All of the words that Jesus spoke are powerful. Still, there's something significant about the last words that Jesus spoke in the hours leading up to his crucifixion. This Lenten series immerses us in some of those last words of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels. This is a more theological series, ruminating and reflecting on the divinity and humanity of Jesus as well as what was accomplished on the cross.

Listen to sermons from our series “Last Words” on Spotify and Soundcloud.

The old has gone, the new has come. We are new creations in Christ Jesus. What does this mean? How does this work itself out?

Religion is an aspect of one’s life, it may have a say on many different facets of how a person thinks or acts, but it ultimately has boundaries, and bends to who we are as individuals. Christianity, on the other hand, breaks the mold and breaks our rules of autonomy and self-governance. God makes it clear throughout his word that what he is after is not a piece or part of us. Instead, God wants all of us, to the extent that God uses words like death, denial, and loss to describe our former lives. When we are saved by God, and called by his Spirit, we do not know at that point the full extent of the surrender being asked of us, but we step out in faith and willingness to give up our rights and autonomy for the surpassing greatness of belonging fully to God. We are called to a life of surrender, even though none of us knows the full extent of what God will ask us to give up and give over to him.

The Corinthian church wrestled with this reality as well, and how to live and conduct themselves in light of what Christ had done for them. While there are cultural differences between the Corinthian church and our church, and not everything written in 1 Corinthians can be directly applied, we can, with wisdom and discernment, see God’s call on our lives and culture as well. The series focuses on laying a foundation for life surrendered to God, and then looks at separate pressing cultural issues that God calls us to surrender to him and his goodness.

When we surrender to God’s good plans for our lives, it is not simply self-denial, or asceticism, rather, it is trading the perishable for the imperishable, folly for wisdom, and the things that are now, for an unimaginable glory.

Listen to sermons from our series “Life of Surrender” on Spotify and Soundcloud.

The New Testament Book of Ephesians tells us that the Gospel that is for everyone. Jews and Gentiles. Insiders and outsiders. For the folks that have it all together, and the folks who don’t. For the church kids and those who don’t know, don’t understand, and seem so far away. The Gospel is for everyone. It is a global religion, there is no racial or geographic center, think about how it spread. And we figured reminding ourselves of these truths would be an excellent way to start 2023.

Listen to sermons from our series “Prayer and Encouragement for a New Year” on Spotify and Soundcloud.

The Hebrews lived in sorrowful exile, knowing it was their own evil and corruption that led them there. It was a time of sorrow and confusion. Some leaned into personal holiness and rule following, hoping that moral purity would restore the fortunes of their nation. Others adopted the culture and sought ways to profit from their predicament. Others placed their hope in other sources, like through political alignments with other countries or spiritual alignments with other gods. In the midst of this, the prophets offer their people a future hope in a Savior-King. By examining what a few of the Old Testament prophets had to say about Jesus, we can similarly cling to hope as exiles in a season of Advent.

Listen to sermons from our series “Hope in Exile” on Spotify and Soundcloud.

The Christian reputation is in dire straits. It needs explanation, clarification, nuance, and many times, repentance. Christians are perhaps known more for their political alignments and what they are against rather than for laying down their lives like the servant-king Jesus. Some of this reputation is earned, other times it is not. However, there is a necessary embrace of and encouragement to take in our reputation as well. After all, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you” (John 15:18-18). There will always be a central element of being a Christian that invites scoffing, slander, and hatred. That central element is belonging to Christ, and proclaiming his death and resurrection.

Listen to sermons from our series “Who Is Jesus?” on Spotify and Soundcloud.

Jesus remains the dividing line. Our culture remains surprisingly open to questions regarding spirituality and seeking meaning -- so long as they remain mysterious, unsettled, and left up to the individual. The name Jesus does not allow for this. Jesus is specific. He said specific things, acted in specific ways, and made specific statements about who he is and who we are. "Who is Jesus?" is perhaps one of the most important evangelistic and spiritually transformative questions we can ask. This series goes through the first eight chapters of John taking one example from each chapter to answer the question.

Listen to sermons from our series “Who Is Jesus?” on Spotify and Soundcloud.

Exodus is perhaps the most important narrative of the Old Testament, an event that was remembered by Israelites throughout the OT and one in which Jesus and Paul drew parallels from to help people better understand salvation through Jesus. Engaging with the story of Exodus reminds us of the distinctness and power of God in the midst of turmoil, oppression, political upheaval, and discomfort. It reminds Christians that God is central to the salvation of his people, and while we play roles as leaders, priests, and sojourners, it is God who is writing the story and doing the work for his glory. Exodus is our story only secondarily, it is primarily God’s own story, therefore all of our stories center around Him.

Listen to sermons from our series “Exodus” on Spotify and Soundcloud.