New Beginnings Church, Lynnwood

The central message of this sermon is that the Mosaic Law, while good and divinely ordained, was never intended to justify or save humanity, but rather served as a temporary tutor to reveal sin, expose human failure, and drive people to Christ. Paul's argument in Galatians 3:19–25 underscores that the law was added because of transgressions, not to provide salvation, and functions primarily to diagnose spiritual death by revealing God's holy standards—thereby provoking sin rather than curing it. Though the law was given through angels and mediated by Moses, it was inherently limited, pointing beyond itself to the promised Seed, Jesus Christ, whose righteousness alone justifies. Once faith in Christ has come, believers are no longer under the law's condemnation or tutelage, as their standing before God is secured by grace through faith alone, not by works or obedience. The sermon warns against legalism, emphasizing that any attempt to use the law as a means of maintaining or earning justification contradicts the gospel and returns believers to spiritual bondage, while affirming that Christ's work is fully sufficient for salvation and sanctification.

Our responsibility is to steward the time we've been given by God, and that stsrts with seeing that every season of life has been appointed by God as a blessing from His hand to that end. The sermon, drawn from Ecclesiastes 3:1–15, presents a profound meditation on God's sovereign ordering of time and life's seasons, emphasizing that every moment—whether marked by joy or sorrow, gain or loss—is appointed by a loving and wise God. It calls believers to embrace divine sovereignty not with fatalism, but with joyful stewardship, recognizing that God has set eternity in the human heart, creating a longing for meaning beyond the temporal. The passage challenges the illusion of control, urging a life of contentment, holiness, and happiness rooted in trust, as all things are made beautiful in their time and ultimately for God's glory. The sermon concludes with a call to redeem time through worship, obedience, and evangelism, grounded in the fear of God and the hope of Christ, who entered history to redeem sinners and fulfill God's eternal purposes.

The sermon centers on the unchanging faithfulness of God, illustrated through the Abrahamic covenant and its fulfillment in Christ, emphasizing that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, not by law or works. Drawing from Galatians 3:15–18, it argues that God's covenant promises, once ratified, are irrevocable and unconditional, with Christ as the singular seed through whom all blessings are fulfilled. The passage dismantles the idea that the Mosaic law nullifies or supplements God's prior promise to Abraham, affirming that justification and the reception of the Spirit are rooted in divine promise, not human performance. The sermon underscores that Christmas is not merely a celebration of Christ's birth but the fulfillment of centuries-old covenantal faithfulness, where God's unchanging nature guarantees the security of His promises. Ultimately, it calls believers to rest in God's faithfulness, finding assurance not in personal merit or effort, but in the eternal, unchangeable character of God who keeps His word.

A lesson on the impossibility of upholding the Law, the curse of sin, and the means that God has provided for our redemption: faith alone in Christ alone. The sermon presents a powerful exposition of Galatians 3:10–14, emphasizing that all humanity is born under the curse of sin and incapable of achieving righteousness through the law, which demands perfect, perpetual obedience that no one can fulfill. Drawing on the imagery of Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, it contrasts the fatal curse of the law with the life-giving blessing of faith in Christ, who bore the curse on the cross to redeem sinners. The central message is that justification is not by works of the law, which only condemn, but by faith alone in Christ, whose perfect righteousness is imputed to believers. The sermon calls the audience to abandon all confidence in their own obedience, rest in Christ's finished work, and live daily by faith, trusting in His substitutionary sacrifice and the gift of the Holy Spirit promised to all who believe.

A lesson on the way that Abraham's story both proves and illustrates the doctrine of justification by faith alone, apart from works. The sermon, drawn from Galatians 3:6–9, powerfully affirms that salvation has always been by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, as exemplified in Abraham's life, whose faith was credited to him as righteousness long before the law or circumcision existed. Paul uses Abraham's story to dismantle the heresy of justification by faith plus works, showing that true spiritual descendants of Abraham are not defined by ethnic lineage or obedience to the law, but by faith in God's promise—faith that looks forward to Christ and rests in His finished work. The passage reveals that the gospel was preached to Abraham centuries before Christ, and that all who believe in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, are blessed with Abraham through the same faith that credited him with righteousness. The sermon underscores that faith does not earn righteousness but receives it as a gift imputed by God, and that any addition of human effort or merit nullifies grace and undermines the sufficiency of Christ's work. Ultimately, it calls believers to rest entirely in Christ's perfect righteousness, recognizing that our standing before God is not based on our performance, but on His grace, and that this eternal truth remains the foundation of the church's identity and mission.

