What does it really mean to live the blessed life?

In this message, Dr. Trent Langhofer kicks off Trace Church’s Sermon on the Mount series by unpacking Jesus’ radical definition of blessing from Matthew 5. Contrary to culture’s version of happiness, Jesus invites us into a life of deep flourishing that is rooted in surrender, formation, and alignment with God.

Walking through the Beatitudes one by one, this sermon explores how the blessed life is not built on comfort, success, or circumstance, but on humility, dependence, mercy, purity, peacemaking, endurance, and faithfulness to God even in hardship.

If you are searching for meaning, wrestling with pain, navigating doubt, or longing for a life that truly lasts, this message reframes what blessing looks like through the life and teachings of Jesus.

This sermon was preached at Trace Church in Colorado Springs.

Scripture focus: Matthew 5:1–12

Series: Sermon on the Mount

Message title: The Blessed Life

Speaker: Dr. Trent Langhofer, Teaching Pastor

If this message encouraged you, consider subscribing for more sermons, sermon clips, and teachings from Trace Church.

Unbelief can quietly keep us stuck, not because we deny God, but because we stop trusting Him with what feels impossible to change.

In this final message of the Uprooted series, Pastor Aaron Pennington teaches from Mark 9 and Romans 12, showing how faith and doubt can exist at the same time, and how obedience becomes the evidence that God is faithful even when circumstances do not make sense.

This sermon speaks directly to those wrestling with doubt, unanswered prayers, broken relationships, addiction, fear, and the feeling that nothing will ever change. Pastor Aaron reminds us that transformation is possible, unbelief does not disqualify us, and we are under no obligation to remain the same person we were yesterday.

If you are struggling to believe, wondering why God has said no, or trying to take a next step of faith, this message is for you.

In this powerful and honest message, Pastor Aaron Pennington, Lead Pastor of Trace Church in Colorado Springs, addresses one of the most pervasive and destructive struggles facing Christians today. Pornography and sexual sin are not just private battles. They are poisons that weaken the soul, damage relationships, and pull us away from the transformed life Jesus offers.

As part of the Uprooted sermon series, Pastor Aaron calls us to stop managing sin and start uprooting it. With truth, grace, Scripture, and practical wisdom, this sermon confronts shame, exposes lies, and points toward real freedom found in Christ.

This message is for anyone who feels stuck in cycles of temptation, guilt, secrecy, or spiritual numbness. Whether you are struggling personally or seeking clarity on how faith speaks into modern challenges, this teaching offers hope, conviction, and a clear path forward.

Key themes in this sermon:

• Why pornography promises pleasure but produces slavery

• The spiritual and neurological impact of sexual sin

• Why silence allows strongholds to grow

• How Jesus offers freedom, healing, and renewal

• What it means to uproot sin instead of excusing it

At Trace Church, we believe in truth and grace together. No condemnation, but no compromise. Freedom is possible, and transformation is available through Jesus.

Join us in Colorado Springs or watch online as we continue the Uprooted series and ask the honest question:

What needs to be uprooted from your life so you can live fully free in Christ?

Service Times at Trace Church:

8:15a | 10:00a | 11:45a | 5:00p

4330 Mark Dabling Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO

Subscribe for more sermons, sermon clips, and teaching from Pastor Aaron Pennington and Trace Church.

What happens when comfortable faith turns into complacency?In Complacency and Excuses, Pastor Aaron Pennington continues the Uprooted sermon series with a powerful call to responsibility, surrender, and real transformation.Using a gripping historical illustration and Scripture from John 10, Matthew 5, Galatians 5, Luke 9, and Ephesians 3, this message confronts the excuses that quietly keep us stuck. Pastor Aaron challenges us to stop blaming circumstances, stop settling for the status quo, and allow God to uproot anything that prevents us from living fully surrendered lives.This sermon speaks directly to:Spiritual complacencyMaking excuses instead of taking responsibilityStanding firm in faith against cultural pressureDaily surrender and obedienceLetting go of shame and receiving graceWalking by the Spirit instead of the fleshIf you’re asking what needs to change in your life in 2026, this message will challenge, encourage, and invite you into deeper faith.📍 Trace Church | Colorado SpringsJoin us Sundays at 8:15a | 10:00a | 11:45a | 5:00p4330 Mark Dabling Blvd, Colorado Springs

Change is something everyone wants, but few know how to experience in a lasting way. In this message, Dr. Trent Langhofer kicks off the Uprooted sermon series by exposing one of the most common but hidden obstacles to spiritual growth: performance based acceptance.

