Walnut Creek Altoona - Sermons: Recent Episodes
Walnut Creek Church
Sermon audio from the Altoona, Iowa location of Walnut Creek Church.
Walnut Creek Altoona is a thriving Christ-centered community. Our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ who love and worship God drives everything we do. Weekend services take place in our beautifully restored and historic 150-year-old building near 1st Avenue South in Altoona.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in the Gospel of John with chapter 10 verses 19-30. Can a Christian lose their salvation?In John 10, Jesus makes one of His clearest and most comforting promises: “My sheep hear my voice… I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.”In this sermon, we examine Jesus’ teaching about His identity as the Messiah, the doctrine of election, the marks of a true believer, and the incredible security found in Christ.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in the Gospel of John with chapter 10 verse 11-18.Jesus describes the world as a dangerous place inhabited by spiritual wolves. Sin, temptation, deception, and death threaten the sheep—and we cannot protect or save ourselves. We need a shepherd.In John 10:11–18, Jesus declares, “I am the good shepherd.” He proves this claim by laying down His life for His sheep, knowing them personally, and gathering people from every nation into one flock.Unlike hired hands who abandon the sheep when following them becomes costly, Jesus willingly faced our greatest enemy. On the cross, He received the punishment our sins deserved and rose again so that His people could receive forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life.This sermon also considers how we can know whether we belong to Jesus’ flock. His sheep know Him, care for one another, seek those who are not yet in the flock, and delight in walking with their Shepherd.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in the Gospel of John with chapter 10 verses 1-10.Everyone seems to have a different answer for where the good life is found. We are told to pursue success, pleasure, wealth, achievement, self-improvement, or the approval of others. Yet these competing voices continually promise more than they can deliver.In John 10:1–10, Jesus makes a striking claim: “I am the gate.” He is not merely offering another strategy for improving our lives. He is claiming to be the only entrance into salvation, security, belonging, and abundant life.This sermon examines the competing voices that try to lead us, Jesus’ exclusive authority as the gate for the sheep, and what He means when He promises life in abundance. The good life is not found when our circumstances finally become perfect. It is found in knowing Christ.If you have Christ, you already possess the life that everything else is promising. Do not spend your life searching elsewhere for what you have already been given in Him.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in the Gospel of John with chapter 9 verses 13-34.Everyone in John 9 witnessed the same extraordinary evidence: a man who had been blind from birth could suddenly see. Yet while the healed man increasingly recognized who Jesus was, the Pharisees became increasingly determined to reject Him.This sermon examines the difference between spiritual blindness and true spiritual sight. Spiritual blindness dismisses evidence to protect its own worldview, fears people more than God, and refuses to acknowledge its need for Christ. True sight produces bold witness, values Jesus above social acceptance, and ultimately leads to worship.The healed man did not have every theological answer, but he faithfully testified to what he knew: “One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see.” His story reminds us that we do not need to know everything before telling others what Jesus has done for us.John 9 warns us that the greatest blindness is being unable—or unwilling—to recognize that we are blind. But it also gives us hope: when this man was rejected by others, Jesus went looking for him and brought him into a relationship with Himself.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in the Gospel of John with chapter 9 verses 1-12.
Why does God allow suffering? In John 9, Jesus encounters a man who had been blind from birth. While the disciples assume his suffering must be punishment for a particular sin, Jesus explains that his blindness would become an opportunity for the works and glory of God to be displayed.
By giving physical sight to the blind man, Jesus illustrates His greater mission as the Light of the World—the Savior who opens spiritually blind eyes and brings life to those living in darkness.
This sermon explores the relationship between sin and suffering, the urgency of doing God’s work while there is still time, and the way genuine faith responds to Jesus with obedience. Whether facing suffering, confusion, sin, or spiritual blindness, we are invited to bring it all to Christ and walk in His light.
Join us again this week as we continue our summer sermon series in the Gospel of John with chapter 8 verses 37-59.The religious leaders claimed Abraham as their father and God as their own, but Jesus challenged their confidence by exposing what their response to Him revealed about their hearts.What does it mean to be a true child of Abraham? Why is rejecting Jesus ultimately rejecting God? Why does Jesus leave us no neutral ground? We must either reject Him or fall at His feet and worship Him as Lord.
Join us this week as we kick off our summer sermon series, continuing from the last two summers with part three in our look at The Gospel of John. Today we look at false belief and true freedom as expressed in John chapter 8 verses 30-36.
In the final week of our Building Together series, we look at what the New Testament teaches about church growth. Should a local church care about growing? Should we aim to reach more people, make more disciples, and expand the work of ministry?
From Acts 2, Matthew 28, and other New Testament passages, we see that the early church was constantly growing because it was committed to the mission Jesus gave: to glorify God by making authentic disciples who love and worship Him in all they do.
As Walnut Creek Church looks toward the future, we are praying, giving, and growing together so that more people in Altoona and the surrounding communities would come to know Jesus for generations to come.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series about building our church together.
You can visit Walnut Creek Church - Altoona online at wcaltoona.org
Join us this week for a brand new sermon mini-series on what it means to build a church together, starting with Matthew 28 verses 16-20.
Nearly ten years ago, a small team left downtown Des Moines to plant Walnut Creek Church in Altoona. What began with a handful of families meeting in a renovated 150-year-old building has grown into a thriving church committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ. In this message, we share the vision behind Building Together. A church-wide initiative focused on prayer, generosity, growth, and preparing for the next generation of ministry.
From Matthew 28, Ephesians 4, Acts 2, and Psalm 127, we explore God’s design for His church and the role each believer plays in making disciples, growing spiritually, and reaching the community with the gospel.
Whether you're part of Walnut Creek Church or simply interested in biblical church growth, this message offers a vision for what it means to build together for God’s glory.
Join us this week as we finish our sermon series in Genesis, looking at chapters 46-50. After nearly four years and 64 sermons through the book of Genesis, we arrive at the final chapters of Scripture’s first book. Genesis 45–50 brings Joseph’s story to its conclusion and ties together the major themes that have run throughout Genesis from the very beginning: God’s promises, God’s blessing, God’s providence, and the faith of His people.
Joseph’s suffering preserved many lives, but Jesus’ suffering secured salvation for the world. What people intended for evil, God used for ultimate good.
As Genesis closes, God’s people still wait for the full fulfillment of His promises. Their story ends with faith—and ours does too—as we await the return of Christ.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in Genesis with chapter 45 verses 1-28.
After twenty years of betrayal, deception, separation, and suffering, Joseph finally reveals his identity to his brothers. What follows is one of the most emotional and beautiful moments in all of Scripture.
In Genesis 45, we see Joseph choose forgiveness over revenge, reconciliation over bitterness, and trust in God's sovereignty over resentment. Instead of punishing the brothers who sold him into slavery, Joseph welcomes them near and recognizes God's hand at work through every painful chapter of his life.
If you've experienced betrayal, broken relationships, family conflict, or difficulty forgiving others, Genesis 45 offers hope, wisdom, and a powerful reminder that God is sovereign even through suffering.
You can visit Walnut Creek Church - Altoona online at wcaltoona.org
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in Genesis with chapter 44 verses 1-34. Genesis 44 brings Joseph’s final and most important test. Twenty years after selling their brother into slavery, Joseph recreates the circumstances of their greatest sin to find out whether his brothers are still the same men, or whether God has transformed them. What follows is one of the most powerful moments in Genesis.
If you've ever wondered whether people can truly change, or what biblical repentance really looks like, Genesis 44 gives a powerful answer.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in Genesis with chapter 43 verses 1-34.
What would you do if God asked you to give up the thing you care about most?
In Genesis 43, Jacob faces an impossible choice: Hold onto Benjamin or risk losing everything. Trust God or cling to control. At the same time, something powerful is happening beneath the surface. Judah begins to change. The brothers show signs of real transformation. And jealousy—the sin that started it all—is finally losing its grip.
When you realize what you’ve been given in Christ, you stop obsessing over what others have.
Join us this week as we pick up our Genesis sermon series where we left off, continuing with chapter 42 verses 1-38.
What happens when hidden sin finally comes to the surface? In Genesis 42, Joseph’s brothers come face to face with the guilt they've avoided for 20 years. They thought they could bury it and move on from it, but God had other plans.
We'll examine why Joseph tests his brothers, the moment their conscience awakens, how guilt can actually be a gift from God, and how true transformation begins.
If you’ve ever carried guilt, buried something from your past, or felt the weight of conviction—this message will hit home.
Join us again this week for the final sermon of our Easter series, where we continue with Mark chapter 16 verses 1-8.
Join us again this week as we continue our Easter sermon series with Mark chapter 14 verses 22-25.
Why was Jesus so distressed in the Garden of Gethsemane?
On the night before the cross, Jesus faces the cup of God’s wrath. Here we'll discuss the two vows (Jesus’ faithfulness vs. Peter’s failure), the two cups (blessing vs. wrath), and the two sources of power (Spirit vs. flesh).
If you want to follow Jesus, you cannot rely on your own strength. You must learn to live by the power of the Spirit through prayer. If you’ve ever struggled with temptation, failure, or feeling spiritually weak, this message is for you.
Join us this week as we begin our new Easter sermon series with Mark chapter 14 verses 1 through 11.
As we approach Easter, one question rises above all others: What do you believe about Jesus?
In Mark 14, we see three radically different responses to Jesus that still define how people relate to Him today.
The chief priests hate Jesus and plot His death
A woman in Bethany pours out extravagant love and worship
Judas pretends to follow Jesus while secretly betraying Him
We'll look at why people reject or redefine Jesus, what true love for Jesus actually looks like, the danger of pretending to follow Him, and how genuine faith goes beyond belief into trust.
Do you hate Jesus, love Him, or are you pretending?
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in Genesis with chapter 41 verses 1-57. We look at Joseph's interpretations of Pharaoh's dreams and how that points to God's sovereignty over everything.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in Genesis with Chapter 40 verses 1-23.
What does faith actually look like when life falls apart?
In Genesis 40, Joseph is in prison. He has been betrayed, falsely accused, and forgotten.
This is the lowest point of his life. And yet this is where his faith shines the brightest.
Joseph shows us that true faith is not proven in comfort, but in suffering.
If you feel like you're in a “pit” right now, this message is for you.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series on Genesis with chapter 39 verses 1-23.
Chapter 39 brings us back to Joseph after the dark events of Genesis 37 and the detour into Judah’s life in Genesis 38. The chapter intentionally invites us to compare the two brothers. Both are away from the promised land, both are surrounded by a godless culture, and both face sexual temptation—=, but their responses could not be more different.
