Sermon from November 24, 2024

Anyone who wants to be first or the greatest must be the very last, and the servant of all (Mark 9:33-37). These words of instruction and correction come after Jesus asks His disciples: what were you arguing about on the road? Jesus is direct with His disciples, knowing that they had been arguing about who is the greatest among them as they travele…

When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth (Luke 18:1-8)? The book of Hebrews makes it clear that faith is the assurance of things hoped for – the conviction of things not seen – and that faith pleases God and leads to rewards only He can give (Hebrews 11:1-6). One of the primary ways that faith is expressed is through prayer. How w…

There is more to your story than your present reality and struggles (John 8:1-12). Our past, our failures, our weaknesses, our lack, our circumstances, and our pain do not have the final say in the story of our lives. Paralyzed by the fear of either being exposed or never being able to change, we can easily believe we are stuck in our misery and sh…

At the end of our lives we all want to be able to say the words of Paul “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7–8). This week we get to hear from Don Finto, an elder advisor to Beltway, who has faithfully served the Lord for eighty-three years. Join as we conclude our Think Ahead series with se…

In a world often focused on immediate pleasure, the decision to embrace consistency is vital. Becoming a follower of Jesus means being born again and becoming a vessel for the Holy Spirit. As stated in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a Spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” By walking in step with the S…

This week we explore the true meaning of generosity beyond just financial giving. In a world that trains us to make everything about ME, God calls us to something different. He calls us back to the design of the universe. He calls us back to be like Him. Out of all the decisions we've discussed through the Think Ahead series, this decision is the m…

Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, as seen in Matthew 5:13-16. In a world that is desperate for hope and direction, this passage reminds us of our vital role in bringing God's light into dark places. Yet, as Christians, it’s all too easy to lose sight of our identity and purpose as salt and light. We may become i…

Faithfulness starts with a decision: I will be faithful 100%. Though it comes with difficulty and a price, faithfulness is worth it. Faithfulness means we pre-decide to trust God (and not ourselves) and aim to see every interaction as an opportunity to add value, every resource as an opportunity to multiply, and every prompting as an opportunity to…

If God is not first in your life, nothing else will work right. If we are not careful, we can slip into a mode of being a part-time follower of Jesus instead of faithfully and passionately pursuing Him with whole-hearted devotion. That devotion does not accidentally happen; we will never inadvertently get close to Jesus. We must choose to think ahe…

We are more sinful than we think we are. And we are not as strong as we think we are in resisting temptation. Because our willpower against temptation will wane and wear out, we must pre-decide to move the line farther away from sin. We must magnify the cost of giving in to temptation, so that sin loses its luster. And we must map our escape, so th…

Step into the life God has for you! God has a life for us that’s far greater than anything we can imagine, but too often we miss out because we’re not making the bold decisions He’s calling us to. In the first episode of our new Think Ahead series, we invite you to take action now for the future you want to live. Decide now what you will do later! …

Teaching pastor, Geoffrey Turner, wraps up the Overcoming Discouragement series by teaching us that in the Lord, our labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58. It’s easy to look upon someone else’s reward and see the good without the difficulty. But the reality is, there is no reward without difficulty and sometimes discouragement. We have a Heaven…

Pastor David McQueen speaks to how Jesus is currently preparing a place in heaven for those that are anticipating His return, to bring us home to be with Him for all eternity, John 14:1-7. But we should not think of eternity as boring by any stretch of the imagination. Heaven is reigning with the Lord and reigning means we will reign over, we will …

Teaching Pastor Geoffrey Turner speaks of the Hope of Heaven within our Overcoming Discouragement series. He breaks down Revelation 21:1-8 and highlights how heaven is revitalization. Revelation, written by John, speaks to a new heaven and a new earth. Currently, we’re living on the old earth and those in heaven are in the old heaven. When Jesus re…

The second sermon within the Overcoming Discouragement series, Pastor David McQueen shares encouragement by knowing Hell is Defeated! During Jesus’ ministry, He spoke on hell at least 33 times. We know that because of sin, every human is destined for hell, a forever place of torment where people pay for their sins apart from God. But John 3:16 tell…

Teaching pastor Geoffrey Turner introduces a new sermon series, Overcoming Discouragement. He points out how we often have a focus problem, where we focus on the wrong thing, the “problem” or area of concern. Rather we should have an eternal focus that can transform our present reality. Paul’s letter to the people of Corinth spoke of the discourage…

Pastor David McQueen wraps up the sermon series over the Book of James and discusses how community is a nonnegotiable necessity for an abundant life. James, half-brother to Jesus, encourages us to persevere to the end so we may become mature and lacking nothing. At the end of his letter, James tells us one final facet for a life that lives more and…

