"WHY FAITH MUST BE CHOSEN: JOSHUA'S CHALLENGE"

Week 2 of "Faith to the Next Generation: Passing the Torch"

Joshua 24:14-15

You raised your kids in the church. You taught them about Jesus. You prayed for their faith. You did everything right.

So why did they walk away?

Or maybe they haven't yet, but you're afraid they will. Because somewhere deep down, you know the truth: Your kids aren't automatically Christians because you are. Faith cannot be inherited.

In this second week of "Faith to the Next Generation," Matthew explores one of the most difficult realities of parenting: At some point, your children have to choose faith for themselves.

Drawing from Joshua 24, where the aging Joshua stands before all Israel and says, "Choose this day whom you will serve," this sermon examines:

- The difference between inherited religion and chosen faith

- Why Joshua gives people real freedom to choose differently—even when it breaks his heart

- What it looks like to model faith authentically while respecting your kids' freedom

- The tension between presenting the case for faith and letting them decide

- How to let go and trust God with the outcomes

- Hope for kids who have walked away (people change; God never stops pursuing)

This sermon doesn't pretend that faith is automatic or that good parenting guarantees good outcomes. Instead, it's honest about the hardest part of passing faith to the next generation: letting go.

But it's also hopeful. Because Joshua's example shows us that we can model faith passionately, teach faith clearly, and still honor our kids' freedom to choose. And God is far more relentless in His pursuit of our children than we could ever be.

If you're wrestling with your children's faith choices, this sermon is for you.

="LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD: THE FOUNDATION"

Week 1 of "Faith to the Next Generation: Passing the Torch"

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

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You want your kids to love God. You pray for it. You hope for it. You sometimes lie awake at night wondering if you're doing enough to help them embrace faith.

But here's what you need to know: The greatest thing you can do for your children's faith isn't found in perfect parenting, impressive youth groups, or the right Christian school. It's found in something much simpler and much harder.

It's found in YOUR love for God.

In this first week of "Faith to the Next Generation," Matthew unpacks the Shema—that ancient, foundational command to love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and might. But here's the key: The command to love God comes FIRST. Only THEN comes the command to teach your children.

This sermon explores what that means for you as a parent or grandparent. It addresses:

- Why authentic faith matters more than perfection

- How kids can detect fake faith (even when we think we're hiding it)

- What it actually looks like to love God with ALL your heart

- Why giving your own faith that kind of priority is the greatest gift you can give your kids

- How to examine your own heart this week

This is a challenging sermon—not because Matthew condemns you, but because he calls you to honestly assess: Do you really love God with all your heart? And if not, what would it look like to start?

Because your kids don't need a perfect parent. They need a parent whose genuine love for Jesus is real, lived out, and central to everything.

Listen in and let this sermon challenge and encourage you.

Matthew Dowling, preaching minister for the Plymouth Church of Christ, preached a message titled "A Faith that Risked Everything: Rahab" from Joshua 2. The May sermon series is titled "Courage in Her Bones: Women Who Shaped Redemption."

Matthew Dowling, preaching minister for the Plymouth Church of Christ, preached a message titled "Faith When You Have Nothing Left: The Widow of Zarephath" from 1 Kings 17:7-16. The May sermon series is titled "Courage in Her Bones: Women Who Shaped Redemption."

Matthew Dowling, preaching minister at the Plymouth Church of Christ, preached a message titled "When God Hears the Desperate Prayer: Hannah" from 1 Samuel 1-2. The May sermon series is "Courage in Her Bones: Women in the Story of Redemption."

Matthew Dowling, preaching minister at the Plymouth Church of Christ, preached a message titled "When God Calls You By Name" from Judges 4. The May sermon series is called "Courage in Her Bones: Women Who Shaped Redemption"

Title: "Do You Love Me? Peter's Restoration"

Scripture: John 21:15-19

Series: After Easter: Encounters with the Risen Christ (Week 3)

Peter denied Jesus three times. Standing by a charcoal fire while Jesus was on trial, Peter said, "I do not know him." Three times. And then Jesus was crucified, buried, and on the third day rose from the dead. But Peter? Peter went back to fishing. Back to his old life. Because when you've failed that badly, what else can you do?

But Jesus wasn't done with Peter.

Early one morning, Jesus showed up on the beach and made breakfast. By a charcoal fire—the same kind of fire where Peter had denied Him. Jesus wasn't avoiding the failure. He was redeeming it.

And then Jesus asked Peter three questions: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Three times. Three questions for three denials. Three opportunities to confess his love. Three restorations.