Even when Joseph loses everything, the story ends with hope. The Lord was still with him.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in Genesis with chapter 38 verses 1-30.
This is one of the strangest interruptions in the Joseph story. You finish Genesis 37 with Joseph sold into slavery and then suddenly the Bible detours into a dark, uncomfortable chapter about Judah and Tamar.
And the question is unavoidable: Why is this here?
This chapter is messy. Sexual sin, hypocrisy, scandal, and humiliation. But it’s also one of the most important chapters in Genesis, because it reveals something stunning.
The Messiah doesn’t come through Joseph. He comes through Judah.
This chapter teaches that God’s plans don’t depend on human virtue, and it gives us a powerful principle.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series on Genesis with Chapter 37 verses 1-36. In Genesis 37 we see a brutal betrayal of Joseph by his brothers, as well as their deception of their father Jacob, continuing a pattern that has been passed down in Joseph's family of lies and deception. We also look at the suffering and future redemption of Joseph and how that points to Christ and the suffering and redemption that Jesus went through on our behalf.
Join us this week for another sermon in our series on Genesis, continuing with chapter 36 verses 1-43.
Genesis 36 is a genealogy that at first glance, may seem like a list of hard-to-pronounce names. But this chapter tells a dramatic and sobering story about the legacy of Esau.
Esau has everything the world could offer—land, wealth, descendants, power, fame. His people become an established kingdom long before Israel. But something is missing.
You don’t need less than Esau. You need more. You need God. Because everything without Jesus is nothing. But Jesus, without anything else, is everything.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in Genesis with chapter 35, verses 1-29. After the horrific events of Genesis 34, God calls Jacob to return to Bethel, which is a call to worship, repent, and renew his faith. In Genesis 35, we witness Jacob leading his family in repentance, burying idols, and building an altar to God.
Join us for another chapter in our Genesis sermon series, continuing with Genesis chapter 34. verses 1-31. This chapter is one of the darkest chapters in the Bible. When Jacob’s daughter Dinah is raped, her brothers Simeon and Levi retaliate with deceit and mass murder. There’s no mention of God. No redemption arc. Just a painful unraveling of a family that has strayed from God’s presence.
We'll look at why this story is included in the book of Genesis as well as other questions such as how does reversing God’s design for marriage lead to ruin? What does it mean that Jacob stopped 30 miles short of where God told him to go? Why does moral vulnerability often follow spiritual breakthroughs? How does unchecked anger, even when “righteous,” lead to devastating sin? What does true justice looks like?
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in Genesis with Chapter 33 verses 1-20. Jacob has spent 20 years running from the consequences of his deception. But when he finally faces Esau, the brother he betrayed, something unexpected happens: grace.
It shows that even when we’re haunted by our past, God meets us with mercy, and calls us to be vessels of grace in real-life relationships.
Join us this week as we continue our sermon series of Genesis with Chapter 32, verses 1-55.
Jacob’s whole life has been a struggle against Esau, Laban, Isaac, even himself. But in Genesis 32, it all builds to a single, mysterious, nighttime encounter where he wrestles with God.
As he returns home, Jacob is haunted by Esau’s face along with his guilt, his fear, and his unresolved past. But in the end, it is God’s face that matters most. Through prayer, humility, and a strange, supernatural wrestling match, Jacob is transformed.
When you wrestle with God and lose - you win
Join us this week as we continue our sermon series in Genesis with chapter 31 verses 1-55. As Jacob flees Laban and begins the long journey back to Canaan, a fierce conflict emerges over possessions. Who owns the family? Who owns the flocks? Who controls the future?
This chapter is ancient family drama that gives us a mirror for our hearts. Do we believe our stuff is ours, or God’s? Do we cling to little gods or trust the Good Shepherd?
Join us again this week as we continue where we left off with our sermon series on Genesis with Chapter 30 verses 25-34. We look at the story of Jacob and his relationship with Laban.
After 20 years of hard labor, Jacob was finally ready to go home, but Laban had other plans. What unfolds next is a story of deception, endurance, divine blessing, and spiritual transformation. Through an odd breeding strategy and a broken business deal, Jacob learns that God is not only the God of big moments, but of small, daily faithfulness too.
Jacob didn’t become a man of faith overnight. Neither will you. But the same God who refined Jacob over 20 years of quiet shepherding is shaping you too.
Join us as we finish our Christmas sermon series on the eve of our savior's birth. We'll look at Luke chapter 2 verses 1-11 and the reason we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and what it means for our lives and for eternity.
Most of our Christmas traditions are suprisingly new. Elf on the Shelf, advent calendars, pajamas, trees, etc. But the true Christmas story is ancient.
In Luke 2, the angels announce that the Savior has been born. But to understand why Jesus came, we have to go back even further. All the way to Genesis 3, when humanity first sinned and God promised a descendant who would defeat death and crush evil forever.
God’s greatest gift is not found under a tree. It’s found in a manger, in a cross, and in an empty tomb.
Join us again this week as we continue our Christmas sermon series with chapters 11 and 12 from 2 Samuel, exploring the sinful relationship of David and Bathsheba, and how it relates to the story of the birth of Jesus on Christmas.
We return to Bethlehem, but 1,000 years before the birth of Christ, to the reign of King David.
From Genesis 3, God promised that one day a descendant of Eve would crush the serpent and restore what sin destroyed. Could David be the one? He’s brave, humble, faithful. He is a man after God’s own heart. But then he falls...
We often think the Christmas story begins with Mary, Joseph, and a baby in a manger, but it actually starts in the Garden of Eden. Long before Bethlehem, God made a promise to a serpent. That the offspring of the woman would crush evil once and for all. This promise first whispered in Genesis 3 is the true origin of Christmas. The child in the manger came to destroy sin, defeat Satan, and bring us back to God.
Join us this week as we continue our sermon series on Genesis with chapter 29 verse 31 through chapter 30 verse 24. Genesis 30 is the birth of a nation but you’d never guess it from the dysfunction in Jacob’s household. Through sibling rivalry, manipulation, envy, and desperation, God’s plan moves forward. God’s purposes are never stopped by human sin. From the cosmic expansion of Abraham’s promise to the gritty details of a broken family, this chapter shows us there’s no one too broken for God to use and that life apart from God always leaves us empty.
This chapter is messy, and yet full of hope.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series in Genesis with Chapter 29 verses 1-30 involving Jacob, Laban, and Rachel. Jacob arrives in Haran hoping to find a wife, escape his brother’s wrath, and build a future. Instead, he finds deception, heartbreak, and the consequences of his own sin. Jacob, once a cowardly liar, is being humbled by divine design.
Join us again this week as we continue our sermon series on Genesis with chapter 27 verse 41 through chapter 28 verse 22. We look at the beginning of Jacob’s relationship with God. Jacob is on the run and burdened by his own sin. Sleeping on a stone for a pillow, in the middle of the wilderness, God initiates a relationship with him.
In one of the most famous dreams in Scripture, Jacob sees a stairway connecting heaven and earth, with angels ascending and descending.
The gospel is for people like Jacob. And people like us.
Join us this week as we continue our sermon series on Genesis with chapter 26 verse 34 through chapter 27 verse 40. Genesis 27 reads more like a “not top 10” blooper reel than a highlight of faith. Every main character fails. Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Esau. It’s a story of lies, favoritism, manipulation, deception, and broken trust. And yet God’s plan still prevails.
When everyone is working against God’s will, He brings about exactly what He promised. God works even through failure, and His purposes never fail.
Join us again this week as we continue our series in Genesis with a sermon on chapter 26 verses 1-33. Genesis 26 is the only chapter in the Bible where Isaac is the main character, and here we find many parallels between him and his father Abraham. Famine, fear, conflict, and covenant. Isaac walks a road that feels all too familiar. Yet God’s faithfulness to Abraham is reaffirmed in Isaac’s journey. And not because Isaac is perfect, but because God’s promises are.
Join us again this week as we continue our series on Genesis, continuing with chapter 25 verses 19-34. This week we meet Jacob and Esau. Two brothers who show us what happens when we despise the promises of God.
Esau gives away his birthright for a bowl of stew. Jacob seizes it through manipulation. This story is about the contrast between shortsightedness and faith, self-reliance and grace, human failure and God’s sovereign plan.
We’ve all been like Esau. We’ve all been like Jacob. But the good news is, Jesus shares his birthright with those who believe.
Join us again this week as we continue our series on Genesis with a sermon on Genesis chapter 25 verses 1-18.
With the death of Abraham, Genesis 25 marks a major transition in the story of Scripture and in the story of God's redemptive plan. This chapter may look like a list of names and funerals, but beneath the surface is a powerful reflection on promises fulfilled, nations born, sons sent away, and a life well lived in faith. We close the book on Abraham’s life and begin the next chapter with Isaac and Jacob.
Abraham lived a full life of patient, persevering faith. The question is: will we?
Join us this with for another sermon on Genesis, continuing where we left off with the meeting of Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis chapter 24 verses 28-67.
Here we find one of the most beautiful and complete love stories in the Bible that shows us how God leads our lives and what it means to have a Godly and faithful character. We pick up the story with Rebekah’s answer to Isaac, and follow the love story to the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah.
Whether you're single, dating, married, or raising children, this story gives timeless insight into what to pursue—and what to avoid—in godly relationships.
For more information on Walnut Creek Church - Altoona visit us at wcaltoona.org
Join us again this week as we continue our series on Genesis, with chapter 24 verses 1-27. We look at how this story is an illustration of how God works through his people, and how that work takes sacrifice, risk, and initiative by us as Christians.
Genesis 24 is a complete short story embedded in the bigger story of God’s redemption. In this first half, we follow Abraham’s trusted servant on a dangerous 900 mile journey to find a wife for Isaac.
In this sermon we'll cover:
Why this journey mattered so much to the promises of God
How to walk by faith when the outcome is unknown
7 timeless principles for doing God’s work today
Why God uses people to fulfill His eternal mission
How to live a life that echoes into eternity
You can visit Walnut Creek Church - Altoona at wcaltoona.org
Join us as we launch into our newest sermon series on Genesis, continuing where we left off with chapter 23, verses 1-20. In this chapter, Abraham faces the heartbreaking loss of his wife, Sarah. And while this chapter may seem like a random, obscure negotiation for land, it's actually one of the most profound acts of faith in the Old Testament. Abraham puts faith in God's promises, trusting in a future he can't see yet, but one he knows will come to pass because he has seen what God has already done.
