Watch the video version here: 

Don't Let Love Erode (From our 8-30-26 worship)

In this lesson from 2 John, we look at how biblical love is rooted in truth—and how that love can either grow or slowly erode if we stop walking in God’s commands.

The sermon begins with the remarkable story of chemist Alice Ball, whose life-saving work was nearly lost to history. From there, we turn to another unnamed woman—the “elect lady” of 2 John—and discover what her short letter teaches us about lasting Christian love.

OUTLINE
• Love’s Container — “Whom I love in truth” (2 John 1). Truth defines, shapes, and guides real love.
• Love’s Connector — Those who know and love the truth are joined together as one family in Christ.
• Love’s Results — Grace, mercy, and peace flow from God “in truth and love” (2 John 3).
• Keep Walking — Love is not a one-time achievement. We must continue walking in truth, obedience, and love.
• Don’t Let Love Erode — Deception and compromise rarely destroy faith all at once. Erosion happens little by little when we stop abiding in the teaching of Christ.
• Love Without Approving Sin — Christians can love people deeply without endorsing what contradicts God’s truth.
• Fellowship Completes Joy — John wanted more than a letter; he wanted face-to-face fellowship so their joy could be complete. Our fellowship now points toward the complete joy of eternity with God.

The challenge is simple: keep walking, keep loving, keep encouraging one another, and do not allow the truth and love God has planted in you to slowly wash away.

Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/VRwNBahWDss

God in the Mosquito (From our 8-23-26 worship)
What can something as small—and irritating—as a mosquito teach us about God?

Romans 1:20 says that God’s invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature can be seen through what He has made. In this lesson, we look at the remarkable design of the mosquito and discover several spiritual lessons about the blood of Christ, seeking God, leaving evidence of our faith, carrying burdens, changed desires, and perseverance.

In this lesson:

• Blood Gives Life — A female mosquito seeks blood because she needs it to produce the next generation. Scripture also teaches that life is in the blood, and through the blood of Jesus we receive forgiveness and eternal life. What if we sought Jesus’ blood like a mosquito searches for ours?
• Seek What You Need — Mosquitoes actively search for a host using heat and carbon dioxide. Christians must intentionally seek God rather than waiting passively for spiritual growth.
• Leave Evidence — You may never see the mosquito, but the mark proves it was there. Does our life leave evidence that we have been with Jesus?
• Shed Weight to Carry More — A mosquito sheds unnecessary fluid so it can carry several times its own weight in blood. Hebrews 12 tells us to lay aside unnecessary weight, while Galatians 6 tells us to carry one another’s burdens.
• Let the Blood Change Your Desires — After receiving the blood she needs, the mosquito’s priorities change. Christ’s blood should also change what we pursue and what matters most to us.
• Persevere and Resist — While the mosquito searches for what sustains it, someone is trying to swat it. Christians should expect opposition while following Christ—but we must not grow weary and quit.

Key Scriptures: Romans 1:20; Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18–19; Ephesians 1:7; Matthew 5:6; Isaiah 59:1–2; Acts 4:13; Ephesians 2:8–10; Hebrews 12:1; Galatians 6:2; Colossians 3:1–2; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 5:8; Galatians 6:9.

If God placed this much complexity into a mosquito, imagine what creation tells us about the God who made us, loves us, and sent His Son to save us.

Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/7uhCWplB7vc

What does it mean to say that Christ loves the church as a husband loves his bride?

In this lesson, we look at Ephesians 5 and Song of Solomon 1 to explore the intimacy, desire, grace, and closeness Jesus wants with His church. The Song of Solomon describes the longing between a bride and her beloved, and that relationship helps us appreciate the far greater love Christ has for us.

In this lesson:

• Christ and His Bride — Ephesians 5:25–32 shows that marriage points beyond itself to Christ and the church.
• Tension — Earthly relationships can involve competition, but there is room for everyone in the love of God.
• Desire — “Draw me after you; let us run.” God desires worshipers who seek Him in spirit and truth. The question is: do we desire Him?
• Awe — Like the woman in Song of Solomon standing before a king, we should be amazed that the Creator of the universe wants us.
• Insecurity & Grace — We may feel unworthy before a holy God, but Romans 5:8 reminds us that Christ loved us while we were still sinners.
• Longing for Closeness — The bride wants to be where the shepherd is. Psalm 23 and James 4:8 remind us that God invites us to draw near.
• Jesus Desires Us — In John 17, Jesus prays that His people may be one with Him and says, “Father, I desire that they… may be with me where I am.”

