New Hope Sermons: Recent Episodes
Pastor Diehl
Listen here for the most recent and relevant sermons from New Hope Christian Center, located exactly one mile north of DeKalb High School in Waterloo, Indiana. www.NewHope.in
We are called to be ambassadors for Jesus. Many people are intimidated by the idea of sharing their faith with non-Christians, but evangelism doesn't have to be scary or difficult.
In this message Pastor Diehl lays out three practical, and positive, ways to share our faith.
When Jesus left, he sent the Holy Spirit to give us power. Power for what? Power to be witnesses! This message will look at four groups of people we are called to be witnesses to.
When we know our purpose is outside of ourselves - we will be filled up when we pour out.
People are so consumed with “self”; when all we are living for is ourselves and our wants and needs and desires, we will run low on oil really quickly.
Only when you invest your time, talent, and treasure will your realize how full you can really be.
Today we continue our series on "Oil Reserves". In Scripture, oil represents the Holy Spirit and the spiritual life that God gives us.
Pastor Diehl shows us 6 types of people in our lives who have oil and can help us get some for ourselves.
Remember, we don't get oil from others...But others who have oil know where we can find some!
Many times Christians make the mistake of thinking that participating in Sunday services is enough for a strong devotional life.
However, just like our bodies would be weak if we only fed them every 7 days, our spirits need daily nourishment to keep our "oil reserves" full.
In this message, Pastor Todd lays out three primary methods to make sure that our private devotional lives fill our reserves.
We all have our own “leaks” of our oil reserves. 3+ hours of screens, Netflix, podcasts, scrolling, video games, Youtube videos, social media, smartphone games, news programs… you’re gonna run out of oil if you’re spending over 20 hours a week there but only filling up with oil once a week at church.
In this message, Pastor Diehl discusses those and other leaks, and shows us how we can stop those leaks so we stay filled.
This sermon explores the Parable of the Ten Virgins, found in Matthew 25. In this parable, Jesus warns us about being "ready" for His return. But what does it mean to be ready? And how can we know when it's time to begin getting ready?
We'll also address some common misconceptions about what it means to be "ready" for Christ's return. Finally, we'll answer two key questions: What is oil and why do we need oil? And how do we get our own supply of oil?
Some things just go together. Some things are fine on their own, but when they partner together something simply amazing happens. In this message, Pastor Adam shares how Israel partnered together with God and each other to cross the Jordan in Joshua 3 and 4.
We'll look at 7 little-known Basics of Christianity that every Christian must know or be disheartened. Knowing these Basics can help us survive troubles in our faith.
The conclusion of Jesus’ great sermon employs four contrasts to illustrate that there are only two ways available to us - a right way and a wrong way - to respond to his message: narrow versus broad gates and roads, false teachers vs. true, good versus bad fruit, and building on rock versus building on sand.
In this message we will unpack each of those analogies to see what Jesus was trying to teach His listeners then, and us today.
The Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Most of us have heard this rule many times before. But what does it mean? How do we put it into practice? And why is it so important?
In this message, we'll look at why Jesus gave this command, and what it means for our lives today.
Many Christians have a hard time living holy lives because they think God will be mad if they don’t. What we need to remember is that God doesn't expect us to live holy because we fear him, fear what he'll do to us if we don't, or fear what others will say about us. He wants us to live holy because we love him and want to be near him.
In Matthew 6:1-18, Jesus continues his sermon on the mount and tells teaches us how our inside and outside need to match in our pursuit of Him.
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus uses two metaphors to describe how his followers should live: Salt and Light.
Followers of Jesus do not merely exist in their world — they positively impact it and make a difference. They Make Waves!
The Beatitudes are Kingdom Blessings that disclose God’s gracious favor toward his followers. These traits, like God's Kingdom, are counter-cultural; unlike what normally gains popularity in our world, the Beatitudes demonstrate what God values.
The Beatitudes are Kingdom Blessings that disclose God’s gracious favor toward his followers. These traits, like God's Kingdom, are counter-cultural; unlike what normally gains popularity in our world, the Beatitudes demonstrate what God values.
Since the greatest command is loving God AND OTHERS, we must be spurred on to live our lives in such a way that we carry God’s love to the people around us — even people that aren’t like us! This message looks at how we can serve and encourage each other in faith’s hard journey.
Forgiving other people is a frequent command in the New Testament. Christians must forgive to live life free! This talk explores how we live that out in our lives.
We all have had to deal with people that we found difficult! We aren’t the first ones to think this way — this sermon looks at what God says about dealing with difficult people like Jesus — with grace and truth.
Our culture screams a message about romance that is neither Biblical nor realistic. If we’re not careful, culture will shape the way we think about romance, sex, dating, and marriage. This message examines what the Bible has to say about these topics.
Other People are a part of our spiritual development. The greatest command is to love God and love others. Christianity was never intended to be about “me and God,” but rather “us and God.”
This message looks at the natural response of receiving God’s love: loving others. How do we reorientate our life towards others?
When David became king at Hebron, he knew that there was more for him to do. Rather than stay safe in Hebron, he took his army and conquered Jerusalem.
God has given us each a "Jerusalem" to conquer - but we often don't know how. In this message, we learn three things we need to know if we're going to conquer our own Jerusalem.
Loneliness has become a mental health epidemic, according to the Surgeon General. This need not be the case for Christians!
