New City Church

This weekend Pastor Joaquin Pardo continued our WAITING ON A MIRACLE series with a Palm Sunday message about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Matthew 21:4-5

“This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

‘Behold, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

The crowd was celebrating, shouting “Hosanna,” and welcoming Jesus like a King. But what they didn’t realize was that their expectation was about to collide with the reality of who Jesus really was.

1) A King You Don't Understand

Matthew 21:2-3

“…saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them...’”

Jesus gives His disciples an instruction with no explanation. Just obedience. Following Jesus will lead you into moments that don’t make sense. What feels confusing to you is only confusing because you don’t know what God knows. It’s important to remember — you won’t obey once you understand; you’ll understand once you obey.

2) A King You Can Trust 

Matthew 21:4

“This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet...” 

While the disciples were confused, God was fulfilling prophecy spoken hundreds of years ago. This moment wasn’t random; it was written.

Jeremiah 1:12

"…for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

God watches over His Word to perform it. What He says stands. It doesn’t fail. Obedience is your assignment, and fulfillment is God’s responsibility.

3) A King You Must Receive

The crowd shouted "Hosanna" meaning "save us now." But the tension here is that they praised the right King for the wrong reasons. They wanted a King to change their situation. Jesus came to change their condition. 

By the end of the week, the same crowd shouting “Hosanna” would cry “Crucify Him!” They didn’t reject Jesus because He wasn’t King; they rejected Him because He wasn’t the King they wanted. All this took place during Passover, when families selected a lamb for sacrifice, at the exact same time Jesus was entering the city. The King was revealed, and the Lamb was presented. The King they were crowning was the Lamb that would be slain.

Jesus may not be the King you want but He is exactly the King you need!

Sometimes God is doing more than fixing a problem, he’s forming a person! This weekend Pastor Devin Gough continued our WAITING ON A MIRACLE series with a message about Jesus’ healing of a blind man.

Mark 8:23-25

Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?” The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.” Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened.

Sometimes breakthrough is incremental. Sometimes God works in steps. What can we learn from this unique story of healing?

1) Jesus will lead you outside before he heals you.

Bethsaida had a reputation for spiritual resistance. Before working in you, God may lead you away from environments and associations that have aided your dysfunction.

2) Partial progress is still proof that God is working.

The blind man was honest. Things were better, but still blurry. In many seasons of our lives we need to be honest that what God has begun is still in process. 

3) Jesus doesn’t stop until your vision is clear.

When the man’s vision wasn’t completely healed, Jesus didn’t shame him. Instead, he touched him again.

Thank God that he isn’t frustrated by our process! He is faithful to finish what he has begun in us!

Have you put on Christ? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our WAITING ON A MIRACLE SERIES with a message about the resurrection of Lazarus.

John 11:43-44

Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Jesus loved this family, and yet they still experienced loss. Jesus loved this family, and yet he waited to act. The story leads us to four questions:

1) Can you believe his Word before you see the work?

Jesus said that his disciples would see his glory. But in between that promise and the miracle, there was a gap that needed to be filled with trust.

2) What stone is Jesus asking you to move?

Before the miracle, Jesus told others to move the stone. It was a difficult task, but it set the stage for God to do the impossible.

3) What are you wearing?

When Lazarus came out of the tomb, Jesus commanded others to remove his grave clothes. Once we experience resurrection life, we begin the work of removing old habits and ways.

Romans 13:14

Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Becoming like Jesus requires a commitment to spiritual habits that shape us as we practice them in community.

4) What will you do with Jesus?

This miracle caused a reaction from everyone around Jesus. Some believed, and some plotted to kill him.

What would you do if Jesus looked at you and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” This weekend Pastor Joaquin continued our WAITING ON A MIRACLE series with a message about Faith. 

Mark 10:51-52

And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. 

Jesus asked a simple question, but it holds incredible tension. In Mark 10, we meet a blind beggar named Bartimaeus whose faith caught Jesus' attention.

