In this episode, Danny, Jake, and Sam dig deeper into 1 John 2:3-6 and how we can know we’re truly in Christ without slipping into pride, fear, or complacency. It is essential to know that there is a tension between confidence and humility in the Christian life. John calls believers toward assurance, not shallow comfort or spiritual guesswork. We explore how Christ’s finished work and the Spirit’s ongoing work together produce a faith that is both secure and deeply joyful—and why obedience doesn’t earn salvation, but powerfully confirms it.

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Resources Currently Available at the Veritas Church Bookstore:

1 John - The Gospel-Centered Life in the Bible

1-3 John - Knowing The Bible 12 Week Study

1,2, & 3 John For You - God’s Word For You

Don’t Follow You Heart

1-3 John ESV Scripture Journal

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In this episode, Jake, Matthew, and Sam dig deeper into 1 John 1:5–2:1 and the uncomfortable-but-loving reality John addresses: there can be real Christians and self-deceived professing Christians sitting in the same room. John writes to strengthen true believers with confidence—and to unsettle false confidence where a “faith” exists without repentance. We talk through what it means that God is light, why walking in the light is a pursuit of holiness (not pretending to be sinless), and how the gospel gives believers both a battle plan against sin and a safety net when they fail—because we have an Advocate: Jesus Christ the righteous.

Highlights from the message:

Practical application:

Resources Currently Available at the Veritas Church Bookstore:

1 John - The Gospel-Centered Life in the Bible

1-3 John - Knowing The Bible 12 Week Study

1,2, & 3 John For You - God’s Word For You

Don’t Follow You Hear

1-3 John ESV Scripture Journal

Do you have a question you want us to address? Submit it now!

This week on Beyond the Message, Jake, Ian, and Sam recap the kickoff to our 1 John series with verses 1-4 in chapter 1. John’s opening aim is surprisingly clear: joy. Writing as an aging apostle and “father” to the churches, John addresses real threats inside the church—false teaching, growing worldliness, and a drift in devotion. But he’s not swinging for behavior modification. He’s aiming for something deeper: fellowship with the Father and the Son, and the kind of shared life in Christ that makes joy full.

John validates the real, embodied Jesus (“heard…seen…looked upon…touched”) and then calls the church into true koinonia—partnership, shared devotion, shared truth—not merely religious socializing. The warning is sober: lowering the bar of doctrine and discipleship doesn’t create a healthier church; it creates weaker fellowship and diminished joy. The invitation is better: real Christian fellowship is the pathway to real, lasting joy.

Highlights from the message:

Practical application:

Audit your “fellowship” expectations

Move your relationships toward koinonia

Treat “lukewarmness” as a joy issue, not just a discipline issue

Let doctrine do its intended work

Choose one “worldliness” pressure point and name it

Resources Currently Available at the Veritas Church Bookstore:

1 John - The Gospel-Centered Life in the Bible

1-3 John - Knowing The Bible 12 Week Study

1,2, & 3 John For You - God’s Word For You

Don’t Follow You Heart

1-3 John ESV Scripture Journal

Do you have a question you want us to address? Submit it now!

In the second week of our annual Rhythms series, we focus on prayer—not just as something Christians should do, but as a repeated practice that forms us into people who actually trust God. In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray by re-centering on God’s name, God’s kingdom, and God’s will. In this week’s message we walked through the ACTS framework—Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication—showing how prayer becomes both a family practice (kids included!) and a window into what we truly rely on when life gets hard.

We examined why prayer often feels difficult, how a “small view of God” shrinks our prayer lives, and why the gospel gives us confidence to draw near: Jesus is our High Priest, and God invites His people to approach the throne of grace for mercy and help.

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As we kick off our annual Rhythms series, we dug into why Bible reading isn’t just a churchy habit—it’s one of the primary ways God forms a church full of people who abide closely with Jesus. In John 6, the crowd wants Jesus for what He can give—but Jesus presses them to see who He is: the Bread of Life, the only source of true and lasting life. 