Key Scriptures: Ephesians 5:25–32; Song of Solomon 1:1–7; John 4:19–24; Isaiah 6:5; Romans 5:8; Psalm 23:1–2; James 4:8; John 17:20–24.

The only thing that ultimately keeps us from drawing near to Christ is our own choice. As long as we have breath, we can turn back toward the One who wants us close.

Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/4f07ggCvITo

What does the Bible really mean by modesty? Is it simply about how much clothing we wear—or does God look deeper?

In this lesson, we examine modesty as a heart issue. Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees for using their clothing, religious appearance, and position to draw attention to themselves. At the other extreme, Scripture also shows that after sin entered the world, God cared about properly covering the body.

The problem on both ends can be the same: “Look at me.”

In this lesson:

• Balance Matters — Like a bridge built from the center outward, our understanding of modesty must be properly balanced.
• Clothing Can Reveal the Heart — Luke 20 and Matthew 23 show people using clothing and religious appearance for status and attention.
• Why Modesty Became Necessary — Genesis 3 shows that nakedness became an issue after sin entered the world and that God clothed both Adam and Eve.
• Too Little — Immodesty can expose the body in ways designed to attract attention.
• Too Much — Isaiah 3 shows that elaborate clothing and appearance can also become a means of pride and self-exaltation.
• Modesty Applies to Men and Women — God's concern for modesty was never directed toward women alone.
• Modesty Is Not Situational — Exodus 20 demonstrates God's concern about exposure even during worship. God's standard does not disappear when our location changes.
• Put On Christ — Galatians 3:26–27 gives Christians a greater question than simply, “Can I wear this?” Our lives—including our appearance—should point people toward Christ rather than ourselves.

Key Scriptures: Luke 20:46–47; Matthew 23:1–7; Genesis 3:6–11, 20–21; Isaiah 3:16–24; Exodus 20:22–26; Galatians 3:26–27.

The ultimate question of modesty is not simply, “How much am I wearing?” but “Who am I trying to glorify?”

Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/yJUdf761gSg

Boldness Before God | Hebrews 4:14–16 & Psalm 27

What would it look like to approach God with real boldness—not arrogance, but the confidence of someone who knows they are loved?

This sermon begins with the remarkable story of Gary Gentry, who as a 14-year-old boy boldly showed up at the home of Hank Williams Sr. and knocked on the door. That kind of audacity raises an important spiritual question: Do we have that kind of boldness toward God?

Hebrews 4:14–16 tells Christians that because Jesus is our great High Priest, we can “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace” to receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.

Walking through Psalm 27, this lesson explores several reasons we can approach God boldly.

Boldness comes from who God is.
David could say, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” Our confidence is not based on how good we have been, but on God's character, His mercy, and the relationship He has invited us to have with Him. He is not merely God—He is your God.

Boldness comes from our perspective.
Psalm 27 does not pretend trouble will never come. David says when enemies attack and though an army surrounds him, he will remain confident. Faith does not always change what is happening around us, but it changes how we face it. Hebrews 11 and the story of Job remind us that trusting God is ultimately a choice to keep holding on.

Boldness comes from wanting to be with God.
David's greatest desire was to dwell in the presence of the Lord. Think about going to your grandparents' house when you know you are loved. You do not stand nervously at the door wondering whether you are welcome—you walk in like you belong there. If earthly family can love us that deeply, how much more does God love us?

Prayer is not about giving God information He does not already know. Prayer is about relationship. God wants His children to talk to Him.

Boldness comes from grace, not perfection.
Psalm 27 includes the plea, “Be gracious to me.” Our ability to approach God has never depended on never making another mistake. Sometimes we think, “I messed up again. I can't go back and tell God again.” But God already knows. And where would He rather us go?

God does not get tired of His children sincerely seeking Him.

The sermon closes by returning to Hebrews 4 and its invitation to come directly to God for mercy and help. If God really is who He says He is, then our lives—and especially our prayers—should reflect that confidence.

This week, try talking to God about something you have never talked to Him about before. Include Him in an area of your life where you normally leave Him out.