Abraham only owned a cave and a field, but he lived like heaven was his true homeland. We’re called to do the same.
Prayer is the lifeline of the Christian life.
Join us again this week as we finish our sermon series of Acts and the beginning of the church with the final pillar of the early church: devotion to prayer. We don’t just see prayer mentioned—we see a church saturated in it. From house meetings to prison breaks, from fearful doubt to faithful dependence, Acts shows us that ordinary people were transformed by extraordinary communion with God.
God still moves through prayer today. Not because our prayers are perfect, but because He is faithful.
Join us again this week for another sermon on Acts chapter 2 as we look at the first Christian church, which was not a denomination or institution, but a family of believers marked by sacrificial love, shared meals, and unshakable joy.
The first church didn’t grow because of strategy, marketing, or promotions. It grew because people saw a supernatural love and wanted in.
Walnut Creek Church is located in Altoona, Iowa.
How did a group of 120 believers ignite a gospel movement that spread across the entire world? The answer lies in one word: devotion.
Join us again this week for another sermon on Acts chapter 2. This time we learn how the early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and how that same devotion fuels an unshakable church today.
If you’ve ever felt dry, distant, or weak in your faith, this sermon will remind you of the transforming, stabilizing, and empowering force of Scripture in the life of a believer.
Join us this week as we launch our newest sermon series examining the birth of the church, using Acts chapter 2 as our guide. Everyone loves a good origin story. But no startup, sketch, or garage project compares to the launch of the global Church in Acts 2.
We'll explore the moment of Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Spirit, as well as Peter’s bold gospel proclamation to the crowd that called for the death of Jesus.
This is more than Church history. This is our story.
Walnut Creek Church is located in Altoona, Iowa. To learn more visit wcaltoona.org
Join us again this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John continuing with chapter 8 verses 21 through 29. We learn what it truly means to miss Jesus, which oddly enough can happen even while searching for a Savior. Using John 8, we explore the tragic irony that the very people praying for the Messiah's arrival were face-to-face with Him and yet they didn’t even recognize Him. Jesus warns the crowd that unless they believe “I AM”, they will die in their sins.
Walnut Creek Church is located in Altoona, Iowa. To learn more visit us at https://www.wcaltoona.org.
Join us again this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John, continuing with chapter 8 verses 12-20. We examine what Jesus really meant when he said, "I am the light of the world". We unpack the scientific mystery of light, the biblical symbolism behind it, and the profound truth that Jesus came to inform us, but more importantly transform us. We examine why Jesus’ statement would have shocked His audience, challenged the elites, and why it still shines today.
Walnut Creek Church is located in Altoona, Iowa. To learn more visit us at https://www.wcaltoona.org.
Join us again this week as we explore one of the most debated passages in the Bible. We continue our series of the Gospel of John with chapter 7 verse 53 to chapter 8 verse 11, the story of the woman caught in adultery. We look at why this passage is bracketed in many Bibles and how we can trust that the New Testament we have today is truly the word of God. More importantly we’ll examine how this story reveals Jesus’s heart. He confronts real guilt, extends radical grace, and calls us to a renewed life.
Join us again this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John, continuing with chapter 7 verses 40-52. We look at how the examples of the Pharisees and Nicodemus illustrate how Jesus both divides and transforms people.
Join us again this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John continuing with Chapter 7, verses 37 through 40. We examine what Jesus means when he says he is the living water for us to drink from.
Join us again this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John, continuing with chapter 7 verses 25 through 36.
Join us again this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John, continuing with chapter 7 verses 10-24.
Join us again this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John, continuing with chapter 7 verses 1-9.
Join us again this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John, continuing with chapter 6 verses 60-71. We look at the different ways people respond to Jesus.
Join us again this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John continuing with chapter 6 verses 41 through 50.
Join us again this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John, continuing with chapter 6 verses 30-40. We look at the first of Jesus' "I am" statements and what exactly he means when he calls himself the bread of life.
Join us this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John, continuing with chapter 6 verses 22 through 29. We look at the work of God, and how we can work hard for God in our lives as Christians.
Join us again this week as we continue our look at the Gospel of John with a sermon on chapter 6 verses 16-21. We examine four surprises included in the story of Jesus walking on water, as well as what this infamous miracle can tell us about our own relationship with him.
Join us again this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John, continuing with chapter 6 verses 1-15. We look at the miracle of Jesus feeding thousands of people and how that is a sign of who he is and how he provides.
Join us for another sermon this week at Walnut Creek Altoona on the Gospel of John, continuing with chapter 5 verses 31-47. We look at belief in Jesus, and reasons that people reject him as their Lord and savior. We also examine what is means to believe the Bible, as well as what it means to love God.
Join us for another sermon this week on the Gospel of John, continuing with John Chapter 5 verses 31 to 47. We look at the claim of Jesus to be God and who he put forth as witnesses to that truth.
Join us this week for another sermon on The Gospel of John, continuing with chapter 5, verses 24-29. We look at the claim that Jesus is God and explore exactly how he communicated that, and what we should do with it as Christians.
Join us this week for another sermon on the Gospel of John, where we look at chapter 5, verses 17-23. We examine the claim that Jesus made about his relationship to God, the reaction of the Jewish leadership at the time, and how we should react to this claim today as Christians.
Join us this week as we continue our sermon series on The Gospel of John with chapter 5 verses 1 through 16.
Join us this week for our final Easter sermon examining the Gospel of Luke chapter 24, verses 1-12. This time we examine the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and why we can be confident that it happened. We'll also look at what it means for us as Christians.
Join us this week as we continue our Easter series with a sermon about Luke 23 verses 32-43, in which Jesus is crucified between two criminals. We examine the tragedy of the cross, and what we should feel about it as Christians.
Join us this week as we begin our Easter series with a sermon about Luke 23 verses 13-25, in which Pontius Pilate offers the crowd a choice between letting the son of God or a murderer go free. We look at how this moment reflects the heart of the Gospel, and how we can apply it to our lives.
Join us this week as we gather to continue our study of Romans with Chapter 16 verses 1-27. We look at what it takes to build a healthy church, using Paul's conclusion to one of the greatest letters in the Bible as our guide.
Join us this week as we continue our study of the Bible with Romans chapter 15, verses 14-33. We examine Paul’s comments about the church in Rome and how he encouraged them, and how that translates to our own church and ministry today.
Join us again this week as we continue our Bible study of Romans with chapter 15, verses 7-13. We examine the glory of God and how important it is for us as a church to be unified in order to glorify Him.
Join us again this week as we continue our Bible study of Romans with Chapter 15 verses 1-6. We examine the call as Christians to love our neighbors, especially those within the church, and how we can do that when we may have differing convictions.
What does the salvation of Noah in the flood teach us about our own situation? How can we learn from God's covenant commitment to Noah and Noah's response in faithful waiting?
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our Christmas series. Why did Jesus have to become a human to bring about salvation for sinners? What is it about Jesus' humanity that connects us to the life of God? Listen as we explore these fundamental Christmas questions from John 1.
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our Christmas series. This Christmas we will focus on two key questions from John chapter 1: Who is Jesus, and why did He come into the world?
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Genesis. What was it about Noah that distinguished him from his contemporaries? What about him stood out to God as righteous? What can we learn about his example of radical obedience? Genesis 7:1-10 answers these questions for us this week.
Campus Fellowship Director Jacob Bennett continues our series in Genesis. The pronouncement of judgment on Noah's world points towards a day of coming judgment for us. Like Noah who was motivated by godly fear to save his family, a meditation on God's righteous judgment to come should move us to endure in obedience to God so that Christ would be seen in our lives by those closest to us.
This week we continue our study of the book of Genesis in chapter 6, where humanity reaches a level of depravity that God will no longer tolerate. What can we learn about the nature of human depravity, and God's response of judgment mixed with salvation?
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Genesis. This message explains how in spite of sin, we can still know God and escape the curse of death, but it must be by faith. Listen as we answer the questions; what is faith, and how do we see it operate in Genesis 5?
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Genesis. Genesis 4 records the simultaneous development of culture and industry and the degradation of human morality. How are Christians to view and interact with culture, and what hope is there for civilization?
Campus Fellowship Director Jacob Bennett continues our series in Genesis. The story of Cain and Abel shows us that unless we repent from our small failures they can open the door to greater sin, tempt us to hit the "self-destruct button", and can lead us to reject the personal, intimate presence of God in our lives.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Genesis. The root of every problem in the world is sin. It's consequences are devastating and far-reaching. What solutions does the Bible offer? Genesis chapter 3 shows us the striking differences between man's solutions to his sin, and God's.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Genesis. He answers the question: Why is loving and obeying God seemingly so difficult for humanity? Genesis 3 explains the fracture in the goodness of God's creation with the introduction of temptation, and the first sin against God.
Pastor Darrin continues our series in Genesis by looking at God's creation of and design for marriage.
DMACC Campus Fellowship Director Eric Semjenow continues our series in Genesis. Listen as we study the creation of man and God's design for them to both work hard for Him and rest well in Him.
Pastor Darrin continues our study in the book of Genesis by looking at the meaning of mankind being created in the image of God.
Is Genesis chapter 1 interested in how and when God created the universe? How should modern science impact our interpretation of the Scriptures? Pastor Darrin takes a look at the answers from Genesis 1.
Pastor Darrin begins our series studying the book of Genesis by looking at God the Creator. What would God have to be like in order to create the universe, and why would He do it?
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in the Gospel of Luke. Listen as we study chapter 22 where Jesus prays in anguish in the final moments before going to the cross.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Luke. The death of Jesus on the cross marked a shift in the ministry situation for His followers that carries over into modern Christian thinking and living. How are we to view ourselves in the world in light of the fact that we worship a rejected and crucified Jesus?
Pastor Derek Wadle continues our series in Luke. Listen as we look at the first Lord's Supper, the history of the passover, and how to approach communion.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Luke. He addresses: What is the abomination of desolation? What are the signs of the second coming of Jesus and how should Christians interpret those signs in four modern age? Jesus' timeless answers to these questions are as relevant today as they were in the first century.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Luke. The Olivet Discourse is considered by some Bible scholars to be among the most difficult texts to interpret its meaning. What does Jesus actually say about His second coming and the destruction of the temple, and what should His followers do with that information?
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Luke. Jesus' condemnation of the religious leaders culminates with his shocking declaration that the Temple will be destroyed. In this text, he explains the reason for such a devastating judgement.