Teaching pastor Geoffrey Turner speaks on the power of prayer and looks at what the book of James has to say about our prayer life. Prayer often plays a relatively small role in our lives and it’s easy to underestimate the importance of prayer and its potential impact on our daily lives. James 5:13-18 gives us a big overview of the importance of pr…

Pastor David McQueen continues through the book of James, breaking down James 5:7-11 over patience in suffering. James, brother to Jesus, tells us to wait like the farmer for the precious fruit of the earth, begin patient about it. The Father wants everyone to reap a harvest of precious fruit with our lives. God is bringing about the harvest, but f…

Geoffrey Turner challenges us to look carefully at how we are walking and to seize the day. When the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he told them to “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-17. We don’t want to look up and wonder where the time wen…

Geoffrey Turner discusses healthy conflict. Conflict is inevitable. We often experience conflict in unhealthy and negative ways by withdrawing, escalating, negatively interpreting, or invalidating. Proverbs 18 speaks a lot on conflict. While conflict is inevitable, unhealthy conflict is avoidable. Paul says in Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as i…

David McQueen shares how we can be confident and secure in SAVING faith! The crux of Christianity is wrapped up in one word: Save (Luke 19:10). Different from Paul writing about faith from God’s perspective, the book of James, written by the half-brother to Jesus, addresses faith from a human perspective. James 2:17-19 tells us how faith without wo…

Geoffrey Turner explains how we consciously or unconsciously form opinions when immediately seeing someone based on surface level attributes. These formed opinions leave us showing favoritism or partiality. The book of James highlights this judgement as sin and explains how partiality opposes the gospel and blocks its spread. As believers, we have …

David McQueen highlights how James 3:6 is a warning of how our words, the language we use, can set a fire of destruction in our lives. Words wield a power greater than we can imagine. In verse 8, James tells us that no human can tame the tongue. But in Luke 18:27, Jesus tells us what is impossible with men ispossible with God! Jesus came to do for …

James 1:19 tells us to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. James wants us to know to be quick to hear, not just to hear. Hearing is an active process, not a passive action. Being quick to hear changes our relationship with God and with others. We miss out on the life God has for us when we don’t hear Him. We cannot truly walk in rel…

Everyone is tempted by something. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 tells us that no one is immune to temptation. But it also tells us that God is faithful, He will not let us be tempted beyond our ability and He will always provide a way of escape. James 1:14-17 also tells us that we are all tempted by our own desires. Desire however, is not the problem. How…

Heavenly wisdom is guaranteed if we don’t doubt (James 1:5-8). Wisdom is having the faith and courage to apply the principles of God’s Word to our lives. It’s the ability to go beyond merely surviving each day to building a life of abundance. While earthly wisdom says an individual determines what is true for themselves, heavenly wisdom encourages …

God uses trials to increase faith in our lives (James 1:1-4). The book of James – written by James, the half-brother of Jesus – makes it clear that God wants us mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:4). That maturity produces abundance in our lives. At the beginning of the book, James establishes that part of maturity is learning to fi…

Living God’s way will come at a cost (Matthew 5:10-12). Scripture is clear that all who desire to live a Godly life in Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). When we align our hearts, desires, choices, and actions to Jesus and His kingdom, we stand in direct opposition to the world and culture around us. We begin to spiritually stink (2 Corinth…

God goes to extraordinary lengths to bring peace to our chaos, to heal our brokenness. Part of our response to how God works and moves in us to bring peace is to testify to what He has done, to share with others how He has brought wholeness (Psalm 107:2; Mark 5:18-20). Another part of our response is carrying the peace God has given us into the cha…

Blessed homes do not wish for peace; they make it (Matthew 5:9). Every person experiences conflict in their relationships; it is inevitable, especially in our homes with those we are closest to and spend the most time with. Even mature followers of Jesus can have disagreements and struggles (Acts 15:36-40). It is a reality that if we are pursuing J…

A pure heart is a vital ingredient to a blessed life and home (Matthew 5:8). In fact, the condition of our heart – that place of our desires, emotions, choices, and motives – is so important that we are taught to guard it above anything else (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus is clear that those with a pure heart not only receive blessing, but they will see Go…

Christ-centered homes are blessed (Matthew 5:6). Though most people desire happiness (or blessing), it seems exceptionally elusive. Experiencing circumstances that are consistently pleasant and a life relatively free from trouble is nearly impossible. In contrast, Jesus teaches that blessing has more to do with being on the right path than good cir…