The sermon, drawn from Ecclesiastes 2:12–26, explores the futility of human wisdom and effort apart from God, illustrating how even the wisest man, Solomon, found life's pursuits—pleasure, wealth, labor, and knowledge—ultimately vain and devoid of lasting meaning. Through a vivid metaphor of reverse engineering life, the preacher shows that while human intellect can dissect existence into its components, it cannot explain the origin of life, the purpose of suffering, or the inevitability of death. Despite wisdom's practical advantages, it cannot prevent death, guarantee a wise successor, or provide enduring significance, leading Solomon to despair. The turning point comes when the preacher reveals that true meaning and joy are found not in human achievement but in recognizing all things as gifts from God's hand, where even toil and suffering become meaningful when viewed through the lens of divine sovereignty and grace. In Christ, life's components are transformed from empty vanities into opportunities for worship, hope, and eternal purpose, as all things work together for the good of those who love God, making faith in Jesus Christ the only foundation for lasting joy and meaning.

The sermon centers on the profound truth that God's generosity in Christ is infinite and unmatchable, culminating in the ultimate gift of His Son on the cross, which secures our salvation and adoption as His children. Drawing from Scripture, especially Romans 8:28–32, Psalm 84, and the story of Abraham and Isaac, it emphasizes that God's faithfulness to His promises—seen in the resurrection of the dead and the provision of a substitute—guarantees that He will never withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly. The Christmas celebration, when rightly understood, is not merely a commemoration of Christ's birth but a revelation of His sacrificial death and resurrection, through which believers are united to Him, declared righteous, and given access to God as Father. This reality, rooted in God's sovereign, cheerful, and inexhaustible grace, frees believers to live with contentment, generosity, and hope, knowing that all things—past, present, and future—are held in the Father's loving, providential hand, and that the ultimate fulfillment of all longing will come in the new creation where Christ is our all and our very great reward.

A lesson that reminds us that from beginning to end, we need the Gospel; we need to behold Christ and Him crucified, knowing that the grace that saved us also sustains us on the journey to glory. The sermon centers on the enduring truth of justification by faith alone in Christ alone, emphasizing that salvation is a gift of grace entirely dependent on Christ's finished work, not human effort. Drawing from Galatians 3, it confronts the persistent temptation to add works or self-reliance to faith, warning that such deviation—whether from external false teachers or internal pride—amounts to spiritual foolishness and a betrayal of the gospel. The preacher underscores that the Christian life begins and continues by the Spirit through faith, illustrated through the Galatians' own experience of receiving the Spirit, enduring persecution, and witnessing miracles—all by hearing with faith, not by law-keeping. Ultimately, the message calls believers to daily fix their eyes on Christ crucified, recognizing that the same grace that justifies also sanctifies, and that the gospel is not only for the beginning of faith but for the entire journey of life.

"A lesson about how our union with Christ frees us from sin's dominion and empowers us to live a new life of obedience by the grace of God." The sermon, drawn from Galatians 2:17–21, powerfully defends the gospel of justification by faith alone against the charge that it promotes sinfulness, clarifying that true freedom in Christ is not license to sin but liberation from the law's condemnation and the power of sin. It emphasizes that believers are united with Christ in His death and resurrection, resulting in a new nature that hates sin and delights in God's will, making holy living not a legalistic obligation but the natural outflow of faith and love. The passage dismantles the misconception that grace encourages lawlessness, showing instead that grace both forgives sin's penalty and destroys its dominion through the transformative power of union with Christ, who now lives in the believer. The sermon concludes with a solemn warning: to add works to faith is to nullify Christ's sacrifice, making His death unnecessary and blaspheming the Gospel, and thus calls all to live not under fear of the law, but in joyful, loving obedience to the One who died for them.

A lesson on the absolute sufficiency of Christ's righteousness for our justification, received by faith alone apart from works of the law. The sermon centers on the foundational Christian doctrine of justification by faith alone, emphasizing that no human effort, law-keeping, or moral achievement can make a person right with God. Drawing from Galatians 2:15–16, it argues that salvation is not earned through works of the law—such as obedience to Jewish ceremonial or moral codes—but is received solely through faith in Jesus Christ, whose perfect righteousness is imputed to believers. The preacher underscores the impossibility of achieving righteousness through human effort, highlighting the fallen nature of humanity and the holiness of God, which demands perfect conformity to His law. In contrast, the gospel offers freedom: Christ's active and passive obedience are credited to sinners, enabling them to stand justified before God not by their own merit but by grace alone. The sermon warns against any addition of works or obedience to faith as a means of justification, affirming that such additions undermine Christ's finished work and distort the true gospel, which is the cornerstone of the Church's existence and the source of lasting assurance and joy.