Jesus' call to "follow him" was never about rules or religion. It was always an invitation to relationship. But just what kind of friend is Jesus?
Jesus once encountered a rich young ruler who asked what it would take to follow Jesus. Jesus' answer surprised him! We also must make difficult decisions if we are going to follow Jesus today. We cannot simply pick and choose what scriptures we want to impact our life. Following Jesus means following everything He says.
Jesus had a strong priority to rest -- both for himself and his disciples. He said, "Come to me and I'll give you rest." In this sermon we learn how to engage in this principal in a rushed and hurried world.
Jesus didn't pick the smartest or most noble people on the planet to disciple. He picked normal people! But then he took them on a journey of a lifetime that changed the course of history!
Following Jesus is not a 30-second microwavable job. It requires the whole life over the course of a lifetime, and in this message we'll explore three commitments necessary to following Jesus on a long journey.
Jesus repeatedly said, "Follow me" -- a command that requires action. But many of us have replaced "follow" with "believe." Believing is only the first step to following! What does it really mean to be a follower of Christ?
Easter recognizes the single greatest event in the history of the universe! Jesus finished a plan that had been at work since the very beginning -- he finished a work that can save us! In this message, we'll look at what Jesus did on the cross and why it matters to our life today.
The gospels are filled with examples of exactly who Jesus loved. The Samaritan. The Tax Collector. The most despised. He wanted to be with them — he purposefully sought them out.
The mature Christians among us should be purposefully seeking out those kinds of people…. Yet if they stepped into our church seeking US out would they be given dirty looks? Or would we welcome them like Jesus did?
As Christians, we believe that everything we have comes from God - nothing is truly ours. But what does that actually look like in real life?
In this message, we look at what the Bible has to say about generosity, and how we are supposed to live out generosity in our daily lives.
In this message, we examine the Parable of the Unmerciful servant. From this parable, we learn that the Christian’s job is to forgive others!
When we receive forgiveness from God, he expects us to partner with Him and forgive others in turn. Forgiving others represents God and releases us.
Make your decision to forgive - and stand on that decision!
It’s no surprise that we would say the Bible is important. But it may surprise you that the Bible should have a DRASTIC impact in our everyday lives.
Wait... What?
Psalm 119 (and others) speak of the Bible as life-giving, yet many of us read it as burdensome!
In this message we take a look at a story in 2 Kings 22-23 about how this new-found book revolutionized a nation, and how it can revolutionize our lives.
We often forget about the third person of the Trinity, but Holy Spirit is as much God as Jesus or Father. This message will give some basic understanding of who Holy Spirit is and how He operates in our lives.
Satan is winning because he's getting Christians to believe that somebody with different opinions or views is our enemy. As long as we're fighting flesh and blood, we are not fighting the real enemy - Satan.
In this message, we learn the importance of fighting spiritually in our lives and faith journey.
Any healthy relationship relies on good communication. Learning to hear God's voice in our lives is one of the most powerful skills we can learn.
In this message, we'll learn how to better hear God's voice, and what to do when He speaks to us.
A reality of praying everyday is that sometimes we just wind up doing it everyday. How long am I supposed to keep praying? It's hard to wait on God, especially when it seems like He's not listening or doesn't care.
In this message, we'll take a look at a situation where Jesus' disciples were in very real danger. Through their experience, we can learn that God often doesn't answer immediately because He's trying to do something in us while we're "in the middle" of it.
Prayer is something that we all know we should do, but what does effective prayer look like?
In this message, we learn six things about prayer that will help us become effective people of prayer!
This series focuses on our priority of striving to thrive in our relationship with God.
Do you have enough audacity to "GO AT MIDNIGHT" to God? Do you believe God can really impact your world? In this message, we explore what the Bible says about how we approach Him.
In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus tells a story about a man who entrusted his wealth to his servants before going on a journey. In this message, we'll see what the servants did with the wealth, and discover the lesson behind the story that Jesus told.
Pastor Adam continues the New Beginnings series by examining the new beginnings found in the book of Jonah. We can identify with Jonah and others and realize that God's provision often doesn't look like provision at all. We'll see the provision when our heart and attitude are right.
Ruth was a woman who was not a stranger to hard times. After her husband died, she accompanied her mother-in-law back to Judah. In today's message, we'll look at four lessons we can learn from her journey, and what happened after they arrived back in Bethlehem.
Moses' brother Aaron went from obscurity to being one of the leaders of the Israelites. In this message, we look at the journey that he took from being a nobody to Moses' second in command, and the challenges he faced to get there.
In this message we'll look at the new beginning for a woman named Tabitha, recorded in Acts 9. From her story, we'll learn how to wake up and come alive in Christ.
Today we wrap up our series looking at some of the key figures involved in Jesus' birth, and what we can learn from their stories. In this message, we look at Jesus Himself.
The Shepherds are the characters in the Nativity that we will look at this week. In this message, Pastor Adam shows how God often shows up and speaks to us in ways that we wouldn't expect, and we will learn how to notice God working in our lives.
The birth of Jesus was one of the most important events of all time. Today, as we continue our series on some of the key people involved in the Nativity, we look at the Wise Men. Who were they, where did they come from, what can we learn from their story, and why should we care?
This series looks at some of the key figures involved in Jesus' birth, and what we can learn from their stories. In this message, we look at Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and husband of Mary.