In this sermon:
• Hebrews 4:14–16 — Drawing near to the throne of grace
• Psalm 27 — Why David could live with confidence
• Boldness based on God's character, not our performance
• Choosing faith when circumstances are frightening
• Prayer as relationship rather than formality
• Why failure should drive us toward God, not away from Him
• Learning to live like people who genuinely believe we are loved by God

Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/ITbIzTo7eFw

Comfort is something almost everyone wants—but spiritually, comfort can become dangerous.

In Revelation 3:14–22, Jesus writes to the church at Laodicea, a congregation surrounded by wealth, prosperity, medicine, banking, and luxury. They believed they had everything they needed. Jesus saw them very differently.

“You say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”

This sermon examines the church at Laodicea and asks a difficult question: Have we become so comfortable that we no longer realize how desperately we need God?

In this sermon:

Comfort can lead to deadly complacency.
The sermon begins with the 1915 Gretna rail disaster in Scotland. A signalman’s habitual lateness and complacency contributed to a catastrophic collision that killed more than 200 soldiers. Sometimes becoming comfortable causes us to stop paying attention—and spiritually, the consequences can be even greater.

What did Jesus mean by “lukewarm”?
Laodicea lived between two cities known for their water. Hierapolis had useful hot springs, while Colossae had refreshing cold water. Laodicea’s water traveled through an aqueduct and arrived lukewarm and unpleasant.

Jesus used something they encountered every day to describe their spiritual condition. They were neither refreshing nor useful. They had become complacent.

Wealth can convince us that we do not need God.
Laodicea was a wealthy banking center. Their problem was not simply possessing money—it was believing their prosperity meant they needed nothing.

Jesus tells them to buy gold refined by fire from Him. Earthly wealth can disappear. True treasure must be found in God.

They had clothing but were spiritually naked.
Laodicea was famous for valuable black wool, yet Jesus called them naked and told them to obtain white garments from Him.

Like Adam and Eve after the fall, sin leaves us exposed before God. The world may tell us there is nothing to be ashamed of, but only Christ can truly cover the shame produced by sin.

They had medicine for the eyes but could not see.
Laodicea was known for medicine and eye treatments, yet Jesus called the church blind.

Human beings can accomplish incredible things medically and technologically, but there are problems no human solution can fix. Our greatest need is spiritual sight—and only the Great Physician can heal the soul.

Correction is evidence that God still loves us.
Jesus says, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline.”

He did not abandon the Laodiceans. He confronted them because He loved them. Biblical love does not ignore spiritual danger.

Jesus is still standing at the door.
Revelation 3:20 gives one of Scripture’s most beautiful pictures: Christ standing at the door and knocking.

Even after their complacency, pride, blindness, and spiritual poverty, Jesus still wanted fellowship with them.

The message to Laodicea forces us to look in the mirror.

Have we become comfortable enough to simply go through the motions?

Has Christianity become something we do rather than Someone we desperately desire?

Comfort is not necessarily sinful—but when comfort convinces us that we no longer need God, comfort can kill a church.

Key Scriptures:

Revelation 3:14–22
Matthew 6:19–21
Genesis 2–3

Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/rlEePrBb40E

I pulled the English composition from the July 19, 2026 Descript project and based this directly on the full transcript. Here’s a YouTube-ready version comfortably under 4,800 characters:

What does it really mean to hunger for God?

Fasting was practiced by Moses, Ezra, the Ninevites, Jesus, and the early church—but for many Christians today, it has become an almost forgotten spiritual discipline.

In Matthew 6:16–18, Jesus does not say, “If you fast.” He says, “When you fast.” In the same chapter, Jesus uses the same language about giving, praying, and fasting, presenting all three as natural parts of a life devoted to God.

This sermon examines what biblical fasting is, why Christians should consider practicing it, and how it can help awaken a deeper hunger for God.

In this sermon:

Fasting is giving up something necessary to seek something greater.
Biblical fasting is not simply dieting or going without something you enjoy. It is temporarily giving up food so that physical hunger becomes an expression of—and reminder of—our greater need for God.

Hunger can become a spiritual alarm clock.
Every hunger pang during a fast can remind us why we are fasting: to pray, open Scripture, seek God's help, or intercede for someone else. Fasting does not create our weakness; it reminds us how dependent we already are upon God.

