The Crossing Church

Pastor Chad’s sermon focused on the exclusivity of Jesus Christ, emphasizing that salvation comes through Jesus alone, not through a combination of religions or different spiritual paths. Using Paul’s message in Acts 17, he explained that Christianity can stand confidently in a pluralistic society without compromising its central truth. He showed how Jesus demonstrated divine authority by forgiving sins, commanding creation, and claiming to be the Son of God. The challenge to believers was to move beyond simply believing in Jesus to fully surrendering their lives to Him and boldly sharing the gospel with others.

Pastor Chad’s sermon explored why belief in God is reasonable by examining the consequences of a worldview without Him, arguing that life would lack ultimate meaning, moral value, and purpose. He explained that our deep desires for beauty, justice, love, and something beyond ourselves point toward our Creator. In the Christian worldview, our worth and identity come from God, our moral foundation rests in His character, and our hope is rooted in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection and the promise of a new heaven and earth. He concluded that the greatest evidence for God is a life transformed by Christ, demonstrated through the peace, joy, and hope that others can see in us.

Pastor Chad presents historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, including the early testimony, empty tomb, eyewitness accounts, and transformed lives of His followers. He emphasizes that because Jesus is risen, our faith is real, death is not the end, and our lives should reflect the hope and power of His kingdom.

Pastor Chad explains why we can trust the Bible as historically reliable and as the inspired Word of God. He emphasizes that Scripture reveals salvation through Jesus, guides our lives, and has the power to transform us. He challenges believers to read God’s Word daily, allowing it to strengthen their faith and deepen their relationship with Him.

Pastor Pete’s sermon, “I’m Still Standing,” focuses on how to remain resilient through life’s storms by relying on God’s strength rather than our own. Drawing from Ephesians 6, he explains that resilience begins with a firm foundation in Christ, grows through trials that reveal our inner spiritual character, and gives us purpose to keep moving forward. Even when we experience grief, disappointment, fear, or setbacks, we can rise again because of the strength and peace God provides. Pastor Pete challenges us to stand firm not only for ourselves, but also for our families, our church, and the next generation, remembering that others are watching our faith and may draw strength from our example.

Pastor Chad’s sermon teaches that God can bring life and fruitfulness even in the middle of our wilderness seasons. Using Isaiah 41, he explains that when we are spiritually thirsty and seek God, He provides the “river” we need to survive and flourish. The wilderness may feel dry, painful, or hopeless, but God can transform it into a place of growth, blessing, and even beauty. The challenge is to seek God rather than trying to numb or escape our circumstances, trusting that God can make the wilderness bloom and use our hardest seasons for His purposes.

Pastor Chad’s sermon teaches that the wilderness seasons of life are not wasted—they are part of God’s process of preparing us for what He has promised. Using Israel’s journey through the wilderness, he explains that God uses difficult seasons to change our character, deepen our dependence on Him, and prepare us to handle future blessings. Rather than going back to what is familiar when life gets hard, we should trust God, follow His direction, and stay faithful through the process because He is leading, sustaining, and preparing us for our good.

Pastor Chad explains that wilderness seasons, when God feels distant and life feels dry, can actually be seasons of spiritual growth and preparation. He encourages us to hunger for God, stay faithful to our spiritual habits, remember His faithfulness, and hold onto hope because the wilderness is not the end of our story.

Pastor Chad closes the Ascend series with a message from Psalm 24 emphasizing that God is holy, powerful, and worthy of wholehearted worship. Through Jesus, we can approach God with clean hands and a pure heart, but grace is not an excuse for sin. True worship involves repentance, holiness, and delighting in God so that He can transform our desires and lives.

Pastor Chad’s message focuses on the rewards that come through prayer, using Jehoshaphat’s victory in 2 Chronicles 20 as the foundation. He emphasizes that God often does far more than we ask or expect, and that even when God doesn’t answer a prayer exactly as requested, His response can be better because He sees the bigger picture. The primary rewards of prayer are love, joy, and peace—experiencing the Father’s love, finding joy even after seasons of sorrow, and receiving God’s peace in the middle of difficult circumstances. He encourages believers to turn toward God, honestly bring Him their problems, remember His past faithfulness with thanksgiving, and confidently make their requests known.