The birth of Jesus was one of the most important events of all time. In this message we look at four members of God's "setup team" that helped prepare the way for Jesus' coming, and how God wants us to be on the setup team for others.
In Jesus' last words on the Cross, on earth to His disciples, and in the book of Revelation, He gives us His final instructions. In this message, we'll explore what Jesus said in those situations, and how it applies to us today.
In James' last words to believers, he emphasizes the Christian's need for prayer. Prayer is the great "dance" between God and humans. This message will look at lessons we learn about prayer from James 5:13-20.
This series explores some of the "last words" spoken by prominent Bible figures. In summation of their life, what did they want to make sure they passed on? In this sermon, we'll look at the last words of the apostle Peter in his second letter, and what he says about how Christians should live.
This series explores some of the "last words" spoken by prominent Bible figures. In summation of their life, what did they want to make sure they passed on?
In this sermon, we'll look at the last words of the Missionary and Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:1-8 and 4:22. He offers Timothy (and us) nine significant directives to live as Christians with a ministry.
Dangers for maturing believers - revenge. Payback is a normal part of life, right? It's natural for us to want to "get back at" someone who has hurt us, but God has a different way. And it's only through following God's way, and allowing Him to take care of the issue that we can find healing.
In Revelation chapter 2, Jesus gives a message to seven churches. Today, we look at the message to the church in Ephesus. Jesus praised them for several things, but He also rebuked them for leaving their first love. We'll learn about the three things necessary to return to Jesus: Remember, Repent, & Return. (Revelation 2:2-5)
We will live our lives right "off the highway" if we aren't careful of these dangers for maturing Christians.
In this message, Pastor Adam shares that pride is an insidious evil that can creep into the life of the believer. Using the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5, we'll discover how pride will limit the work of God in our lives, and how to move beyond it.
Rev C shared a message about two encounters Jesus had with women. Although they record very different events, they both show us that true worship costs us something, and that Jesus values what we offer from our hearts.
In Luke 10:38-42 we see the story of Mary and Martha. Mary was at Jesus' feet, learning. Martha was preoccupied with her troubles. In this message, Pastor Adam shares 5 things that are NOT found at the feet of Jesus - 5 things that prevent us from walking in the Spirit.
In Luke 8:43-48 we see the woman who touched the edge of Jesus' garment. Where was she when she did that? At His feet. If God's Word seems to lack power, that's a reflection of what's happening inside. The Power can be restored. Don't stop reaching!
In Luke 8, Jairus pleaded at the feet of Jesus to heal his daughter. At his feet, we find our prayer. We plead. In this message, Pastor Adam helps us discover the secrets to a lifestyle of prayer.
This story shows that Storms Erupt, Demons are Bound, Calm Controls, and Purpose is Found at Jesus' Feet. The world helped this man control his Soul and Body, but Jesus addressed his Spirit. We'll talk about the simple steps we must take to get our God-image back where God wants it.
In Luke 7 we see the story of a woman who anointed Jesus' feet. At the Feet of Jesus, she cried. The great awareness of sin became the great awareness of forgiveness. In this message, Pastor Adam will show us lessons from this story about forgiveness.
Jesus asked the disciples if they had caught any fish. They had been out there all night, but caught nothing. There was no harvest, no blessing. Once they listened to Jesus and cast their nets on the other side of the boat, blessing came and spilled over to others who were present. Through this encounter with Jesus, the disciples learned to see themselves as winners, not losers.
Jesus' disciples fed 5,000 families. Unbelievable. Then a bit later they were faced with a smaller challenge of feeding 4,000 they didn't think they could do it! They had completely failed to realize what Jesus was trying to show them -- THEY HAVE THE POWER!
In this message, Pastor Adam will teach verse-by-verse through the story of the feeding of the 4,000 found in Mark 8:1-21.
Tags: Hunger, Religiousness, Grace, Serving, Groups
In today's message, we look at the parable of the vineyard workers from Matthew chapter 20. In this story that Jesus used to illustrate a point, we see that how God looks at time isn't always the way that we do.
In 2 Samuel 9, we see the story of Mephibosheth who was carried to the table of King David -- seated where he didn't belong! This amazing story of grace shows us the forgiveness, kindness, and grace that God shares with us. We'll look at the place of disgrace, the place of Grace (the table), and the result of grace (this story has a surprise ending!)
Zaccheus was a man who had grown wealthy as a tax collector, and so was hated by his fellow Jews. But when Jesus passed by, it was to Zaccheus that He called. In today's message, we learn about how God's Grace can reach anywhere.
In this message, we find God's grace displayed to a very surprising recipient - a Samaritan Woman. This unexpected revelation of Christ as Messiah teaches us a lot about how God feels about us and how He expects us to be transformed. Let's learn some lessons from this story in John 4:1-42.
Israel has been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. God tells them its time to stop wandering and gives them clear direction. Then He tells them to not meddle with people in the land they are going through. Don't be jealous of what God gives another. His promise is just ahead, and like the Israelites we need to remember how God has been faithful to us.
Freedom has always been a big deal for those in the United States. But American citizens understand that freedom isn't so that we can all sit around and be lazy -- it's for the benefit of our society.
Our spiritual freedom isn't that much different. Our spiritual freedom is not for our pleasure, it's for our humility. We are spiritually free so that we can live a humble life. This sermon will unpack this idea and help us understand what the Bible says our spiritual freedom is for.
