Veterans Parkway church of Christ

Series: N/A

Service: Sun AM Worship

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Shawn Bain

Jesus is full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Discover what God's grace truly is—not entitlement, and not just a one-time gift, but unmerited favor that continues to save, sustain, and equip us.

Read the full transcript at https://vpchurchofchrist.org/media/articles/2025/10/05/jesus-full-of-grace-transcript.

• Grace is not an entitlement we have earned, but God's unmerited favor given to undeserving people through Jesus Christ.
• True appreciation for God's grace is demonstrated by not continuing in sin but by living a transformed life of service, ensuring the gift is not received in vain.
• God's grace is continuously available to help Christians overcome temptation and endure trials, providing strength precisely in our moments of weakness.
• The "exceedingly abundant" grace we receive equips every Christian with gifts to serve within the church, making the body of Christ sufficient for its work.

Series: Fall Gospel Meeting 2025: Steadfast in Christ

Service: Gospel Meeting

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Phillip Shumake

Explore the life of Joshua to learn how to build a steadfast Christian legacy. Discover how reverence, prayer, and accountability can impact future generations.

Read the full transcript at https://vpchurchofchrist.org/media/articles/2025/10/01/leave-a-legacy-transcript.

• A biblical legacy is not about self-promotion but about laying "stepping stones" to help the next generation advance in their faith and character.
• A legacy of steadfastness is built on a foundation of reverence—a deep respect for God demonstrated by obeying His commands exactly as they are written.
• We earn the respect of the next generation by acknowledging the reality of their spiritual battles (e.g., loneliness, politics, false doctrine) and applying God's timeless wisdom to them.
• Just as Joshua learned to ask for the sun to stand still, we must pray bold prayers, trusting God to work in ways that are beyond our own strength and ability.
• True leadership involves empowering others. We must encourage and enforce accountability, equipping the next generation to fight their own battles and experience God's blessings.

Series: Fall Gospel Meeting 2025: Steadfast in Christ

Service: Gospel Meeting

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Phillip Shumake

What does it mean to be steadfast in service? Explore 1 Corinthians 15 and John 15 to learn how abiding in Christ helps us overcome discouragement and bear lasting fruit.

The Christian life involves a unique balance: being steadfast and immovable, yet also constantly "abounding in the work of the Lord." But what happens when that work leads to opposition, exhaustion, or feeling like our labor is in vain? The Apostle Paul encourages us to persevere by shifting our perspective from the temporary struggles we can see to the eternal weight of glory that is unseen. When our spiritual battery is empty, the Apostle John directs us to the ultimate power source: Jesus Christ. By exploring the powerful metaphor from John 15, we learn that the secret to avoiding burnout and producing lasting fruit is to "abide" in the True Vine. This connection recharges our souls and allows the Father, the Vinedresser, to prune us for even greater fruitfulness, helping us become the overcomers He calls us to be.

Read the full transcript at https://vpchurchofchrist.org/media/articles/2025/09/30/steadfast-in-service-transcript.

• Our service is never in vain when we balance being steadfast with "always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
• We can persevere through opposition and discouragement by focusing on the eternal hope of the resurrection, not on temporary, visible things (2 Corinthians 4).
• True fruitfulness and spiritual renewal come from "abiding" in Christ, the true vine, which means remaining deeply connected to His teachings, His love, and His people (John 15).
• God, as the vinedresser, prunes us not as punishment, but because He sees our potential and wants to produce even more fruit in our lives.
• By abiding in Christ and enduring pruning, we can become "overcomers" who inherit the promises of God.

Series: Fall Gospel Meeting 2025: Steadfast in Christ

Service: Gospel Meeting

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Phillip Shumake

When you've failed, God offers more than forgiveness—He offers restoration. This sermon explores Psalm 51 to show how to find renewed strength and a steadfast spirit.

Read the full transcript at https://vpchurchofchrist.org/media/articles/2025/09/29/renewing-our-spirit-transcript.

• God’s goal isn't just to repair us after we sin, but to restore us to be even better and more like Christ. 
• True renewal begins by depending on God's character—His hesed (steadfast love)—not our own worthiness.
• A steadfast spirit is firm against both external temptations and our own internal weaknesses.
• We need a spiritual "wake-up call" to look for God's evidence, have important conversations, and start overcoming bad habits now.

Series: Fall Gospel Meeting 2025: Steadfast in Christ

Service: Gospel Meeting

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Phillip Shumake

Learn how to win spiritual battles against fear, compromise, and worldliness. This sermon explores biblical examples to help you stand firm as a steadfast Christian.

Read the full transcript at https://vpchurchofchrist.org/media/articles/2025/09/28/how-to-win-your-battles-as-a-steadfast-christian-transcript.

• Being steadfast means making a decisive commitment to stand with God regardless of the challenges we face.
• Win the battle against fear by "turning down the volume" on human fears and remembering God's supreme authority, our eternal nature, and His divine protection.
• Win the battle against compromise by excelling in all you do and intentionally avoiding the pitfalls of indulgence, ignorance, isolation, and impatience.
• Win the battle against worldliness by leaning on your church family for support during times of exhaustion and enticement, rather than deserting God's work as Demas did.
• We are called to put on the "full armor of God" (Ephesians 6) to stand firm against all of the devil's schemes.