Pastor Derek Wadle continues our series in Luke. Listen as we explore the reality that the prophesied Messiah is not just a man, but is God is himself.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Luke. Listen as he explains what money, marriage, and the resurrection of the dead have to do with each other. Jesus uses an attempt by the religious leaders to teach powerful truths about the eternal nature of humanity, and how that impacts the way we see some of the most valuable parts of our lives.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Luke. It's difficult to overemphasize the scope and degree of power that Jesus claimed when cleansing and preaching at the temple. In this exchange the religious leaders look for an explanation as to where Jesus' claim finds it grounding. Jesus answers them with a powerful rebuke that serves as a warning for Luke's readers.
Pastor Derek Wadle continues our series in Luke. Listen as wee look at the four episodes of the triumphal entry and unpack the heart of the problem Jesus addressed with the cleansing of the temple.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Luke. Jesus' followers thought he would usher in the kingdom of God during his life and ministry. In this parable Jesus points out that he must leave for a time, and then return, which begs a very important question: What are followers of Jesus to do until he comes back?
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our summer series in Luke. He explains how Zacchaeus' story illustrates the dynamics between what people value and what they are willing to sacrifice for. How does encountering Jesus impact these core, heart-level aspects of our lives? Listen and learn as we understand more how we make sacrifices for what we perceive to be valuable.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. The final warning in Hebrews is a warning about accepting the offer of salvation, but also a reminder that thankfulness is a prerequisite for true worship of God. Listen as Darrin answers the questions: Why is there such a strong connection between a thankful heart and one that has embraced the gospel message?
There are all kinds of obstacles to running the race of the Christian life with endurance as Hebrews admonishes. Among them are relational division and immoral living in the church. Hebrews commands us to proactively eliminate these obstacles in the church through relentless pursuit of holy, unified friendships.
Pastor Derek Wadle continues our series in Hebrews. Listen and learn as we look at what the discipline of God is, how its expressed, and how to endure in the face of suffering
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our Easter series in 1 Corinthians 15. After explaining the necessity of the resurrection for the truth of the gospel and the foundation of all Christian thinking and living, Paul goes on to answer the question, "How will the resurrection happen?"
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our mini series in 1 Corinthians 15. He examines the questions: Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus? Can you defend the resurrection of Jesus? We begin our Easter series looking at the Bible's most extensive passage on the resurrection, starting with this basic contention; if Jesus didn't rise from death, then Christianity is completely false.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. He answers the question: What is the relationship between faith and endurance in the Christian life? He explains the answer Hebrews 12 gives us, and how endurance requires seeing the connection between your pain and your prize.
Pastor Bruce Crane continues our series in Hebrews. In this passage we see that Biblical faith produces the courage to conquer in struggle, to continue in suffering, and to count on salvation, and that even flawed people can have courageous faith.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. Hebrews 11 describes the nature of true biblical faith, focusing on the lives of Abraham and Moses, and how God tested what they really believed and valued. “…the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.” -AW Tozer
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. He shows us how Hebrews examines the monumental importance of faith in the life of the believer. Why is faith so important and how do we practically live it out day by day? Hebrews looks at the life of Abraham to address these questions.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. Hebrews tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Paul teaches that it is through faith that people are connected to the saving work of Jesus on the cross. What, then, IS faith? This is one of the most fundamental questions of Christianity.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. He explains how in the final warning in the letter of Hebrews the author warns his readers about the seriousness of living in willful rebellion to the gospel, and how genuine faith produces the opposite result; confident, joy-filled obedience to Jesus.
Pastor Greg Altmaier continues our series in Hebrews. He explains that based upon our position of full access to God as part of the house of God, believers should draw near to God, persevere, and commit to the body of Christ.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. He answers the questions: How should we understand the "already/not yet" of sanctification? On one hand the Bible teaches that Christians are sanctified (past tense) and made holy in Christ, but on the other that we are not yet what we will be. How should we understand these truths and what type of living should they inform? We become like what we worship.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. He explores the question: What does Jesus' death tell us about our own impending death? This is one of the most practical questions of the book of Hebrews, and it's answered with great clarity in the end of chapter nine.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. He explains how the Bible is a bloody book. The Jewish religion was saturated literally and theologically with blood. The blood of Christ is a massive theme in the New Testament. Why? What is the purpose of all the blood in the Bible? Hebrews answer the question in these verses. Jesus’ death in your place makes you perfectly compatible with the holiness of God so that you can live in His presence now and forever.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. Have you ever dealt with a guilty conscience? It's one of the biggest causes of anxiety and depression in the world, and it's something that everyone is trying to find a cure for. In Hebrews 9 we're given the biblical prescription for a clean conscience from both the Old and New Covenants and shown how one works, and the other is obsolete.
Pastor Derek Wadle continues our series in Hebrews. Listen as he looks at the A look at faultiness of the old covenant and the glories of the new.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. The author of Hebrews transitions from the theoretical coming of a new priesthood that replaces the old, to the reality that Christ has come and ushered in that priesthood already, and with it a new covenant that the old anticipated all along.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. Melchizedek only makes two brief, relatively discreet appearances in the entire Old Testament, yet he is one of the main features of the book of Hebrews' teaching about Jesus. What are we to make of this man, and how are we to understand Christ in light of him?
In this final installment of our 2021 Christmas series Pastor Darrin Miedema recaps how the virgin became pregnant and God became a man, and answers the question, "why?" What is at the heart of what we celebrate every Christmas?
In part two of our Christmas series Pastor Darrin Miedema continues to look at the question, "Why do we celebrate Christmas?" Luke 2 describes the birth of Jesus, and tells us that we celebrate the fact that God became a man. This week we look at the historical reliability of the birth of Jesus, and it's theological significance.
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our Christmas mini-series. He answers the questions: What is the significance of the virgin birth to the story of Christmas? Is it an essential doctrine to Christianity, or the embellishment of legend, or some type of Biblical metaphor? He looks at Luke's gospel to answer this question in the first installment of our Christmas series.
Pastor Bruce Crane continues our in Hebrews. In Hebrews 7:4 we are told to "consider how great this man was", yet most of us know little about this mysterious man named Melchizedek. We will see that Melchizedek was a type or picture of Jesus, our great high priest, and look at four reasons Melchizedek's priesthood was better than the Levitical priesthood.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in the book of Hebrews. He explains the connection between faith, obedience, and the promises of God. Hebrews teaches us that promises, whether true or false, can have great power in our lives either for good or bad.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. He answers the questions: What does the Bible teach about whether or not a Christian can lose their salvation? Is spiritual immaturity a sign that someone is in danger of "falling away"? The author of Hebrews addresses these questions and shows us an often overlooked ingredient in the path to spiritual maturity. The outward markers of an immature Christian, and a professing Christian who’s not actually saved are virtually identical.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. He explains how Hebrews teaches that just how people grow from infancy to adulthood, so Christians ought to grow and mature in walking with Christ. Some hearing the message to the Hebrews have failed to do so. What are the markers of spiritual immaturity, and how can we avoid the same pitfalls today?
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. One of the keys to following Christ is remembering that we need help to persevere. And the Bible says we need help in the form of a High Priest. What is the significance of the High Priest, and how does Jesus fulfill that role in the new covenant for Christians? Hebrews 5 answers these questions.
Pastor Bruce Crane continues our series in Hebrews. Bruce explains how the consequence of unbelief for God's people is to not enter His rest. This passage indicates that the cure for unbelief is to apply two biblical principles: to let God's word impact our lives, and to draw near to Jesus, our great high priest.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. He answers the questions: "What is the relationship between God's rest offered to the Israelites in the book of Exodus, and the rest offered to the people of God today?" and "How do we enter that rest, and what lessons can we learn from the Israelites in the desert?" We learn that saving faith is enduring faith, and enduring faith is a fruitful faith.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. He shows how Hebrews 3 begins with what amounts to one of the strongest warnings in the book and urges its readers, "do not harden your hearts". What does it mean to harden our hearts, and how can we obey the command not to?
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. He explores why Jesus had to become a man. He answers the question, "Why couldn't God have orchestrated the salvation of people by a different means?" The author of Hebrews answers this question in Hebrews 2:14-3:6.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on Hebrews. He dives into the question, "How is it that the Son of God provides salvation?" This week the author of Hebrews transitions from who Jesus is and the salvation He's proclaimed and provided, to how exactly that salvation works.
Pastor Bruce Crane continues our series in Hebrews. He explains the way to keep from drifting into spiritual danger is to be anchored to God’s word. Those who neglect God’s word are in danger of drifting into God’s punishment.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Hebrews. He addresses the questions of: Why does the author of Hebrews take some much time arguing that Jesus is better than angels? How is Jesus better than angels and why should we care?
Pastor Darrin Miedema begins our series in Hebrews. He gives a brief introduction and then looks at one of the book's primary contentions; that Jesus is a better, fuller, more complete, and final revelation of the knowledge of God.
Pastor Darrin Miedema finishes our series in Luke. He explains how what you see and what you believe will dictate your desires. Ironically, it's a blind man in Luke chapter 18 who has the clearest view of who Jesus is, and therefore has the most sincere desire to know and follow Him. Jesus' interaction with a blind beggar challenges our notions of what's valuable and what we really want.
Pastor Greg Altmaier continues our series in Luke. He highlights the themes of the Son of God, and Jesus’ death on the cross, and the implications for unbelievers and believers.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in the Gospel of Luke. Listen as he talks about Jesus' encounter with a rich, young ruler who asks how to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus' instructions to this man reveal an additional heart condition required for saving faith in Jesus.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our study in Luke. He addresses questions like: What does it take to go to heaven? What type of person will be a part of the coming Kingdom of God? Jesus' response is as shocking today as it was to His audience 2,000 years ago.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Luke. He explains how the ability to commune with and talk to God is one of the greatest privileges of the Christian life. And yet, many Christians struggle to pray consistently. Why is this? Jesus answers this question in a very practical parable about prayer.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series in Luke. He addresses, "When will the Kingdom of God come?" This is a question the people of God have been asking for thousands of years, and it's the question Jesus responds to at the end of Luke 17. When will the Kingdom of God come, and what does that mean for our lives?
Key Scripture: Luke 17:20-37
Pastor Bruce Crane continues our study in Luke 17. He explores the the lessons of thankfulness and worshipping Jesus. Dying for our sins is reason enough to thank Jesus every day for the rest of our lives.