In the final conclusion of the book of Psalms, the Psalmist gives us a command to praise God. In the sermon, Pastor Diehl challenges us to find a way to praise God, and to keep him first no matter what’s happening in our life.
BOOK V (Psalms 107-150): This portion shows that God’s commitment to his promises to David remained unwavering, and David therefore returns to prominence in this book, especially at the beginning and end (Psalms 108-110; 138-145) and in the important Psalm 132. The book ends by extolling David, the Lord’s anointed king (Psalm 144), and the Lord himself, the divine King (Psalm 145), echoing the beginning of the book (Psalms 1-2), which also features the Lord and his anointed king.
Book IV: HOW TO SURVIVE IN THE WILDERNESS (Psalm 106). This Psalm is an overview of Israel in their wilderness wanderings, with a focus on Israel's failings. We'll explore 10 Practical Safeguards from the text for Surviving in the Wilderness of our lives.
BOOK 3 (Psalms 73 - 89): Book 3 is one of crisis, both personal and national. It begins with doubts about God’s justice (Psalm 73) and ends with two despairing psalms (Psalms 88-89), the final one questioning God’s commitment to the Davidic covenant. Yet even in the midst of despair, we still see how the writers continued to trust in God. So, when we see troubles in our lives, we know that we can trust in God as well.
BOOK 2 (Psalms 42 - 72). Life is difficult. Enemies are bountiful. The second book of Psalms helps us acknowledge pain, hurt, loneliness, and desperation -- and in turn put all our trust and faith in God.
Book I (Psalms 3 -41): The First Collection of David’s Prayers. After the introductory Psalms 1-2, Book I gives an extended grouping of Davidic psalms. Every psalm in this section is attributed to David except for Psalms 10 and 33.
David is the Old Testament symbol of the righteous king, and his psalms dominate Book I, where the prevailing note is one of lament, arising out of David’s distresses.
INTRODUCTION, PSALMS 1 & 2: Today we launch a series on the Book of Psalms. What is it, why do we have it in the Bible, and why is it still relevant to our lives today?
UN-RENEWED FAITH (Romans 12:2). The Bible says "Be not conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
How do you know if your mind is conformed to the world or transformed by the Holy Spirit? Is it possible that you only THINK you're right? If you are not living in a pattern of renewing your mind and faith - you will be wrong! Today we'll look at how counter-cultural living is necessary and how we can renew our mind to live a life of vibrant faith.
KNOWING TRUTH. Our world is often full of deception. Unfortunately, that can also extend to our faith. In today's message, Pastor Diehl unpacks some common ways we can be deceived in our faith.
HYPOCRISY & DISILLUSIONMENT (1 Corinthians 13:12). Often in life, we feel let down by others, or by God. Why does God allow it? Why does God allow evil? God feels like the biggest hypocrite of them all sometimes (He has plans to give me hope, so why do I feel hopeless?). In this message, we learn about the problem of evil and suffering, and how even in the midst of tough times we can still trust God.
INVALID FAITH (John 5:1-15). In today's message, we hear the story of Jesus' encounter with a paralyzed man. If anyone had a reason to have Wounded Faith, this man did. But when he met Jesus, everything changed. When we meet Jesus, everything can change for us too!
FORGIVENESS (Matthew 6:14-15). Forgiveness is one of the most important, but also most difficult, parts of being a Christ-follower. In this message, we explore what the Bible says about what forgiveness is, what it looks like, and how to actually forgive those who have hurt us.
FRESH FIRE (Luke 24:28-35). When we have an encounter with Jesus, it can set our hearts on fire. In today's message we learn four things about fire and it's effect on our lives.
FIGHTING FOR HIS PLACE (Genesis 33:1-20). In this final installment of the series, we see how Jacob learns to finally put his trust in God. By examining Jacob's life, we can learn how to trust God too.
WRESTLING WITH GOD: Jacob, running from God, had been told to go back home again. We'll explore why Jacob wrestled and discuss what it meant that his hip was out of joint (permanently). We all need to learn to Walk with a Limp and remember who delivered us.
STRUGGLING SISTERS (Genesis 29:31-35, 30:1-24). Jacob not only had two wives, but they were sisters! The two women often competed for Jacob's affection, and caused a relational mess! In today's message we look at four lessons we can learn from this story.
GRAPPLING WITH CUSTOMS. (Genesis 28:13-30) In this story of romance, Jacob gets deceived and it changes his life's plan. His culture and Laban's culture were opposites. It was a cultural collision like the clash between flesh and Spirit. Jacob must learn to trade his worldly culture for God's holy culture.
JACOB'S LADDER (Genesis 28:10-22). Often when God is at work in our lives it can be difficult to see it. Pastor Adam shares a message based on the life of Jacob about learning to see God's hand at work in the midst of our trials.
TWO NATURES. (Gen 25:19-28) Jacob and his twin brother Esau had very different personalities, and those differences shaped their lives and caused many problems. We also have two natures that are at war within us, and Pastor Diehl shares how we can become who God wants us to be.
BLIND BART. (Mark 10:46-52) Bartimaeus was considered to be the lowest of the low because he was blind. Yet even though he was a disrespected beggar, he still had worth in the eyes of Jesus.