Jesus expected His followers to fast.
Matthew 6 repeatedly says:

• “When you give…” — Matthew 6:2
• “When you pray…” — Matthew 6:5
• “When you fast…” — Matthew 6:16

Jesus places fasting alongside giving and prayer as part of ordinary devotion to God.

Fasting reveals whether we truly hunger for God.
Psalm 42 pictures a deer desperately longing for water. Do we have that same desperation for God—or have comfort, abundance, and convenience made us spiritually complacent?

Fasting must be joined with prayer and Scripture.
Going without food by itself accomplishes little spiritually. Use the time normally spent eating to pray. Open God's Word. Allow the discomfort to continually turn your attention back toward Him.

Our motives matter.
Isaiah 58 shows people fasting while continuing to exploit others, quarrel, and live selfishly. Jesus also condemned fasting done to impress other people. Biblical fasting is not a transaction where we suffer enough to convince God to give us what we want. The purpose is not to change God—it is to change us.

You can start small.
A fast does not have to begin with several days without food. It may simply mean intentionally skipping a meal for the purpose of prayer and Scripture. Daniel 10 also provides an example of abstaining from desirable foods rather than completely abstaining from food.

Fasting is a tool, not a measure of superiority.
Romans 14 reminds us not to judge one another over eating or abstaining. Some people may be unable to fast for legitimate reasons. Fasting does not make someone more loved by God—but neither should grace become an excuse for spiritual laziness.

The sermon opens by imagining an early Christian in A.D. 58 walking to worship while fasting and praying with the church. It closes with the same picture in 2026: a Christian surrounded by modern comfort, yet intentionally going hungry while praying for a child preparing to be baptized.

Every hunger pang becomes another reminder to pray.

God has given us a powerful spiritual tool. The question is whether we hunger enough for Him to use it.

Key Scriptures:

Matthew 6:2, 5, 16–18
Matthew 4:4
Psalm 42
Isaiah 58:3–6
Daniel 10:1–3
Romans 12:12
Romans 14:6
Hebrews 4:12
Luke 22

Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/DjGwACs649w

How to Do Anything You Want to Do | Judges 17–18

What if you really could do anything you wanted to do?

This sermon takes a deliberately backwards approach to that question. Using the story of Micah in Judges 17–18, we see what happens when a person stops asking, “What does God want?” and begins living according to whatever seems right in his own eyes.

The lesson begins with the story of famous hacker Kevin Mitnick. From figuring out how to ride Los Angeles buses for free as a 12-year-old to eventually breaking into major computer systems, Mitnick became remarkably good at finding ways around the rules. His story illustrates something all of us are capable of: justifying what we already want to do.

Micah does the same thing—but spiritually.

In this sermon:

Fear the wrong people instead of God.
Micah stole 1,100 pieces of silver from his own mother, yet only returned it after hearing her pronounce a curse. He seemed more concerned about the consequences coming from his mother than about having sinned against God.

Surround yourself with people who enable you.
Instead of correcting Micah, his mother blessed him and helped finance the false religious system he created. We need people who love us enough to tell us the truth, not simply people who tell us what we want to hear.

Surround yourself with people who justify themselves.
His mother claimed to dedicate all 1,100 pieces of silver to the Lord, but only 200 were actually given to make the idol. When the people around us constantly excuse compromise, it becomes easier for us to excuse our own.

Make possessions the center of your life.
Micah accumulated idols, an ephod, household gods, a shrine, and eventually his own priest. More possessions never filled the spiritual emptiness—they simply gave him more things to trust instead of God.

Make yourself your own standard.
Judges explains the problem perfectly:

When I become the standard, I can always create rules that excuse myself. The question is no longer, “Is this right?” but, “Can I convince myself that this is right?”

Use people to get what you want.
When Micah meets a Levite, he hires him as his personal priest and convinces himself that having a Levite in his house guarantees God’s blessing. Instead of submitting himself to God, Micah attempts to use religion—and another person—to make God serve him.

Then Judges 18 shows how quickly Micah’s world collapses. Six hundred armed Danites arrive and take his idols, his religious objects, and even his priest. The things Micah built his life around could not save him.

That is ultimately the warning of this sermon: you really can spend your life doing whatever you want—but eventually you have to live with where those choices take you.

The deeper question is not simply, “What do I want right now?”

It is:

“What do I want most?”

Temporary satisfaction, possessions, approval, and freedom from restraint—or a life faithfully lived before God with eternity in view?