Pastor Darrin continues our series in Luke. What are followers of Jesus supposed to do when following Him seems impossible? In this passage, Jesus teaches that it's not the quantity of faith that produces power, but the object of faith.
Key scripture: Luke 17:5-10 Related passages: Ephesians 4, Luke 23, Luke 12, John 13 Topics: Forgiveness, Faith
Pastor Darrin continues our series in Luke. With so much sin and temptation in and outside of the church, how can a church hope to stay healthy, vibrant, united, and fruitful? Jesus gives his followers some key instructions on rebuke and forgiveness in this passage.
Key scripture: Luke 17:1-4 Related passages: 1 Tim 6, 1 Cor 1, Phil 2, Heb 10, Romans 12 Topics: Confronting Sin, Forgiveness
Pastor Darrin continues the series in Luke. One of the most fundamental questions to the human experience is, "What happens after I die?" Jesus answers that question with incredible force and specificity in this famous story of the rich man and Lazarus.
Key Scripture: Luke 16:19-31 Related Passages: Matthew 6, Revelation 21, Topics: Heaven, Hell, Repentance, Eternity
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues part five of our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin presents Jesus' pathology of the deadliness of self-righteousness and how it can take root in a heart.
Key scripture: Luke 16 Related passages: John 18, Matthew 23, Matthew 19, 1 Corinthians 7 Topics: Self-righteousness, Pride, Truth, Worship
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues part five of our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin shares Jesus' urgent call for believers to consider eternity in how we manage what He's given us.
Key scripture: Luke 16 Related passages: Matthew 6, Psalm 50, Mark 8, 2 Corinthians 8 Topics: Money, Eternity, Friends, Greed
Pastor Derek Wadle continues part five of our series on the Gospel of Luke. Derek explores how we see how both sons in the parable are lost, one in his sin, the other in his self-righteousness, and the joy of God when someone repents.
Key scripture: Luke 15 Related passages: Ezekiel 18, Matthew 7, Psalm 51 Topics: Confession, Repentance, Joy, Grace, Pride, Sin
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues part five of our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin shares two universal principles: there's a connection between what you value and what brings you joy, and human beings are often very bad at assigning proper value to things.
Key scripture: Luke 15 Related passages: Ezekiel 34, Isaiah 53, 1 Peter 2, Hebrews 12 Topics: Values, The Lost, Joy, Shepherd
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues part five of our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin shares how Jesus repeatedly taught that radical devotion is the entry point, not the ending point, for following Him. In this passage Jesus lays out exactly what it will cost a person to follow Him.
Key scripture: Luke 14 Related passages: Luke 6, Matthew 28, Matthew 13, John 10 Topics: Discipleship, Cost, Possessions, Relationships
Pastor Derek Wadle continues part five of our series on the Gospel of Luke. Derek explores the parable of the Great Banquet where Jesus explains the unfolding plan of redemptive history and why our flimsy excuses show a lack of desire to follow Christ.
Key scripture: Luke 14 Related passages: Isaiah 25, Revelation 3, Amos 9, Acts 15 Topics: Pride, Mission, Rejection, Delight
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues part five of our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin shows how this interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees reveals why humility is one of the most counterintuitive attitudes a human being can adopt and how we can combat the deceptive allure of pride.
Key scripture: Luke 14 Related passages: Proverbs 22, Luke 11, Matthew 6, Philippians 2 Topics: Pride, Humility, Eternity, Motives
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues part five of our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin shows how this passage is a case study from the Lord Jesus on the devastating affects of pride.
Key scripture: Luke 14 Additional passages: Proverbs 16, Romans 12, Philippians 3 Topics: Pride, Humility, Hypocrisy, Pretense
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues part five of our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin shares how Jesus models the corresponding and reciprocal facets of courage and compassion needed for following Him.
Key scripture: Luke 13 Additional passages: Hebrews 12, Matthew 14, Luke 9, John 4, 2 Peter 3 Topics: Compassion, Courage, Growth, Momentum
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues part five of our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin explores how Jesus destroyed the expectations of people about how to enter the Kingdom of God and shares why entrance to the Kingdom is difficult and few find it.
Key scripture: Luke 13 Additional passages: Matthew 13, 2 Corinthians 5, John 18, 1 Corinthians 9 Topics: Kingdom, Expectations, Grace, Effort
Pastor Greg Altmaier continues part five of our series on the Gospel of Luke. Greg examines how Jesus commands the setting He is in, controls the spiritual realm, and confronts the religious system of the day.
Key scripture: Luke 13 Topics: Spiritual, Religious System, Law, Mercy
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off part five of our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin looks at Jesus' answer to the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"
Key scripture: Luke 13 Related passages: Galatians 5, Colossians 1, 2 Peter 3, Matthew 3 Topics: Fruit, Repentance, Tragedy
Pastor Darrin Miedema concludes our Easter season mini-series on the betrayal, trial, death, and resurrection of Jesus through the gospel of Matthew. Darrin looks at how the resurrection of Christ is essential to the gospel message and why it's such good news.
Key scripture: Matthew 28 Related passages: Matthew 27, Isaiah 53, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Timothy 2, John 3 Topics: Gospel, Resurrection, Easter, Holiness, Death
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our Easter season mini-series on the betrayal, trial, death, and resurrection of Jesus through the gospel of Matthew. Darrin explores how Matthew's passion story answers why all the disciples abandon Jesus in His greatest need and how the gospel empowers believers to stand with Jesus even in great difficulty.
Key scripture: Matthew 26 Related passages: Matthew 16, Romans 7, John 18 Topics: Self Reliance, Denial, Prayer, Atonement, Fear
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our Easter season mini-series on the betrayal, trial, death, and resurrection of Jesus through the gospel of Matthew. Darrin shares how in Matthew's account of the betrayal of Jesus, we see the pattern for how all people will ultimately respond to Jesus and the source of that response.
Key scripture: Matthew 26 Related passages: John 12, Hebrews 2, John 3, 1 John 2 Topics: Love, Hate, Hypocrisy, Betrayal, Worship
Pastor Jacob Van Sickle concludes our series on the Book of 2 Timothy. Jacob wraps up by looking at the final farewell of Paul and the 18 people he greets by name, looking at how each person tells a story of Paul's ministry and the Christian life.
Key scripture: 2 Timothy 4:9-22 Topics: Teams, the Christian Life, Expectations
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 2 Timothy. Darrin explores how and why one of the mandates of the Christian life is that followers of Christ are to preach the Word of God.
Key scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-8 Related passages: Romans 10, Luke 6, 1 Corinthians 4 Topics: Preaching, Teaching, Scripture, Eternity, Reward
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 2 Timothy. Darrin looks at what it is about the Bible that makes it helpful, authoritative, and reliable. Paul's words to Timothy in this passage answer this question more clearly than almost any other passage of Scripture.
Key scripture: 2 Timothy 3:10-17 Related passages: John 3, Romans 10, 2 Peter 3 Topics: Scripture, Inspiration, Sufficiency, Power, Salvation, Sanctification
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 2 Timothy. Darrin explores what connects a Christian to the supernatural power of God and explains the most dangerous kind of false religion.
Key scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-9 Related passages: Matthew 7, Romans 1, Matthew 22 Topics: Power, False Teaching, Love, Worship
Pastor Derek Wadle continues our series on the Book of 2 Timothy. Derek explores what it means to be a vessel for honor and dishonor and unpacks the command to flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.
Key scripture: 2 Timothy 2:20-26 Related passages: Romans 4, Romans 5, Romans 9, 1 Peter 1, Colossians 3, Galatians 5 Topics: Personal Holiness, Repentance, Biblical Literacy
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 2 Timothy. Darrin shares how one of the primary causes for suffering in the Christian life is the presence of false teachers and false teachings. Darrin explores how Christians can learn from Paul's instructions on how to recognize and resist false teaching.
Key scripture: 2 Timothy 2:14-19 Related passages: Acts 20, Philippians 3, Matthew 7, Matthew 9 Topics: False Teaching, Suffering, Fruit, Worker
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 2 Timothy. Darrin explores how God gives Christians strength through grace to preach the gospel to a lost world and how Paul describes suffering for the sake of multiplication.
Key scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-13 Related passages: Ephesians 2, 2 Corinthians 1, 2 Corinthians 12, 1 Thessalonians 2 Topics: Suffering, Grace, Strength, Multiplication
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Book of 2 Timothy. Stasos explores the instructions Paul gives to Timothy about the mindset needed in order to follow Christ.
Key scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-7 Topics: Surrender, Discipleship
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 2 Timothy. Darrin explores how fear can rob the Christian of power, love, and sound judgment. Darrin shares how in this passage Paul lays out the source and expectation of courage for the Christian life.
Key scripture: 2 Timothy 1:8-18 Related passages: Mark 8, Hebrews 2 Topics: Fear, Spirit, Power, Courage
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our new series on the Book of 2 Timothy. Darrin introduces the letter where Paul addresses the issue of fear and how to live unashamed for the gospel of Christ in the face of incredible difficulty.
Key scripture: 2 Timothy 1:1-8 Related passages: Acts 28, Philippians 2, John 15 Topics: Holy Spirit, Fear, Power, Friendship
Pastor Darrin Miedema examines what it is about Christians that should give us perseverance in the face of difficulty and looks at the mission Christians have and the Master who's given it.
Key scripture: Matthew 28:18-20 Related passages: Matthew 22, 2 Corinthians 5, 1 John 4, Philippians 3 Topics: Great Commission, Great Commandment, Worship, Perseverance
Pastor Darrin Miedema concludes our Go and Worship series. Darrin explains how Matthew makes the case that the wise will worship Jesus by portraying Him as the ultimate fulfillment of the Old Testament. Darrin shares how we are to make sense of his interpretation and what that mean for our own worship of Jesus.
Key scripture: Matthew 2:13-24 Related passages: Hosea 11, Jeremiah 31, Matthew 12, Luke 24, Romans 1 Topics: Worship, Prophecy, Typology
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our Go and Worship series. Darrin looks at the Gospel of Matthew's telling of the birth of the Messiah and examines how we should respond.
Key scripture: Matthew 2:1-12 Topics: Virgin Birth, Christmas, Gospel, Worship
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our Go and Worship series. Darrin looks at the scandalous, heart-breaking beginnings of the story of the birth of Jesus. Darrin shares how the modern commercialized view of Christmas has inoculated many believers to the true potency of what happened 2,000 years ago.