What can we learn from Bartimaeus' encounter with Jesus?
NEGOTIATING WITH GOD (Genesis 18). God visited with Abraham in the form of 3 men. The 3 (Trinity) were on the way to judge city of Sodom. Abraham knew his nephew and family lived there, so interceded for them. We'll explore lessons learned on how to intercede for others in prayer.
WHO IS THAT OTHER GUY IN THE FIRE? (Daniel 3:12-29) In the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, there was a fourth man also present. Who was the fourth man, and what does can we learn from this story?
UNDER THE MASTER'S TABLE (Matthew 15:21-28). The Canaanite Woman discovered how to get Jesus to respond to her need. We'll look at Why Jesus Said No, What changed His Mind, and Lessons Learned from Under the Master's Table.
PETER WALKS ON WATER (Matthew 14:22-34): Walking on water was far harder than not being blown over by the wind, yet Peter was distracted by the lesser thing rather than focusing on the greater miracle. Our problems are tiny next to Jesus - God is bigger than anything we face!
PHILIPPIAN JAILER: (Acts 16:25-34) The Philippian Jailer had a Divine Encounter with God. As the Jail Commander, he was always in control. God had to break his control and show him who was really in control. In the breaking, the jailer discovered his own need for personal salvation. God will shake your world to get in control of your life.
GET IT TOGETHER: God’s Priority List for our lives may not be what we think it is. Let's get things in the right order this year.
ZACCHAEUS: Zacchaeus had a life changing experience. It was a new beginning for him. We'll look at 7 things to learn about making our own clean start in 2021.
RECEIVING THE KING: Christ HAS come - how do we receive him? We'll take a look at how we can invite Jesus into our lives.
TRUSTING GOD IN A CHAOTIC WORLD: The world in which Jesus was born was in Chaos. We'll look at 7 Principles of Faith in our own chaotic world. Are we to be sucked into the chaos or does God have a better plan?
FEAR: The shepherds were bombarded by a field of angels! God’s message was Fear Not! What should we do when we're afraid?
Hope: The prophets and Old Testament only had hope of a coming Messiah. But they had to live “in the middle.” We have the Messiah… but it still doesn’t feel like it sometimes. What do we do when it seems like God is absent?
THE WORD OF GOD: We'll be looking at the theme of the Bible being God's inspired Word to each of us as individuals. It is a cryptic code book that the Holy Spirit can use to send us messages for our own personal lives. Therefore, Satan hates this book and believers love and cherish the Book. We'll talk about how this works.
THE BLOOD OF JESUS: We'll look at the various aspects of the blood of Jesus and how to apply it to our lives.
THE NAME OF THE LORD. We'll look at what the Bible has to say about the Name of the Lord in the Old and New Testaments. What is the significance of His name? What is His name? How do we use this name and why?
This Tuesday is Election Day in the USA. There is a lot at stake for the church in this election, but it’s not what you think it is. In this message, we’ll explore how God wants us to react to politics and elections. You can’t control what happens, but you can control your response to it.
We'll look at 5 more lessons we learn in a drought from Elijah's visit with the Widow of Zarephath. Key is you have to give and God grows your faith daily.
We'll look at practical lessons we can learn from Elijah's experience in a drought. How can we grow and survive during dry times?
Elisha was told to keep his eyes on Elijah. But a "chariot of fire and horses of fire" almost cost him his vision. The glamorous was a diversion from the main thing. We'll talk about diversions Satan throws at us to get our eyes off the main thing in our spiritual journey: Offenses, Fads, Insecurity, and Ourselves. Main target: Keep your eyes on Jesus and His promises.
The way that we look at life and the world is often not the way that God does. We'll look at several truths that are not True. Then we'll look at the balance that is true.
We'll explore Elijah's dark night of the soul when he wished to die. What led to such depression and what is God's solution to depression?
As Christians, we are on a mission! Pastor Adam shares four things that we need to know about our mission journey.
Today's message wraps up our series on what God's Word says to do during the Last Days: Stay Faithful and Wise, Stand Firm, Grow in Grace, Live Holy and Godly Lives, and Prophesy.
We continue with our series on what God's Word says we should do in the Last Days: Disconnect from this Worldly System, Do not Believe the Deception, Beware of Distractions, Be Confident, and Call on the Name of the Lord.
We'll begin a 3-part series on what God's Words says we should be doing in the Last Days: Lift Up Our Heads, Do Business, Encourage One Another, and Meet Together.
Pastor Adam continues the series on Satan's Strategies. God has plans for your life - but so does the devil. Let's be aware of his strategies so we can fight accordingly.
We explore 5 Strategies Satan uses: He is the Father of Lies, He Masquerades in a Costume of Light & Righteousness, He Deceives with Sign & Wonders, He Tempts us to Sin, and he Steals, Kills & Destroys.
Bruce Prosser will talk about the Key of Love, John Longenecker will preach on the Key of Patience, and Nate Vance will unpack the Key of Peace, in this 3-part preaching team.
MISSION: The Christian life is not meant to be just a passive experience, consuming sermons and worship songs. We have a part to play in what God is doing in the world!
THE KEY OF PRAYER. We'll explore different aspects of prayer as a key to the Kingdom of God.
THE KEY OF GRACE. We'll define grace. Recipients of grace from God should be grace-givers. We'll look at practical action-step advice on giving grace to others.