Series: Fall Gospel Meeting 2025: Steadfast in Christ

Service: Gospel Meeting

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Phillip Shumake

Build an unshakeable faith that refuses to waver. This sermon equips you to take a stand for Christ in 5 key areas: faith, doctrine, morality, mission, and hope.

Read the full transcript at https://vpchurchofchrist.org/media/articles/2025/09/28/taking-a-stand-transcript.

• Take a Stand in Faith: Make a decisive commitment to trust Jesus Christ completely, following where He leads.
• Take a Stand for Doctrine: Build your life on the unchanging pattern delivered by the apostles, choosing God's approval over man's.
• Take a Stand for Morality: Walk in the light by accepting and upholding the truth of God's moral standards.
• Take a Stand in the Mission: Use your blessings and talents to advance the gospel, trusting Christ's methods for evangelism.
• Take a Stand in Hope: Live with the sure and steadfast anchor of hope in Christ's return, which elevates your perspective daily.

Series: Fall Gospel Meeting 2025: Steadfast in Christ

Service: Gospel Meeting

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Phillip Shumake

What does it mean to be steadfast in a challenging world? Rooted in the certainty of Christ's resurrection from 1 Corinthians 15, this sermon explores the decisive commitment to stand with God regardless of life's challenges. Learn the four qualities of a steadfast heart—decisiveness, loyalty, humility, and strength—as seen through powerful biblical examples like Joseph, the apostle John, Daniel, and the Hebrew midwives.

Read the full transcript at https://vpchurchofchrist.org/media/articles/2025/09/28/a-steadfast-heart-transcript.

• Steadfastness is a decisive commitment to stand with God, rooted in the unshakable truth of Jesus' resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:58).
• Our call to be steadfast reflects the very character of God, who is unchanging and faithful through all generations (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8).
• A steadfast heart is characterized by four key qualities: being decisive (like Joseph), loyal (like John), humble (like Daniel), and strong (like the Hebrew midwives).
• We are called to be immovable in our faith, not moved from the hope of the gospel, and to stand firm in our purpose and commitment to the Lord.

Series: N/A

Service: Sun PM Worship

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Jason Page

When life feels hopeless, the phrase "but God" changes everything. Discover from Scripture how God consistently transforms betrayal, weakness, and even death into hope and purpose.

Read the full transcript at https://vpchurchofchrist.org/media/articles/2025/09/21/but-god-how-god-changes-everything-transcript.

• The phrase "But God" in Scripture marks a turning point where God intervenes in seemingly hopeless human situations, turning despair into hope.
• Biblical examples like Joseph (Genesis 50:20), David (Psalm 73:26), and Jesus' resurrection (Acts 13:30) demonstrate God's power to transform evil into good, weakness into strength, and death into life.
• Ephesians 2 explains our own "But God" story: though we were spiritually dead in our sins and following the world, God, being rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ.
• God doesn't just save us from sin; He saves us for a purpose. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Series: N/A

Service: Sun AM Worship

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Shawn Bain

Facing hatred for your faith? Explore the biblical reasons why Christians are disliked and learn how to respond not with anger, but with love and truth.

Read the full transcript at https://vpchurchofchrist.org/media/articles/2025/09/21/why-would-anyone-hate-me-transcript.

• Christians should not be surprised when they face hatred from the world, as Jesus foretold that His followers would be treated as He was (John 15:18-20).
• The root of this hatred often comes from the world's love for darkness; the light of biblical truth exposes evil, which people who love sin find offensive (John 3:19-21).
• There is a constant spiritual battle between the flesh and the Spirit. The world operates according to the works of the flesh (hatred, envy, strife), which are naturally opposed to the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace) (Galatians 5:17-23).
• The proper Christian response to being hated is not revenge or compromise, but to love, sacrifice, help others, and overcome evil with good, remembering that we too were once enemies of God (Romans 12:21).
• We must be assured by God's truth, not a worldly desire for justice, and remain faithful, knowing that God's work cannot be overthrown by men (Acts 5:38-39).

Series: N/A

Service: Sun AM Worship

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Shawn Bain

Four lessons on holiness and grace—from pearls before swine to Jesus casting demons into pigs—calling us to repent and return to the Father.

Read the full transcript at https://www.vpchurchofchrist.org/media/articles/2025/09/14/pig-lessons-holiness-sin-and-gods-redeeming-grace-transcript.

• Holiness vs. unholiness: Don’t cast pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6); honor what is holy in worship and life.
• Jesus’ power over evil: He casts a legion of demons into swine (Mark 5), proving salvation outweighs economic loss.
• Prodigal in the pigsty: Sin degrades; the Father runs to embrace repentant children with grace (Luke 15).
• Don’t return to the mire: Christians are warned against going back to sin (2 Peter 2:20–22).
• Value the soul: One redeemed life is worth more than worldly goods.
• Respond today: Leave the filth, pursue holiness, and testify to what the Lord has done.