Key scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 Related passages: Hebrews 4 Topics: Advent, Virgin Birth, Christmas
Pastor Stasos Clark concludes our fall series on the Book of Proverbs. Stasos explores how Proverbs affirms what the rest of Scripture teaches regarding God's complete sovereignty over every aspect of life.
Key scripture: Proverbs 16:9 Related passages: Acts 17 Topics: Sovereignty, God's Will
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of Proverbs. Darrin explores how we can avoid the temptation of laziness and be wise in all of our work.
Key scripture: Proverbs 6:6-7 Related passages: Colossians 3, Genesis 2, Psalm 90, 2 Timothy 1 Topics: Work, Laziness, Apathy, Motivation
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of Proverbs. Darrin shares about the dangers and causes of poverty and explains how we can make sense of the Bible's wide range of teaching on poverty.
Key scripture: Proverbs 30:7-9 Related passages: Luke 6 Topics: Money, Poverty, Humility
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of Proverbs. Darrin shares how Proverbs points us to a lasting wealth in Christ and explores how Christians should view wealth, how someone becomes wealthy, and whether or not being rich is bad.
Key scripture: Proverbs 11:4 Related passages: Genesis 1, Matthew 6, 2 Corinthians 8 Topics: Money, Wealth, Poverty, Work
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our fall series on the Book of Proverbs. Stasos explores what patience is and how we can grow in it.
Key scripture: Proverbs 16:32 Related passages: Proverbs 15 Topics: Patience, Anger
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of Proverbs. Darrin looks at how the author of Proverbs contrasts God's good design for sex with the dangerous trap of expressing human sexuality outside of those boundaries.
Key scripture: Proverbs 6:20-35 Related passages: Proverbs 7, Matthew 5, Ephesians 5, James 5 Topics: Sex, Addiction, Porn, Unity, Intimacy, Confession
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of Proverbs. Darrin explains that if we want to be wise, we must embrace God's good design for human sexuality. This week Darrin explores God's design for sex, and next week we'll contrast that against all of the destructive perversions of sex in the world.
Key scripture: Proverbs 5:15-23 Related passages: Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Genesis 3, Ephesians 5 Topics: Sex, Marriage, Intimacy, Pleasure
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of Proverbs. Darrin explores how parents can direct their kids down the path of wisdom by God’s grace through exploring the Book of Proverbs, which has more to say about parenting than almost any other book of the Bible.
Key scripture: Proverbs 1:8 Related passages: Deuteronomy 6, Ezekiel 36, Matthew 22 Topics: Parenting, Wisdom
Pastor Jacob Van Sickle continues our new series on the Book of Proverbs. Jacob explains the two paths in life and how God calls us to follow Him on the path of righteousness.
Key scripture: Proverbs 4:10-27 Related passages: Romans 6, Hebrews 12 Topics: Righteousness, Sanctification
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our new series on the Book of Proverbs. Darrin explores how one of the greatest threats to the human heart is pride and explains four practical steps we can take to guard against pride and walk in humility.
Key scripture: Proverbs 4:23 Related passages: Proverbs 6, Proverbs 2, Genesis 3 Topics: Guarding the Heart, Pride, Humility, Authority, Counsel, Scripture
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our new series on the Book of Proverbs. Darrin explores how the Bible makes it clear that the companion to the fear of the Lord and wisdom is humility, and the enemy to the fear of the Lord is pride. Darrin shows the deceptive nature of pride, how to guard against it, and how to pursue humility.
Key scripture: Proverbs 8:13 Related passages: James 4, Proverbs 16, Proverbs 6, Deuteronomy 17, Deuteronomy 18 Topics: Pride, Humility, Deception
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our new series on the Book of Proverbs. Darrin explores what it means to fear the Lord. Darrin looks at examples from both the Old and New Testament to see how as believers we can both fear God and know God is our Father, friend, counselor, and protector.
Key scripture: Proverbs 2:1-5 Related passages: Isaiah 6, Matthew 17, Luke 12, Jonah 1 Topics: Fear, Holiness, Sin, Repentance, Faith, Beginning
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our new series on the Book of Proverbs. Darrin introduces the Book of Proverbs and begins to answer three key questions: What is wisdom? Why is it valuable? How do you attain it?
Key scripture: Proverbs 1:1-7 Related passages: 1 Corinthians 1 Topics: Wisdom, Foolishness
Pastor Darrin Miedema finishes our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin takes a look at how the generation living in Israel during Jesus' life and ministry had one of the greatest opportunities in human history to know and follow Christ, yet the vast majority of them wasted it. Darrin examines how Jesus' preaching to His generation speaks clearly and poignantly to our generation in terms of what we ought to do with our opportunity to know Christ.
Key scripture: Luke 12:54-59 Related passages: Matthew 16, John 3, Luke 4 Topics: Opportunity, Messiah, Judgment
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Stasos explains how Jesus draws attention to the division he will cause as a result of what He teaches regarding judgment and the way of salvation.
Key scripture: Luke 12:49-53 Topics: Judgment, Salvation
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin looks at the job Jesus gives to His disciples and examines if all Christians are given the same responsibilities.
Key scripture: Luke 12:41-48 Related passages: Luke 11, Matthew 22, Matthew 28 Topics: Responsibility, Purpose, Faith
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin looks at Jesus' strong command for His audience to be ready for His return and explains how we can be ready.
Key scripture: Luke 12:35-40 Related passages: 2 Peter 3, Hebrews 12, Romans 13 Topics: Second Coming of Christ, Judgment, Kingdom of God
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin looks at the reasons Jesus gives why His followers should not worry and what He instructs them to do instead. Darrin explains what is to be the guiding priority for all of life.
Key scripture: Luke 12:29-34 Related passages: 1 John 2, Matthew 5-7 Topics: Priority, Kingdom of God, Anxiety
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Stasos takes a look at Jesus' warning against anxiety and reminds us of God's faithful provision.
Key scripture: Luke 12:22-28 Related passages: Philippians 4 Topics: Anxiety
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin examines how Jesus exposes one of the primary, underlying philosophies of the world – the illusion that life is found in abundance. Darrin explains how Jesus teaches us that money, security, and pleasure will not produce real life, and shows us what will.
Key scripture: Luke 12:13-21 Related passages: John 4, John 6, John 10, 2 Corinthians 8 Topics: Life, Greed, Money, Joy
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin examines the great cost of following Jesus and looks at how He promises it will be worth it.
Key scripture: Luke 12:8-12 Related passages: Matthew 13, John 14, 1 Corinthians 12 Topics: Cost, Following Jesus, Blasphemy of the Spirit, The Holy Spirit
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin examines what Christians are to do with fear. Darrin explains how Jesus answers this question by not showing us how to eliminate fear but where the appropriate place to direct our fear is.
Key scripture: Luke 12:4-7 Related passages: John 9, John 16, Mark 8, Revelation 20, Psalm 90 Topics: Fear of God, Fear of Man, Hell
Deacon Jacob Van Sickle continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Jacob explains how the disciples were falling into the same temptation that the Pharisees had succumbed to and looks at how Jesus deals with the disease of hypocrisy as it relates to his up and coming leaders.
Key scripture: Luke 12:1-3 Related passages: Luke 5 Topics: Hypocrisy, Pride, Confession, Motives, Leadership, Temptation
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin examines how the response of the scribes and Pharisees to Jesus’ rebuke teaches us how and how not to respond to correction.
Key scripture: Luke 11:45-54 Related passages: Colossians 2, 1 Timothy 2, Isaiah 6 Topics: Correction, Hypocrisy, Humility, Pride
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin takes a look at how Jesus condemns the fake, hypocritical self-righteousness of the Pharisees and gives His listeners a clear test to examine their own hearts for hypocrisy.
Key scripture: Luke 11:37-44 Related passages: Matthew 22, Matthew 23, John 3 Topics: Hypocrisy, Self-Righteousness, Motives
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin takes a look at how Jesus uses one of the most basic human experiences, light and darkness, to explain the ability to see spiritual realities and examines how we can determine if our perspective is right.
Key scripture: Luke 11:33-36 Related passages: John 1, Ephesians 1, 2 Corinthians 4, Hebrews 4 Topics: Light, Darkness, Sight
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin examines Jesus' condemnation of his culture for their evil self-righteousness and offers the solution for the evil of every culture.
Key scripture: Luke 11:29-32 Related passages: Jonah 1, 1 Kings 10, Romans 1 Topics: Unrighteousness, Self-Righteousness, Pride, Empathy
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 2 Peter. Darrin discusses the significance of the second coming of Jesus.
Key scripture: 2 Peter 3:1-7 Related passages: Psalm 50, 1 Corinthians 15, Matthew 24 Topics: Second Coming, Flood, Creation
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 2 Peter. Darrin examines the Apostle Peter's warnings about false teachers' objectives and how empty promises lead to death instead of freedom.
Key scripture: 2 Peter 2:17-19 Related passages: John 4, Romans 6 Topics: Promises, Freedom, Sexuality
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 2 Peter. Darrin discusses the Apostle Peter's warnings to early Christians regarding the subtlety of false teachers and how we can guard against false teaching today.
Key scripture: 2 Peter 2:10-16 Related passages: Acts 18, Jude 1, Numbers 22, Numbers 23, Numbers 24 Topics: False Teaching, Authority, Greed
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Book of 2 Peter. Stasos examines the characteristics of false teachers and the judgment that awaits them.
• Key scripture: 2 Peter 2:1-10 • Topics: Judgment, False Teaching, Truth
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 2 Peter. Darrin examines the life-altering impact of The Gospel on our lives.
Key scripture: 2 Peter 1:16-21 Related passages: Luke 9, Luke 24 Topics: Truth, Devotion, Focus
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 2 Peter. Darrin examines why God's people are so forgetful and the Apostle Peter's solution to our tendency to wander from the truth.
• Key scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-15 • Related passages: Matthew 7, 2 Corinthians 5 • Topics: Transformation, Forgetfulness, Memory
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 2 Peter. Darrin answers the question, 'What role does human effort play in the process of salvation?'
• Key Scripture: 2 Peter 1:10-11 • Related passages: Romans 8, Matthew 7, 2 Corinthians 13 • Topics: Assurance, Salvation, Human Effort
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Book of 2 Peter. Stasos explains the pattern of growth in the life of a Christian that comes as a result of knowing Christ.
Key Scripture: 2 Peter 1:5-9 Related passages: James 2, Ephesians 2, 2 Corinthians 5 Topics: Growth, Fruit
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our new series on the Book of 2 Peter. Darrin introduces 2 Peter and looks at why what you believe is the most important thing about you.