Surrender to God imparts resilience (Matthew 26:36-39). We daily navigate the chaos and uncertainty of the world around us, leaving many hopeless, worried, and anxious. Jesus experienced a similar struggle, saying to some of His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane that His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Despite this menta…

Communion connects us to the resurrection power of Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:17-30). The practice of communion is a great equalizer and unifier. It reminds us that we all need a savior, regardless of our socio-economic status, nationality, race, or history. We take communion together simply as a community of the forgiven. When we engage in it,…

Jesus gives us a clear guardrail on the narrow road that leads to abundant life: beware of false teachers (Matthew 7:15-20). Jesus gives this warning because He knows how susceptible we are to the teachings and influence of false teachers. When we embrace false teachers and their ideas, we begin to make small, subtle decisions that eventually lead …

Carefully examining our lives and minimizing distractions protects us and acts as a guardrail on the narrow road that leads to abundant life (Ephesians 5:15-21). One of the primary tools the enemy uses against us is distractions, which often lead us to choosing what is good over what is best. We know with confidence that we are prioritizing what is…

Growing in both grace and truth acts as a guardrail on the narrow road of following Jesus (Mark 8:14-21). Jesus warns His followers to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod (Mark 8:15). Jesus is saying that there are small, subtle yet sinful ideas and beliefs that can carry significant influence in our hearts and run us off the…

The fear of the Lord is a guardrail keeping us on the narrow road (Matthew 10:17- 30). Though we are created for relationship with God and with others, sin has drastically affected our God-given desire for acceptance. If we are not careful, we will want human praise more than praise from God. Without guardrails, we will seek the approval of others …

God’s abundant blessing as we live generous lives is tied to our hearts (Mark 12:41-44). Jesus makes it clear to His followers, when He highlights a poor widow who gave all she had (two copper coins) into the temple treasury, that the amount of our giving is significantly less important than the condition of our hearts when we give. In seeking to l…

To be truly Christ-like is to excel in generosity (2 Corinthians 8:7). Jesus is (and has been) generous beyond what we can imagine. Out of His incredible love for us, He set aside His heavenly place to enter our sinfulness and messiness so that we could know Him and have eternal life (John 3:16; Philippians 2:5-8). Though He was rich, for our sake …

We cannot outgive God (Acts 20:32-35). Though it seems upside down from what is normal in our culture, we find provision and abundance when we embrace firstfruit generosity with our finances. From Malachi 3:10, firstfruit generosity means tithing 10% of our personal profit or income to the storehouse (e.g., your local church where you go for spirit…

Every follower of Jesus is a tool – used in tandem with other Jesus followers – to be the church and reach people for Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). Or as Paul wrote, we are the body of Christ, made up of many parts. Each part as God’s workmanship has a significant role to play, created intentionally to accomplish good works. When any part does no…

Saved people serve people (1 Peter 4:7-11). The call for all Jesus followers, even at the end of the age, is not to simply hang on and survive. We are challenged to serve, to use a portion of our time, talents, and skills to give to others. In fact, Jesus taught His disciples that the greatest among His followers is the one who serves (Luke 22:24-2…

Found people find people (Acts 1:4-8). The world is desperate for all that Jesus offers, and it is our responsibility as His followers to be a witness to the people around us. If we truly care about them, we cannot keep the good news of all that Jesus has accomplished for us to ourselves. Even if being a witness looks weird, makes us uncomfortable,…

It is more blessed to give than receive, especially in friendship (Acts 20:35). The research is clear: good relationships keep us happier and healthier. It is what Paul modeled and taught the elders of the church in Ephesus. We are not just blessed but more blessed (i.e., doubly blessed, blessed squared) when we give of ourselves for the sake of ot…

God wants to give us a supernatural power to have joy (Luke 2:8-11). At the birth of Jesus, an angel of the Lord appeared to nearby shepherds and proclaimed to them good news of great joy concerning the Savior of the world. Christmas – the coming of Jesus – is meant to bring us immense joy. His birth reveals God’s heart for us, that the King of Kin…

Faith is believing that God is who He says He is, and that He will do what He says He will do (Hebrews 11:1-3). Like in the movie The Polar Express, the presence of doubt is real and affects everyone, especially when it comes to the birth of Jesus and who He is. We struggle to believe fully in Jesus because of skepticism, pain, and disappointment. …

Christians live not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45). Like Paul quoting the storytellers of his day (Acts 17:28) to share the gospel of Jesus and His kingdom, movies and television today often echo elements of the story. It is these elements that stir God-given desires within us, like the desire for love and acceptance, the desire to see good…