This week we explored three truths from John 21:15-19:

First, Jesus meets us after failure. He doesn't wait for us to clean ourselves up. He makes breakfast. He shows up right where we are—even in the place of our failure.

Second, Jesus restores through confession. Not confession of how great we'll be from now on, but honest confession: "Lord, I love You." Love is the foundation, not performance or promises we can't keep.

Third, Jesus renews our calling. After each confession, Jesus told Peter: "Feed my sheep." Your failure doesn't disqualify you. When you're restored, Jesus says: You still have work to do. Follow me.

Peter went on to become one of the greatest leaders in the early church. The man who denied Jesus by a fire was eventually martyred for Jesus.

That's restoration.

So if you're carrying failure today—come to Jesus. Confess your love for Him. And receive your calling. Because your failure isn't final. Jesus restores what we've broken.

Key Scriptures: John 21:15-19; Romans 5:8; 1 John 1:9; Matthew 26:33-35; Luke 22:54-62

Title: "The Road to Emmaus: Finding Hope in Disappointment"

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35

Series: After Easter: Encounters with the Risen Christ (Week 2)

 

Easter Sunday is glorious. The tomb is empty. Jesus is risen. Victory is declared.

But what about the week after Easter? When you go back to work, back to the same problems, back to the same struggles that were there before Easter even happened? When disappointment doesn't magically disappear just because the resurrection is true?

On the very first Easter—on resurrection Sunday itself—two disciples were walking away from Jerusalem in complete disappointment. They had heard the reports. The tomb was empty. Angels said Jesus was alive. But they didn't know what to do with it. So they left. Heading home to Emmaus, seven miles away.

Dejected. Confused. Hopeless.

And that's when Jesus showed up.

Luke 24:15 tells us: "While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them." But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. Why? Because Jesus wanted to meet them in their disappointment first—not with a miracle, but with His presence.

He walked beside them. Listened to them. Let them pour out their confusion and grief.

Verse 21 gives us the key phrase: "But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel." We had hoped. Past tense. The language of shattered expectations.

Here's the first truth: Jesus meets us in our disappointment. Not after we fix it. Not after we understand it. Not after we get over it. But right in the middle of it. Hebrews 4:15 says Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses—He knows what it's like to have expectations shattered. He doesn't scold you for being disappointed. He walks with you.

Then Jesus did something remarkable. Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He opened the Scriptures to them. He showed them how all of it—every promise, every prophecy—pointed to the Christ who would suffer and enter into His glory. And as He spoke, their hearts began to burn (verse 32). Not because they recognized Him yet, but because the Word of God was doing its work—reframing their disappointment in light of God's plan.

Here's the second truth: Jesus opens our eyes through Scripture. When you're disappointed, you need God's Word. Not for quick answers, but to reframe your perspective. To show you that what looks like defeat might actually be God's victory. Hebrews 4:12 says the Word is living and active—it pierces to the heart and reframes our pain.

When they arrived at Emmaus, Jesus acted as if He were going farther. But they urged Him strongly: "Stay with us" (verse 29). He didn't force Himself on them. He gave them a choice. And when they invited Him in—when they made space for Him at the table—He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened. They recognized Him.

Here's the third truth: Jesus reveals Himself when we invite Him in. Revelation 3:20 says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in." You can hear sermons, read the Bible, know theology—but until you invite Jesus into your life, into your disappointment, into your brokenness, you won't fully see Him.

And when these two disciples recognized Jesus? Everything changed. Verse 33: "They rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem." They didn't wait until morning. They turned around. Disappointment turned to hope. Confusion turned to clarity. Sadness turned to joy. And they couldn't keep it to themselves.

So here's the question: What disappointment are you walking away from today? What shattered expectation? What unanswered prayer? What broken dream?

Jesus is already walking with you. You just need to recognize Him. Open the Word. Let Him reframe your disappointment. And then invite Him in: "Stay with me, Lord. I need You." And watch what happens. Your heart will burn. Your eyes will open. And you'll turn around—not back to the same old life, but forward into a life transformed by the risen Christ.

Because the tomb is empty. Jesus is alive. And He's walking with you. Even when you're disappointed. Especially when you're disappointed.

Don't walk away. Turn around.

Key Scriptures: Luke 24:13-35; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 3:20

"A Chaplain's View of the Resurrection"

Scripture: John 5:24; Romans 8:1; Ephesians 3:20

Date: Easter Sunday

The resurrection isn't just a historical event we celebrate once a year. It's a present reality that meets people in their darkest moments. This Easter, we explored what resurrection power looks like from a chaplain's perspective—not in ancient Jerusalem, but in modern hospital rooms.

