The sermon analyzes Revelation 17 to demonstrate God's absolute sovereignty over history and political powers, specifically focusing on the judgment of apostate Jerusalem identified as the great harlot. It explains how God uses Rome, represented by the scarlet beast, as an instrument of justice against a nation that rejected its Messiah and allied with pagan empires. The text emphasizes that believers must remain steadfast and faithful, refusing to compromise with worldly systems even when facing persecution or shared enemies. Christ is presented as the victorious Lamb who rules over all nations with unbreakable authority, ensuring that His purposes are fulfilled regardless of human rebellion. Ultimately, the message encourages Christians to trust in God's promises and find confidence in their identity as the called and chosen who partake in Christ's ultimate victory.

The book of Samuel opens with the distress of a woman. We never got to hear the name of Samson's mother or the greatness of her distress at Samson's capture and death. But the story of David begins with God listening to the prayer of Hannah. The story of God's anointed king who mediates for His people begins with a woman who cannot have a child. God remembers, He hears and acts, not only for her in her plight but to bring about the fulfillment of the good news given in the Garden of a son who would crush the enemy. This sermon calls us to trust in Jesus Christ who reveals the mercy of God to us.

"Expecting God to Be God" "Everything FROM and FOR Jesus must BE Predicated on a Promise" The message builds on the truth that "the fall of the faithful is not fatal" because God faithfully upholds His people. When believers stumble, become distracted, or drift into unbelief, recovery comes by returning to the Lord—committing ourselves to His commitment, allowing Him to establish our thoughts, and becoming occupied with Jesus again. A central picture is: "You drift where you dwell. You steer where you stare. You graze where you gaze. You linger where you look." Remember these: Where you stare, you will steer; where you gaze, you will graze." Whatever captures our attention eventually influences our direction and feeds our souls. Therefore, rather than allowing circumstances, frustrations, people, or legitimate limitations to govern us, believers are called to keep looking unto Jesus. The message describes the believer's "sweet spot" as a life of prayer, praise, pointing others to Jesus, and expecting God to fulfill what He has promised. Prayer keeps us dependent upon Him. Praise redirects our attention to His greatness and renders the enemy's accusations powerless. Pointing others toward Jesus allows what God has worked in us to become a blessing beyond us. Romans 4 and Abraham provide the central biblical example. Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. His faith was not positive thinking or wishful optimism. It was predicated on a promise from God. God spoke; Abraham believed Him. This establishes an important principle: Every work of grace is predicated upon a promise from God. Faith does not create the promise; faith receives and rests

In "The Love of Giving," Mark O'Neill preached 2 Corinthians 8:8-15 at New Covenant Church on July 26, 2026, arguing that eager generosity with time, energy, and money is a reliable gauge of spiritual health, since no one can be generous and selfish at the same time. From Psalm 112 he traced the link between settled faith and an open hand: the righteous man gives freely because his heart is steady and unafraid of bad news. He then asked why Paul declines to command the collection for the saints in Jerusalem, and answered that a command cannot demonstrate love, secures outward behavior while missing the heart (Colossians 2:20-23), and leaves no room for differing resources and gifts. Paul instead sets two examples before the Corinthians: the Macedonians, whose earnestness in hard circumstances is worth praising because it displays God's grace at work in them, and supremely Christ, who though He was rich became poor so that by His poverty we might become rich. Tracing God's giving from Genesis 1, where He grants a world of yes and a single no, through man's rebellion to the gift of the Son (Philippians 2:5-8; Romans 5:10), he grounded all Christian generosity in the character of a giving God who loved His enemies. He then urged wisdom rather than recklessness: giving is acceptable according to what a person has, it begins with one's own household and relatives before moving outward (1 Timothy 5:8) while still doing good to everyone, and it is best practiced proportionately and regularly. This fairness is not socialism, since biblical giving presupposes private property, personal choice, and God rather than the state as provider. We give because He first gave to us.

A NEW HEART FOR A NEW FAITH Luke 5:33-39; Hebrews 8:6-12 SUMMARY: In one of the more difficult parables to interpret, Jesus, in declaring the superiority of the new covenant over the old, seems to refer to the great divide between two systems, two groups of people, and two kinds of hearts. I. A DIVIDE BETWEEN THE NEW SYSTEM AND THE OLD. A. Old System: a dead external religion. B. New system: a spiritual relationship with God. C. The two systems: Incompatible. II. A DIVIDE BETWEEN FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF THE BRIDEGROOM. A. The Pharisees. B. The Disciples of John. C. Jesus & His Disciples. III. A DIVIDE BETWEEN THE NEW HEART AND THE OLD HEART. A. A new mind & a new heart. B. A new understanding of God: C. A new freedom in Christ's forgiveness. KRETZMANN: "The piety of the Pharisees, the religion of works which they flaunted before the eyes of the people, on the one hand, and the doctrine of Jesus, the preaching of the free grace of God through His blood, on the other, will never agree. If one insists on wearing his old garment of self-righteousness and works, and then believes it possible to cover an occasional revealing sin with the Gospel, he will find but poor comfort. His heart is still bound up in the old garment, and he will only make the incongruity appear the more glaring. It is just as foolish to keep new wine, grape-juice in the early stage of fermentation, in old skins that have lost their elasticity. The result is disastrous: The skins burst, the wine is spilled. But new skins and new wine are perfectly suited to each other. The sweet Gospel of the forgiveness of sins by the mercy of God does not fit into carnal, Pharisaic hearts.

When your character is attacked, when your needs are targeted, when your help is requested, when your property is lost, and in all things, Jesus says, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you" (vv. 27–28), for this is the character of His people and His kingdom, and it is the kind of love He has shown to us.

(Thursday Bible Study) Psalm 106:32-43: "They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account, for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips. They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds. Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity."

This sermon examines the final section of Psalm 5, focusing on David's response to political enemies and spiritual trials. The preacher explains the concept of imprecatory prayer, defining it as a request for God's judgment that serves as an opportunity for repentance rather than mere vengeance. The message transitions to prayers for celebratory joy and targeted protection for those who take refuge in the Lord. It emphasizes that true faith involves recognizing the deceitful nature of wickedness while trusting in God's righteous shielding favor. Ultimately, the text encourages believers to model David's spiritual resilience and joyful dependence on God amidst adversity.