📖 Primary Text: Judges 17–18
📖 Also referenced: 1 Corinthians 15:33; Matthew 6; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; Luke 15

If this lesson encourages you, challenges you, or helps you examine the direction of your life, share it with someone else who may benefit from it.

 Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/UZWmnfDj3Ro

In this sermon, “Make a Heavenly Deposit,” we examine what Jesus meant when He told us to lay up treasures in heaven.

The lesson begins with the surprising story behind the Post-it Note. In 1968, 3M chemist Spencer Silver tried to create an extremely strong adhesive but instead produced a glue that barely stuck. Although others saw it as a failure, Silver believed it had value and continued searching for a use. Years later, that “failed” adhesive became the foundation for one of the most successful office products ever created.

Silver treasured something before anyone else recognized its worth. In a similar way, this lesson asks an important question:

What do you treasure?

1. Treasure Has a Location

Jesus said:

Anything we truly value is placed somewhere safe. We protect it because we want it to last. Earthly possessions, however, will eventually decay, become outdated, be destroyed, or be taken away.

Heaven is the only location where our treasure can remain eternally secure.

2. Treasure Is Connected to the Heart

Matthew 6:21 says:

Our treasure reveals our priorities, desires, motivations, and devotion. What we treasure influences how we spend our time, use our resources, and treat other people.

Everyone treasures something. The question is whether our hearts are devoted primarily to temporary earthly things or to the eternal work of God.

3. We Make Heavenly Deposits by Serving Others

In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus describes people feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, clothing those in need, visiting the sick, and caring for prisoners.

Jesus told them:

When we serve someone because we love Christ, we are making a deposit in heaven. The treasure is not merely the physical thing we give. It is the love, kindness, compassion, and godly motivation behind the action.

A meal, a visit, an encouraging word, a borrowed vehicle, an act of forgiveness, or an opportunity to teach someone the gospel may appear small—but God sees the heart behind it.

4. Our Focus Determines Our Master

Jesus continued by teaching about the healthy eye, the unhealthy eye, and the impossibility of serving two masters.

What captures our attention will eventually capture our hearts. The things of this world will ultimately fail, but what we do for God will have eternal significance.

This Week’s Challenge

Make one heavenly deposit.

Do one intentional act of love, service, generosity, encouragement, or evangelism—not to receive recognition, check a box, or impress someone, but because you love Jesus and want another person to experience His love.

You may never know how far that small seed will grow, but no sincere work done for God is ever wasted.

Primary Scriptures:
Matthew 6:19–24
Matthew 25:31–46
Jeremiah 1:5
1 Corinthians 13:1–3

 Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/675lzVMx3UQ

In this lesson, “The Importance of a Name,” we are reminded that names carry meaning, value, and authority. Proverbs 22:1 says that a good name is better than great riches, but no name matters more than the name of Jesus Christ.

The lesson begins with the simple truth that a person’s name can open doors, build trust, and represent a life of character. But from there, we are pointed to the name above every name: Jesus.

Through 1 Timothy 2:5, we see Jesus as the one mediator between God and man. A mediator brings peace, settles the dispute, reconciles separated parties, and delivers the message that needs to be heard. Jesus does all of this for us. He gives peace to troubled hearts, reconciles us to God through His sacrifice, and declares that He alone is “the way, the truth, and the life.”

This lesson also looks back into the Old Testament to see God’s name and plan revealed through Abraham and Moses. Abraham knew the Lord as Jehovah-Jireh, “The Lord Will Provide,” pointing forward to the sacrifice God would provide through Christ. Moses heard God identify Himself as “I AM,” and Jesus later used that same name to declare His eternal nature and deity.

The message closes with the powerful reminder that there is salvation in no other name. Jesus built His church, purchased it with His own blood, and invites us to wear His name—not as a man-made label, but as Christians who believe, repent, confess Him, are baptized into Him, and live faithfully for Him.

Scriptures referenced include:
Proverbs 22:1
1 Timothy 2:5
John 14:6, 27
2 Corinthians 5:18–19
Matthew 16:16–18
Mark 16:16
Acts 2:47
Acts 4:10–12
Genesis 22:18
Galatians 3:16
Exodus 3:13–14
John 8:58
Hebrews 13:8
Philippians 2:9–11
Acts 20:28
Revelation 2:10