Thrive Harbor

The golden age is ahead, not behind us: one day Jesus will return and set everything right. But in Matthew 24, Jesus foretells that before His return there will be a period of worldwide distress called "the tribulation." God will use this span of seven years to pave the way for Christ's return and to fulfill His promises to the Jewish people, who the Bible predicts will receive their Messiah at last.

Scripture passages cited (or alluded to) in this message include Ezekiel 36:24, 34-35; John 1:11; Romans 11:26, 28; Matthew 23:37-24:35; Daniel 9:24-27; Nehemiah 2:5-6; Luke 19:42; 21:5-36; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Revelation 12:14; 13:1-18; and Zechariah 12:10; 13:1-2.

Hope comes from what you believe about the future. And what lies ahead for Christians is: glory. God promises that one day His people will enjoy not just a gloriously renewed creation but a gloriously perfected relationship with Him—a relationship that takes us into the very heart of who God is.

Scripture passages cited (or alluded to) in this message include Romans 5:9; 8:17-25; John 1:1, 14, 17, 18; 5:19, 20; 7:17; 8:50; 12:27-28; 14:10, 31; 17:10, 20-26; 20:28; Titus 3:4-5; 1 Corinthians 1:18; Genesis 1:1; 3:17; Ephesians 1:3; 2 Peter 1:1; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Matthew 28:19; Jeremiah 2:13; 1 John 4:7-8; and Exodus 33:18, 22-23.

Christ doesn't just save us from the penalty of our sin. He changes us so that we live transformed lives. That change happens not through behavior modification or naked moral effort. Instead, God's Spirit changes us from the inside-out, giving us a new nature with new desires.

Scripture passages cited in this message include Galatians 2:11-3:6; John 20:17; Romans 6:3-5, 17; 1 John 1:8; 1 Timothy 1:8-9; and Colossians 2:20-23.

It's amazing enough that God forgives us. But the gospel is even more incredible than that. Through Jesus, God has adopted believers into His family. We can know God as Father, a relationship of utmost intimacy and steadfast security.

Scripture passages cited (or alluded to) in this message include Romans 8:12-17; Genesis 5:28-29; 17:5; 35:16-18; Luke 1:59-63; Matthew 3:17; Revelation 2:17; Zephaniah 3:17; and Psalm 143:12.

How does the story of the Bible change your life? In the New Testament letters, Paul gives us one answer to that question: God has shared with us His righteousness. Now instead of seeking our status or worth in what we achieve, the gospel frees us to rest in what Jesus achieved—and the result is life and peace. 

Scripture passages cited in this message include Romans 1:23; 2:28-29; 3:21-26; and 2 Corinthians 5:21. 

As soon as the first Christian communities formed, they were persecuted. But in one of the Bible’s most stunning surprises, one of the worst persecutors of the early Christians became one! The conversion of Saul, also called Paul, was a pivotal event in biblical history. Changed by an encounter with Jesus, Paul went on to plant churches throughout the Roman empire, write much of the New Testament, and testify in word and deed to God’s amazing grace.

This message was given by Dale King, pastor of Calvary Fellowship Gig Harbor. Scripture passages cited in this message include Acts 8:3; 9:1-19; 26:14; Luke 19:10; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:8; 1 Timothy 1:15; 2 Corinthians 11:23-28; and Philippians 1:29.

When Jesus ascended into Heaven, he promised that he would send his followers the Holy Spirit so that they could live, speak, and witness for him. In so doing, Jesus launched a movement of people (called the "church") who to this day have not stopped sharing the good news of Jesus around the world.

This message was preached by Josh Nuckols, worship coordinator at our sister ministry, Thrive Kitsap.

After Jesus' death and burial, it looked as though God's story had come to a screeching halt. But three days later, Jesus rose—and it changed everything. Jesus' resurrection is an announcement that God wins, sin loses, and death doesn't have the last word.

This message was preached by Jake Chambers, pastor of Wilderness Church.

The most shocking moment in Jesus' life was his death. Who would have thought that after thousands of years of anticipation, the long-awaited Messiah would come—only to die? Yet it was through the cross that Jesus fulfilled the Messiah's ultimate mission: to take our sin, die in our place, and reconcile us to God.

This message was preached by Tim Cedarland, Thrive director emeritus.

As storm clouds of hostility begin to gather around Jesus, Jesus reacts to the rejection of His own people by speaking to them in parables. Through the parables, He discloses hitherto unrevealed truth about what God's Kingdom is like—especially during the age we're living in, while the world rejects God's King.

Scripture passages cited in this message include Matthew 12:24; 13:1-52; Mark 4:11-12; Daniel 2:44; 2 Peter 3:9; and John 3:16.