THE KEY OF HUMILITY. We'll do a topical study of the role of humility as a key to unlocking the power of the Kingdom of God. We'll define humility and look at many scriptures and stories about how humility brings a breakthrough and the value of humbling ourselves.
We begin this new series by looking at and diving in to what the spiritual principles are that empower the believer.
IN DEFENSE OF THE FAMILY (Ephesians 6) Ephesians 6 addresses two topics, the Church as a Family and the Church at War. We'll look at 9 principles of defending the family of God in the spiritual war going on around us. This is how we fight for our brothers and sisters.
FIVE FACETS OF FOLLOWING THE FATHER. There are 5 specific commands Paul gives us on being the Church: Walk in love, live in the light, make the most of every opportunity, be filled with the Spirit, and submit to one another. Christianity is practical and personal. We'll unpack all 5.
THROUGH THE CHURCH (Ephesians 3): Paul tells us that 1) We understand the Mystery of God's Plan, 2) We Recognize the Church is the Vehicle to Change the World, and 3) We Grasp the Measurement of the Love of Christ.
THE LAWS OF THE NEW HUMANITY (Ephesians 2). We'll look at The Law of Life (vv. 1-10), The Law of The Passcode (vv. 11-13), The Law of the Alliance (vv. 14-18), and The Law of Belonging (vv. 19-22).
We come out of being scattered and rediscover church and who we are. We go back to the basics the church.
PARABLE OF THE POTTER AND THE CLAY. God led Jeremiah to go to the Potter's House. The clay was marred and Potter reformed it into another pot. God says He has the right to do with His people same thing. Repentance changes God's mind, however. Message is to turn from our wicked ways and actions.
PARABLE OF THE FLOWING RIVER: God gave Ezekiel a vision that only makes sense today. He saw water flowing from under the threshold of the Temple, flowing deeper and deeper until too deep to cross. Wherever it flowed salty water converted to fresh water to support Life. River represents the Holy Spirit giving life to all.
PARABLE OF THE DRY BONES: Ezekiel had a vision of a valley full of very dry bones. God told Ezekiel to speak to these dry bones that they come together, then that they would breathe. The regeneration came in stages. Prophecy needed to continue to come. The people cried 'We are cut off' (dead), God promises to put His Spirit within His people & they will live. Then He will settle them in their own land. Then they will know.
PARABLE OF THE MAN IN THE MYRTLE TREES: Zechariah saw a man in a ravine on a red horse. God spoke comforting words (Anger had passed). He says he is jealous for His people because He wants to be our source, and is angry when we look elsewhere for Security. Now that His anger has been appeased, he will show mercy and rebuild prosperity in the Land.
PARABLE OF THE RAISED SERPENT: Due to the people's rebellion, God sent poisonous snakes among the people. People confessed their Sin and God told Moses to make a snake and raise it up on a pole. When people look at it they will be healed. God doesn't remove the snakes but provides an antidote. The snake represents Jesus on the Cross paying for our sins. Look and be healed.
Using the elements in the Easter Bag we'll retell the Easter story: The Stuck Nail that held Jesus; The Secure Stone that held in the Stink of Sin; The Sanctifying Cross that gives light to the lost world, The Showy Egg that speaks of the promise of life yet to come, and The Sweet Fruit hidden inside that life that affects our character and sweetens the lost world.
A DONKEY RIDE: On what is now known as Palm Sunday, Jesus borrowed a donkey to enter Jerusalem. Pastor Diehl shares 3 lessons we can learn from this donkey.
RELUCTANT RECRUITS: As Jesus was on the road again toward Jerusalem, three Reluctant Recruits approached Jesus. Each had an excuse for not immediately following Jesus. We'll explore each of these excuses regarding Discipleship.
WHY ARE YOU AFRAID? In this message, Pastor Adam helps us identify with the disciples who were afraid of drowning on the boat. The spirit of fear brings certain things into our life. The spirit of God brings three different things to replace it.
SETTING HIS FACE: In this message, we look at what we can learn from the journey of Jesus in Luke chapter 9, and how we can apply those lessons to our lives.
THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT (Mark 12:28-34) When one of the teachers of the Law asked him a trick question, Jesus gave the appropriate answer. This teacher was respectful and confirmed He was right. Jesus saw he was not far from the Kingdom. What does it mean to be not far from the Kingdom?
MARRIAGE & THE RESURRECTION: Jesus dealt with the theoretical question of the Sadduccees. He addresses our gender-neutrality in heaven, and that God is the God of the Living, not the dead. Marriage & sexuality is earthly not heavenly. What does it mean that God is the God of the Living?
PARABLE OF THE TENANTS: This parable talks about how God's people tried to take what belonged to God as their own. When they killed the son, then the Master Himself comes and judges the people. The people resisted God, therefore God resists the people.
DON'T SETTLE! Abraham and his father were called to settle in Caanan, but they settled short of God's best. Don't settle! Push forward.
PREFERENCES: CASTING MY VOTE. From the story of the dispute between Paul & Barnabas, we'll discuss preferences and how to separate them from convictions. One you die for, the other you don't.
ZACCHAEUS: Zacchaeus had an encounter with Christ that changed his life. We'll explore what we can learn about this tax collector and his encounter with God.
PAUL: Paul had an encounter with Jesus. In this encounter Paul was broken and blinded. We look at lessons we can learn from Paul's encounter.
