he willingly goes to the cross. It is clear that Jesus is in complete control of the situation. He knows Judas is going to betray him and he knows that Peter will deny him. Yet he uses this opportunity to give the command to his disciples to love one another.

We are back in the Gospel of John! Pastor Brent opens up John 13 to jump back into our series called “Full of Grace and Truth.” This passage is the start of Jesus’ farewell discourse, revealing his motivation for going to the cross, his purpose for going to the cross, and his expectation of his followers in light of the cross.

Pastor Brent walks through a gospel-centered approach to government and politics. How can we be kingdom-minded in public life, remembering that our citizenship is in heaven? We explore a biblical posture toward government (1 Peter 2:11-17), the biblical purpose of government (Romans 13:1-7), and a proper biblical perspective on government (Acts 4:1-22).

Pastor Brent tackles a unique and challenging topic. Why do we have bodies? What are they for? Are we primarily a soul who temporarily inhabits a body? Or is there a deeper design and purpose for being embodied image-bearers? We explore these issues and learn that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. There is good news in the gospel of Jesus Christ for our whole selves, body and soul.

Pastor Brent shows how the biblical story reveals God’s design for marriage and family. Starting with the created order in Genesis 1-2, moving through the distortion of sin in Genesis 3, and then culminating in the redemption of the curse of sin in marriage in Ephesians 5, this message explains how marriage is a living illustration of the gospel and a signpost to the union of Christ and his Bride,...

Guest preacher Pastor Matt Brant from Prairie Hill EFC in Eden Prairie joins us to talk about another important issue in the Christian life: conflict and forgiveness. In this passage in Matthew 18 Jesus reveals the pattern of how the church is to handle conflict, and then Jesus explains what generous forgiveness looks like in light of the gospel as he tells a striking parable about an unforgiving...

Pastor Brent tackles the whole book of Jude in order to see how the early church was inspired to “contend for the faith” in an age of compromise. Many scholars call Jude the “most neglected book of the New Testament” and yet this letter is strikingly prophetic for our world today.

Pastor Brent addresses an important topic: suffering. How do we understand suffering biblically? Why does God allow his people to go through difficult times? What does gospel-centered perseverance look like? This message on suffering will help Christians understand God’s grander purposes in the midst of our pain.

Pastor Brent teaches about another foundational things for Christians: worship and generosity. What is a life of worship? How do we view our lives, our resources, and our purpose? What does it mean to cultivate a culture of generosity? In light of the gospel and God’s generous and costly love toward us, we reflect his glory by living generously toward God’s kingdom purposes in this world.

Pastor Brent turns now to the second half of our Summer Seminars series to talk about having a biblical perspective on important issues that we face today. The first topic is how we think about “work and fruitfulness” in light of God’s original design in Genesis 1 and in light of our redemption in the gospel in Ephesians 2. This is a paradigm shifting message that will change our perspective on ou...