"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."

Some of Jesus' hardest words — and the surprising tenderness hidden inside them. In this sermon, the first in our summer series Now and Not Yet: A Summer in Matthew, we ask what it means to follow a King who claims to come first in everything: above comfort, above family, above the quiet life we work so hard to build. And we discover that the same passage that speaks of a sword ends with a cup of cold water — and a welcome that costs everything and loses nothing.

Preached at Eternal Hope Anglican Church, Carleton Place, Ontario, on the Fourth Sunday after Trinity, June 28, 2026.

Most of us have received the gospel. Far fewer of us are actually living from it.

In Romans 5:1–11, Paul moves beyond the forensic declaration of justification into something richer and more demanding — the inhabited life that declaration makes possible. Peace with God. Access into grace. Hope that does not disappoint. A love poured out by the Spirit with the extravagance of water on dry ground.

But there is a gap between justification as declaration and justification as lived reality. Between the grace we confess and the grace we breathe. Between knowing the verdict has been delivered and actually opening our hands to receive what it gives us.

This sermon explores that gap — and the God who has already done everything necessary to close it.

Preached at Eternal Hope Anglican Church, Carleton Place, Ontario
Romans 5:1–11 

What's the difference between applying for something and inheriting it?

An applicant performs. Assembles credentials. Hopes the verdict comes back yes. An heir simply receives — because someone else has already secured what is given.

Most of us, if we're honest, spend far more of our lives as applicants than as heirs. Not because we reject grace, but because living from grace is harder than we often realize.

In Romans 4:13–18, Paul takes us somewhere unexpected — all the way back to a garden, a mandate, and a promise that was never cancelled. He shows us that the inheritance given to Abraham wasn't a personal arrangement. It was nothing less than the world. And in Christ, it is yours.

This sermon traces the golden cord that runs from creation through Abraham to the resurrection — and asks a searching question: Do you actually believe the promise is yours?

📖 Scripture: Romans 4:13–18 

📍 Eternal Hope Anglican Church — Carleton Place, Ontario 

🗓️ Trinity 1

Eternal Hope Anglican Church is a congregation of the Anglican Church in North America, formed by Word, Sacrament, and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

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"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

Many Christians can recite these words from memory. They conclude worship services, appear in liturgies, and are spoken at some of the most significant moments of our lives. But do we truly understand what we are saying?

In this Trinity Sunday sermon, we explore Paul's final words to the Corinthians and the surprising invitation that precedes them: "Examine yourselves." Rather than calling us into anxious self-analysis, Paul directs us toward a deeper reality—the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ and life lived coram Deo, before the face of the Triune God.

Together we consider:

• What Paul meant by "Examine yourselves"
• Why self-reflection alone can never heal the human heart
• What it means that Christ dwells within his people
• How the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit meet us in grace, love, and fellowship
• Why the Christian life is not about earning God's acceptance but living from it

This sermon was preached on Trinity Sunday and is based on 2 Corinthians 13:5-14.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:5-14 (ESV)

May these familiar words become more than a benediction—may they become the lens through which we understand our life in the presence of the Triune God.

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Have you ever felt trapped behind the "locked doors" of fear, failure, or grief? 

✨In this powerful Pentecost Sunday message, we dive into John 20:19–23 to explore what happens when the risen Christ meets us in our most hidden, guarded places. Just as Jesus stepped through the locked doors of the frightened disciples, He meets us today—not with condemnation, but with a profound declaration of peace and the life-giving breath of the Holy Spirit.  

Celebrating the baptism of Kylee, this sermon challenges our understanding of the Christian journey. Baptism isn't a finish line where we finally "arrive"; it is the first breath of a new creation. We are invited to stop frantically rowing the boat on our own strength and instead raise our sails to the wind of the Holy Spirit.  

Discover what it means to step out of the locked room, receive the divine breath of a new Genesis, and live as an "apostle"—a sent one—carrying Christ's costly, beautiful word of forgiveness to a broken world.  "The risen Christ is simply not limited by the barriers we construct. Not by our fear. Not by our failure. Not by our grief. He comes."   

📌 Key Moments & Scripture References
John 20:19–23 (The Risen Christ Appears to His Disciples)   
Genesis 2 & Ezekiel 37 (The Breath of New Creation)   
The Veterinary School Paradox: Why the beginning is just the beginning.  
The Locked Room of the Heart: Identifying our own interior hiding places.  Rowing vs. Sailing: Moving from anxious striving to Spirit-led living.  
Sent, Not Just Arrived: The true mission of the Church today.  

💬 Connect With Us
If this message encouraged you, please Like, Subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to hear a word of peace today!

Church Website: www.eternalhopechurch.org
Join Us for Worship: 10:30am, Sundays, 117 Victoria St., Carleton Place, ON

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Are Christians being quietly shaped by the world more than by Christ?