Drawing from decades of counseling experience and Scripture, Dr. Trent teaches that real transformation does not come from trying harder or doing more, but from addressing what lies beneath the surface. Using the life and conversion of the Apostle Paul, he shows how striving, shame, and spiritual complacency often grow from the belief that we must earn God’s approval through behavior, knowledge, or achievement.

This message reveals how God brings change through four catalysts: learning, experience, pain, and love. Through Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, we see how God uproots a life built on performance and replaces it with grace, humility, and true freedom.

If you are carrying shame, exhausted from striving, or quietly settled into being spiritually okay, this teaching will challenge and encourage you. The gospel reminds us that our standing with God is not based on what we do, but on what Christ has already done for us.

This sermon invites us to begin a new year by laying down what is not working and allowing God to uproot whatever keeps us from becoming who He designed us to be.

📖 Key Scriptures:

Acts 9:1–19

Philippians 3:4–9

Acts 22:3–21

1 Timothy 1:15

Galatians 2:20

Join us Sundays at Trace Church

8:15a | 10:00a | 11:45a | 5:00p

📍 4330 Mark Dabling Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Trace Church. In this powerful post-Christmas message, Pastor Shawn Prokes teaches a timely and deeply biblical message about what we treasure and why it matters.Before the sermon begins, we invite you to pause the video and gather communion elements. Grab bread or crackers to represent the body of Christ and juice to represent His blood. We will take communion together at the end of this message.In Truths About Treasures, Pastor Shawn walks through Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 and helps us understand the difference between earthly treasures that fade and heavenly treasures that last. Using personal stories, Scripture, and practical application, this sermon challenges us to examine our hearts and reorient our lives around what truly matters.This message covers:• What Scripture says we should not treasure• What Scripture calls us to treasure• How our hearts function as a storehouse• Why we must make room to follow Jesus fully• The truth that God treasures us first• Why getting treasures right helps us get Christmas rightThis sermon is especially meaningful for the season after Christmas, when we reflect on what we value and how we step into a new year with purpose. Pastor Shawn reminds us that treasuring Jesus is not about guilt or materialism but about living with a gospel-shaped heart.At the conclusion of the message, we share communion together, remembering the body and blood of Christ and the greatest treasure of all, Jesus Himself.If this message encouraged you, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. We would also love to hear how this sermon impacted you in the comments.Thank you for being part of what God is doing at Trace Church.Go be a Trace.

Christmas Eve is a time filled with beauty, tradition, and reflection, but it can also be a season where pain, loss, and unanswered questions feel heavier than ever. In this powerful Christmas Eve message, Pastor Aaron Pennington invites us to slow down and ask the question at the heart of the Christmas story: What Child Is This?As part of our Songs of Christmas series, this sermon explores the story and meaning behind the beloved carol What Child Is This? Pastor Aaron walks through the origins of the song, the pain that shaped it, and how its message still speaks hope into our lives today. This message reminds us that Jesus did not arrive in comfort and perfection, but stepped into a messy, broken world to bring light, life, and healing.Whether Christmas is joyful or heavy for you, this message is an invitation to experience Jesus not as a tradition, but as the Savior who meets us in our cold and dark moments. Through Scripture, personal story, and the truth of the Gospel, Pastor Aaron shares how Jesus is God with us, Emmanuel, and how His life, death, and resurrection offer forgiveness, restoration, and new life for anyone who believes.If you are new to church, returning after a long time, or simply searching for hope this Christmas season, we are honored you are here. Trace Church exists to help people encounter Jesus and discover the abundant life He offers.Thank you for celebrating Christmas Eve with us.If this message encouraged you, consider subscribing to our channel and sharing it with someone who may need hope this Christmas.We would also love to invite you to join us in person or online as we continue into the new year. We will be back in person on January 4 as we begin a new teaching series called Uprooted, focused on removing what holds us back from the life Jesus came to give.📍 Trace Church4330 Mark Dabling BlvdColorado Springs, Colorado

What is your soul worth?