Three stories. Three encounters with grace. Three demonstrations of resurrection power.

First, grace makes us ready to die. A man in his late seventies was admitted with severe circulation issues requiring amputation. For a week, he refused the surgery. Medical teams pleaded. Palliative care tried. Finally, they called the chaplain. When we talked, the real issue emerged—not his leg, but his soul. Thirty years ago, he had been unfaithful to his wife. The guilt had never left. His question: "Can I be forgiven? Am I ready to stand before God like this?" We talked about confession, grace, and the cross of Christ—that there is no sin so deep that His blood does not go deeper still. When we prayed, peace filled the room. Then something sacred happened. He asked his wife to sit down and confessed everything to her. She looked at him and said, "The day you told me—years ago—I decided that I would forgive you. And so… I do." Complete grace. They embraced. And then he turned to me: "You can tell the doctors I don't want the surgery. I'm ready for hospice." He hadn't been refusing because he didn't understand the risks. He wasn't ready to die—not carrying that burden. But now the guilt was gone. Grace had made him ready. Romans 8:1: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Second, grace makes us able to live. A young mother went in for a C-section and suffered a catastrophic complication—amniotic fluid embolism. Both she and the baby went into cardiac arrest. After twelve hours of surgery and catastrophic liver bleeding, the doctors said, "There's nothing more we can do." Her husband paced the ICU, praying desperately in Portuguese—the Ave Maria, over and over. Through tears, he even agreed to organ donation: "If she cannot live… let her help someone else live." But the next morning, something impossible happened. Overnight, she stabilized. No new intervention. No explanation. She was placed on ECMO. She kept improving. When her husband spoke to her, her eyes turned toward his voice. He fell to his knees—this time in gratitude. Doctors asked, "Was this… a miracle?" They knew the numbers: less than 1% survival rate. Their answer: "There's no explanation." She went home—to her husband, her family, the daughter she almost never met. Ephesians 3:20: "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine."

Third, grace secures a life death cannot touch. John, a young man in his early 30s with ALS, suffered cardiac arrest and was not expected to survive. But his best friend shared something remarkable: for six months, Mark had been coming to church, asking questions, wrestling with faith. One day, his best friend sat with him for two hours, opened the Scriptures, and shared the gospel. Mark believed. He wanted to follow Christ. He wanted to be baptized. They picked the date: Easter Sunday. But instead of a baptismal pool, we stood in an ICU. His best friend asked asked, "Can we still do it?" That afternoon, surrounded by family and friends, I baptized Mark. "Baptism is like a wedding ceremony," I explained. "It doesn't create the love it reveals it. God had already poured His love into John's heart." Days later, John died. Through organ donation, four other lives were saved. But John had already crossed over from death to life. John 5:24: "Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has crossed over from death to life."

Three rooms. Three stories. One God still writing stories of resurrection power today.

Title: "Angels, Demons, and Spiritual Warfare" - Ephesians 6:10-18; Revelation 12:7-9

Series: Unseen - The Truth About Angels (Week 4 - Finale)

The finale of our Unseen series tackles the dark side: Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare. Not all angels serve God. Some rebelled. Some fell. They became demons. And they're still active, still fighting, still trying to destroy what God is building.

First, Satan rebelled and took one-third of the angels with him. Revelation 12:7-9 describes war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. The dragon was defeated and thrown down to earth. His angels—one-third of heaven's host—became demons. Isaiah 14:12-15 reveals Satan's motivation: five "I will" statements, all rooted in pride. He wanted to be like God. That was his sin. And when he fell, he took one-third of the angels with him.

Second, Satan's primary weapon is deception. He is the deceiver, the accuser, and the murderer. In the Garden of Eden, he asked, "Did God actually say?" He twists truth, casts doubt, and makes sin look reasonable. He accuses believers day and night before God. He prowls like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. His goal is to destroy your faith, your family, your witness, your joy.

Third, we fight with spiritual armor. Ephesians 6:10-18 gives us six pieces: belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit. Plus prayer. The command is repeated three times: Stand firm.

Fourth, the war is already won. You're not fighting for victory—you're fighting from victory. Jesus defeated Satan at the cross. Colossians 2:15 says He disarmed the rulers and authorities. The decisive battle has been won, like D-Day in World War II. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

Key Scriptures: Ephesians 6:10-18; Revelation 12:4,7-10; Isaiah 14:12-15; Genesis 3:1-4; John 8:44; 1 Peter 5:8; Colossians 2:15; 1 John 4:4; Revelation 12:11