In this Easter 3 sermon from 1 Peter 1:13–25, we explore Peter’s call to live as elect exiles in a culture that forms us through what this sermon calls imaginative drift, affective drift, and practical drift.

Drift is rarely dramatic. It is often imperceptible. But Peter calls the Church not to passive survival, but to deliberate formation in resurrection hope.

In this sermon we consider:

•  What it means to set your hope fully on Christ
•  How Christians resist cultural and spiritual drift
•  Why holiness is not mere moral effort but life in the Father’s household
•  What it means to remember that you were ransomed by the precious blood of Christ
•  How the Church becomes a people formed by imperishable Word and earnest love

You do not belong to the world pressing upon you.
 You belong to the future coming for you.

If this sermon encouraged you, please subscribe and share.

📍Eternal Hope Anglican Church (ACNA)
 Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada

#1Peter
 #ChristianSermon
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 #ResurrectionLife
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 #ChristianFormation
 #FaithInExile
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 #EasterSermon

What does it mean to follow Christ in a world that quietly demands your allegiance?

In this Easter II sermon on 1 Peter 1:3–9, we consider Peter’s vision of the Church as “elect exiles”—chosen by God, yet strangers in the world. Written to Christians living under the pressure of the Roman imperial cult, this passage speaks with striking clarity to our own moment.

Peter does not begin with strategy or resistance, but with worship: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” From that foundation, he unfolds the reality of a living hope grounded in the resurrection, an inheritance beyond the reach of any earthly power, and a faith refined through trial.

This sermon explores:

•  The subtle pressures of modern institutional life 
•  The parallels between ancient Rome and contemporary culture 
•  The meaning of Christian identity as exile 
•  The sustaining power of the resurrection 
•  How to endure faithfully with joy, integrity, and love 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not merely comforting—it is the decisive declaration that the powers of this age do not have the final word.

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3–9 (ESV)

Easter confronts us with a question that no one can avoid forever: what happens after death?

In this Easter sermon from Matthew 28:1–10, we consider the resurrection of Jesus not as a comforting idea, but as a historical claim — one that stands at the center of the Christian faith and speaks directly into our deepest fears and longings.

The women came to the tomb expecting to find a body. Instead, they heard the words:
 “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.”

In this message, we reflect on:

•  Whether the resurrection is credible or wishful thinking 
•  What kind of resurrection the Gospels actually describe 
•  Why the phrase “as he said” is central to Christian faith 
•  How the resurrection speaks into grief, mortality, and hope 

The resurrection is not merely about what happened to Jesus, but what God has accomplished for us through Him — and what it means for our future.

If you are exploring Christianity, wrestling with doubt, or seeking a hope that can withstand death itself, this sermon is an invitation to consider the risen Christ.

What if the greatest danger is not rejecting Jesus—but welcoming the wrong version of Him?

On Palm Sunday, crowds filled the streets with praise: “Hosanna! Blessed is the Son of David!” Yet within days, those same voices would fall silent as Jesus went to the cross.

In this sermon, we explore the deeper tension at the heart of Palm Sunday: how people can be close to Jesus, enthusiastic about Him—even celebrate Him—and still misunderstand who He truly is.

Drawing from Matthew 21 and the wider witness of Scripture, this message confronts the illusions we carry:

•  The illusion of control 
•  The illusion of self-sufficiency 
•  The illusion that we see clearly 

Jesus does not come as the King we expect—but as the King we need:
 not to take control, but to give Himself,
 not to meet our expectations, but to overturn them,
 not to avoid suffering, but to conquer through the cross.

As Holy Week begins, this sermon invites you to consider a searching question:

Will you receive Jesus as He truly is?

📖 Scripture: Matthew 21:1–11; Philippians 2:5–11; Zechariah 9:9
 ⛪ Eternal Hope Anglican Church

In this Lent 5 sermon, we confront one of the deepest lies our culture believes: that death is the final answer to human suffering.

Preaching from John 11—the raising of Lazarus—this message explores why Jesus delays, why He weeps, and what it means when He declares, “I am the resurrection and the life.” This is not only a story about a miracle, but a revelation of who Christ is in the face of death itself.

In a world increasingly shaped by autonomy, control, and even the normalization of medically assisted death, this passage calls us to a deeper truth: death is not a solution—it is an enemy that Christ has come to defeat.

This sermon invites you to:

•  Reconsider what Jesus reveals about suffering and death 
•  Understand why His tears matter 
•  Discover the hope of resurrection life, even now 
•  Reflect on how the Church is called to respond with truth and presence 

Part of the Lenten series: “The Lies That Lent Confronts: A Journey from Illusion to Resurrection.”

If you are seeking clarity, hope, or a deeper understanding of the Christian faith, this message is for you.

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