There is a joy that transcends all of life’s circumstances. Hebrews 10 mentions the joyful acceptance of being robbed knowing there is a better, future possession. The disciples were beaten but left rejoicing for the honor of suffering for Christ’s name. Happiness is fragile and folds under pressure, but the joy of the Lord is steady, firm, and persistent.

Watch the video here: https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/the-advent-of-joy-1/

Even the best stories about human love reveal frailty and cannot be looked upon as any righteous constant. So we start with the Savior. We did not love Him first, but He loved us. With no good in ourselves, Christ moved toward us. While we were still weak, ungodly sinners, Christ died for us. That is true love.

Watch the video here: https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/the-advent-of-love-1/

There is a set of subversive expectations that we are steeped in when it comes to Christmas. Books, movies, and the lore of the holidays promise all things can be made right and complete through the magic of the season. Our human hearts are desperate for this relief and it is found in Jesus Christ, our Prince of Peace. The Advent of peace is now.

Watch the video here: https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/the-advent-of-peace-1/

The gospel of Jesus can feel quaint and outdated in today’s fast-paced, sensory-driven world. With so many things vying for our attention, we should find ways to cultivate moments of meaning, hope, and rest. Our faith lives on patience. Patience is willing to endure. Endurance is sustained by the promise of beauty. Beauty is the object of our hope. Be still and behold Him.

Watch the video here: https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/the-advent-of-hope-1/

We all feel a sense of worthlessness or contempt in our hearts. We try to combat it with self-righteousness and self-loathing. When we realize that although we can’t save ourselves but Christ’s desire is to do that very thing, it produces in us a humble self-forgetfulness. Our reward is justification, atonement, and looking away from ourselves to gaze at the Lamb of God, our Savior.

Watch the video here: https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/contempt-and-redemption/

It is our hope and prayer that we will have planted and revitalized 30 healthy, gospel-centered, multiplying churches by the year 2030. And God has already begun this work. As a church, our work is to collectively affirm what God is doing and commit to support the work of advancing the Kingdom of God through the sent ones. It is our honor to commission two men as they are sent by the Spirit to expand the Kingdom for His Glory.

Watch the video here: https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/church-planter-commissioning/

There is an innate hunger for abundant life hidden in the heart of people, and the vast majority don’t yet know the beauty, truth, and relevance of Jesus. Before He ascended into the heavens, Jesus made a promise to His followers that we would receive power when the Holy Spirit comes. Therefore, we shouldn’t stare up at the heavens until He returns, but we should go share this good news of abundant life by the power of the Spirit.

Watch the video here: https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/you-will-receive-power/

The Pharisees and Scribes grumbled as Jesus dined with the unwelcome and uninvited. In a series of three parables, Jesus responds to their complaints with the message that the Kingdom is for all people. It is for the saint and the sinner. The banquet table is set by a compassionate Father. For those of us who were far off, come home. For those who are near, come home.

Watch the video here: https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/the-compassionate-father-and-his-two-sons/

While Jesus is not indifferent to matters of justice, the matter at hand was one of greed. Before telling this parable a man demanded that Jesus tell his brother to give him some of the inheritance. Jesus tells this story to derail man’s desire for worldly gain and calls the crowd to be rich in God.

Watch the video here: https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/the-rich-fool/

Jesus says to pray and not lose heart. In Luke 18, He tells the story of a woman in desperate need of justice. Her “bothersome” persistence convinces the unrighteous judge to act. How much more will God be moved into action by the cries of His own children?

Watch the video here: https://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/sermons/the-persistent-widow/