Sermon by Pastor John DeVries

Many years have passed since the days of Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” in John chapter 17. But as he explains in that prayer, the process of making disciples is still the same for us now as it was for him then, namely the ministry of the Word and prayer. In today’s sermon, we are reminded of the power of these two disciple-making activities, and we are called to rededicate ourselves to their faithful use in our own making of disciples.

“The ‘I’ in TULIP”

Sermon by Pastor John DeVries

With the close of John chapter 16, the formal part of Jesus’ earthly ministry has come to a close.  Now, with the opening of chapter 17, Jesus sets his sights firmly on his approaching passion and death.  But, rather than demonstrating a hesitation or a reluctance to face that challenge, Jesus eagerly asks that the Father might join him in those events that they might be glorified together.  Join us as we seek to understand the fullness of what Jesus is saying in these verses and how it lays the foundation for the salvation we share.

Sermon by Pastor John DeVries

While delayed gratification is an important concept for us to employ in many things in life, it is critical for the life of faith. Join us as we look at how Jesus seeks to strengthen his disciples for the period of difficulty that they are about to experience as he makes his way to the cross in the simple truth that he has overcome the world.

Sermon by William E. Burrows II

We often long for extraordinary growth—in our faith, our families, our church—but Scripture reminds us that in his divine wisdom, God has chosen to work those extraordinary things through ordinary means. In Acts 2:36–42, we see the newborn church devoted not to innovation or performance, but to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. These simple, God-ordained practices sustained them, shaped them, and bore lasting fruit. This sermon invites us to resist the urge to build our faith in our own strength and instead embrace ordinary faithfulness, trusting that God gives the increase through the means he has graciously provided.

Sermon by Pastor John DeVries

How should God’s people think about time—the speed with which it passes, the burdens we encounter along the way in this all-too-brief life that God gives us? These are things that lie at the heart of this powerful prayer of Moses. Listen along us as we recalibrate our thoughts about these things, gaining a greater heart of wisdom to live well in this fleeting time as men and women of God.

Sermon by Pastor John DeVries

There are certain Scriptures that come immediately to mind when we think of the love of God, John 3:16 for example. But there are also certain  passages that definitely do not—passages that are challenging for us to understand or to square with what we are told about God’s love. Our sermon text today is one of those Scripture passages. But as we look more closely, we find that it really is the love of God that shines through—a love that simply will not let his people go, no matter how much they desire to wander from him. Listen along us as we consider the love of God as it is revealed to us in this difficult text, which recounts Herod’s killing of the innocent baby boys of Bethlehem.

Sermon by Pastor John DeVries

The wise men experienced great joy when they saw the star of Christ leading them to him, even before they saw Christ himself. What are we to make of this? Were they focused on the wrong things, or does their example point us to something important in our own experiences of finding joy in Christ? Join us as we ponder these questions in this Advent sermon from Pastor John DeVries.

Sermon by Pastor John DeVries

Though our life in Christ grants us a deep and settled peace now—having been reconciled to God—that peace rests on the greater peace still to come when Christ returns in glory. But the reign of Christ is not merely a future hope. From his birth, this question has pressed itself upon the world: does Jesus Christ claim all earthly thrones now? The visit of the wise men and the violent response of Herod reveal that Christ’s kingdom confronts the present order; it exposes both faith and resistance. Herod’s cruelty was no misunderstanding, but a tragic display of what happens when earthly power refuses to yield to heaven’s King. If Jesus is indeed King of kings and Lord of lords, his claim reaches every throne, calling rulers—and all people—to surrender even now. In this Advent sermon, Pastor John DeVries explores these themes from the Gospel according to Matthew, tracing the costly reality of Christ’s reign in a world that resists it.

Sermon by Pastor John DeVries

Throughout biblical history, God has given his people hope in difficult circumstances by assuring them of one salient point: that he is with them. Join us as we consider how Joseph received this message and how it transformed the seeming mess before him into something he could embrace with confidence and anticipation. And in Joseph’s story, we find great power for our own story—especially in those moments when it seems all has been lost.

Sermon by Pastor John DeVries

Thanksgiving is a time for celebrating the harvest and all of God's other blessings. But the harvest is also a time to remember the great harvest that God has planned for the end of this age, the time when “all causes of sin and all law-breakers” will be gathered out of the kingdom to be thrown into the fire and burned, while the righteous will “shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:41–43). Listen in as Pastor John DeVries engages Jesus’ powerful parable of the wheat and the weeds.