Sea Change Sermons

In the third message of The Church series, Pastor Adam Stadtmiller takes up the third of four church purposes — Identity, Unity, Maturity, Mission — and reframes what maturity actually means. The goal of the church, he argues, is not attendance. It is conformity to the person of Jesus Christ, a distinction that sounds subtle but changes everything about how a believer lives.

The sermon’s theological center is a single reorientation: the destination of salvation is not Heaven. Heaven is the location. The destination is Christlikeness. Pastor Adam illustrates the difference with a honeymoon story — a groom so dazzled by the Ritz Carlton, the putting green, and the flat-screen TV that he loses sight of the person he came to be with. That, he says, is exactly what happens when Christians treat Heaven as the goal rather than intimacy with Jesus. Romans 8:29 frames the biblical anchor: we are predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son.

From Ephesians 4:2–3 and 11–13, Pastor Adam draws five marks of a maturing believer — humility, stability, love, unity and peace, and service — and grounds each one in practical, relational terms. The stability mark produces the sermon’s most memorable illustration: rifle trigger pressure. The more you grow in Christ, the more force it takes for old triggers to fire. Things that used to set you off require more pressure — eventually the safety is on. That is maturity. The session closes with a direct challenge: identify one area where you don’t yet look like Jesus, and intentionally practice Christlikeness there every day this week.

S1E3 of a four-part series. S1E1 established identity in Christ; S1E2 addressed unity and relational reconciliation; S1E4 will conclude with mission.

The Church

S1E2 - Unity and a New Humanity

Pastor Adam Stadtmiller

Ephesians 2:11-18

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.  17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

“Unity and a New Humanity” · The Church Series, Episode 2 June 7, 2026 · Sea Change Church · Pastor Adam Stadtmiller · Ephesians 2:11–18

Week one was about identity — knowing who you are as a church. Week two is about what that identity demands: unity. And according to Pastor Adam Stadtmiller, the entire mission of the church rises or falls on this one thing.

Working through one of the densest theological passages in Ephesians, Adam unpacks what Paul is actually saying to a room full of Gentile converts in a city steeped in idol worship, surrounded by Jews who wanted nothing to do with them. The word Paul keeps reaching for — separated, alienated, strangers, without hope, without God — paints a portrait of what every person in that room was before the cross. And then comes the hinge: but now.

The cross did three specific things, and Adam traces each one through the text. It brought near people who were far off. It broke down the dividing wall of hostility. And it created one new humanity out of two groups who had no business being in the same room. Jesus didn’t just die to save individuals — he died to create a people, and the unity of that people is how the world is supposed to recognize that he was actually sent by God (John 17).

The sermon is deeply practical. Adam draws the line from the Jew-Gentile conflict in Ephesus directly to your living room: the same self-righteousness that kept those groups divided is the same thing that calcifies conflict in marriages, families, and friendships. The move that breaks it isn’t winning the argument — it’s starting from remember. Remember that you were far off. Remember that you were equally dependent on grace. The Berlin Wall illustration lands the point: when that wall came down, people danced. That’s what the church is supposed to look like.

Adam closes with a direct challenge to reevaluate commitment to the local church — because you can’t have unity on the other side of a TV screen, and Jesus didn’t design a plan that starts with political movements or strategic frameworks. He started with individuals, pulled them together, and changed the Roman Empire from the inside out.

Sea Change Church
The Church
S1E1 – Four Corners
Pastor Adam Stadtmiller
Ephesians 1:3-14

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5
he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the
purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in
the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all
wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his
purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all
things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him. 11 In him we have obtained
an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all
things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in
Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the
promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire

possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

“Four Corners” · The Church Series, Episode 1 May 31, 2026 · Sea Change Church · Pastor Adam Stadtmiller · Ephesians 1:3–14

What is the Church, and why does it exist? In the opening message of The Church series, Pastor Adam Stadtmiller introduces a four-part framework drawn from Ephesians — Identity, Unity, Maturity, and Mission — and makes the case that none of the other three are possible without the first.

Working through Ephesians 1:3–14, Adam unpacks what it means to be chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sealed by the Spirit — not as theological abstractions, but as the living foundation of how we see ourselves and each other. He challenges the congregation directly: if you don’t know who you are in Christ, you won’t walk in it. Your marriage, your relationships, your work — all of it will stumble forward without the power that comes from a settled identity.

