New Life Church Sermons

Daniel is an exciting book that has it all: adventure, suspense, thrill, dreams, visions, heroes and villains. And yet, through all the excitement, the central theme of God’s sovereignty in all circumstances shines through in such a hopeful and encouraging way. Chapter 1 teaches us to embrace where God has us, regardless of circumstance. We learn to live convictionally and biblically in the face o...

Easter! The day 2.4 billion people around the world celebrate the most extraordinary event in human history. The last couple of years have been riddled with fear, anxiety, disease, wars and a heightened awareness of our own mortality. And yet, there’s an event in history that points our hearts to hope in this life and the one to come. Easter invites us to investigate the events and evidence of tha...

We finish up this letter with a series of super practical exhortations for believers. Rejoicing, praying and living in a posture of thankfulness are all key marks of someone who is walking with Jesus and being led by the Spirit. Living this way prevents us from quenching the work of the Spirit in us. Paul finishes this flurry of commands with a beautiful & hopeful reminder that it is God who a...

As Paul begins to close this dynamic little letter, he does so with a series of commands for how the Thessalonian church should live out their faith in community with one another. How they view and respond to their spiritual leaders is important. How the leaders lead and serve is critical. There ought to be a beautiful and loving symbiotic relationship between church leaders and the church body. P...

Death and final judgment aren’t some of the most popular topics on first dates, in church, or really anywhere in our world. And yet, Paul argues that in order to really live fully and rightly, we can only do so with our eyes focused on that final day when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead. On that day, a new kingdom will be established where all things are made new and right. For the...

Last week, we saw what it looks like to love one another well in the family of God. This week we see how to comfort and encourage one another, specifically about believers we know who have died. That is the context in which Paul encourages the Thessalonian believers with a few key details about Jesus’ return and the resurrection of believers.

Last week, we saw that the primary purpose of our lives is to please God. We please Him by becoming more and more like Jesus (sanctification), which begins with pursuing purity in our sexual lives. Paul continues that train of thought, and extends sanctification to how well we love one another in the family of God. He then gives us 3 practical ways to love one another well: live quiet lives, mind...

Paul uses the first 3 chapters of this letter to encourage the Thessalonian believers. He shifts gears in the final 2 chapters to challenge them. Like the Thessalonians, we also need to be both encouraged and challenged! Paul is crystal clear that our primary purpose in this world is to live a life pleasing to God. A huge part of that, is learning to walk in holiness and sexual purity in a world t...

Paul expresses his gratitude upon hearing of the Thessalonian Christian’s love for one another and faithfulness to God. Even in his own distress and affliction, hearing of their faithfulness brings comfort and encouragement to his soul. As believers, we ought to find comfort in one another’s faith. We weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice. We are one family, never islands in...

As a community of faith, New Life has so much to be grateful for! God has been immeasurably faithful through a challenging season of history. We’ve seen God at work, and we’re trusting Him to do even more in us and through us in the days ahead. Vision is a picture of the future that produces action in the present. Jesus gives us quite a vision for His church. Advancing, conquering, building, knock...

Have you ever heard someone say something like: “I’m cool with God, I’m just not into organized religion.”? When someone says that, what they usually mean is that they’ve been wounded or mistreated in a church setting. The truth is, many churches today look very little like what Jesus had in mind when He designed His Church. Paul helps us unmuddy the waters and understand what a church family shou...

Transformed and Transformational - Joe Dillon, Guest Preacher 02.06.22 by New Life of Asheville

Paul not only loves the believers in this new Thessalonian church plant, he’s also incredibly grateful for them! One of the reasons Paul is so grateful when he thinks of them, is because of how they received the Word of God when they heard it. Unlike the Jews who rejected Jesus, these Thessalonian believers eagerly accepted the Word of God not as the word of man, but as the Word from the Almighty...

As we move into the 2nd chapter of this powerful little letter, we see Paul working to accomplish a couple of important things: firstly, he presents a robust defense against his detractors and false teachers. Secondly, he gives us a practical pattern we can follow as disciples of Jesus. At the end of the day, Christians living out an authentically bold life is one of the greatest apologetics for t...

Paul celebrates the faith of these brand new believers even in the midst of some pretty challenging circumstances. Instead of shrinking back when persecuted or marginalized, the Thessalonian believers have become ferociously bold in their faith. In fact, their faith has become an example for churches across that entire area of the Roman Empire! In verse 10, Paul commends them for three specific th...

The large and bustling city of Thessalonica wasn’t originally in the Apostle Paul’s itinerary. But God had other plans and rerouted Paul and his team to this strategic city on the coast of Greece. After only a few weeks, a new church was born and Paul was forced to leave because of intense persecution. Soon after this young-faith community was birthed, they found themselves embroiled in challenges...

Advent: Joy - Christmas Eve Eve 2021 - Chris Dillon, Lead Pastor, 12.23.21 by New Life of Asheville

Love has been called one of the building blocks of a happy life. Every human being has a deep-seated desire to love and be loved. The Bible teaches that God doesn’t just embody love…but that He actually IS love. This Christmas season, we’re reminded that Jesus came into the world driven by a relentless love for His people. When we experience this type of love, God enables us by the power of His Sp...

Peace. Such a simple word, but something that seems so unattainable in our broken world full of pain, anger, disappointment and sadness. And yet, God’s design for His people has always been peace. From the garden in Genesis to the consummation of God’s Kingdom in the book of Revelation--shalom--real peace, is a gift designed for those who love Him. In a season of chaos and busyness, advent reminds...

Throughout church history, the advent season has been one of the most anticipated & celebrated times each year for those who follow Jesus. The word advent means: coming or arrival. We’re both celebrating the 1st advent of Jesus nearly 2,000 years ago, and anticipating His 2nd advent when He will return to make all things new and right. The first advent theme we’re pressing into this season is...

DNA - R.E.A.L. Worship - Rich Miller, Guest Preacher 11.28.21 by New Life of Asheville

As we continue in our DNA series discovering some of the core fundamentals of the Christian faith, we can’t skip over the theme of biblical community. At New Life, authentic community is one of our 4 core values. The reality is, many Christians in Western culture struggle to live out the great commandment and the great commission precisely because they’ve neglected the call to live in authentic, c...

Last week we launched our DNA series by looking at one of our four core values: multiplying disciples. This week, we unpack another New Life core value: fearless mission. The most common command in scripture is some version of: “do not fear!”. Fear seems to be one of the most common and besetting problems in the human heart. Before we fully engage in the mission of God, we have to deal with the fe...

Vince Lombardi, one of the most decorated coaches in NFL history, famously began every football camp by holding up a football and saying: “gentlemen, this is a football.” Continuously going back to the fundamentals is crucial to success in almost every arena of life. Our Christian walk is no different. We begin our DNA series by looking at one of our four core values: multiplying disciples. It’s b...

As we put a wrap on our AND series during mission month, we’re going to look at one of the most neglected aspects of mission: vocation as mission. God instituted work in the garden before the fall, meaning work was part of paradise and not a curse resulting from sin. Seeing our vocation as worship and leveraging our work as mission is absolutely key to the church accomplishing the great commision...