In the message, we learned about the “hard saying” that caused many to walk away, and why Peter’s response is the turning point: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” We explored what it looks like to crave Scripture not out of guilt, but because we’re convinced Jesus is life—and His Word gives and sustains that life. 

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This week on Beyond the Message, Michael Rhodes and Jake Each recap yesterday’s Advent message from John 3:16, which shows us God's love is evident, extravagant, extensive, exclusive, effective, and endearing. We unpack the sermon's main points and go beyond yesterday with additional insight into the text.

In the final week of our Advent series, we slowed down to reflect on what Christmas reveals about the love of God. John 3:16 is familiar—but far deeper than a “comfort verse.” In Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, we learn that God’s love is not vague sentiment or generic approval. It is seen, costly, wide-reaching, and saving—and it demands a response. In this verse we see six biblical descriptions of God’s love—evident, extravagant, extensive, exclusive, effective, and endearing—and explore how the Spirit’s work of new birth leads to real belief, real transformation, and real worship. We also see two distortions of God’s love in this verse: legalism (“God only loves good people”) and universalism (“God loves everyone no matter what”), and how the gospel corrects both.

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Legalism says: God loves good people—so I must earn it.

Universalism says: God loves everyone no matter what—so belief and repentance don’t matter.

The gospel says: God truly loves sinners, and His saving love is received through Spirit-wrought faith.

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This week on Beyond the Message, Ian Crosby and Michael Rhodes recap yesterday’s message from Romans 8:32, which demonstrates that God always provides for his plan—God has already given us His greatest gift, his own Son. We unpack the sermon's main points and go beyond yesterday with additional insight into the text.

When life feels marked by waiting, disappointment, or unmet desires, it’s easy to wonder if God is withholding good from us. But the truth is that God’s generosity is sacrificial, gracious, loving, and purposeful, and the cross permanently reshapes the way we interpret what God gives—and what He withholds. The season of Advent reassures us that God is not stingy but faithfully provides everything we need to accomplish His redemptive purposes in our lives.

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This week on Beyond the Message, Sam Anderson and Ian Crosby recap yesterday’s message from Philippians 2:3-11, exploring how the humility of Christ leads to the worship of Christ. We unpack the sermon's main points and go beyond yesterday with additional insight into the text.

The humility of God is revealed in the birth of Jesus. The eternal Son willingly laid aside privilege, took on flesh, and became obedient even unto death for our salvation. This message helped us see that humility not merely as a personal virtue to admire, but as the very pathway through which God’s glory is revealed and our lives are transformed. We explore how Christ’s humility calls us to a posture of worship, obedience, and self-giving love in everyday life.

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This week on Beyond the Message, Matthew Morken and Danny Daugherty dive into Matthew 1:1-17, where we see that God’s purposeful sovereignty over Jesus’ birth proves that we can trust God’s purposeful sovereignty over our lives. We unpack the sermon's main points and go beyond yesterday with additional insight into the text.

In yesterday’s message, we saw how the genealogy of Jesus isn’t a boring list of names—it’s a breathtaking picture of God’s sovereignty and grace. Danny pointed us to how Jesus’ birth proves God’s control over history and His power to redeem even the darkest parts of our stories. From the patience to wait for His timing to the hope that He’s working through our mess, Matthew 1 shows us a God who writes perfect stories with imperfect people.

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 In this episode, Sam and Jake discuss yesterday’s sermon from Daniel 11:2-12:13 — we are called to care about wisdom, purity, and to trust in the resurrection. We unpack the main points from the sermon and go beyond yesterday with additional insight into the text.

As the book of Daniel closes, God reminds His people that He’s sovereign over history, over evil, and over every future moment still to come. This episode explores how prophecy isn’t meant to satisfy curiosity—it’s meant to fuel courage. We’ll talk about what it means to live faithfully when the world seems upside down, how to stand firm when deception and pressure grow, and why hope in resurrection gives us endurance in every trial.

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Resources Currently Available at the Veritas Church Bookstore

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