MOSES: Moses had an encounter with God in the Burning Bush. God gave Moses an assignment to go and confront Pharaoh to let God's people go free. We'll look at what we can learn from this encounter.
GIDEON: Gideon was visited by the Angel of God, calling him to be a judge in Israel, to defeat the Philistines and set God's people free from oppression. We'll look at what we can learn about Gideon's encounter.
ISAIAH: Isaiah had an encounter with God when he saw the Lord on His throne and received a commission from God to go to the people. We'll explore what he learned about God in this vision.
GOLD, FRANKINCENSE & MYRRH (Part 2 0f 2): We'll continue our look at the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus, and what we can learn about generosity.
GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, & MYRRH (Part 1 of 2): We'll look at the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus, and what we can learn about generosity.
MARRIAGE LESSONS: We'll continue our look at the Christmas story, and see what lessons we can learn from it about marriage.
LIFE IN THE HOUSE: Simeon and Anna were waiting in the Temple and encountered Jesus. We'll look at some lessons for us as we wait in God's house.
We'll look at what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit - who He is, and what He does in our lives.
LESSONS FROM A THANKFUL MAN. From the story of the ten lepers, we'll look at why the one returned to Jesus but the others did not.
FAITH FEVER: From the story of Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law, we'll look at 7 infections that can keep a church sick.
AMAZING OVERTHROW. We'll look at how Jesus amazed the people by Overthrowing the status quo. We'll talk about His revolutionary approach to church tradition and deal with our own church traditions.
AMAZED Part 5: AMAZING BREAKTHROUGHS (Mark 5:21-24a and 35-43): From the story of Jesus raising Jairus' daughter from the dead, we will learn about how Jesus had to overcome obstacles to get a breakthrough. He had to overcome Fear, Religious Talk, Negatives, and the Status Quo.
AMAZED Part 4: AMAZING CREATIVITY: From the story of the Pharisee's attempt to entrap Jesus, we learn about using Creativity wisely to reverse the tables.
AMAZED Part 2: COMPLETELY AMAZED: From the story of Jesus Walking on the Water we see that he wants us to have hope in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.
AMAZED Part 1: AMAZING CONFIDENCE. From the story of Jesus delivering a man from a bad spirit we learn that Jesus had Confidence in the Word, Confidence in Spiritual Things, and Confidence in the Community.
In Part 2 of this series we take a deeper look on how God wants us to be ALL IN! We look at what that look like and what the characteristics are of a Christian who is ALL IN?
God wants us to be ALL IN! But what’s that look like? What are the characteristics of a Christian who is ALL IN?
Joseph's Justice Part 6: The Phases of Redemption. To follow on with Joseph being a type of Christ, we'll look at what Christ came to do in the life of sinners by exploring the multiple layers or phases of redemption and conviction brought about by Joseph in the lives of his brothers who had betrayed him.
Joseph's Justice Part 5: THE PROMOTION. Joseph finally gets a break. We'll look at multiple ways Joseph represents Jesus from this story of a dramatic turn-around and how he redeems a starving world.
Joseph's Justice Part 4: The Forgotten Man. Joseph is locked in a Prison. He discovered Prison is a place of Opportunity, Obscurity, Office, Overcoming, Openness, and Order, because God was also there.
Joseph's Justice Part 3: The Scapegoat. There are 9 "Types" that parallel Joseph with Christ that we will explore. Its a repeat of what we studied last week with new circumstances. The gospel repeats itself perpetually.
Joseph's Justice Part 1: The Dreamer. We'll look at the story of Joseph's dreams and what we learn about being victims of prejudice.
Pastor Adam shared a message about God's forgiveness, and how forgiveness doesn't stop with us.
THE CHURCH BEGINS: We'll explore how the disciples came out of the Upper Room and began changing the world around them. The motivation for evangelism.
Jacob had another encounter with God where he wrestled with him all night long, and walked away with a limp. We'll discuss wrestling with God.
Jacob's Journey: Part 2 We want to look at Jacob's confused marriage relationships, and how God brought prosperity to Jacob when he applied the cross to his possessions.
Things we should already know from I John. Most of these have to do with our struggles with the world and hanging on to the end.
Things we should already know from 2 Corinthians. Most of these are reflecting on our future and relationship with God.
We'll look at 5 things in 1 Corinthians that Paul says we should know about the Christian life.
YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER: We'll look at 6 Things Paul says in Romans that we should already know. The scriptures lead down a trail of revealing the place of the Law and the need for the resurrection and God at work in us.
TURNING POINT: The Resurrection was a turning point in the gospel. Time was turning, the Stone was turning, Leadership was turning, the Tomb was turning, and the Mystery was turning.
The story of Jesus sending two disciples to retrieve the young donkey is a picture of the rescue of sinners like us. We'll look at 7 likenesses of the donkey to us, from being bound to sharing the Lord's praise.
Repentance in the Kingdom (Matthew 21:28-32). In The Parable of the Two Sons, Jesus states that the son who repented and did his Father's will got into the Kingdom before the son who didn't need to repent. We'll look at what Repentance means in the Kingdom of God.
POSITION IN THE KINGDOM: Jesus was dealing with competition created by the mother of James & John and the resulting fallout with the indignant disciples. We'll look at a worldly attitude in the church.