1) Faith has a voice.

Bartimaeus had never seen Jesus with his eyes, but he had heard the stories. What he heard built faith in his heart, and that faith found its way to his mouth. When faith fills your heart, it refuses to stay silent. Faith prays, asks, and calls on the name of Jesus.

2) Faith silences the crowd.

When Bartimaeus cried out, the crowd tried to shut him down. But desperation drove him to cry out all the more. Often the “crowd” in our lives isn’t just people—it’s fear, shame, doubt, or disappointment. When we truly know who Jesus is, we stop worrying about being an inconvenience and cry out for mercy.

3) Faith gets a response. 

Mark 10:49

And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 

The Bible says that when Bartimaeus cried out, Jesus stopped. On His way to Jerusalem, surrounded by crowds, the cry of one desperate man was enough to make Jesus stop. Jesus then used the same crowd that tried to silence Bartimaeus to call him forward.

4) Faith knows how to answer.

Mark 10:36

“What do you want me to do for you?” (To the disciples) 

Mark:10:51

“What do you want me to do for you?” (To the blind beggar)

Earlier in the chapter, Jesus asked His disciples the same question: “What do you want me to do for you?” They asked for glory and status. Bartimaeus asked for mercy and healing. Faith understands its condition and knows its greatest need.

At the end of the story, Bartimaeus didn’t just receive his sight; the Bible says he followed Jesus on the way. When Jesus changes us, He doesn’t just give us new vision but He gives us a new direction.

Are you working hard but getting nowhere? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our WAITING ON A MIRACLE series with a message about God’s redeeming presence.

John 6:18-20

Soon a gale swept down upon the boat, and the sea grew very rough. The disciples had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” 

This story takes place immediately after Jesus had multiplied bread on the mountain. Even the miracle of God’s provision didn’t stop the storm from coming. What can we learn from this story?

1) Trusting God means operating on his schedule.

When Jesus kept his disciples waiting, they decided to cross the water on their own. Many people find themselves in a storm because they weren’t willing to operate in God’s way or on his timetable.

2) It’s better to wait for Jesus than to row harder.

Trying to live our lives or serve the Lord in our own strength is like rowing against the wind. How do we know whether we are working in our own power? Check your prayer life.

Prayer is the difference between the best that I can do and the best that God can do.

No one is great at prayer, but God helps anyone who sets their heart on praying and seeking him.

3) The I AM is the redeemer of lost time.

The disciples had lost hours rowing in the storm, but when Jesus got in the boat, they arrived at their destination. This might be the greatest miracle of the story!

When we call on Jesus, he begins to redeem the time, relationships, opportunities and resources that have been lost in our storms!

Who is your source? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our WAITING ON A MIRACLE series with a message about God’s faithful provision.

John 6:10-11

“Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted.

This miracle is the only one recorded in all four Gospels, and leads to Jesus’ powerful claim, “I AM the bread of life.” What is this miracle pointing us to?

1) The right posture.

Before Jesus multiplied the bread and the fish, he told them to sit down. This is a posture with no striving, only trusting. When Israel was in the wilderness, people had to trust God for daily provision.

2) The right practice.

Jesus gave thanks then shared the bread. This is the pattern and practice that he set for his followers: gratitude and generosity. 

Money is a means, never the meaning.

What do you want to be celebrated for at the end of your life? If you don’t answer that, your appetites will eat up your resources.

3) The right purpose.

The miraculous provision of the bread pointed to something even more significant: Jesus is the bread that satisfies. If we have him, we have a treasure that truly satisfies.

Any other treasure will demand your life in exchange for it – late hours, time away from family, sweat and work. Jesus is the one treasure who gives HIS life in exchange for you!

What are you allowing to push Jesus away? This weekend Pastor Joaquin Pardo continued our WAITING ON A MIRACLE series with a message about a man who had a legion of demons. 

Mark 5:9-12 

And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.”