In this Christmas message from The Songs of Christmas, Pastor Aaron explores the powerful meaning behind O Holy Night and why this historic hymn still speaks so deeply to our hearts today. From its unexpected origins to its enduring message of hope, this sermon invites listeners to slow down, reflect, and rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.

This episode addresses weariness, identity, and worth, reminding us that Jesus did not only come to forgive sin, but to restore our value, bring redemption, and offer new life both now and forever. If you have ever felt stuck, unworthy, or exhausted by life, this message points you back to the hope found in Christ alone.

You will hear why Christmas joy is not denial of pain, but confidence in who reigns, how Jesus came not just to save us from sin but from ourselves, and why our worth is defined by the price He paid.

This sermon is part of the Songs of Christmas series at Trace Church, a church in Colorado Springs focused on helping people know Jesus, find community, and live transformed lives.

Listen in and be encouraged as we fix our eyes on Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith, and remember that even in the hardest seasons, God can grow the strongest hope.

What does real joy look like when life still feels heavy?

In this episode from The Songs of Christmas, Dr. T explores the meaning behind the beloved hymn Joy to the World by teaching through Psalm 98 and the story of its origin. This message reminds us that joy is not rooted in perfect circumstances, but in the salvation and reign of Jesus Christ.

Dr. T shares the powerful story of the 1914 Christmas Eve ceasefire during World War I, when soldiers sang Joy to the World in the middle of war. They were not celebrating because the battle was over, but because hope still existed. In the same way, this sermon invites us to rediscover joy that remains even in seasons of struggle, grief, and uncertainty.

This episode unpacks how salvation transforms us internally, why joy is meant to be expressed together in worship, and how God is actively restoring hearts, lives, and ultimately all of creation. If you are searching for meaning, hope, or peace this Christmas season, this message offers a deeper joy that circumstances cannot take away.

📖 Scripture Focus: Psalm 98

🎶 Featured Hymn: Joy to the World

🎄 Series: The Songs of Christmas

Christmas Eve at Trace Church

December 23 and 24

1:00p, 3:00p, 5:00p

Join us Sundays in person

8:15a | 10:00a | 11:45a | 5:00p

📍 4330 Mark Dabling Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO

Listen, reflect, and rediscover the joy that comes from knowing Jesus reigns.

Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, yet many people enter this season exhausted, overwhelmed, or feeling far from joyful and triumphant. In this message, Lead Pastor Aaron Pennington opens our Christmas series, Songs of Christmas, by taking us deeper into the meaning behind the classic hymn O Come All Ye Faithful.

Rather than treating Christmas music as background noise, Pastor Aaron shows how this 250 year old hymn is actually a calling to reorient our hearts toward Jesus. Using Colossians 1, Matthew 11, Hebrews 4, and the overarching story of Scripture, he explains what it truly means to adore Christ and why adoration goes far beyond seasonal emotion. It is the highest biblical expression of worship, placing Christ as the supreme affection of our lives.

Whether you walked into this season feeling faithful, joyful, or triumphant, or whether you feel weary, broken, disappointed, or unsure about faith, this message reminds you that the hymn is not describing your performance. It is describing the victory of Jesus that you step into by faith.

Pastor Aaron also addresses the emotional weight many people carry in December and offers the comfort Jesus gives to the weary. Because Christ took on flesh and experienced suffering, betrayal, exhaustion, and pain, we can never say to God, “You do not understand.” He understands completely and invites us to come boldly to receive mercy and grace.

This message will help you slow down, refocus your heart, and rediscover why Jesus is worthy of all devotion, affection, and adoration this Christmas. Learn why Christmas is not about having it all together but about the Savior who came to rescue us, redeem us, and offer eternal life to all who trust him.

📖 Key Scriptures:

Colossians 1:15–20

Matthew 11:28–30

Hebrews 4:14–16

Romans 3:23J

ohn 10:27–30

John 1:14

Christmas Eve at Trace Church

December 23: 1:00p | 3:00p | 5:00p

December 24: 1:00p | 3:00p | 5:00p

Join us Sundays in person:

8:15a | 10:00a | 11:45a | 5:00p

📍 4330 Mark Dabling Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO

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ABOUT TRACE CHURCH

Trace Church exists to help people find and follow Jesus. From in-person worship in Colorado Springs to digital messages across the world, we create space for people to experience life-giving, Gospel-centered teaching. Whether you are new to church or looking for a place to grow, we are here for you.