URGENCY IN THE KINGDOM: Jesus gave another parable about a land owner hiring people at various stages of the day. He paid them all equally, causing unrest. God rewards all servants equally regardless of their length of serving. Equal Grace.
(Note: this is a message from last year that we had a special request for. Enjoy!)
Pastor Adam Diehl shared a message about God's priorities for our lives, and how they may look different from what we expect.
GRACE IN THE KINGDOM: Recipients of Grace should be givers of Grace. We'll discuss what Grace is and how to implement it in the Kingdom. Grace v. Greed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE KINGDOM: Jesus told three parables of the Kingdom here. We’ll discuss the GreatValue, Encompassing, and the Mixture of the Kingdom.
MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM: Jesus told several back-to-back parables about what the Kingdom is like. We'll learn about Patience, Growth, Saturation, and Hidden.
KEYS TO THE KINGDOM: Jesus told Peter that he was giving him the Keys to the Kingdom to lock and unlock things. We'll unpack what the keys were and how to utilize these keys.
MULTIPLICATION IN THE KINGDOM: Jesus told this parable about how seeds fall on various soils and produce a result in varying measures. We'll explore this principle of multiplication.
AUTHORITY IN THE KINGDOM. The Roman Centurion understood the concept of Kingdom Authority better than the religious leaders. We'll explore what Authority in the Kingdom of God looks like.
We'll look at 5 lessons learned from Philippians 4, related to being a Peace-Maker, Not to Worry, Thinking Positive, Being Content, and Knowing God Provides.
In Philippians chapter 3, Paul tells us what our goal should be: to follow and be followed. Join us as we look into Scripture.
From the story of the multitude of angels praising God from Luke 2:8-21 we'll look at a kid-friendly version of how angels make us better.
From the story of the Angel's visit to Mary foretelling Jesus' birth, we'll examine ways angels make us better.
From the story of the angel's visit to Joseph in Matthew 2:12-15, we'll look at 7 ways angels help believers.
We'll look at these Contrasts in the Bible story: Narrow Gate v. Wide Gate; Faith v. Works; Heaven or hell; Freedom or Bondage; Life or Death.
In Part 1 we'll explore 5 alternatives we have to choose between: Light or Darkness, Spirit or Flesh, Truth or Error, Lost or Found, Wages or Free Gift.
We'll look at Moses' prayer life with God and how God responded. Moses prayed show me Your guardian, Your grace, Your glory.
We'll look at 5 lessons from Jesus on dealing with Difficult People: Ask Questions, Never Get Cornered, Know When to Ignore, Don't Get Defensive, and Stay Flexible.
Chet Swearingen shared a message about what we can learn from the Revival that took place in Korea in 1907.
We'll look at the story of Jesus washing the disciples' feet and learn lessons Teaching Visually, Thinking Again, Turning Around, and Taking Away.
The Apostle John was banished to a prison island to silence him. Here he received an extensive prophetic message for the church regarding the Jesus Christ, second part of the Godhead.
Guest speaker Jameson Titus from Christ for India shared a message from John 21:1-14, on how we can bring whatever we have to God and He will do something big with it!
We'll look at lessons learned from the story of the Israelites breaking free from Egyptian oppression through the perilous Red Sea.
Daniel was condemned to a horrible death (lion's den) for his faith. There are lessons we can learn from his dark night with the lions.
Pastor Adam Diehl shared a message on how David found the courage to stand up to the intimidating Goliath, and the practical lessons we can learn on standing up to the giants in our life.
We're looking at the story of Jonah being swallowed by the great fish and steps he took to get delivered from his predicament.
Pastor Adam Diehl shared a message about God's priorities for our lives, and how they may look different from what we expect.
Shawn Rayle, Bruce Prosser, and Nate Vance shared a message on some very important aspects of their faith that they almost missed.
Pastor Diehl shared a message from the book of Genesis that offers hope & encouragement to those who feel abandoned, but especially to single moms.
On this special Missions Weekend - a missionary we can only call "Rev C" shares a message about what God is doing around the world and how God works through our prayers!
He is the light of the world! Pastor Adam Diehl shared a message from John chapter 9 about how Jesus is our light.
Jesus is our peace! Pastor Diehl shared a message from the Gospel of John about how Jesus is our peace.
He is Our Provider! Pastor Diehl shared about lessons learned from Jesus feeding the five thousand.
Jesus is our Healer! Pastor Diehl shared about the time Jesus healed a lame man at the Pool of Bethesda.
Pastor Diehl shared what we can learn about faith from the story of the official with a dying son.
Pastor Diehl shared a message about six "Trail Markers" in Psalm 19 that teach us about God's Word.
For the grand finale of our Vacation Bible School at our weekend services, Pastor Diehl shared a special message about how when we're helpless, Jesus rescues.
Pastor Diehl shared a message from Psalm 26 about why David believed God would vindicate him, and how we can apply that to our own lives.
Pastor Diehl looked at four characteristics of swallows and compared them to our own walk with Christ.
Pastor Diehl shared a message about what has been called 'Luther's Psalm'. In it, King David says he will not fear, he will not faint, and he will not fret. He is expressing confidence in God, and we can too.
Pastor Diehl shared a message about how King David gives us his testimony in 5 things God has done for him: Lifted me up, Healed me, Resurrected me; Strengthened me; and gave me Joy.