In this passage, we see that when Jesus steps into darkness, He doesn’t leave things the way He finds them. He brings order. He confronts opposition. He tears down strongholds. But He also exposes what we may be valuing more than Him

1) He brings chaos into order.

Before Jesus ever reached the demoniac, He calmed a violent storm. Mark intentionally connects the chaos of the sea with the chaos in this man’s life. The same God who brought order to the waters in Genesis speaks “Peace, be still” over both external and internal storms. Wherever Jesus has authority, chaos cannot remain in control.

2) Opposition before breakthrough.

The storm in Mark 4 wasn’t random; it was resistance. Breakthrough is often preceded by opposition. Deliverance is often preceded by disruption. If we misinterpret resistance as rejection, we may turn around when we are actually on the brink of a miracle.

3) Strongholds that bind.

Legion represented occupation but not every stronghold looks like demonic possession. Often, it’s a pattern, a mindset, or a small crack the enemy tries to use. He doesn’t need a big opening; just a little space. But we are not powerless. Scripture calls us to take every thought captive, submit to God, and resist the devil (2 Corinthians 10:3–5; James 4:7). We give the enemy no room because greater is He who is in us (1 John 4:4).

4) The stronghold that protects.

Psalm 27:1

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 

Not all strongholds are evil. The enemy builds prisons but God becomes our protection. We don’t just need deliverance from something; we need refuge in Someone. When Jesus becomes our stronghold, fear loses its grip.

5) When pigs costs you Jesus. 

Mark 5:17

And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.

The miracle was beautiful but it was expensive. After the man was healed, the townspeople were afraid. Not of the man, but of the loss. Their pigs, their security, comfort, and stability were gone. And instead of celebrating the miracle, they begged Jesus to leave. The question we must ask ourselves is: What are our pigs? What feels too costly to surrender? 

When Jesus invades our darkness, He sets us free but He also exposes what we’ve been valuing more than Him. And nothing we treasure is worth asking Jesus to leave.

Are you willing to help someone get to Jesus? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our WAITING ON A MIRACLE series with a message about friendship. 

Mark 2:3-4

Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.

The same people who were in the room with Jesus had become an obstacle to the paralyzed man. Were it not for his four friends, he would have stayed stuck.

1) People are usually the problem.

The enemy of our souls wants to magnify the faults and failings of others, to get us so twisted up with hurt and offense that our hearts are hardened.

2) People are still God’s plan.

To solve this people problem, God sends more people. These four friends were willing to carry the paralyzed man in his weakness, even though it was difficult.

Romans 15:1

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, not simply pleasing ourselves.

Real love is persistent. When we love others we will contend for them, even when it is inconvenient or costly.

3) Your faith can be a catalyst for someone else’s healing.

The Bible says that when Jesus saw “their faith” he was moved. It wasn’t the faith of the man in need, but the faith of his friends that was the catalyst for this amazing miracle.

Jesus is the friend who searches for us until we are found, who laid down his life for us so that we would be healed and forgiven!

Are you waiting for God to move, or is God waiting for you to get moving? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres kicked off our spring series, Waiting On A Miracle.

John 2:10 

Then the master of ceremonies called the groom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

The first miracle in the ministry of Jesus took place at one of the most common events happening around the world then and today. 

1) Your mundane is the setting for his miracle.

Jesus will meet us in the everyday spaces of our lives. Jesus’ whole ministry took him places no one expected him to go, with people no one expected him to be with. 

2) Your expectation is the invitation.

Why was Jesus at this wedding? The answer is simple: he was invited (John 2:2). Are you inviting him into your home, your workplace, your marriage and finances?

3) Your involvement is the catalyst for his power.

Mary says to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5) Mary knows that Jesus isn’t going to get involved until the servants get involved with faith and obedience.

Jesus’ ministry begins and ends with wine. Years later, suffering on the cross, Jesus is offered bitter wine to drink. Jesus tasted this bitter cup of judgment so we could taste the sweetness of God’s grace!