Along the way, he addresses one of the most common ways people stay stuck — the belief that their past sin is too costly for grace to cover — and delivers one of the most direct lines of the message: “I believe it is nearing on sin, if not outright sin, to believe that your sin is greater than his blood.”

The message closes with four concrete takeaways and a vision of what Sea Change could become if the whole church got ahold of what identity in Christ actually means.

Chapters 1–3 of Ephesians are theological identity. Chapters 4–6 are the practical outworking. This series starts at the foundation.

Sea Change Church 
S2E1 Pentecost Power 
Pastor Adam Stadtmiller
Acts 2:1-4
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there
came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they
were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4
 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit
gave them utterance.
Unity: When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 
The Spirit was poured out on a people who were:
 together physically
 unified spiritually
 waiting expectantly
 obediently gathered

PSALM 133:1-3

1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity 2 It is like the precious oil
on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar
of his robes! 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

Atmosphere: Vs. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and
it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
 divine saturation, heavenly invasion
Manifest Presence: Vs. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one
of them. 
 Exodus 19:18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended
on it in fire.
Indwelling: Vs. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
 All filled
Practical Takeaway: The Christian life is not defined by surviving in weakness, but by walking in
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men
but in the power of God.

Small Group Discussion Questions:
1. Why do you think God chose to pour out His Spirit on a unified people? (Acts 2:1, Psalm
133:1–3)
2. What does it look like to create space for God’s presence in your daily life? (Acts 2:2)
3. Why is fire such a powerful picture of God’s presence throughout Scripture? (Acts 2:3, Exodus
19:18)
4. What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit instead of living in your own strength? (Acts
2:4)
5. Where do you need God’s power most in your life right now?(Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 2:4–5)

Clothed with Power Pentecost Sunday · Acts 2:1–4

Most of us are living far below the spiritual capacity available to us. On Pentecost Sunday, Pastor Adam opens Acts 2:1–4 not to debate the gift of tongues, but to unpack something far more foundational: Jesus’ command to wait until his disciples were clothed with power from on high — and what that dunamis power actually looks like in a believer’s life.

The word dunamis appears nearly 180 times in the New Testament. It’s explosive, supernatural power that shatters fear, transforms character, and enables ordinary people to do what willpower alone never could. As Oswald Chambers put it, the Christian life isn’t difficult to live — it’s impossible to live, apart from the power of God.

Working through the Pentecost narrative, Pastor Adam traces a progression from wind to atmosphere to presence resting upon the disciples — and finally indwelling them. This was God’s purpose all along: not to dwell among us, but within us. He also connects the speaking in tongues to the reversal of Babel — where God once divided and scattered, the Spirit now unites and fills.

Along the way, this message gets practical. What does dunamis look like for everyday believers? Power to overcome habitual sin. Boldness to witness. Supernatural peace that transcends circumstances. Waiting expectantly — not passively — on God. Creating an atmosphere of worship, thanksgiving, and the Word, even when it’s the last thing you feel like doing.

Sea Change Church Genesis: Jacob, Isaac, and Esau 
S5E8 – The Blessing 
Pastor Adam Stadtmiller
 Genesis 27:30-38 ESV 
30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that you may bless me.” 32  His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” 34 As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” 35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” 36 Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob?] For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

Activate Your Blessing Genesis 27:30–38 | Ephesians 1:3, 11 | Psalm 1 | Luke 11:28 | Matthew 5:9

Esau’s cry — “Bless me, even me also, O my father” — is one of the most raw moments in Genesis. He arrived moments too late, and the blessing was gone. This message asks why so many people live in that same posture: waiting, striving, feeling like the blessing passed them by.

Drawing from both the Old and New Testament, this sermon traces the Hebrew word barak — God’s active favor spoken over a life — and contrasts how blessing worked under the old covenant with what Christ has already secured. In Ephesians 1, Paul makes clear the inheritance is not something to wait for. It has been obtained.

The practical question the message lands on: if the blessing is already yours in Christ, what activates it? Scripture gives concrete answers — walking with the righteous, keeping God’s word, making peace, honoring God, extending mercy, and giving faithfully.

May 10, 2026 
Sea Change Church 
Genesis: Isaac, Jacob, and Esau S5E7 – The Danger of Deception
 Pastor Adam Stadtmiller 
Genesis 27:14-24 
14 So he (Jacob) went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau, her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.  18 So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” 20  But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the LORD your God granted me success.” 21  Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him. 24 He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.”