Key Scripture: 2 Peter 1:1-4 Topics: Power, Provision, Scripture
Pastor Darrin Miedema concludes our fall series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Darrin looks at the many similar characteristics between David and Saul’s lives and their very different outcomes. Darrin discusses the question: how can a person be so religious and not know God?
Key Scripture: 1 Samuel 29-31 Topics: Trust, Faith, Repentance
Pastor Darrin Miedema finishes our Christmas mini-series Impossible. Darrin shares the story of Jesus’ birth, the things we can celebrate in the arrival of Christ, and the great hope we have in the gospel.
Topics: Jesus, Birth, Christmas, Gospel
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our Christmas mini-series Impossible. Stasos discusses how God works supernaturally to orchestrate Jesus being born from David's line in David's city.
Topics: God's Sovereignty, Christmas, Prophecy
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our Christmas mini-series Impossible. Darrin discusses how the virgin birth impacted the lives of the people involved at that time and today. Darrin explains how critical is it that Christians today believe in the historic event of the virgin conception.
Topics: Virgin Birth, Faith
Pastor Darrin Miedema takes a look at what Jesus has to say about how a heart that’s been transformed by the gospel will view and handle money.
Topics: Money, Finances
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Darrin looks at David as he deals with the difficult choice of disobeying God and ending the most painful trial of his life, or trusting God and risking the continuation of incredible pain and danger. Darrin shares how David's story teaches us that God gives us resources to wait for His purpose and timing.
Topics: Waiting, Trust, Faith, Pain
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Darrin explains how David’s rapid ascension to popularity and success takes a dramatic turn as he enters into what will be the most difficult trial of his life and addresses how God uses pain in our lives.
Topics: Pain, Difficulty, Trust, Failure
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our fall series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Stasos discusses how as the intensity of Saul's pursuit of David grows, we see the incredible pride of Saul, the great faith of David, and the deep love of Jonathan for David.
Topics: Pride, God's Will, Faith, Love, Covenant
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Darrin takes an in-depth look at the jealous eye of King Saul and the chaos it produces.
Topics: Insecurity, Jealousy, Grace
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Darrin describes how the story of David and Goliath really is a gospel story that points to humanity’s need for salvation and deliverance by God, and God’s faithfulness and mercy to intervene on our behalf.
Topics: The Gospel, Salvation, Death, Sin
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Darrin shows how God's command to Samuel to anoint a new king illustrates the basic principle that human sight and knowledge is limited where God's are not. Darrin explains how in order to see what God sees we must trust His Word in faith.
Topics: Faith, Sight, God's Word
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our fall series on 1 Samuel. Stasos discusses Saul's repeated disobedience and God's rejection of him as king.
Topics: Obedience, Judgment
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Darrin discusses the tension the nation of Israel is feeling after the anointing of Saul, their first king, and how by God's grace, Saul gets off to a good start.
Topics: Idolatry, Grace, Judgment
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Darrin discusses how Samuel leads the nation of Israel in repentance and worship of God, but as the end of his life approaches, the people are looking for a new leader.
Topics: Worship, Idolatry
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Darrin walks through the story of Israel's devastating loss of the ark and God's glorious self-sufficient rescue.
Topics: Israel, Ark of the Covenant, God, Judgment, Gospel, Glory
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our fall series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Stasos explains how God speaks to a boy named Samuel giving him a message to share and discusses how God speaks to us primarily through His Word.
Topics: Hearing God, God's Word
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our fall series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Darrin looks at the state of affairs in the nation of Israel, with appalling corruption in the temple. Darrin discusses how the judgment of God against the priests of Israel is a powerful reminder of the holiness of God and the depth of His grace in Christ.
Topics: Wrath, Judgment, Wickedness
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our fall series on the Book of 1 Samuel. Darrin discusses how when we experience deep, long-term disappointment it will either drive us away from God or toward God.
Topics: Disappointment, Joy
Pastor Darrin Miedema finishes up our series on the Book of Luke. Darrin discusses how after returning from their missionary journey, the 72 disciples learned first hand that giving up their lives to follow Jesus brings great, lasting joy.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Luke. Darrin discusses how Jesus teaches His followers that their role is to proclaim the gospel message of the coming of God's Kingdom. Darrin explains the four foundational principles for gospel ministry Jesus lays out that still apply for Christians today.
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Book of Luke. Stasos discusses Jesus' encounter with the Samaritans and three other individuals on his journey to Jerusalem and explains the high cost and sacrificial nature of following Jesus.
Topics: Obedience, Discipleship
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Luke. Darrin discusses how everyone has a desire to be great and asks what greatness is. Darrin explains how Jesus flips the disciples’ definition of greatness upside down as He teaches them that the greatest among them must be the least.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin looks at how the disciples go from the greatest moment of their lives to one of their greatest moments of failure. He highlights Jesus' explanation of the importance of faith, and the connection between faith and prayer.
Pastor Jon Crane continues our series on the Book of Luke. Jon explains Jesus’ brilliant strategy for gospel ministry through the way He empowered His apostles. Jon discusses how that same strategy is relevant for our lives and ministry as well.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin discusses how in the middle of the greatest experience of the disciples' lives, God reveals that there is something more reliable and more important than experiences.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin discusses how Jesus asks the disciples the most important question of their lives. Darrin explains how Jesus' ministry begins to take a turn as His disciples are becoming more clear about His identity, and the crowds are beginning to reject Him.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin looks at one of the greatest miracles recorded in the Bible. Darrin discusses how Jesus teaches His disciples and the crowds that no matter who you are or what your situation is, Jesus Himself is your greatest need.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Luke. Darrin discusses how Jesus entered into the world of two people desperate for help in a personal way and demonstrated His authority over sickness and death.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Luke. Darrin explains the power of Jesus to conquer and deliver from evil and how that can transform and redirect a person's entire life.
Pastor Jon Crane continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Jon discusses how Jesus has infinite power and command over nature and our circumstances. Jon explains how this reality gives great calm in the midst of life’s fiercest storms if we learn to live by faith in Him and not by fear of our circumstances.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin examines how Jesus used a parable about soil to prepare his disciples for the reality that when they preached the gospel, many people would reject their message.
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off the third installment of our sermon series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin explains how Jesus was preparing his disciples to go out and sow the seeds of the gospel.
Pastor Darrin Miedema wraps up our series on the Book of Galatians. Darrin discusses how the Apostle Paul closes his letter to the Galatians by contrasting the supreme love that motivates the heart of every Christian and the love for self that motivated the heart of the Judaizers.
Pastor Jon Crane continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Jon discusses how the spiritual reality of sowing and reaping means that every one of your decisions in life matters. Jon explains how nothing will impact your character transformation and intimacy with God more over time than understanding and applying this truth.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Darrin discusses how the Apostle Paul explains how a life lived by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit should impact the practical behavior of Christians and the relational dynamics of the church.
On Easter Weekend, Pastor Darrin Miedema discusses the corruption of mankind, the need to be changed, and the promise of the resurrection.
Topics: Physical Death, Spiritual Death, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Easter
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Darrin explores what it means to walk in the Spirit and crucify the flesh.
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Stasos explores the different ways we attempt to deal with our flesh, which is opposed to the Spirit of God living in us through our new birth in Christ.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Darrin explains the attributes of freedom in Christ and the attitudes of a Christian.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Darrin discusses how the illustration of Abraham's two sons and their mothers reveals what is true about the Old Covenant, the Law, and the New Covenant, Christ. Darrin then explains three results of being born of the promise.
Topics: Promises, Faith, Sanctification, Slavery
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Stasos discusses the emptiness of idol worship and the superiority of intimacy with Christ.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Darrin discusses the purposes of the law, the necessity of faith in Christ, and how being children of God is supposed to impact our joy and obedience in the Lord.
Topics: Law, Faith, Jesus, Sin
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Darrin explains the insufficiency of the law and how justification through faith is the only path to righteousness before God.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Darrin explains how the apostle Paul viewed justification and sanctification coming through God's Spirit, not as a result of works, or the flesh.
Pastor Jon Crane continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Jon discusses the shocking conflict between Paul and Peter and explains how Paul uses that as an opportunity to beautifully explain the only way that we can be justified before God and what will happen in our lives when we are.
Topics: Justification, Crucified with Christ, Fear of Man, Conflict, Salvation
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Darrin continues to develop Paul’s passionate defense of his gospel message and ministry from false teachers.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Darrin explains Paul's defense of his gospel message, that it was by revelation and not of human origin. Darrin discusses both the contention and evidence surrounding Paul's conversion experience.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Galatians. Darrin discusses the Apostle Paul's defense of the one gospel and the consequences of following a false belief.
Topics: The Gospel, Apostle Paul, False Teachers, Salvation
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our new series on the Book of Galatians. Darrin introduces the context surrounding the Book of Galatians, its major themes, and the authority of the apostle Paul as he wrote to the Galatians.
Pastor Darrin Miedema finishes our mini-series on the true meaning of Christmas. Darrin discusses the anticipation of Christmas and explains the call and work of Jesus.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our mini-series on the true meaning of Christmas. Darrin discusses how the birth of Christ foreshadows His second coming. Darrin explains how Jesus is coming again to judge the world, defeat death, and save the saints.
Pastor Darrin Miedema begins our mini-series on the true meaning of Christmas. Darrin discusses how Jesus didn’t come the first time to establish His Kingdom but to atone for sin so that people could be reconciled to God.
Pastor Darrin Miedema provides an update on the progress of the LIFT campaign in each of the three areas and discusses the vision for the next year of LIFT. LIFT is a capital campaign to help accelerate a growing gospel movement in Des Moines & around the world.
Pastor Stasos Clark concludes our series on the Book of Jonah. Stasos explains how Jonah's anger revealed what he valued and discusses Jonah's misunderstanding of God's grace in his own life.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Jonah. Darrin explains how disappointment with God will lead to massive dysfunction in your life, often caused by having inappropriate expectations of God's character or promises.
Topics: Disappointment, Expectations, God's Character. Anger
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Jonah. Darrin focuses on how a worker initiates gospel conversations with unbelievers and then practically explains how every believer can do that. Darrin finishes with the importance of prayer if we are going to be lifelong workers in the Lord's harvest.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Jonah. Darrin explains three more defining characteristics of a worker and discusses how faith is what connects people to the saving work of Christ.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Jonah. Darrin begins a three-part discussion on Matthew 9 to explain Jesus' instruction to believers on how to be involved in the Kingdom of God and what it looks like to be moved with compassion toward others.
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Book of Jonah. Stasos discusses how despite Jonah's best efforts to the contrary, Nineveh undergoes unparalleled repentance from their wicked ways.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the book of Jonah. Darrin discusses Jonah's unmerited second chance and the power of God's wonderful grace.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Jonah. Darrin explains how the discipline of God is not one dimensional but is dynamic and powerful, helping us to share in the holiness of God if we will be trained by it.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Jonah. Darrin explains the problem of what idolatry demands and what idolatry delivers, and discusses how a cause of persistent disobedience is because you have forgotten God.
Topics: Idolatry, Prayer, Repentance, Worship
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Book of Jonah. Stasos discusses how though Jonah continues to do everything he can to avoid obeying God's call, God mercifully continues to pursue him through miraculous means, simultaneously revealing Himself to the pagan sailors as the One True God.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Jonah. Darrin discusses the result of Jonah's disobedience and the pain he is causing to those around him. Darrin explains how despite Jonah's dishonor, God continues to pursue Jonah with His mercy.
Topics: Disobedience, Sin, Mercy
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off our new series on the Book of Jonah. Darrin looks at the interpretive challenges and historical context surrounding the events of the Book of Jonah. Darrin discusses the motives for and consequences of Jonah's disobedience and how believers can learn from his example.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin discusses Jesus' assessment of the generation of His time and explains how stubborn unbelief is the result of someone who doesn’t want to believe God’s Word.
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Stasos explains the doubt John the Baptist has about Jesus' claim to be the Messiah and discusses how Jesus generously provides the evidence needed to help John see Him for who He really is.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin discusses the amazing faith, counter cultural character, and genuine humility of the centurion and explains how a believer's life should make sense in light of Jesus' works and words.
NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, only the last 19 minutes of this sermon was recorded. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin explains the heart behind Jesus' question and discusses how obedience is the overflow out of a life surrendered to Jesus' Lordship.
Pastor Jon Crane continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Jon discusses how the fruit of a person's life and lips reveals the kingdom that rules their heart and explains how only God can fundamentally change a person at the very core of their being.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin discusses how Jesus cares deeply about our attitudes toward people and explains how in this passage, Jesus instructs believers to judge charitably with mercy instead of with a hypocritical, self-righteous attitude.
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Stasos discusses Jesus' unique brand of radical, unconditional love that characterizes his true followers.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin discusses Jesus' strategy in choosing the 12 apostles and how God uses ordinary, humble people to advance His kingdom.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin discusses the pharisees' objections with Jesus' message and explains how combining the gospel with your own traditions does not lead to true life.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin discusses the progression of Jesus' teachings and how Christ's message of repentance and forgiveness was extended to all people.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin discusses how the miracles of Jesus validated His authority to forgive sins.
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Stasos discusses Jesus' encounter with a leprous man and shows how Christ's compassion extends beyond physical healing to spiritual renewal.
Topics: Healing, Leprosy, Holiness, Law
Pastor Jon Crane continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Jon examines Jesus’ public interaction with Simon Peter and his fellow fisherman and shows how Simon’s response to truth is a model for a Christian’s life.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on The Gospel of Luke. Darrin discusses Jesus' fulfillment of messianic prophecy and characteristics of miraculous healing throughout history.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin examines the sovereign power of Christ and how even Satan and demonic fall under His righteous authority.
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Gospel of Luke. Stasos discusses why Jesus' hometown crowd in Nazareth rejected Him and how a neutral response to Christ is impossible.
Topics: Jesus, Nazareth, Blasphemy, Messiah, Divinity, Elijah
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off the second installment of our sermon series on the Gospel of Luke. Darrin discusses the reputation of Jesus and how His priorities upend religious and world systems that are opposed to God.
Pastor Darrin Miedema concludes our mini-series on foundational questions surrounding the Bible's claims of Christ's resurrection. Darrin examines the doubts of Thomas the Apostle, Jesus' compassion for skeptics, and the radical lives of the disciples.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our mini-series on foundational questions surrounding the Bible's claims of Christ's resurrection. Darrin examines the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus and the world-changing implications of His victory over death.
Pastor Jon Crane continues our mini-series on foundational questions surrounding the Bible's claims of Christ's resurrection. Jon examines the account of Jesus' empty tomb and discusses the significance of women finding the tomb first.
Pastor Darrin Miedema begins a mini-series on foundational questions surrounding the Bible's claims of Christ's resurrection. Darrin examines the account of Jesus' burial and discusses the significant role Joseph of Arimathea plays in the event.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Darrin discusses King David's godly pattern of confession and how in it we find a model for excuse-free repentance and reconciliation through Christ.
Topics: Sin, Guilt, Repentance, Adultery, Murder, Forgiveness, Grace, King David
Pastor Jon Schreiner continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Jon unpacks the story of King David's adultery with Bathsheba and discusses the timeless implications of David's murderous cover-up and God's response.
Pastor Stasos Clark continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Stasos discusses how God isn't only concerned about the performance of religious rituals, but obedience out of sincere repentance and thanksgiving.
Topics: Heart, Law, Obedience, Repentance, Sacrifice, Hypocrisy
Pastor Darrin Miedema speaks at the inaugural service in the newly renovated historic building at 107 6th St. SW in Altoona. Darrin recounts the history of Walnut Creek Altoona and discusses how we should always be rejoicing in God's faithfulness.
Topics: Faithfulness, Giving, Discipleship, The Gospel, Joy, The Great Commission
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Darrin examines the root causes of depression and highlights why Christ must be the foundation of an remedies we seek.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Darrin talks about how King David wrestled with his own sin and examines how God disciplines us according to His love and holiness.
Topics: David, Frustration, Prayer, Perspective
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Darrin discusses the source of King David's confidence and how we can face our fears through faith in God.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Darrin examines how lasting peace and contentment are only found in our good shepherd, Jesus Christ.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Darrin examines the messianic text of Psalm 22 and discusses why it's so important that Jesus fulfilled each part of this prophetic song.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Darrin discusses Sheol, Hell, and the hope King David found in God's power over death.
Topics: Sheol, Hell, Heaven, Death
Pastor Jon Crane continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Jon discusses how God displays his majesty in creation and how His glory gives us a foundation for human dignity.
Topics: Glory, Dignity, Creation, Wonder, Hope
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Darrin examines how King David prayed and why our knowledge of God's attributes should direct our prayers.
Topics: Prayer, David, Promise, Character, Confidence
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Darrin examines how David turns to the promises of God in times of trouble and how we should process our grief in prayer.
Topics: Trials, Promises, David, Prayer, Worship
Pastor Jon Schreiner continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Jon examines the context of Psalm 3 by recounting David's complacency and the effects of his disobedience.
Topics: David, Disobedience, Complacency
Pastor Luke Hukee continues our series on the Book of Psalms. Luke examines God's response to rebellion and how walking in God's promises leads to life and true freedom.
Topics: Rebellion, Refuge, Promises, Obedience
Pastor Darrin Miedema kicks off a new series on the Book of Psalms. Darrin discusses how lasting happiness comes only through delighting in God's Word and being rooted in His wisdom and righteousness.
**NOTE: Only the first 19 minutes of this sermon was recorded. We will post any additional audio if we are able to recover it. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Pastor Darrin Miedema discusses God's invitation to us to join Him in laboring for His Kingdom. Darrin highlights the need to examine the fruit that our lives are producing and how to invest our lives God's purposes.
Pastor Darrin Miedema discusses the significance and the responsibility of a father to direct the heart of his kids to God Himself.
Topics: Fatherhood, Parenting, Love, Discipleship, Family
Pastor Darrin Miedema discusses the events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus and why His empty tomb is central to the Gospel.
Pastor Darrin Miedema examines Jesus' sovereignty over his own arrest and why he went to the cross willingly.
Pastor Darrin Miedema wraps up our series on the new life found in Christ. Darrin discusses the Apostle Paul's attitude toward suffering and how a proper perspective on pain will help us endure hardship in our lives.
Pastor Jon Schreiner continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Jon examines why Christians experience suffering and how God uses it to refine our hearts and reach the world.
Pastor Jon Crane continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Jon discusses the importance of love within the body of Christ and why unity is a powerful apologetic to the world.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Darrin examines how our union with God is the foundation for our unity with other Christians, which in turn impacts our ability to reach the world with the Gospel.
Pastor Jon Schreiner continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Jon discusses how to navigate Gospel-centered conversations and why it's important to share your faith.
Topics: Faith, Fruit, Judgment, Rewards, Decisions
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Darrin discusses Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations and how it should apply to the mission of our lives today.
Topics: The Great Commission, Discipleship, Evangelism, Mission, The Gospel
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Darrin discusses why having deep roots in Christ keeps us focused on pleasing God and investing in eternity.
Topics: Faith, Fruit, Judgment, Eternity, Worship, Idolatry
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Darrin examines how anxiety can short circuit our faith and rob us of joy.
Pastor Dan Rude continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Dan examines how the Holy Spirit uses God's Word both to produce the new birth and refine Christians.
Topics: Faith, Obedience, Sin, Bible, Growth
Pastor Luke Hukee continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Luke discusses what God-centered faith looks like and how it is rooted in the promises of His word.
Topics: Faith, Word, Bible, Promises, Conviction, Trust, Noah
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Darrin continues examining John 15 and discusses how abiding in Christ is linked to obedience.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Darrin examines the Apostle Paul's instructions to the Philippians related to unity and humility.
Pastor Jon Schreiner continues our series on the new life in Christ. Jon looks at God the Father's role in pruning our lives and the local church.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Darrin examines Jesus' commands to love your enemies and how to seek the highest good of those who oppose you on account of Christ.
Topics: Love, Hate, Enemy, Neighbor
Pastor Dan Rude continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Dan examines the purpose of community and how God has the designed the local church to foster spiritual maturity.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Darrin examines the far-reaching effects of pornography and God's desire for holiness in our sexuality.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Darrin examines God's design for sex and the havoc created in our lives by sexual immorality.
Author, speaker, and counselor Joe Dallas continues our series on the new life we have in Christ. Joe shares his own story of sexual abuse, confusion, and rebellion, and how every person can find clarity, restoration, and hope through Christ.
Pastor Darrin Miedema continues our series on the new life found in Christ. Darrin discusses how the Holy Spirit provides the power we need to overcome the sinful desires of our flesh.